Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1)(7)

Kitty and Lydia begged to know more, and Mary began muttering about sinful excesses. Jane slid Lizzie a look that said, Well, you’ve done it now. Grudgingly, Mr. Bennet provided the barest of details over the second course but admitted he had not heard the full account.

“If only he weren’t in prison,” Mrs. Bennet lamented, “he would be a perfect match for our Jane.”

Jane offered no opinion on the matter, choosing to pay special attention to her tart, but Mr. Bennet asked, “And what if he were a murderer, but not imprisoned? Would he be an acceptable suitor then?”

“He’d still be better than Mr. Collins,” Lizzie muttered to Jane, who hid a smile behind her napkin.

Lizzie knew that her mother’s single-minded goal of seeing her five daughters married stemmed from her own fear and unhappiness. Mrs. Bennet’s father had died suddenly, leaving his family nearly penniless. And while Mrs. Bennet’s brother was now respectably settled with his own family, he’d been a mere apprentice in a china shop at the time. Mrs. Bennet had married Mr. Bennet simply because he was the first one to ask, and his future as a barrister seemed bright. She’d been dissatisfied to find her married life consisted not of society parties and vast fortune but of an address in Cheapside, a husband who preferred books to people, five daughters, and not a single son.

Lizzie sympathized with her mother’s disappointment, but she didn’t understand why being born a girl meant that she couldn’t decide her own future. “I think Mr. Bingley’s case is interesting,” Lizzie said, addressing her indifferent father and ignoring her glaring mother. “Fred said that—”

“Lizzie, I thought you cut ties with those urchins!” her mother interrupted.

“Fred is hardly an urchin. He shares his information and makes an honest living of it. But Papa, I keep turning it over in my mind—what could Mr. Bingley’s motive possibly be?”

Lizzie was set on acquiring and working through her own case, but she still valued her father’s opinion . . . and his instruction. After all, he was the one who had taught her that asking a person’s opinion on a matter often yielded a lot more information than simply asking someone what they knew.

“It’s impossible to say to what lengths desperation may drive a man, especially when his own family is at stake,” was all her father said. Lizzie resisted the urge to scowl. Mr. Bennet would not be helpful.

“A crime of passion?” Jane asked, sending Lizzie a bemused glance.

“I hear that the union between Mr. and Mrs. Hurst was not a happy one.” Mrs. Bennet took the opening to gossip. “Just recently, Mrs. Hurst abandoned her husband!”

The other Bennet sisters gasped, while Lizzie thought rather irritably that she would like to know where her mother got her information—it was tedious listening to her endless stream of chatter, but it occasionally yielded the most fascinating tidbits. “Why, then it would have to be very foolish of Mr. Bingley to murder Mr. Hurst if such rumors are true,” Lizzie thought aloud. “He must’ve known that he would be the very first suspect.”

“One cannot account for all the fools in London,” Mr. Bennet observed wryly.

“Mr. Bingley is not foolish,” Mrs. Bennet protested. “A foolish man simply cannot be as rich as he is . . . heavens, no. A man like that must be clever, and good mannered, and fashionable. Oh, Mr. Bennet! But what if you were able to prove his innocence? He might be so grateful as to marry Jane then!”

“No, thank you, my dear. I suspect Lizzie has already staked a claim on that venture.” Mr. Bennet gave her a knowing smile. “Now, I beg of you all, let me finish my meal in peace.”

“I shall have no peace,” Mrs. Bennet said sadly. “Not when my Jane is lovely and unwed, and my second daughter is determined to be a barrister.”

“Don’t be absurd, my dear,” Mr. Bennet said. “Jane shall have her pick of suitors, and Lizzie will hardly be able to get through the pack of solicitors lining up outside of Newgate to represent Mr. Bingley.”

That last comment was made with a pointed look in Lizzie’s direction. She chose to ignore both of her parents’ words. She would make an excellent barrister. In fact, she’d make an excellent solicitor, too. Any solicitor worth his (or her) salt kept their ears and eyes open, searching out potential clients while the barristers argued in court. But Mr. Bennet was right: Lizzie wouldn’t be at all surprised if the prison was swarming with earnest solicitors hoping for an audience with Mr. Bingley and a chance to earn him as a client. . . .

All at once, an idea struck.

“What are you smiling about, Lizzie?” Mrs. Bennet demanded. “Surely not our family’s ruin?”

“Surely not,” Lizzie agreed.





Three


In Which Lizzie Makes an Unexpected Enemy



AS FAR AS SCHEMES went, Lizzie’s plan to secure Mr. Bingley as the newest client of Longbourn & Sons was not her most far-fetched, but it was perhaps her most daring. It would take impersonation, bribery, and all of Lizzie’s wits.

Jane was against it, naturally.

She tried to reason with Lizzie as she made her preparations. “I know you’re as clever as any solicitor, but you aren’t a solicitor, Lizzie. You’re a young lady.”

“Why must everyone insist on reminding me?” Lizzie asked as she tied on her widest bonnet. “It’s not as if I am able to forget.”