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“Do you think James may be correct in thinking the estate passed to him and all interest payments stopped with David’s death?”

William, who was trying to make sense of old Lord Morgan’s will, tossed it on the desk. “I am no authority on the law, and this will certainly appears to be complicated; therefore, I shall make no judgement until I know more. I do intend, however, to turn it over to my solicitor’s man of law in London to see what he thinks.”

“I suppose you are speaking of Jackson Graves, the finest barrister[2] in all of Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England!”

“I am. My solicitor, Mr. Banks, uses Graves to argue his most important cases before the courts because he never loses. I intend to present Lady Morgan’s circumstances to him with the hope that he may have handled such cases in the past and will be able to advise me as to what should be done.”

“You are aware that Graves’ services will cost a pretty penny.”

“I intend to pay him.”

“I had no doubt that you would; I merely wished to have you confirm what I suspected all along.”

“That being?”

“That you intend to pay for whatever costs you incur whilst helping Lady Morgan.”

“What is your point, Richard?”

“I just wanted reassurance that you have not changed,” he replied with wry smile and a wink. “You are still the honourable man you were before Anne destroyed the last of your trust in mankind … or perhaps I should say, womankind.”

“To hear you tell it, I am a veritable saint!”

Just then, Jane walked into the room, which put an end to their conversation.

“Mr. Darcy, I have pondered the situation most of the night, and I think it might be best if you work on my predicament at your house in London. Certainly, Darcy House will be quieter than Netherfield. To that end, if you wish to move to London any of the papers David left in his desk or in the chest that holds his personal files, feel free to do so. It would not take long for the servants to pack them.”

“Most of the night? Then evidently our presence did not help you sleep well,” William teased.

Jane coloured. “I did not mean to let that slip. I think it will take me some time before I return to the habit of sleeping. Still, do you think you might be able to conduct this business from London?”

“Most assuredly. It will certainly be more convenient to work in London, since I will be able to continue going through David’s papers in between meeting with my solicitor and others I wish to interview. And the colonel will be able to investigate the crime whilst working with General Lassiter.”

“Excellent. I shall have the servants begin packing shortly.”

“Please be advised, though, that you may need to come to London—at least for a day or so, if questions arise.” Jane was nodding, so William added, “I am assuming that you have not dismissed the servants employed at your London home.”

“No, but that is something I wished to ask you about. We have always kept a skeleton staff so that David could reside there whenever he was in Town, but I shall not need the house just for myself. David had spoken of renting or selling it, but he had not decided by the time—” Jane swallowed hard. “By the time he left for Derbyshire.”

“Do not worry. I intend to evaluate the feasibility of all your properties after I have examined your finances.”

Again, Jane nodded silently.

Not wishing to bring it up, William nevertheless cleared his throat, saying, “There is still the matter of hearing your account of David’s death. I hesitate to ask you to relive it, but the colonel and I must know everything if we are to be of help. Are you able to speak of it now?”

“In truth, I never shall feel comfortable speaking of it,” Jane replied, all the while twisting through her fingers the handkerchief she held. “Still, I know I must.”

Taking a deep breath, she seated herself before releasing it and began recounting the details she had been given. “About six weeks ago, I received an express post from Constable Stone in Sheffield. He related that our coach had been discovered under the Bayview Bridge by occupants of a coach travelling the road from Lambton to Sheffield. I am certain you know the place, since that is where people normally stop to water their horses.” At William’s nod, she continued. “They informed him that everyone in the coach was dead.”

Jane stopped, staring silently into the distance before continuing. “David, our solicitor, Mr. Humphrey, our driver and two footmen had all been prepared for burial by the time Constable Stone ascertained their identities, since our coach had no coat-of-arms. Our local vicar and Mr. Hill, Longbourn’s long-time butler, set out to claim—” She swallowed hard. “To claim the bodies, our horses and our coach.”

Jane began to weep in earnest, causing William to exchange glances with Richard, who lifted his shoulders as if to say, I have no idea what to do, either. Standing, he crossed to the sofa where Jane was sitting, leaned down and gently patted her shoulder in an effort to be of comfort.

The gesture was enough to make Jane stop crying, and she continued her story. “The undertaker in Meryton said no personal belongings were returned with my … my husband. Moreover, Constable Stone told Lizzy there were no rings, watches, wallets or articles of any sort at the scene, except for a satchel owned by Mr. Humphrey. Apparently, it had been tossed out the window on the far side of the coach and landed in tall weeds. It was overlooked by everyone until a thorough search of the area was conducted. Inside the satchel were papers with his name and address, as well as David’s, which is how he knew to contact me.”

“Do you know if David carried anything that would attract thieves whilst he stopped along the route? Something that would stand out as valuable?”

“He always carried his father’s gold and diamond pocket watch, and of course there was his signet ring. Moreover, if memory serves, he said he was taking a hundred pounds in cash to pay the servants still employed at Morgan Manor.” Suddenly, Jane’s hand clasped her throat. “Oh, I completely forgot! He had Lizzy’s jewellery. He hoped to sell it at a shop in Sheffield if they could agree on a price … but he would never have exposed them in public.”