North by Northanger (A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery) by Carrie Bebris Page A

rang the bell, but with such a short span in which to make themselves presentable, they seized the first suitable clothing they could find in their trunks and began assisting each other while waiting for their summons to be answered.
    Five minutes later, they were still waiting.
    “I cannot fathom where our servants have gone,” Elizabeth said as Darcy fastened the back of her gown. “And why has no one else answered the bell?”
    Darcy could not spare a moment to formulate a guess. He had missed a button and had to fasten her gown all over again. “Captain Tilney will be enjoying dessert before I finish these buttons,” he said.
    “It seems rather inconsiderate of him to make us rush so.”
    “As a military man, he no doubt values punctuality.”
    “As a host, he ought to value the comfort of his guests.”
    She winced as she caught sight of her hair in the looking glass. The damp weather had set each lock conspiring against the others. She left the mirror and pillaged her trunk.
    “I cannot find my hairbrush.”
    “Is there not one on the dressing table?”
    She glanced at its surface. “No. Perhaps in one of the drawers.” She opened the dressing table drawers in rapid succession, but the search proved unsuccessful. Darcy, meanwhile, approached the looking glass and struggled to tie his neckcloth in record time.
    A large, old-fashioned cabinet of ebony and gold stood in a nearby recess. “Should I try that cabinet?”
    “Unless you have decided to accept the present state of your hair as satisfactory after all.”
    “I cannot meet our host like this. He will mistake me for one of the hedges.”
    She crossed to the cabinet. A key extended from the lock; she turned it and unfolded the doors to reveal a wall of small drawers. These she slid open one by one. “Empty . . . empty . . . handkerchiefs . . . gloves . . . empty . . . stockings . . . more handkerchiefs . . . oh, my!”
    He glanced at her reflection in the looking glass. Her countenance held astonishment. “Have you discovered the crown jewels?”
    “No. Only a hoard of diamonds.”
    “Is that all?” He made a final adjustment to his cravat.
    “Darcy, I am quite serious.”
    He brought the lamp over and looked into the drawer himself. A diamond necklace, bracelet, and pair of eardrops glittered back at him. The set appeared very costly—hardly the sort of thing he would leave in such an unsecured location for years. “The family must have forgotten about these.”
    They closed the drawer. The next contained a superior treasure—a comb. Elizabeth seized it and hurried to the dressing table.
    _________
    Somehow, they managed to achieve full dress by the time the housekeeper reappeared. Elizabeth enquired into the whereabouts of their maid and valet, and received a blank look in response.
    “They are your servants—I am not responsible for supervising them.”
    “Nor did anyone answer the bell.”
    “It must have gone unheard in the bustle of dinner preparations.”
    Though she found these replies less than satisfactory, Elizabeth let the matter drop as they hastened to join Captain Tilney on time. She did, however, note the displeasure in Darcy’s face as the housekeeper sprinted down the corridor expecting rather than inviting them to follow.
    “Do you suppose all guests at Northanger are treated so attentively?” she said under her breath.
    “If so, it is little wonder that our host seeks new acquaintances,” he replied. “No one ever returns.”
    Despite the speed at which their guide led them, the housekeeper walked gracefully and carried herself with as much dignity as one would expect in a servant of her status. She conducted them back through the great gallery, past portraits of long-dead ancestors and paintings of the abbey’s various incarnations.
    “How long have the Tilney family lived at Northanger Abbey?” Elizabeth asked.
    They reached the central staircase before she finally answered. “A long time.”
    Contrary to