The Haunting of Miss Bennet by Susannah Barton

Author:Susannah Barton [Barton, Susannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Thorns Press
Published: 2019-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

Mr. Rankin delivered a letter to Mr. Darrow over breakfast, and answered Lydia and Kitty’s questions about its contents with a wink and a secretive smile.

He spent the next several days sorting through the antiques and furniture that had been set out in the foyer for him to choose from for his clients in London while Mrs. Bennet prepared for the séance. Her own invitations went out on the same day as Mr. Rankin’s letter and she spent her time entertaining the elder Mr. Rankin and making plans with Mrs. Rivers and her daughter. Another cook had been engaged along with a number of other serving staff—footmen and maids.

Elizabeth did her best to stay away from her mother and her planning, but that meant she had to assist Mr. Rankin with his work, which meant that she had to push aside her nervousness, and the questions she had about the medium’s imminent arrival.

“I hope you are not angry with me, Miss Bennet,” he said on the third morning. They had worked silently together, Elizabeth hoping that he would not say anything more than questioning the items that had been brought out for him. She could answer those questions without issue—but anything else seemed almost dangerous.

“No, of course not,” she answered quickly. The expression on Mr. Rankin’s face told her that he did not believe her lie, but he did not press her further.

“Is the door to the study still locked?” he asked casually.

Elizabeth was startled by the question, as she had been thinking about it just at that very moment. “It is,” she said. “It has been locked every night, and I cannot open it. Not even with the skeleton key that Mrs. Rivers carries.”

“I hope that Madame Susanne will be able to rectify that,” he said.

“As do I,” Elizabeth admitted.

“She will be arriving soon,” he said as he opened one of the massive leather-bound books that had been brought down from the second library.

“Oh?” Elizabeth was curious how he could know such a thing. There had been no letters delivered for him, and the only mail that had arrived at Pemberley had been replies to some of her mother’s invitations. Mrs. Gardiner had sent her reply at once, and Elizabeth was grateful to know that she could rely on her aunt’s steady presence during the séance.

Mr. Rankin did not satisfy her curiosity, and distracted her instead with discussion about the large amount of landscape paintings that Mrs. Bennet had marked for sale.

Elizabeth had not looked at them, but her eye was drawn to one in particular. A woman seated at a pianoforte. She had fawn-colored hair and kind eyes, but her expression was one of intense concentration as she studied her music.

A cool breeze brushed across her shoulder and she shivered and pulled her shawl tighter around herself. “I think we shall not sell that one,” Elizabeth said suddenly.

Mr. Rankin seemed surprised, but moved it off to the side without complaint.

Elizabeth rubbed her neck absently, feeling the need to go outside into the crispness of the autumn day.

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