Elizabeth's Ordeal

by Charlotte Browning

  “I am willing to do it, if you allow me to.” She accepted.

  The man stood in silence for a few moments before he asked. “Can you knit?”

  “Yes, of course.” Her mother had taught all of them.

  “Good, I could use a new pullover. I shall bring you the wool and the needles.”

  “Thank you, I would be happy to do that for you.” She assured him, desperate to have something else to do than just staring at the walls.

  The man left the room, locking the door behind him, but he returned a couple of hours later with wool and a couple of needles.

  She thanked him and stared at the needles for a few minutes, considering the idea of using them as a weapon against the men holding her prisoner, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She would never hurt another human being unless her life or the lives of the ones she loved were in true danger, and so far they had not hurt her in any way.

  With a heavy sigh, she started knitting. That at least would keep her busy, as she waited for Darcy to either find her or marry Anne.

  The simple thought of that last thing happening sent excruciating pain rushing through her whole body, and though she refused to believe that could ever happen, as long as the hours and the days went by, it was harder and harder to keep her hopes high.

  She would go to bed with unshed tears in her eyes and an iron grasp around her already sore heart.

  Darcy paced Jonathan’s office back and forth, feeling on the edge of true despair. So far, all his intents on finding Elizabeth had failed miserably, and as the days succeeded one another, the pain in his chest grew to an unbearable size.

  He had spent as little time as he could at home, since he had serious trouble controlling his temper in front of his aunt and her constant insistence for him to marry his cousin.

  “You are going to make a hole in my new carpet.” Jonathan warned him, from his chair behind his desk.

  “I’m going insane, Jonathan.” His words came out almost like a cry.

  The other man sighed, sadly. “I know… though I cannot even begin to understand the pain you must be going through.” He got up and closed the distance between them. “I am sure the coachman will return this morning and when he does, he will take us right to where Lady Catherine has your wife prisoner. After we rescue her, everything will be alright.”

  “It has been three days since she disappeared. What if she abandoned her to die?”

  “I understand your fears, but you must think positive.” He rested his hands on his friend’s shoulders and shook him slightly. “She will be alright. Now, let us go find that coachman. According to his colleagues, he should be about to start working.”

  “Yes, you are right.”

  They left the office and soon they were on Darcy’s carriage heading to the square near Darcy’s house.

  “I forgot to mention I received news from the man I have stationed at the docks where the doctor’s vessel is expected.” Jonathan said, breaking the thick silence.

  “What did he say?”

  “The ship is expected tomorrow morning. He has already looked for backup, in case the good doctor refuses to come with him, but I do not think he will have trouble with him.”

  “Finally, some good news.” But in his voice there was no enthusiasm.

  All he cared about was recovering his wife so that he could throw his aunt out of his life once and for all. He would help his cousin Anne, if she decided to stand up to her mother, but if she did not, he would expel her from his life as well.

  He would have nothing else to do with none of them.

  “They should be here the day after tomorrow with luck.” Added Jonathan, with a forced smile on his face.

  A couple of weeks ago he would have found impossible to understand what his friend was going through, but then, a young woman had turned his well-planned life upside down, and though he saw no future at her side, he knew he would go to hell and back to save her from any peril.

  They finally arrived at the square, and both men hopped out of their carriage. One of the coachmen spotted them and called them.

  “The man you have been looking for has finally arrived.” He told them as soon as they reached his side. “He has gone to take a gentleman to Piccadilly, but he should be about to get back here.”

  “Thank you, very much.” Jonathan thanked him, with more than just words and the man nodded pleased.

  They waited there a few more minutes, before the carriage finally arrived.

  “Hey, Fergusson… these gentlemen are looking for you.” The other coachman called out the newcomer.

  “How can I be of service?” the man asked, hopping down from his seat and approaching the men waiting.

  “We need some information from you, good man, and we are willing to pay for it.” Jonathan explained, with a serious, contained tone.

  “Of course, I would be more than happy to help, if I can.”

  “The day before you left London, you picked up an old Lady from a mansion at Grosvenor Square. Do you recall it?” asked Jonathan. He had asked Darcy to allow him to do the talking. His friend was too edgy to be of use.

  “Yes, of course, how could I forget? She paid me such good money I was able to go back home for a few days.” The man answered with a wide smile.

  “Do you remember where you took her?”

  “Yes, she asked me to take her to a small village on the city’s outskirts. Not a place I ever thought taking an old Lady such as her, but I always do as told.” The man assured.

  Jonathan and Darcy had exchanged looks before they turned to look at the man again.

  “Was she alone?”

  “At the carriage, yes, she was, but she met two men at a small shed, right outside the small village. She asked me to wait for her there.” He added, explaining how he had noticed all of that. “She was there for at least half an hour.”

  Lady Catherine had not bothered to cover her tracks. She had assumed her nephew would believe blindly in the words written on the letter she had given him.

  Darcy was sure she did not even suspect that he had been looking for Elizabeth all this time.

  “You only saw two men there?” Jonathan asked again.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Would you take us there?” Darcy finally asked, impatient.

  “Yes, of course.” He agreed immediately. He clearly was not understanding what was going on, but all he cared for was the pay he had been promised.

  “Darcy, we might need back up.” Jonathan warned his friend. “Let us go back to my office and pick two of my men.”

  For a moment, Darcy considered refusing but, common sense imposed itself and he agreed. If there were two men at the cabin, they would need help to rescue Elizabeth.

  “I shall ride your carriage, good man.” He informed the coachman and soon they were on their way to the docks.

  Jonathan gathered two of his best men and after handing them weapons, they left towards the shed where they were sure Elizabeth was being kept prisoner.

  They arrived at the place and left the carriages half a mile away from the rickety shed, approaching the place in stealth, looking to surprise the men guarding the place.

  Darcy was not surprised to see both men sitting at a small table eating and drinking. They clearly did not expect any danger and since Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen, they surely were keeping her prisoner in another room.

  They were not able to see any weapon near the men, but since they wanted to cause as little fuss as possible, Jonathan positioned his men at the back door to the shed as Darcy and he entered through the main door.

  It was quite easy to subdue the men, and in no time, they had them tied up against a wall as Darcy cracked open the other door in the small shed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elizabeth finished the pullover she had been working on for the past days and sighed, getting up and stretching her tired body. She had not left those four walls in days and as she saw the sun go down the horizon, through
the tiny window on the wall, one more time, a stubborn tear rolled down her cheek.

  Could it be possible she had been forgotten this fast? Was all the love he had sworn to her just words? Did she mean so little to him, he would not look for her?

  She remembered him saying once, that those who fell from his grace, would never find their way back in. Could it be possible that he had believed the words of the letter and erased her from his life forever?

  She struggled so hard not to believe such a thing was even possible, but as the days and nights went by, it was harder and harder.

  She leaned her forehead against the cold wall and muffled a sob with her hand. She missed him so much, she could not think of a future without him at her side.

  She was still there, when she heard two blasts, as if someone had just erupted through the shed’s doors at the same time.

  Scared, she turned around and stared at the door to her cell and pushed herself back against the wall. What was going on?

  She heard what sounded like a fight, that only lasted a few minutes, and her whole body started to shudder.

  The door to her cell was finally opened up with a loud crack, and she let out a cry.

  “Elizabeth.” His cry was louder than hers and only seconds later, he had her smashed against his chest, in a tight embrace, that barely allowed her to breathe.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as relief finally flooded her body and all the tears she had been welling up the past days, gushed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

  “My love… I finally found you…” Darcy kept saying, like a litany, without letting her go.

  They stayed like that, glued together for a few minutes, until her sobs became whimpers and she stepped back to look at the owner of her heart.

  “What took you so long?” she scolded him, cradling his face and kissing him all over.

  He returned each and every one of her kisses. “These were the longest days of my life. I have been down to hell and back a few times.” He assured her.

  Someone cleared his throat behind them and startled them, they turned to look at Jonathan in the doorway.

  “You can continue with that in a more comfortable place. We have no idea if these two have help, so I say we should get out of here.” He pointed out, signalling the main door.

  “Yes… there is a third man, the one that brings them food and drinks.” She informed him, as she wiped the tears from her face with her hands.

  “Very well, let us go.” He motioned to take her out of there, but she stopped him.

  “Wait, you need to release me.” She warned him, showing the shackle attached to her ankle.

  Darcy’s face went bright red and he turned to go face the men responsible for that atrocity. He could see she had some bruises, from the iron band. But she stopped him.

  “Just take it off, Darcy. All I want is to go home.” She begged him and he nodded.

  He turned around looking for the keys to the padlock and Jonathan handed them to him. He had noticed the chain before Darcy did.

  He opened it up and carried his wife out of that place. The carriages were already waiting for them at the door, so in just seconds they were out of there.

  “God, I thought I had lost you forever.” He whispered in her ear, his words oozing all the pain he had been through.

  She sobbed and hid her face on his chest.

  “I thought the same… I was so afraid you would have believed the letter and not come looking for me…” she admitted, hugging him tighter.

  “If you had not mentioned the money, I might have believed you were doing the right thing. I would have followed you either way.” He assured her. “But, when you mentioned the money, I was almost sure something was wrong. And when you asked forgiveness for all the lies, I knew you were in danger.”

  “What took you so long?” she scolded him again.

  “No one seemed to know where you were. We had men looking for you all over the city to no avail. The only man that might know where you were being kept, was a coachman that drove my aunt to the shed, but he had left London to visit his family and no one knew where he was. We had to wait for him to come back.” Explained he, running his hands through her hair, unable to stop touching her, as if to make sure she was real.

  Their carriage stopped and seconds later, Jonathan hopped in. “I am sorry to interrupt, but we have a few things to discuss.” Explained he, as the carriage proceeded its way.

  “What is the matter?” Darcy asked him, with a deep frown.

  “You cannot take Elizabeth home. At least, not now. That would warn your aunt and god knows what she might do.”

  Darcy wanted to protest, but he knew his friend was right. It was not the right moment to take Elizabeth home.

  “What do you suggest?” he finally asked his friend.

  “Stay at my place, at least, until we bring the good doctor back to London and you are able to show your game to auntie dear.” Said he, with a scowl.

  “Yes, that is a good idea. Even if the men warn my aunt…”

  “They will not… I made sure to warn them of the future that would await them if they dared to come any closer to London in the near future”. Jonathan interrupted.

  “You think of everything.” Darcy chuckled for the first time in days.

  “It is my job to think of everything.”

  “Very well, you got yourself two guests for a few days.”

  “It will be my pleasure.”

  “All I want is a warm bath and a soft bed.” Elizabeth admitted as a yawn escaped her lips. “I have never felt this tired before.”

  “Your wishes are easily granted, ma’am. We will get to my house soon.” Jonathan assured her, with a smile.

  “You have been a true friend, Jonathan.” Darcy stated.

  “That is what friends are for, so do not mention it again.”

  A few minutes later, the carriage stopped once more, this time in front of Jonathan’s mansion and soon Elizabeth was in the guest room soaking in a huge bathtub, still wrapped around Darcy’s arms.

  “I am afraid to let you go.” He whispered in her ear. “You might think I am exaggerating, but these days away from you, not knowing if you were alright, were a true nightmare.”

  “I know what you mean.” She let out a long sigh. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” she asked, watching as he slowly rubbed a cloth over her body.

  “We shall bring the good doctor back to London and make my cousin face him. I shall tell him the truth and depending on what she decides to do, I will help her or not.” Explained he, relishing in the ordinary task of bathing his wife. “If she decides to confront her mother, I shall support her completely, but if she insists on playing by her mother’s rules, I shall throw them both out of my house and out of my life. I want nothing to do with my aunt again and I shall make sure to let her know I will do whatever I have to, to keep her away from our family.”

  “Good… I never imagined she could go this far to make her will prevail.”

  “Yes, we underestimated her madness.” He grumbled.

  “This will be over soon, and that is all that matters, my love.” She assured him, tilting her head to face him. “We are together now, and nothing shall do us part again.”

  He frowned.

  “What is the matter?” she asked, sitting up in the bathtub.

  “That sentence reminded me of our wedding.” He started explaining. “I am afraid we shall have to renew our vows.”

  “What do you mean?” now, she was the one frowning.

  “My aunt ordered Collins to erase our marriage from the parish book.”

  “And he obeyed?” but she knew the answer to that question, the little man would never dare to disobey any of Lady Catherine’s orders. He lived to please her. “Of course he did.” She answered it herself.

  “So, we get to marry again, this time, with all ours gathered at St. Paul’s cathedral, with the archbishop himself, blessing our wedding.”

 
She chuckled.

  “No one will ever doubt we are truly married.” He added, kissing her sweet lips.

  “If you insist, I shall pledge to your wishes.”

  “Of course, you will.” A naughty smile cracked his face and he quickly finished bathing her, suddenly consumed with another kind of urge.

  They did not leave the room until the following morning.

  After breakfast, Darcy reluctantly left Elizabeth at Jonathan’s house and went back home.

  “You need to make sure your aunt does not suspect anything. There is no need to incite more problems than the ones we already have.” His friend advised him and he had to admit he was right.

  So he returned to the house, stayed there for a couple of hours, solving some minor problems, and he was about to go back to Jonathan’s place, when Georgiana entered his study.

  “Darcy, I am happy to see you home.” Said she, in a low tone.

  “Yes, I guess I have been very busy.” Replied he, in a cold tone. It still hurt him her lack of trust in him.

  “I am sure of it.” She wriggled her hands nervously. “Would you have a few minutes for me?” she finally dared to ask.

  “What is the matter, Georgiana? Is there a problem?” asked he, finding it impossible to hide the impatience from his tone.

  “I wanted to ask for your forgiveness, brother.” She finally uttered, in a broken tone, as a lonely tear rolled down her cheek. “I should have never listened to Aunt Catherine, especially knowing as well as I do, how she twists facts to meet her stories.”

  Darcy was still too hurt, too furious to be compassionate or understanding. “You preferred to believe your brother was some kind of monster, able to seduce and abandon a woman, and not just any woman, his own cousin, his flesh and blood.” He spurted out, in a cold tone.

  “I am very sorry, brother. I let my own fears affect my better judgement.”

  “Fears? What fears, Georgiana?” he asked, sarcastic.

  She let out a small sob. “I was afraid you would send me away from your side, now that you were starting your own family.” She sobbed a little louder, with her head lowered. “You are the only true family I have left… I thought when Anne was your wife, she would let me stay with you…” she mumbled.