Elizabeth's Ordeal

by Charlotte Browning

  “When did I give you motives to believe I would ever abandon you, Georgiana? Elizabeth was more than willing to give you a chance and treat you as a sister.” He scolded her. “But, instead, you received her with insults and false accusations.”

  “I am terribly sorry… I really am…”

  “You should be apologizing to Elizabeth, not to me.”

  She let out a loud cry and ran out of the room.

  Darcy let out a deep sigh. Perhaps, he had been too harsh on her. He was about to follow her when Jonathan entered the room, with a deep frown on his forehead.

  “What is the matter with your sister?”

  “I am afraid I was too harsh on her.” Darcy admitted, taking two steps out of the room. “I will go talk to her.”

  Jonathan stopped him. “Please, allow me. She might need an impartial part on this.”

  Darcy doubted for a second, but then he nodded. He was still too upset to help his sister.

  He walked to the window and watched his sister running towards the end of the back garden, tears rolling freely down her cheeks and remorse hit him hard.

  His sister had been through too much at such a young age, and he should have been more patient with her.

  Only seconds later, Jonathan showed up in the garden, walking with incredible speed for a man with a cane. It took him only seconds to reach his sister and take her in his arms, comforting her.

  He let out another sigh and walked away. He knew his friend would take care of his sister, perhaps, even a little more than he should.

  But, as Elizabeth had once said, he could do a lot worse looking for a brother in law.

  He finished what he had been doing and went looking for Maggie, Elizabeth’s maid. She needed some clothes and they knew they could trust the young girl to be discreet.

  When he was done, he waited for his friend to return. He guessed he had news for him, otherwise he would have not followed him there.

  A while later, Jonathan finally joined him in his study, with a frown drawn on his forehead.

  “Alright, do not kill me. I admit I was too harsh, but you know I have been through a lot these past days.” Said he, before his friend was able to open his mouth.

  “Your sister was caught between your fire, and, yes, she chose the wrong side, but she sees that now.” Jonathan scolded him, as he took a seat, in front of Darcy’s desk.

  “I know… and I shall make amends with her, when all of this is over.” He promised.

  “I received news from my man. He is on his way back to London with the doctor.” Jonathan informed, changing the subject.

  “How come the news arrived faster than they did?” asked Darcy, puzzled.

  “The doctor was hurt during his deployment. Nothing serious, but it stops him from riding a horse.”

  “Is he coming of his free will?”

  “As soon as he read the letter you sent him, the man got up from his bed and got ready to leave.” Jonathan scowled. “I believe it is safe to say he is more than willing to assume his responsibilities.”

  “Good, it remains to know what my cousin will decide.”

  “Yes, I know.” He let out a sigh. “Are you done here?”

  Darcy got up and stretched his body. He had had a good night sleep, but it had not been enough to compensate all the sleepless nights.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Good, I need a good drink and an even better meal.” His friend confessed, standing up as well.

  “Let us go then.” Said he getting up from the sofa and grabbing the bag Maggie had prepared.

  Chapter Sixteen

  They left the house and a few minutes later they were arriving at Jonathan’s place. Elizabeth was waiting for them in the drawing-room, looking a lot better than she did the night before.

  She crossed the distance separating her from her husband and fell right into his waiting arms. “God, I missed you.” She whispered to his ears only.

  He kissed the top of her head and whispered back. “I missed you too.”

  “Good day, ma’am. I hope you are feeling much better today.” Jonathan greeted her, scowling, amused.

  Elizabeth felt the heat colouring her cheeks and tried to step away from Darcy, but he did not allow her.

  “I am much better, thank you.” managing to turn around inside her husband’s embrace.

  “I am happy to hear that.” He updated her with the latest news as he poured a whisky for himself, and drank it in a single gulp.

  Elizabeth looked at him surprised and glanced at Darcy, arching one of her eyebrows, questioning in silence.

  He shook his head discreetly and whispered the word ‘later’.

  “Then this nightmare will soon be over.” Replied she, with a deep sigh.

  “God willing, yes, very soon.”

  “How do you plan on helping Anne?” Elizabeth asked, tilting her head to face her husband.

  “I already requested a special marriage license in the good doctor’s name, so if she decides to live her own life, we shall act as their witnesses in the ceremony.” He explained.

  “That sounds like a good plan.” Accepted she.

  “Lady Catherine will realize it is impossible to fight the accomplished facts and she shall have no alternative other than to accept them.” Jonathan added, in a satisfied tone.

  “You must advise your cousin not to live in the same house as her mother. Or she will be condemning herself to a lifetime hell.” Elizabeth warned her husband.

  “I believe she knows that better than anyone.” Darcy assured her.

  Jonathan’s butler announced lunch was served and they headed to the dining room.

  The rest of the day went by slowly. They all wanted to end the terrible situation they were in, and time did not seem to cooperate.

  They were all asleep that night, around three in the morning, when Jonathan’s main door was banged with urgency.

  They all left their beds, and Jonathan went downstairs to open the door, accompanied with his butler.

  “Good evening, Mr. Pierce. I apologize for disturbing you this way, but Doctor MacGregor refused to wait till the morning.” A man’s voice was heard, and Darcy’s expression immediately changed.

  “It is Anne’s doctor. He has come to talk to me, you should go back to bed, my dear.” He murmured to Elizabeth.

  “Very well. Do not stay up all night. There will be enough time on the morrow.” She advised him and returned to her bedroom. She was aware her presence would disturb the doctor.

  Darcy joined Jonathan at the door, while he invited the doctor inside. The man that had knocked at the door, was the one Jonathan had sent for the doctor.

  “Good evening.” The man greeted in a stern tone. His face was emaciated and it was obvious he was in pain, but there was such determination in his expression no one dared to suggest postponing the needed meeting. “I am very sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I am sure you must understand my urgency.”

  “Of course, there is no problem. My name is Jonathan Pierce and I am sure you already know my friend, Darcy, Miss Anne’s cousin.” Said Jonathan, motioning the man to follow them into his study.

  “Yes, of course.” The man’s face became sterner when he looked at Darcy. He probably was aware of Lady Catherine’s wishes to marry the woman he loved with Darcy.

  Jonathan dismissed his man and soon the three of them were seated around Jonathan’s desk.

  “In your letter, you said Miss Anne was facing a terrible situation only I could fix.” The man went straight to the point, turning to face Darcy. “Would you mind to elaborate on that?”

  “I believe my cousin told you she is with child.”

  The man tensed up even more. “Yes, she did.”

  “Did she mention who the father is?” Darcy asked, though he already knew the answer.

  “No, she did not.” His expression revealed all the pain he had been through.

  “And since you were so close to her, do you have any suspicion?”<
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  “No, though she insinuated you were the father.” He finally spitted out.

  “How on earth did you even believe that? Anne is my cousin and I have never felt for her more than the same love I feel for my sister, nor did I ever show any interest whatsoever in her as a woman.” Darcy scolded the man, realizing he had been blinded by his jealousy. “You were the closest person to her, how did you fail to notice that?”

  “She… she…” he stuttered, as his conviction shattered and crashed under the weight of the truth.

  “She would do anything to protect the man she loved from her mother, to protect you, even if it meant lying to you.” Darcy added, in a compassionate tone.

  The man covered his face with his hands as comprehension donned on him. “She is expecting my baby.” His words came out almost like a cry.

  “Yes, I am sure of that. Anne confessed to me she had pushed away the father of her child, because she was afraid of what her mother might do to him, if she knew the truth.”

  “Did she not know I would die for her?”

  “Apparently, so would she, for you, and she preferred to sacrifice herself rather than expose you to Lady Catherine’s fury.” Jonathan intervened.

  “I am not afraid of her.” The man assured.

  “Perhaps, you should. She has proven to be more dangerous than we all thought possible.” Darcy warned him. “But the bottom line here is: are you willing to marry Anne and provide for her? I am willing to help you two, if needed.”

  “I do not need your help. My grandmother left me more than I would ever need when she passed away. The only reason I work, is because I like to help others.”

  “Perfect, then, all you need to do is convince Anne you are more than able to face her mother. I have everything ready for you to marry immediately, in order to prevent any intervention from Lady Catherine.”

  MacGregor let out a tired sighed. “Yes, that is excellent. I am not willing to lose her once again.”

  Jonathan got up. “Right now, you need a bed and some sleep.” He pointed out, looking at the other man. “Tomorrow, Darcy and I will find the way to bring Anne here, so that you can talk.”

  “Thank you, that would be perfect. I shall go to the nearest hotel, and…” he started, as he got up.

  “Please, Doctor MacGregor, do not offend me. There is more than enough room for you here. There is no need for you to go looking for a hotel at this hour of the night.” Jonathan scolded him.

  “Thank you, very much, for all you have done for Anne and me. I am sure she will be thankful as well.”

  “Of course, she will.”

  Jonathan called the butler and asked him to guide his guest to a room and prepare him a warm bath. He clearly needed the comfort of the warm water.

  “Well, he turned out to be better than I expected.” Darcy commented to Jonathan after the other man had left.

  “Which plays in our favour.”

  “Yes, that is right. I am sure Anne will not be hard to convince.”

  “I have the same feeling as well.”

  They returned to their bedrooms.

  Elizabeth was waiting for Darcy as she paced the room impatiently. She wanted to know what was going on and she surely would not be able to get back to sleep before that.

  “I thought you were sleeping.” Darcy said as he closed the door, but the smile on his face told her he was teasing her.

  “No, you did not. You know me better than that.” Replied she, with a self-deprecating smile on her face.

  “I sure do.”

  “What happened?”

  “He had no trouble getting to the same conclusion we did and he admitted the child is his. Anne had told him it was mine.” Informed Darcy, guiding Elizabeth back to the bed.

  “I guess she would do anything to protect him.”

  “What she failed to see was that he needs no protection.” Darcy let out a sigh. “He only works because he wants to, not because he needs to.”

  “So, he truly cares for her.” There was relief in her tone.

  “I have no doubt of it. When he arrived, jealousy was eating him alive and the man could not look more depressed.” He confirmed her supposition.

  “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

  “We need to get Anne here.”

  “And how are you going to do that without Lady Catherine finding out?”

  “I believe the best way would be to ask for my sister’s help.”

  “But…”

  “She finally realized the truth and asked for my forgiveness this morning.” Informed he, with a sad sigh. “I am afraid I was not very forgiving.”

  “What did you do?” asked she, with a scolding tone.

  “Not the right thing, that is for sure. But Jonathan arrived at the right moment, and I believe he was able to comfort her.” Added he, with a wicked smile.

  Elizabeth smiled back. “Are you aware you shall have to apologize to her for your behaviour?”

  “Yes, my love.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

  She snorted but threw her arms around his neck.

  “Good… I want a united family, and your sister is an important part of it.”

  Darcy pushed her against the mattress nodding. “I know…”

  All the talking and any coherent thought disappeared almost instantly, replaced by sheer passion and need.

  The following morning, Darcy shared his plans with his friend while they were having breakfast. “What do you think?”

  “Yes, Georgiana could ask her to go buy something or even visit someone.” Jonathan agreed. “But, perhaps I should be the one asking her that. She was very hurt yesterday.”

  Darcy sighed and nodded. “Yes, I know and I was counting on your help.”

  At that moment, Doctor Macgregor joined them in the dining room. The man looked much better than the night before.

  Darcy introduced him to Elizabeth. She had not met him the few times she had been to Rosings.

  “It is a pleasure meeting you, ma’am.” The man replied with a polite tone, but he was clearly impatient.

  “Please join us. You need to eat a proper meal.” Invited Darcy, signalling the table.

  “Thank you.” He took a seat. “When are you going to pick up Anne?” asked he.

  “As soon as we finish here. But, before we take her out of the house, we need to take Lady Catherine. We will only gain more problems if she finds out our plans ahead of time.” Warned Darcy. “Stay here and recover your strength, you shall need it to convince my cousin you are more than able to protect yourself and protect her.”

  He sighed but nodded his acceptance.

  They finished eating quickly and soon, Darcy and Jonathan were leaving the house, for yet another episode of the charade their lives had become.

  Doctor MacGregor returned to the bedroom he was occupying and Elizabeth decided to explore Jonathan’s library. She needed to keep herself busy or she would climb the walls, out of frustration.

  Darcy entered the house as quietly as possible and sent the butler for his sister. He did not want Lady Catherine to know he was in the house.

  A few minutes later, Georgiana met them at his study. “Did you call me?” she asked in a cold tone, not looking at her brother’s face.

  “Good morning, Miss Georgiana.” Jonathan greeted her in a soft tone and she immediately raised her face to look at him.

  “Mr. Pierce… I was not aware you were here.” There was a clear delight in her tone and Darcy sighed. Those two clearly had something going on between them.

  “Your brother asked me to join him in this mission and I could not say no.”

  “Mission? What is going on?”

  Jonathan looked at Darcy and he nodded.

  “We need your help. It is imperative to take your aunt out of the house for a few hours and we decided you would be the right person to do it.” Explained he, closing the distance between them, and taking the girl’s hands on his.

  “How
would I do that?” asked she with a slight frown. “I am afraid I am not my aunt’s favourite person right now.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Darcy, a little worried.

  “I had a small argument with her last night. I believe I lost my patience and refused to listen to her constant rants against my brother.” Confessed she, with a faint smile.

  “Then, we need to change our plans.” Jonathan said with a frustrated sigh.

  “Perhaps we could ask for your mother’s help, Mr. Pierce. My aunt mentioned her yesterday, and the fact she had not seen her in years.” Georgiana suggested. “You could ask her to invite Aunt Catherine for lunch.”

  Jonathan smiled and kissed the back of Georgiana’s right hand. “That is a perfect idea.” He released the girl and turned to look at his friend, oblivious of his slight frown. “Ask one of your grooms to take my message to my mother. She will send the invitation right away.” He approached Darcy’s desk and quickly wrote a note, while Darcy called his butler.

  Fortunately, the countess lived nearby, so half an hour later they had her invitation for Lady Catherine and her niece Georgiana.

  “Why did you include me?” the girl asked, a little surprised.

  “Well… we… need you to keep her there as much as you can. You know, you could ask my mother to show you the gardens, or to allow you to play the piano and you should play as much as you can.” He explained after a few moments of doubt.

  “Of course, I shall do my best.” She assured him, lowering her head.

  “Perfect. Now, you two go find Aunt Catherine and get her out of here as soon as possible.” Ordered Darcy, as he went upstairs to his cousin’s bedroom. As far as he knew, she had not left the room ever since she had arrived at the house.

  Unlike what he had expected, his cousin was out of bed, sitting at the window, knitting what looked like baby’s clothes. She looked startled when he entered the room, after a gentle knock.

  “Darcy, what are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you, Anne.” Replied he, in a stern tone.

  “Of course.” She looked at the door, clearly worried her mother might show up. “Perhaps, we should continue this conversation someplace else.” Suggested she, getting up.