Forced to Marry

by Bella Breen

  A knock at the door stopped Elizabeth in her task of buttoning her nightgown.

  “I brought the hot tea you ordered, sir.”

  “Very good. Set it down there. Thank you.”

  Elizabeth buttoned the rest of her nightgown and stepped out from behind the screen. She was embarrassed and nervous as this was the most undressed she had ever been in front of her husband. She wanted to climb right into the bed and get under the covers, but she also wanted hot tea to warm her up.

  Mr. Darcy turned around. “Oh good, you are done changing. I can bring you a cup after you get in bed.”

  Elizabeth did not know what to think about this kindness shown by Mr. Darcy, but she nodded and climbed into bed trying to will her blush away. He carried over a cup to her and their fingers brushed as she took the cup. She was sure the tingle was from the heat of the tea.

  She drank the hot liquid with eyes closed in pleasure at the warmth. Soon the cup was empty, and she scooted under the covers. Elizabeth saw a quick glimpse of Mr. Darcy in his nightshirt as he walked out from behind the screen before he blew out his candle. She moved over to her side but could not go any further without actually falling out of the bed. She tried to will herself to sleep but could only focus on Mr. Darcy’s breathing and his weight in the bed behind her.

  Chapter 20

  Somehow without her realizing it Elizabeth must have fallen asleep, for she woke up to the dawn’s early light filtered through the room’s curtains. She was still lying on the edge of the bed, curled up and tucked in, quite snug. She did not remember ever waking up feeling so warm and comfortable. She stretched but stopped when her bottom suddenly hit something behind her. Shocked, she jolted forward and accidentally fell out of the bed onto the floor.

  “Elizabeth? You fell out of the bed?” Mr. Darcy hung over the bed and looked down at Elizabeth, who had pushed herself up from having fallen flat on her face.

  Elizabeth could not hide the embarrassing blush on her cheeks from falling out of the bed, but especially at having stretched and bumped into what could only have been Mr. Darcy lying right behind her. “Yes, I am afraid I startled myself when I stretched.”

  She was not going to say that she was shocked and startled when her bottom bumped into Mr. Darcy himself! Elizabeth got up on all fours and then with Mr. Darcy reaching out from the bed, she held onto his hand and pulled herself up.

  “I might as well get up too. We will have breakfast and then leave. We should reach Pemberley before nightfall, especially if we start soon.”

  Elizabeth sighed as she had wanted a bath before they began their travels today. But she could live without it if that meant that they would get to their destination faster. She was sincerely tired of traveling in the carriage, especially with how awkward and uncomfortable it had been since they first started this trip. She had thought the awkwardness would have worn off throughout the first day but no, she had expected too much. Truly this trip would be one of the most awkward that she had ever been on in her life. Of course she had not been on many trips, but this would certainly go down in memory as one of the worst.

  Elizabeth walked behind the screen and changed into a different dress, but she needed help to button up the back. She imagined Mr. Darcy was still in bed as she had not heard any movement. She certainly could not ask him to call in her lady’s maid when he was not even dressed and still in his nightshirt. Should she ask Mr. Darcy to help button her up?

  “Should I call your maid? Or could I help you with anything?”

  Elizabeth stilled in her attempt to reach the back of her dress herself. Mr. Darcy offered to help her? To do something as mundane as taking over for a maid? Elizabeth was not sure how to reconcile this with her image of the proud, arrogant Mr. Darcy. Perhaps he was doing this to win favor with his new wife? “Yes, that would be helpful.”

  Elizabeth turned around so that her back was facing out when Mr. Darcy came around the screen. He quickly buttoned the back of her dress. He was even faster than her lady’s maid! She had the miserable thought of wondering exactly how many lady’s dresses he had experienced unbuttoning and buttoning. But that was a thought best left to think about... never. The past was the past. She could not completely get rid of her jealousy though, which surprised her. Why would she be jealous of other women? It is not like she actually cared for Mr. Darcy. That twinge in her chest told her that she could try to fool herself but it would not work.

  Elizabeth repacked her belongings while Mr. Darcy changed behind the screen. It seemed that he was much faster than she had ever been at changing clothes. Or it could be because men’s clothing was much easier to get in and out of.

  They walked downstairs and then ate a quick breakfast. She was not much for the morning talk as she was more of a night person. Mr. Darcy seemed to be the same, as he did not utter a word either. After they finished their tea, they left the inn with her maid and Mr. Darcy’s valet following with their trunks. The carriages were ready and waiting for the long day’s travel. Elizabeth climbed up into the carriage with help from Mr. Darcy. She sat in her seat with Mr. Darcy on the other seat. He pounded on the ceiling and the journey started again.

  Elizabeth looked out the window as she remembered what Mr. Darcy had told her about George Wickham. She shook her head at how wrong she had gotten everything. She had thought Mr. Darcy was a horrible person ruining lives wherever he went, and it turned out it was instead George Wickham who attempted to ruin lives by telling lies. Though Mr. Darcy did interfere in Jane and Mr. Bingley’s happiness, he had not actually ruined their lives.

  Elizabeth looked down at her hands. She did not know if there was any reason for her to be mad at Mr. Darcy. Well, other than his behavior at the townhouse. She could probably put that down to his being thrown off by the quick forced marriage. But still, from someone who claimed to be a gentleman, it sure was horrible behavior.

  Elizabeth turned back to find that Mr. Darcy was once again staring at her. She did not know if he was doing that because he found fault with her or if he was bored and had nothing else to look at. “Is your sister, Georgiana expecting us?

  Mr. Darcy nodded. “I wrote to her while we were in London. I am sure she will be very excited to have a sister. She has probably been tired of just having an older brother for a sibling.”

  Elizabeth felt for Mr. Darcy then. To lose both parents at a young age and to raise his much younger sister by himself was a hard task. “It must be hard for you to be away from your sister for long stretches. Does she ever accompany you when you leave to visit your friends like Mr. Bingley?”

  “When I first leave, I am glad to be away. It is nice to have a change of scenery. I do feel bad for leaving my sister behind though. She has a governess, and she has her lessons. I did not want her to suffer, so I have made sure she has received the best schooling. However, sometimes I think that she should be at a boarding school with other young ladies. There are not many ladies her age in Derbyshire.”

  “I can understand why you would not want to have her at a boarding school. She is the only family you have left.”

  Mr. Darcy nodded. “Yes, that is the exact reason. I rethink my decision to keep her at home with a governess or to send her to a boarding school at least several times a year. I think she is quite happy to be at home with a governess instead of at a boarding school. Though, I am not sure that she actually sees me more than if she had been at a boarding school.”

  “You travel often?” Elizabeth felt the stilted conversation was like she had just met Mr. Darcy all over again. It was so polite and constrained. She longed for the easy teasing and discourse that they had at Rosings Park before his marriage proposal.

  “I would not say that I travel often. It is more that I need to travel at times. Business in London, visiting friends that do not live in Derbyshire. All of that takes time.”

  “And once you leave Derbyshire to visit your friends, you cannot just be there for a sennight and then leave.”

  “Definite
ly not.”

  “Do you have any friends in Derbyshire?”

  Mr. Darcy eyed her curiously. “No, I do not. I went to a boarding school when I was younger. And then of course stayed at the university. I would have to say my closest friend is Mr. Bingley, and he travels wherever it takes him.”

  “So he would probably not stay in one place then, even if he got married?” Elizabeth was worried that if Jane married Mr. Bingley she would be gone on travels and Elizabeth would not see her for years.

  “No, I am sure that once Mr. Bingley finds an estate that he likes and is near Pemberley, he will settle down immediately.”

  “I do seem to recall that—”

  Elizabeth was cut of by the sudden lurching of the carriage. She heard a loud crack and then the carriage fell over and tumbled.

  Chapter 21

  Elizabeth screamed as she was thrown out of her seat and onto the floor. As the carriage tumbled the floor changed to the ceiling and then the side again. The tumbling stopped but she could feel the carriage slide down. What happened? Were they going to end up in a river? Were they going to drown?

  She tried to roll over and get off her back but her dress was twisted around her legs and she was jammed partially under one of the seats. Finally, they came to an abrupt stop which threw Elizabeth against what was now the front of the carriage. Her head and shoulders slammed into the wall which caused her to cry out in pain.

  “Elizabeth! Elizabeth!”

  She felt Mr. Darcy’s hands as he pulled her out from under the seat. He opened her eyes and then inspected her head. “What hurts?”

  Elizabeth moaned. “I hurt all over.”

  Mr. Darcy leaned back. “Do you feel any sharp pain?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “No. I did hit the carriage hard.”

  Mr. Darcy put an arm behind her back and slowly raised her to a sitting position. “Stay there. I am going to see where we landed.”

  Elizabeth chuckled as she thought of Mr. Darcy’s order to stay there. Where would she go? She did not feel well enough to move.

  Mr. Darcy opened one of the seats to catch the little folding table as it fell out. He opened it, stood on top and slid open the carriage window. He pulled himself up to look out. What strength he must have to pull himself up like that and hold still while hanging onto the edges of the window. Does he do more than just supervise the crop planting? He must be involved in some strenuous physical activity on a daily basis.

  Mr. Darcy dropped back down. “It looks like we stopped right before the river. We are wedged against a rock though I am not sure how long we are going to hold. We need to get out of here immediately. Can you stand?”

  Fear gripped Elizabeth. She did not want to drown. She could not imagine how they were going to get out of the carriage though. She was not tall enough to reach the window even with standing on the table and she did not think it was wide enough for Mr. Darcy’s shoulders. What were they going to do? “How are we going to get out? I do not think you can fit through that window and I surely cannot reach it.”

  “I need you to stand up. I will push you through the window so you can get out.” Mr. Darcy pulled Elizabeth up and pulled her dress down. Elizabeth giggled again at Mr. Darcy forever having to pull her dress down and set her to rights. Mr. Darcy narrowed his eyes at her.

  “You giggled again. I think you might have hit your head harder than I thought. There is nothing to be done for it though. I need to get you out. Come stand on the travel table.” He helped Elizabeth stand on the table and then he used those amazingly strong muscles to hold her so that she could grab hold of the edge of the window. He pushed her through so that she was able to sit on the outside of the carriage.

  “What do you see? Do you see the driver, the horses, or the other carriage?”

  “We are right near a stream. It is running rather fast. There is a long hill we came down as I can see the trail. I cannot see anything above though. I do not see the other carriage at all. Would they not have seen us go down the hill?”

  Mr. Darcy could barely hear Elizabeth as her body was taking up space in the window opening. “Has anyone stopped? Do you see the other carriage? Are there any horses around?” He stood right under her legs and pulled her dress aside so he could see a little patch of the sky.

  Elizabeth put her head down to talk to Mr. Darcy through that little opening. “I cannot see anything except for this rather large hill. I can see where we fell down the hill. The horses are not moving though they are still attached the carriage. There is quite a lot of blood. I do not see the driver at all.”

  Mr. Darcy’s stomach dropped. A long tumbling fall like that meant the horses were probably dead. And the driver had probably been thrown off, also probably dead, or injured quite badly if they could find him. Since they were at the bottom of a hill, he doubted anyone would see them from the road. They had to get out of the carriage and up on the road. How they would do that was a very good question.

  “I want you to pull your legs up out of the window and then lie down on top the carriage but do not get down.”

  Elizabeth did exactly what Mr. Darcy asked without even questioning him. She had obviously hurt her head, for Mr. Darcy was sure she never would have done that otherwise. He waited for her to tell him that she was done but he did not hear anything. “Elizabeth? Are you lying down?”

  “Yes I am.”

  Mr. Darcy rubbed his face and sighed. Thankfully he was not injured severely so he could get them to safety. He certainly hoped his wife did not slip into sleepiness. He had heard of too many tenants having fallen and then slipped into a sleep to never wake up again.

  Mr. Darcy stood on the travel table and grabbed the edge of the window. He pulled himself up, putting one arm and elbow out to push himself, but he was stuck. Damn the small carriage windows. He could see Elizabeth though; she was lying down with her eyes closed. Fear spiked his heart, and he shimmied down until he was unstuck and fell back in the carriage. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible to keep Elizabeth awake. Plus, he did not know how precipitous the carriage was while it rested against a rock preventing it from falling into the river. From what Elizabeth had said, it did not sound like a stable situation.

  Mr. Darcy took off his coat, cravat, and waistcoat and threw them on the floor. Actually, they were going to need the warmth of his clothes for when they got out of the carriage. He bent down, picked up his clothing and threw it out the carriage window. He did not know where it landed and he did not care as long as it was outside. Now that he was slimmer without the extra padding of his jacket and waistcoat, he hoped he could fit through the carriage window without getting stuck.

  He stood on the travel table, held onto the edge of the window, squeezed an arm and shoulder out, and pushed. He wedged his arm on top the carriage and worked at getting out. Damn him for taking up boxing! This was the only time he would ever decry his developed muscles. He scraped his shoulder, arm, and sides but somehow forced himself through. The cracking of the side of the carriage and flexibility due to that most definitely helped. Finally, he sat on top of the carriage.

  Chapter 22

  Elizabeth was correct. They were at the bottom of a tall hill with the carriage rested against a boulder within feet of the raging stream. The carriage was tilted in such a way that one wrong move would push it to the side, continuing the few feet into the stream. Mr. Darcy looked around to the other side of the carriage and saw that indeed the horses did not look well. It looked like their necks were bent and broken. Hopefully they died quickly and not in pain. He looked around to the other side but did not see the driver anywhere, and sincerely hoped he was not under the carriage at the moment.

  Elizabeth still lay on top the carriage with her eyes closed. Mr. Darcy reached over and shook her gently. “Elizabeth? Elizabeth, you need to wake up and keep your eyes open.”

  Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked around until she focused on Mr. Darcy. “Oh, you are out.”

  She d
id not say anything else which made Mr. Darcy worried that she had hit her head. “I am going to jump down and then I will help you down. Does your head hurt now?”

  Elizabeth slowly shook her head. If she did not have a blinding headache then why was she acting so odd? Mr. Darcy jumped down and reached up for Elizabeth, but she had not moved. “Elizabeth? Elizabeth sit up. Jump and I will catch you.”

  Elizabeth slowly sat up then moved her legs around so they hung off the edge of the carriage. “That looks a far way down. Are you sure you can catch me?”

  Darcy bit his lip so that he would not tell her that he could easily manage to catch something as large as her. He was quite sure that would not come out as he had intended.

  Mr. Darcy held his arms up to give her the idea that she needed to get off the carriage. He did not scare her and tell her that the rocking of the carriage greatly concerned him. He was not sure when that carriage was going to slide past the rock and fall into the raging stream. “I will catch you. You need to slide off or jump.”

  Elizabeth inched forward towards the edge of the carriage. She bit her lower lip and finally inched to the edge, held her arms out, and jumped. Mr. Darcy braced himself and caught her. This was the first time he had actually held his wife in his arms. She was much lighter than he had expected. He gently set her down and steadied her so that she could stand on the hill without falling.

  “Do you have any pains? Any sharp pain?” The carriage tumbled down the hill violently and with the number of times they rolled they would be lucky if neither had broken bones.

  ”I do not feel any sharp pains. Just soreness all over.”

  Mr. Darcy nodded. “Good. I will check to see if our trunks survived.”

  Mr. Darcy walked around but did not see their trunks. He did however find his jacket. Not too far away he also found his cravat and his waistcoat. He gathered up his clothing and walked back to Elizabeth. Could this situation get any worse? He found Elizabeth as she walked towards the front of the carriage. He ran and caught her arm. “You do not want to go that way.”