by APRIL FLOYD
“Yes,” Mr. Darcy said, “please tell us why you think they may still be in Hertfordshire. Would not the lieutenant wish to go as far from the militia’s reach as quickly as he might especially if my cousin was his captive instead of his beloved?”
Elizabeth was relieved they had not laughed at her nor demanded she return home. “When I went to the place where your cousin was last seen by Hill, I saw marks in the soft earth of the recently turned garden. Footprints the size of a lady’s foot turned toward the house but the dirt held the single footprint of a gentleman’s boot, much larger than the smaller prints. Some of Miss de Bourgh’s footprints were covered over in what must have been the struggle to pull her into the lane.”
“But Hill said she saw Anne speaking with the lieutenant in the lane. That does not seem as though he made a kidnapping attempt.” Mr. Darcy was thoughtful as he spoke.
Elizabeth allowed him time to think about her discoveries before she spoke again. The colonel said that he thought Elizabeth might be right. His horse moved restlessly away sensing the agitation in his rider.
After a few moments while Mr. Darcy looked over her list again, Elizabeth spoke quietly to the man. “You know her much better than I could ever claim to, but your cousin is a kind and quiet young lady. She had a sense of right and wrong. She did not allow your aunt to bully her on the matter of Mr. Bingley and I do not believe she would have allowed Wickham to easily take her from her home.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the colonel and pity filled her heart. “He must be mad with worry. We cannot allow the night to pass without finding her. Gossip might spread no matter how we try to keep it quiet.”
Mr. Darcy looked up. “You make a fine point, Miss Bennet. I will search all the places you have listed. But you would have me search my own tenant farms first?”
“I would. There is a vacant cottage on your land if I am correct. One of the widows in town mentioned she saw the lieutenant out this way once when traveling to see her daughter who lives nearby.” Elizabeth’s eyes lit with hope as she spoke.
“There is one and I did not think of it! I will take the colonel and ride there now. If you are wrong, there are other places we might search thanks to your list,” he said as he folded it carefully and placed it in his pocket.
Elizabeth smiled with gratitude but her tone was serious as she asserted herself. “I would ride with you.”
Mr. Darcy held up a hand. “I cannot ask such a thing, Miss Bennet. You have been more than a help.”
She arched a brow and examined the man closely. The light of the moon hid some of his expression. “Mr. Darcy, you did not ask and I will not sit idly and await word. Earlier this evening, you called me dearest Elizabeth. Did you mean it? Have you been unable to forget your feelings as I have been unable to forget mine?”
He gazed at her for a long moment and looked down before looking at her again. She knew the answer to her question. “Then allow me to be present if we find Miss Anne. She will need a woman to comfort her and to speak about what happened to her. You will have the pleasure I wish were mine, to deal with Wickham the way men deal with one another.”
Mr. Darcy seemed as though he might speak but instead, he motioned for her to lead the way and followed behind with the footman and his cousin.
Chapter 24
Mr. Darcy nudged his horse to move alongside Elizabeth as the cottage came into view. There was no light inside nor any sign to make them think Wickham had come this way with Miss de Bourgh.
Colonel Fitzwilliam dismounted and handed the reins to Darcy. He motioned toward side of the cottage and left them with a finger against his lips.
Handing the reins of the colonel’s horse to the footman, Darcy dismounted and gave his reins to Elizabeth. He whispered low and she had to bend down to hear. “Take the horses away lest they make any noise that would give us away.”
Elizabeth wanted to ask whether he thought Wickham might be near, but she turned away as he motioned the footman back the way they had come.
Riding quietly away, Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder and saw Mr. Darcy going the opposite direction of the colonel. Both men went quickly in an arc around the cottage, bent low to stay out of sight.
Her stomach flipped as the footman led them into a copse nearby and tied the horses. He motioned to her pistol as he drew his own. “Wait here, Miss. I will not be far. I want to help Mr. Darcy and the colonel should it come to it. If you fall into trouble, send the horses out into the field as a sign.”
Elizabeth clutched her small pistol and nodded. “I will be fine. I will remain on my horse just to be certain I might flee if accosted.”
The footman nodded his agreement with her plan and left her, swiftly disappearing in the dark shadows to another copse closer to the cottage.
Time passed in interminable increments as Elizabeth waited silently for some indication that her idea had been wrong.
Elizabeth prayed Mr. Darcy and the colonel found them, but the threat of violence made her thankful she had not partaken in tea with her grandfather and Mrs. de Bourgh. She feared if she had, the meal might have been difficult to keep down as her nerves got the best of her.
A gunshot and the yells of men broke the silence around her and Elizabeth jumped causing her horse to bolt and gallop from the copse. She could not grasp the reins but wound her arms around the horse’s neck and buried her face in his mane. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut and prayed as more gunshots rang out.
The footman dashed out of his hiding place and stood in front of her horse causing the beast to slow its gallop into a canter. Elizabeth glanced up and screamed at the footman as the horse seemed certain to run the poor servant under its hooves.
The footman moved at the last moment and grabbed the reins as he vaulted up behind Elizabeth onto the animal’s back. He easily stopped the horse and dismounted quickly. “Not to worry, Miss. I know horses well enough to stay out of their way.”
Elizabeth held tightly to the reins and stared at the footman. She didn’t think she had ever truly noticed him at Netherfield, except for his service at dinner or when he was needed for some task, and for that she was sorry. “Thank you Andrew, I owe you my life.”
“Oh no, Miss, you do not. I was only doing as Mr. Bingley would wish me to do. I could not see you so frightened and not offer my assistance.” The footman gave a small bow and stayed beside her.
“What do you think has happened? It is awfully silent. Perhaps we ought to go back into hiding?” Elizabeth looked at the cottage, her heart filled with distress.
The footman lifted his arm and pointed at a figure stumbling away from the cottage. “Look there, someone is coming.”
The figure was slight and much shorter than Wickham, Mr. Darcy, or the colonel. Elizabeth dismounted and ran to embrace Anne de Bourgh.
“Oh, my dear, your mother will be so relieved!” Elizabeth said to the young woman as she led her towards the footman.
Anne’s face was streaked with tears and her dress was dirty and torn in places. “Mother will be very angry, Miss Elizabeth. I did not mean to go with Mr. Wickham, but she will not understand.”
Elizabeth felt the poor girl trembling and removed her riding coat and placed it around her shoulders. “I will see that she does understand and no further harm comes to you. I give you my word for I knew you did not go willingly with the lieutenant. He is a beastly man.”
Miss de Bourgh gave Elizabeth a weak smile and her tears began again. “He did not compromise me, Miss Elizabeth. He tried and I fought him. When I told him he would get no ransom from you or Mr. Bingley if I was harmed, he stopped. All he wanted was the money.”
Elizabeth’s own tears fell then, and she was filled with righteous anger against Wickham. She wanted to throttle him herself but Miss de Bourgh needed her.
When they reached the footman, Elizabeth noticed that the girl winced with each step they took. “I know you are in pain, dear, but if we can get you up on my horse, I can see you safely to L
ongbourn and send for Mr. Jones.”
The footman interrupted Elizabeth. “I am strong enough to carry her back, Miss Bennet. I would be much gentler on the young miss than the back of a horse.”
Elizabeth knew he was right but she looked to Miss de Bourgh. “May Andrew carry you home? I will be right beside you. He is a kind and good man. Why, just moments ago, he saved me when my horse became frightened by the gunshots.”
Miss de Bourgh nodded her agreement and wiped at her tears. “Yes, please get me away from here.”
Remembering the gunshots, Elizabeth only halted their progress across the field to inquire after Mr. Darcy and the colonel.
Miss de Bourgh said that Mr. Darcy had freed her and sent her away after the gunshots. It was the colonel who fired on Mr. Wickham when the lieutenant rushed him. “I do not know whether Richard’s aim was true.”
Elizabeth fell silent and some darkness took hold of her spirit as she hoped the colonel had hit his mark. Poor Miss de Bourgh was in such a state when they found her and it was all the fault of the lieutenant with no scruples.
After Mr. Jones had come to Longbourn and seen to Miss de Bourgh, Elizabeth left Hill and the footman behind to watch over her.
The young lady was tucked safely into her own bed and given a dose of laudanum as the shock of her ordeal had settled upon her.
Outside Longbourn, Mr. Darcy and the colonel met Elizabeth as she came out. Wickham lay face down in the dirt of the lane, his hands bound, and as far as Elizabeth could see in the darkness, he did not seem to be suffering from any wounds a gun might inflict.
Elizabeth looked to the colonel. He seemed not to have sustained injury either and tipped his hat to her. “Will she be well, Miss Bennet?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“Mr. Jones has said she will in a day or so. Wickham hurt her, there were bruises,” Elizabeth said, her eyes bright again with tears. She had sat with Miss de Bourgh and held her hand as the apothecary made his examination.
“Did he say whether Wickham…whether he…” Mr. Darcy asked, his anguish over his cousin’s reputation evident.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I did not allow such an examination as Miss de Bourgh told me he only wanted money in exchange for her freedom. Still, I think he tried as she has bruises from rough handling.”
The colonel turned on his heel and went to Wickham. Elizabeth turned away as he pulled the disgraced lieutenant roughly to his feet and delivered a felling blow to the man’s midsection.
As Wickham fell to his knees in the lane wheezing for air, the colonel turned and said he wished to see his cousin.
Mr. Darcy turned and held up a hand. “You must not tonight, Richard.”
Elizabeth spoke up. “She is certainly sleeping by now as Mr. Jones gave her laudanum. She was nearly hysterical once the reality of the past few hours became clear. I comforted her as best I could. Perhaps tomorrow?”
The colonel relented and turned away. “I am taking him to the stables at Netherfield, Darcy. Come along if you would save me from becoming a murderer.”
Mr. Darcy looked to Elizabeth. “Thank you for taking care of her. I do not know what further pain she might have suffered had you not been there to bring her home while we dealt with Wickham. I am indebted to you.”
Elizabeth swiped at her tears. “There is no debt greater than what Miss de Bourgh will pay in the coming months. We must see Wickham is handled and then see that she is made whole.”
The colonel turned and his words silenced them all. “She will be made whole if it takes the rest of my life to see it done. My work begins tonight, but tomorrow, I will propose to her and declare my love, Darcy.”
He turned and went to Wickham again and pulled the wicked man to his feet. Instead of mounting his horse, Richard Fitzwilliam pushed his prisoner in front of him down the darkened lane.
Mr. Darcy took the reins of the colonel’s horse and mounted his own. Elizabeth did likewise and they followed behind the colonel and Wickham to Netherfield.
Chapter 25
When Elizabeth entered Netherfield, the house was quiet. She slipped into the parlor and found her grandfather snoring on the sofa. Mrs. de Bourgh paced silently before the fireplace.
Elizabeth had not expected to find her there even though she recalled her grandfather had said the woman would spend the night with them. She ought to have gone up and rested in one of the guest rooms.
Mrs. de Bourgh turned when Elizabeth entered and rushed to her side. “Has my Anne been found? I have prayed all night for her return.”
Elizabeth could see the poor woman was in need of a dose of laudanum herself. The earl awoke with a start. He sat up and looked about. When he saw his granddaughter, he echoed Mrs. de Bourgh’s question. “What has happened, is she found?”
“She is safe at Longbourn in her own bed. Mr. Jones came to see to her. Lieutenant Wickham hurt her…”
Elizabeth could not continue as Mrs. de Bourgh began to wail and moan. “Oh, my poor dear girl! What has he done to her? I must go and see for myself and sit with her. Why did you not come sooner?”
The earl hurried to Mrs. de Bourgh’s side. “Come, Catherine, let me take you to her. The girl needs your care.”
Standing aside, Elizabeth watched as her grandfather helped keep Mrs. de Bourgh on her feet as they quit the parlor. Her grandfather did turn and look back at her as they went through the parlor door.
Elizabeth gave him a sad smile, her feelings about the two of them fading as she fell upon the sofa that was still warm from her grandfather’s form. She sighed deeply and buried her face in her hands.
The satisfaction that she had been right about where Wickham had taken Miss de Bourgh gave her some comfort, but images of the poor girl’s bruised body haunted her. Tears wet her hands and she wiped them away.
Mr. Darcy had come in while she was dissembling and came to sit beside her. “I want to hold you in my arms and give you comfort the way you comforted my cousin in her hour of need. But I would not unless you wished it so, Elizabeth.”
She glanced at him and her tears began anew. She leaned against the strength of Mr. Darcy’s shoulder and in moments his arms were around her. He held her until she stopped shaking. Moving reluctantly from the circle of his arms, Elizabeth stood and moved behind the sofa.
“If your feelings are still what they were, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.” Her words came out in a whisper, almost unheard by the man.
Mr. Darcy came round to stand before her and assured her as warmly as a man violently in love could do. “My feelings are more than they were before, Miss Bennet. I cannot live another day without the promise that you will do me the great honor of becoming my wife. But would you be happy in Hertfordshire with a gentleman farmer when London is your home, where you belong?”
Elizabeth’s heart was filled with joy, an immense difference from the pain she had suffered only moments ago when thinking of Miss de Bourgh. “I would live wherever you are, Mr. Darcy, for I would not take the cold comfort of the world and all its riches and lose the love I see in your eyes. But would you take a woman without the large dowry she was said to have from her parents?”
Mr. Darcy took her in his arms again, this time in a passionate embrace. He kissed her lips with the hunger of a man who would not let go of the love of his life for all the money in the world. He let her lips go reluctantly and stared into her eyes.
“Your dowry was never a consideration for me. I have money enough for your needs and desires, my Elizabeth. I have plans to make Longbourn a home befitting the queen of my heart.”
Elizabeth laughed, her lips tingling from the kiss he gave. “Well, you may thank Grandfather for restoring my dowry. Together, we will make Longbourn a home befitting the family we shall make.”
Mr. Darcy sought her lips again and Elizabeth gave them eagerly. The room was dark save the firelight that flickered across the walls. It was the perfe
ct setting for stolen kisses and whispered declarations of love.
Anne de Bourgh awakened the next day with her mother, and her cousin Georgiana Bingley, by her side.
“Where is Miss Elizabeth?” she cried out after receiving an embrace from her mother and her newly married cousin.
“She is downstairs, dear Anne. She did not wish to interfere in our reunion. I wish I had returned sooner and kept you safe with me at Netherfield.” Georgiana’s lips formed a sad smile as she spoke.
Anne de Bourgh shook her head. “It was not the fault of my family. I should have turned and ran when I first saw him in the lane.”
Mrs. de Bourgh took her daughter’s hand. “You shall never have to worry over him again, my dear. The earl saw that he was taken from Netherfield by the magistrate and Colonel Forster.”
Richard knocked upon Anne’s open door. “I wish to speak with my cousin alone, Aunt Catherine.”
The lady stood and eyed her nephew. “Whatever you must say will be said in my presence for I will not leave her until she is well again.”
Georgiana squeezed Anne’s hand and kissed her cheek gently. “I will send Miss Elizabeth up after Richard has spoken his piece.”
The colonel received the embrace of his newly married cousin as she passed him on her way out. “Good luck,” she whispered before he let her go.
Downstairs, Elizabeth waited in the parlor with her grandfather and Mr. Darcy. Caroline sat with her brother quietly asking about his wedding trip. The clock on the mantel struck the hour and Mr. Darcy stood when his sister entered the room.
“Where is Aunt Catherine? Did she not allow Richard to make his proposal to Anne alone?” Mr. Darcy had feared his aunt would reject the colonel outright.
“She insisted he say what he must to both of them for she would not leave Anne’s side. There’s hope at least,” Georgiana said as she rubbed her brother’s arm.