The Harvest Ball

by Lily Bernard

  “Of course, sir.”

  Several minutes later, the housekeeper returned to her master’s study. “I am sorry, sir, but it seems that Mrs. Darcy has not yet returned from her walk.”

  Darcy tried to control the panic in his voice; he knew his wife preferred to walk in the morning and it was already late afternoon. “What time did she leave the house?”

  “She and Sanders left shortly after breakfast. Neither has returned.”

  “It is almost four o’clock!” Darcy was truly worried now. “Where could she be? Richard, ride out with me and help me find her and the footman. If any harm has come to my wife or our baby, I swear I will kill all of Wickham’s men with my bare hands!” He tried to calm himself before asking, “Mrs. Reynolds, will you direct some of the footmen and groundskeepers to start searching the walking paths on foot?”

  “Of course, Mr. Darcy. I am terribly sorry I did not realize how long Mrs. Darcy had been gone. I have been in Lambton most of the day and I just returned a few minutes ago. I am sure that all will be well, sir.”

  Richard Fitzwilliam had suffered a serious leg injury while serving in His Majesty’s Army in Spain. A slight pain when walking too quickly was the only evidence that Richard had ever been injured but it prevented him from keeping up with the rapid strides of his cousin. When the men reached the stables, Richard placed his hand on his cousin’s shoulder and said, “Darcy, take a deep breath. I am sure Lizzy is safe, maybe she got lost. You said she was with a new footman who could not help her find the way back. Let us get our horses and we will find your wife in short order.”

  “I am so frightened, I feel just as I did when I got your express telling me Wickham had kidnapped Georgiana. Until I see that my my wife is unharmed…” Darcy bent over and clutched his knees as if in terrible pain, “I love her so much, I cannot live without her.”

  “Let us away and before you know it we will be sipping tea in the drawing room with your lovely wife.”

  They mounted their horses and began their search along one of the paths that Darcy knew Elizabeth favored. They had not ridden far when they both spotted a man wearing the Darcy livery lying on the ground. As they got closer, they saw the motionless body in the leaves. They both dismounted and ran toward the footman. “Sanders, Sanders, what happened? Where is Mrs. Darcy? Sanders, where is my wife?” Darcy was shouting by the end of his questioning.

  “Let the man come to his senses. Help me sit him up.” Sanders had his hand on the back of his head as he slowly began to realize where he was and who was standing before him.

  “Sir, I was following Mrs. Darcy when I suppose someone came up behind me and hit me over the head.” Sanders continued to massage the back of his head.

  “Do you know where Mrs. Darcy is?”

  “No sir, I was following her and the next thing I knew, you were trying to wake me. I do not know how long I was knocked out.”

  “Did she tell you where she was planning to walk today?”

  “No sir, I just follow behind the mistress wherever she walks.”

  “Can find your way back to the house on your own?”

  “Yes, sir. I might sit here for a few more minutes and wait for this dizziness to end before I return to the house.”

  “As you wish, Sanders.” Darcy looked at his cousin, “we must find Elizabeth before we lose the sunlight.” They mounted their horses and rode further along the path where they had found the footman. After riding for several minutes, Darcy said, “I have an idea. Several weeks ago, I showed Elizabeth our old cave hideout. If she felt she was in danger, she may have gone there to hide.”

  “I hope you are correct, but I have not been there in nearly twenty years. Lead on, sir.” Both men rode in the direction of the tree that had been struck by lightning many years before either of the cousins were born.

  As they neared the tree, Richard said he would continue to follow the walking path on horseback. Darcy began shouting his wife’s name. He dismounted as he neared the shrubberies shielding the cave’s entrance. “Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Can you hear me? Where are you, my love?” Darcy shouted and then stood very still hoping to hear his wife respond. He was soon rewarded for his efforts when he heard the sound of a woman crying. He walked around the shrubs and kneeled down to look into the cave. Darcy had never been so relieved in his life. He saw his beautiful wife sitting against the wall of the cave and rushed to her side, “Elizabeth, are you well? What happened?”

  She looked up at her husband and shook her head. “I hardly know, everything happened so quickly. I was walking along the path and I heard some noise behind me. When I turned around, I saw three men standing over the footman’s body. Did you find Sanders?” Elizabeth started crying again, “is he dead?”

  “No, my love, he has a headache, but he will be well. What happened after you saw the men with Sanders?”

  “I was afraid the men would come after me next and I began to run as fast as I was able.” She looked down and rubbed her baby bump. “When I saw the old tree, I remembered your hiding spot and I thought it would be a good place to hide if I got here before those men saw where I went. I came in here and after running so far, I tried to quiet my breathing, so they could not hear me. I soon heard the voices of the men and the rustling of the leaves as they walked closer. I waited and waited, and I finally heard their voices getting farther away. Even after I thought they were gone, I was too afraid to walk home. I did not know if they were lying in wait for me somewhere. I knew you would find me, but I was so scared.”

  Darcy knelt before his wife and took her into his arms. “Are you truly well, my love?”

  She looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes. “I am well now that you are here, but I was very frightened that those men would find me and try to hurt me and the baby. I kept thinking about Wickham kidnapping Georgiana. What could those men have wanted from me and why did they hurt the footman?”

  “Sanders has a bump on his head, but he will be fine. As for who would try to harm you, let us talk about it after I get you home and you have had a nice warm bath.”

  “You will have to help me up, I have been sitting here for so long, I do not know if my legs can support me.” Darcy put his arm around her back, helped his wife stand and slowly led her out of the cave. Once outside, she rose to her full height and shook out her legs, “it feels so good to stand up.”

  Darcy put his arm around her shoulders, “my love, you are shivering.” He removed his coat and placed it around his wife’s shoulders. “My horse is on the other side of these shrubs. You can ride with me and we will take a slow walk back to the house. Many members of our staff are walking the woods looking for you and Richard is out here, somewhere. He was with me in my study when we realized that you had not yet returned from your morning walk.”

  “Richard is here? Were we expecting him?”

  “No, but the reason he is here may have something to do with the men who hurt Sanders and who were chasing after you. Let us discuss it after I get you home.” Darcy lifted Elizabeth onto his saddle, mounted his horse and sat behind her. He had one arm around his wife’s expanded waist and pulled her close as they began their slow return to Pemberley.

  She leaned back against her husband, “thank you for finding me. I did not look forward to spending the night in the cave. I knew you would realize where I would hide if I was in danger.”

  “When Mrs. Reynolds told us you had not yet returned from your morning walk, I confess I was frightened. As soon as I saw the old tree, I prayed you remembered the cave. You are safe now and that is all that matters.” Darcy kissed the side of his wife’s head as they began their short journey home.

  They had only gone a short distance when they heard the sound of a horse coming near them. They both turned to see Richard riding up beside them, “Lizzy, it is very good to see you looking so well.”

  “Thank you, Richard. I am happy to see you. William told me that your being here may have something to do with Sanders being attack
ed and those men trying to follow me.”

  “I told Elizabeth we would discuss it after we return to the house. Richard, she saw three men standing over Sanders’ body and they started running after her. Elizabeth hid in our cave and the men did not find her.”

  Richard was disturbed by what he had just heard and he was grateful that nothing serious befell his cousin’s wife. He cleared his throat and said, “let us get back to the house before we lose the sunlight.”

  She leaned back against her husband and closed her eyes as he tightened his hold on her. They were all relieved that this incident ended so well; the thought of what might have happened was on all of their minds. The threesome slowly made their way back to Pemberley and were soon settled in Darcy’s study. Elizabeth resisted her husband’s plea that she return to her chambers for a warm bath and some rest. She was sitting on the couch with her feet resting on an ottoman, drinking a cup of tea and enjoying some biscuits.

  As Darcy and Richard were sipping their brandy, Elizabeth said, “you two know something that you do not want to tell me. You also know that until I know all of it, I will refuse to go upstairs and enjoy a warm bath.”

  “Darcy, shall you tell Lizzy, or would you like me to?”

  “I am going to sit beside my wife and help keep her warm. You can tell us both everything you know.” Darcy brought a blanket to cover Elizabeth’s legs and sat on the sofa next to her. He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close into his chest.

  Richard was happy to see the love that Darcy and Elizabeth shared and briefly wondered, I never thought Darcy would make a love match. He never showed interest in any woman during his five Seasons in Town. He resisted the attempts of the many matchmaking mamas’ goals to make their daughters Mrs. Darcy. He was even able to withstand my mother’s finely-honed matchmaking skills. If Darcy could find happiness and love, can I find someone to love? Will she ever love me the way Lizzy loves Darcy? I never thought about taking a wife while I was a military man but what about now? Can I ever find that one special woman who can love a cantankerous old soldier?

  He redirected his thoughts to the problem at hand. “I started to tell Darcy the problem before we realized you were not home from your walk. The Bow Street Runners, who helped us find and rescue Georgiana in Ramsgate, wrote to me with some discouraging news. If you remember what I told you when I came to Longbourn, when we raided Wickham’s house in Ramsgate, we were only able to capture some of Wickham’s band of miscreants. The rest of them ran off into the night. It seems that a few of these miserable reprobates are still looking for a big payday by kidnapping someone in the Darcy family to hold for ransom.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears as she shook her head in disbelief. “Even from his grave, George Wickham is trying to harm us. It is too much to bear.” Through her tears she continued, “we must be sure that Uncle Hugh and Aunt Patricia are informed. They may also be the object of some scheme for money and Georgiana must be very well protected.” She paused and then looked at her husband, “all of those men know what Georgiana looks like, William, our dear sister.” Darcy used his handkerchief to wipe away his wife’s tears. “Georgiana has already gone through so much, we must protect her, but we cannot tell her why we have increased the security. After Ramsgate, it took her so long to trust anyone and overcome her fear of being harmed. We cannot allow her to go through that again. Now, they know what I look like too, but at least, I am aware of the threat.”

  “Lizzy, of course, you are correct, and you have given me an idea that just might put an end to this danger.”

  “What is it you are planning? You know that all of Pemberley’s resources are at your disposal. We must stop these evil men before they can harm anyone else.”

  “All will be revealed in the fullness of time. First, I must write to my father and make him aware of the potential threat to Georgiana and perhaps, even to my parents. Then we can start to put my plan into action.”

  Mrs. Reynolds knocked on the door of the study and was quickly asked to enter the room. “Sir, Mr. Laurence has arrived for Mrs. Darcy.”

  “Thank you, will you check on Sanders and see if he needs anything? If he needs a doctor, Mr. Laurence can see to him after he examines Mrs. Darcy.” As he stood and helped Elizabeth to her feet, he turned to his cousin and said, “I pray whatever you are planning will work. For now, I believe it is time for me to escort my wife upstairs. Mr. Laurence will make sure she and the baby are well and then a bath and some rest would do us all some good before we meet for dinner.”

  As they departed the room, Elizabeth turned and said, “Richard, thank you for coming from Kent to warn us. You are a very welcome guest.”

  “It is my pleasure to be of service to my favorite cousins. I hope we can end this threat in the next few days. I am happy to be here and I am looking forward to seeing you at dinner.”

  Mrs. Reynolds approached the Darcys when they came downstairs to dine. “I thought you would like to know that Sanders is in his quarters and said he is feeling well. I offered to have Mr. Laurence see him but he told me that it was not necessary. He assured me he will be perfectly able to return to work after a good night’s sleep.”

  “Thank you for telling us, I am relieved that he was not more seriously injured.” The housekeeper smiled at her mistress and walked back toward the kitchen.

  “Are you happy now, Mrs. Darcy? Sanders will be fine by tomorrow morning. Let us join Richard, I am certain he is very hungry. He eats as if he were still serving in the army!” She smiled at her husband as they joined their cousin in the drawing room.

  Chapter 4

  Over the course of the next few days, Richard wrote several express letters to his father at Matlock Manor. He wanted to ensure that his parents and Georgiana were as well protected as the occupants of Pemberley. Bethel went out alone to supervise the harvest; with peril hanging over their heads, Darcy refused to let Elizabeth out of his sight. Several days after Richard’s arrival, the Darcys walked together in the formal gardens near the house and an armed guard walked closely behind them. “I believe you once told me that your mother designed these beautiful gardens?”

  “Yes, after she and father married, she worked for several years with the gardeners and groundskeepers until she was happy with the flower gardens, the arbors and the topiary. She once told me she had plans for a maze but her health began to fail and…”

  “I wish she was here so I could thank her for the beauty all around us.” Darcy squeezed her hand on his arm. “I am reminded every day that Pemberley reflects the perfect balance between the natural plants surrounding us and plants within these gardens.” Darcy smiled at his wife’s comments as they walked in silence enjoying their surroundings. “Do you know what Richard is planning?”

  “Not yet. Many letters have been exchanged between him and Uncle Hugh and he assures me that the end of the danger is near.”

  “I pray you are correct. As much as I love spending time with you, I know how anxious you are to rejoin Mr. Bethel.”

  Darcy stopped walking and took his wife’s hands in his. “Elizabeth, your well-being is my only concern. While you have been resting before dinner, Bethel and I have gone over any problems he has come across during his day working with the tenants.”

  “I am glad to hear it. Now, shall we return to the house? I told Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Covington that I would go over the plans for the Harvest Ball.”

  “I am delighted that you are helping them. This is the first time in many years that Pemberley will celebrate a Harvest Ball. After my mother passed away, my father refused to host any celebrations here. In the years following his death, Georgiana and I were ill equipped to host any events and last year, we were away on our wedding trip. I pray that this threat is behind us well before we see the Harvest Moon.”

  As they neared the manor house, they saw Richard walking toward them. “I was just looking for you two. You will be very happily surprised to see who has arrived while you were ou
t.” He led them to the doorway of the drawing room where they saw Lord and Lady Matlock drinking tea with Georgiana.

  “Georgiana, it is wonderful to have you back home.” Elizabeth embraced her sister with unshed tears in her eyes. She was relieved and thankful that no harm had come to this wonderful young girl who had already suffered so much.

  “Lizzy, I am so glad to be back. I enjoyed my time with my aunt and uncle, but it is so good to be home.” She looked at her sister’s midsection and said, “you have gotten so big! When will the baby be here?”

  “Not for another two months, I hope you can wait that long?” Everyone smiled at Elizabeth’s comment while Darcy greeted his relatives. When the sisters finally separated, Darcy hugged his sister and kissed the top of her head. “Where is Mrs. Annesley?”

  “She went to her room to freshen up after our trip. We are both happy to be back home.”

  Elizabeth embraced Lord and Lady Matlock and thanked them for bringing Georgiana and her companion to Pemberley. “I am very happy to see you both again but after growing up in a houseful of sisters, I keenly felt this sister’s absence.”

  “Welcome home, little one. Elizabeth and I have missed you.” Darcy looked up and saw his cousin’s face and knew that Richard wanted to speak to him privately. “I wonder if you gentlemen would join me in my study for a few minutes? I would like you to look over some plans I have for the spring plantings. Now that the harvest is almost finished, my steward and I have been speaking about which crops to rotate next spring and some other matters I know the ladies would find boring.”

  Elizabeth was certain the men were going to discuss the threat hanging over the Darcy and Fitzwilliam families. She did not resent being left out of the conversation. She knew that her husband would tell her everything when they were alone later that day.

  “Of course, Darcy, I would be happy to look over your plans,” Lord Matlock spoke before Richard had a chance to agree.