The Harvest Ball

by Lily Bernard

  At the end of the evening, Richard approached the object of his attraction, and she smiled when she said, “I am very happy to have met you, Mr. Fitzwilliam. I trust that we will see you in a few days at Michaelmas services.”

  “Alas, I regret that we will not meet again any time soon, for I return to Kent in a few days. I have been invited to return to Pemberley for the festive season, but for now I must depart; I am afraid that I have neglected my duties long enough. The Darcys are very good hosts and I have enjoyed my time here at Pemberley, especially meeting you tonight.” Richard took Emily’s hand and bowed over it before he turned to walk away. What Richard could not see were Lady Emily’s eyes following him until she lost sight of him as he entered the ballroom.

  Chapter 7

  Richard and Darcy waited until the day after the party to put their plan to trap the footman into action. The day before, Darcy had received a note from Mr. Harris stating that he remembered that he had seen Sanders riding through Lambton with three other dirty, shabbily dressed men. Harris also informed Darcy that none of Sanders’ references were authentic and he would arrive with some of his men early in the morning after the party.

  Darcy and Richard met Harris by the stables just after dawn and the magistrate explained how the criminals planned their attempted kidnapping. “Their movements through our area were not difficult to track; four very dirty, unkempt men were easily spotted wherever they went. After I saw them ride through Lambton, they ended up in Bakewell. That is where they got Sanders cleaned up and into some decent clothes. From Bakewell, they left Sanders on the outskirts of Lambton and that is when he applied for the job here. The others waited nearby for his signal before they attempted to kidnap Mrs. Darcy.”

  “I would like to strangle them all for trying to hurt my wife.”

  “His cohorts have already faced justice and Sanders will soon follow.” Darcy, Richard and Harris discussed exactly how they planned to catch Sanders in the act of trying to kidnap Elizabeth. Roberts, one of the younger stable boys was dressed in Elizabeth’s clothes and a large pillow was tied around his waist to make him look as much like his mistress as possible. To further disguise him, Roberts wore Elizabeth’s long pelisse and bonnet.The boy was given precise instructions regarding what to say and do when the time came. After breakfast, Darcy asked Georgiana and Elizabeth to wait upstairs until he or Richard came for them. “Nothing is wrong but please follow my request.” Mrs. Reynolds had been asked to keep Sanders occupied in the kitchen until Darcy asked to see the footman. After the women were escorted to Elizabeth’s sitting room, he asked for Sanders to meet him near the front door. “Mrs. Darcy wishes to take a walk today, in fact, I believe she is already awaiting you near the stables. I would escort her myself, but Bethel is in my study with some urgent business. Go quickly, Sanders, she should not walk on her own.” The footman bowed and was soon out of the house.

  As soon as Sanders was walking toward the stables, Darcy and Richard followed him while hiding behind the trees along the path so they could not be seen. Roberts was standing near a tree with his back to Sanders. As soon as the stable boy began walking, the footman quickly followed and as he neared the young man, he began to quicken his pace. Before Harris or any of his men could do anything, Sanders came up behind his prey and held a knife to the neck of the stable boy. “Do not think about screaming Mrs. Darcy. As long as your husband pays me the money I ask for, you will be safe.” As he was instructed to do, Roberts pretended to faint and was face down on the leaves before Sanders could prevent Elizabeth’s impostor from falling. As he bent down to see to his victim, Mr. Harris and his men walked toward him with their pistols drawn and pointed at the would-be kidnapper.

  “Stand back, Sanders and keep your hands up. If you make one false move, I will be more than happy to shoot you myself.”

  “Do not shoot! I have done nothing wrong!” As soon as Harris was close enough to see Sanders clearly, he was certain he was the man he saw riding through Lambton with the three other criminals who had been arrested in Matlock.

  “You did nothing but attempt to kidnap Mrs. Darcy!” One of his men kneeled next to the body in the leaves and helped Roberts rise and turn toward Sanders.

  Sanders was shocked to see a young man standing before him. “Who is this? You trapped me! You have no proof I did anything wrong!”

  “If you do not think telling me not to scream while holding a knife to my neck is nothing!” Roberts looked at Harris, who had been joined by Darcy and Richard. “He said, ‘as long as your husband pays me the money I ask for, you will be safe’.”

  Mr. Harris added, “we all heard everything you said to young Roberts. There will be no shortage of witnesses to make sure you hang for what you tried to do.”

  Darcy walked toward the man who might have killed his wife and unborn child. He grabbed Sanders by his neckcloth and seethed, “I trusted you. I gave you a job and this is how you repaid me. You tried to destroy my life for money. Your friends are all being transported, but it is up to the magistrate to determine your fate.” Darcy turned away from the man who could have harmed the person he loved most in the world. “Mr. Harris, I thank you for warning us about Sanders. Would you please remove his disgusting carcass from my land?”

  “With pleasure, Mr. Darcy.” Sanders hands had been tied behind his back and Mr. Harris pushed him toward the wagon they had brought to Pemberley that morning.

  As the cousins walked near the house, they paused and looked at each other. “Richard, I cannot thank you enough. Your plan worked beautifully, and no one was hurt. If he had succeeded,” Darcy tried to remain composed while thinking of how the entire scheme could have ended differently. After a moment he said, “he did not succeed and now I will rest easy knowing my family is truly safe.” Richard patted his cousin on the back and smiled as they entered the house.

  “Would you like me to be with you when you tell Lizzy and Georgiana?”

  “Yes, if you do not mind.” The cousins climbed the stairs and entered the sitting room. They found the women reading quietly but they both rose to their feet when the men entered.

  “What happened? Why did we have to remain in my sitting room? Are you both well?” Elizabeth asked one question quickly after another.

  Richard walked to Georgiana and kissed her head while Darcy kissed Elizabeth’s hand and escorted her back to a chair. “Richard, I will let you tell them what happened.”

  Richard stood before them and told them what had transpired since Mr. Harris recognized Sanders the day he came to Pemberley. Both women had tears in their eyes as they listened, not believing how terrible things could have been.

  “Wickham, again!” Georgiana said angrily. “I was such a fool to believe anything that man ever said to me! I was blindfolded shortly after Mrs. Younge brought me to Wickham’s house. I wish I had seen their faces and could have recognized Sanders weeks ago.” Georgiana was relieved they were all safe, but she was still angry with herself; she had been Wickham’s first victim and if the footman and his cohorts had their way, Elizabeth would have suffered greatly at the hands of the nefarious gang.

  “Georgiana, you must not blame yourself,” Elizabeth said quietly. “We were preyed upon by men who would not be satisfied until they collected the money Wickham promised them. As you said, we are safe and now I can think about preparing the nursery for this little one,” Elizabeth said as she rubbed her very large baby bump.

  “I can only speak for myself but is anyone else hungry?” Richard asked as a way to change the topic of conversation. “Planning and capturing a criminal has given me an appetite!” They all laughed with relief that this terrible threat was behind them.

  “Richard, I cannot recall a time in our lives when you did not have an appetite!” Darcy teased as everyone rose to go downstairs and enjoy a meal, knowing they were all safe.

  As they were preparing for dinner, her husband entered her chambers just as Hannah was leaving. She slowly rose and walked to her husband w
ho embraced her tightly. “William, was Roberts hurt in any way? He should be compensated for the risk he took in order to save me from harm,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “Roberts has been promoted to senior stable hand and will be compensated accordingly. I tried to give him a reward, but he refused to take it. He told me he was happy to help you and that while you were still riding, you were always very kind to him.”

  “Thank you. Roberts risked his life for me and after the baby is born, I will speak to him and thank him myself. Let us go down and join the others. We have much to celebrate tonight.”

  Darcy kissed her quickly. “Yes, Mrs. Darcy, tonight, I am a very grateful man.”

  At breakfast the next morning, Richard announced that it was time he returned to Rosings. Before he left, he asked Darcy if they could speak privately before his departure. As soon as they entered the study, he asked, “what do you know about Lady Emily? She told me at the Ball that she could not dance because she is mourning her husband. Did you ever meet the late Lord Howard?”

  “No, I do not believe I ever met him. All I know is what I have heard from Mr. Carter and some rumors floating around London. I know that Lady Howard’s family, the Carters, are very successful and hard-working and their large fortune was made in trade, farm exports, I believe. I heard that her parents strongly encouraged Emily, their only daughter, to marry well, meaning a man with a title. Less than a year after their wedding, her husband was returning home after a long night of drinking, gambling and womanizing when he was set upon by footpads.

  “Carter told me that shortly after Lord Howard’s death, the younger brother, the new Lord Howard, quickly moved into the family’s London townhouse as well as their country estate with his wife and young daughter. They did not exactly throw Lady Emily out, but she was made to feel unwelcome and she came to Derbyshire to be with her brother. After her husband’s death, she felt quite lonely and wanted to be with her family. She came to Kympton to be with her brother because I believe she was still very angry with her parents. It will take some time before she can forgive them for forcing her to marry a man she did not love. It appears they were far less interested in their daughter’s feelings and only cared about how her marriage to Lord Howard would elevate the Carter family’s standing in the ton.”

  “Well, now I understand why she seems very closed off. She is a beautiful young woman who has been hurt by many people.”

  “I take it that you would like to spend more time with Lady Emily; perhaps she will still be in Kympton during the Christmas holidays. I know Elizabeth is planning to invite Mr. Carter to our Christmas dinner and the Yuletide party for our tenants. If she remains with her brother, we will be sure to invite her to all our celebrations.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate the information. Whether or not it will help my desire to know her better, I feel I have finally met a woman I could imagine as my wife.”

  “I hope you get what you want. She would be a very lucky woman to have you as a husband.”

  “I want a woman who looks at me the way Lizzy looks at you. I do not think I could settle for less. You married for love and I plan to do the same. Is Lady Emily the woman for me? Only time will tell.”

  Darcy rose and shook his cousin’s hand. “Richard, thank you for coming and letting us know about the terrible threat we faced. We have kept you here long enough and I understand that you must return to Rosings. We are looking forward to having you join us in December when our family will have a new member. We plan to have the baby’s christening while everyone is here for the holidays. I am hopeful Elizabeth will be recovered from the birth by then. I worry that she is taking too much on, but she assures me that we have an extremely competent staff to help.”

  “Lizzy will be fine; sometimes you worry like an old hen. Farewell, Darcy! I look forward to receiving an announcement of my new cousin’s birth.” The men embraced, and Richard walked out the door.

  Darcy sat down at his desk and went over the conversation he just had with his cousin. Richard is falling in love with Lady Emily. She seems like a pleasant woman, but I think Richard is getting ahead of himself. If I tell Elizabeth, I know she will do everything she can to play the matchmaker. As Richard said, only time will tell. He realized he had been staring off into space long enough and picked up a stack of papers he needed to read.

  Later that day, Elizabeth was holding her husband’s arm as they walked near Pemberley’s lake. “Do you remember what I told you about my dreams while I was waiting for you to return to Hertfordshire?”

  “I remember that you told me you dreamt about this lake although you had never been here.”

  “Night after night, I dreamt of us holding the hands of a little boy as we walked along the lake. You were holding a little girl in your arms and we were all laughing.”

  “In a few weeks, at least a part of your dream will come true. Someday, I pray we will be blessed with another child. All will be well, Elizabeth, and you know I will do anything I can to make all your dreams come true.” Elizabeth leaned into Darcy’s arm and he kissed the top of her head as they slowly walked back to the manor house.

  When Richard returned to Rosings, his days were busy from dawn to dusk working on his estate. He was relieved to see how well his steward, Mr. Miller, had done in his absence and together they helped the tenants finish the harvest. Richard was faced with all the responsibilities he had neglected while he was in Derbyshire and he got to work. He had little time to think of anything else other than the tasks required of the master of an estate the size of Rosings. However, many nights, despite his physical fatigue, he lay awake in bed, unable to fall asleep. He repeatedly saw Lady Emily’s face and remembered how she cared for a stranger’s child at the Harvest Ball. Only when he pictured her face and heard her voice in his head, was he able to sleep. In the morning, he often awakened remembering that he had dreamt of this beautiful, intriguing woman.

  Now that the Harvest Ball was behind them, the residents of Pemberley anxiously prepared to welcome a new member to the family. Every day, Elizabeth and Mrs. Reynolds worked together preparing the nursery. Over and over, her mistress asked the housekeeper the same questions regarding the necessary furniture, bedding, and clothing that the newest Darcy would require. The housekeeper knew that her mistress was not being difficult; she was exhibiting the normal behaviors of an expectant mother preparing for the birth of her first child. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley kept busy creating some beautifully embroidered garments for the baby.

  Darcy found it difficult to sit at his desk and focus on the work before him. He endlessly paced back in forth in front of the fireplace in his study trying to work off some of his anxiety and fear. Childbirth had taken the life of his beloved mother and Darcy repeatedly reminded himself that his lovely wife had always been much healthier than Lady Ann Darcy. He prayed daily that his wife would not succumb as his mother had.

  One evening as October came to a close, everyone was seated in the drawing room after dinner. Elizabeth was busily occupied with embroidering a blanket for the baby when she felt she was being stared at. She looked up to see her husband, sister and Mrs. Annesley all watching her intently. Elizabeth blew out a long sigh before she said, “I thank you all for your concern, but you must believe me; I will let you know when the baby decides it is time to be born. Watching my every movement will not make the baby come any faster.”

  “Lizzy, it is just that we are all so excited and happy about the baby. Are you certain we cannot get you anything?”

  “I thank you, Georgie, but I am very comfortable sitting here with my feet up.” She thought she would give her sister something to do. “Perhaps, a cup of tea would be nice.”

  At her request, three people rushed to their feet and approached the cart which held the after-dinner tea service. At the sight of everyone moving at once, Elizabeth began to laugh, and she was quickly joined by all three people eager to be the person to pour her a cup of tea.

  Elizabeth was u
nder the assumption that Mr. Laurence and a midwife would help deliver the baby when the time came. Jane happily agreed to come to Pemberley to be with her sister and help keep her calm. What she did not know is that her husband had arranged for the top accoucheur in London, Sir William Knighton, to be on hand to assist her with the birth.

  Chapter 8

  Several days later, Darcy awoke in the early morning hours to find that he was alone in bed. He quickly sat up and saw that his wife was sitting in a nearby armchair with her eyes closed, slowly rubbing her belly. Darcy quietly rose and donned his robe before approaching and kneeling beside Elizabeth. “Are you well, my love?” He asked quietly.

  “I am well, but I believe our child has decided it is time to join us.”

  “Have no worries, I will call for Mrs. Reynolds and Hannah and I will have one of the footmen retrieve Sir Knighton and Mr. Laurence from Lambton and Jane from Birchwood.”

  “Who is Sir Knighton? I thought Mr. Laurence, Jane and the midwife would care for me.”

  “Sir William Knighton is the foremost accoucheur in London and I asked him to come to Derbyshire to be with you when it is time for the babe to be born. I think that having Sir Knighton, Mr. Laurence, Jane and the midwife will ensure you have the best of care.”