Elizabeth watched in horror as the colonel arced his sword through the air, hacking at arms and legs as sharp claws dug at his
Jerking the door open with one hand, she shoved her husband through. He landed on all fours in the dirt, and then she turned back to the melee. “Lydia!” she screamed as she picked up a poker and challenged her sister.
The being who was once Lydia Bennet turned immediately, giving Damon Fitzwilliam a reprieve, the thing for which Elizabeth had hoped. Behind Lydia, the colonel still fought with a frenzied older woman, but Elizabeth’s attention rested purely on the creature who had been her sister. Gaping stab wounds now crisscrossed the countenance she loved, and slash marks laced the girl’s arms. Elizabeth groaned in pain, witnessing the evil that controlled her younger sister.
Lydia now advanced, backing Elizabeth to the wall. “You wanted me, Sister?” Surprisingly, the sinister words drowned out the shrieks and grunts of the fight raging over Lydia’s shoulder. “My lord will welcome you among his followers, Elizabeth.”
“Mama and Papa grieve for you, Lydia.” Feeling guilty, Elizabeth tried to reason rather than fight.
Lydia bared her fangs.“I grieve for no one.”The girl took a step closer.“I will not grieve for you, Sister.”
“But I will grieve for you, Lydia.” Elizabeth intuitively raised the poker in a defensive stance.
Meanwhile, Damon fought for his life. With no experience in fighting vampires, at first, he underestimated the brute strength of the animals he encountered, seeing only a beautiful woman and a pretty girl. But a few well-placed blows from his attackers told him that he fought more than the shell in which each was encased. He fought unearthly demons determined to strip him of his very soul. Knowing Elizabeth’s life was in danger, he redoubled his efforts. Finally, the woman charged, and he thrust at the same time.
When the sword pierced her heart, a blood-curdling shriek filled the room as her momentum impaled her all the way to the
“Lydia, no!” he heard Elizabeth warn behind him as he pushed back on the woman’s body, following her to the floor.
Screams continued as Damon frantically wrestled with the woman’s limp form to free the sword, finally placing his booted foot on her chest and yanking at the handle with all his might.
Darcy, hearing Elizabeth’s calls of distress, fought his way to his feet. Reeling from exhaustion and desiccation, he knew he must find some way to reach her. He must stop Elizabeth from being the one who hurt her sister. She would never forgive herself, no matter how justified the action. Staggering back through the open doorway, he battled for some sort of control.
Elizabeth had reacted too late to fend off Lydia’s attack, assuming she could rekindle the goodness she had once known in her sister, and now she struggled to keep Lydia’s claws from tearing at her face and neck. Lydia’s inhuman strength surprised Elizabeth as she twisted and turned, trying to wrench herself free of the viselike grip of the being’s hell-bent fury, but Lydia’s demonic possession pushed Elizabeth farther against the wall, effectively pinning her and allowing Lydia to move in for the final mastication.
Elizabeth’s scream shattered the near silence of the room as Lydia lowered her head. Darcy raised his arms, and everything moved in slow motion as Damon pulled the sword free and turned, preparing to charge across the room. Propelling himself forward to help Elizabeth, Darcy reached the point of contact first, and the colonel automatically released the metal, sending it turning end over end.
The twang of the silver as it sliced the air mixed sharply with Elizabeth’s screams and Damon’s fight for breath. Darcy paused, focusing all his energy into one movement. Growing up, he and Damon had fought local bullies in tandem; and without a doubt,
Lydia Bennet slumped forward, clinging to her older sister as they both collapsed to the floor, Lydia lying face down in Elizabeth’s lap.With the last of his strength, Darcy pulled the sword free as Elizabeth rolled Lydia to her back.
“Lyddie.” Elizabeth caressed her sister’s cheek, but there was no response. Darcy had released her from hell, and Lydia rested at last.
“We need to get out of here,” the colonel said as he pulled Darcy to his feet.
“Elizabeth.” Darcy reached for her.
“I cannot leave her, Fitzwilliam…not like this.” Elizabeth’s eyes pleaded with him to do something.
Darcy turned to his cousin.“Can you carry her, Damon?”
Frustrated by the change in the dynamics and his own feelings of inadequacy, Damon unwillingly agreed. “I can carry her long enough to keep her body safe. I will come back for her later.”The colonel hoisted Lydia Bennet’s limp body onto his shoulder as he led the way out the door.They left everything else in shambles, the quickly decaying body of the once-beautiful opera singer prostrate on the hardwood floor.
Making their way in the open again, Elizabeth hurried between the colonel’s steady footsteps, carrying the dangling limbs of her sister, and her husband’s faltering footfall. In retreat, they were slower than in their advance. At last, they reached the final field. The inn in sight on the horizon, Damon laid Lydia’s body under a cluster of trees, while Darcy also sat to rest.
Bent over in fatigue, Damon stated the obvious: “We look bad enough as it is. We cannot go waltzing in with a body slung over our shoulders.”
Darcy and Elizabeth took a close look at each other.All three of
“We will freshen up and come back for you.” Exhausted, Damon now leaned against a tree.
Elizabeth knelt beside her husband.“Will you be safe?”
“I have the sword, and a few minutes to rest will do me well.” Darcy touched her face. Like a man starving for what he could not have, he traced her lips with his fingertips.“You will hurry?”
“I will bring you clean clothes. Peter led Wickham on a merry chase, but we should still have time to get you to the inn.” Elizabeth’s eyes searched his face, needing to convey her undying love. “Not long, Fitzwilliam.”
“Damon,” Darcy said as he turned his attention to his cousin, “make arrangements to send Lydia’s body to Longbourn. It is the least we can do for her parents.”
“Certainly, Darcy.” He reached his hand down to help Elizabeth to her feet.“Come, Elizabeth, we must make haste.”
She kissed Darcy’s cheek before following the colonel across the field. She ran the few steps it took to catch up with him. Impulsively, Elizabeth’s hand touched his arm. “Thank you, Damon, for everything—for Fitzwilliam’s life, for my life, and for my sister’s peace.”
He chose not to look at her, the domestic scene of the past few minutes too raw for his sensitivity.“Your husband saved you, Elizabeth, not I.”
“With your weapon and your help,” she insisted. However, they continued their torrid pace because he wanted to put distance between himself and his mixed feelings. Although she had to take two steps to every one of his, Elizabeth did not falter. She knew the source of his frustration and would voice what neither of them had said before.“Damon,” Elizabeth begged,“please do not do this.You knew my marriage to Fitzwilliam was not one of convenience when we met again on the London Road. I cannot lose you in my not be the cause of a rift between you and Fitzwilliam.”
Elizabeth’s words shook him; Damon knew his behavior to be out of bounds. It was not like him to act so impulsively. He did not respond; he did not want to recognize the truth of her words.Yet he did slow his pace, letting her know—in the only way a man of honor could—that he would deal with her heartfelt sentiments. Just before they crossed the stile leading to the inn’s road and courtyard, he caught her hand. “Let me help you,” he said as he lifted Elizabeth over the opening. Setting her down gently in front of him, Damon murmured, “It will all be well, Elizabeth; Fitzwilliam is my best friend.”
“Thank you, Damon.” Elizabeth looked away. Too much was happening for her sensibilities. She could not deny her dependence on her husband’s cousin.Without him, Darcy’s life would still be in danger. For his
efforts, she was eternally grateful; but Darcy was her sun and her stars.
The rest of the way, they did not speak.When they reached the inn, always the perfect gentleman, Damon blocked the view of bystanders, sending Elizabeth hurrying to her room before he casually followed.
Twenty minutes later, Damon tapped lightly at Elizabeth’s door. “I am off to make arrangements,” he said as she opened the door. He looked presentable once more. “I will meet you and Darcy in the fields. Make haste. Peter just rode back into the courtyard. Wickham will be going home.”
Elizabeth nodded and grabbed a shirt and overcoat from among Darcy’s things. She also took a flask of water, afraid to give him anything else for the moment.“I am going out the back of the inn. Should I take Trident?”
“No, it will draw more attention.” He left her standing in the doorway and headed towards the village after saying something to the innkeeper.
Elizabeth watched him go and then took the back stairway. At
Watching her approach, Darcy wondered about the exchange he had observed as his cousin and Elizabeth left him. Something happened between the time she touched Damon’s arm and the moment he helped her over the stile.Whatever it was, they had made their peace in those few minutes. Has Damon developed an affection for Elizabeth? The thought kept returning to Darcy’s mind. If so, would it not be better for her to spend her life with him? Damon Fitzwilliam would provide for her and treat Elizabeth with respect; but even more important, she would no longer be involved in the madness of my life. She would be safe with Damon. Darcy fought back the jealousy seeping into his heart. He knew neither his cousin nor his wife would ever act on any growing regard between them as long he lived. As long as I live. Despite the knot forming in his stomach with the thought of Elizabeth being with anyone else, he reconciled himself to the knowledge that, at least, with Damon, someone he trusted could be a part of Elizabeth’s life if things turned bleak for him.
Darcy got to his feet and made the effort to smile upon her approach. “You are beautiful, Mrs. Darcy,” he said as he painfully lifted her off her feet, welcoming her into his embrace.
Elizabeth laughed, despite the horrors of the morning. “I am happy to see you, my love.” She let her fingers trail down his face, as if memorizing it.“I am afraid, Mr. Darcy, that you will not have the comfort of a fire by which to change your clothes, but as your wife, I will enjoy watching you just the same.”
“Wife, you have no idea how I missed your relentless teasing.” Darcy set her on her feet and took the shirt and coat and water she offered. Before he did anything else, he gulped down about half of the flask.Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he leaned his head back in relief.“Thank you for thinking of the water, Elizabeth.”
She nodded her head to acknowledge his thanks before noting,“You may add the waistcoat and cravat at the inn.” Moving
Darcy stripped off the torn shirt and donned the clean one. Despite what she had said, Elizabeth did not look at him while he changed. Instead, she forced her eyes to look at Lydia’s face. “Thankfully, Lyddie did not shrivel up like the other woman.”
Darcy went quiet.“I suspect your sister still retained some small part of her humanity. She was under Wickham’s control for only a short time.”
“My parents will appreciate our efforts. I will write them when we reach the inn.” Elizabeth stood up and brushed the dirt from her skirt. “I was to be with them by now. I thought I might tell them we had a lead on where Wickham could be found, but we arrived too late. Does that sound reasonable?”
“Your parents will be thankful we recovered Lydia’s body.” Darcy paused, wondering if he dared hope that she would accept his next suggestion. “We should follow and go to Longbourn.” Darcy watched her face to see how she would react. Less than a week earlier, she adamantly refused the same offer.“Would you like that, Elizabeth?”
She waited, ashamed of how cruelly she had treated him previously. “Yes, Fitzwilliam.” Then, two heartbeats later, she rushed to encircle his waist with her arms, needing to find comfort. “I never meant all those awful things I said.”
Her tears now stained his clean shirt, but Darcy paid no mind. Elizabeth sought solace in his arms, and the world was good.“I am sorry about Lydia—what I had to do back at Wickford Manor. I could not stand by and let her hurt you.”
Elizabeth swallowed. She was grateful for Darcy’s action.Without it, Lydia’s attack would have been Elizabeth’s downfall, but she could not be happy for Darcy’s involvement. “That was not Lydia; that was one of Wickham’s monsters. I have to think of it that way. The girl lying under that tree is the true Lydia.”
She leaned into his closeness, and Darcy settled his hands at her waist.“Damon and two other men are approaching,” he murmured
Damon told the undertaker that they had been looking for Lydia, originally suspecting she had eloped to Gretna Green. Darcy and Elizabeth came from Derbyshire, and he had traveled from London, trying to follow her trail, but, unfortunately, they had been too late. Lydia had slept out in the cold when she ran out of money. A legitimate physician would not be available to inspect the body, and the exorbitant fee the colonel promised would ensure that the story of a disgruntled runaway would be repeated.These were the same people who allowed the bodies racked by the evil that Wickham brought to be buried in consecrated land. Why should they take note of a stranger? No one would know what Lydia Bennet had endured as one of Wickham’s disciples, and the Bennets would be relieved to at least have a body intact, which they could bury and grieve.
“Thank you, Damon.” Darcy offered his hand.
Damon Fitzwilliam took it, as he always did, knowing that somehow they would get back to where they had been.
“You are not going back to that house tonight!” Elizabeth threw her napkin onto the table in frustration. They dined in Darcy’s room, needing the privacy to plan what to do next.“I will not have it, Fitzwilliam! Do you hear me?”
“I am afraid I agree with your wife, Darcy.You can barely move your arms. How can you face Wickham?” The colonel speared another slice of ham and lifted it from the platter.
Darcy knew they meant well, but he also recognized how Wickham would respond.The entire neighborhood would suffer. “If I do not face Wickham, he will wreak havoc tonight. He and his followers will feed on the innocent.”
“Darcy,” his cousin began to reason, “these people know the dominion that Wickham holds over them. It is an unspoken reality. I believe if the word is passed, some livestock may suffer, but no person will.”
“How would we go about doing that, Damon? How might we sound a warning?”
The colonel leaned back in his chair. “I know just the men… my drinking companions. Let us send them out on some horses to the neighboring farms. It is only ten in the morning. We have at least seven hours until dark, and many more before Wickham’s ghouls dance.”
Elizabeth began to process what Damon suggested.“What do we tell them? How will we explain we know what Wickham plans?”
“I suggest we tell them the truth. Obviously, we have to do more than eliminate Wickham. He has a graveyard full of ardent imitators.Yet many of those mimics are the loved ones of these very villagers.” Damon waited for them to comprehend his line of thinking. Many times in battle, the army first had to win the goodwill of the people they wished to help. As a soldier, he found the truth to be the most beneficial weapon in winning the war of wills. “We openly declare you are both a dhampir and a vampire hunter, and you came to free this village of the hold that Wickham has over it. However, you recognize that your challenge will likely infuriate your enemy, and you wish to warn them to protect themselves for tonight.Tomorrow night, you will lead a full assault.”
Darcy asserted,“You are absolutely mad, Cousin!”
“Actually,” Elizabeth began tentatively, “I like Damon’s idea. His assumptions are correct; we have to do more than addressWickham.”
“Neither of you understand,” Dar
cy argued.“You saw only two of Wickham’s underlings. I fought an army of them, and for each one I vanquished, another took its place.We cannot possibly overcome the number under Wickham’s control.”
“I disagree.” The colonel leaned forward to speak directly to Darcy. “Elizabeth knows more things about vampires than anyone could imagine. She knows ways to dispatch them. We can control how many we fight at one time, using the old military adage of divide and conquer.You need to listen to your wife and to me.We have skills that you do not, and despite all your powers, you will lose if you do this alone.”
Silence filled the room as Darcy assessed what his cousin declared. Obviously, Damon held a special fondness for Elizabeth, but the man had put that aside and would not act upon any blossoming feelings. Instead, he wanted Darcy to accept Elizabeth’s love without question and to accept her as an equal.What choice did he have? Following Damon’s lead, Darcy turned to his wife. “Are you sincerely of the persuasion we can do this?”
“Damon speaks the truth, Fitzwilliam. We have the means by which to end this nightmare, but we need time to put everything in place and to give you time to heal.You cannot face Wickham in your weakened condition.”
Darcy took a close look at his wife. He had always known her to be an exceptional woman, highly perceptive and quite opinionated, but it took his cousin’s acceptance of Elizabeth for Darcy to actually see her as a partner, someone he not only must protect, but also someone he must trust as an independent thinker. Deep in his soul, his heart leapt with joy; maybe hope still lived, beautiful—selfless love. Elizabeth trusted him, and she would always stand by him. He nodded his head in agreement. “Put everything in motion, Damon.” He spoke the words, but did not remove his eyes from Elizabeth’s countenance. She had changed somehow.
“I will find Gordy immediately.” Damon stood to take his leave. “You two need some time to talk. I will let myself out.”Then he was gone, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth to reconcile their differences.
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