“Needlepoint?” she exclaimed, so surprised that she released a humorless laugh. “You can focus on needlepoint?”
Simone did not glance up from her hoop. “I learned years ago that painful vigils passed quicker if my hands were occupied with something other than wringing my skirts. Precise stitchery requires concentration and calculation, thus keeping my thoughts away from dwelling upon the trouble of the moment and spinning wild with speculation. This is a new situation for me, to be sure, but I am well acquainted with periods of strain and waiting.”
“Yes, of course you are. Forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive. But do not be deceived, my dear. I am frantic on the inside, doubly so as many people I love are in jeopardy and not just my son.” The needle flashed, each stitch perfectly sewn. “Of course I now have trunks filled with completed samplers, garments, pillows, and so on. Quite beneficial for Christmas and birthdays.”
She smiled at Georgiana, who again laughed, albeit briefly. “Richard has not returned?”
“No. I am sure he is acting as expeditiously as possible, but amassing an armed forced must take some time. I am fairly confident that whoever he enlists will be highly competent for the task.”
“Armed forces. Loaded pistols.” Georgiana sank heavily onto a chair across from Simone. “Lizzy and Alexander kidnapped from my house. While I was here just yards away! While servants moved about and…” She drew in a deep breath, clenching her fists to control the shaking. “Please tell me this is a nightmare from which I shall awake momentarily?”
“I wish I could, Georgiana, I truly do.”
“Should we watch for them?” She glanced to the wide windows overlooking the Square, restless anxiety wrecking havoc on her attempts to calm. “Perhaps time will be saved if I alert William as soon as they enter the Square.”
“They will come in through the mews,” Simone answered with a shake of her head, continuing at the questioning expression on Georgiana’s face, “Richard will be considerate of discretion. Best not to cause a scene. I am sure the neighbors are already spinning conjectures over what brought Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam galloping crazily into the Square.”
“Oh! I did not think of gossiping neighbors! This is horrible enough without wild tales spreading through Town!”
“Breathe, my dear, before you faint.”
“I cannot bear it, Simone. Please, tell me how you have learned to remain tranquil in crisis situations. How do you maintain your sanity and stay strong and act bravely? And do not say needlepoint!”
Simone shrugged, the needle continuing to steadily pierce the stretched linen in even strokes. “Tranquility and strength are illusions. And bravery in my case is more bravado. Trust me, crying and raging occurs. Frequently. All I have learned to do is choose the time for my emotional collapse when I am alone and not inconveniencing anyone. Well, generally so, I should say. I did try to kill my own father when my feigned acceptance and patience failed me.”
She spoke in a lighthearted tone, almost as if jesting, but Georgiana knew the pain buried underneath her carefree words. Suddenly, Lady Simone dropped the hoop into her lap, reached across the narrow space, and clasped Georgiana’s hand. “There is no shame in crying. You do not need to be brave or strong if tears are necessary. Releasing the emotion usually aids the rebuilding of one’s fortitude and restores clarity.”
Georgiana shook her head, opening her mouth to assert her intention to remain brave for her family when the door chime rang, jolting through the depressive pall heavy in the air as if a clanging cymbal. Nerves strung tighter than a coil, Georgiana jumped up, taking an involuntary step toward the doorway.
“Fret not. Mr. Travers will handle whoever it is.”
Georgiana nodded but moved closer to the foyer to overhear. Mr. Travers’s polite greeting transmitted across the expanse, but the response from behind the stout door was muted. Yet something in the hushed, mumbled tenor piqued her curiosity.
She opened the door further, peeking curiously through as a hand appeared with a folded envelope extended to the butler. “I shall see that Miss Darcy receives this as soon as she returns, sir.”
The hand disappeared, the butler beginning to close the door, when the response reached her ears. “I would appreciate that, thank you.”
Instant recognition swept through her body, the musical timbre of the male voice causing her heart to lurch with joy while also pulverizing the tenuous tethers holding her emotions in check. Her legs carried her across the tiled floor before she found her voice, then shouted, “Sebastian!” startling Mr. Travers into dropping the note.
Mr. Butler was equally startled, but responded with a broad grin of happiness which lasted about two seconds before the impact of his beloved’s body knocked the air out of his lungs and nearly sent him sprawling onto the outside step. Thankfully, Mr. Travers grabbed one arm, the other instinctively clutching the wooden threshold for stability so he did not tumble with the clinging, sobbing Georgiana onto the stones, but his emotions at such a bizarre greeting were chaotic to say the least!
Years of experience paid off as the butler rallied rapidly, hauling on Mr. Butler’s arm to bring him into the foyer and slamming the door shut. Then he retrieved the fallen note and walked away as if Miss Darcy weeping in a strange man’s arms was a daily occurrence.
Although not adverse to having Georgiana locked within his embrace and not impervious to the fragrance of her hair and warm curves pressed against his chest, Sebastian was utterly flummoxed, his confusion not aided by Georgiana, whose words were indecipherable amid the crying. He held her tight, comforted slightly upon noting Lady Simone standing in the parlor doorway. But her expression was grave, sending additional alarms through his mind, and then the appearance of an armed Colonel Fitzwilliam from the dimly lit back hallway sealed the awareness that something was seriously wrong.
“Ah, perfect timing, Mr. Butler,” Richard said, not a trace of humor or warmth on his face. “The ladies will need your added support. However, I would suggest that all of you retire to the parlor and shut the door as I do not think it wise for Mr. Darcy to see his sister in your arms right now, all considered.”
And then he pivoted, sheathed sword knocking against a holstered pistol, walking purposefully down the left hallway.
Chapter Eighteen
The Night of Reckoning
I have your wife and son. No harm shall befall them if you heed my demands, quietly and alone. 70,000 pounds will pay for their safe release. Make arrangements immediately. You will be contacted for further instructions. Any hesitation or deviation from my dictates and they will die.
Darcy read the words for the hundredth time. He had no need to read them, as they were indelibly etched into his brain and would likely never be forgotten. No salutation. No signature. The handwriting was not Wickham’s, of that Darcy was certain, so he assumed it was Orman’s penmanship. Of course, there was no way to know for sure, but he had little doubt.
He sighed, closing his eyes and dropping the clutched note to his side. The wait was killing him. It had only been an hour since the messenger had arrived at Angelo’s and they had torn through the crowded streets of London to reach Darcy House. An hour that was an eternity.
At least he was calmer now, Richard succeeding in penetrating his irrational raving before departing to collect the necessary manpower required to deal with the situation. Of course it had required taking him bodily and slamming Darcy into the library wall to accomplish the feat, utilizing a strength that amazed his younger cousin who was physically larger. Richard had revealed a side to his character that Darcy was not familiar with: the commanding colonel who knew how to quell an entire company of men with a single look or growled demand. It was painful, and a bit humiliating, but the action had done the trick. Darcy’s emotions were no less tumultuous, but at least he had them well buried and under a semblance of control. The arrival of his uncle was beneficial, the older man so accustomed to trauma that he was a stabilizing
force.
Darcy glanced to the wadded fabric lying on the table by the window. George, who paced several feet away, had instantly recognized the odor emanating from the moist cloth as oil of sweet vitriol, or ether. The brief exposition that the doctor provided of the chemical compound had only added to Darcy’s distress over his wife and son.
The questions of how this violation could have happened within the confines of his home were too numerous to deal with at the present time. His unquenchable fury over what he saw as a failure on the part of his staff was so monumental that he simply could not allow himself to dwell on it. Richard was correct. He needed to remain levelheaded and composed for the sake of Elizabeth and Alexander.
But it was horribly difficult. The chaotic clash of indescribable terror and unprecedented wrath warred within his body and mind unrelentingly. It was only by the grace and strength of God that he did not collapse. Or begin breaking things.
Although they had no conclusive, legal proof, everything pointed to Wickham and Orman being behind the kidnapping of his family. They planned to proceed as if this were the case, but on the slim chance that it was all a horrific coincidence and some other criminal was the abductor, he had written to Mr. Daniels for the funds to be delivered as soon as was possible. Darcy could care less about the money, and would pay far more to ensure the safe return of his wife and son. Nevertheless, he abhorred the idea of anyone escaping justice, especially if the lawbreaker was Wickham or Orman. But of greater importance was finding his family before they were harmed any further.
A soft knock at the door caused both men to jerk and whip about. “Enter!” Darcy barked, involuntarily taking a step toward the door.
It was Mrs. Smyth carrying a tray of hot coffee and pastries. Her face was pinched and gray, haughty eyes shadowed with deep emotion, but Darcy wasted no time wondering at her odd expression. She curtseyed and kept her gaze downcast as she cautiously approached the desk and sat the tray down. Under different circumstances Darcy may have felt shamed at having inspired such trepidation in his staff, but not today.
“Very good,” George said, stepping up and pouring two cups of coffee while biting into a scone.
“How can you eat?”
“I can always eat, you should know that by now. It settles my nerves. I would encourage you to eat, but figure I will be ignored. I am going to insist you drink some strong coffee with several spoons of sugar, as you will need both. Doctor’s orders.”
“Forgive me, sir,” Mrs. Smyth hesitantly interrupted, flinching when the stormy cast to her master’s face turned her direction. She diverted her eyes, not wanting him to note the anger she felt over this violation to the house, it just one more proof, in her mind, at the downfall and imminent disgrace since marriage to that woman. “Miss Darcy wished for me to inform you that Master Michael is now asleep. He finally ate from the milk feeder offered, as well as some of the barley porridge Cook prepared, and Miss Darcy was then able to rock him to sleep. She thought this news would ease your mind.”
Darcy nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Smyth. Indeed that is excellent news. Please thank Mrs. Hanford for me. Assure her that her expertise and devotion are greatly comforting at this time.”
He turned away, preparing to resume his blank contemplation of the flowering lilacs outside the study window, when a startled gasp from Mrs. Smyth caught his attention. He swung about just as the housekeeper lifted the miniature from the packing box sitting on the edge of his desk. She noted his movement, instantly attempting to drop the portrait into the box, but his rapid lunge prevented her concealing.
He latched onto her wrist, eyes engaging hers. “You recognize this man.” It was not a question, her face clearly stating the answer.
“I…” She licked her suddenly parched lips, the seething anger in his glacial voice terrifying her and rendering her speechless.
“Answer me,” Darcy whispered, a note of ruthless command ringing through the regulation.
“He… is a friend.”
“George Wickham is your friend?”
“No,” she stammered in confusion. “That is… I do not know… This is Geoffrey Wiseman.”
Darcy did not respond. His gaze pierced through Mrs. Smyth, her body shuddering from what felt like visible beams of fire searing into her eyes. The grip on her wrist was painful, but the expression on his face was far more terrifying. He took a step closer, Mrs. Smyth withdrawing a pace reflexively.
“Geoffrey Wiseman, you say? And you know him? And have allowed this stranger into my house?”
“Fitzwilliam,” George spoke softly, but Darcy curtly gestured for silence and never removed his savage gaze from her face.
“Sir, please.”
“How long? How far has this man penetrated these walls? What have you allowed him to do?” She shook her head, visibly undone by the black, thunderous cast to her master’s normally kind face. “Answer me!”
His shout reverberated around the room, Mrs. Smyth gasping in fright. She felt near to swooning by the assault of emotions and thoughts roiling within. What was Mr. Darcy doing with a painting of her Geoffrey? A surge of doubt stabbed her heart. The numerous questions she had sensed over the past months, questions that she submerged due to her entanglement with her lover, slammed into her forehead until the pain darkened her vision and stuttered her speech.
“I trusted him. I… loved him. He…”
“Was he your lover? In my house?”
“Yes! Oh, please, sir… I am so sorry… I…”
“Do you have any idea what you have done?”
Mrs. Smyth released a whimper, truly petrified. She remained puzzled over the identity of her lover and the man in the miniature portrait, but it was also abundantly obvious that Mr. Darcy was connecting the two and intimating he was the culprit in the Darcys’ abduction. And worse yet, she was beginning to wonder the same. It was also obvious that Mr. Darcy was murderous in his rage, and she honestly feared for her life.
“Fitzwilliam,” George stated in a firmer voice, his hand gently touching Darcy’s rigid forearm. “Think. We now have the proof we needed. Calm yourself, and remember Elizabeth and Alexander. We can deal with Mrs. Smyth at a later date.” He tugged on each finger gripping the housekeeper’s wrist, prying his nephew loose.
It was a tense moment to be sure. Darcy yearned for a physical outlet for his considerable stress and Mrs. Smyth seemed like the perfect recipient. How it may have ended will never be known as just then Richard rushed through the door.
“Forgive me for taking so long! I have ten men…” He stopped, his eyes taking in the scene and turning a questioning look to George, as Darcy refused to relinquish his focus from the shaking, weeping Mrs. Smyth.
“It appears,” George offered, “that Mrs. Smyth has been befriended by George Wickham, alias Geoffrey Wiseman. He has been in the house, according to Mrs. Smyth. Recently?” She feebly nodded at the doctor’s inquiry. “Indeed,” he said, removing the last of Darcy’s white-knuckled fingers from her wrist, the housekeeper collapsing onto the sofa.
“Excellent!” Richard boomed with a satisfied nod. “This is the information we needed. The connection to Orman. Surely Elizabeth and Alexander are in Surrey. We must make haste.”
Darcy inhaled, gathering the frayed edges of his emotions and reining them in. He nodded, stepping away from the cowering woman. “Uncle, I expect you to take care of this.” He waved a hand in Mrs. Smyth’s direction, a steely-eyed George inclining his head in agreement.
“Trust me. You listen to Colonel Fitzwilliam, do you hear me, Son? He knows what to do.”
Darcy glanced to Richard’s grim, commanding face. “Very well. You are in charge, Colonel. I will obey your orders. But once my wife and son are safe, do not think about constraining me.”
Richard grinned evilly. “At that point, Cousin, I will be assisting you.”
Lizzy’s memory of the hours and days following her abduction would remain hazy for the whole of her life. There would be some impre
ssions so vivid, yet obviously so fantastical, that she knew they were generated by the drug. And then there were other momentous events described to her later that seemed unfathomable for her to be unaware of when she was front and center to the action. Even years later, when she allowed herself to muse on the experience, she would not be able to say for certain what was real or what was of her drug-induced imagination.
Her first memory, after Wickham overwhelmed her in the garden, was of a dimly lit staircase, seen upside down and moving. Her body felt weightless and disconnected from her eyes as if floating. She noted the individual tattered threads on the carpet runner covering the steps, but could not differentiate between one hand and the other. Both were dangling before her eyes, tied together with a knotted cord wrapped around her wrists, but they looked like a flesh-colored lump with no definition. She knew this was odd, that she should be alarmed or at least curious, but she was apathetic. She closed her eyes and returned to sleep.
Much later—or was it only minutes? she did not know or care—she heard voices. She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. No matter. She just listened to the voices. They were pleasant. Hollow, almost echoing, with drawn-out syllables. The words were mixed up, no order or sense. She found it humorous and wanted to laugh. Maybe she did laugh, but she never remembered for sure. She drifted off again with the funny voices soothing her.
Again, she was lifted. Her hands hurt, but she could not move them. She heard a name being called close to her ear, yet from miles away. Elizabeth. She was fairly sure that was her name but was uncertain. She opened her eyes to a face near her own. It was a cat! A cat with horrible breath and a massive scar cutting through the fur on its left cheek. How strange. The cat was talking to her. Hissing, really. Silly cat, attempting to speak. She smiled and began to giggle. The cat meowed and growled. A cat growling? How strange and amusing. She continued to giggle until sleep and dreams of talking cats consumed her.
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