Returning to Mr. Darcy

by Sheena Austin

  She revived him, with a tiny bottle of smelling salts. His vision blurry, he could not make out the figure that towered above him. His eyes stung, and his eyelids were heavy. “Elizabeth,” he cried out.

  “No, sorry, my dear, you’re stuck with me, but I’ll get you fixed up, to go back to her. However, I need your cooperation here. You need to get up for me.”

  He struggled to move; his body ached, and his head was throbbing.

  She sighed. “They are going after Elizabeth next.”

  A surge of rage and adrenaline coursed through his body, giving him the strength to get on his hands and knees. He was like a bull, ready to charge.

  “Not so fast, take it easy, tiger. You need to be in one piece before you go charging after them.”

  Her choice of words confused him, and he asked as he lifted his head to see his rescuer, “Who are they and who are you?” He could not see her face, for it was covered in a shawl.

  “I am of no importance, and we mustn’t waste time on asking questions. You need to come with me, I’ll take you to a safe place where you can rest.”

  He resisted; he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. How did he know she wasn’t going to jump him?

  She stretched out her hand. “You need not worry about me, I could not harm a fly.”

  Again, her choice of words confused him, but her tone was sincere, and he felt comfort in her words. He took her hand, and she insisted he lean on her. He gave her a puzzled look. “Don’t worry, I am stronger than I look.”

  Without hesitation, he leaned on her, and they shuffled into the alley toward a little inn that he had never seen before.

  Once inside, his senses were bombarded by bright lights, and the smell of fresh flowers. He thought it was odd that he had never seen the inn before, and that it was bright and inviting. There was nobody else in sight as they trudged up the stairs into a spacious room.

  A strange sense of calm came over him as he surveyed the room. The décor looked like his room at Pemberley. “Where am I? And again, who are you?”

  “Mr. Darcy, you are safe, and the sooner you heal and rest, the sooner you can go home.”

  She was not making any sense; her riddles and lack of answers made his head throb harder. She handed him a glass of water with laudanum “Drink up, and rest.”

  She said a little prayer, to gain Darcy’s trust and hopefully encourage him to drink the water. She had to have him sleep to fix the whole situation.

  He took the glass and drank the whole thing. Once he fell asleep, Jane left the room and went downstairs to find the valet who would take Darcy home.

  ****

  Darcy awoke to the jolt of hitting a pothole in the road. He was disoriented, and panic filled his body as he found himself in a carriage. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted that woman; she had kidnapped him. He began pounding on the carriage to halt the driver. When the carriage stopped, he stormed out, to find the valet staring at him.

  “I demand to know what is going on!” he yelled.

  The driver blankly stared at him. “Taking you back to Pemberley.”

  “What? I’m not being kidnapped?”

  The driver laughed. “No, that would mess everything up.”

  “What in the . . .”

  Frustrated, the driver mumbled, “Jane did say he’d be a problem.”

  “Excuse me? What did you say?”

  “Nothing, and please get back inside, we have to hurry before they find us.”

  This was a bad dream; nothing made sense. Reluctantly, he trusted the man and went back inside the carriage, and off they went.

  ****

  It was four days since Elizabeth had seen Darcy. She began to worry; she paced the study, and she blew out the candle as she heard the front door slam. Darcy shouted out for Elizabeth in panic. She ran out of the study and slammed into him. His right eye was bruised, and his face was disfigured. She gasped in horror. “What happened to you?”

  “I was attacked by a gang of men led by Mr. Fitzgerald. They stole my horse, but by the grace of God, a beggar woman found me and mended my wounds in this strange inn that smelled like flowers. She sent me off in a carriage in the middle of the night, and now I am safely home.”

  Elizabeth’s heart raced. Aunt Jane . . .

  “The woman told me that we are in danger. We must make haste and send you and Anise off.”

  “Where shall I go? Where will you send Anise off to?”

  “Georgiana can take care of Anise, and you should be safe at your parents’. No one will be told of where you are, and I will make sure your mother and father keep you a secret.”

  He handed her a folded white piece of paper on which the words “You and Darcy must go to London. You will be safe with Father Michael” were scrawled in Aunt Jane’s handwriting.

  “Who is this woman, Elizabeth? How does she know you?”

  Elizabeth panicked; she choked on words that would not escape. The truth she withheld caught up with her as her knees buckled, her head spun, and a sharp, kicking pain radiated in her stomach. Without warning, the room spun, and the floor gave way beneath her, and she collapsed like a withered flower in Darcy’s arms.

  ****

  That night, Darcy lay with her. When she awoke, she stared at him. “Darcy, I have put you in danger. I do not belong here at all. I must go to London.”

  His nostrils flared in rage that she spoke of leaving him. He struggled with suspicions of her lying, and that this woman was Elizabeth and Charles’ liaison. Yet having her close, he could not stay mad at her for long. He pulled her closer to him and held her close to his chest. He kissed the top of her head. She nuzzled into him and the scent of lavender invaded his senses. He could feel her chest rise and fall. Her closeness made his pulse race. “I do not like the fact that you insist on leaving. Why do you insist that you have put me in danger?”

  She sighed and bit her lower lip. Thoughts raced through her mind; how could she explain what dangers lay ahead of them?

  Taking her silence for keeping secrets, he breached her silence. “Elizabeth, if you cannot tell me who that woman was I can only assume you are holding secrets. How can I trust you if you do not tell me the truth?”

  Elizabeth’s eyes burned with tears. She wanted to say, “She is a figment of your imagination. You were badly beaten, you were hallucinating,” but she could not.

  “She said you needed to go home. Home to where . . . to Charles? The one you speak of in your sleep?”

  All she could say was, “I don’t belong here . . .”

  “Elizabeth, you are my wife; you belong here, we can work this out. Just tell me the truth, please.”

  “If I tell you, you will have me locked up, and you will throw the key away forever.”

  “Elizabeth, I was attacked, and I need to know who that woman is, and if she is a part of the attack, and if she means to lure you away.”

  Elizabeth gasped. “Aunt Jane would never do such a thing!”

  “You don’t have an Aunt Jane, Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. She prayed to God he would believe her. “Like I said, I don’t belong in this world, Darcy. I am not your Elizabeth. I do have an Aunt Jane, and she died two years ago.”

  “You are my Elizabeth.” But as he said those words, they felt hollow. He knew something wasn’t the same about her, but thought it was because she had amnesia.

  Then he recalled that ever since her accident, he had been having strange dreams of Elizabeth, in a strange room, filled with strangers and loud music playing. He also had a vision of standing in a dark hallway, holding another man, and defending her honor. He had never told her because he did not want to alarm her.

  “I am from the future . . .”

  “In this future, did you stand amongst strangers, like at a ball with loud music?”

  She trod carefully. “Yes . . .” Her heart raced. Oh my God! He’s remembering our first meeting.

  “And in this futu
re, do you know Charles?”

  She bit her lower lip; she wasn’t sure how to answer that without pissing him off. Though looking at him, she thought that he was taking this well, and honesty was the best policy.

  “Yes . . . he was an ex-boyfriend, who I caught in bed with another woman . . .”

  For a moment, Elizabeth wasn’t sure how Darcy was going to react. He let out an insane laugh. “This is a bad dream. The witch drugged me, this is not real. You are only humoring me with these tall tales.”

  Her heart broke. “Darcy, I swear, it is the truth. We must go to London; we must keep Anise safe.”

  “No, you are going to your parents—and Anise and I are going to London.” He laughed hysterically and kissed the top of her head. “Do not speak any more nonsense, my love.”

  Her mouth gaped open. What the fuck just happened? She told him the truth, and for a moment she thought he believed her, and then he blew her off? She needed him to know that he belonged in the future. If only she had some meantime to help him regain his memory, danger be damned. They were in danger of something much worse, and she was unsure of what exactly.

  “Darcy, you said she drugged you; what did she give you?”

  “A white pill; she called it Vicodin.”

  “If that’s the case, it should not be out of your system, and you are not drugged. This is real.”

  “I have been drinking from this bottle the driver gave me. It helps with the pain. I was heavily sedated until I arrived here.”

  “Where is the bottle?”

  He fumbled in the dark and retrieved it from the nightstand and handed it to Elizabeth. She opened it and smelled cherry bubble gum. He was drugged all right because she knew Jane had given him hydrocodone, and he was not going to remember this conversation in the morning.

  She had a feeling Aunt Jane wanted it that way.

  ****

  When Darcy awoke, his head hurt, and his eyes were swollen shut. He could not remember how he had gotten home. He woke up to Elizabeth by his side, still sleeping. He carefully got out of bed and went to instruct the maid to pack Anise’s and Elizabeth’s belongings. He vaguely remembered the conversation he had with Elizabeth, but he remembered he was going to send her to her parents and send Anise away.

  ****

  When Elizabeth stirred awake, Darcy was not in the bed. She became frantic; she wondered how much of last night he remembered. She prayed he did not remember their conversation. She jumped as the door creaked open, and Millie scurried in and started packing her belongings. “What are you doing, Millie?”

  “Following my lordship’s orders and packing your belongings. You are to go off to your parents for a while. You are to hurry up and get ready; you are to leave immediately.”

  Forgoing bathing, she hurried up and bounded downstairs to find Darcy impatiently waiting for her. She tried to read his body language, but he was hard to read. “Your sister Jane and Anise are waiting in the carriage; it’s time we go, Elizabeth.”

  She wanted to ask him if he remembered anything, but she did not want to anger him more. The whole situation they were in was odd and unusual, and she didn’t know how he would react if she pressed the matter about going to London, or about how she didn’t belong here. Defeated, she put on a brave face and allowed Darcy to escort her outside. Keep it together, Lizzie, you can do this. Just don’t poke the bear.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Darcy helped Elizabeth into the carriage. Darcy spoke briefly with the coach driver to let him know their destination. Jane and Anise were already inside, waiting for them to arrive. Anise was thrilled; like any five-year-old, she loved an adventure. Jane tried to settle her down. “Sit still, darling, no need to overexcite yourself. Be a good little girl, and you will get hot chocolate.”

  Bribery seemed to work with Anise because she settled down. Darcy was glad for that; he did not want an unsettling and bumpy ride for Elizabeth. He was still worried about the babe she carried.

  Elizabeth did not seem worried, and she could somehow read his thoughts. She patted him on the hand and smiled to ease his fears. The road was a bit bumpy, but nothing as unsettling as Darcy feared. They rode past cottages; Elizabeth stared out of the coach with childlike wonderment and awe as if she had never seen anything quite like it in her life.

  They made polite conversation, and Anise sat there like a perfect angel, not interrupting them once. Except to say that she was hungry; in all honesty, Darcy was becoming quite famished himself. Luckily, they were on their way into Longbourn and they would have a quick lunch before setting off to London.

  Elizabeth wondered how much he remembered of the night before; she chewed her bottom lip, and her stomach was in knots. She did not want to go stay with Lizzie’s parents. Darcy was adamant that she was his Lizzie, but she grew tired of playing this charade.

  Anise sat there with Jane, excitement at a new adventure etched upon Anise’s face. She did not know the danger that lay ahead, and the secrets being kept from her.

  Darcy meant well; he was still under the impression Elizabeth had amnesia, and he was hoping she would remember her house as they approached it. She failed in recognizing it; he again was disappointed.

  He took her hand, and he whispered in her ear. “Do you not remember—you accepted my second proposal here as we walked the grounds, and that it is your home?” Elizabeth blushed and felt ashamed that she had no recollection, and she would not know Longbourn if it hit her in the face. She nodded quickly, afraid to speak, knowing that it would only upset him more.

  Her father knew of Elizabeth’s condition but did not know of the danger she was in.

  When they had arrived, he did not act the least bit surprised. Her mother had some disdain but smiled and was a warm hostess. They ate and conversed in an awkward way, not sure what to talk about since Elizabeth did not recall anything. Once finished with lunch, Darcy cleared his throat. “Mr. Bennet, may I have a word with you, privately?”

  Before Elizabeth could protest, they excused themselves to her father’s study. She thought it was a waste of time to have her father keep her whereabouts secret, and that she was going to run away anyway.

  Only a few moments passed, and Darcy and her father emerged. Darcy silently kissed Elizabeth on the top of her head and went to fetch Anise, and they quickly said their farewells.

  If hearts could physically shatter, then Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s would shatter into a million pieces. Elizabeth’s chest racked with silent tears that she held back to cry later. She didn’t want Darcy to see her cry. When Darcy and Anise passed through the front door, she felt as if the floor beneath her would swallow her whole. She grew wobbly and all life drained out of her. Luckily, her sister Jane scooped her into her arms in a bear hug. Elizabeth’s body relaxed as Jane consoled her. “Lizzie, dear sister, all will be well.”

  Her words fell on deaf ears; Elizabeth knew it wasn’t going to be all right. She didn’t want to correct Jane; all she wanted to do was sleep and hopefully wake up back into her world.

  Jane walked her back to where her parents were; her mother stood there with lips pursed tight while her father beamed at her, happy that she was going to stay for a while.

  Her mother took one look at Elizabeth and had a nervous fit. “Of all my daughters, I thought Lydia would be the one who would lead us to ruin, but no. You, Eliza, are the one who will cause our family shame. Moreover, that Darcy! I knew from the beginning he was no good; he was supposed to love and cherish you, but now he has abandoned you on your poor mother with terrible fits, and your ailing father.” With that, she huffed dramatically and walked out of the room, and her father frowned upon her leaving.

  “Elizabeth, I would not take your mother’s disapproval to heart. You know how she is.” He patted her hand and kissed her on the top of her head. She smiled weakly and felt a dizzy spell come over her.

  “It’s quite all right.” What else could she say? She hardly knew the woman. “If it is all right, I am not feeling well, an
d I would like to rest, please.”

  He and Jane were concerned. “Of course,” he said, and Jane interjected, “Oh, darling sister, I am so sorry, you need your rest.” Jane took Elizabeth to her room, where Elizabeth quickly fell asleep once in bed and did not wake until morning.

  ****

  The next morning was tedious and boring. She helped with the wash and other chores around the manor. Later, she spent time in the garden reading alone. She needed time away from the others to clear her mind. Deep into her novel, she did not hear someone approach. A deep voice stirred her out of her reverie.

  “Hello, darling Lizzie.” She jumped, and he laughed. She became uneasy, and he could tell and reached for her hand. “Oh, darling, you act as if I am about to harm you; have no fear.” He grinned sheepishly in a charming manner.

  “Of course not, I do apologize; you frightened me that is all.” She had no idea who this man was, but he was charming, to say the least. Yet, something about him made her feel very uneasy, and she could not quite place her finger on it.

  “Wickham at your service, milady; I had forgotten that you have a case of amnesia. Do not worry, I would never hurt a delicate, gorgeous creature such as you.” He knelt down and kissed her hand while looking into her eyes.

  Her body reacted in a strange and intimate way; he was very seductive with his chocolate eyes. His kiss on her hand lingered far too long, and his eyes twinkled when he could sense she enjoyed the closeness. She quickly looked away and failed miserably as she tried to hide the fact that she was blushing. She felt as if she were betraying Darcy. “Mr. Wickham, if you do not mind, I would like to go inside, please,” she quickly said, hoping to redeem herself and rush to her room. He helped her up from the ground and escorted her back into the manor. She wanted to run and hide and sleep forever until Darcy decided to come back to take her home.