“You should not be here; the captain plans to kill me.” Harrison’s voice held regret.
She spoke with determination,“I will not let that happen.”
Rutherford finally reappeared. Coming into the room, the captain’s eyes immediately alighted on Georgiana; she sat on the floor, Harrison’s head cradled in her lap. “Ah, Miss Darcy.” His lips curled in mockery. “I should have told you, you are wasting your time with Mr. Harrison; you cannot change his fate, but I suppose you can offer him some comfort before he meets his Maker.” Neither Georgiana nor Harrison moved a muscle. “I am afraid you will need to come with me now, my dear.” Sarcasm laced his tone.
“I would prefer to stay with Mr. Harrison.”The strength of Georgiana’s voice surprised them all.
Rutherford stepped forward, forcing her to look up sharply. “I am afraid you misunderstand me, Miss Darcy; the choice is not yours to make.” He coldly took hold of Georgiana’s wrist and forced her to her feet, leaving Harrison grabbing at the air as he tried to protect her. “I promised myself I would enjoy taking you from this scum,” Rutherford declared loudly. He pulled Georgiana to him and forcibly kissed her lips. Georgiana fought with all her might, twisting and turning to get away from him, but Rutherford held her tightly. When he finally released the death grip with which he held Georgiana, he laughed derisively. “If all I take is you, Miss Darcy, I shall be satisfied.”
He started to kiss her again, but this time Georgiana was ready.Very unladylike, she covered Rutherford’s face with spit and then offered him a look of defiance. During all this, Harrison struggled to help her. Rutherford’s hand reacted quickly, and Georgiana’s head snapped to the right as he backhanded her along her cheekbone. He used his sleeve to wipe his face while Georgiana grabbed the side of her face with her one free hand. She wanted to cry, but she bit her bottom lip rather than do so. She would not let Rutherford see her defeat.
“Bastard!” Harrison tried to force himself upward, but a rifle butt to the stomach knocked him flat once again. He laid gasping for air and spitting blood as Rutherford dragged Georgiana from the room.
Darcy paced the room, trying to decide what to do about finding Georgiana. During the past hour, Elizabeth made a decision of her own.When the “discomfort” returned, she knew exactly with what she was dealing. Intuitively, she realized she could not postpone the birth of her child much longer. She was a little over three weeks from her delivery, but no longer did she worry for her safety. Her concerns now were twofold: delivering safely Darcy’s heir and keeping her impending childbirth from her husband until he left to find Georgiana.
Elizabeth wanted Darcy with her, but if Georgiana was in trouble, Darcy would never forgive himself for not being there. It would eventually come between them so she forced herself to breathe through each of the pains while keeping her eye on the clock, mentally recording their frequency.
As the hours passed, and the rain slowed further, Darcy became more and more determined to ride for Hines Park. “The water must be subsiding,” he reasoned. “I can take a lantern if it turns too dark.”
A pain rocked Elizabeth’s sensibilities, and she paused before she could answer her husband.“Although I fear for your safety, you, my Husband, must do what you think best for your sister; I will understand.”
“Will you really, Elizabeth?” He caressed her jaw line.
“Most emphatically,” she responded.
Darcy leaned forward to kiss her lips tenderly.When he withdrew, he said,“I must go; I feel something is terribly wrong.”
“I know, my Love.” She kissed him deeply this time. Her lips lingered over Darcy’s.“Please remember I love you desperately. This child and I need you; be safe.”
“I can be nothing else, my Love.” Darcy touched her stomach lightly before he stood. “I will be back early tomorrow morning.” With that, he left the room to prepare to leave for Hines Park.
When Colonel Fitzwilliam rode into the carriageway at Pemberley, he knew not whether his cousin returned to London. Bursting through the door, he screamed, “Darcy! Darcy, are you here?”
“The Master is upstairs with Mrs. Darcy,” Mrs. Reynolds answered as she entered the foyer at a hurry.
“Darcy!” the colonel yelled again as he started up the staircase.
Darcy leaned over the railing at the top of the staircase. Sounding a bit annoyed, he responded,“I am here, Edward.”
“Thank God,” Edward stammered, now out of breath.
Darcy came down the stairs to meet his cousin. “What is the matter?”
Edward nearly panted, but he managed to say,“I got a letter . . . in Bath . . . from Hannah More . . . She knew not that . . . we found you . . . So, she wrote to me . . . Rutherford plans an attack . . . on Mr. Harrison.”
“Harrison?” Darcy’s voice went cold. “When? When will Rutherford attack Harrison?” He grabbed Edward’s shoulder to demand an answer.
“I suspect we may be . . . too late even now.” Edward looked more frightened.
Darcy sprang into action. “Come, Edward,” he pulled his cousin to the door. “Georgiana left London. She went to Hines Park.”
“My God!” Edward gasped,“I will get the horses.”
Edward sprinted toward the stables while Darcy quickly took his leave from Elizabeth before taking his sword and gun from the study. All he told her was Edward found out about Georgiana, and they two would go retrieve his sister. It was a game they played. Darcy knew he hid the truth from her to protect Elizabeth, and she pretended to be none the wiser. However, Elizabeth knew Edward would know nothing of Georgiana’s trip to Dove Dale unless he had been in London; yet, she and Darcy left Edward with Anne in Bath.
CHAPTER 27
“General benevolence, but not general friendship,
made a man what he ought to be.”
Jane Austen, Emma, 1815
Once Darcy left, Elizabeth waited nearly twenty minutes before she rang for Hannah. “May I get you something, Mrs. Darcy?” Hannah asked as she entered her Mistress’s bedchamber.
“Hannah, I need to see Mrs. Reynolds immediately.” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice even, but fragments of fear flickered through her eyes. “And please send word to both Mr. Spencer and the midwife; I will need their services.”
“Mrs. Darcy,” Hannah shrieked, “should I send someone to catch Mr. Darcy?”
“No,” Elizabeth’s voice allowed no other choice. “I waited until Mr. Darcy was gone before I said anything. He must see to Miss Darcy; do you understand me, Hannah?”
“Yes, Mrs. Darcy.” Hannah dropped a curtsy before she rushed from the room.
Within a minute, Mrs. Reynolds appeared in the room. “It is time, Mrs. Darcy?”The woman waited not for an answer before she began to prepare Elizabeth for the delivery. “I sent word to Mr. Spencer and the midwife. How far apart are the pains?”
“Less than a quarter hour.” Elizabeth suddenly felt very alone. No one from her family was there, and Elizabeth clutched at Mrs. Reynolds’s hand. “You will stay with me, Mrs. Reynolds?”
“I will not leave you, Mrs. Darcy,” the woman assured her. “We have a long evening ahead of us. Now, let us get you as comfortable as possible.”The housekeeper fluffed the pillows.
The midwife guaranteed the child would not be there until at least morning. Elizabeth’s pains were still erratic, and her water had not broken. The intensity of each pain told the experienced woman Elizabeth’s childbirth to be real, but it was still several hours away. To Elizabeth, each pain increased her fear. She wanted Darcy to go to Georgiana, but she needed him with her now. She needed him for the birth of their child.
The colonel ordered Mr. Howard and two of Darcy’s best huntsmen to accompany them. All Darcy could think about was finding his sister, but Edward knew there was real danger at Hines Park. Riding hard, they made good time in reaching the outer lands of Harrison’s estate. Edward forced them to stop before they got too close to the estate house.
“I s
uspect the captain has less than a dozen men, but they will be well armed.” Edward spoke softly to demand their attention.“Mr. Darcy and I will check the house. Mr. Howard, I want you and your men to secure the stable and other out buildings. Make sure they have no way to escape.”
Luckily, both Darcy and Edward had been to Hines Park previously, but as they snuck into a side entrance both men realized how many places such a house could hold where intruders could hide.Yet, they bypassed rooms unlikely to be occupied by the son of landed gentry.
They decided to work their way from the back to the front of the house, checking each room quickly but thoroughly. Both men knew something was amiss because no servants moved through the house.They did not speak to one another; Darcy and Edward knew what needed to be done without words. Moving quietly and swiftly, they slid from shadow to shadow, flattening themselves against the wall, ever vigilant. Coming upon a locked drawing room, Edward put a finger to his lips, wordlessly ordering Darcy to be ready for anything.
Edward, already on the move, jiggled the lock with his knife until it gave way, and the door slid open.The colonel’s footsteps showed his years of military training; he moved cautiously but with determination. Edward motioned he would open the door and enter first; he wanted Darcy to cover the entrance. Darcy nodded in an affirmation of understanding. It took only seconds for both men to secure the door behind them and assess the near emptiness of the room, but a soft moan told them they were not alone. Allowing their eyes to adjust to the darkness, Darcy first discovered the man crawling along the floor. “Harrison,” he whispered as he rushed forward to help him.The colonel continued to monitor the door.
“Darcy?” Harrison could barely speak, but with Darcy’s help he managed to stand.“Your sister,” he said as he stood gingerly.
Darcy hissed,“Where is Georgiana?”
“Rutherford . . . has her.” Harrison steadied himself. “He plans . . . to take pleasure . . . in her. I believe . . . he took . . . Miss Darcy upstairs.” Harrison managed to right himself completely.
“I will kill him,” Darcy threatened. “Help me find Georgiana.” His voice nearly pleaded.
“Follow me.” Harrison motioned to them, leading the way through another room with a panel in the back, which ascended a narrow, twisting stairway coming into an unused guest room on the second story. It was in the part of the house Harrison earmarked for renovation.
“Let Darcy and me handle the intruders; you are in no shape to fight off anyone,” Edward ordered.
Harrison had other thoughts, but he spoke them not. If they encountered any of Rutherford’s men, Harrison would let Darcy and the colonel do the fighting. He would save his energy for Rutherford.
Meanwhile, Mr. Howard and his men discovered the Darcy livery on the coach housed in the stables; it was the coach purchased for Georgiana Darcy by old Mr. Darcy so they were ready for trouble when they entered through the servant entrance; a minor assault occurred, but even though they were outnumbered, Darcy’s men were sober, and Rutherford’s men spent nearly eight and forty hours enjoying Mr. Harrison’s stock of wine and ale.The alcohol numbed their reactions, and Mr. Howard had the drop on the five intruders before they realized what happened.
Mr. Howard released the servants, putting the intruders in the cold storage larder.The estate staff assured Mr. Howard no one would escape.“We will see to it, Sir,” said the butler as the butler shoved the last of the interlopers into the hole and secured the door.
When they reached the suite of bedrooms, it was easy for Darcy, Edward, and Harrison to determine in which room Rutherford held Georgiana. Again, Edward took control of their positioning for the assault. They held back as the guards stepped into the light.
“The captain be wastin’ his time with the girl,” one of the rougher-looking men shared. “That be not what we come here for.”
One of his buddies pointed out their plans.“We be torchin’ the place soon enough.”
A third lit one of Harrison’s cigars and laughed lightly.“No one be lettin’ them savages free once we burn this one out.”
When the men turned to step back against the wall, Edward moved quickly. A dagger lodged in the first man’s back, purposely twisted by the colonel as he withdrew it to use on the second man. Darcy took the third, using a silken cord from a set of draperies to strangle the man, whose body twisted and turned, gyrating as Darcy kept tightening his hold until the man finally went limp.
As Edward wrestled with his third man, Darcy moved quickly to help his cousin, literally shoving the cigar the man dropped earlier into his open mouth, causing the uninvited guest to choke and cough as the colonel finished him off.
They knew Rutherford must be aware of their presence by now so any chance of surprise was gone. Kicking at the door latch, the colonel dove out of the way as Rutherford unloaded his pistol into the door. Regrouping, Edward and Darcy continued to work in tandem, forcing the door open by both hitting it at the same time.Again, the captain fired while Darcy and Edward launched themselves into the bedchamber, rolling to avoid Rutherford’s attack.
Both men came up quickly, but then they froze, everyone posed in place in a terrible tableau. Georgiana stood shivering in a ripped dress, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, and Rutherford’s gun cocked next to her head. Caution prevailed for several minutes as each person locked eyes on the other.
“Mr. Darcy,” Rutherford laughed lightly in amazement, “you are a hard man to kill.”With another gun in his free hand, the captain motioned for Colonel Fitzwilliam to move closer to Darcy.“And you brought the colonel—how delightful!”
Georgiana’s frightened eyes fell upon her brother; Darcy tried to silently tell her he would protect her.
“Easy, Rutherford,” Edward said softly as he slowly moved closer to Darcy.“You do not really want to hurt Miss Darcy.” Edward held his hands where Captain Rutherford could see them.
“Over there,” the captain motioned for both Edward and Darcy to move toward the far corner of the room. Then he grabbed Georgiana around the neck, keeping the cocked gun to her temple, and began to back away from them, pulling Georgiana toward the open door. “Follow me, and I will kill her,” he hissed.
Rutherford inched through the doorway, holding Georgiana tightly to him; thinking only of freedom, he nearly scrambled to get out of the way. Harrison knew whatever else he did with the rest of his life, the next minute would determine his real worth. No matter what it cost him, he would ensure Georgiana Darcy need never fear the likes of Captain Rutherford again. Moving like a cat, Harrison sprang to his feet. He grabbed the silken cord Darcy dropped earlier and wrapped it around Rutherford’s throat, dragging him away from Georgiana. With what energy he had left, he held the captain as his captor.
Darcy sprang forward, pulling Georgiana clear of the fray while Edward charged Rutherford, knocking the captain and Harrison down. Rutherford leapt up from the floor first and turned to run, but it was Harrison, not Edward, who reacted. He scrambled to his feet and lunged for the man, pulling his stiletto from his boot as he moved. The blade winked in the light as Harrison moved in what felt like slow motion to him, but, in reality, was a sleek adeptness. Rutherford turned just as Harrison made contact, and the blade disappeared into the center of Rutherford’s chest, sending them both collapsing to the floor. Exhausted, Harrison lay on top of Rutherford’s body, the captain’s blood seeping out on both of them.
Edward finally got to them, rolling Harrison off the captain, who now lay perfectly still. Harrison’s chest rose and fell as he tried to control his breathing. With the silence, Darcy stepped to the hallway, Georgiana’s face buried into his chest. He removed his jacket and placed it around her to cover her torn dress. Edward moved off to find Mr. Howard.
“It is over,” Darcy whispered in Georgiana’s ear as he loosened her hold on him.
Georgiana could not ask the question, afraid to even turn her head.“Is he?”
“Miss Darcy.” Harrison’s voice was b
reathy from all he had been through, but he forced himself to a seated position.
Georgiana peeked at him around her brother’s shoulder, and immediately she was kneeling by Harrison’s side, holding his head to her chest, tears streaming down her face. “You are alive,” she kept repeating as she stroked the side of his head. “Thank God, you are alive.” Harrison held her, bliss written across his beaten face.
Darcy allowed her a moment before he brought Georgiana back into his embrace. “Come, my Sweet One, let us get you and Mr. Harrison some medical help.” He led her to one of the bedchambers further down the hall. “Stay here, Georgiana, while I see to Mr. Harrison.” Darcy’s voice held compassion.
In the hallway, Harrison forced himself from the floor just as Darcy returned to help him; Edward, followed by Mr. Howard, also returned. “The rest of Rutherford’s men are locked in the cold storage larder.”
“The men and I will remove these bodies to outside, Mr. Darcy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Howard,” Darcy responded automatically while helping Harrison to stand completely.“Hell is empty. All the Devils are here.”4 Darcy looked around in dismay at the melee their fight left in the hallway.“Edward, Mr. Harrison and Georgiana both need medical help.”
“On the way, Darcy.” Edward took Harrison’s other arm as he helped brace the man’s exhausted body.
“Miss Darcy?” Harrison managed to say.
Darcy offered,“My sister is fine.”
“Thank God.” Harrison nearly collapsed in the effort of the words, adrenaline fully drained from his body.
“Once I attend to her, I will allow Georgiana to come see you.” Darcy accepted the changes coming in Georgiana’s life.
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