The Cumberland Plateau

by Mary K. Baxley

  “He has some nerve. How dare he! I can’t believe the cold-hearted bastard said this to you! And they call me cold-hearted!” She rolled her eyes. “Lizzy, he owes you, especially now. Say the word, and I’ll go after him. They’re vulnerable right now because they’ve had to borrow heavily, and I can tell you that in an American court of law this divorce settlement won’t hold up. We’ll sue him for half of everything he’s worth. He owes you quite a bit. You’re carrying his children.”

  “No, I don’t want anything from him. He offered me the equivalent of fourteen million dollars, and I refused it. I don’t want his money. Besides, that would only affirm his family’s perception of me. They think I married him for his money. But they can think what they will.”

  “Lizzy,” Cecilia frowned, “are you never going to tell Fitzwilliam about the children…not even later?” she asked, handing the papers back to Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth placed them back in her purse as both rose from the bench and made their way toward the house. “No, I will never tell him. That is why I’m leaving the country after the babies are born. He forfeited the right to know when he left me all alone back in April. These are my children, and I’ll take care of them by myself. Besides, if he were to discover I’m pregnant, he would either try to take the children away from me, or, if I’m lucky, allow me to have joint custody. Either way, the children would be exposed to a way of life I wouldn’t approve of, and I cannot and will not allow that to happen.”

  “Lizzy, I will not let him hurt you or the children. I’ve never been one to believe in love for this very reason. It leaves you vulnerable. All women are to men is something to screw. They use you, they dump you, and then they walk off. Men can ruin your life if you allow them to. I ought to know. I saw plenty of it from my own daddy,” she said. “And because of it, I will never allow myself to be at a disadvantage with a man. Mark my words, Lizzy. No man will ever do this to me, and I thought I had warned you and Jane, too.”

  “Yes, you did, but I remember my mother and father. They had a loving relationship all of their lives, so I know it does exist. And Fitzwilliam is the father of my children. For that reason alone I choose to remember the good, even if he is not the man I thought he was.”

  Cecilia shook her head. She knew Elizabeth spoke out of anger. “Lizzy, someday you will have to face him. As much as I am an advocate for women victimized by men, I am here to tell you that keeping the children from him is not right. You’ll see that in time.”

  “Don’t bet on it!”

  “You will, darling, but if he dares to try and take them from you, he’ll have a fight on his hands.”

  Elizabeth smiled and put her arm around her friend as they crossed the street and strolled into the Lawton Townhouse courtyard.

  Chapter Forty-three

  …what good does it do for a man to amass untold wealth and yet lose that which is most precious to him…

  July London

  Mrs. Foulkes stepped into Fitzwilliam’s office and handed him a message from his aunt. Hilda had just arrived from the U.S. about an hour ago and was headed directly to the Pemberley Complex. A big smile crossed his face as he read the note and thought of Elizabeth. …It seems like ages ago since we last held one another. I can’t wait to see her…to feel her body against mine.

  Within the hour, Hilda walked through the door—alone. The look on her face alarmed him. “Where’s my wife, Hilda?”

  Sorrowfully, Hilda answered, “Fitzwilliam, she has decided not to join you.”

  “What do you mean!?” He swallowed hard. “Explain!”

  Laying the contract, along with Elizabeth’s letter on his desk, Hilda told him Elizabeth had refused to come with her to England, and that she no longer felt the same about him. Hilda explained that Elizabeth had given it much thought before deciding she was not suited to be his wife or to live in England.

  Looking over the letter and the divorce statement, Fitzwilliam fell back into his chair, devastated.

  “Fitzwilliam, you will forgive me in time, but I knew this was coming when I observed how much you were arguing. And when I talked with your wife, she made it very clear that she had no intentions of coming with me. Since I suspected this would be the case, for your protection, I took the liberty and had papers drafted in preparation. She was very agreeable to signing them. Mrs. Darcy says you have changed, and that the two of you have drifted apart.”

  Glaring at his aunt in utter shock, he could not believe what he had just heard. “Hilda, it was not your place to make a decision for me—especially a personal and very important one like this. What the bloody hell makes you think you have the right to make decisions for me? How dare you! I will get Elizabeth on the phone and get this straightened out.”

  “Fitzwilliam, the woman does not want to be your wife! She has given you a handwritten letter. Is that not her handwriting?!”

  Looking over the signature on the document and the letter, he concluded it was indeed Elizabeth’s signature and handwriting. Livid with rage at his aunt’s intrusive interference, his glare bore straight into her. “Get out, Hilda! I will talk to my wife myself. I should have gone after her personally—Pemberley be hanged!”

  “I was only protecting your interests. It’s what I do. You’re worth a lot of money!”

  “Money?” he shot back. “Do you think I care about money?! She’s worth a lot more to me than mere money!”

  “That’s exactly why I felt the need to protect you. The woman has affected your good sense!”

  Pausing to regain his composure, he carefully selected his words. Eyes ablaze, he turned on Hilda. “No one…not you…not my dead father…or anyone else directs the course of my life. Do you understand me, Hilda?”

  Staring at him with her head held high, she met his wrath. “I have a duty to you whether you like it or not. It is my place, in your father’s stead, to look after you, even if you are too naïve to realize it.”

  “GET OUT!”

  “Fitzwilliam—”

  “I said get out…get out now!”

  Hilda slowly backed out the door and left his office with the feeling of having done her duty to the Darcy family. Even if her nephew didn’t understand now, he would in time. She felt sure of it.

  ~*~

  Fitzwilliam called Elizabeth’s mobile, only to find it disconnected. He called Longbourn and found Elizabeth was not there. Her uncle had assumed she had left for England. He called Robert, who told him Elizabeth had informed them she was leaving town, but had refused to tell them where she was going. Her only words were that they were divorcing, and she needed time to think. Other than that, Robert had no idea what was going on.

  After interrupting Jane and Charles’s belated honeymoon, Fitzwilliam learned that the Bingleys had no idea of anything other than his troubles with Pemberley. Jane had not spoken with Elizabeth in months. Fitzwilliam ran his hand through his hair in frustration. …Oh God! What has she done! Does that woman know what she is doing!

  Mrs. Foulkes, having overheard the argument taking place in Mr. Darcy’s office, sent for David, who noticed Hilda in a huff on her way out as he turned the corner and entered his brother’s office. While waiting for his brother to conclude his calls, David observed the disheveled office. Papers were strewn across his desk and his brother looked panicked. When Fitzwilliam slammed the phone down in its cradle, David had had enough.

  “Fitzwilliam, what the bloody hell is wrong with you!?”

  “David, Elizabeth has left me! I can’t believe she has done this! What the hell is wrong with her? I know we have been arguing and that she felt slighted because I didn’t ring her every day, but this is ridiculous.” Fitzwilliam nervously rose from his desk.

  “Calm down and tell me what happened.”

  In exasperation, he looked his brother directly in the eye. “I sent Hilda to Tennessee to close out my affairs, and apparently she took it upon herself to close out my marriage as one of them. Here, look at this!” he demanded as he th
rew the letter at David while he paced back and forth. His eyes shined with unshed tears while he twisted his wedding band.

  David picked up the letter and read it out loud.

  Fitzwilliam,

  By the time you read this, I will have resigned my position at the university. I shall not be going back. I will soon be leaving for an extended vacation to evaluate my circumstances. I no longer know what it is that I want from life. It’s time to discover who Elizabeth Bennett really is, for I no longer know.

  Do what you wish with the papers I’ve signed. I trust you will seek a speedy divorce, but there is one other thing I’d like to say. I am deeply insulted you would even think you could buy me off! Keep your money. I don’t want it.

  Elizabeth R. Bennett

  David handed the letter back. “Fitzwilliam, what the bloody hell is she talking about?”

  “This,” he said, handing him the document.

  David glanced over the contract.

  “Hilda said Elizabeth was adamant about not returning with her. Since she had witnessed our numerous arguments, she anticipated Elizabeth was going to leave me, so she had this contract drawn up just in case it was needed. Hilda said she was protecting my interests. What must Elizabeth have thought?”

  “Have you called her?”

  “Oh, yes, numerous times. But she has disconnected her mobile number, and her family has no idea where she is. Elizabeth has simply vanished.”

  Fitzwilliam began to pace again. “We’ve been fighting a great deal of late, but I thought we had sorted it out. Though, when I think about it, the last time I talked with her she didn’t actually say she would come to England. In fact, she said she would think about it.” Fitzwilliam looked up to the ceiling and whispered brokenly, “I guess this is her answer.”

  His mind quickly shifted from Elizabeth to himself. “Well, if she wants to leave me, then let her! I’ve had enough!”

  He picked up a paperweight and flung it at the wall, putting a hole where the object made contact.

  “Fitzwilliam, calm down! We’ll find her and get this straightened out. If you two talk, I’m sure you can work this out.”

  “David, there is only so much I can take. Between Elizabeth and Pemberley, I’ve reached my breaking point. I can’t handle any more stress. If she wants to go, then let her, damn it! To hell with her!”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Don’t I? I’ve been to hell and back. I’ve done my duty, kept my word, sacrificed everything, but she didn’t understand, nor did she support me. Father was right. She didn’t understand… Oh, God, David, she didn’t understand.” He dropped into his chair and cradled his head in his hands, crying out in anguish.

  David crossed the distance between them and grasped his brother’s shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. Then he quietly left, clicking the door shut, leaving his brother alone to grieve.

  ~*~

  Later that afternoon, Georgiana approached David for answers. Employees were complaining about Mr. Darcy’s foul mood. He had made two secretaries cry, and threatened to fire a filing clerk when she accidentally handed him the wrong file.

  “David, you must tell me what is wrong with Fitzwilliam. He has the entire office staff on tenterhooks. What is wrong with him? We have been through so much. I know this has to do with Elizabeth. There is a rumor circulating that she’s left him.”

  “It’s no rumor, Georgie” David shook his head. “She has indeed left him. In all my life I have never seen him this angry or upset. Normally our brother is cool and under control, even in our most difficult of circumstances he was confident, but this has clearly shaken him.”

  “I don’t believe this. Something is terribly wrong. Elizabeth loves Fitzwilliam! We have to find her and figure out what happened.”

  “Georgiana, I think she made it very clear. I read her letter, and she signed an agreement allowing Fitzwilliam to pursue a divorce. We have to get our brother through this, not give him false hope. I don’t think you understand women.”

  “How dare you, David! I’m a woman, and I understand my gender very well, thank you very much, especially a woman in love. And I know Elizabeth loves him!”

  Shaking her finger in his face, she asked, “What do you know of women? You pick them up like shoppers select meat at the market. You wouldn’t know anything about what a woman feels or thinks. You only think of yourself. You’re so commitment-phobic.”

  David leaned into his sister’s face. “That’s enough, Georgiana. I’m not the villain here, and I resent you taking this out on me.”

  “I’m sorry, David, but something happened, and you’re too dense to see it. I know Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam were fighting. Perhaps he doesn’t understand women any better than you do! So don’t talk to me about real women. I shall take care of this myself.”

  As she turned on her heel to leave, he grabbed her arm. “Just what do you think you are going to do, little sister?”

  “I will go to America and hire an investigator to find her. It’s what you should’ve thought of, Brother,” Georgiana fumed, jerking herself free from his grasp.

  “Georgiana, calm down. Don’t do that. We’ll do this together. I will hire a team on both sides of the Atlantic, but you have to consider that she may not want our brother.”

  “If that is true, then let Elizabeth tell me to my face! Keep me informed as to your progress, but I intend to see her. Know that!”

  Georgiana pivoted around and marched to her office. In an effort to calm down, she settled in front of her computer and decided to check her email. An instant smile crossed her face. There was a message from Joseph Bennett. He had been corresponding with her for the last six months.

  To: GDarcy@Pemberley.co.uk

  From: J. Bennett

  Subject: My final email

  Dear Georgiana,

  This will be my last message to you as I’m being deployed tomorrow and will be out of reach for many months. This will be my last mission. My service obligation expires in twenty-one months. I can hardly wait. I do not intend to remain in the Corps. I’m tired—weary from all I have seen. I’ve done my duty to my country. Now I want to come home, which brings me to another thought.

  I want you to know how much your emails and letters have meant to me. At first, I didn’t think I would care for a correspondent beyond my own family circle, and then you came along. With each correspondence, I found myself eagerly anticipating a word from you—even more so than from my family. I think we have gotten to know each other quite well over the last six months. More importantly, we share the same deeply held faith in God and love for the countryside. I’m sure your home in Derbyshire is beautiful, and I look forward to seeing it someday.

  Georgiana, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, but from what we have discussed, I want you to know that you give me one more reason to come home beyond my love for my family and Longbourn. Somehow I know that I will survive. Georgiana, I have come to love you, and if you feel the same, wait for me.

  Tell my family I love them.

  Semper Fi

  Capt. J. E. Bennett

  There it was—his last email for a long time to come. She could read between the lines and knew he was in grave danger. Georgiana knew Joseph had been developing feelings for her. She also knew he was not used to expressing them, but the fact that he had expressed them in his email, changed her day from one of despair to one of hope. She would wait for him, but there was one thing that bothered her—Elizabeth. She was glad Joseph had no idea of what had happened between her brother and his sister. He didn’t need the extra worry. They would find Elizabeth. Georgiana was sure of it.

  Chapter Forty-four

  …Ah…but the woman only has the power I choose to give her…

  Several days later, the full ramifications of what had occurred finally hit Fitzwilliam. The weekend had arrived, and he had locked himself in his bedroom, refusing to eat or see anyone. He drank heavily. When he would not respond to
his valet’s pleading, Watson sent for the only one person who could get through to Mr. Darcy—his brother.

  David had to force his way into Fitzwilliam’s room. “All right, Brother, out with it. It’s not like you to feel sorry for yourself.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, lying prostrate on his bed, clearly in need of a shave, a shower and something to eat to offset the whiskey he’d been drinking.

  David paced the floor in front of his brother’s bed, his hands clasped behind his back. “You have to talk about it. Your behavior is causing Georgiana to worry herself sick. I’m worried, too. Don’t shut us out. We’re a family that looks out for one another.”

  Fitzwilliam released a sigh and looked his brother directly in the eye, speaking philosophically. “David, what good does it do for a man to amass untold wealth and yet lose that which is most precious to him? I’ve accumulated everything I wanted, but I lost the one thing that meant the most to me—my wife. How on earth am I to live without her?”

  The words choked in his throat. His eyes were red and swollen. “I was only trying to protect her, but I couldn’t make her see that. Elizabeth wanted to join me here in London, but I knew what the tabloids were capable of doing. It would have been horrible for her, but she didn’t see it that way. She didn’t understand.

  “The publicity that would have resulted might have cost us Pemberley, and I suppose I was thinking of that as well. Still, I should have done more. I failed her, David.” He ran his hands though his hair, choking back tears.