A Royal Bennet

by Melanie Schertz

  comparison to Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

  Too late, Caroline realized her foolishness. Bingley and Hurst were furious, and both realized Louisa was also involved in the plot. “Louisa, you will go to your rooms and remain there. Mrs Reynolds, would you see that a maid and a footman are placed in my wife’s rooms to keep her there?” Hurst decided to take the upper hand. “Caroline, I will have one of the young men sent to Lambton for the constable to come. You will be placed under arrest and removed from here immediately, in chains, if you do not tell us where Lady Elizabeth can be found. Do you hear me? Tell us this moment, or you will be dragged from here in chains.”

  Caroline refused to tell the truth, defiant to the last. “You would not dare. The humiliation which would be heaped on our family if you were to allow me to be treated in such a manner would be great. You would not wish for our reputations to be ruined.”

  “My reputation is already set, Caroline.” Hurst stated. “I am the first born son and heir to my father’s estate. I do not fear what would be talked about if you were arrested. My own wife might be joining you in chains.”

  “And I am going to be married, and start a family of my own.” Bingley added. “I am finished with you, Caroline. If I have to return our family to trade, then so be it. And my betrothed will be much happier without having to fear what you will do to her family.”

  “You are trying to rid yourself of me, so you will be able to marry a woman who is beneath us. She is not worthy of being a part of our lives, yet you would throw your sisters away for the likes of her. The Bennet family is beneath us, Charles. Mr Bennet had an affair, then dressed his love child up as respectable. Mrs Bennet is a whore. Oh, yes, I overheard Mr Gardiner telling Mr Bennet. Mrs Bennet is living and working in a house of ill repute.”

  Jane gasped, turning to her aunt for comfort. Hearing her soft sob broke Bingley’s heart. He walked towards his sister, standing before her, and reached out his hand, quickly bringing it down to strike his sister’s cheek. “I am finished with you, Caroline. No more. Raymond, I suggest you tell us the truth of where Lady Elizabeth can be found. If you do, I will see that you are represented in court. If you do not, if any harm has come to Lady Elizabeth, you will face the noose.”

  Finally, Raymond realized his best plan was to tell the truth. He told Bingley and Hurst of Caroline’s plan to be rid of Lady Elizabeth, how she enticed Raymond to do her bidding with promises of a future with Caroline. He told of taking Sadie to the area where it was unsafe, purposely injuring the dog to encourage Lady Elizabeth to go to the dog. And he told of moving the safety markers which had been placed to keep people from the danger zone.

  Mr Bennet sent riders out immediately to inform Darcy and the other men where Elizabeth could be found. A wagon was prepared with ropes and blankets, a stretcher and bandaging, and Mr Bennet joined Mr Abernathy in taking the wagon to the area where the rescue would be done.

  ~~ ** ~~ While the men were rescuing Elizabeth, Caroline was awaiting her future. Hurst and Bingley had decided they would do nothing to protect her. If there was a scandal, they would live through it. Hurst was not fond of society in Town, and he had no difficulty returning to his family’s estate to wait out the worst of it. Jane and Bingley discussed the ramifications to them, and it was decided that they could live with Mr Bennet at Longbourn. With Mrs Bennet and Lydia away, Jane was certain her father would appreciate having Jane and Bingley live with him after their marriage.

  The constable was sent for and arrived while the men were out recovering Elizabeth. He remained there, with Caroline Bingley being defiant, waiting for news to arrive of Lady Elizabeth, so he would know what charges the criminals faced. Raymond had been locked in a room, under guard, after he confessed the truth and told where to find his victim. Louisa Hurst was still being guarded in her rooms, as Hurst determined what he would do with his wife. And Bingley remained in the drawing room, keeping watch over his sister.

  Hurst decided that his wife would live out the remainder of her days in a small estate his family owned in northern Scotland. It was a barren wasteland, frozen most of the year, and the estate had not been worked for many years. Hurst’s father had tried to sell the property, but no one desired it. So it sat vacant and unwanted. That would be the perfect prison for Louisa Hurst, and, potentially, her sister. The men could see that there was no means of transportation, so the sisters would be forced to remain at the property. Food and other necessities could be taken to them on regular deliveries. And only a handful of servants could be employed to keep Caroline and Louisa in their place. They would be fed, sheltered, and otherwise, imprisoned in a land which would give them no comfort.

  The thought of being forced to live in such a manner was appalling to Caroline. She refused to acknowledge any wrong doing on her part, declaring over and over that it was all Elizabeth Bennet’s fault for the situation. The young lady should never have been at Pemberley, according to Caroline. To her way of thinking, if Elizabeth had not come to Pemberley, Caroline would have had no need to be rid of her.

  Jane finally excused herself, along with Mrs Gardiner and Georgiana, as they went down the hall to the music room. None of the ladies could tolerate hearing Caroline’s foolishness any longer.

  Georgiana attempted to play on the pianoforte, but her heart was not in it. She fumbled through the sheets of music, over and over, while Jane paced about the room. Mrs Gardiner wandered to the window in the room, watching for the searchers’ return, then she would return to the sofa, picking up a cushion and running her fingers over the stitching.

  After what seemed to be an eternity, they heard the sounds of the search party returning to the house. And the ladies were rewarded to see Elizabeth on the bed of the wagon, holding her father’s hand, and Sadie lying beside her.

  ~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~

  Chapter 16 Darcy and Richard had gone different directions around the lake. Darcy headed in the direction he usually found Elizabeth on her morning walks. He searched for some time, finally going in a different direction.

  Hearing what sounded like a dog crying, Darcy began searching for Sadie as well. Calling out to Elizabeth and Sadie, time and again, he was certain he heard the dog, far away from where he was. Suddenly, he heard a fast approaching rider.

  “Master Darcy, we learned that Lady Elizabeth has fallen down into one sink holes in at the base of Craggy Rock. The postilion took her dog there, injured it, to lure her there. The beast watched as she fell.”

  “I thought I heard a dog crying. If we find the dog, we will find Lady Elizabeth. My cousin has a group of men on the other side of the lake. Find him and send him to us.” Darcy called out as he turned his mount in the direction of Craggy Rock. The closer he got to the location, the louder Sadie’s cries came. Then, Darcy saw Sadie carefully approached him. It was clear to see she was favoring a paw, and there was blood matted in her fur.

  When Sadie recognized Darcy, she let out a pitiful cry. Then she turned and limped back in the direction from which she had come. Darcy knew she was leading him to Elizabeth.

  Coming to the area, which was normally marked to keep people out, Darcy could see the gaping hole in the ground. Sadie had stopped a few feet from the edge, so Darcy was certain that it was not safe to go nearer. He dropped down on the ground beside Sadie, giving her a scratch behind the ear.

  “Good girl, Sadie. It would have taken us longer to find her if you had not led me here. Thank you, Girl.” Darcy turned his attention towards the men coming behind him. “Someone send to the stables for some ropes, and have the wagon brought out here. And one of you take care of Sadie. She will most likely refuse to leave the area until Lady Elizabeth is brought up, but the dog deserves to have her wounds tended.”

  Darcy turned his attention back towards the hole. “Lady Elizabeth, can you hear me?”

  A weak voice could be heard from below. “I am here.”

  “Are you injured?”

  “A bit. A large rock is on top of me. Making it
difficult to move or take a deep breath.”

  “We are having supplies brought here to rescue you. It will not be long now.”

  “Sadie, is she with you? She was injured.” Darcy smiled. Of course Elizabeth would be worried for the dog. “Do not fret. She is here, and waiting for you to join her. I have one of the men tending her.”

  “I was so worried for her.”

  “And she is worried for you. She even came to lead us to you. You have a devoted friend, Lady Elizabeth. And she will always have a place of honor with me for her devotion to you.”

  Relief was obvious in her voice. “Thank you, Mr Darcy. Did my father come with you? His health is not good for riding horses.”

  Mr Gardiner chuckled. “Lizzy, dearest girl, have no fear. Your father is safely back at the house, with Jane and your aunt. Miss Darcy is watching over all of them. Let us worry about getting you out of the hole and back to the house.”

  “Yes, Uncle.” Clearly hearing the fatigue in Elizabeth’s voice, both of the men were concerned. Mr Gardiner attempted to ease his fears. “Lizzy, you are weary. Do not feel you need to speak. Conserve your energy for now.”

  “Very tired, Uncle. I wish to be in bed, with Papa reading me a story.” “Soon, my dear girl. Very soon. Mr Darcy sent for a wagon and ropes. We will have you out of the hole and snugly tucked in your bed, with your father sitting beside you and reading your favorite book to you.”

  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I am sure Mr Darcy has a copy of it in his vast library.”

  Darcy smiled. “Of course I do. And it is yours to borrow. As are all my books.” Hearing what sounded like a wagon approaching, Darcy stood up and looked around. Though it was becoming dark outside, there was a full moon that night. Darcy could see the wagon approaching, with Mr Bennet and the physician.

  “Lady Elizabeth, help has arrived. We will be down there soon to assist you. Have no fear.” “Yes, Papa. And I promise to be a good girl and go to sleep after you read me a story.” The voice from the hole was sounding exhausted and it was obvious she was becoming confused as to whom she was speaking.

  “Stay with us, Lady Elizabeth. Your father has brought the physician and supplies. I will be down to you shortly.”

  And then, there was silence. “Over here.” Darcy shouted to the driver of the wagon, as he stood up, waving his arms about. “Over here, quickly.”

  The wagon arrived near where the horses were tied, not wishing to move forward and risk falling through the ground. Rope was thrown to Darcy and Mr Gardiner. Darcy began to tie the rope to a tree which was near the wagon and horses. Mr Gardiner prepared the other end of the rope for Darcy to tie around himself.

  Once tied, Darcy was lowered into the hole. He continued descending lower and lower, and as he did, he feared as to how far Elizabeth had fallen. Perhaps her soft voice was not from fatigue, but from distance. And if she had fallen so far, the stone on top of her had fallen the same distance. How much damage had it done to her? These thoughts played over and over, as Darcy traveled down the seemingly endless descent.

  In reality, the distance was not as far as it seemed. Ten feet was not a tremendous drop, but for Darcy, it seemed more like one hundred feet.

  When he reached the bottom of the hole, Darcy had the men send down a lantern. He needed to be able to see, and though the full moon was shining brightly, in the hole, it was still quite dark.

  “Lady Elizabeth, I need to remove the stone from you. I will try to be careful, but I am sure you will feel discomfort or pain as the stone moves.”

  “I am well.” Elizabeth said with a sad smile. “Do not fret so much.” Just after Darcy had climbed down into the hole, Richard and the men with whom he arrived at the location. Richard hurried as close to the hole as possible.

  “Wills, what do you need?” He hollered. “I will need some assistance down here. The rock will need to be removed from on top of her before we can move her.”

  Mr Bennet feared the worst. “How badly is she injured?” “I cannot tell at this moment. She seems to be drowsy and disoriented, but I do not know if it is due to any injury.” Darcy stated, attempting to keep his voice neutral.

  Richard quickly prepared to join his cousin, and was soon being lowered into the underground cavern. Once his feet touched the ground, his training on the battlefield commenced. “We will need some more rope, and a couple of blankets. The soil appears to be soft and spongy, so it could be that she only sank into the soil and is pinned beneath the stone. We can tie rope around the stone, and, with you men pulling, and Darcy pushing, we should be able to move the stone easily enough. I want to cover Lady Elizabeth’s head and face to keep more dirt from falling on her.”

  The men agreed, and soon, the rope was wrapped around the stone and fastened snuggly. Richard covered Elizabeth’s head and shoulders with a blanket and kept his hand near her face to protect her if the stone were to roll back at her. He was prepared to move her as soon as the stone was off her. Then Darcy could hold her as the men pulled them from the hole.

  The stone was not willing to budge at first, but on the third try, it finally began to move. Darcy pushed with all his might, his back against the cavern wall as his legs pushed the stone to the side. The men above were able to pull it up high enough that, with Darcy pushing it to the side, Richard was soon able to pull Elizabeth’s body to safety.

  “She is free, Wills, she is free. Tie the rope around you and the men will pull you up to the surface. I will follow.” Richard said to his cousin as he gently held Elizabeth for his cousin.

  Darcy quickly hollered to the men to lower the stone, and he allowed it to return to the area where Elizabeth had lain. As soon as the stone was safely on the ground, Darcy had the rope tied around his waist, and he scooped Elizabeth into his arms.

  “Pull us up.” Darcy called out to the men. “I have Lady Elizabeth, pull us up.” The men pulled on the rope, bringing Darcy to the surface, with Elizabeth grasped to his chest. He held on tightly, not wishing to risk her being further injured. Even when the men pulled them from the hole, he held her tightly, carrying her to the wagon before he released his hold on her.

  Darcy stepped back to allow Mr Bennet and Mr Abernathy to take charge of the young lady who held the Master of Pemberley’s heart. When Richard joined his cousin, they watched as Mr Abernathy gave a quick inspection.

  “I believe Colonel Fitzwilliam was correct in his observation. I believe she will have aches and pains over the next few days, and perhaps a sprained ankle, from the looks of it, but it does not appear the stone did much damage.”

  The breath that Darcy had unconsciously been holding came rushing out of him. “Thank the heavens.”

  “I believe we should take the young lady to the house and warm her up. She is soaked and chilled.” Mr Abernathy said as he looked up to Darcy. “If I am correct, Mrs Reynolds will have a roaring fire burning in the young lady’s bedchamber, and perhaps a hot bath readied before we arrive there. We should have something warm for her to drink as well. Some tea and some broth would be appropriate.”

  Richard took the request and sent a rider ahead to the house to inform the housekeeper of the

  physician’s request. Darcy simply stood beside the wagon, watching the men taking care of his love.

  As Abernathy declared it safe for them to take Elizabeth to the house, Darcy jumped into the driver’s seat and took up the reins. Richard took the seat beside him. Before the wagon began to move, Elizabeth’s eyes opened. “Where is Sadie? She was injured. Where is she?”

  One of the stable hands came forward, carrying the loyal dog. “She is here, Ma’am. Have no fear. She will be limping from a hurt paw and some scrapes, but I think she will be fine.” He said as he placed Sadie on the wagon bed, beside Elizabeth.

  Having her beloved dog beside her, Elizabeth dozed off, her fingers entwined in Sadie’s fur. ~~ ** ~~ The wagon came to a halt in front of the main house. Before any of his servants could come to assist the Bennet family in carr
ying Elizabeth inside the house, Darcy was off the wagon and at the side, prepared to scoop her into his arms once again.

  The staff of Pemberley were prepared to undertake any request which could be given. Seeing their master was preparing to carry the young lady inside, the footmen stepped out of his way, yet were close at hand if they were needed. One of the young footmen realized the injured dog on the wagon should be moved indoors. Darcy had left strict orders with all his staff that Sadie was to be treated like she was a guest in the grand house, and the dog had been since that day. The young footman, Wesley, gingerly lifted the dog into his arms and carried her inside, following Darcy up the stairs.

  Most of the Pemberley staff assumed Darcy’s infatuation with Lady Elizabeth would lead to the couple marrying. Lady Elizabeth and her family were well liked and appreciated for their kindness, so the staff had no difficulty in doing little things in return. When it was learned that Miss Bingley had played a part in Lady Elizabeth’s disappearance and injury, the staff members were repulsed at the disgusting woman who was known to be vulgar.

  Elizabeth was taken up the stairs and into her bedchambers by Darcy. He gently placed her on the bed and stepped back, allowing Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Reynolds to take charge of the young lady. Darcy found it difficult to tear his eyes from Elizabeth, afraid that if he turned his view away, she would vanish and he would be unable to find her.

  Mr Bennet coughed roughly to capture Darcy’s attention. “Perhaps we should leave the ladies to tend Lizzy. She will need a bath and fresh clothing.”

  Darcy was embarrassed that he had continued to watch as the ladies prepared to undress Elizabeth to clean her. “Yes, forgive me. Let us step down the hall to the drawing room. I wish to discover what Bingley has learned while we were out.”

  ~~ ** ~~ The men entered the drawing room and found Bingley with a glass of port in his hand, and fury building by the moment. “Ah, I am pleased you have returned. Lady Elizabeth, is she alive? Please, tell me that my sisters have not caused my future sister in law great harm.”