“If you harm one hair on her head, you will hope hanging is the worst they will do to you,” Darcy was saying.
The man tilted his head and smiled. “Ahh, the man has fallen in love with the woman he was forced to compromise. How touching. I hope you will invite me to the wedding. Perhaps name your first child after the man who brought you together. Assuming you cooperate and see your darling again, of course.” He aimed his pistol at them and gestured towards the open door of the cottage. “Get in.”
Darcy looked as though he were debating flying at the man, but Richard caught his arm and pulled him in.
“We will not get her back this way,” he said. Something in the man’s eyes told him he would not hesitate to shoot either or both of them.
They went inside. The thief shut the door then hauled the wooden beam over to place it in the hatches.
“I hope you will see your fair Miss de Bourgh soon. If she is not too spoiled.”
He laughed at his joke. He had put his pistol down and lifted the beam in place. As he did so, he felt something cold pressed to the back of his head. He tensed and glanced for his pistol, but it was gone.
“Open this door,” said Elizabeth coolly. The man tried to turn but felt a second cold object passed to his head. He froze.
“I heard of all you planned to do with me. Don’t expect me to be kind to you,” she said. “Open it, or I will fire this gun and then open it myself. Pick one.”
He took a deep breath and heaved the beam away. Darcy and Richard rushed out at once.
Darcy paused at the sight of Elizabeth, soaking wet in men’s clothing, holding their attacker with a pistol to his head.
“What the…” he began.
The man tried to take advantage of his confusion by turning on Elizabeth, but both men caught him at once. Elizabeth handed the pistols to Richard, and they led the thief through the woods towards Hunsford.
Chapter 36
Darcy was quiet on their walk back to Rosings Park. They found the note Lady Catherine had written to the man, Steven, as they discovered his name was, asking him to meet her. They also found a little map of the woods, showing the glade where Darcy and Elizabeth liked to walk.
Elizabeth and Darcy had stared at them in silence, shocked to see the evidence of Lady Catherine’s treachery before them. They were still silent as Richard burnt them, destroying them in a cloud of smoke.
Elizabeth hid behind a garden wall as the two gentlemen brought the sullen offender to the magistrate’s house where he would be dealt with. On their return to Rosings, Elizabeth glanced at Darcy, willing him to look at her, to smile, or at least to give her some sign of what he was thinking, no matter how unpleasant. But his eyes were lost in thought and, whatever he felt, he gave nothing away.
Lady Catherine stared at Elizabeth in shock when she walked into the drawing room next to Darcy. She looked her up and down, taking in her odd, muddy clothing, her wet hair and her dirt-streaked face. Her eyes bulged and her mouth opened and closed but before she could decry her, Darcy fixed her a warning look.
“You will remember your promise, Aunt. No more interference. Miss Bennet is to be my wife.”
Lady Catherine pursed her lips and nodded. Richard told her everything that happened. She stared at him in horror and passed a hand over her face.
“I cannot believe it. Both of you might have ended up dead. My two nephews…”
“You are fortunate Miss Bennet was the one locked away with Darcy considering the threats made against her,” Richard said. “Anne grows stronger, but she is still not as strong and fast as Miss Bennet. This man might have gotten his hands on her in some other way. She would not have escaped him, and who knows what a man like this would have done to her? You could have endangered your daughter for nothing more than your desire to force people to carry out your wishes.”
Lady Catherine’s face was pale. She stared at Elizabeth as if she could not speak. She finally found her voice.
“I am sorry, Miss Bennet.” Her tone was clipped, but she still spoke with more humility than anyone in the room had ever heard from her. “I endangered you, and it was selfish of me. I hope, rather than ask, for your forgiveness.”
“I give it most readily,” said Elizabeth. “I suspect you will not behave so again.” She gave her an arch smile. “Besides, I understand I am to congratulate you on your daughter's wedding. And I hope I am not too indelicate, but I am sure some grandchildren will keep you busy in the future.”
Lady Catherine tried to look austere, but she could not resist a faint smile at that. “Yes, I imagine so.” She looked at Richard. “I wish to see Anne. I want to come to her and be of assistance throughout your wedding preparations.” Her tone was authoritative, but she hesitated. “Would you — would you be so good as to ask her if that is agreeable to her?” she asked as if the words were a foreign language to her.
“I will, Aunt,” said Richard. “But I will not force her to do anything she does not wish to do. She has had a lifetime of that. I will ask her to write a response to you when I return.”
Lady Catherine flinched but nodded.
“And you…” She turned her attention to Elizabeth and Darcy. “I am so sorry for all I have put you through. I hope you will accept a gift from me on the occasion of your marriage.”
“We would be honoured,” said Elizabeth with a smile.
Lady Catherine and Richard spoke together quietly as they made arrangements for Lady Catherine to see her daughter in London after their long separation. Elizabeth gazed at Darcy in concern. He had been so silent since he found her. She was about to plead with him to say something when he returned her look and nodded towards the door.
“I wish to speak with you.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded.
He turned to her once they were outside.
“Elizabeth…”
“I am so sorry,” she said quickly. “I am so sorry for the letter I sent you. I did not mean for someone to send it. Hill found it, and she thought I meant it to go out and I didn’t! I was horrified when I realised you’d received it. I was angry, and I wrote the letter to understand my feelings better. I would have burned it afterwards, but I went for a walk to clear my head. I heard you separated Jane and Mr Bingley. Colonel Fitzwilliam told me about it, but then Mr Bingley proposed to Jane and said it was at your urging.”
Darcy sighed, and to Elizabeth’s astonishment, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
“When I read your letter, I feared you would never forgive me,” he said, his voice a deep rumble with emotion.
Elizabeth sank into his arms. After the anxiety of the last few days, she did not know whether she wished to laugh or cry with relief.
“I was afraid you would not forgive me,” she confessed. “The things I said in that letter…”
“Were perfectly understandable. Of course, it would have seemed that way to you. I am only sorry I did not tell you about it before I left. I wanted to be sure I could fix it first by learning about Jane’s feelings.”
He loosened his hold so he could look at her, but he kept his arms firmly locked about her.
“I did separate Bingley and Jane. But only because I believed she did not love him. When I knew she loved him, I urged Bingley to propose. It was wrong of me. I wanted to tell you about it when I returned. Before I went away, I only had enough time to be sure of Jane’s feelings and speak to Bingley. Are they engaged?”
“They are, and they are blissfully happy. I was afraid I would never see Jane smile as much as she did before I came away.”
Darcy’s smile was broad.
“I am so glad. I wanted Bingley to be happy, and I was afraid he could not be happy if your sister did not love him. But I only made them both miserable. This news delights me. But now, Elizabeth, if you please, I would like to know the full story of how you came to be here. And whose clothes have you stolen? Is there some misfortunate farm boy wandering around in his undershirt
and bare feet right now?”
Elizabeth told him of her journey to Kent. Darcy shook his head in astonishment.
“I have many times tried to imagine the woman I would marry, but I can honestly say someone like you never entered my mind,” he said. Elizabeth’s face fell, and she nodded. Darcy smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead. “And I have never been happier. I am so proud of having a clever, brave wife. Fiercely proud. You are everything I ever wanted. I cannot tell you how I felt when I feared you no longer wished to marry me.”
“I felt ill when I realised you had received that letter,” said Elizabeth. “I hoped you had left already, thinking you would not have received it. You cannot imagine my horror when I discovered the messenger got it into your hands in time. I had to think fast to find a way to get to you. I received your note revealing what you planned to do. I knew how much danger you would be in. I was afraid something would happen to you and the last things I ever said to you might be words of anger.” She reached up to touch Darcy’s face. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” As Darcy brushed his lips against hers, Elizabeth’s heart soared with a joy that was almost painful.
“But I am not so confident you are not like those poor excuses for lovers you derided so thoroughly,” said Elizabeth when he eventually released her. “I am sure if I had worn my cap, you would have passed me by or ordered me about and had no idea of who I was.”
“Not possible,” said Darcy firmly. “You could never hide who you are. You are as far from a boy as I can imagine.”
“Tell that to the kitchen maid,” Elizabeth muttered.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I will tell you another time. I do have one thing to thank you for,” she added with a smile. Darcy gave her a questioning look, and she nestled against him. “I had no idea men’s clothing were so comfortable. You have kept quite a secret from us ladies, but it is out now.
“It does rather suit you,” said Darcy, fingering the neck of her shirt. He smiled down at her. “And I shall not be averse to seeing you wear my shirts in other situations in the very near future.”
Elizabeth blushed, and he kissed her again. He released her and glanced behind her into the drawing room where Richard and Lady Catherine were still in deep conversation. Elizabeth turned to follow his gaze, and when she looked back at Darcy, he had knelt in front of her. He held her hand in his.
“I did not give you a very heartfelt proposal the first time around, did I?” he asked. “Even if I had succeeded with my first planned proposal, I do not think I would have done a very splendid task of it.”
Tears sprang to Elizabeth’s eyes even as she laughed.
“I am sure you would have insulted me greatly, and I would have returned your insults with enthusiasm.”
“I am sure you are right…”
“I always am…”
“Miss Bennet, are you going to be quiet and allow me to say what I wish to say?” Darcy asked with mock sternness.
“Forgive me, sir. Do go ahead. What can you possibly have to say to me?” Elizabeth gave him such a look of wide-eyed innocence that Darcy struggled to keep his countenance.
“Miss Bennet. Elizabeth. Love of my life and my dearest friend. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
“Well, I do not know. I would have to think about…” Elizabeth broke off with a shriek of laughter as Darcy rose to his feet at once and caught her in his arms. Fortunately, his aunt was too distracted to notice the display they made. “Yes, I will marry you. Gladly.”
Darcy drew her away from the door where he could embrace her properly. Both were slightly breathless when they moved apart.
“I am sure you never thought you would propose to a stableboy before,” said Elizabeth as her heart rate gradually returned to normal; hard for it to do when Darcy still held her.
“There are lots of things I never thought I would do before,” said Darcy. He smiled. “And all of them make me happier than I ever thought possible.”
Chapter 37
Elizabeth, Darcy and Richard stopped in London on their return to Hertfordshire to spend the night at Darcy House. Georgiana was astonished but overjoyed to see Elizabeth and her brother.
“I had not thought to see you until I came to Hertfordshire for the wedding. How do you come to be here?”
“It is a long story, Georgie. I will tell you about it as soon as some tea has been brought to us.”
Georgiana nodded eagerly and hurried away to call for refreshments. Anne de Bourgh came downstairs to see what the commotion was about. She gave a little cry when she saw Richard. She rushed down the rest of the stairs and hurled herself into his arms.
“Thank god,” she cried. “You have no idea how little I have slept since you went away. I was so worried about you… why, Miss Bennet. Forgive me. I did not see you there. Ah… is that one of my gowns?”
Elizabeth spread her arms and looked down. Lady Catherine had provided her with an old gown of Anne’s. It had probably been the height of fashion at one time, at whatever distant stage in the past when sickly green had been desirable. It was dowdier and more severe than an old matron’s court dress, and so over trimmed Elizabeth felt like a Bartholomew baby in it.
“It is. Your mother was kind enough to lend it to me. I did not have a gown of my own…” Her voice trailed away as Anne and Georgiana, who had just returned, stared at her eagerly. “Perhaps we might need to explain that as well,” she suggested to Darcy.
“I am glad you can make use of it,” said Anne. She looked it up and down and shuddered. “But please do not feel the need to return it. I always hated those dresses. They made me feel like some hideous hybrid between a little girl, and an ageing woman who did not realise her youth had passed. I will not be wearing it again.”
Elizabeth agreed with Anne’s assessment of the gown. Darcy promised to buy her new clothes in London even as he struggled to hold his countenance when she first appeared in it.
Anne’s style had changed since she came to stay at Darcy House. She wore a flowing gown in a becoming shade of periwinkle blue, and it suited her newly bright eyes and flushed cheeks. She had filled out since she arrived in London and was blooming with life, especially as she looked at Richard. Elizabeth wondered how Lady Catherine would take the change in her daughter.
The tea arrived. As they waited for it to be poured, Georgiana tentatively expressed her astonishment at some recent news she had heard; that Miss Bingley was to marry none other than George Wickham. She had confided in Anne about her near elopement, and the rest of the party watched her in concern as she mentioned it.
“I never thought I should say this,” she said. “But poor Miss Bingley. To think, that might have been my fate. I cannot imagine anything more dreadful.”
“I am not sure who I feel sorrier for,” said Darcy with a look at Elizabeth. “They are a good match for one another. They will outdo one another in trying to make the other miserable. Or perhaps they might surprise us all by falling in love with their perfect match?”
“I heard Miss Bingley was meeting him in secret and they were caught together,” said Anne, her eyes wide with the scandal of it all. “From what Georgiana has told me about her, I find it hard to imagine her doing such a thing.”
Darcy frowned. “Who told you of how they came together?”
“I met with Mrs Metcalfe at the Lewis’s tea party last week. She was eager to discover what I knew. She was also most curious about you and Miss Bennet. She told me she loved nothing more than hearing romantic stories of how couples fall in love and decide to marry.”
“I look forward to asking her all about her own story when I next see her,” said Elizabeth. She threw an arch look at her future husband. “I look forward to asking a certain other person about it as well.”
Darcy cleared his throat, and Richard burst out laughing.
“Ah yes, that unfortunate… ah! Perhaps we will talk about that another time.”
Eliz
abeth gave an exasperated sigh which turned into a smile when Darcy winked at her. It was yet another reason for her too long for her wedding day.
“Well, we have spoken about the most dreadful people we know long enough,” said Georgiana. “Now, tell us everything that happened to you in Kent.”
Darcy, Richard and Elizabeth took it in turns to tell their part of the story while Anne and Georgiana looked on in amazement.
“Oh, Elizabeth, how terrified you must have been,” Georgiana gasped. “I do not know how you could have been so brave.”
“I do not know if it was bravery, as I had little choice in the situation,” said Elizabeth. “I had to get away from him and then I had to get him to open the door for Darcy and Richard. It was as simple as that.”
“Oh, Georgiana does not mean that,” said Anne with a wave of her hand. “She refers to you appearing in public without a corset.”
Elizabeth burst out laughing at Anne’s new display of humour, and after a moment, Georgiana joined in. Richard gazed at his bride proudly while Darcy shook his head, trying not to smile.
“I hope I am here to witness your reunion with your mother, Anne. She will not recognise you.”
“My reunion?” Anne looked at Darcy sharply, all laughter gone.
“She wishes to see you, my love,” said Richard. He took Anne’s hand. “She says she is sorry for the way she has treated you. I think she has been very lonely since she left and she misses you dreadfully.”
“I do not doubt that,” said Anne. “It is the first time in her life she has been alone with no one to direct and control. That does not mean she missed me for the right reasons.”
“I think she does,” said Elizabeth. “Forgive me, I hope you do not find me intrusive. But I think the shock of losing you and seeing you thrive without her has made her think deeply on many things. Sometimes, we realise how wrong we have been, and we do all we can to change it.”
Trapped at Rosings Page 24