Deception

by Ola Wegner

  “No!” she cried, struggling again, trying to somehow dislodge him from her, and eventually biting hard on his hand, when he tried to cup her face.

  Brooke hissed, cursed crudely, and catching her hands together, pinned them easily over her head with just his one hand. “I told you to be nice,” he murmured, reaching with his other hand to her chest, opening her spencer and kneading her small breast roughly through the thin material of her cotton dress.

  “I hate you!” she spat out with vengeance.

  He only laughed. “Really?” His hand abandoned her breasts and moved down her body. “And what will you say now?” He kept smiling cruelly when he gathered the folds of her dress, lifting it high over legs, bundling it around her waist.

  Terrified, Elizabeth glanced down to see his hand reaching under the hem of her chemise, his heavy hand resting on the side of her hip.

  “How do you like this, Miss Bennet?” he asked crudely, his hand moving lower to the right, just below her navel.

  “Please stop,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “I beg you…” she trembled in fear and disgust. “Please, let me go.”

  His hand kept resting lightly on her most intimate parts, and he seemed to be regarding her carefully. At last he sighed and slowly let her go, climbing away from her, straightening his clothes. “You are right,” he said, when she began hastily covering herself, her cheeks burning, her eyes still wide in terror, hands trembling.

  “You deserve at least a bed for this,” he continued, observing as she curled in the far end of the carriage. “Perhaps you do not want to believe it, but it is not my intention to hurt you unnecessarily.”

  Elizabeth did not speak again and only turned herself with her back to him. She was so shaken and out of control that she could not stop herself from crying, violent sobs shaking her body regularly.

  “Stop it.” She heard an irritated raised voice, when an especially loud sob escaped her. “I do not want to hear any crying here.”

  Elizabeth kept herself to her corner, not daring to breathe, hoping not to raise his anger again. She was in utter despair. She knew that if she could not manage to escape before they reached his townhouse, there would be no hope for her. She was not even aware how much time had gone by, when she saw them passing through the village, and spied the inn where she knew they should change horses. As they had moved at a fast pace, the horses needed to be replaced soon.

  He seemed to read her thoughts as he spoke. “Another carriage waits us just outside the village. I thought there was no need to waste time at the inn, when I have several carriages at my disposal. Besides, you can understand that I was afraid you would try to gather some attention were we to stop to change the horses at the inn.” He glared her. “And it is seems that I was entirely right.”

  “I would have behaved,” she said as calmly as she was able to in her state, glancing up at him.

  Brooke raised his brow doubtfully. “Oh, really? Just a little while ago you gave enough proof that you would not cooperate.”

  She closed her eyes. “I would do anything to prevent you from…” she said as she trembled, “being so rough with me.”

  Her words must have kindled something within him, because he moved to her, turning her gently to him. She let him cradle her, allowing her head to rest on his chest. “I do not wish you to be afraid of me.” He rubbed her back and kissed her hair. “What happened here shall not be repeated so long as you are good to me. I want to treat you as the gentlewoman you are, but you have to behave. I know you are surprised with all this, but all will be well. You will lack nothing as my wife; I promise you. Do you hear me? You will be a real lady as my wife, and we will raise our sons as gentlemen and daughters as true gentlewomen. I will even set aside a considerable sum for the dowries for your yet unmarried sisters, and I will make sure your mother is well cared for after your father’s death.” He tilted her face. “But you must be good to me,” he murmured, stroking her face. “Do you understand?”

  She nodded in response and let him lean closer, trying very hard not to flinch when he kissed her this time very gently.

  The carriage came to a halt, breaking their kiss. Brooke smiled at her, and looked out the window. “Come.” He gestured to her, opening the door. “Another carriage is already waiting.”

  The moment he turned to look at her, he saw the door on the other side of the box was wide open, and her white dress was quickly disappearing among the trees in the forest on the other side of the road.

  ***

  Elizabeth ran the fastest she could, not caring that the branches were hitting at her face and hands, scratching at her delicate skin. She did not dare to turn back even once and kept running, with each passing moment feeling more and more secure that he would not reach her. The wind was blowing in her ears, and she did not even register the heavy footsteps just behind her and a male voice calling her name.

  Suddenly the air was knocked out of her, when a strong arm wrapped around her middle, stopping her effectively in place. She screamed and started fighting wildly against the man’s firm hold on her. He let her go immediately. Without looking back at him, she leaped forward, but somehow tripped over a protruding root, and fell flat on the ground.

  The next moment, she felt him next to her, touching her. “No, do not touch me, leave me alone!” she cried, battling at his hands resting on her. “I will kill myself if you touch me! Do you hear me?! I swear I will kill myself!”

  “Elizabeth, calm down.” She heard the familiar deep voice. Strong hands were lifting her up, and she was gently cradled to his muscular, male chest, His familiar clean spicy scent overpowering her, his deep, warm voice murmuring gently. “It is me. You are safe.”

  She lifted her eyes, blinking her tears away. Suddenly, she was clinging to the man beside her. “It is you,” she choked. “I knew you would come for me. He said that you would not, but I knew you would.”

  “Of course I would. Always,” Darcy whispered, cradling her to him, soothing her. “All is well, my love, all is well. You are safe.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You are well?” Darcy enquired, pushing her gently away from him to regard her carefully. His hands touched her face gently and moved down her body. His lips pressed tightly, his countenance darkened when he noticed the red marks on the delicate skin of her shoulders and neck, accompanied by even more visible ones on her wrists.

  “Did he hurt you?” he asked very quietly.

  Elizabeth flushed bright red, new tears brimming her eyes. “He tried but…,” she swallowed. “He…,” she shivered visibly, “… touched and manhandled me a bit, but I was spared…,” She did not finish because she started crying again.

  Darcy cursed roughly under his breath and wrapped her tightly into his arms.

  When she gradually calmed into his comforting embrace, and her crying ceased, he cupped her face to have her look at him. He spoke softly, “We cannot stay here forever, Elizabeth. We must go back to the road.”

  Instantly her face went ghostly pale, eyes wide in terror, and she shook her head. “I will not return there.”

  Darcy put calming hands on her shoulders. “You do not have to be afraid. Colonel Fitzwilliam came with me. That scumbag will not dare to harm you again. He cannot be so stupid as to attack an armed soldier. Besides from what I have noticed, he, himself, is unarmed. Clearly, he was not expecting anybody to stop him.”

  Elizabeth was still reluctant, her expression scared and unsure, but Darcy brought her decidedly to his side, wrapped his arm around her back, and started walking. “We must get you to Hunsford as soon as can be. I want the doctor to see you. I do not like those scratches and bruises on your skin.”

  “I do not need a doctor,” Elizabeth said, walking obediently, snuggled close to him the entire time. “How did you manage to find me so soon?” She wanted to know, lifting her eyes at him.

  “It was Georgiana who alerted me,” Darcy stated as he kept walking, clearing their path when necessary.
“Thankfully, she witnessed how he abducted you, and she ran to me, telling me everything. In ten minutes, the two best horses in my aunt’s stables were ready. Colonel Fitzwilliam suggested that Brooke probably would wish to take you to London, thinking that he was safe in his plan, and that your absence would not be noticed till late afternoon. Our hope was that he would change horses in Bromley. You must imagine how worried I was when it turned out that he had not. I started thinking that perhaps our suspicion about London was incorrect and that he took you somewhere else, probably to some secluded estate in the country. Thankfully my cousin insisted that we should ride further along the road to London, and he was right, as we came upon his carriage just outside the village. When his carriage came to a halt, I saw you running out of it into the forest. Fitzwilliam took care of Brooke, while I ran after you. I was afraid you would get lost somewhere.”

  Darcy finished his tale, just as they were close enough to see the road through the trees. Elizabeth attached herself more firmly to Darcy’s arm, stepping closer while trying to remain a step behind him.

  Brooke and Colonel Fitzwilliam stood in front of the carriage, the second man keeping a sword in one hand and the pistol in the other directed at his companion.

  When Elizabeth and Darcy came out of the trees, Brooke gestured towards the lady, calling her in a commanding voice. “Elizabeth, come here.”

  Instantly she hid herself behind Darcy, her hands clasping at his coat. Darcy turned around to face her and leaned to whisper something into her ear, calming her.

  The next moment, he turned swiftly, and without any kind of warning, he threw his fist straight into Brooke’s nose. “This is for scaring her.” Another strong blow was directed into the older man’s stomach. “And this for manhandling her.”

  “You will never again come anywhere near her,” Darcy continued calmly, while Brooke was kneeling, half bent on the ground. “And you will pay for this, do not doubt it,” he informed him. “Perhaps you are not aware of the customs among higher classes, but kidnapping a gentleman’s daughter against her will, taking her without the consent of her father and family is not something commonly accepted.”

  “I am in my rights,” Brooke stammered, rising slowly to his feet. “She is mine, promised to me.”

  “She is not yours and never has been,” Darcy replied in the same tone. “Mr. Bennet has never given his consent. Elizabeth has agreed to be my wife. If you were the gentleman you pretend to be, you would respect her wishes.”

  “That is unusual, that you still want her now, after I had her,” Brooke said menacingly, narrowing her eyes at the younger man.

  “That is not true!” Elizabeth cried in a high pitched voice from behind Darcy’s back.

  “Shut your mouth, you little…” Brooke started speaking, moving behind Darcy’s back to reach for her, but he did not finish, because one more time, his face came into close contact with Darcy’s fist.

  Brooke swayed under the blow, but he did not fall to the ground this time.

  “Elizabeth, I give you one last chance to come with me,” he muttered after a moment, wiping the blood from his mouth.

  “Miss Bennet is not going anywhere with you,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said calmly and firmly.

  “Is she not? Really?” Brooke laughed unpleasantly. “I see. In this case, Mr. Darcy, I do not feel obliged to keep the secret of your little sister’s near elopement last summer.”

  There was a moment of silence, and both Darcy and the colonel looked simultaneously at each other.

  “Surprised?” Brooke enquired with obvious satisfaction. “Back in Hertfordshire I became, let us say, well acquainted with Mr. Wickham. He turned out to be very talkative.” He smiled, adding, “With the right incentive, of course.”

  Darcy did not manage to respond to this, because the blade of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s sword came just beneath Brooke’s throat.

  “You must be completely out of your mind,” he said evenly, “to fabricate such nonsense about the granddaughter of an earl without any evidence whatsoever, but the word of some servant’s son. In your place, I would not even try to spread such gossip. Besides, who do you think Society will believe? Darcy, the respected landowner from one of the oldest families in the country, who has his entire, well connected and respected family behind him, or a Mr. Wickham, the steward’s son, who has probably just enough debts to be jailed for them even now? You really believe that spreading such lies would help you to get a place in upper circles of society, to which you clearly aspire?” Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head. “I do not think so.”

  Elizabeth peeked at Brooke from behind Darcy, crying fiercely “You are a despicable liar! You are lying now about Miss Darcy! Just the same as when you told me that falsehood about Mr. Darcy, his mistresses and out of wedlock children.”

  Darcy stared at her in shock. “What?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “At Netherfield Ball, he advised me that I should keep my distance from you, saying that you kept a mistress in town and that you had seduced some young girl whose father is in trade, and who had later given birth to your child, but you refused to marry her.”

  “He is more pathetic that I thought,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said to Elizabeth and Darcy as if Brooke was not even there. “He cannot even get himself a woman without fabricating some utter nonsense about his competition.”

  “True,” Darcy said, imitating his cousin’s haughty and superior tone. “I should probably call him out for this, but he is not worth the blade of my sword.”

  “You are perfectly right, Cousin,” Colonel Fitzwilliam agreed calmly, still ignoring Brooke’s presence. “God knows who his parents were. Perhaps some fishmongers in London?” He twisted his lips in distaste. “That would be a dishonour, both for our family and Miss Bennet as well.” He bowed elegantly towards Elizabeth, “to even call him out.”

  Brooke looked furious, red in the face. “Elizabeth, this is your last chance,” he threatened. “Come with me now, and I promise you that there will be no scandal. If you choose to stay with him, the whole of Hertfordshire will know tomorrow about your scandalous behaviour with Mr. Darcy, here in Kent. I will tell everyone that you paid very special attention to him while still pretending to be my betrothed. You will be ruined. You and all your sisters. ”

  Elizabeth stepped bravely in front of Darcy. “I prefer to ruin my reputation than go anywhere with you.” She lifted her chin up. “I am not afraid of you.”

  “Really?” Brooke eyed her menacingly. “You were not that sure of yourself when I had my hands under your skirts back in the carriage!” he spat out angrily.

  Darcy pushed Elizabeth gently aside to have a free way to hit Brooke again several times, this time effectively dropping him to the ground.

  Elizabeth stared in shock at her former captor, lying now bleeding on the ground.

  “Come, Elizabeth.” Darcy blocked the unpleasant view with his chest. “I am sorry you had to witness this.”

  She nodded, her eyes still wide, but she let herself be gathered to Darcy’s side, as they walked to the horses waiting down the road.

  “Should we let him to go?” Darcy asked his cousin when they reached their mounts, observing Brooke’s servant helping to lift him off the ground and climb into the carriage.

  “We have little choice now, especially with Miss Bennet here with us. I think we should try to avoid any more unnecessary attention. She will soon be a member of our family.” The colonel smiled at Elizabeth, who still stood close by Darcy’s side. “And for her own good, we must avoid any more scandal. However, we should think how to make him pay for this,” he added seriously.

  Darcy looked into his cousin’s eyes, agreeing silently before looking down at Elizabeth. “Shall we go?” he smiled, directing her to one of the horses.

  She managed a pale smile. “Yes. But…” she looked apprehensively at the black stallion to which Darcy led her to. “I am afraid I do not ride very well.”

  “You will ride with me.” Darcy smiled
warmly, and before she knew it, his hands were on her slim waist as she was effortlessly lifted onto the horse’s back. A moment later, Darcy was in the saddle behind her, one of his hands wrapped securely around her middle while his other hand held the horse’s reins.

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she glanced down. “It is a very big horse.”

  Darcy chuckled, bringing her closer to himself. “We will go slowly,” he promised, turning the horse.

  “Thank you for coming for me.” Elizabeth said softy, burying herself more comfortably into his chest.

  Darcy’s embrace around her only tightened, and he bent his head to place a kiss on the side of her neck, whispering. “Always at your service.”

  The tender moment was interrupted by the colonel, who stopped his horse, waiting for them to catch up with him.

  “I think we should not go through Bromley,” he said, “A lot of people stop there. Someone may recognize us, and it is not necessary.”

  “I agree,” Darcy nodded. “We will take the longer way.” Darcy leaned to Elizabeth. “Will it not be too tiring for you?” he enquired warmly.

  “Not at all.” She smiled and settled herself more comfortably against him. “There is only one matter which bothers me.” she said seriously.

  Both men stared at her with concern, while she turned to Darcy, looking up at him and saying with a smile. “I still do not know your first name.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed shortly, regarding Elizabeth for a moment with obvious fondness in his blue eyes, before he kicked his horse’s side, riding forward to give the couple some privacy.

  ***

  When they returned to the parsonage, it was already very late afternoon, nearly evening. Darcy, himself, carried his precious burden upstairs to her room. Elizabeth was grateful for that, as her bottom and lower back hurt from the activity to which she was unused.

  At first Darcy strongly insisted that the doctor should be called. However, when Elizabeth protested, and Mrs. Collins supported her, saying that she was perfectly able to take care of a few scratches, as she had many times helped her mother to cure such cuts when her brothers had still been boys, he reluctantly conceded.