by J Dawn King
By the time she’d walked another quarter of a mile, she was equal parts sweaty from the exertion and cold from the outside air. Her feet hurt even worse, and she was hungry and thirsty. Stopping in the middle of the road, she listened to see if anyone had discovered her missing yet. Kitty slept like the dead and hated to wake early, so unless someone else looked into their room, she would have a few hours to make it to town.
The forest was no longer silent. A breeze moved the tree branches against each other, making a whispering sound, though Lydia had no clue the cause of the noise was so innocent. A herd of elk crossed the road in front of her and, while she marveled at their majesty, she didn’t particularly like the size of the horns on the last one to cross. Fortunately, the animal paid her no attention at all.
While she stood there, she heard a grunting right before a crashing sound came from the woods beside her. Imagining all sorts of man-eating critters she’d never find on the streets of Baltimore motivated her to set aside the pain in her feet and run as fast as her legs could carry her.
It was when she came to the crossroad to the Bingley property that she finally paused, dropping the carpetbag and bending to grab her knees and catch her breath.
“Well, hello there.”
“Who’s there?” She straightened immediately, fear filling her chest and making her voice sound weak.
“Do not fear. I’m a friend of Darcy’s.”
One of the handsomest men she had ever set eyes on stepped away from the trees bordering the road to Netherfield Ranch. His smile of appreciation was a welcome sight to her.
“I am pleased to meet you. My name is Lydia Bennet and I am traveling to Oregon City. By chance, are you headed that direction as well?”
The gentleman doffed his hat and moved to within only a few feet of her. Upon closer inspection, he was even more handsome.
“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly where I’m headed.” The man’s voice was smooth as glass. “My horse went lame not too far back so, like you, I decided the easier choice was to go to town where I could get another mount rather than bother Bingley for aid.”
“You poor man.” Lydia handed over her bag, certain he was on the brink of offering for it. “I am pleased to have your escort.” She wrapped her hand around his bent elbow. “You don’t happen to be married already, do you?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m unattached.”
“Then it is my pleasure to meet you, Mr…”
“Wickham, ma’am. George Wickham.”
“You are enjoying having all of your sisters here.” Darcy’s deep voice rumbled in his chest. With the side of her face pressed into his shoulder, she could feel him speak.
“I am.” Within minutes of Bingley and Caroline leaving the prior afternoon, the bickering had started between Kitty and Lydia over some trivial matter. Mary unwisely entered the fray in a fruitless attempt to calm them. Jane had pressed her fingers to her temples and retreated to her room upstairs, while Georgiana’s head bobbed between the two combatants in puzzlement.
Elizabeth should have been frustrated with the sheer volume of female voices, yet she had rejoiced instead. Years of memories poured into her mind as she found solace in what had been normal for so long.
Nonetheless, the sound was not normal for the Darcys. Soon, Georgiana had sought refuge in her room while Will left the house for a task only he knew needed done at that particular second in time.
Elizabeth slid her foot up his calf, scratching an itch on the bottom of her foot with his hair-covered skin, grateful she didn’t have to bend like a contortionist to use her fingers to find the exact spot on her sole. Satisfied, she stretched her toes as far as possible to the end of the bed and arched her back as she groaned at the thought of getting out of their warm cocoon to begin their day. People needed to be fed.
“Elizabeth Darcy! You are worse than a housecat rubbing against a post.” Darcy chuckled softly in her ear.
“Who knew having a husband in my bed would be so convenient? Had I known, I would have married you the night we arrived instead of waiting until the next morning.”
He snorted. “I do believe, my dear, that you would not have had me should I have made that suggestion.” Wrapping a long strand of her hair between his fingers, he tugged gently. “Actually, I’m still surprised you married me the next morning after the start we had.”
She heard the disappointment in his voice and knew it was regret at his own behavior. She had let go of her anger months ago. He needed to do the same.
“I’m happy I became a mail-order bride. Very happy.” She sighed into his neck. “There are so many risks to both the man and the woman in attaching oneself permanently to a stranger. I knew nothing about you except how you helped Charles establish himself on his property and that he considered you a friend. However, when I realized on that first night that you authored those four beautiful letters, I felt a glimmer of hope that we just might do well together—eventually.”
Stroking his fingers down her jaw, he whispered, “Elizabeth, you outshine every woman I know, and I’m proud you are my wife. I have no regrets.”
She giggled as she snuggled closer, and he wrapped his arms tight around her torso. “Can I quote you on that the next time you wish the letter you mailed asking me to be your bride had gotten lost between here and Baltimore?”
He kissed the smile on her face. Elizabeth kissed him back. Breakfast could wait.
Mary and Georgiana set the table while Maggie and Elizabeth cooked the meal. Jane was indisposed. From past experience, Elizabeth knew her two youngest sisters liked to sleep in and she allowed it this morning, relishing the peace their absence brought to the kitchen.
Over an hour later, Kitty descended the stairs complaining about her youngest sister at the same time a rider was heard. Pounding hoof beats approaching the house was never a good sign. Wiping her hands on a towel, both Elizabeth and Maggie went to the door, Mary and Georgiana following close behind. Kitty brought up the rear.
Darcy and the men evidently had heard and were hurrying to the front porch.
“Hello, Jim, what’s your hurry?” Darcy came right to the point.
“I’ve a message from Mr. Bingley.” Jim Thornton, though nondescript in looks, was a constant and steady young man. Elizabeth had noticed him working at the docks when they had arrived in Oregon City. His skill in handling the heavy ropes in tying up the craft quickly had caught her attention. She was amazed at how rapidly he could wrap the heavy line around the pilings at the pier. Mr. Thornton looked about Bingley’s age and most likely he was single.
“Are he and Miss Bingley well?” Darcy asked, though anxiety filled her. Only an emergency would have caused Charles to send someone so far away from town.
“They are. Have no worries there.” Jim dismounted and draped the reins over the hitching post, stepping in front of Darcy. “They arrived at the station this morning to an unexpected surprise.”
“Yes?” Darcy briskly inquired.
Elizabeth could hear the frustration in her husband’s voice.
“His wife’s youngest sister was at the station waiting to board.”
“What?” a chorus of voices asked at the same time.
“Lydia?” Elizabeth turned to Kitty.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you.” Kitty whined. “When I got up, I stepped on my purse which had somehow moved from the drawer at the top of the bureau to the floor at the end of the bed. I opened it and found all my money gone. When I checked the closet to see what else was missing, Lydia’s carpetbag was gone along with my favorite green dress. You know, the one with the lace around the collar and the cuffs? I can’t believe she would steal my best clothes. When I see her I’ll...”
“She’s gone?” Elizabeth was incredulous. She leaned against the post on the front porch next to where Kitty had moved, bereft at how this could be. “Of all the foolish things to do.”
“Not only that,” Jim continued. “Mr. Bingley wanted you to know
that she got married as soon as she got into Oregon City.”
“Married!” “Who?” “How?”
“That no-good George Wickham is who,” Jim almost spat out the words. “I don’t know anything else other than Miss Bingley was apparently not willing to travel with the new Mr. and Mrs. Wickham on the stagecoach. Therefore, the Bingleys were headed to the docks. That’s when he asked me to ride to you as fast as possible so you would know where the young miss was. He thought it would ease your worry. They will have gone by the time you could ride back to town, Mr. Darcy.”
“Oh, good grief!” Elizabeth was appalled at her sister’s actions.
“What a mess.” Maggie uttered from behind her.
“Are you single?”
Elizabeth swiveled her head to look at Kitty. What an unbelievable question under the circumstances! Kitty had a small smile on her face that Elizabeth knew she had practiced for hours in front of the mirror over the fireplace in Baltimore. Both of her youngest sisters had done so in hopes of portraying a simpering miss with a hint of flirtation. They assumed they were made more attractive because of the expression. Elizabeth had thought they looked silly.
Kitty may have been looking at Jim Thornton, but it was Mary he had his eyes focused on when he answered. “I am.”
Darcy threw his hands up in the air and growled. “Of all the stupid, idiotic, hair-brained schemes. Running off in the middle of the night and attaching herself to the lowest scum on the planet.” He turned to look at Mary, Kitty, and Georgiana. “That’s it! From now on, you will all stay in the house and you will remain there until you are thirty. Am I clear?”
Their day had started so well. Elizabeth wanted to crawl into a hole and drag her youngest sister with her. She was deeply ashamed, though not surprised. Her parents’ lack of involvement in the lives of their children was legendary, and now she and Will would have to tend to the results of their indifferent parenting. Elizabeth felt like she had taken a blow to her gut and was just starting to recover her breath.
“Come into the house, Mr. Thornton, and I’ll provide you something to eat. There’s no need to punish the messenger by sending you back to Oregon City hungry. We appreciate your taking the time to let us know Lydia’s fate.” Elizabeth opened the screen door and let Maggie step in ahead of her.
As he followed her into the dining room, the girls turned to walk behind him. Darcy cleared his throat and the young females froze in place. “Thirty, I said.”
Charles Bingley had arrived at the hotel the evening before with Caroline too late to catch the stagecoach. His mind still reverberated from almost three hours of listening to his sister’s constant ranting about her situation. She was unappreciated. She was not born to cook. The roads were too muddy. The wagon moved too slowly. She despised the Bennets—each and every one of them. She hated the rain. He could not wait to get her delivered to his brother-in-law and sister in Portland, then return to his peaceful, contented wife.
Rising early, he had roused Caroline to be downstairs and fed within the hour. His plan was to deliver her to the Hursts and hurry back to Jane. His relief at having his wife stay with the Darcys until his return was the only thing allowing him to leave her.
“Lydia Bennet! What in the world are you doing here?” He was incredulous. Bingley looked back up the hill, trying to figure out how a child—for that is what she was—could possibly be in two places at the same time.
She stood outside the station with her carpetbag on the ground next to her. For the millionth time since he’d met her in Baltimore, the look of stubborn rebellion flashed from her eyes.
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here? You left yesterday for Portland. Why aren’t you there?”
Bingley’s mouth hung open at her effrontery. His sister had no such loss of speech.
“Why if it isn’t little Lydia Bennet. Did you run away from home like a bad girl?” Caroline gloated in her own superiority. “What will your brother-in-law say when he finds you? Oh, you will be in so much trouble!”
“You know nothing, Caroline,” Lydia snorted. “I am no longer Miss Bennet. As a married woman, I am able to come and go as I please.”
“What?” Bingley was finally able to recover his speech. “Married?”
“Yes, I married the most handsome man in Oregon only a few minutes ago. He has gone to purchase our tickets to Portland.” Lydia’s chin lifted as her face filled with pride.
“If you are married, Lydia Bennet, where is your ring?” Caroline smirked, assuming the younger girl was lying—something she had caught her doing several times on their travels west.
Lydia held up her left hand, her palm to them. From the look in her eye, she was picturing just how the ring of her dreams would look.
“My dear George said there was not a diamond large enough to be found in Oregon City. We will wait until we arrive in Portland to purchase the perfect jewels for my finger.”
Just then, a man came from the station.
“Wickham!” Bingley’s horror at the realization of who his newest brother-in-law was could not be contained. “How is this possible?”
“Hello, Brother.” George Wickham oozed confidence. “I met my bride coming into town this morning and it was love at first sight. Why, I do believe our marriage was quite similar to Darcy’s and your own.”
“That’s Mr. Bingley to you,” Caroline interrupted.
Charles sputtered. Brother-in-law! He was becoming angrier by the minute. “Darcy said you fled the area before the fire at my place could be put out.”
“Well, that just goes to show you that Will Darcy doesn’t know everything, doesn’t it? I’d already left Netherfield before the fire started.”
“That wasn’t what I heard.”
“Well, Bingley. Whoever told you has their facts wrong.” Wickham’s arrogance was equally matched by his young bride.
“Say, Charles,” Lydia simpered, in what she had to assume was an attractive purr. “We are a bit short in the pocket with the cost of the wedding and all. Might you be able to advance us a sum until we get settled in Portland?”
“Of all the unbelievable things to do, Lydia Bennet. Begging for money before you’ve been married an hour. I do believe that’s some sort of a record, even for you,” Caroline sneered.
“You are jealous because I married before you, you old hag.” Lydia showed her maturity by sticking out her tongue. “I’m Mrs. Wickham!”
“So you say.” Caroline mirrored her actions, and Bingley wanted done with this ugly business.
Bingley knew he shouldn’t accede to their request, but he saw no other option for keeping peace. Walking past the couple, he went to the counter and purchased the tickets. The horses were already harnessed. The stagecoach was soon to be on its way.
“Here they are.” He handed them to the couple. Without a ‘thank you’ they took their place in line to board the passenger area. Neither of them looked back.
“Oh, Charles. To be attached to such a family.” Caroline shook her head wearily. For the first time since his marriage, Bingley felt exactly the same way.
Kissing his wife goodbye, Darcy left her and the womenfolk to the care of his foreman. Elizabeth had packed his saddlebags with clean changes of clothing and a few snacks to see him on his way. There was no hurry, as he would have to wait until the next day to catch the stage himself. Both the boat and stagecoach were already gone by the time he made it to Oregon City.
Taking a room at the hotel, he walked across the road to the Justice of the Peace.
“Were you aware the new Mrs. Wickham was barely sixteen?” Even though, in reality, there was nothing that could be done, Darcy needed answers. He had three more girls in his household who longed to be married. Well, maybe only two. He wasn’t sure about Georgiana. Darcy couldn’t recall ever seeing her as livid as she was when she figured out she was now related by marriage to Wickham.
“No, I was given a date of birth where she was eighteen.” The older man rubbed
his chin whiskers as he looked over his records.
“Can the marriage be dissolved if the information was false?”
The older man looked directly at him with piercing blue eyes.
“Would you really want to see that happen? It was clear to me that the little lady was far more determined to become a bride than the gentleman was to be a groom, if you take my meaning. But he was eager for one thing, so I doubt that, by the time you find them, she will not have consequences to consider.”
Darcy was sick at the thought. George Wickham intimately touching any woman of his acquaintance was deplorable. “Was there anything else out of the usual?”
The man rubbed his chin some more.
“Now that you mention it—when it came time to pay the fee, I saw her slip him the funds from her purse. He turned back to me and paid like it was his money he was using. I felt sorry for the lady as I’m sure she’s going to have a hard time of it once the money runs out.”
Darcy stood and shook his hand.
“I thank you, sir, for the information and hold no resentment against you for performing the wedding. I understand how those two fools could hoodwink an honorable man.”
He went back to his room and stood at the window, watching the activity below. Jim Thornton was leaving the dock, walking back into town. Darcy was unsurprised at the knock on his door a few short minutes later.
“Mr. Darcy, sir.”
“Yes, Jim.” He invited him into the room.
Thornton cleared his throat several times before he started to speak.
“I have a steady job and have had it since I left school. My place in town is my own. There’s a small yard and room in the back for a garden. I owe no one. I’m a good Christian, and I would never mistreat a woman or child. I wouldn’t even kick a mad dog, sir.”
Darcy heard his intent with every word.
“Miss Mary?” he asked, in an effort to put the other man at ease, then wondered why he was making it easier for someone else.