by Greer Boyd
“So, she had been here in Lambton just waiting for us to come into town,” growled Darcy, glaring again toward Mrs. Younge. When he turned back to Mr. Proctor, venom laced his voice, “She is a longtime associate of George Wickham.”
“Well, she had better hope that the child pulls through, or it will be the rope for her for sure. As it is, transportation is certain,” the magistrate shook his head sadly. “I am going to escort her over to the jail along with these fine gentlemen and will be back to talk to the doctor shortly.”
Shaking the hand of the young man now standing beside Darcy, he spoke sincerely, “Lord Greenwood, thank you for your help. I will be in touch with you should I have further questions. You will be at Pemberley House I presume?”
“I am not sure, but I believe so,” queried Daniel as he turned to Darcy. “Lord Pemberley, I was supposed to join my uncle, Lord Pinewood, and his wife at Pemberley Estate nearly a week ago, but was delayed because of the snow. We were finally able to leave Wooddale Estate by sleigh two days ago, and only arrived here moments before witnessing the attack on your party.”
Darcy now remembered Jacob explaining that Daniel had just come out of mourning for his father with whom he had been extremely close. Jacob had further mentioned that being now the same age as Nathan at six and ten years, young Lord Daniel Benton, Earl of Greenwood, would one day be the master of Wooddale Estate. Since his father’s sudden death a little more than six months ago, the estate was being managed indirectly by Mr. Grove’s brother-in-law and associate Mr. Georges, through Lord Benton’s father’s steward, Mr. Woodman, until the young Earl came of age. His mother, Jacob’s much older sister, had been a very good friend of Aunt Eleanor. As a former patroness of Almack’s, she had been well known to the Fitzwilliam family.
It was Jacob’s hope that being with people his own age, such as Nathan and Annabel, and also being with men of quality, such as Darcy and the men of the his extended family, might help bring him out of his melancholy.
“Lord Benton, please call me Darcy. After your assistance today, I would want nothing less than your company at Pemberley House,” he insisted, now also shaking the young man’s hand vigorously.
“Your Grace . . . Darcy,” countered the young man, “please, call me Daniel.”
Already over six feet tall, Daniel Benton was quite slender. Although not gangly, he had the appearance of someone who had grown too quickly and whose body had not quite yet caught up. Very similar to Darcy in appearance, he could have passed as a younger brother, with his head of dark almost black hair and bright blue eyes. He was very intelligent, well read, and before his father’s death, had possessed a quick wit and pleasing personality. His mother had died when he was about ten, and now with the death of his father, he had gone from being an only child to an orphan.
The young Earl and Darcy conversed for almost half an hour, before the doctor and Nathan joined them, arriving at the sitting room together. When Nathan saw Daniel talking with Darcy, he sighed happily and crossed the room quickly to stand by his side, “Dan, Jacob told me that you were coming. I am so glad to see you. When did you arrive?”
“Unfortunately, I apparently arrived in time to see your sister injured,” Dan replied ruefully. “I am so sorry that I was not quick enough to stop the woman from firing the gun.”
Before the two young men could continue their conversation, Dr. Seal spoke. “Your Grace, the bullet struck the young woman in the left shoulder just under the clavicle and passed completely through her body. It appears that it then struck the stone on the face of the fireplace and ricocheted back to graze her scalp just above her left temple. I imagine that the bullet itself is lodged somewhere in a wall in the common room. She is a very fortunate young woman, as neither injury is as bad it could have been. You will need to be very careful to look for any infection that may develop, and I am sure that Mrs. Reynolds will take exceedingly good care of her at Pemberley House.”
Looking at a stunned Darcy, he continued, “Or so I was told by this young man. Then, both Lady Grove and Lady Georges informed me that they will be taking Miss Gardiner to Pemberley House as soon as appropriate preparations are made and that they wish for me to visit there tomorrow morning if at all possible.”
“Will it be safe for her to be moved?” asked a somewhat stunned Darcy, for once unsure of the proper course of action.
Pulling his arms into his heavy woolen greatcoat, the doctor replied firmly, “Yes, so long as you do not jar her too much. I have bandaged and padded both of the wounds to her shoulder and the wound to her head. They will heal better that way. The bandages will need to be changed frequently for the first several days. She awoke while I was bandaging her; and, over her very strong almost vehement protest, I gave her a dose of laudanum sufficient to keep her asleep until you get her to Pemberley House and probably a bit beyond.”
Nathan hastily added, “Gabby and Lin are wrapping Clarissa in a multitude of blankets filled with heated bricks to keep her warm.”
Darcy grasped the shoulder of the young man at his side, “Daniel, if you can be ready to leave within a quarter hour, please accompany us to Pemberley.”
“We are ready now,” Daniel replied as he pulled his glove over his hand. “We only stopped to refresh and warm ourselves before completing the trip.”
“We?” asked Nathan with a questioning look.
“My valet and I,” replied Daniel looking sadly between his friend and Darcy. “I am the last of a very small family I am afraid.”
At that point, Gabby appeared and explained that Clarissa was ready to be moved. After the cold bricks were replaced in the sleigh, Darcy carried the sleeping young woman down the stairs, and with the others’ help settled her over the laps of Gabby and Lin. He then covered all three of them with additional blankets for the journey home. As the sleighs left the Inn, he sent the outrider ahead to notify Mrs. Reynolds and the Gardiners of their pending arrival and Clarissa’s condition, and to prepare a bedchamber for Daniel and his valet. Darcy was not looking forward to explaining what had happened.
The outrider arrived at Pemberley House a full three quarters of an hour before the two sleighs were seen passing the overlook on the road. A little more than a quarter hour later, as they pulled up to the front steps, Darcy saw Elizabeth stop her pacing and look searchingly out the window. When the sleigh stopped, two footmen immediately swept down the steps and took Clarissa’s bundled body from the laps of Gabby and Lin to carry her up to her bedchamber, promptly followed by Mrs. Reynolds, Aunt Lilly, and Aunt Eleanor. As soon as Gabby and Lin were helped from the sleigh and out of their outer garments, they also headed to Clarissa’s room, stopping only long enough to grasp Elizabeth’s hand and take her with them. The rest of the family waited for Darcy in the large sitting room.
As requested, Pemberley’s butler had Daniel’s belongings and those of his valet comfortably settled in the unoccupied suite of rooms closest to Nathan before he joined his host and the rest of the family. After quick introductions, Darcy stated simply and to the point: “Mrs. Younge tried to kill Clarissa thinking that she was Elizabeth.”
“Oh no,” Georgiana exclaimed, as Piers placed his arm firmly around her, and Mary gasped and crumpled to the floor. Jane might have joined Mary, had Charles not already had a steadying arm at her waist. Annabel, seated beside Nathan on one of the couches, took his hand in hers and held it tightly.
A young maid immediately ran to get smelling the salts and brought it to David, who had gently laid Mary on a small couch. After a couple of passes of the bottle, Mary’s eyes opened, but David held her firmly and refused to let her sit up.
Darcy told the group in detail what had happened, stressing the fact that young Daniel might well have saved Clarissa’s life.
As he told them what the doctor had said about her injuries, they looked a bit more hopeful, but they were still shaken. Uncle Edward approached Daniel and shook his hand, his voice husky with emotion, “Thank you, sir, for saving my daugh
ter’s life.”
The family asked many questions and Darcy answered all that he could. Messrs. Grove, Georges, and Fleming knew that they would be taking a trip to Lambton the following day to make sure that Mrs. Younge would never harm Elizabeth or any member of their families again.
Upstairs in Clarissa’s bedchamber, Gabby quietly told Aunt Lilly, Aunt Eleanor, and Elizabeth all that had happened at the Inn.
“Aunt Lilly,” cried Elizabeth, “I am so very sorry.” She bowed her head as her shoulders began to shake.
Aunt Lilly was caring, but firm. “Elizabeth Mills,” she implored, “I will have none of that. Absolutely none of this is your fault. You cannot continually take responsibility for the deranged actions of others. Clarissa is alive. We will all tend her and be at her bedside until she is completely well. Then, we will celebrate her recovery.”
Aunt Eleanor pressed her toward the door, “Elizabeth, go to Darcy right now. He needs you just as much as you need him.” Linen square in hand, Elizabeth went to each of the women in the room and gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek before heading down the stairs.
When she entered the sitting room, Darcy quickly walked to meet her and promptly took her into an embrace so tight that she could feel a balm of love settling over her and calming her. No one in the sitting room spoke a word, as they all politely diverted their eyes until both were once again themselves (or, perhaps, the selves they were required to appear to be). Slowly extricating herself from Darcy’s embrace, Elizabeth gifted him with a look of love that was almost tangible. The way he looked back at her made her blush.
Darcy cleared his throat and calmed his voice. “Mrs. Elizabeth Mills,” he said, diverting his eyes toward the young man standing close to Nathan, “may I introduce you to the Earl of Greenwood, Lord Daniel Benton.”
“It is indeed a pleasure to meet the young man who so helped to defend my family. We are all deeply grateful for your actions. Please call me Elizabeth,” she said as she curtsied before him and then gave him a heartfelt hug.
Red-faced, he stammered slightly as he replied, “It . . . it was nothing. This is not necessary.”
“Oh, but I . . . we . . . think that it is,” replied Elizabeth, smiling as both Jane and Mary came to hug him and give him their personal thank you.
When Elizabeth first saw the young Earl, she was struck by how much he looked like Darcy and thought to herself that she might be observing how Darcy looked at that age. She liked young Daniel immediately and was sure that he would make a welcome addition to the collection of young people currently residing at Pemberley.
But first and foremost, the care of Clarissa took priority. The next three or four days would be critical, since infection could set in very quickly. Just as it did with Elizabeth, laudanum gave Clarissa terrible nightmares, so she simply refused to take it. Instead Mrs. Reynolds gave her the same tea, brewed to be quite strong, that Mrs. Wyatt had given Elizabeth when she was injured, tea with chamomile, peppermint, and lemon, and sweetened generously with honey and, encouraged lots of sleep.
It began to snow shortly after their party had arrived from Lambton, and it snowed throughout the night, while every female family member took her turn sitting with Clarissa. Sharise, her companion, had refused to leave her side until Elizabeth insisted she, too, needed rest. Sharise complied hesitantly, once Elizabeth told her that she herself would come to fetch her should the necessity arise.
As the snow had continued to fall, the temperature suddenly dropped. David, Richard, and Piers helped Darcy move all of the horses into the expansive main stable warmed by a large fireplace built into the back side of one concrete wall sheltered from the elements, and the blacksmith furnace housed behind the stone wall on the opposite side. The two tiny ponies were temporarily stabled in the conservatory. Darcy was very glad that, shortly after their arrival from London, he had decided to have the cattle and sheep gathered and taken to smaller protected fields, where the snow accumulation would be less and where there were stored supplies of food and a ready access to water.
Nathan came to Clarissa’s room several times a day to check on her. On the morning of the third day, he found that she had developed a high fever, and Mrs. Reynolds discovered signs of infection when she cleaned the wounds to her shoulder. She had been giving Clarissa neem and feverfew, which could help with the fever, but as yet she had not been able to find anything that worked for the infection. As her fever grew higher and the wounds grew angrier in appearance, Nathan began to realize the very real possibility that she might die. He fled to a far corner of the library, where he slumped down in a chair and, holding his head in his hands, started to cry.
Having been looking for him for nearly a half hour, Daniel finally saw him in the corner of the library still with his head in his hands and asked, “Nate is there anything that I can do to help?”
“I truly wish there were. Rissa’s infection is getting worse, and nothing Mrs. Reynolds’ has tried is working,” sobbed Nathan swatting at his tears with the back of his hand.
“Has she tried clay?” responded Daniel quite matter-of-factly.
“CLAY?” Nathan replied incredulously. “How will clay help?”
“Somehow it draws the infection from the wound. You have to use‘good clay’ like the kind used to line the bottom of decorative pools. I am sure there must be some in the conservatory,” Daniel explained. “Bring Mrs. Reynolds, and I will run ahead to try and find it.”
With the help of four footmen, Daniel was finally able to locate an unused portion of the clay, but it was dry as powder since it had not been used for many years. Still, he was sure that by adding small amounts of water at a time it could be made useful again. He had just finished mixing a small quantity until it reached what he thought to be the correct consistence, somewhat like that of pudding, when Nathan arrived, followed closely by Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth, Darcy, and Richard.
“Mrs. Reynolds, I know this sounds absurd,” explained Daniel looking tentatively from her face to the others and back again, “but there is something about the nature of the clay that will draw out infections. I once saw our old stable master, Mr. Smythe, use it to save the life of one of my father’s horses. The horse had rubbed against a wooden fence and broken off a large splinter that had lodged in a muscle under the skin for a couple of days before anyone noticed it. They removed the splinter, but the puncture wound became infected and nothing else they tried worked. Mr. Smythe took a handful of clay and placed it directly over the infected wound and left it there for about two hours. Then he took the clay off, cleaned the wound, and left it to the open air for about an hour, before starting the process all over again with fresh clay. The next day all signs of the infection were gone, and my father rode that horse often until he died earlier this year.”
As Elizabeth’s face began to lighten from the deep worry present there, she suddenly gasped, “Lord Greenwood, I recall once reading of something quite similar to what you just described. Mrs. Reynolds and I will take the portion you have just made; and if you will make more, we will come for it when this portion has been used.”
“Elizabeth, please call me Daniel,” he replied, again visibly embarrassed. “I will continue to rehydrate the clay until you tell me that it is no longer needed.”
Nathan took the small bowl from Daniel’s hand and gave his friend a look of deep appreciation, before he followed Mrs. Reynolds and Elizabeth to Clarissa’s room. Aunt Lilly and Aunt Eleanor helped to position Clarissa on her right side by firmly propping her up with pillows, so that the clay could be applied to both the entrance and exit wounds at the same time. Three more times throughout the day and three more times during the night Nathan came to Daniel for more clay. By the next morning, all signs of infection around the wounds were gone, and Clarissa’s fever had broken as well.
Just before dawn, Daniel had fallen into the exceedingly deep sleep of exhaustion on one of the wooden benches near where he had been working with the clay. When Darcy and Richar
d found him a couple of hours later, they carried him from the conservatory to his bedchamber, where Darcy removed his boots, while Richard watched as his valet covered him with the duvet.
Daniel slept throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon, until this valet awakened him in time for him to bathe, dress, and join the rest of the household for supper. As he walked into the dining room, each one of the women in the household ceremoniously, but with great sincerity, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, while each of the men took an opportunity to shake his hand and pat him firmly on the back.
During the meal, David asked, “Lord Greenwood . . .”
But Daniel cut him off with a slight tone of pleading in his voice, “Please will you, all of you, please just call me Daniel?”