Follies and Vices

by Emily Russell

  “Can you not write?” asked Darcy. A wild hope grew in Elizabeth. If they could not read or write, Darcy might say anything in the letter to his uncle, and they would be none the wiser. But that hope died a moment later, even as Wickham spoke up.

  “I agree Darcy had better write the letter. But I should read it before you send it so I can be sure he includes nothing we would rather he did not. And I can read the earl’s responses as well.” He looked at Elizabeth. “I will be honoured to be the first to read his congratulations on Darcy’s betrothal to Miss Bennet. I am sure he will not be more surprised than the bride.”

  “Excellent. You have proven yourself useful for something, Wickham, even if you made an abysmal failure of Netherfield. We might keep you around after all,” said Shaw. “Now, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and these beer cups are not about to empty themselves. Mr Darcy and the future Mrs Darcy, you shall sleep under this blanket where we might keep a watch on you. I would hate it if we had to pursue you during the night and do something we would regret.”

  Kenneth threw a small blanket toward them. Elizabeth caught it and stared at it.

  “One — one blanket for both of us?” she asked.

  Shaw raised an eyebrow as he pulled open a bottle of beer with his teeth.

  “Come now. You are to marry. Might as well get used to it. Unless you’d like to share one with one of us?” He gestured expansively around the rest of the group.

  “Miss Bennet is sharing with me,” said Darcy firmly. “Come, Miss Bennet.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand. Elizabeth looked up at him for a moment, her face burning. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet as the rest whooped and cheered.

  “Sleep well,” called Jameson. “Try to sleep if you can, Darcy. We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow.”

  He gave a wink and Elizabeth had to look away to hide her revulsion. Darcy’s warm, strong fingers curled around hers.

  “Do not listen to them,” he said, his breath tickling her ear. “They want to believe they are embarrassing you. Behave as though you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Though Elizabeth did not look at him, her small nod let him know she agreed with him. She kept her face averted from the men and tried to ignore their jeers as they lay down together. Let them taunt and insult all they want. Lying beside Darcy, Elizabeth knew she was as safe as she could be.

  Chapter 11

  It was late in the day when Elizabeth and Darcy were released from the cart again. Elizabeth stretched as well as she could, trying to restore feeling to her stiff limbs. They were in a forest though whether it was the same one they’d stayed the night before, she could not say. They were in a clearing. Elizabeth noticed Darcy looking at something behind her. She turned and saw a rambling stone house in need of some repair. An old woman stood in the doorway watching them. Judging by the flinty look in her eyes, Elizabeth did not think she could rely on her for support.

  “Well, come along,” said Shaw. “This will be your home for some time. I hope you find it to your liking though it is nothing to Pemberley, I am sure.” He gave Darcy a look of mock anxiety. Darcy declined to look at him. Shaw laughed.

  “Wickham. Take them in.”

  Wickham pushed open the door to a small, bare room. A narrow bed sat near the window with one small blanket on it. There was a table and chair and nothing else.

  “Wickham,” said Elizabeth in an urgent voice. Wickham bowed and closed the door with a determined click.

  Elizabeth turned to Darcy with wide eyes.

  “Now what?” she demanded.

  Darcy had already crossed to the window and looked out. Elizabeth’s heart sank when she saw the grim look on his face.

  “Is there no way…”

  “There is a steep drop on the other side. We would leap out and straight down into a river valley. Do you hear the water?”

  Elizabeth tilted her head to one side as she listened. She had been so distracted by their situation she had not noticed the distance rushing sound outside their window. She stood up and walked over. In the moonlight, she could see a steep, rocky drop at the bottom of which water foamed and boiled.

  “There is also the matter of the window,” added Darcy. “See how it is bolted? The only way for us to open it is to smash it, and that would bring them on us at once.”

  “Not ideal, then.”

  “Not at all.”

  Elizabeth turned away from the window and rubbed her eyes.

  “I wonder what our friends are thinking? What time do you think it is?”

  “A few hours before dawn,” said Darcy.

  “Do you have a watch?”

  “I did. They must have taken it. I am guessing by the sky.” He turned from the window and sat on the bed.

  “I am sure your family are searching for you. I am almost certain Mr Collins will miss you. He told me you were to be engaged the day after the ball. May I be the first to offer my congratulations?”

  “You may not.” Elizabeth returned to the chair. “I suppose I should be grateful to those men for saving me from a most unfortunate situation. Just think, if I had not been abducted and locked into a room in the middle of nowhere, I should be forced to endure Mr Collins’s dancing once again.” She affected a shudder before leaning on the table, resting her chin on her hand.

  Darcy smiled. “I am relieved you can joke about a situation like this.”

  Elizabeth gave him a tired smile. “I am terrified. Joking about it helps me feel like I have the strength to deal with it. Besides, you told me they sought to rattle me. My courage rises with every attempt to intimidate me.” She smiled at the relief in Darcy’s eyes. “What?”

  Darcy shrugged. “I was just thinking how some other ladies of my acquaintance would respond to this situation.”

  “And you find me unladylike and lacking.”

  “I find you courageous and spirited, and my admiration for you increases by the minute.”

  Elizabeth looked away to hide her expression. She rubbed her eyes once again and stifled a yawn.

  “Do you wish to sleep?” asked Darcy.

  “Not really,” she replied. “I do not feel safe closing my eyes with them outside. But I am so exhausted I do not feel I have the choice.” Her eyes started to close, and she jerked her head upright and blinked. “I am astonished I can sleep in such a situation.”

  “I think most of us can sleep in every situation,” said Darcy. He stood up and went to her. Elizabeth blinked up at him in confusion as he wrapped an arm around her. She resisted for a moment. Darcy sighed. “Miss Bennet, you are dead on your feet. You are not sleeping at the table. That will be my spot for tonight. You will sleep there in the bed.”

  Elizabeth glanced at the bed, and her colour flamed at once. Darcy shook his head.

  “Do not think of it,” he replied. “I think we are in a situation where the normal rules of proprietary do not apply. We can think of what we shall do afterwards, but for now, sleep is the most pressing concern. Come. Go to sleep.”

  Elizabeth sighed and allowed him to help her stand. She removed his coat, and when he protested, she insisted.

  “I have a blanket. You can at least take this.” When she saw he was still reluctant, she gave him a patient smile. “I do not intend for you to catch your death and then leave me here all alone to handle these brutes by myself. Take the coat, sir. I do not wish to be the one to tell your family you perished of gallantry.”

  A brief smile flickered across Darcy’s face as he finally took the garment. Elizabeth smiled back, but as she looked at the door, her smile faded.

  “They will not hurt us,” said Darcy.

  “How do you know?”

  “I know. They will not risk ruining their chances to gain the money they will receive from my uncle. Wickham has first-hand experience of him, and he knows my uncle is fond of me. He will pay what he needs to have my future wife and me back. If he does not, my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, woul
d certainly see to it. Besides —“ Darcy looked at the rickety table and chair. The rough-hewn wood was sure to have more than one splinter emerging from it, “— It will be impossible for me to sleep deeply in that chair. A part of me will be awake all night. If anyone should come closer to the door than Wickham is now, I shall wake at once. Wickham also has the added advantage of being incurably indolent. It should not surprise me if he is asleep out there already.”

  Elizabeth tiptoed to the door before Darcy could stop her. She pressed her ear to the wood and turned to him with a smile.

  “I believe you are right. I can hear a few gentle snores.”

  Darcy smiled at her. “Does that ease your mind?”

  “It does.” She turned to the bed, then paused and looked back at him. “Thank you,” she said simply.

  Darcy nodded. He politely averted his eyes as she lifted the covers and dived underneath. Once she was settled, he took the chair and stretched his forearms out on the table before him. He rested his head there, taking care to avoid the bruise that had formed. As sleep settled over him, he could only hope he would find a way to get him and Elizabeth safely out of this situation.

  Chapter 12

  A crashing sound woke Darcy the next morning. He blinked for a moment and winced as he raised his sore head from the hard surface. He twisted his neck back and forth and rubbed it to recover the feeling. Had he fallen asleep in Bingley’s study again? He had done it once or twice before when he had worked late writing to his steward at Pemberley.

  All at once, the events of the previous day before rushed back to him. He bolted up and looked around. Elizabeth Bennet stood near him, her hands twisting together as she gazed at the door of the tiny room where they stayed. Her eyes flared with relief when she saw he was awake.

  The crashing sound came from the door again. It flung open a moment later, and Shaw and Kenneth entered. Shaw beamed at them.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked courteously.

  “Like a baby,” said Elizabeth. “I woke continuously and sometimes felt like screaming.”

  Shaw laughed and winked at Kenneth.

  “I do like this one. She is entertaining, at least. We have brought you breakfast. How about that, eh? You cannot say we do not look after you.”

  “You are all kindness,” said Darcy. “I shall be sure to mention it in my letter to my uncle.”

  Shaw looked behind him and jerked his head. Elizabeth saw an old woman carry a tray in. She recalled seeing her standing at the door with a very unhappy expression on her face the night before. The woman was apple-cheeked and might have looked the perfect picture of a loving grandmother if it were not for the sharp look in her eyes. She dumped the tray on the table as if offended by having to complete the task. She glared at Elizabeth, looking her up and down and taking in her rumpled ballgown. She turned back to Shaw with an accusing look. Shaw held up his hands.

  “I told you, the situation was out of our control, and we had to improvise. I cannot help how she looks. If she were a fearsome-looking creature, we should have had to take her just the same.”

  “You should have been more careful,” the old woman snapped. “I told you it was foolish to do it then. It would have been better if you’d waited for the house to be empty.”

  “But if servants had seen us, they should have known we were not supposed to be there,” said Shaw. His face was strangely subdued, and he cast a quick, embarrassed look at Elizabeth and Darcy. “If anyone noticed us, there were too many around for anyone to know we did not belong there.”

  The old woman shook her head. She still glared at Elizabeth as though she held her accountable.

  “Now we have these two, and we can only hope you salvage something from the situation.”

  “We will. Wickham had better hope we do.”

  “I hope he does too. I have told you already how you should deal with him —“

  “And we will if it does not work out. But we need him for now. He knows the family. Come, I need your opinion on another matter…”

  Shaw held out a hand to guide the old woman from the room. His behaviour toward her was strangely servile. Elizabeth watched them leave with fascination.

  “What was that about?” she whispered to Darcy when the door had closed and been bolted again.

  Darcy shrugged as he approached the table to examine the fare on the tray.

  “I have no idea. But we know they are not on good terms with Wickham. That is interesting.”

  “How so? Do you think we can persuade Wickham to take our side?”

  Darcy grunted. “I would not trust Wickham with anything. But we might be able to use his self-interest for our benefit. I have no idea what this is meant to be,” he added as he leaned over the bowl on the tray with a repulsed expression. “Do you? It is grey.”

  Elizabeth joined him.

  “I think it is gruel. But not like any gruel I have seen before. How can it smell like that? What is it made from?”

  “I would rather not find out.”

  Hunger drove the pair to eat though their stomachs revolted against the stodgy fare.

  “Just try as much as you can,” said Darcy. “We need our strength if an opportunity should arise to escape.”

  Elizabeth pushed around the disgusting slop and forced herself to take a mouthful. She winced as she swallowed it and took a moment to gather herself before speaking.

  “How should an opportunity arise? They will not leave us here alone. There are five of them. More than enough to ensure there is someone here to guard us at all times.”

  “True, but I will watch for an opportunity at every moment, and I know you will as well. Perhaps your penchant for running about the countryside and taking long walks will help us escape this situation.”

  Elizabeth affected a shudder. “But think of my petticoats. They will be six — nay, ten inches deep in mud by the time we return. Miss Bingley will expire.”

  Darcy gave her a puzzled look than his face cleared.

  “You heard her say that?”

  “She said it to me several times. She could not get over her shock.” Elizabeth sighed and pushed the gruel away. “I wonder when they noticed we were missing? What are they thinking right now? My family will not know how to search for me.”

  Darcy stirred his gruel, trying to prepare himself to take the next bite.

  “They will wonder if we are together. They will be shocked to think you might be with me if what Wickham said is true.”

  “Mr Darcy —“

  Darcy waved her away. “It is of no matter. I think we have more important things to worry about right now.”

  “You have always disliked me as well. I am sure they shall be just as surprised to think you might be with me. The proper Mr Darcy run away with a lady with muddy petticoats! No one will believe it.”

  “I have never disliked you,” said Darcy abruptly. He rose from the table and did not see the astonished look in Elizabeth’s face.

  Chapter 13

  The old woman returned sometime later to take the trays. She scowled when she saw Elizabeth’s bowl was barely touched.

  “Not good enough for you?” she asked.

  Elizabeth raised her head from where she had rested it on the table.

  “I find it difficult to eat,” she said.

  The old woman made a scoffing noise and muttered something about fine, delicate ladies. She gathered the tray, then turned to Elizabeth.

  “You. You’re to come with me.”

  Elizabeth glanced at Darcy, who turned at once.

  “Miss Bennet will stay here with me,” he insisted.

  “We’re the ones with the pistols, Mr Darcy,” she said, stressing his name as though there was something distasteful about it. “Miss Bennet will go where I say she goes. Up, girl. Earn your keep.”

  “Where?” asked Elizabeth. She stood up but remained on her side of the table.

  The old woman merely watched her, challenging her to refuse again. When El
izabeth returned her stare, the old woman shrugged.

  “Perhaps you will be more obedient if I send one of the boys in here to lay into your gentleman friend?”

  “You would not do such a thing,” said Elizabeth. Her eyes flashed. “They need him safe and well if they are to get money from his family.”

  “They need him alive,” snapped the old woman. “Whatever shape he is in does not matter. Are you going to come with me or do I have to send for one of the boys to deal with Mr Darcy here?”

  Elizabeth glared at her, but she stood up.

  “Elizabeth—“ said Darcy. He tried to reach for her, but she stepped in behind the woman. Darcy glared at her. “If you harm one hair on her head —“ he said with a growl.

  The old woman laughed and pushed Elizabeth out the door.

  “You might be a fine lady, but you will not be waited on here,” she said as she pushed Elizabeth down the hall toward the door. “I will not serve the likes of you.”

  Elizabeth momentarily wondered where such hostility came from, but she forgot when to her astonishment, the woman opened the door and pushed her through into the little clearing. In the daylight, she could see several paths leading through the trees. Which one had they come through? She did not have time to pay much more attention when the woman grabbed her arm. Elizabeth gritted her teeth and had to fight the urge to shove her off. Only her fear of what she would do to Darcy convinced her to obey and walk in the direction she dragged her.

  She led her toward the steep drop Elizabeth had seen from the window. For a terrifying moment, Elizabeth feared she was about to shove her over the edge. She braced herself, preparing to grab the woman and throw her first if she should try when the woman scolded her for stopping and pointed her to where stone steps led down toward the water below.

  The walk was treacherous. Elizabeth’s light slippers were a poor match against the rough stone, and her delicate ballgown snagged and scratched against the shards.

  “Come along, come along, your ladyship,” said the woman scornfully. Elizabeth met her eyes. For a moment, she was tempted to jump easily from step to rock all the way to the bottom. But it occurred to her that she was less likely to be considered a threat if they perceived her as a delicate lady who would scarcely survive in the wild. Let the old woman think the steep rocks and stones intimidated her. Who knew what opportunity should open up to her if they decided she was not worth watching properly. It was as Darcy said; they would have to keep their eyes open to take the chance as soon as it came to them.