Except there might not be time for the next person he took. They would not be surrounded by people there to ensure her safety. And Jerry would be harsher and crueller if he took someone again. No matter how terrifying this was for her, it was nothing compared to how the next person would feel. She could do this. Even Darcy had acknowledged she could do this and that it was only his own fears that tried to prevent her. She closed her eyes and drew a deep, shaky breath, then stepped away from the stall.
Elizabeth had dressed in the tattered gown she had escaped in. It had repulsed her to put it on, her nose wrinkling as she pulled about her the gown she had never wanted to see again. It smelled terrible, something that had caused her untold embarrassment on the journey to Kingston. Her hair was dishevelled, and her arms and face soiled.
“If you can’t pay, be on your way,” shouted the man at the stall. Several heads turned in their direction. Elizabeth felt a flush of shame at the disgust on their faces as they eyed her with suspicion. But she could not worry about that now. Not when Jerry was looking in her direction, as still as a hound who had caught the scent of prey. His eyes were hard.
She pretended not to see him and hurried in his direction, one hand over her stomach as though protecting a bump. She withdrew the apple she pretended to steal and took a bite out of it as though she had not seen food in weeks. As she munched the sweet fruit, she looked up and locked eyes with Jerry. Her eyes widened. She froze as though too afraid to move. Then, with a frightened cry, she turned in the opposite direction, pushing through the crowd but not so fast that he could not keep up with her. She stole a glance behind her to see him in pursuit. She had just rounded a corner to a quieter street when she felt his hand grab her shoulder. Elizabeth did not have to pretend her terror at his touch. Her stomach roiled in protest, and the blood rushed to her legs, urging her to run. Jerry pushed her so she was pressed against a wall.
“Well, if it is not Mrs Darcy,” he said. His breath smelled of ale. “What a place to find you. Where is your grand husband?”
Elizabeth pulled her shoulder free of him. He moved closer so she could not run. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few merchants unloading carts. One of them glanced in her direction and then turned away.
“Gone,” she said. She flattened her mouth into a bitter line though her heart still pounded. “I do not know where. No doubt he is back home in Grosvenor Square planning to attend a ball that he might find a woman more worthy of being mistress of Pemberley.”
Jerry frowned. “What? But you had already planned to marry. He had no reason to leave you.”
Elizabeth’s lip trembled, and she raised her head as if defying the tears that threatened her. “That is what I thought. But the grand Mr Darcy does not want a scandal attached to his name and family. He thinks it will hurt their prospects if he is attached to a woman he married under such conditions.” She stared at the ground and swallowed as though she struggled to speak. “He mentioned it as we left. I thought he did not mean it. Perhaps it was nothing more than fright at our situation. But when I awoke the next morning, he was gone. He left me.”
Jerry shook his head. “But you consummated the marriage. You are with child.”
“Very honourable of him, is it not? He was sure to take all the sweetness of marriage before declaring it invalid. I notice he did not have such scruples beforehand. I told him of the child, but it did not matter to him. He said I should return to my family, and they would take care of me. But they do not want to know.” Elizabeth’s mouth was twisted. “My parents worry I will hurt my sisters’ marriage prospects. They want nothing to do with me. So I am left to fend for myself. Now, I beg you will allow me to leave, sir. You can see I am no use to you. I can hardly be of use to my child.”
As Elizabeth turned to go, Jerry put out a hand and blocked her way. She felt a throb of panic but tried to disguise it as a look of despair.
“Please. I can do nothing for you. Just let me go…”
“Not so fast.” Jerry rubbed his jaw with his free hand, keeping the other where it blocked Elizabeth’s path. “I must admit, I am surprised at the high-handed Mr Darcy. I had thought he had more honour than that. This is an outcome I had not foreseen.”
“Neither had I, but it is what it is, and I would prefer not to extend the pain by speaking of it. I beg that you allow me to pass…”
Jerry placed his hands on her upper arms. His fingers bit into the flesh. Elizabeth tried not to wince. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man in a shabby coat with a hat pulled low over his face. Though he used crutches to move, there was a looseness in the way he held them that suggested he would cudgel the man who threatened her. Elizabeth fervently hoped Darcy was not about to leap to the rescue and ruin everything.
“You caused me a lot of trouble, you know,” said Jerry. “The house burned down.”
Elizabeth gasped and looked into his eyes. “I — did not know. How did that happen?”
“You made sure the drink you gave us was strong, didn’t you? Clever little wench. When we came around, Jameson knocked the candle in his stupor.” Jerry pressed his lips together. “There was some alcohol on the floor and the table,” he said as if its presence had nothing to do with him. “The fire caught quickly.”
“I am sorry for it. At least you were not injured.”
“I cannot say the same for Jameson. The fire was between us and the door, and we were still too sodden to move fast. Jameson stumbled to the window, but he could not rouse himself enough to climb. I had to use him to step up onto the window and jump out.”
“You did not help him?”
Jerry’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “There was no time. The fire was burning. If he had drunk so much that he could not shift for himself, that is no concern of mine.”
Elizabeth’s stomach churned. Though she had no love for Jameson and could not say she considered him any loss to the world, the casual way Jerry spoke of abandoning him made her feel ill. She was suddenly fiercely glad she was here to help catch this man once and for all.
“Well, I am sorry, but you cannot blame me for that. Both of you were drunk before you even arrived there. And you were not just suffering the effects of alcohol, were you?”
Jerry moved closer. His eyes flashed. “If you saw the state we were in, you should not have allowed us to keep drinking,” he said. “You encouraged us then left us in a stupor where such a thing could happen. Jameson would still be alive if it were not for you.”
Elizabeth was about to protest such ridiculous logic, but she recalled she was supposed to be tired and defeated. Her shoulders slumped, and her mouth turned down.
“What do you want from me?” she asked in a low voice. Jerry gave her an appraising look and smiled. He touched one of her tangled curls. Elizabeth jerked her head away but stopped when she saw the man with the crutch start up at once.
“I think we can help one another.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Somehow, I doubt it. We have both caused far too much harm to the other. Let us leave the matter there.”
“And where will you go? Live on the streets? Why are you in Kingston, anyway?”
Elizabeth paused. “I told you my family have turned me out of my home. I am on my way to London. I hope to find work to support my child and me.”
“And what work do you think a woman in your condition will find? Lady’s maid? Governess to some wealthy brats? Come, you’re an intelligent woman apart from being foolish enough to consummate a sham wedding. You know there is nothing respectable for you in London. The best you can hope to find is work in a brothel. But because you are already broken in and carrying a child, it will not go well for you. Anyone can smell the desperation from you. You are in no condition to negotiate favourable terms. Whatever madam gets her hands on you will use you ill and think you ungrateful if you protest it. And your child will be raised in such a place. If it is a girl, she will follow the same line of work. Is that what you, a gently brought up young woman, want fo
r yourself and your little one?”
Elizabeth allowed tears to fill her eyes.
“What else can I do? I had thought to send the child to him once it is born…“
“Do you think he will take it in and do you think the wealthy miss he marries will allow his child by another woman to grow up beside her own? You know she will not.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and shook her head. “There must be something —“
“There is nothing for you,” said Jerry in a brutal voice that would have brought Elizabeth to real tears if this were not a performance. “Nothing but disease, hunger and disgrace. You must see that.” His voice softened. “Except for one thing. It will help us both. I can see you set up in a nice little home with a yearly income that will provide for you and your child. You will not have to sink any lower.” His lips twisted into a smile. “And it will allow you to take revenge against the man who has wronged you. He will regret he ever abandoned you to your fate with no thought for how you would live after.”
Chapter 38
Elizabeth raised her eyes to meet Jerry’s. She was relieved to see Darcy stayed where he was though he never took his eyes from them. Another man wearing the simple clothes of a farmer stood beside him, whispering to him earnestly, one hand on Darcy’s arm.
“I do not understand. How can you make a man like him do anything he does not want to do? How can you even speak to him? His servants will turn you away as soon as you approach his house.”
Jerry watched her, then smiled. “I may not have had time to help Jameson, but I had time to grab a few valuables. There were two copies made of the marriage certificate. I wanted to keep one after I sent the first to the earl in case they should conveniently lose it. I also found this.”
He rummaged in his pants, causing Elizabeth to flinch away from him. Jerry rolled his eyes.
“Do not flatter yourself. If I had any of that in mind, I should not be interested in your current state. You are quite comely when clean but right now…” He wrinkled his nose. Having released her arms, Elizabeth wrapped them around herself.
“Then what is it?”
“It is — I was going to sell it, but how fortunate I did not. Almost as though fate knew it would come into better use. Where is it? Ah yes, here it is.”
He pulled out a small, metal object. Elizabeth blinked down at it then up at the thief in disbelief.
“I thought I had lost it,” she said.
“I found it outside the house. It must have slipped from your finger. I remember it being rather large for you.” Jerry turned the ring over so the sun could gleam on the gold Darcy family crest. “Rather identifying, is it not? I always hoped to make my fortune and have one of these of my own.”
“A coat of arms rendered for services to crime,” said Elizabeth in a scathing tone. “Well, are you going to give it to me? I deserve to have something from the man who ruined me.” She reached out to take it, but Jerry snapped his hand closed.
“Not so hasty. I told you already you have cost me a great deal. I am not about to help you out of the goodness of my tender heart.”
“Not even for a woman you have led to ruin, who is alone in the world and with child?”
Jerry rolled his eyes. “Very touching, Mrs Darcy, but no. I am quite fine with that situation. I have even done it myself a time or two. I just expected better of Darcy. No, I will not give you this ring. I will, however, use it to bring benefit to both of us.” His smile was sly.
Elizabeth’s heart raced. This was just what she had been hoping for. “How?”
“Oldest trick in the world. We have proof that he married you. And now we have proof that he abandoned you with a child. We know Darcy is a man who prides himself on appearing honourable. We can call that honour into question at a moment’s notice.”
Elizabeth tried to look uncomfortable - easy to do when Jerry was so close to her with a gleeful look on his face.
“I do not see what good it will do.”
“He will have to pay us quite a lot if he does not want the story of his inconvenient first marriage in the papers. If he is so concerned about avoiding scandal, he will not enjoy the one we can attach to his name at any moment. We can promise him the ring and the marriage certificate for a sum of money. Enough for you to start a new life with your child where you can set yourself up as a respectable widow. Your child can grow without a taint to its name. Perhaps we might even persuade old Darcy to pay for a decent education and ensure the child’s future.”
Elizabeth narrowed his eyes. “It is very heartwarming that you are thinking this way, but we both know you do not care for me or the child. You have almost said as much. What will you gain from this arrangement? What do you intend to ask for?”
Jerry licked his lips and looked about him. Several people passed by, but most of them took no notice of a tattered looking man and woman speaking earnestly together. They were the sort invisible to most people. The men sent to watch over her blended in with the crowd and Elizabeth was not even sure which ones they were.
“I have a feeling of foreboding, Mrs Darcy. I can see my time coming to a close. I have had a good run here, but I think it will not be long before a net closes in on me. Jameson had the same feeling before he died. I want to start over somewhere else, maybe even live the life of a respectable person. To do that, I need money, and all I have left of value right now is this ring and the marriage certificate. Which you have given me the opportunity of turning into something much larger than that. I will take Darcy for what I can get and move away. Men in my line of work rarely die old men warm in their beds. Perhaps I have a chance to change that.” He looked Elizabeth up and down, his eyes lingering on the low cut of her bodice. Elizabeth shifted and wished she had something to cover it. “Perhaps we might leave together. I can be a father of sorts to the child. We can write to Darcy when we are short on funds. We might shift along nicely together, you and I.”
“So you plan on being short of funds?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Come, we both know you are dreaming. You will never give up this life. Even now, while you talk of changing, you speak of using me to get more money from someone after you have run out of what you already obtained. That is not the attitude of a man who wishes to find a new path.”
Jerry gave her a long, searching look. His face lit up into a grin. “Yes, I suppose you are right. I always said you were uncommonly clever for a wench. I like the idea of it, but I think I do not have it in me to do it. However, I mean it when I say I need to go away and start over. A new part of the world where I am unknown. And I need to do it sooner rather than later. What do you think?”
“Does it matter? I cannot see that you will give me a choice.”
Jerry’s grin widened. Elizabeth tried not to wrinkle her nose as a waft of stale breath washed over her.
“No, you do not have a choice. You owe me this. But I would rather you do it willingly. Even you must see the benefits it will bring to us. Think of it; a home for you and your child. Able to mix with respectable people, perhaps even marry again if you wish. Compare it to the options you have now. Help me with Darcy, and you can live a good life.”
Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped, and she sighed in a fine show of being defeated. “What must I do?”
Jerry grinned. “Very little. We shall see Darcy together, you and I. We will tell him unless he pays us, we shall publish your encounter in the papers. You are a gentlewoman, and you have a name. People will know you as Elizabeth Bennet of Hertfordshire. The sight of you and knowing I have you with me will force Darcy to pay so his secret stays that way. I will wager the sight of you under his roof where he thought never to see you will panic him enough that he will pay anything to be rid of you out of his life once and for all. The sight of the marriage certificate and the ring will only reinforce it.”
Elizabeth tried to hide her excitement. If he wished them to go to Darcy’s house, that only made it easier. She tried to keep her expression slack and defeated.
“He could, but he will not.”
“How do you—“
Jerry’s grin was so gleeful, Elizabeth almost expected him to clap his hands. “That is where we shall go further. We found you at his friend’s house, yes? Mr Bingley. He knows you as a respectable woman — or at least when you were one. He also knows Darcy proposed to you under his roof. All we have to do is write to Mr Bingley and ask him to meet with you. When he sees you and me and knows what his friend has done, it will disgrace Darcy. At the very least, the servants will verify your identity, and you know how gossip flies about with them.”
“It is a good plan,” said Elizabeth slowly. “And I think you are right. Once Darcy sees me, his reaction will be telling. I think he will do whatever it takes to protect his family’s name. Going to his house seems rather bold, but…“ She shrugged. “It is better than where I was planning to go. I have to try.” Her eyes filled with tears as she placed a tender hand over her non-existent bump. “For my baby at least.” If Drury Lane did not come calling for her after that performance, they clearly did not know what fine acting was. Jerry’s face had lit up with that boyish smile he had worn when she first knew him. For a moment, Elizabeth felt sorry for him. There was nothing ahead of him but capture and ruin. He was destroying any chance of a future with every word he spoke, and he did not know it. He was so young. Was there not another way for him?
But then he chucked her under the chin and grinned. “I am thankful you came in useful. I am not normally so merciful with people who cause me difficulties, but I am glad I made an exception for you.”
Follies and Vices Page 20