Page 30

Drawing Room

Bennets’ Hired House

Curzon Street

Lydia wrapped her hands around her steaming cup, watching her fingers tremble slightly. Kitty sat close beside her on the couch, which was a distant sort of comfort, though Lydia was still sick with horror. The fire roared in the grate, warming the room pleasantly, but it was like the heat could not touch her. Lydia took a tiny sip of tea, rolling the heavily sugared liquid over her tongue, before swallowing, hoping it would lend her some of its warmth.

Instead, her stomach rebelled, and Lydia hastily lowered the cup to her lap before glancing around the room. Miss Darcy was curled up on a couch across from her, looking pale and shocked, with Mrs. Annesley's arm wrapped comfortingly around her charge. On the settee pulled nearest to the fire, Miss de Bourgh and Mrs. Jenkinson sat holding tea cups and appearing very somber.

Lydia wished her mother were there. Mrs. Bennet was, of course, tending to Lizzy, as she ought to be, but Lydia wished for her comfort now, too. She attempted another sip of tea and lowered her cup hastily as a shiver wracked her. The tea sloshed over the side of the cup, and a spoonful splashed across her lap.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said helplessly, and tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “I am making such a mess.”

“My dear Miss Lydia,” Mrs. Annesley said in a motherly tone, “I am sure we all understand how upset you are. Such a shocking affair, and you and Miss Darcy were both very brave.”

Lydia looked at Georgiana and recognized the pain in Miss Darcy’s eyes.

“I do not feel brave,” she confessed, the tears continuing to leak down her cheeks.

“Oh, but you were!” Miss Darcy cried out with sufficient vigor that Lydia was startled. “You were so very brave, and sensible, to use a hat pin as a weapon. I could only think to try to pull Elizabeth away from the villain, and if you had not intervened, I would have failed.”

“You worked together,” Miss de Bourgh said, “and you ought to be proud of yourselves for your actions, even as you feel alarmed and upset about your dreadful experience. ”

“I only hope that Lizzy is all right,” Lydia said softly. She had always taken her elder sister for granted, and now, the knowledge that Elizabeth was lying hurt in the parlor nearby, perhaps badly, made her stomach clench.

“She is well enough,” Mrs. Bennet said from the doorway, and the ladies all turned as the older woman bustled into the drawing room, her face soft with relief. “The doctor says that she has a mild concussion and a bad bruise, but she will be well.”

There was a universal sigh of gladness, and Anne de Bourgh said fervently, “Praise God for that.”

“Indeed,” Mrs. Bennet replied and wiped a happy tear from her eye. “Now, I am certain you would all benefit from a small nuncheon, and I have asked the cook to prepare a light meal. Where are Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy?”

“They are in Mr. Bennet’s study, Madame,” a maid said, and Mrs. Bennet said, “Pray inform Mr. Darcy that Elizabeth would like to see him.”

“Yes, Madame.”

** *

Parlor

“The most important thing is rest, Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Stillman said. “You will do well enough so long as you do not try to do more than is wise.”

“I promise to behave,” Elizabeth said meekly.

“And I will hold you to that,” Jane said with mock severity. “Now, Doctor, what should Elizabeth eat and drink?”

“She can eat anything that is palatable, but perhaps no spirits for at least today. I will call again tomorrow and…”

The conversation between Jane and the doctor continued, but Elizabeth allowed her eyes to close. She was so tired – so very tired – and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but her eye was aching so dreadfully that she was not certain she would be able to drift off.

The doctor had offered tea laced with laudanum to help with the pain, but she had declined it. She was not in genuine agony and was nervous about taking laudanum, as some people struggled to give it up when the time came.

In any case, her mind was sufficiently active that she hardly expected to sleep, at least not quickly, anyway. The events of the previous hours seemed like something out of a gothic novel instead of real life. She had known, of course, that Wickham was a villain, but for him to actually try to abduct her? He knew as well as anyone that the Bennets were not wealthy and would be unable to pay a great ransom. Of course, Darcy himself was very rich, and she was engaged to him. Yes, that must be it; Wickham had hoped to obtain a large sum from the master of Pemberley in return for her safe release.

She heard the door open, and she opened her eyes as her fiancé entered the room, his face twisted with worry.

“Mr. Darcy,” the doctor said as he picked up his gloves and hat, “I am pleased to inform you that Miss Elizabeth will recover entirely in time, though she will need to rest and recover for at least a few days.”

“I am not likely to leave for at least a week given the bruising on my face,” Elizabeth remarked with a grimace. “I am certain that I look dreadful.”

“You will always be beautiful to me,” Darcy said, and Elizabeth felt a surge of affection toward this man who was so loyal, so faithful, in the midst of such trouble .

Jane, who was standing by the window, said, “Mr. Stillman, might I walk you to the door? Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, I know you would enjoy some privacy.”

“Thank you, Jane, Mr. Stillman,” Elizabeth said softly. “Do sit down, Fitzwilliam.”

She gestured toward a chair across from her, but he chose to carry a desk chair over to her side, which he sat upon, and he reached out his hand to take hers in his own.

“My dear, how are you truly feeling?” he asked gently, gazing into her eyes.

She tightened her grip on his hand and said, “I will not lie to you, Fitzwilliam. I am relieved that I am not more badly hurt, but that was a terrifying few minutes, and I am not certain I will sleep well tonight.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. “It was frightening, and it is entirely reasonable that you are so distressed. I will pray for good rest and have told your father that I will send a few footmen from Darcy House to ensure your safety.”

She frowned, and then winced at the jarring of her injured cheek, and said anxiously, “You think they might return?”

“I do not,” he replied instantly. “It is obvious that Wickham was the ringleader, and I am confident that his allies ran away to save their own skins. But I would feel better if there were more strong men here guarding the house. I feel terribly guilty that you only had two men guarding you today, and I will not make that mistake again.”

“My dear, you must not blame yourself,” Elizabeth said immediately. “There was no way you could guess that…”

“My dear?” he interrupted in wonder, and she felt herself flush.

“Yes ... my dear,” she replied, her eyes filling with tears. “I have been holding back on telling you my true feelings, but after what happened today, when I think of what could have come to pass if I had been dragged away, I have realized that yes, I love you, with all my heart and mind.”

He stared at her, his eyes bright, and he lifted her hand again, kissing it once again before lowering it gently. “I am so very happy, my darling. I love you more than words can say. When can we be married?”

She sighed, leaned back against her pillow, and said, “Before we decide that, we need to talk about Wickham. His actions today, if they escape into society, will bring more questions and scandal upon my reputation. ”

Darcy bit his lip and then said, “I promise you that I will do everything in my power to protect you, but I need to tell you something that will, I fear, make you angry.”

“ More angry?” Elizabeth repeated in surprise. “What is it?”

He blew out a breath, and his eyes dropped. “Wickham tells me that my aunt, Lady Catherine, paid him to abduct you, and I believe him.”

Elizabeth stared at him in wonder and, after thirty seconds had ticked by, demanded, “Is she insane?!”

Darcy looked miserable and said, “At the very least, she is obsessed. I am so sorry.”

“It is not your fault,” Elizabeth declared. “Not even a little bit. Pray do not worry about it, as I am well aware that one cannot control one’s own relatives. But what are we going to do about this situation?”

“I am not certain yet, but I promise that I will deal with both my aunt and Wickham for their treachery if it is the last thing I do!”

** *

Study

Matlock House

A Few Hours Later

“Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy,” the butler announced, and Darcy stepped into the study with his cousin at his heels. To his surprise, both Lord and Lady Matlock were sitting by the fire within, which was a most unusual circumstance given that the study was usually the earl’s domain.

He was even more surprised when Lady Matlock leaped to her feet and said, “Richard, Darcy, thank God you are here so quickly. Surely you have not yet received our message? We only sent a servant to Darcy House fifteen minutes ago!”

The two cousins exchanged puzzled glances, and Richard stepped forward and kissed his mother on the cheek. “We received no message, but whatever is wrong, Mamma?”

“Your cousin Anne is missing,” Lady Matlock said. “Lady Catherine left only a few minutes ago and is considering whether to employ the Runners, but your uncle …

“That last thing we want is more scandal,” Lord Matlock stated, his brow jutting out fiercely. “I am certain there is a reasonable explanation for…”

“Anne never leaves Rosings without consulting Lady Catherine, and you know it,” the countess interrupted, “and…”

“We know where Anne is,” Darcy said, causing the older pair to turn startled eyes on him.

“Where is she?” Lady Matlock demanded.

Darcy blew out a breath and said, “She is currently with Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her family, though I will be escorting Anne and her companion back to Darcy House later, where she has been staying the last few days.”

Matlock shook his head in confusion. “At Darcy House? Lady Catherine said that she visited you a few days ago. Had Anne not yet arrived?”

“She arrived a few hours before her mother,” Darcy said, “but Anne did not wish for Lady Catherine to know that she was in London, so she stayed upstairs while I confronted my aunt in the drawing room.”

Not surprisingly, this provoked additional perplexity on the faces of his older relations, and Richard said, “The entire situation is complicated, but I promise you that Anne is entirely safe. A greater concern is Elizabeth Bennet and the fact that…”

“That your cousin is engaged to a country gentleman’s daughter with a scandalous reputation?” Lady Matlock interrupted, turning irritated eyes on her nephew. “What can you be thinking, Darcy?”

Darcy straightened to his full height and glowered at his aunt. “Elizabeth is entirely honorable, I assure you. Lady Catherine is angry because I am not marrying Anne, but Elizabeth is all that is good.”

“The rumors say otherwise,” his aunt stated, shaking her head.

“Rumors?”

“I had three visitors this morning asking about this woman to whom you are engaged,” the countess explained. “Apparently there are whisperings throughout London that the great Fitzwilliam Darcy was compromised by a minx of a country girl.”

Darcy clenched his fists at these words and hissed, “That is not what happened, not at all! I fell in love with Elizabeth and offered for her hand in marriage. It is as simple as that!”

“It is not actually as simple as that,” Richard said .

Darcy sighed and said, “All right, it is not as simple as that, but I assure you that Elizabeth is a clever, intelligent, honorable woman, and I am overjoyed that she will soon be my wife.”

“What is the complicated part of it, then?” Matlock demanded with narrowed eyes.

The colonel shook his head and said, “Lady Catherine paid a villain to kidnap Miss Elizabeth Bennet today, and he nearly succeeded. Father, as head of the family, we expect you to do something about my aunt. She is truly out of control.”