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After drawing comfort from her husband’s embrace for a time, Elizabeth stirred herself, knowing that they should be downstairs when the doctor finished his examinations.

“You won’t recognize her—she looks nothing like the grand Society lady I met before.

” Lizzy sighed and forced herself to relate the story of the trio’s escape to London, ending with a summary of her discussion with Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Wilkins.

Darcy kissed her forehead when she finished. “You’ve done everything exactly right. I’ll wash and change as quickly as I can and then we can go down to wait for Tolmach. We need to hear what he has to say before we can decide how to handle the situation.”

For some moments, Elizabeth continued to sit, watching her husband as he moved decisively about his tasks. Smiling softly, she stood and, catching his arm, gave him a very warm kiss before turning back to her own dressing room.

At the door, she glanced back to see Darcy standing motionless with a cravat in one hand, looking at her questioningly. “You are the best man I have ever known, and I thank God every day that you are my husband.”

Will remained still for some minutes after Elizabeth left, but eventually returned to undressing himself, love warming his heart even as his mind grieved over this new evidence of evil in the world.

Mr. Darcy and his valet were so efficient that barely fifteen minutes had passed before he entered the library to discover his wife sitting alone, staring into the fire.

She glanced up to see him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a fire started.

The calendar may say summer has begun, but there’s a chill in the air. ”

“I’m glad for the warmth. I walked back from the solicitors’ office and it was so foggy that the air is nearly yellow,” he answered as he poured them both a glass of wine from the sideboard.

“I shall be so very, very glad to go back to Pemberley,” said Elizabeth softly when he came to sit by her.

“You’ll get no arguments from me,” he replied, wrapping his arm around her. They remained in this attitude for some time, drawing comfort from the fire, the wine, and the companionship, until finally a knock on the door alerted them to Dr. Tolmach’s arrival.

“Mrs. Darcy; Mr. Darcy—it’s good to see you again, sir, though I’m sorry for the circumstances.”

After exchanging greetings, the physician accepted a glass of wine and settled himself opposite the Darcys. As he took a sip, he ran his eye over the couple and gauged them to have formed one of the strongest marriages that he had the pleasure of knowing.

Clearing his throat, Dr. Tolmach began, “Lady Ashbourne has directed me to be entirely open with you, so I intend to be frank. I warn you now, it isn’t pretty, you understand me?

” He looked from Elizabeth to Darcy and waited until they both nodded.

“The lad has a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. I’ve set it and he should heal quickly—bones mend quickly at that age.

I expect it will take much longer to heal his fears, however.

You must understand, the lad may be young in years, but he has seen his father hurt his mother repeatedly and is justifiably terrified of the man. ”

Elizabeth put her glass on the table and turned into her husband. She could feel his tension, but the steady thumping of his heart provided the reassurance she needed.

“Lady Ashbourne’s immediate physical injuries will heal, although she will need several weeks of rest. To be honest, I’m amazed that she made it all the way from Essex today without collapsing.

Her husband hit her with his fists and kicked her when she fell.

From what I can tell, she has five broken ribs, broken bones in one hand, and has suffered a blow to the head that bears watching.

The ribs are particularly worrisome because they appear to have been fractured some months ago and only partially healed before these new breaks. ”

Dr. Tolmach allowed himself another swallow of wine before coming to the last, most difficult part of his diagnosis.

“The poor woman has suffered several miscarriages, and though I have hope that with proper rest and care, she will recover, I fear there is something worse at play here. I would need to consult some texts and examine the man myself, but from my questioning of her, I believe Lord Ashbourne may have contracted syphilis.”

“The French disease!” Darcy breathed with disgust. He could not stop himself from springing to his feet and pacing a lap around the room.

“Yes, although oddly enough, the French call it the ‘Italian disease,’ and the Italians, of course, blame it on some other nationality as well. Syphilis is often spread by sailors and soldiers consorting with local prostitutes when they make port, so each country blames it on whichever foreigners have passed through most recently. I’ve a colleague who has been studying the disease and, with your approval, I’ll consult with him (without telling him the name of my patient, of course).

There are a number of new treatments being developed, and he will know which are most promising. ”

“What of Lady Alameda and her son? Do they show symptoms?” asked Elizabeth quietly.

Dr. Tolmach was dismayed to realize that, in his anger over the case, he had quite forgotten that he was discussing a venereal disease in front of a gently-bred lady. Struck silent for a moment, he glanced to the lady’s husband for direction .

Darcy looked at the doctor when he was slow in replying. Guessing at his quandary, Fitzwilliam waved his hand. “Please continue, sir. Mrs. Darcy has convinced me that knowledge is often the best protection a lady can have.”

Turning back to face the intelligent eyes of the Mistress of Pemberley, the doctor relaxed somewhat.

Elizabeth Darcy reminded him of a lady who had worked with him as a nurse during the war.

Although nursing was not normally a profession to attract respectable women, Ida had been smart and hard-working with a true devotion to her patients.

Had the universities accepted females, Tolmach was quite certain that she would have been among the foremost medical talent of their generation.

As it was, she had absorbed whatever she read or saw, and became legendary for her diagnostic abilities while working at their field hospital in Portugal.

Drawing himself back to the present, Dr. Tolmach began, “I am inclined to agree, and this case supports it. Mrs. Hudson suspected early what was wrong—her uncle was a midshipman and died of the disease when she was a child. She helped her mistress as much as possible, including…” Dr. Tolmach paused for a moment but chose to be direct; “…helping the viscount’s valet find a reliable source of opium for his master. ”

Darcy shut his eyes for a moment, his mouth set grimly, before moving to sit beside his wife again. This time, Elizabeth reached out to give him comfort while the physician explained.

“For the most part, the viscount enjoys smoking it, a pastime he apparently shares with several of his friends. However, Mrs. Hudson told me that his valet also keeps a syrup of opium on hand in case his master gets too… wild. Apparently they had been at a house party in Sussex when the viscount’s behavior began to deteriorate, but the valet had run out of the tincture.

That was when your cousin decided to return to Essex and his wife.

Mrs. Hudson tells me that the valet has a stash of the stuff at the estate, so it is likely that Lord Ashbourne is now… medicated.”

The three remained silent for some time, pondering the doctor’s words until he spoke again.

“I’ll be frank. Though I haven’t examined him, everything I’ve heard leads me to believe that the viscount is in the late stages of syphilis.

As such, you should be prepared to expect extremely rapid mood swings, violent rages with no logical trigger, and possibly paranoia.

He may also show physical manifestations of the disease.

Sufferers usually display lesions and rashes early on, and there may be large growths, tumors, on his face, neck, and hands.

” Tolmach sighed. “I observed several soldiers in such a state when I was in the army, and to be blunt, it is not a pleasant way to die.”

The group sat contemplating the grim fate of Darcy’s cousin until Dr. Tolmach stirred himself. “On the positive side, neither Lady Ashbourne nor her son display any symptoms. They should be examined again in six months or so, but I have hope that her husband’s lengthy absences may have saved her.”

The Darcys greeted even a possibility of Lady Alameda and Reggie’s continued good health with relief. After some discussion of what they could do to make their guests’ stay more comfortable, the conversation moved to the future.

Guessing that Mr. Darcy would not be eager to inform his cousin’s family of the situation, Dr. Tolmach counseled them; “Though Lady Ashbourne may wish to put off the meeting as long as possible, I would recommend that you arrange for her mother-in-law to visit within the next day or two. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that the bruises on her face will go further in convincing the gentleman’s parents than any stories of their son’s activities, however graphic. ”

Although it made him unhappy, Darcy was forced to recognize the soundness of Tolmach’s advice. They decided to invite the Fitzwilliams for luncheon after church the next day and Dr. Tolmach agreed to call at the same time so that he might check on his patients and then meet with the family.

When they could think of nothing else to ask, the Darcys escorted Dr. Tolmach to the door.

After receiving his coat, the physician turned to Mrs. Darcy with one last concern.

“I offered Lady Ashbourne laudanum to help her sleep, but she refused, saying that it gives her fearful nightmares. I advised her to remain in bed this evening and Mrs. Hudson was arranging for a meal to be brought to their rooms. I believe, however, that both women would appreciate a visit from you to reassure them that they are still welcome in your house, even after hearing my report.”

Tolmach turned to Mr. Darcy and added apologetically, “I’m afraid I must recommend the opposite to you, sir.

You and your cousin are similar enough in looks and stature that I fear Lady Ashbourne and her son might react badly to your appearance.

Both are exhausted and in pain, a state which often results in irrational behavior. ”

Saddened but not surprised, Darcy offered his hand. “Yes, of course. Thank you for your assistance in this, Tolmach.”

Once the doctor had made his farewells, he was shown out and the door locked behind him. Despite the public place, Fitzwilliam pulled his wife into his arms and they simply stood there for a moment. “They shall be well… we will make certain of it,” he said.

Elizabeth’s smile was wan but her eyes showed resolution. “I know, Will.”

After a quick kiss, Mrs. Darcy went to visit their guests and reassure them as best she could, while her husband checked with Holmes about the security arrangements and penned a note to his aunt and uncle.

It was a somber pair that met back in their private sitting room for dinner.

After eating a quiet meal from trays and dismissing the servants for the night, the Darcys sat together before the fire, Elizabeth curled in her husband’s arms, stealing sips of his brandy.

Attempting to cheer them both, she told him about her earlier visitors and was pleased to see him chuckle a bit over Mrs. Pratt and Mrs. Dewitt.

This led to some soft kisses, after which Will put his glass aside and carried his wife to bed where they spent some part of the night reaffirming that there existed at least one happy marriage in England.