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She sat upright in her chair, her regal posture a testament to her strength despite her bruised and battered countenance, and disclosed her facts.

“Oh, Lieutenant Wickham may use fine words when trying to impress, but he is all flare and no substance. His story of being refused a church living was told in a way that made people feel pity for him. Anyone with a discerning mind could see the holes in his story.”

“What do you mean, holes in his story?” He had found no issue with the history Wickham had disclosed to him.

“Mr. Darcy would be negligent if he granted a living to someone who did not even attempt to become ordained.”

He found it difficult to believe this slip of a thing had figured out something he had failed to. “How do you know he never became ordained? It seems unlikely that a woman would have the knowledge to understand ordination.”

“If my idiot cousin could become ordained and find a patron despite his difficulty reading and lack of comprehension of the holy scriptures, someone as intelligent as Wickham could do it easily if he chose to. Especially as Mr. Darcy’s father sent him to Cambridge.

Frankly, if he became ordained, it would be far more rewarding for him to pursue a career as a rector rather than joining the militia.

The money is better. But all of this is beside the point; you are here to question the possibility that Lieutenant Wickham attempted to shoot Mr. Darcy.

” Elizabeth was growing tired of dealing with the petulant colonel.

“Yes, I believe so. What can you tell me about the interaction between the two gentlemen?” Forester conceded the point and moved on. How was this conversation going so badly?

“I was walking the path to Oakham Mount with young Kiernan Anderson. We came around a curve and saw Wickham in a stand of trees seeming to follow Mr. Darcy, who was on horseback. We remained hidden until Mr. Wickham pulled out a pistol and I decided things were no longer safe. He was aiming to shoot Mr. Darcy in the back when I rushed forward and called to Wickham to distract him. Not until I got near him did I realize he was very intoxicated. After he complained for some time about the way things were not going as they should, including my not falling for what he called his well-practiced story, he grabbed me. Though Mr. Darcy drew closer to help, I heard a loud thud as Mr. Wickham’s pistol hit my face, and I felt myself being thrown off the side of the cliff.

” Just talking about it all made Elizabeth’s arm ache.

“I am astounded by your story. You are telling me you came out of hiding to confront an armed man by yourself?” he scoffed.

“I wonder what you are questioning, sir. Is it that a woman showed the courage to do what was right when called upon or that anyone would risk themself in order to protect another? I would never let someone suffer when I could help, and I pity those who cannot find that kind of humanity within themselves. Living only for yourself is a lonely way to exist.” Elizabeth saw the man across from her for what he was: a coward who did not like it when someone did what he was afraid to do.

Suddenly, Darcy felt a rush of energy, and all the hairs on his neck rose, as if lightning had struck without warning.

When he heard her speak with such conviction, it all suddenly made sense.

All of his confusing feelings coalesced into understanding.

Love. He was in love with Elizabeth. She was resolute but never rude, kind to others no matter their station, and understanding of his inabilities.

She accepted him for who he was and helped him see the world in a better light.

The thought of being alone with her made his heart swell.

He was dreaming of reading books, playing chess, and feeling the crunch of leaves under his feet while walking with her in the woods.

It did not matter as long as it was with her.

He wanted to be away from the world, his fingers exploring her hair and feeling the warmth of her skin.

Determination filled him. He wanted it all and would see if she did, too. He prayed she did.

Forester found he did not enjoy talking to this Miss Elizabeth.

She made him feel small. He did not like feeling small.

Despite his lack of bravery, he found some peace in knowing that he appeared to be more courageous than he was.

He wore a military uniform, and he talked a good game, but here was this lady proving herself and being willing to risk life and limb.

“I have the information that I need to proceed. I will contact you if I need further information.”

Theodore was not about to let him slink away to lick his wounds without committing to some form of action.

“May I assume you will begin a search for Lieutenant Wickham? With the aid of your soldiers, they may be quite interested in finding him. He has a great compulsion to engage in card games without the skill to back it up, which often leaves him in debt to others.”

“Of course. Now if you will excuse me, I have duties to see to.” With the slightest nod of his head, Forester quit the room.

“Lizzie, though I applaud your bravery for retelling your harrowing tale, I think if you want to eat dinner with everyone and learn chess from Mr. Darcy, you need to get some rest. Do not think I cannot see the pain in your eyes.” Jane’s mother hen instincts had kicked in and she was determined to get her sister on the path to recovery.

Wickham had woken sometime the day before with a pounding head and a mouth that tasted like a badger had climbed in it and died.

Sleeping on the forest floor had given him a crick in his neck to accompany his hangover.

His failure to end Darcy when he had the chance galled him to no end.

He was unsure whether it was safe to head back into town.

Wickham scanned the horizon, wondering if he would glimpse a search party.

If there was any kind of search party. There was comfort in knowing that most of his fellow soldiers preferred him to Darcy, but that didn’t give him full assurance.

He had ventured out, desperately searching for a place to hide until it was safe.

As he found the derelict cottage on Longbourn land, he could almost hear the gods’ blessing spoken to him.

Now he had water and a bed of sorts and if he was careful, he could get his hands on some food.

His head hurt too badly to come up with a plan, so he lay back down to sleep it off.