Page 143 of Obligation and Redemption
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
After searching for Elizabeth for over two hours, Langston finally gave up his efforts and began his journey to the house.
By now he was able to ride and so quickly travelled the distance.
During his return, he attempted to come up with a viable excuse for why Elizabeth had not joined him.
Remembering Darcy’s fear of Wickham’s being in the area, he decided to say that he had been attacked from behind by the man, who then escaped with a willing Elizabeth heading south.
As he came towards the house, he noticed the flashes of the storm in the distance. This should delay the search for her. With any luck, she will get lost in the woods north of here and perish before she can be found.
After taking his mount to the barn, Langston walked to the house.
When he entered, Peters and Clark approached him and asked for Mrs. Darcy’s whereabouts.
“I have no idea where she is now. We were walking together in conversation when I was struck from behind. Next thing I knew I was on the ground looking up to see her running off with Wickham headed south. After I was able to stand, I went after them, but after two hours of searching, returned here. There is a storm coming and it will soon be dark. We will have to search again in the morning.”
“Wickham?” said a distraught Clark.
Langston looked to the meddlesome footman and said, “That is none of your concern. I suggest you get back to your duties.”
Then Peters chimed in, “Clark means no disrespect. He is naturally worried about our mistress. Clark, go prepare for dinner.” Then turning to Lord Langston, he said, “Sir, forgive my presumption, but Wickham has not been seen around here in four years. Are you certain that he was the one with Mrs. Darcy?”
“I know what he looks like.”
“The man is not welcome at Pemberley and no one has seen him, of which I am aware.” Then the butler paused in thought before continuing, “I will begin to question everyone. Hopefully, we will be able to find some clues to help in the search.”
“With the storm approaching, I am afraid we will accomplish little tonight. Darcy will be here sometime tomorrow. He will be devastated that his wife has left with the man,” Langston said quietly, looking around as if to ensure privacy.
“Do you think she left willingly?” asked the concerned butler.
“I am afraid she did. I could hear her laughing in the distance as they left me there. Darcy had asked me to keep an eye out for him, as he suspected Wickham’s return to Pemberley. Apparently, he and Mrs. Darcy were friends in Hertfordshire. ”
“Oh my. That does surprise me. She has such openness about her. Wickham must have taken advantage of her kindness.”
“That will be for Darcy to figure out. As for me, I need a hot bath. And Lady Susan and I will eat in our rooms tonight. Without our hostess and with this knot on my head, I would prefer not having to dress for dinner. Could you send for my valet to attend me? I will tell my wife of our changed plans this evening.”
Pemberley was subdued as each of the servants fretted over Mrs. Darcy’s absence.
They looked to Lord Langston for leadership but only found a man who seemed content with her desertion.
Few believed that Mrs. Darcy would have willingly left with Wickham, for many had known the man and his profligate ways.
Elizabeth had earned the respect of every level of the staff through her kind attentions and understanding nature.
If she were with Wickham, that meant that she was in trouble, but they needed a leader to organise the search.
It was true that the weather and dark night would preclude any kind of effective search this evening, but Peters wanted to organise a team to head out first thing in the morning.
In light of this, he met with his staff to come up with some plan of action, despite the viscount’s lack of involvement.
DARCY WAS PREPARING TO LEAVE ROSINGS early Monday morning, planning to stop at Darcy House to change horses and eat a quick meal.
After that, he hoped to continue on to Pemberley late that afternoon with the expectation of putting at least four hours of road behind them.
He and his cousin decided that it would be best for Georgiana to travel with him to Pemberley while leaving Fitzwilliam in London to deal with Wickham.
Since receiving the letter, Darcy had continued to struggle with how to handle Wickham’s demands.
The two cousins set aside little time to discuss the possibilities while at Rosings due to their taxing schedule.
They had been either hard at work completing their respective responsibilities or entertaining Lady Catherine and their sickly relation, Anne.
So before breaking their fast, Fitzwilliam came to Darcy’s room for a private word and discovered that his cousin had almost come to the decision to pay off his former friend and nemesis.
“Darcy, this is ludicrous! Your wife is not the kind of woman to be unfaithful! I would bet my life on it. Wickham is lying in order to extract a sizable sum from you. Just the other day, you were telling me of your wife’s many fine qualities.
How could you possibly think otherwise just because of Wickham’s account? He has never been worthy of trust.”
“I know Wickham’s faults; I can assure you.
But everything he has written has some merit.
How could he know of Elizabeth’s pregnancy without her having told him, and why did she not tell me?
The truth is she despised me at one time – and not that long ago.
And then there is her last trip to Longbourn.
When I arrived, I found them in private conversation, walking in the garden together.
Elizabeth was openly showing him her regard.
She claimed that nothing happened between them, but of course she would not have told me otherwise.
But even then Wickham made reference to seducing her.
And how did Wickham get Elizabeth’s handkerchief? ”
“Darcy, I know it looks bad, but do not commit to anything until you have spoken with Mrs. Darcy. Give her a chance to explain.”
“That is exactly what I plan to do and as soon as possible, but I am supposed to give Wickham the money by this evening. Do I give in and be done with it, or do I take my chances and hope he is bluffing? No matter the truth, I must do something today or risk a scandal that would forever call into question my progeny.”
“By giving him the money, do you avoid a scandal? And does giving him the money not confirm the validity of his claims? Who is to say that next month he won’t come back with another bribe? You must take no notice of his demands; don’t even acknowledge that you received the letter.”
“But what if it is all true? What if Elizabeth carries his baby?”
“You will have two days to consider that option, my friend. But if she did give herself over to Wickham, you can be certain she regrets it. You will have to decide whether you can love her anyway. Can you accept her in your life even if she has made mistakes? Would she accept you if you had been the one to betray her trust?”
The two men sat in silence as Darcy thought about his own hypocritical failings. “We had better say our goodbyes. Thank you, James. Your guidance means a great deal to me.”
“So, you recognise my superior judgement then?” the colonel said with a smile.
“I would not go that far, Cousin.” Darcy took in a deep breath as he considered Fitzwilliam’s argument.
It certainly had merit. Darcy in no way wanted to give Wickham any compensation, whether there was truth in his claims or not, for how could he financially reward the blackguard for taking his wife?
“You have a plan should I not pay Wickham?”
“I always have a plan; I am a trained officer in His Majesty’s Army,” Fitzwilliam said light-heartedly, but then became serious yet again.
“We will use tonight as an opportunity to ferret him out. He will not get away with his treachery; that I can promise you.” Thoughtfully he continued, “At one time you were purchasing Wickham’s debts in order to keep his gaming obligations from your father’s notice. Do you still have those?”
“Yes, I have kept them all. They span over ten years now.”
“Good. Do you know their combined value?”
“Somewhere upwards of five thousand, I suppose.”
“And he is asking for five?” Fitzwilliam smirked. “How apropos. Once he is in my grasp, I can assure you that he will no longer be a threat.”
Darcy contemplated what he was implying. “You plan to turn the tables on him by threatening imprisonment?”
“You have far more control over him than you realise. Trust me to take care of him, Cousin. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“I pray you are right.” Darcy stood and picked up his gloves. “Come, we should go. We both have a long day ahead of us, and I am already weary.”
The journey to town passed quickly as the weather had been dry since the previous week.
Each sat in quiet contemplation about recent events.
Georgiana had been exceptionally subdued since Darcy had arrived from Pemberley, feeling the full weight of her brother’s wife’s treachery.
She could see the stress that her revelations had inflicted upon him.
Darcy had not told her of Wickham’s demands, nor had he consulted her regarding any part of his plans, but she could see a change in him from the night of her disclosure.
“Brother, you say that I am to travel with you to Pemberley?”
Georgiana’s voice startled her brother as he had been deep in thought, but then he said, “Yes. I prefer that you join me. That does not present a problem does it?”
“I have not packed. Am I to stay there for long?”