Page 103 of Sketching Mr. Darcy
“I do not think so,” Georgiana intervened. “Elizabeth tried to speak to them, and she promised you would pay them double the sum if they would just leave us alone. They said they had already been paid to take her somewhere and could not make such a decision.”
“Could Annabelle Stafford be behind this?” Lady Matlock inquired with obvious restraint.
“I thought of her at first, or James might have something to do with it. I thought of Wickham too, but that idiot does not have enough money to plan something like this. It could be anyone, and I do not want to decide on a culprit before I have proof. But once I am sure…”
“Yes, it could be anyone,” the earl said. “And I am afraid you are right: the cause must be related to you. Elizabeth was only a means to force your hand in some way.”
“Let us waste no more time with talk. Bingley, take Stevens and hire some men—at least twenty. Send them to every place where such people might gather. Any piece of information will be rewarded. I will wait for Robert and… No, I had better come with you. I cannot sit and wait. I wonder whether anyone showed any interest in the broken carriage. I shall ask Elizabeth whether she heard any name—anything that might help us find them.”
Darcy’s agitation increased as well as the tension within the room. All of them shared his concern and feeling of helplessness.
“I saw the carriages too—both of them,” Georgiana whispered, burdened by guilt, while Lady Matlock attempted to comfort her. “And the three men, but I did not notice anything special, and I heard no names. I cannot help much… I am very sorry.”
“I heard the names.” Libby stepped forward, and all eyes turned to her. “When they got out of the carriage, I heard them. One was Pierce, one was Wayland, and one was Baines. The man from the second carriage called them—very angry with them.”
“Libby, are you sure? Absolutely sure? Think hard—you cannot lie or jest about this!” Darcy said, severe and incredulous.
“I do not lie,” Libby answered tearfully.
“She is only trying to help you!” Georgiana intervened. “I am sure she is right.”
Darcy apologised to the frightened girl and gently embraced her.
“I believe you. You said Pierce, Wayland and Baines? Thank you, my dear.”
He called for Stevens and asked for his coat and a carriage. He had a clue, and he could do something to put an end to the feeling of being a useless disappointment to his family.
Darcy almost collided with Colonel Fitzwilliam, who entered hastily and discomposed, still in his uniform. The colonel greeted everyone, and little Libby stared at him, her eyes widened as she held Georgiana’s hand tightly.
The colonel embraced Georgiana, relieved to see her unharmed, and he was briefly informed of the latest news regarding the others’ state of health and also their speculations.
“Robert, I have no time to lose. Bingley and I were about to hire some men and send them to every corner of London. I want to know the identity of the three men, and I want to know who was in the second carriage. And once I find out—I want them all dead.”
Darcy’s sharp voice and his threatening words made the ladies gasp and the gentlemen gape in disbelief. The colonel stepped forward.
“Darcy, let us be calm. You seem quite unwell yourself. You will only slow things down and might cause other problems if you go by yourself. Besides, you are known, and you will be easily recognised by precisely those people you are looking for. We must take another approach. Ladies, please excuse us. We have some business to settle.”
The ladies left the room without delay, but Libby broke loose from Georgiana’s hand and approached Darcy.
“Master, I…”
The men, however, stepped into a corner to continue the discussion. Georgiana took the girl’s hand decidedly.
“Come, dearest, let us go with the other ladies.”
Once the men were alone, the colonel took the lead again.
“Stevens will fetch Mr Adam Bourne. He is our man for this job. He is even acquainted with Sir John Blades, the Sheriff of London. We will tell him what we need and will provide the money to accomplish it. I expect to have news within hours, especially since you have some names.”
That was done, and as soon as Stevens left, Darcy began to count the minutes to his return. Then he suddenly turned to his friend.
“Bingley, you should go speak to the Gardiners in Cheapside. It would be terrible if they learnt this from someone else. Tell them everything is fine now, and kindly ask them not to come here tonight. Elizabeth must rest, but we will happily welcome them tomorrow.”
The second task was accomplished easily, and Darcy and his male relatives moved to the library.
The others chose to let him release his turmoil by pacing until Stevens returned with Mr Bourne.
Information was exchanged, two bags of money were handed to him and specific requirements made, then Mr Bourne left in the same haste as he arrived.
The third task was complete, and again Darcy had little to do but wait.
The announcement of Mr James Darcy calling startled Darcy, and he struggled to keep calm as his cousin entered in obvious distress.
“I just heard what happened—this is terrible! Thank God nobody was badly hurt.”
“Peter was hurt in the worst way. We fear for his life,” Darcy replied coldly.
“I mean someone from the family. I am so relieved that everybody is fine.”
“One can hardly be closer to the family than a boy younger than ten who risked his own life to save Elizabeth’s.”
“Well, yes, you are right, of course… I just wanted to—”
“James, did you have anything to do with this? Do not answer in a hurry, but think seriously and tell me the truth. Once you lie to me, you shall not be allowed to remedy it. Did you have any involvement in this?”
“No, of course not! You cannot imagine that I would do anything to harm Mrs Darcy!”
“You may well have! It would be to your advantage if my marriage were broken. It would be to your convenience if I had no heir. You might want my wife to disappear—and perhaps me too. Then the entire fortune would be yours, and you would be free to waste it any way you please.”
“Darcy, you forget yourself,” the colonel intervened. “Let us speak calmly.”
“Cousin, you cannot seriously believe that I planned to harm your wife—or you! This is madness. I do not want you to disappear—and I do not want your fortune! Hell—I do not even want mine! I want you to take care of all the properties and only give me the bloody thousand when I need it!”
Both Darcys glared at each other, their faces red and ominous. After long moments of burgeoning silence, the elder took a step back.
“But do you know anything of this? Do you suspect any of your friends are involved—Annabelle Stafford, Wickham, those to whom you owe money?”
“I know nothing. My debtors could have attempted this, but I doubt it. From Wickham I have no news since he returned to Hertfordshire, and Annabelle—I last saw her when she left the ball last night.”
“I hope you are not deceiving me, James. I would never forgive you if you did. And I hope you are not involved in any way, as I shall have no mercy for those responsible.”
“I am not, but I will ask around and let you know if I have any news.”
“James, do not do anything stupid,” Darcy said, but his younger cousin had already left.
No news arrived for the next two hours. The Fitzwilliams made their farewells, asking to be fetched if they were needed.
Bingley finally determined to stop by his house and talk to his sisters while the colonel returned to his regiment, both planning to return and spend the night at the Darcys’ in case their urgent help might be needed.
***
When he was finally alone, Darcy’s restlessness and torment again increased. He also became aware of the pain he chose to neglect before, so he decided to rest a little.
He moved to his apartment, changed his clothes with Stevens’ help, then entered Elizabeth’s room silently. To his surprise, she was sitting in the middle of the bed, her back supported by pillows, watched by Molly and Lucky, the latter on the carpet.
Darcy petted the worried animal that had spent the last hours moving between Elizabeth and Peter.
Elizabeth gazed at the fire, still and silent, her expression deeply distressed and her hands clasped to stop their trembling. Darcy sat by her and took her hands in his while he dismissed Molly with a sign. He gently caressed Elizabeth’s face and kissed her eyes.
“What is it, my love? Are you in pain? Should I call Dr. Taylor?”
“Oh no… Do not call him… I am not in pain. I am just… ”
“I know you are troubled and sad, but you are safe now. Nobody will harm you.”
“Please do not worry. I am fine. Georgiana is resting with Libby and Cathy. She has such a sweet, generous heart and is such a comfort to the children! I should not lie here from mere dizziness and be so useless to everyone around me. I know you were hurt much worse, and you have not rested a single moment today,” she whispered, stroking his pale face. He kissed her hands several times.
“I do not need rest, but I would be happy to stay with you a few minutes. I still have some urgent business to finish, but there is nothing better than your warm presence, my love.”
He brushed his lips over her eyelids and felt the salty tears. She noticed his worry.
“I am troubled because I saw Peter. I stood beside him a few minutes. He seems so small, so pale… I would give anything to see him recovered. What a boy he is, William! And what a woman Janey is to have raised such a boy!”
“I would do anything to see him recovered too. That boy fought for you with a courage that few men possess. And I am angry that I cannot help him now. Dr. Taylor will take care of him day and night. We must pray that the Lord will allow him to receive our gratitude for many years. I cannot imagine what Janey feels now, and I cannot help her, either.”