Page 35

CHAPTER 35

Countermeasures

D arcy was livid after hearing the reports from both his aunt and cousin later that day.

The one from his aunt had nearly convinced him to leave Netherfield with his sister and never again associate with any member of the Bingley family.

However, Lady Matlock forced him to calm himself.

“You and Elizabeth will be wed in just a few days, Fitzwilliam,” she said, halting his pacing.

“Allow my son to do what must be done so that both Mr. Wickham and Miss Bingley may be held accountable for their actions. Regardless of what else may happen, she is finished in society.”

“I wish to be able to celebrate my engagement to Miss Elizabeth openly, but due to the jealousy of two—perhaps three—individuals, we are forced to hide our attachment from those who would rejoice with us,” Darcy complained.

“Richard ought to work faster.”

Despite his tirade, Darcy remained furious when Colonel Fitzwilliam returned to Netherfield after visiting the militia encampment that morning.

“Sanderson has reported to me,” he said without preamble.

“Miss Bingley handed Wickham the full two hundred and fifty pounds and is now waiting for word that the task has been accomplished. I have an idea that will take care of both our problems at once, but it will require the cooperation of both you and Elizabeth.”

Darcy scowled.

“The entire point of this scheme was to protect Elizabeth, and now you want to involve her further?” he asked incredulously.

“Hear me out, Darcy,” the colonel replied.

“Better yet, let us discuss it with your lovely intended. I suspect she’ll be far more likely to appreciate the brilliance of my plan,” he added with a laugh, clearly amused by the thunderous expression on his cousin’s face.

“Tell me now,” Darcy demanded.

“Whatever plan you’ve concocted will undoubtedly anger me, and I would prefer to have my argument prepared in advance.”

“I think not,” Fitzwilliam said with a chuckle, further provoking his cousin.

“Come, I sent word to Longbourn earlier asking Mr. Bennet and Miss Elizabeth to meet us at the cottage. If we do not depart immediately, they will arrive before us—again.”

Without giving Darcy a chance to respond, Fitzwilliam strode out of the room.

Darcy followed a moment later, hot on his heels.

“You intend to ride in those?” Fitzwilliam called back, gesturing at the soft house shoes Darcy still wore.

“Damn you, Richard,” Darcy muttered, turning back towards his chambers.

Entering his dressing room, he found his valet waiting and quickly changed into boots and attire more appropriate for riding through dusty fields.

A short time later, though longer than he would have liked, he arrived at the stables to find his horse already saddled, but his cousin nowhere in sight.

Mounting, he cursed Fitzwilliam once more before spurring his horse into a canter, directing it across the fields towards the cottage .

Three horses were already tethered nearby when he arrived.

He dismounted, silently acknowledging the guards stationed at a reasonable distance, all the while muttering invectives against his cousin as he approached the door.

To his surprise—and utter delight—the door flew open, and Elizabeth rushed outside and into his arms.

“Oh, Elizabeth,” he groaned, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer into his embrace.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam has been telling Papa and me what he knows,” she said after a moment of simply resting in his arms. “While I know—or think I know—what their motivation is, I simply cannot understand what would make either of them willing to go so far. Your cousin says he has a plan to hoist them on their own petard, but he refused to share any details until you arrived.”

“Yes,” Darcy replied darkly, “he said as much to me earlier as well. He also implied the plan would anger me, which is likely why he waited to explain it until you were here. He believes your presence will temper my reaction.”

“Will it?” she asked, drawing back to look up at him more fully.

“I am uncertain,” he admitted.

“He implied the plan depends on your participation which I cannot like. But,” he added with a wry grin, “with you here, he knows I will be less inclined to resort to violence and strike him for proposing something that places you in further danger.”

Elizabeth gasped, then dissolved into giggles at the exasperated expression on his face.

“Come, dearest,” she said, slipping out of his arms and taking his hand in hers.

“Let us go in and hear his plan.”

“Absolutely not!” Darcy nearly bellowed, the force of his voice echoing off the stone walls of the cottage.

His fists clenched at his sides as he stared down his cousin, his entire posture radiating fury.

“You cannot seriously expect me to allow Elizabeth to be used as bait!”

“But it is perfect, Darcy,” Fitzwilliam insisted.

His tone remained calm but resolute as he spread his hands in what he hoped would be a placating gesture.

“We will be able to bring Wickham up on multiple charges this way—conduct unbecoming an officer, conspiracy, and kidnapping. With the evidence we have already gathered, this will guarantee he faces a firing squad. He will not have the slightest chance of escaping justice.”

“Elizabeth will be at risk,” Darcy said through gritted teeth.

His stance was rigid as though only sheer will kept him from exploding further.

Had Elizabeth not been there, he would have.

“She will not,” Fitzwilliam replied, more emphatically now.

“We will have men stationed throughout the area, including inside the cottage itself. For the charge of kidnapping to hold, yes, he will have to make physical contact. But he will not get far. The moment he lays a hand on her, he will be restrained.”

Darcy turned away abruptly, his chest heaving as he tried to rein in his rising anger.

He closed his eyes and took several slow, measured breaths, his shoulders tight with tension.

The thought of Elizabeth anywhere near Wickham, of her being touched by him, even for a moment, was nearly unbearable.

A tender touch grazed his cheek, gentle and grounding.

His eyes flew open in surprise.

“Do you not trust me, William?” Elizabeth asked softly, her voice a balm against the fury swirling inside him.

She stood close, unconcerned by the others in the room, her gaze steady and full of quiet resolve as she looked directly into his eyes .

“Yes, but—” he began, his protest dying in his throat as she pressed her fingers gently to his lips.

“Do you trust your cousin?” she whispered again, her expression unwavering.

“Of course, but?—”

Again, she silenced him, this time with a small shake of her head.

Her fingers dropped from his lips, and she stepped closer.

“Yes, there is some risk,” she admitted, “but the risk is minimal. You know that. If this is the only way to truly stop him,then I am willing to face it.”

Darcy stared at her, torn between dread and admiration.

He wanted to shield her from every possible danger, yet here she stood—strong, unflinching, and determined to be part of the solution.

It both terrified and awed him.

“Like you, I wish to begin our married life without conflict. If this is what we must do to accomplish it, then so be it,” she said firmly.

Through all of this Bennet had remained silent, but now he stood and joined the couple.

“Darcy, I am afraid that my Lizzy has her mind made up. As you are not yet her husband, you cannot forbid her from doing this. Perhaps I could, as her father, although I do not doubt she would find a way to participate regardless.”

With a heavy sigh, Darcy reluctantly nodded.

“When?” he asked, his voice sounding resigned.

“It depends upon Wickham,” Fitzwilliam replied.

“You still have several days until your wedding, and if we can eliminate that threat before your wedding, then you will not have to hide your marriage. The most likely avenue for Father learning of it would then be eliminated.”

Darcy nodded again.

“Very well,” he said after a moment .

“We need to make Wickham think Elizabeth is alone when she wanders the fields,” Fitzwilliam began.

“If she is on foot, so much the better. Sanderson reported this morning that Wickham is lazy, assigning his watches to an enlisted soldier so he does not have to rise as early. We will be able to get the guards in place well before Wickham rises from his bed.”

“How will you know where he will attempt to accost her?” Bennet asked.

“Sanderson,” was Fitzwilliam’s reply.

“He will ‘encourage’ him to attempt to take her here, near the cottage. It offers so many more possibilities, and, as you recall, Wickham is inherently lazy. He will do the least amount of work possible, and the cottage is simply a convenient option for him.”

Darcy’s fists clenched at the thoughts these words evoked.

He wished to be a part of those protecting Elizabeth, but feared that if he saw Wickham touch her, he would wish to kill him.

Already, just the thought of Wickham laying a finger on Elizabeth had him ready to pummel someone, most likely his cousin.

“What if Wickham is successful, and he does manage to abscond with Elizabeth?” Darcy demanded, his words sharp.

“What if this Sanderson is not as reliable as you think, or if Wickham gets wind that something is not as it should be and changes tack in the middle? So many things could go wrong, and using Elizabeth in this way puts her at risk.”

“William,” came Elizabeth’s soft voice.

“More than one person will be watching me to ensure that I will be well. Wickham will not be allowed to harm me.”

He reached out and drew Elizabeth into his arms, not caring about their audience.

Her touch calmed him, and he let out his breath slowly.

“It is difficult for me to willingly submit to someone I love being in danger,” he whispered into her ear.

“Forgive me for my stubbornness in this matter; it is simply that, now that I have found you, I do not want to run the risk of losing you.”

“It will be well,” she whispered back, her own arms encircling his waist

“While I cannot prevent Elizabeth from doing this,” Darcy said finally, his cheek resting atop Elizabeth’s head.

For a moment, he simply closed his eyes and breathed her in.

“I wish to be nearby, perhaps one of the men in the cottage. I may have an easier time of it if I am not watching things progress, but I will be near to wherever this occurs.”

Fitzwilliam nodded, watching the two lovers almost jealously.

“Yes, I will put you in the cottage with Elizabeth’s two guards. A footman will accompany her, but he will need to allow himself to be ‘knocked out’ by Wickham to make the scheme more believable to Wickham. He has already seen that she is rarely completely unaccompanied, so he will need to think that he can easily overpower whoever is with her.”

Darcy nodded his agreement.

“One of my grooms looks younger than he is. He is stronger than he looks, and I think he could easily deceive Wickham into believing he has been overpowered. Starting tomorrow, he can accompany Elizabeth when she walks out. Another man can follow at a distance in case Wickham approaches her sooner than we think.”

“That is wise,” Bennet agreed.

“Colonel, please send word when all of this is to take place. Like Darcy, I also wish to be near enough to see that all is well, but not so near that I am at risk of doing anything foolish.”

“That can be arranged,” Fitzwilliam replied.

“Sanderson will send word when Wickham is ready to move, and we will finalise our plans then.”

“Very well,” Bennet said.

“Darcy, would you please escort Elizabeth home? Her footmen are outside, but she wished to visit one of the tenants at Netherfield. I need to return to Longbourn.”

“Of course,” Darcy replied, releasing Elizabeth from his embrace.

“Richard, we will speak more on this later.”

“Of course,” Fitzwilliam echoed, with a wink at Elizabeth.

“I would have expected nothing else.”