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“I have brought your supper, Miss Bennet. Best come and eat it before it grows cold.” Elizabeth glanced at the small ormolu clock on the mantelpiece and saw that it was six o’clock.

She heard feminine voices and footsteps in the hallway, descending the stairs.

Presumably these were other inmates of the house going down for dinner.

She wasted no time in seating herself before the tray.

She found all of it delicious and by the time she had finished and folded her napkin, she felt sleepy .

The older woman, her captor, had left the room. The young girl was still present, hovering nearby. “What should I call you?” asked Elizabeth.

The girl sketched a curtsey. “My name is Ruth, Miss Bennet. I am your maid.” Once again, Elizabeth willed herself into silence as she recognized the maid from the parsonage at Hunsford.

Recalling the admonition of the older woman, Elizabeth said nothing and did not betray any sign of recognition.

“The older lady who brought you here is my mother. She is Mrs. Oliver.”

“And how long have I been here? Am I in London?”

“You came to us late last evening, and yes, you are in London. And that is all I can tell you.” The girl turned to the bed, pulling down the covers invitingly and plumping the pillows.

“May I suggest you get some sleep, Miss Bennet? I feel sure the events of the last day have been fatiguing, and you have a full day tomorrow. You will have visits from the modiste and possibly the hairdresser.”

Elizabeth, worn out and sorrowing, got into bed. Her last waking thoughts were of Darcy and her family, and she resolved not to waste her strength by weeping. She eventually fell into an uneasy slumber, but her sleep was restless and full of nightmares.

Brook Street, London - Monday, August 3, 18__

Upon his return from Longbourn, Darcy strode into his house on Brook Street.

His cousin Fitzwilliam was on leave, taking his ease at his family home at Matlock in Derbyshire.

Darcy intended to interrupt him, for he needed as many reinforcements as he could pull together in London.

He finished that letter, penned a shorter note, ordered that supper be brought to him in his book room, and summoned a footman.

The letter to Fitzwilliam would be sent by the Royal Mail and would reach Matlock in one and one-half days.

The footman would take a carriage to hand-deliver the short note. Sergeant Benjamin Parker, the recipient, was one of Darcy’s most valuable employees, son of a longstanding Pemberley family. He had served ably on the Peninsula under Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Darcy was just finishing his supper when the door opened and the butler announced, “Sergeant Parker, sir.” Parker, a tall, fit, plainly dressed man of about Darcy’s age with a pronounced limp, strode into the room with a crisp, “Good evening, sir” and was invited by Darcy to sit down.

“My betrothed, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, has been abducted.” Darcy spoke without preamble, handing Parker a glass of port and pouring another for himself.

Parker stared at him incredulously. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Sister of Miss Lydia Bennet? Of Hertfordshire?”

“The very same.”

“If you’ll pardon my saying so, sir, the first question that comes to mind is what anyone could have against a set of genteel young ladies from Hertfordshire.”

Darcy scowled as his feelings grew darker.

“I cannot imagine, Parker. There are five Bennet sisters, and they live quietly with their father and mother on a small but comfortable estate near the town of Meryton. Perhaps someone has some grudge against their father. The estate is entailed on a distant cousin. Perhaps he is a little too anxious to move in.”

Parker sipped his port with an air of appreciation. “I see. Do you happen to know who that cousin is?” He regarded Darcy from beneath lowered brows.

“The heir to Longbourn is the Reverend William Collins, who is at present the rector of the church at Hunsford in Kent. It is a living in the gift of my aunt, Lady Catherine.” Darcy then proceeded to place all the information he had concerning Elizabeth’s disappearance at Parker’s disposal.

He did not neglect to include Mary Bennet’s observations about the visit from Mr. Collins.

The two men talked far into the night, and the level of port in the bottle decreased markedly.

Darcy waited silently as Parker made a number of careful notes in a leatherbound notebook. The sergeant lifted an inquiring eyebrow, and at Darcy’s nod, took out his pipe, lit it carefully, and puffed meditatively.

At length, Parker spoke. He first consulted the notebook in which he had been writing.

“This warrants a great deal more careful planning, sir. But for now, I shall increase the number of men searching for George Wickham. As you know, he disappeared after Miss Lydia Bennet’s recovery, and nothing has been seen or heard of him since.

There is a great deal more we can be doing, and it is obvious that we need to find him. ”

After a time, he went on. “Does it not seem to you, sir, that there is at least one similarity between Miss Bennet’s abduction and the attempted abduction some weeks ago of Miss Caroline Bingley that resulted in the murder of her footman? I believe you are acquainted with Miss Bingley’s family.”

“I am. And you are right. Both ladies were set upon by two men. Miss Bingley’s footman bore the brunt of the attack on her, essentially dying in her stead. Miss Bennet had no footman accompanying her. The two men who attempted to abduct Miss Bingley have not as yet been apprehended.”

“And how would you characterize the relationship between yourself and Miss Bingley, sir?”

“Cordial, Parker. It is cordial.” Darcy’s tone was abrupt.

He felt his face redden and stopped himself.

“No, that is inaccurate. Miss Bingley has long cherished the wish that her brother, who is my friend, would marry my sister Georgiana. At the same time, she has come to regard me as a potential marriage partner for herself. I do not regard her in the same light. And Bingley does not regard my sister as a marriage prospect.”

“Pardon me for just a moment, sir.” Parker made several quick notations.

After a time, he spoke again. “We must write to Mr. Bennet to inquire if anything has been seen of that farm cart. The use of a carriage horse suggests that the cart was abandoned in favor of a carriage or other fast conveyance with additional horses at some point near the London road. That should be checked carefully, especially with respect to evidence of other horses kept waiting while the abduction took place. You said there was an eyewitness, a young boy.”

“Correct. He is about seven, and his observations were astute for one so young. He took careful note of the horse’s coloring and conformation.”

“He must be questioned again.” Parker stopped, frowned, and lit his pipe again. “Was there not something unusual about one of the men who murdered the footman? ”

“His left hand. Miss Bingley bit his left hand to the point where he shed blood. She noticed that he was missing the first joint of his index finger on that same hand.”

“Because the boy is young, his questioning must be carried out with great care. We do not want to frighten him into lying, nor do we wish for him to stretch the truth because he thinks it will please us.”

“I believe Mr. Bennet is capable of doing that. He has a quiet voice and manner.”

Parker stretched his leg out toward the fire.

“I will dispatch two men to Bath to keep a discreet watch over Miss Bingley until the murderers are apprehended. These are but the preliminaries. Based upon what we learn from Mr. Bennet concerning the cart and horses, we will need to begin detailed inquiries at every tollgate and posting inn between there and London. Fortunately, the distance is not too great--less than thirty miles. I will supervise that questioning with the help of two reliable men.” Parker seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of reliable men, most of them, like himself, veterans of the war in Spain.

“As far as the child is concerned, our ability to connect the crimes in Bath and in Meryton would advance our investigations considerably. Meanwhile, if I may suggest, sir, your time will be most efficiently employed by initiating inquiries with respect to Mrs. Younge. ”

“I can have my solicitors begin tomorrow. I understand she has made some investments recently, but I know little aside from that. I will ask Miss Bennet’s uncle, Mr. Gardiner, to begin discreet inquiries as well.

He has colleagues in the City who include bankers, prosperous merchants, and others with deep connections into business and commerce.

I will also prepare a letter to Mr. Bennet with your instructions, to be sent express.

And I will speak to the head groom about arranging to place any necessary horses at your disposal.

” Darcy stood, and the two men shook hands.

“Is there anything else you require immediately?”

“No, sir. I will wait on you with a report, and we can discuss further plans then.”

After Parker left, Darcy prepared the express for Mr. Bennet as well as a detailed letter of instructions for his solicitor.

He wrote to Mrs. Annesley at Pemberley directing that Georgiana stay there until further notice.

His final letter was to his steward at Pemberley describing Elizabeth’s abduction as well as the assault on Miss Bingley and directing that a discreet but careful watch be kept over his sister and that a watch be kept for two strangers, one with an injured left hand.

When he had prepared all his letters, he sat at his desk, deep in thought.

He would wait upon Charles Bingley, who had returned to London, to inform him that two men would be dispatched to watch over Caroline and to ask him to open the house at Netherfield.

The additional men, horses, and conveyances would be of benefit to the search in Hertfordshire.

He had one additional call that must be paid, and he dreaded it, for it was a visit to his friends in Gracechurch Street.

He sought his bed, praying that sleep would come, knowing that it would not.

As he put out the candle, he reflected that he would not have a peaceful night’s sleep until Elizabeth Bennet lay in this house beside him, his ring on her finger.