14th April 1816. The day continues…
“Forgive me, my love… I have failed you,” was all Darcy could say before surrendering to total despair.
From the darkness that was swallowing him, a muffled thud of something hitting the floor brought him back to his senses. Forcing his eyelids to open, he raised his head and gasped. The lifeless body of that cruel man lay on the floor with a burnt bullet hole between his opened eyes.
Darcy frowned, his distressed mind struggling to understand. He forced himself up on one elbow and turned. There, by the now opened door, Mr Chase stood with his arm extended, the smoking pistol still in his hand, as his men were entering the room after him.
Understanding dawned.
The shot…
Not Elizabeth…
With a renewed determination, he tried to stand, just to fall as everything spun around him.
Elizabeth .
He needed to reach her.
He crawled to her. Ignoring the muffled sound of shouting voices, the red drops trickling from his nose down to his throat and chest, and the excruciating pain engulfing his entire body, he dragged his battered body closed to her; his mind focused only on her.
She needed to be alive…
Darcy put his hand on her chest. Tears filled his eyes as he felt her breathing. Her ashen face, blurred with the vivid red of her blood, was raised with tenderness, as his tears washed away his sorrows. “Elizabeth,” Darcy whispered, kissing her head.
She winced and gasped.
Darcy noticed her shoulder. “Richard, Mr Chase, someone… please…” he cried with a crooked voice.
Captain Walker knelt beside him.
The surprise attack to the village had been much faster and easier than the captain had anticipated. The pirates were so drunk that they offered little resistance to his trained crew. Satisfied with the results, Captain Walker had left his men to finish the job, while he and some other men headed to the ship. It was when they heard an isolated shot. At their arrival, they found a wounded Richard already being attended by Mr Chase, five dead men on the floor, and Mr Darcy calling for help while holding his betrothed.
As Captain Walker examined Elizabeth, he rubbed his forehead. “Her shoulder, Darcy, it is dislocated. I will need to put it back; and now. It will be painful, but it needs to be done.”
Darcy nodded, but could not take his eyes from her. “Elizabeth?” he said stroking her bruised cheeks.
She fluttered her eyes. “William… you came…”
“Yes, my love. I came for you. I am here,” he said, tears still falling down his face. “Elizabeth, please listen to me. Your shoulder… it is dislocated, and we will need to put it back. But it will hurt, my love…”
She opened her eyes again and saw his handsome, bleeding face before her. “Do what you must,” she whispered. “Nothing can hurt me more than being away from you.”
Elizabeth’s declaration of love was his undoing and he could not hold back his sobs anymore. He would take another shot if it could save her from feeling any more pain. Gently stroking and kissing her face, he just added, “Everything will be fine, Elizabeth. I promise you.”
The entire crew present in the cabin stopped as anticipation grew between them. They had never heard of such braveness in a gentleman’s daughter.
“Darcy,” the captain said. “Hold her firmly.”
Forgetting his own pain, Darcy lay on the floor beside Elizabeth. As she had done for him before, he held her firmly in his arms, leaving her dislocated shoulder free.
“Miss Elizabeth, I need you to be brave, just once more.” Captain Walker stopped and reached for his handkerchief. “Please, bite it. It will help you.”
He turned back to Darcy, but found his moist eyes shut, and his face buried in Elizabeth’s hair.
Captain Walker took a deep breath and pulled Elizabeth’s shoulder with all his strength. Her sharp cry of pain, muffled by the handkerchief in her mouth, was followed by a solemn silence. Mercifully, she fainted just after that.
“She will be fine, Mr Darcy. Now let me see to your nose.” Taking Elizabeth from Darcy’s embrace, Captain Walker signalled to one of his men to take Miss Elizabeth back to their ship. “Be quick. She needs the doctor.”
“Richard!” Darcy remembered, trying to stand up again.
“The colonel is being attended already. Mr Chase is taking care of him,” Captain Walker said, holding Darcy down.
“How is he?”
Captain Walker smiled. “He will survive. It seems the two of you are too stubborn to die.”
Fortunately, despite the dagger having pierced his flesh on the left side of his abdomen, and caused a significant leakage, Richard’s heavy uniform had prevented the blade from going lethally deeper. Despite still being a nasty and painful cut, it was not enough to pose a threat to his life.
Nearby, a movement from Wickham’s body caught Richard’s eyes. With Mr Chase’s help, they knelt down beside Wickham. The man was still alive, despite the massive bleeding from his stomach.
“Colonel,” Wickham called in a weak voice, “It was never… my intention… to go this far… Forgive me…” He gasped for air as he extended his hand.
Richard flinched in surprise. He was not expecting that. He had wanted, even planned, to send Wickham personally to hell. But now, seeing the pain of his old acquaintance, disfigured by torture, his youth wasted on lies and crimes while dying alone — even if, as Richard had witnessed with his own eyes, Wickham had saved Darcy’s life — something stirred inside Richard. As he looked down at Wickham’s wound, he knew he would not survive.
Wickham grimaced in pain, his hand shaking in the air as blood trickled from his mouth.
Richard took his hand.
A weak smile formed on Wickham’s lips. “Thank you…”
The grip of his hand weakened, and Wickham took his last breath.
Richard held his hand a little longer, and then let it go.
Leaning closer, Richard closed Wickham’s eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt the pull of Mr Chase’s hand. “Let us go, Colonel. It is over.”
Some members of the crew entered carrying litters. Carefully placing Elizabeth in one of them, they carried her away.
Darcy remained on the floor with Captain Walker beside him pressing a cloth against his bleeding and most certainly broken nose. One of the soldiers approached them. “Captain, we recovered four ladies from the village and five others from the lower deck, all of them foreign and in quite bad condition. None of our men fell, just five wounded in the village, and three here on board, including Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Darcy — and Miss Elizabeth, of course. All the pirates from the village were captured or killed; the survivors were arrested and are now being taken to the ship. Six of the pirates on board are dead, four of them here in the captain’s cabin, including the captain himself. Colonel Fitzwilliam recognised the seventh body as George Wickham, Miss Elizabeth’s captor. It seems our mission was successful, sir.”
“Indeed, Lieutenant. Thank you.”
Once the ship was emptied, and the wounded removed, Captain Walker gave one last look before giving his command. “Lock the helm and tie up the sails. In a few days, another crew will arrive to sail this ship back to England.”
But for them, it was time to return home.
~ ? ~
After some time waiting outside, Mr Darcy was invited into their former cabin, now reassigned as their temporary infirmary. One of the berths was occupied by Richard, who was already sleeping. On the other, Darcy saw Elizabeth’s immobile form; her arm wrapped around her body and part of her face covered with clean, white bandages.
“How is she?” Darcy asked as he sat on the third berth and Dr Alden started attending him.
“She is fine, considering everything. Apart from the several scratches on her face, the soft part of her nose was damaged. But nothing time cannot heal. And her arm? Dear God. The way Captain Walker described it. The strength he said he applied to put her shoulder back. I would have expected it to be broken, but fortunately it is not. We have a very brave and lucky lady among us, Mr Darcy. Very lucky indeed. I gave her a dose of laudanum and expect her to sleep for some hours.”
A moan escaped Darcy’s lips as a sharp pain spread throughout his face. Only the memory of Elizabeth fighting at his side gave him strength to endure it.
“It seems you have fractured your nose too, Mr Darcy—”
“Daaarcy?” a slurred voice called interrupting the doctor.
Darcy frowned, looking at Dr Alden.
“Your brave cousin refused to take laudanum. He was adamant about it. He said he would not go through the same experience you had. I was forced to get him drunk with rum before stitching the wound.” Dr Alden pursed his lips while stuffing dressings into Darcy’s nose to raise the broken bone. “He has a nasty cut in his abdomen, but… God knows how, the blade did not damage any vital organs. I am reluctant to keep using this word, but you all were very, very lucky, Mr Darcy. Do you have any idea of the odds of everything ending as well as it did?”
“Arghh!” Darcy hissed in pain, as tears escaped his closed eyes.
Dr Alden stopped. “I am sorry, but in your case, rum will not help; this is a bone fracture and not a flesh wound. Shall I give you some laudanum?”
“I thank you, but no. At this moment, Richard and I share the same opinion,” Darcy said with a strained voice. If it was in his power, he would never take laudanum again.
“Daaarcy, how are ye?” Richard asked concerned after hearing his cousin’s moan.
“Well enough, Colonel,” Dr Alden replied instead. “Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth share something more than their mutual affection. Apart from their superficial scratches, they both have damaged noses.” He paused, admiring his work. “There. Now, let me see your old wound. God help us if I need to find flesh to stitch this hole together again.”
Fortunately, the stitches had held together, and although the area was still quite swollen and red, there was no further damage. Dr Alden simply cleaned everything and replaced the bandages, shaking his head. “Now, for heavens’ sake, lie down and rest — both of you. I need to see the others.”
Richard opened his eyes, taking a peek at Darcy’s face. Then, he began to laugh. But his amusement was short lived as he placed his hand over the area where the dagger had opened his flesh. “Daaarcy, I am sorrrrry,” he slurred, bursting into laugher again, more restrained this time. “You look… you look like one of those maaasked men in the theatre. You should see your face.”
“I am happy that, at least, someone can find amusement under these circumstances,” Darcy replied with a nasal voice, trying not to smile as an excruciating pain spread all over his face again .
It was in this relaxed atmosphere that Captain Walker found his guests teasing each other. In his way in to see them, he had found Dr Alden who explained the erratic behaviour of the colonel and Mr Darcy’s broken nose.
“I confess I am quite relieved to have you back in one piece, Mr Darcy,” Captain Walker said. “I was not completely sure it was the best decision to allow you to come with us. But as I would never stop you from doing what you needed to do to save your beloved, I can only be glad I was right.” He told Darcy of his personal experience with his wife and son. “Fortunately, everything ended well.” The captain stopped and looked down at Elizabeth. “You are a lucky man, Mr Darcy. Always remember that.”
“Yes, I am,” said Darcy, looking down at the woman who held his heart. “But, please, allow me to thank you for understanding what I needed to do, and for saving Elizabeth’s life — our lives. I am sure that, had your men not forced the door down, we would all be dead by now.”
“Forcing the door? No, sir. It was your cousin who opened the door for us. The fact that he found the strength to do so with a dagger nailed to his belly was… admirable. If you want to thank someone, you should thank your cousin — and Mr Chase, whose excellent aim saved your betrothed’s life. But, in everything else, you are very welcome. It was my honour to help you. I am sure the Crown will be very grateful.”
Darcy looked at his snoring cousin with a much deeper respect and admiration. Richard had sworn on his life he would bring Elizabeth back, and he kept his word. Laying down, and despite the pain, he was finally able to sleep.
Elizabeth was safe.
A couple of hours later, Dr Alden went to check his patients and found the three of them in deep sleep.
All was as it should be at last.