One of his greatest worries was in what condition he might find his cousin. From what Ruy and Amália had said, Darcy might be a rather damaged man by the time Richard found him. His treatment had been far from civilised, and Richard had seen perfectly rational men return broken and paranoid from war and imprisonment. He knew better than most how delicate a man’s constitution truly was. Darcy must be handled gently and aided however possible in the healing of his mind and body.
Richard breathed another sigh of gratitude for his foresight in securing the assistance of Elizabeth Bennet. That was the name Amália said she had heard Darcy cry out when she had first discovered him, was it not? And that was the young lady for whom Darcy had exposed himself before. At long last, love had stricken his cousin, and perhaps it also had the power to save him.
One of them, at least, deserved to hold the woman he loved, and if it could not be him, it ought to be Darcy. Elizabeth was no Amália, but she was a young lady of gentle strength and courageous humour, one who might answer for what he and Georgiana could not supply. Yes, if he were not mistaken, the young lady would play a vital role in the recovery of one Fitzwilliam Darcy.
34
Pemberley
Elizabeth paused at the entrance to the clearing where she expected to meet her informant. He had not yet arrived, but she was only a few minutes early. He would be here soon, and she had only a moment or two to repent of her folly and return to the house. What madness had possessed her to come about a man’s errand— no, not even the errand of any normal man, but a colonel! It was clear enough that it was Richard Fitzwilliam’s status and connections that the informant desired to exploit, and she had neither of those. She had only desperation and her feminine sincerity, which she hoped would convince this man to share what she needed to know.
A sound caught her attention, and she gestured faintly to the stable boy who had accompanied her. Understanding, he stepped back among the trees and allowed her the appearance, at least, of solitude. She could now discern hoof beats, and could tell that it was a long-legged horse slowing from a trot to a walk. She caught quivering lips between her teeth and took a deep breath. It was too late now to escape, and the fellow was upon her. She only prayed she was doing the right thing!
Round one tall tree the horse and rider came. The rider had his hat pulled low and his caped great-coat well up over his cheeks. It looked to Elizabeth as though he had wished to avoid recognition, but eventually he was obliged to look up at her. He drew rein, and his gasp of surprise was as audible as her own.
Elizabeth’s blood turned alternately to fire and ice. She balled her fists, set her jaw, and narrowed her eyes. She strolled boldly forward, taking some measure of satisfaction in the man’s white countenance. She smiled then, and any man of sense would have known it for an unpleasant expression. After dipping a small acknowledgment, she greeted him. “Mr. Wickham, it is a pleasure to see you again.”
He recovered quickly, which was no less than she would have expected from him. He tipped his hat and offered her an amiable courtesy. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the pleasure is all mine.”
He dismounted and appeared not in the least at a loss at her presence, nor at all troubled to account for the alterations of his expectations. “May I inquire after your family Miss Elizabeth?” he asked pleasantly. He bowed with a gallant flourish, extending his hand to take hers.
She did not reciprocate. “You may call me Miss Bennet now,” she informed him archly, “as my elder sister has married.”
“So formal, my dear sister!” he protested. “I should have thought us on closer terms than that.”
She lifted a brow and continued. “As to the remainder of my family, they are quite well, Mr. Wickham. I am certain that all my sisters send their greetings.” She placed some special emphasis on this remark, and he swallowed.
“Yes, I fear that my recent assignment may have caused my beloved wife some inconvenience. I trust she is well?”
Elizabeth fought to restrain herself, but she could not help a slight narrowing of her eyes. How she hated the blackguard in this moment! What she would give to have Lydia there to slap her husband, and Elizabeth would have gladly offered her assistance, but perhaps it was better that her sister was not aware of this meeting yet.
Instead, she pasted a pleasant expression upon her face and waved an airy hand. “Oh, you know my dear sister. She has been shopping to set up the décor for your new home. I believe she prefers the French styles; I hope that does not trouble you. She has told me all about your new establishment in Newcastle, and I trust she has forwarded the shopkeeper’s bills to you. It was most generous of you, sir, to have secured such a fine house as she said you described in your most recent letter. Only the most devoted of husbands would have taken such thought for his wife’s comfort.”
His expression tightened. “As it is only right and proper, of course. However, I did not come here to discuss my wife, Miss Elizabeth.”
She returned his candour with a steady, grave look, refusing to be unsettled by his pointed use of her familiar name. “I know, Mr. Wickham. You came to discuss matters of importance to the Darcy family, and you desire to speak with Colonel Fitzwilliam. I expect that you think he will do you some favour in exchange for your information, is that correct?”
He smiled, that open, genial expression she had once so admired. “Direct as always, Miss Elizabeth. Yes, I am quite dependent upon the old boy to help me out with a prickly situation in which I find myself. It is no fault of mine, of course, but I seem to have incurred the wrath of the Prince Regent himself in my service to an old friend. You would not hold that against a man, would you, Miss Elizabeth? Surely, when you and Colonel Fitzwilliam hear what I have to say, you will both agree that I have acted in the best interest of the family in which I was raised. I told you once before that George Darcy was like a father to me, and I could bear no slight against his legacy.”
Elizabeth’s mouth curled into a dangerous smile. “We shall see how valuable your information is, Mr. Wickham. I regret to inform you that the Colonel was occupied with other matters this morning and could not be troubled to meet with you. He asked me to come in his stead, as I was the only other party with nothing better to do today. I trust you hold no qualms against sharing your information with a lady?”
He tipped his hat with all the graciousness he possessed. “Not if the lady be one of your faithfulness and clever memory, Miss Elizabeth. I know that my information is in good hands, and I trust that as soon as the colonel returns to the area, you will immediately plead my case with him.”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest. He stopped her with a sly smirk. “Do not expect me to believe he would allow a lady to take on a task such as this! I know where he must have gone, and perhaps it is as well, for he will know that I speak the truth and that he needs my help. I expect he will not be long in returning – at least we must hope not, for time is of the essence for both of us.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms in front of herself. “Sir, as you appear to know so much, perhaps you will do me the honor of telling me of it. Do you know what happened to Mr. Darcy?”
He put a finger to his smiling lips, then peered round the brush until he found the stable boy. “Run back to your horses, lad. I shall escort the lady home.”
The youth looked doubtfully to Elizabeth. She sighed and tapped her toes. Dare she trust the scoundrel? He had proved more than once that he was not a man whose word she could take at face value, but she did not think he would molest her. No, he needed something of far greater worth than her virtue. She rolled her eyes and nodded to the stable boy. “Do as he says,” she sighed.
Wickham nodded in satisfaction as the lad scampered off. “Have you any more spies hidden away, Miss Elizabeth? Surely you know that I would never force myself upon a lady!”
She narrowed her eyes in a venomous expression. “I know no such thing,” she retorted icily.
Chastised, he drew back
and held up a pleading hand. “Never have I forced myself on any lady! Then again, they were not all ladies. I say, you have nothing to fear from me, Miss Elizabeth. I asked nothing more of you than an attentive ear. Will you listen to me?”
She stared at him until his smile faded. “I will remain two minutes,” she answered.
“That is almost long enough to whet your curiosity,” he grinned confidently. “As you know, certain events prevented me from enjoying my wedding tour with my darling Lydia. A lamentable chance, but I fear it could not be helped, and the matter relates directly to Darcy. I heard, the very morning after it had taken place, that he had disappeared.”
She lifted her chin. “And with no one to hold you accountable to the vows you had just made, you saw your chance to abandon my sister?”
He lifted his hands in entreaty. “I beg you not to judge hastily until you have heard all, Miss Elizabeth. There was a man sent after my carriage from London who had an urgent message for me, to which I replied with all proper haste. He said I would be doing a very great service to king and country, and of course, to Darcy himself. You may not believe me, but I would see no harm befall the man. He has ever been a great friend to me, and I shall be forever indebted to him for his goodwill and support. I was told that his very life was in danger and that certain acts of discretion might restore him.
“I agreed, despite the rather harsh condition that I was to absent myself from the region and to avoid any further contact with my dear family until matters could be brought to a judicious close. Of course, it pained me to part from my darling Lydia so soon, but I trusted that in good time we would be reunited and permitted to live out the rest of our merry lives in peace and no little prosperity.”
He paused and looked to Elizabeth to see how she received this assurance, but her expression gave him little comfort. He resumed quickly.
“Well,” he continued, “this fellow told me of Darcy’s kidnapping—does that surprise you, Miss Elizabeth? He’s not dead—not at all, though some wished him to be.”
Elizabeth held herself in vicious check, but could not prevent a shuddering sigh. Her joyous relief must have been more evident than she realized, for Wickham smiled as he watched her, and his confidence grew.
“As I said, Miss Elizabeth, this fellow had heard of the whole ordeal and wished to spare Darcy the discomfort of his circumstances, but he was too late. That is why he sent for me and asked for my,” he gave a modest bow, “personal expertise.”
Elizabeth tightened her arms about herself, still quaking. “Who was this person?”
He held up a finger again shaking his head knowingly. “Tsk, tsk, that I cannot reveal. What I can tell you is that I learned recently of that man’s duplicity. It appears that he was as much a party to Darcy’s abduction as the man who actually hired the thugs and took him captive. There is more than one faction at work here, Miss Elizabeth, and it will take the sword of Alexander to cut this knot. You are fortunate that I have at last found my way clear to come to you, for I myself am in no little danger.”
Elizabeth stopped him. “Mr. Wickham, forgive my doubts of your sincerity, but I have little confidence in your truthfulness. Are you certain that you did not know this party’s intentions and involvement from the beginning?”
He shrugged, reaching to pluck a dead branch from the nearest tree with an affected nonchalance. “What I did and did not know matters little now. What does matter is that it is known now that Darcy is alive, and has escaped.” He lifted a calculating brow in Elizabeth’s direction, watching for her response and receiving the assurance that she hung desperately on his words. “I know not how it was done, only that an urgent message was sent from the other party, making impotent demands and warning of dire retribution should my patron’s involvement become known.”
“And that is why you come here now? You think this other person can or will no longer protect you, and you intend to defect. I suppose you wish for me to use whatever influence I might have upon the gentlemen in question, that you may again seek the benefit of Mr Darcy’s fortune in exchange for a name? Doubtless you also hope for Colonel Fitzwilliam’s connections to save your worthless neck from Army justice.”
He turned to smile beatifically at her. “You always were a clever woman, Miss Elizabeth. I ought to have married you instead of Miss Lydia.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms again and glared at him. “We do not need your information, Mr. Wickham,” she announced coldly. “The colonel is already searching for the real truth, not your version of it, for his suspicions were aroused months ago. I am certain that he has already discovered Mr Darcy’s whereabouts and was, in fact, the agent who effected his escape. So you see, we are not in a position that forces us to bargain with a traitor and a deserter.”
He laughed. “Fitzwilliam may have suspected something, but he was not quick enough to release Darcy. My information is more current than his, and I know that his travels must have been somewhat behind Darcy’s. I know when Darcy left Portugal, but no mention was made of Fitzwilliam, and his arrival would not have gone unnoticed. It is probable that Darcy is already in London, in which case he is in greater danger than you can imagine, but the good colonel may yet be some days or even weeks. What protection have you and Miss Darcy now, Miss Elizabeth? You may be assured that Pemberley is not the fortress it appears to be. I heard that Darcy was in a rather bad way when he left the country, and will be in no condition to battle these evils. Furthermore, he will likely have less trust in Fitzwilliam than he does in myself at the moment. You have little choice but to accept my word, Miss Elizabeth, and I exhort you most urgently to do so.”
She lifted her chin. “Pretend that I shall choose to do so. What can you offer that I could not discover on my own? What surety have I that your word is genuine?”
He spread his hands. “I know people—useful people, but they are not found in drawing rooms. I can also tell you in whom you should and should not trust. As to my faithfulness, I have only a gentleman’s honour, Miss Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth snorted, rather like Lydia, then coughed. “That is quite enough answer for me. I shall think on the matter. Since you need my assistance as well, I shall depend on you to remain in the area for another day, at least.”
He frowned unhappily. “I suppose that is not unreasonable, but I insist on not meeting you here in the woods. I have my reputation as a married man to think of, after all. May I contact you directly at the house?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment, then decided to test him. “I shall consider a proper meeting place and send word by Mr O’Donnell. I trust he is already known to you?”
Wickham smiled cannily. “I know what you are about, Miss Elizabeth. He is no associate of mine, but I pay attention to what is whispered about. That lad is as innocent as a newborn babe. There are others inside Pemberley in whom you should not trust, but if you wish to know who they are, you must meet with me tomorrow, with the promise that you will secure for me the assistance I require. I know I can depend upon your word, and that Darcy would bend over backward—even for me—where you are concerned.”
Elizabeth’s brows jumped in involuntary acknowledgment, and Wickham smiled again, doffing his hat. “I would be happy to accept a note via Mr O’Donnell. You may tell him I shall await here just at dusk to hear whether you will meet with me again. Now, may I see you back to the house, or at least within sight of the garden?”
She curtsied and dipped her head. “I do not require an escort back to the house, for I know my way quite well enough.”
He bowed gallantly. “If you are certain, Miss Elizabeth. I know what becomes of men who try to escort you against your wishes. To think I attributed that bit of brilliance to Miss Darcy!”
She shot him a questioning glare, and his eyes flicked meaningfully to the distant slope where they had been attacked. “I ought to have recognised your own handiwork sooner, Miss Elizabeth, for I know of few women capable of, er, disarming a man qu
ite so thoroughly. Did the poor rascal survive your driving?”
Elizabeth ignored his question. “If you indeed know of the matter, then you know that we are not wholly defenceless here, Mr Wickham.”
He smiled again at the sparking displeasure in her eyes. “I shall look forward to meeting you at this time tomorrow, if you should so choose. If I have no word from you by this evening, my offer expires. Good day, Miss Elizabeth.”
35
Elizabeth did not return directly to the house. She walked calmly away from Wickham, determined that he should not perceive in her any weakness of feeling. As soon as she sensed herself to be quite alone, she burst into a run. She had not done so in months, so deep had been her gloom all this while, but Wickham’s words had set her heart soaring. Could it be true? Could he really be alive, and free once more?
Caution—nay, the fear of crushing disappointment—tried to restrain her, but her feet danced in defiance. She had not dared allow herself to believe Colonel Fitzwilliam’s suspicions when personal doubts and a missing body were his only evidence, but to hear it confirmed by George Wickham, of all people!
Wickham had no love for Darcy, and nothing further to be gained from a family who had done with him. He would never have dared risk his life approaching the colonel if there were not some truth to his words. That the scoundrel intended to profit by his information was certain, but even he was not so brazen as to attempt to sell what he did not have. Fitzwilliam would have demanded proof, and Wickham would have expected as much. It must be true!
These Dreams: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 39
