The Lost Heir

by Harriet Knowles

  A number of men dressed in formal coachmen’s attire were surrounding his family coach.

  In contrast, the men standing with their backs to the Darcy coach were a ragged crew. Some of them were wearing the Darcy coaching garb, but they were dishevelled and crumpled. The rest of the men seemed merely thugs. Sullenly, they scowled at their captors.

  Wickham was nowhere to be seen. Darcy jumped down and hurried across, passing the reins to one of the servants.

  “Where is Wickham?” he demanded. “And are the young ladies within?”

  “Yes, sir,” said the main coachman. “His Grace and the steward went in with us, but he has sent us out while he attempts to reason with a man who is holding the ladies against their will.” His voice quavered a little. “He has a gun.”

  Darcy muttered an oath under his breath, and turned for the door. He knew Richard was close behind him.

  “Be careful, Darcy,” his cousin murmured as he pushed the door open.

  It opened straight into the parlour, which was dark, with only one small window. But in a single glance he saw Wickham holding Elizabeth in front of him. One arm was down her shoulder and across her bosom, trapping her against his body, and his other hand held a gun to her head. His features were twisted with hate and madness, and there was blood — a lot of blood — on his shirt.

  Darcy stopped, his breath frozen in his lungs.

  Elizabeth was alive, but in terrible danger. She looked at him calmly, and the emotion in her gaze wrapped him round with relief, joy, and dread.

  “Well, well, Darcy,” Wickham said mockingly. “I see my trap has been sprung.” He raised his pistol.

  In an instant Richard jumped in front of Darcy. “Come now, Wickham,” he drawled. “If you shoot Darcy, he won't have the satisfaction of seeing you hang, will he?”

  “Indeed,” the man sneered, returning the gun to Elizabeth’s head. “Perhaps he would rather see Miss Bennet die first.”

  “No!” Darcy flung Richard aside, but as he rushed forward he thought he saw a warning in Elizabeth's look — almost a glint of amusement and a little smile. A slight shake of her head, and suddenly her legs seemed to give way beneath her.

  As she sank to the ground, Wickham was pulled off balance. Two steps for Darcy to reach her — there was too much furniture in the room and too many people — he’d never get there in time, but before he could even take those strides, he saw Elizabeth turn her head and sink her teeth into Wickham’s arm, her other hand pushing his gun hand away and down.

  Wickham gave a roar of surprise and rage, and the sound of a gunshot echoed deafeningly in the small room.

  “No!”

  45

  Elizabeth had known Mr. Wickham might discharge the weapon as she pulled him off balance, so she’d thrown herself wholeheartedly into pushing his hand away and down, hoping against hope the ball would not harm anyone. It was the only thing she could do, and, finding herself still alive, she reached behind her for the small stool she’d noticed earlier, and in one swift movement, she swung it up and round, meeting her captor’s face with a satisfying thud.

  Then Mr. Darcy was there, pulling her up and into his arms, while other men wrestled her captor into submission.

  “Dearest Elizabeth, are you all right? Are you injured? The blood …?” The warmth of his words, and the security of his arms round her, when she’d wished so often to be in his embrace, brought tears to her eyes and she could only nod dumbly, gradually becoming aware of Georgiana’s cries.

  She pushed herself to balance on her own feet, she must not be weak. “I am well, Mr. Darcy. The blood is not mine. Your sister needs you.”

  “She does not know me yet.” His voice was sorrowful. “And now I doubt she will ever forgive me.” He smiled tightly. “Richard can comfort her better than I at this moment.”

  He hesitated, and she smiled. “Mr. Darcy, you ought to go and greet His Grace. Please express my gratitude to him for his courage on confronting Mr. Wickham. I do not know what would have happened had he not arrived just as we were about to be dragged back to the coach.” She shivered, and he looked round before he stripped off his topcoat and draped it over her shoulders.

  “I will be back directly, Elizabeth.” His use of her given name even though the emergency had now passed sent a wave of warmth through her and left her legs even weaker. He turned away and bowed to the duke, speaking in a quiet voice.

  Elizabeth looked to see if everyone was safe. The farmer and his wife had been bundled out of the cottage by Mr. Wickham’s men as soon as the latter had burst through the door, so she could hope they were unharmed. Mr. Reed and another man she didn’t recognise were restraining Mr. Wickham. Neither of them seemed to be injured.

  Georgiana was sobbing into her cousin’s shoulder, but she must be unhurt, or he would be calling for assistance. She noticed how uncomfortable he looked, and sighed to herself. She must go to the girl. It was unseemly to allow her to weep on a gentleman’s shoulder, even if he was her cousin. She forced her expression into calmness, and crossed the small room.

  “Come, Georgiana. We’re safe now. Come to me, you are embarrassing your cousin.”

  “Oh.” Georgiana shakily pushed herself away from him. “I’m sorry, but … but … I was so frightened.”

  Elizabeth embraced her. “Of course you were. It’s been a very frightening time.” She gave her a gentle squeeze. “But you can see Mr. Wickham’s been caught. I think we’re quite safe now.”

  “But he was caught before, and then he escaped and took us!” Georgiana’s voice rose hysterically.

  “Georgiana!” Elizabeth spoke sharply. “Calm yourself until we are alone together. Look, everyone here has seen how he has behaved. He will not escape them again. Soon, we will have somewhere quiet we can be alone and quiet to refresh ourselves.”

  She saw Mr. Darcy and the duke turn towards them, and leaned forward to whisper to the girl. “Compose yourself, and think of the coming opportunity to take a bath!”

  Despite herself, Georgiana giggled, and the gentlemen looked relieved.

  Mr. Darcy smiled at them both, but his eyes were on Elizabeth. He tore his gaze away with an obvious effort.

  “Your Grace, may I present my sister, Georgiana, and her friend, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.” He waited as they curtsied. “Georgiana, Miss Bennet — the Duke of Durdar, a long-standing friend of my uncle, who has nobly assisted us to recover you.”

  The duke bowed. Elizabeth looked up and met his eyes. “We’re very grateful to you, Your Grace. I dread to think what would have happened to us if you had not arrived at such a timely moment.” She hesitated. “I offer my heartfelt apologies at our dishevelled state, and hope you may forgive us.”

  Mr. Wickham snarled at them from the floor. “Triumph now for you, to be sure. But be assured — ladies —” he sneered. “I will have you. Know that you will never be safe. Never.”

  Georgiana shrieked, and clutched at Elizabeth, who saw the servants, looking chagrined, press Wickham’s face to the floor.

  The duke looked angry. “Come, ladies. We have been remiss in keeping you here. You will take my coach to Blackwell Court, where you will be safe, and may rest and recover yourselves.” He offered his arm to Georgiana.

  “Come with me, Miss Darcy. You are perfectly safe.”

  Elizabeth longed to take the arm Mr. Darcy was offering her with warm regard in his eyes, but she knew Georgiana would not be able to do as the duke requested. Indeed, the girl was pressing herself closer to Elizabeth, and hid her face to her shoulder.

  “Come on, Georgiana,” Elizabeth said encouragingly. “His Grace is right, we will be better outside.” She looked over at the duke.

  “The offer of your coach and the opportunity to refresh ourselves is very much appreciated, Your Grace. I apologise for Miss Darcy, but she will be better when she is safely indoors, away from here.” She looked round vaguely as they left the cottage, and turned to Mr. Darcy.

  “Is it possible to find
out if the couple who took us in are all right? They were so kind.”

  He bowed slightly. “I will see to that, Miss Bennet. But first I will escort you both to Blackwell Court. It’s not far, but my mind will be greatly relieved once I know you are safe.”

  She nodded. He’d come all this way to find them, she could not refuse him this.

  “Come, Miss Bennet.” The duke beckoned her. “Please assist Miss Darcy to my coach. She will be more composed once she is away from here.” He looked like a very agreeable uncle, she thought, amused.

  “Thank you. You’re very kind.” Elizabeth turned towards the coach, knowing Georgiana’s composure was hanging by a thread, and she wasn’t seeing a single thing.

  She could hear the duke’s voice behind her as he spoke to Mr. Darcy. “I’ll get your coach back to Blackwell Court. I fear it’s beyond mere cleaning; it’ll need reupholstering, at the very least …” but his voice became indistinct as they moved away.

  “No! No!” Georgiana’s cries drew everyone’s attention. She looked, terrified, at the coach door being held patiently by a liveried groom. Elizabeth stumbled as the girl threw herself at her.

  “Come, Georgiana, we’re safe now. Quite safe.” Elizabeth patted the girl on the back. “Look, your brother is going to escort us.” She leaned forward. “Do you want him to get in the coach first, so you know he’s with us?”

  Georgiana’s eyes were huge in her ashen face as she shook her head violently. Elizabeth sighed. “Well, let’s begin by walking. The coach can follow us until you decide we can ride.”

  “But you can’t walk, Miss Bennet!” The duke looked aghast as he looked down at them. “What is her fear? Would it be better if we lowered the roof, so it becomes an open carriage?”

  Georgiana shook her head violently, her trembling increasing. Elizabeth sighed again. “I think we will walk, Your Grace. At least a little way. Perhaps when we are round the corner, she will feel more reassured, and thus able to ride.” She smiled guilelessly up at him. “I know Mr. Darcy enjoys walking, he will keep his sister company.”

  Both men bowed at her. “If that is your opinion,” the duke looked uncomfortable. “My coach will keep you in sight, so you may summon it forward at any moment.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  Mr. Darcy stepped forward. “Miss Bennet, my steward will accompany us. Will that discompose my sister?”

  She smiled at him. “We will see. But we must not delay longer.” She turned the girl to face the north. “I presume it is this way?”

  46

  “It is indeed.” Darcy returned her smile, trying to put all he felt in his gaze. He felt warmed inside when she returned his gaze, understanding.

  He drew alongside his sister, knowing he was being watched, not just by Richard, but by the duke as well. It would be better to be beside Georgiana.

  But he hadn’t considered her reaction. She cringed away from him, and stumbled as she tried to walk with her body pressed close to Elizabeth and her head down.

  Elizabeth looked at him over his sister’s bent head. She jerked her head back a little. “Just for now, please, sir. She will be better not seeing a man for a while.”

  He nodded silently, and dropped back to walk behind them, alongside Mr. Reed, silently watchful. If his sister was so fearful of men, they might not persuade her into the coach at all. He sighed. At least it was not too far.

  As they dropped a little further back, Mr. Reed spoke in a low voice. “The constable and the magistrate have been sent for. But the duke feels it would be better if Mr. Wickham and his accomplices were taken directly to Carlisle. It has the assize courts, and the quarterly sessions happen to be next week. In any event, the local man is likely to think his crime merits the harsher sentences available to a judge.”

  “I agree. I wonder what the ladies had to endure this last week at his hands, if my sister is so much affected.” Darcy felt a rising rage. “If he has ruined her, I will call him out myself.”

  “That is what he would want, sir. You ought not to give him the dignity of it.”

  Darcy nodded despondently. It seemed that nothing would be right for some time.

  “You have recovered them, sir. That is cause for satisfaction.” Mr. Reed smiled cheerfully. “And I was impressed with the clever way Miss Bennet distracted Mr. Wickham. He cannot have expected that!”

  Darcy smiled, despite his thoughts. “Indeed. She seemed to have all her wits about her.” He shivered. “But she took an enormous risk, knowing the pistol was pointed at her head. She could easily have sustained a fatal injury.” He shuddered again. He didn’t want to even think of it.

  Mr. Reed nodded thoughtfully. “It might be that she thought it a preferable risk to what they had already endured, because his holding her hostage might lead to us being forced to let Mr. Wickham take her and Miss Darcy away again.”

  “I would never have done that! Never!” Darcy was horrified.

  Reed stared straight ahead. “The other way of thinking of the cause of her actions would be that she wished to protect you.” His lips twitched.

  “All of us in the room.” Darcy had to think of a quick answer. “Did you observe how she pushed the gun away and down?”

  “Before striking him with the stool?” Reed laughed quietly. “She is indeed a lady to be admired, sir.”

  Darcy looked ahead. She was walking steadily and calmly, her arm around his sister. His admiration of her was boundless. She had known Georgiana but a day when Wickham had taken them. And yet she had gained the girl’s trust, had even found some way of escaping and trying to get help.

  He didn’t know the exact details of how they had been taken from Gracechurch Street, beyond what the servant had said, but he would find out. He thought of the Gardiners, and his thoughts were sombre.

  He had worked with Mr. Gardiner for many years, and had never had cause to distrust him. And it had been he, Darcy, who’d been so sure that Georgiana was safe. Gardiner would have been in the warehouse that day. But where had Mrs. Gardiner been? Why had Wickham been allowed to take them from the house?

  They walked on in silence, behind the ladies. Elizabeth’s steps were slow, because having Georgiana lean on her seemed to make it harder for her to balance. But her head was up, and she was looking around. It seemed to him she was enjoying the fresh air. Of course, to have reached this far north, they must have been travelling continuously. She could not have had much opportunity to breathe freely.

  He found himself smiling foolishly, staring at the back of her head. Her courage, her loyalty and her gaiety of spirit, had attracted him from the first. And now, she had proved it all over again.

  There she was, unkempt and uncared for, her dress creased and soiled, her hair unbrushed, and looking as if she had had no opportunity even to wash. Yet she was still the handsomest woman he had known.

  Unafraid and unashamed, she was the only lady he could ever think of as his wife. It mattered not what the family thought of her. He must have her safely by his side, and very soon.

  He glanced around, and caught the ghost of a smile on Reed’s face. He smiled ruefully.

  “I suppose you think me foolish, Mr. Reed.”

  “I would think you foolish if you did not think her admirable, sir. I think she will suit you very well.”

  “Ah, but will I suit her? After all, we had thought her the superior one when I first came to know her.”

  “And that is why she will suit you. She is not pursuing you with any thought of fortune. And, if I may be so bold, she has a lively wit and a determination to be a true partner in any business venture.”

  Darcy had to smile at that. “So you believe marriage to be a business venture, do you?”

  “Not marriage, no. But Pemberley is a great estate, and the investments you will hold are all in business. You both have a sound judgement arising from your past experiences.” Reed smiled wryly. “May I be the first to wish you joy?”

  Darcy shivered. “I would muc
h rather you wait until I can be sure of her accepting me. This last week, when I thought I might have lost her for ever, have been some of the worst moments in my life.”

  They turned the corner and there, finally, was Blackwell Court. Darcy saw Elizabeth bend her head and say something to Georgiana, who lifted her head slightly.

  He frowned. “Do you think my sister will have been permanently affected, Mr. Reed?”

  “I don’t know, sir. It depends on what she has had to suffer. Of course, she is very young and trusting. The shock will have been absolute. It is to be hoped that Miss Bennet might stay with her and assist her to recover as soon as possible.”

  Darcy’s eyebrows went up. “You are in the wrong employment, Mr. Reed. You should have been a physician.”

  His steward laughed. “I think my speech might be a little too rough and ready for that, sir.”

  “Perhaps. The profession’s loss is my gain, however.” He hesitated. “Will the household have heard the news and be expecting us?”

  Reed nodded. “Yes. I heard His Grace sending a servant on horseback to the house. He told him to take the other lane, not to disturb Miss Darcy.”

  “That was thoughtful.” Darcy saw the great front door open. “His assistance has been invaluable.” He hurried up the steps, wondering if the ladies would need his help, but saw a gracious-looking lady ushering them away and up the stairs, surrounded by maids.

  A slight cough beside him heralded the butler. “May I show you to the drawing room, sir, to await His Grace? Or would you prefer to go to your guest chamber and refresh yourself?”

  Darcy frowned. “I am not certain how long His Grace and my cousin might be, Mr. Er …”

  “Stephens, sir. Perhaps a few moments upstairs, and I will arrange for light refreshments when you come back down. I will send word if they return while you are upstairs.”