“Are you blaming me for that?”
“Of course not.”
Elizabeth settled back against the wall.
“Although—“ Darcy added after a moment’s silence.
“Although what?”
“It was rather foolish of you to walk alone so late in the evening. It was almost dark. What were you doing out so late?”
“Walking, as I always do and have done for years. I have never come across any problems before now unless you suppose our current predicament is a regular part of my life.”
“I will not speculate on what adventures you may or may not have had. All I am saying is that it might have been sensible for you to go home earlier, that is all.”
“Considering you are sitting beside me with your hands just as bound as mine, I do not think you can talk to me about what is sensible.”
Darcy did not respond. Elizabeth leaned her head back again, but she had to stop as the wagon jolted over the uneven road, causing her head to hit the wood. There were no springs in the wagon, so she could feel every single stone and dip they passed over.
“I wonder how far they will travel tonight?”
Darcy shifted his position, wincing painfully. “I think they will travel all night and stop somewhere in the morning. We might see a way to escape then.”
Elizabeth leaned forward to press her head to her knees. “My family will have noticed my absence by now. What will they think?”
“If you worry about what your family will endure in your absence, you will add to your miseries a thousandfold,” said Darcy gently. “Only think that we will get away from these people, and you will return to them.”
“It is probably a little easier for you to think that way. You have more freedom from your family than I do.”
“Not at all. I have been trying not to think of my sister’s feelings if she finds out what has happened. We are all one another has in the world. I cannot bear thinking of her pain.”
Elizabeth recalled how often Darcy had written to his sister just in the short time she had stayed at Netherfield Park. She felt a rush of shame at dismissing his situation. Darcy had always been so cold and aloof that she was tempted to think of him as a man without feeling.
“Do you think Mr Bingley will discover your absence soon?”
“I am sure he will.”
“If he does not, Miss Bingley certainly will,” said Elizabeth provokingly. Miss Bingley, Bingley’s proud and disdainful sister, had made it very clear she was desperate to be Mrs Darcy. Darcy made it just as clear he had no interest, but the lady would not see it. When Darcy did not respond, and the silence grew awkward, Elizabeth added, “It is her duty as hostess, after all.”
“I am sure you are right. I hope the wagon will leave marks on the path, but I have seen several wagons come and go throughout my time here. I am hopeful Bingley will notice the missing items along with his missing workman and friend.”
Elizabeth smiled in the dark. “And conclude that the two of you were in a league together.”
Unexpectedly, Darcy laughed. “Yes, I have played a long game, have I not? Befriending him all these years so that he might one day rent Netherfield Park and I could steal from the household.”
“Your dedication is admirable.”
Elizabeth found it easier to make light of their situation. Every time she lapsed into silence, her mind wandered to that frightening place where it imagined all the different things that might happen to them. Perhaps they would separate them. Darcy was far from Elizabeth’s favourite person in the world, but she did not think she could endure being parted from a familiar face. Perhaps one of them would be hurt, or even both of them?
“Do not think of it,” said Darcy.
“Think of what?”
“All the things that might happen.”
“How did you know what I am thinking about?”
“Your thoughts are so loud I can almost hear them. Nothing will happen to you, Miss Bennet. Nothing. I swear to you.” His voice was fierce, and the quiet conviction in it made something flutter in Elizabeth’s chest. It was rather extraordinary that Darcy had gone to such lengths to protect her already, considering he did not care for her any more than she did for him.
“I suppose there is one benefit for you,” she said. “You will miss the ball. You will not need to pace around the room and talk about how little you care for dancing.”
“Do you think I prefer this?”
“No one here will tease you to dance when you do not care for it. I think you like it quite well.”
“Actually —“ Darcy paused. “I had thought I would ask you to dance.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I know you well enough, and I only like dancing when I am already acquainted with the lady. Why not you?”
“Why not me indeed.” Elizabeth rolled her wrists, trying to regain some feeling in them. “What a strange thing to speak of at a time like this.”
“It helps keep our minds from some dark places. A natural thing to do.”
“You speak as if you have often been in this situation.”
“I have not, but my cousin Fitzwilliam has been in predicaments where he was not sure if he would survive. He said joking and talking about ordinary matters is a common response.”
Darcy’s last words were muffled as he raised his bound hands to his mouth and tried to free himself from the rope. It didn’t work.
“Perhaps if we had some light, we might see if there is anything that might help us cut these things,” said Elizabeth. “There are gaps in the woods. We might see what we are doing.”
Darcy grunted. “Possibly.” He twisted so he was turned towards Elizabeth. “Give me your hands,” he ordered. Elizabeth held out her hands. To her surprise, he took them in his and moved them so they rested on his knee. Elizabeth jolted at the unexpected contact and was relieved that the dark hid her blushes.
Darcy’s strong fingers felt around the rope until they found the knot. His fingers brushed Elizabeth’s wrist, sending strange tiny sparks through her. Darcy’s head was bent forward, and if he was affected by the contact, he did not show it, seeming instead entirely focused on his task. He felt around the knot, and a slight smile lit his face.
“I know this knot. Tell me if mine is similar.”
“How do I do that? I know nothing about knots.”
Darcy held his hands out to her. “Feel it and describe it to me.”
Elizabeth hesitated, then gingerly felt around his wrists until she found it. There was nothing remarkable about it from what she could see, but she described it anyway. Even in the dark, she could see Darcy smile.
“I know this one. I think I can release you, and then you can untie me.”
Elizabeth’s heart lifted with hope. “Are you sure? Should you not untie me now then?”
Darcy shook his head. “I am very sure. I practised this knot when I was a boy. But I will not untie you now because I am not confident I could tie you again with my hands bound, and I am not about to let them discover I know how they work. I would prefer they keep us secured this way until we escape.
Feeling the pins and needles in her hands, Elizabeth wanted to argue, but she could see his point. Right now, they were bound relatively lightly. And they could not escape right then, so if the men discovered they could free themselves from their restraints, they would only tie them tighter next time. But the hope was comforting.
The wagon rumbled on. Every time Elizabeth’s mind turned to her family, she distracted herself by making some comment to Darcy. Judging by his own remarks, it seemed he, too, was trying to keep his mind from Georgiana.
“If you are tired, you should sleep,” said Darcy after they had travelled for what felt like several hours. “I will stay awake.”
“I do not think I could sleep.”
“Try your best. It would be better if at least one of us is alert tomorrow.”
“It is not possible for me to get comfortable enough with a
ll this jostling around.”
Darcy shifted closer to her.
“Lean on me.”
Elizabeth blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“It is more comfortable than anything else you will find here.”
Elizabeth gave Darcy a sceptical look, and she was not sure if he was serious. Darcy’s expression was impatient, and he looked away as though it made little difference to him if she excepted his offer or not. But the exhaustion of the evening was already overwhelming her, and though she rested her head back against the wall at first, she soon rested on Darcy’s shoulder. And though she was sure it would be impossible that she should have found sleep in such a situation, she soon dozed into a fitful slumber.
5
When Elizabeth woke up again, the wagon had lurched to a stop. She sat up and looked around, for a moment forgetting the previous night’s events. She looked beside her to see Darcy massaging the shoulder where she had slept.
“I had almost forgotten what has happened,” she said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. ”Do you know where we are?”
Darcy leaned forward to peer through a gap in the wood.
“I cannot see much,” he replied. “Lots of greenery and little else.”
“I wonder if they looked in on us during the night,” said Elizabeth.
“They did not,” said Darcy.
“How do you…. “ Elizabeth’s voice trailed away as she stared at Darcy in astonishment. ”Have you been awake all night long?”
“Of course,” said Darcy. “I was not about to leave us undefended.”
Elizabeth stared at him in astonishment. She would never have expected such behavior from the arrogant, entitled man she had to come to know over the previous weeks. She was about to say something when Darcy tensed and press the finger to his lips to bid her be quiet.
Outside the wagon, Elizabeth could hear voices approaching and footsteps crunching on the ground outside. One of them made a lewd suggestion about the condition they might find their prisoners in, causing Elizabeth’s face to burn with embarrassment and anger. In the dark, Darcy’s jaw twitched. Elizabeth did not want to imagine what he might do to the men once he was unleashed. She resisted the urge to press against Darcy, determined that no one, not even him, should notice her fear.
The door of the wagon jerked open, and Lawson stood looking in at them. A pipe was clenched between his teeth, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at his prisoners.
“Did you pass a comfortable night?” he asked courteously. He stretched languorously when they declined to respond and grinned around the stem of his pipe. “I envy you, you know. Tucked away nice and cosy in here. We had to stay awake all night to drive.”
“Maybe next time, you can stay tied up in here, and we can drive,” said Elizabeth caustically.
Lawson took the pipe from his mouth with a hearty laugh.
“Perhaps someday you’ll sit beside me on that wagon, and no ties will be necessary. You will be welcome whenever you desire it.” He leaned in and added with a conspiratorial whisper, “But perhaps we should not discuss our future when your young man sits right there. He looks rather jealous right now. I’m convinced he would kill me if he got the chance.”
“Where are we?” Darcy demanded abruptly.
“Just a cosy little place we like to stop over on long journeys. We will rest here for a few hours and leave again when the sun sets. Well, are you going to climb out yourselves, or are you waiting for one of us to hand you out?”
Darcy climbed to his feet even with his hands tied. He put his bound hands down to grasp Elizabeth’s and pull her easily to her feet as though she weighed nothing. When he jumped down from the wagon, he placed himself so Lawson could not get to her and helped her down himself.
Elizabeth shivered in the early morning air and looked around. They were in the country, and Elizabeth could see nothing but fields and clumps of trees rustling in the morning breeze. A cluster of trees stood some way off the road, and as Harper and Farlow walked towards it, she spotted a low stone building hiding among them something that anyone travelling by the road might overlook.
Lawson grabbed Elizabeth’s arm and led her in that direction. As Elizabeth tried to twist away from him, she heard Darcy cry out in rage before Lawson turned on him with the pistol raised.
“Have you forgotten this?” he asked. Without waiting for a response, he turned and aimed it at Elizabeth. Darcy’s face, which had been white with rage, went even paler, and he stopped at once. When he looked at Elizabeth, she was astonished to see the anguish in his eyes. Never would she have thought he was enough of a gentleman to care about what might become of a woman he did not even like.
“Now,” said Lawson, deliberately stressing his words as though he were speaking to small children. “If you are both very well-behaved, we will allow you to stay together. If you do not, we will be forced to separate you, and I think neither of you would care for the lady being alone with such a den of ruffians, would you? No? Then come along.”
Darcy moved to walk beside Elizabeth, and Lawson did not stop him. Elizabeth looked at the pleased grin on his face with helpless rage. What she would not give to see that smile fade.
The few men in the inn were slumped over tables, some with their booted feet up. The few who were awake did not seem troubled to see a group of men enter with two prisoners. Elizabeth wondered what sort of place this was that the sight caused no remark. Lawson gave the men a distant nod and pushed Darcy and Elizabeth towards stairs leading up to a corridor with several doors leading from it.
He opened one of them and, with exaggerated courtesy, gestured for them to enter. Elizabeth whirled around as the door closed behind them, followed by the click of a lock. She released a breath as Darcy crossed the small room to look out the window.
“Do you see anything?” she asked as she moved to join him.
“Nothing.” Darcy examined the frame, checking every crevice.
“If we break anything, it will alert them at once,” she said, knowing what he was thinking. She moved away from him to slump on the small bed, then leaned forward to press her forehead to her bound hands. “What a hopeless mess. How can this have happened to us?”
“I owe you my apologies, Miss Bennet,” said Darcy. He sat in a chair at the small table that made up the only other furniture in the sparse little room.
Elizabeth raised her head. “Whatever for? You did not steal a house of goods and two people.”
“No, but —“ Darcy grimaced. “If I had not pulled you away to hide with me, you might not be in this mess. They would have seen a lone woman walking alone and allowed you to leave without interference.”
“Alternatively, they might have seen a woman walking alone through the woods in the dark and done far worse,” said Elizabeth dryly. “I am not inclined to punish you for unknown outcomes.”
“They would not have had the chance to do worse,” said Darcy grimly. “Do you think I would have sat by and allowed it?”
Elizabeth huffed and allowed herself to fall back on the bed, staring at the stained ceiling. Under other circumstances, she might have felt uncomfortable to be alone in a bedroom with a man, but there seemed little point in worrying about that now. She and Darcy would have an awkward time ahead of them once they escaped, but until they did, she was not about to allow herself to worry about proprietary or what their capture would mean for them. However, she could not help but wonder if Darcy thought of it. He certainly would not rejoice at being required to marry a woman he considered inferior.
Scratching at the door made Elizabeth sit up quickly while Darcy rose to his feet. The door opened, and an older man they had not seen yet appeared with a tray containing two bowls and two cups. Steam rose from the bowls, and though it did not smell especially appetising, Elizabeth recalled she had not eaten properly since the one sandwich she had enjoyed when she and her family visited Netherfield the day before. The man placed the tray on the table, causing the bowls to clat
ter. Darcy leaned forward with a frown.
“What is it?”
“The only food you’ll get, so eat it.”
He turned to Elizabeth and marched towards her, drawing out a knife. Elizabeth was too shocked to cry out as he brandished it towards her. Darcy had no such difficulty. He lunged at the man and would have hit him if he had not grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist and cut through her ties. He then turned to Darcy to do the same.
“What did you think I was going to do?” he grumbled as Elizabeth massaged her wrists, her face still pale with fright. The tense anger had not yet left Darcy’s face.
“It is fortunate that we do not have to find out.”
The man grunted and threw the remains of the ropes into a corner.
“Eat,” he said shortly. He left the room, locking the door behind him.
Darcy and Elizabeth approached the table, both frowning with suspicion. Darcy reached out a hand to lift a spoon from a bowl. Gray gruel fell thickly from it, landing in the bowl again with an unattractive gloop.
“Do you think it is safe to eat?” Elizabeth asked.
“I do not see what benefit they gain from drugging us,” said Darcy. “But I will try it.”
Before he could lift the spoon, Elizabeth tugged his arm back. Darcy looked down at where she touched him, then met her eyes. There was a strange look in his own. Elizabeth released him as soon as she realised what she had done.
“I should be the one to try it,” she said.
“Out of the question.”
“It makes more sense.”
“Why?”
“Because I am smaller than you, so if there is anything there, it will affect me quickly, so we shall learn sooner.”
Darcy still shook his head, his jaw set. Elizabeth noticed whiskers already lined it. It must be strange for him to go about unshaven. The thought darted unbidden through Elizabeth’s mind that it rather suited him. She immediately dismissed the brief flair of admiration.
“And — “ she added with more firmness. “If I fall unconscious, I will still have you here to defend me. If you fall unconscious, then I am alone and unprotected. They might do anything to me. I would feel safer if I may try.”
Rescuing Elizabeth Bennet: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 3
