Voices in the Dark

by Jaeza Rayleigh

  Stunned by the turn of events, William watched her tug the bell pull and stride off. He stood where he was, trying to work through everything she had said. Belatedly, he realized he had never asked Anne if she wished to stay at Rosings. He had always assumed she was there by choice. Now he understood what Miss Bennet had been saying and it made sense. If Anne was as much of a prisoner as he had been then, of course, he should help her escape. As that thought rolled across his mind, he realized two other important things. First, he finally noticed he was surrounded by a thick layer of the shadows and they were feeding off the anger he had released, draining his energy as they did. Next, he remembered Mrs. Porter would arrive soon, summoned by the bell Miss Bennet had pulled.

  Following the route Miss Bennet had taken, he headed for the servant's passage as well. As he passed through Lady Catherine's bedchamber on the way to the dressing room, his attention was caught by a small leather-bound volume on a nightstand. The title, picked out in letters of gold was in Latin. Translated it read "To Feed the Darkness". William grabbed it as he passed and slipped it in his coat pocket. Perhaps he could find out more about the curse upon this house from the slim volume.

  William took the servant's passage to the main corridor. He ran to the far wing of the house to go down the servant's stair on the men's side. Remembering the need for the entry to be cleared, he found the alarm bell and banged a few times in hopes of calling the footmen away. Taking the first outside door he could find, William ran to the stables and slipped inside. He knew the phaeton would only seat the two women comfortably, so he hurried to saddle a horse for his own use before preparing the vehicle.

  He had just finished the task when he heard his cousin order a groom to prepare her phaeton. William hurried out with his horse to back her up in case the man did not cooperate. As he neared the scene, William recognized the groom. Thankfully Johnson recognized his voice in turn when William told him to obey Anne. Turning to look at him, Johnson balked when he saw William's unkempt state, but that problem could be remedied with action. William handed his reins to Miss Bennet and pushed the groom ahead of him to where the ponies were stabled.

  As they hooked the ponies to the light vehicle Johnson finally gave in to his curiosity and asked, "Where have you been, sir, and what happened to you?"

  "I was detained. Do you know what happened to my men?"

  "Why, sir, they took your carriage and luggage on to Pemberley as you instructed. My uncle is your valet, as I assume you know, and he was concerned when Lady Catherine told them you had ridden ahead to deal with some urgent business, since you would usually mention the fact to him. It was not any of our place to argue, but I had to wonder, since no messenger arrived and none of the horses were gone. Then my uncle sent word that you never arrived and wanted to know if we had heard from you. He sent a messenger on the sly, knowing letters often do not get through. They are keeping your disappearance quiet at Mrs. Reynolds' instructions until the colonel can return to manage things. My uncle said they still have men searching for you, but they had lost hope of finding you alive."

  "I have been here all along, kept prisoner by my aunt. I need to leave now before I am detained again, and the ladies are going as well."

  William helped Johnson load and secure the trunk after they brought the phaeton to the stable door. After handing Anne and Miss Bennet in he mounted his horse. With a word of thanks to Johnson he followed the phaeton out onto the drive.

  They had almost come level with the main door when Lady Catherine stepped out, looking whiter than ever in the late afternoon sun. Close behind her stood Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Porter.

  "Anne Catherine de Bourgh! What do you think you are doing outside?" she shouted. "Where are you going? I will not have this! You and Darcy must return and marry!"

  William shouted back, "How many times must I tell you, Aunt Catherine? I WILL NOT MARRY ANNE!"

  "Stop them!" she screeched, but before Mrs. Porter could move Lady Catherine threw up her arms as if in invocation and said something William could not make out. From out of the doors, windows and even the very stones of Rosings a great tide of shadows surged towards them.

  As the shadows flowed over and around them William heard Anne scream. He might have screamed himself as he was attacked by extreme pain. He saw his aunt's face contort as if she shared the pain, but still she shouted, "You WILL obey me. I will WIN! I ALWAYS WIN!"

  In a haze William heard Miss Bennet shout, "Not THIS time!"

  He saw her grab the reins from Anne's unresisting hands and flick them against the backs of the ponies, startling them into a gallop. William felt his horse follow without his command. Behind them Lady Catherine, Mr. Herbert and Mrs. Porter screamed as the shadows roiled and bubbled around them. None of the three escapees wanted to stay and see what happened next.

  With distance, the pain began to lessen. William kicked his horse into a slightly faster pace and drew up next to the phaeton. Anne seemed to be recovering from the attack of shadows, but she still looked ill. Miss Bennet looked grim and weary as she directed the ponies down the road.

  "Where are we headed?" William asked.

  "London, although I think it may be too late to get there before dark today," Miss Bennet answered.

  "Why did you wait so late in the day to make the escape?" he asked.

  "I could not chance attempting to free you until I knew Lady Catherine was occupied. We had to wait until the parson arrived for his weekly interview. Unfortunately it was late today."

  "That makes sense," he said. It was clear to him they had put great thought into their planning no matter how it had turned out.

  "I have never driven before, Mr. Darcy, and I have no idea which way to go. Have you decided to help us?"

  "Yes, Miss Bennet. I am heartily ashamed of my reaction earlier. Please forgive my harsh words."

  "What did you say to Lizzy?" Anne asked weakly, though in a sharp tone. "She is my best friend, you know."

  William smiled. Miss Bennet looked like a Lizzy, brave and wild, with her brown curls escaping her bonnet and whipping around her face in the wind of their passage and her lovely eyes looking at him intently.

  "I unjustly accused her of being in league with your mother, forgetting the great service she had just done in liberating me from my dark prison. I behaved poorly and am very sorry."

  "Consider it forgotten, Mr. Darcy," Miss Bennet, no, Lizzy said. "But we are coming to a crossroad. Which way do we take?"

  "We will be best off passing the night in Tunbridge Wells. It is large enough to have several respectable inns. Continue straight."

  "Good. I am not actually sure how to turn these beasts."

  William chuckled, "You are doing fine. Anne and I will teach you as we go along."

  In addition to teaching Lizzy to drive, Anne was finally able to tell how she had gotten past Clara and Betty. William listened in amazement to the conversation between the women as they discussed how their plans had gone. He heard about his rescue from Lizzy's point of view and then heard Anne's part of the tale.

  "When I saw the parson had arrived, I knew I needed to be ready to leave at any time. While they were in the sitting room, I locked all the doors out of my bedchamber, and I cut the bell pulls. Then I deliberately spilled all the tonic. It was easy enough to send Clara to the still room to make more. I knew that would keep her occupied for an hour or so."

  "Good thinking," Lizzy said. "She was the most likely to take the time and do the job right. What about Betty?"

  "I came into the sitting room and then sent her back to the bedroom for my workbasket. The minute she got into the bedroom I closed the door and locked it, wedging the chair under the doorknob for good measure."

  "That explains it. Very well done, Anne."

  "You have both done exceedingly well to triumph over the obstacles in that house," William said. "I am glad you thought to rescue me while you were busy rescuing yourselves. Where did you plan to go in London?"

  "We wer
e headed for the de Bourgh townhouse," Anne told him. "I did not know you were missing, and I hoped you would help me access my bank account and advise us on where to go next to be safe from my mother. I also wanted to get in touch with Georgiana. I have not had any letters from her since before you arrived for your visit. Once we learned you were still Rosings, I realized she must have been asking about you, so the letters did not come to me."

  "I hope she is well. As soon as we get you settled in London, I will go collect her from her school. Perhaps she could stay with the two of you as well."

  "I would like that," Anne told him. "It has been so long since I have seen her. I would enjoy her company."

  ~o~

  Lizzy caught on to the basics of driving with no trouble. She guided the ponies as William directed until they arrived in the town. William had rarely stopped in Tunbridge Wells. He usually took a different route from Rosings to London and never made an overnight stop on the trip. He did know of a few respectable inns by reputation and had stopped at one of them for a meal once. He chose to direct Lizzy there. As they approached the inn yard, he dismounted to guide both his horse and the ponies to the stable door.

  William had forgotten his disheveled condition until the stable hand looked oddly at him when he called for someone to care for the animals and bring the trunk inside. It did not help to have Anne comment as he helped her down, "Oh, William, you do look terrible."

  He tried to brush the comment off with a courtly bow and a teasing "Thank you, my lady." Lizzy laughed and Anne smiled. It was not often William made a joke at all, let alone at his own expense, but he was pleased at the result of this one. Lizzy had such a pleasant laugh. He hoped to hear it again soon.

  Escorting the ladies inside, he asked the landlord if he had two rooms available. The man said he did but would need payment in advance. That was when William realized he had no money with him. He decided to ask for credit, an option he rarely chose.

  "I am Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire and Darcy House in London. I will pay double your usual fee if you will trust me for it until tomorrow afternoon. I can send the funds by messenger as soon as I reach my home in London tomorrow."

  "Begging your pardon, sir, and no insult intended, but I cannot be doing that for you. Your clothes may be well made and of good fabric, but they are dirty and well worn. In fact your looks would shame a tramp, no insult intended as I said. Beyond that, I recognize the name you gave. All the inns hereabout received warning not to allow credit to any presenting himself under that name because a thief was known to use it fraudulently."

  Blast that Wickham, William thought to himself. Even the steps I take to protect myself from him come back to haunt me. He was at a loss on how to proceed when Lizzy stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm.

  "Do not worry, Mr. Darcy. We have funds to pay for our rooms and a meal."

  William looked at her with relief. "Is there enough for me to order a bath and a shave?"

  Lizzy chuckled and Anne answered, "We must make sure of that, for you are in desperate need of both and a haircut to boot."

  "So, Landlord," Lizzy said, "we need two rooms, dinner for three and stabling for three animals, plus a bath, shave and haircut for the gentleman. What is the fee?"

  The man named his sum, a reasonable figure in William's opinion, and Lizzy handed him the coins. A servant was detailed to carry the trunk while the landlord promised food would be delivered to the rooms followed by water for a bath and a servant to give William the shave and haircut.

  It galled him a bit that he must allow Lizzy to pay their way, but William knew he could refund the money to her the following day. He would rather be beholden to her than to the innkeeper. As he watched the tub being filled for his bath, he knew things were looking up. He was alive. He was free. He was going home. And he was finally going to be clean again.

  Chapter 15: London

  As Lizzy guided the ponies along the road, she tried not to remember the confrontation with Lady Catherine. Driving seemed easy enough as long as the road was clear, and the ponies cooperated. Which meant it did not take so much concentration she could not think and, of course, her mind kept returning to what she was trying to forget.

  Lizzy was certain that scene would feature prominently in her nightmares for years to come. The shadows had engulfed them like a huge and powerful wave. Then there was the pain and the screaming. Anne had said the day she met Lizzy that she had hurt with a pain like lightning bolts zipping through all her limbs. That was how the attack of shadows felt to Lizzy.

  Despite the occasional missed meal, Lizzy had not been weakened during her time at Rosings like Mr. Darcy or Anne had. More than that, she came from stubborn stock. As Lady Catherine confronted them, Lizzy saw again her resemblance to Lydia and realized the whole situation was not about Mr. Darcy marrying Anne. He had refused to do his aunt's bidding for several years and it rankled. Lady Catherine had reached the point that it did not matter what anyone wanted or what it cost the people she should have loved. They had defied her, and she would do anything to win. Even as Lady Catherine made her declaration, Lizzy felt her stubbornness rise.

  "Not this time!" she had shouted with everything in herself and then Lizzy had done what she considered the most insane thing of the whole day. She, who had never driven or even ridden a horse, took the reins and set the ponies at a gallop. Once the pain receded, she found the driving more frightening than the shadows.

  Lizzy was glad Mr. Darcy had followed them. She had no idea which way to go and needed his help after they passed the crossroads when he showed her how to slow the ponies down to a trot. Lizzy readily accepted his apology when he offered it. Their argument in Lady Catherine's chamber had done neither of them any credit and had really only served to feed the shadows. It was better forgiven and forgotten on both sides.

  As the journey continued, Mr. Darcy and Anne gave her tips on how to drive. Lizzy would have preferred to give the reins to Anne, but her friend was too weakened by the attack to be able to control the ponies if any problem arose. On the straight, clear stretches of road the three of them were able to talk. Lizzy shared the story of Mr. Darcy's rescue with Anne and learned how Anne had taken care of Betty and Clara. Mr. Darcy told them about ringing the alarm bell to draw the footmen away from the main entry. He did not discuss his time in the darkness and neither lady asked about it. Lizzy knew he would have his own nightmares to deal with later.

  They reached Tunbridge Wells and Lizzy found driving was a bit more difficult on crowded streets. Mr. Darcy moved his horse to a spot right in front of the ponies, which helped to guide them, and Anne gave what help she could although she had never driven in similar conditions. Fortunately the ponies were gentle and obedient creatures.

  Mr. Darcy surprised her into laughter in the inn yard when he responded to a comment from Anne about his appearance with a sly tease. Lizzy felt for him when he spoke with the innkeeper and was denied credit, remembering what he had told her of his childhood friend. She realized the measure Mr. Darcy had taken to protect himself was now being used against him. Lizzy hoped it would not hurt his pride too much when she offered to pay their way.

  At the sight of cash in hand, the innkeeper proved much more reasonable. Lizzy suspected he gave her a better deal than he would have given Mr. Darcy. The servant carried up their trunk and led them to the rooms. Once inside their small chamber, Lizzy and Anne were grateful to retire for the day. In fact, Anne was barely able to stay awake long enough for the hot bowl of stew to arrive, although she was perfectly willing to eat it once it came.

  Lizzy and Anne woke each other a few times in the night with kicks and cries as they dreamed of lightning filled shadows. Anne was also not used to sharing a bed. After waking Anne with her second nightmare in the early hours of the morning, Lizzy apologized for the imposition.

  "Not to worry, Lizzy," Anne responded. "I am glad you are here. I think if I were alone, I would not sleep at all for fear. This way we
both get some rest, even if it is not as much as we would like."

  "I hope your cousin is getting some sleep as well. He deserves some good rest after spending so much time in that dark prison."

  "I hope he did not offend you too badly, Lizzy. He really is a good man."

  "I know, Anne. I was angry in the moment, but I have accepted his apology. We were all under a great deal of strain yesterday. Now that we are free of Rosings, we will be safe and that is what matters more than any moments of anger or hurt pride."

  "I meant what I said yesterday. You are my best friend. That may not mean much to you, but I want you to stay my friend and to stay with me as a friend, not as a paid companion. We are stronger together, and I need your company. As far as I am concerned you are my younger sister. What I have, I want to share with you."

  "I will be happy to be your sister, Anne, but I cannot take charity."

  "I am not offering charity. I am offering to share so we can both live comfortably."

  "We can discuss it again later. Let us see if we can both sleep the rest of the night through."

  They did both sleep, although Lizzy woke again just at dawn. She was thankful she had not disturbed Anne with her waking. The faint light filtering in from the small window high in the wall helped Lizzy relax as she lay quietly for a time. Anne's offer was generous, and Lizzy knew it was made in the best of intentions. All the same she was not sure her pride would allow her to accept the generosity of her friend. Lizzy could not afford to be so choosy, but she did not want either Mr. Darcy or Anne to believe she stayed with Anne for mercenary reasons. Yet how could it seem otherwise to those who knew her background and the behavior of her family. By the time Anne woke Lizzy had decided to just wait and see how things went. Hopefully her way would become clear with time.

  The three travelers enjoyed an early breakfast together in the public room before heading back out on their way to London. Lizzy was astounded at the difference in Mr. Darcy's appearance that morning. Even in the same worn and rumpled clothes Lizzy thought he looked devastatingly handsome now that he was cleaned up and lacking the matted mass of hair on his face. She also thought it a great shame she came from a sphere so far below him. Despite their little argument, he seemed in every way the man most suited to her personality and temperament.