“Mrs. Younge, your cousin Nellie wrote this and I have had her followed since Mr. Wickham told my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam of Nellie’s involvement. We also know of Nellie’s twin sister who works at Rosings and she is also involved.”
The lady was immediately horrified but Mrs. Younge pulled out her books and gave the men the address where Nellie was staying. When Colonel Fitzwilliam told that her niece threatened to cut off Anne’s fingers, Mrs. Younge became sick.
“I will do what I can to help you catch them.” Next she wrote the address and gave it to them. But she was even more forthcoming and Darcy did not doubt she told the truth when she took the men there. She then knocked on the door in a manor recognized by those inside.
As soon as the door was open two men came to greet Darcy and his cousin and Anne was with them.
“I ask for your forgiveness, Miss de Bourgh. I am sorry my nieces have scared you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Younge but I do not understand.”
“Miss be Bourgh, you have been kidnapped by my nieces Nellie and Doris. Have these men hurt you?”
“No, they are not involved.”
“But Mr. Darcy, my younger cousin Nellie was having an affair with Wickham. I learned this from Lady Catherine’s former driver who brought Anne here. He is the older man. I was pleased to introduce the younger man to Nellie’s sister, but she too was only after Wickham. I feel betrayed. Yes, Nellie does have a twin sister who works for Lady Catherine, and she too has a crush on Wickham.”
“I am sorry to hear this, Mrs. Younge, but Mr. Wickham has been sent to Australia and never will be allowed to return to England. We believe he orchestrated this kidnapping.”
The woman broke down and cried and Darcy knew she had a broken heart.
The magistrate next spoke with the older man and his son and gave Darcy the all clear sign.
“Please forgive us Miss de Bourgh but I am glad that you are free. My son and I would never see you harmed.”
Soon the men were let go but they said they wished to help find the sisters and clear their good name and Mrs. Younge gave them a new room and Darcy paid for the cost and would contact them later.
As Anne walked into her uncle’s house she was greeted by all the others but Colonel Fitzwilliam held her tightly and finally allowed her mother to hug her and the mother and her daughter set close all night.
“Mother, things will change now. I will be the owner of Rosings and you will live in the Dowager House. My cousins will help me manage Rosings and I will expect your advice as well.”
“Anne, I believe you will make a good owner of Rosings.”
“But, Mother, I now have rules and the first is never to hear you speak about Mr. Darcy and I getting married. I never loved him and neither did he love me and I hope he has found happiness with his new friend. As for myself, Richard and I are very close and he will leave the army after this latest assignment in town.”
“Are you engaged, Anne?”
“Yes, Mother, Richard and I have been secretly engaged for several weeks.”
“Darcy, it is all true. She is the only woman I have ever loved.”
By now the entire house erupted in merriment. Gone were the promises to see
Lady Catherine arrested for hiring Wickham to compromise Miss Elizabeth and now the business before them was to deal with the kidnapping.
The entire plan had been amateurish from the beginning and Nellie and her sister had no clue how to claim the ransom. Darcy believed that Wickham might be capable of pulling off the kidnapping but the young women could not and would have eventually panicked and murdered his cousin.
CHAPTER 11
Elizabeth was in an adjacent room but could still hear the others but stayed away to give the family their privacy. She could hear Darcy’s aunt’s contrition and now she watched as the woman entered the room.
“Please do not mind me, Miss Brinn, but this has been a difficult time. You no doubt heard my daughter was kidnapped and thank God she is back.”
“I can understand why you are so emotional. You may talk to me if you wish or I will remain silent if that is your wish.”
“Miss Brinn, I have been a fool for so many years. I should not be surprised this happened and I alone am responsible. It would be wonderful if I could turn back the clock and do things differently but I am afraid the die has been cast. Yes, I have nearly ruined an innocent young woman in an attempt to persuade my nephew Mr. Darcy from not marrying that woman.”
“Did you speak with your nephew?”
“No, you see ever since Anne was born I had this thought that they would marry one day but they never had such a wish.”
“What did you do that causes you such anguish?”
“A man who once lived at Pemberley with my nephew came to Rosings and proposed that he would go to Hertfordshire and find the young woman who Mr. Darcy was interested in and he would compromise her such that my nephew would never want to marry her and instead would marry Anne.”
“But how did he know that Mr. Darcy liked this young woman?”
“Mr. Wickham has a friend who works at Darcy House and she came upon the letter that the man had written to his sister and gave it to me. Once I read the letter it was clear to me that my nephew and the young woman cared very much for each other. Mr. Wickham said he would do this for me if I paid for his commission to join the militia and gave him other money and I did that.”
“But what did you expect he would do to compromise her?”
“Miss Brinn, Mr. Wickham is very handsome and is a gentlemanly kind of man who many women are attracted to. He seems to have an easy way with women and he said that he would seduce the young woman. I was convinced that after she was soiled, Darcy would want nothing more to do with her.”
“But who are these women to give in to such a man and why was he not successful?”
“Apparently the man has success with lonely innocent girls from poor families. His friend is a gentleman’s daughter and I understand she is very pretty and also quite intelligent so I suppose she saw right through him.”
“She does appear to be somewhat intelligent.”
“Yes, I sent my parson, Mr. Collins to check on the man and learn what he could about the money that I had invested in Mr. Wickham but apparently Mr. Wickham had left the area and I was later told that he was removed from the militia and put on a ship heading to Australia.”
“So I suppose this means that your investment in him has not turned out the way you expected?”
“No, it certainly did not. The people of Meryton turned against Mr. Wickham. He was called a rapist of young women and a man without a conscience who does not pay his debts and everyone ostracized him such that he was removed from the militia. In order to avoid a trial and possibly death for his many crimes and misdemeanors he elected to move to Australia.”
“And what exactly was he accused of?”
“Apparently the man had been involved in sexual crimes against underage young women. I did not learn of this until my parson told me but Wickham had not only been accused of several rapes but he also had many unpaid debts and had committed extortion. I never knew of his past when I agreed to fund this scheme but from what others are saying, Mr. Wickham might also be behind Anne’s kidnapping.”
“Then we should soon know if we have captured all who were involved, is that not so?”
“My brother and Mr. Darcy would know but the two men who stayed with Anne are a former driver at Rosings and his son. Anne said they treated her kindly and never threatened her, unlike the girl Nellie who insisted on the ransom being paid immediately or Anne would have a finger cut off each day that the ransom was unpaid. Those two men staying with Anne were not aware that Anne had been kidnapped and indeed Anne had been told by Doris, my new servant, that her cousin Richard was to meet her in London and Anne accompanied them to where they were found.”
“Is your servant Doris, Nellie’s twin sister?”
“Yes, but I nev
er knew that when I hired her and just learned of it. There is one thing I want to add and it is that a year ago I replaced Henry as my driver with Ralph, after I falsely accused Henry of stealing my wine. I suppose my newest servant Doris played a role in recruiting Henry because the man had not stayed in Liverpool long before he and his son returned to Hunsford, the little village near Rosings.”
“So the man who replaced Henry is your present driver?”
“Yes, but Anne is now the owner of Rosings and starting now I shall live in the Dowager House without a driver. I hope Anne hires Henry to be her new driver for Ralph is moving to Portsmouth. Ralph was sick when Anne left to come to town and Doris arranged for Henry to bring her and Anne to town.”
“From what you say, there were only the twin sisters and Mr Wickham involved, so how could Nellie and Doris have managed to pull this off without Wickham or another man? Certainly Anne would know, but before that either Nellie or her sister had to guard Anne, as the others returned to Rosings?”
“I suppose you are right for otherwise Anne would leave and go to my brother’s house.”
“Did either of the sisters know that Mr. Wickham was out of the country?”
“I do not believe that either sister knows that Mr. Wickham has left the country. The magistrate and two men are staying at the place so they can capture any others and if Nellie comes for Anne we can later have her sister arrested at Rosings or wherever she is found.”
“Then I should like to see the look on the sisters faces when they return and find the men and Anne have left and the magistrate greets them.”
“You are a wise young woman, Miss Brinn. If for some reason my nephew and his female friend do not decide to marry, I would hope that he would meet you for I believe that you would make him a perfect wife.”
“Thank you, Your Ladyship, I am grateful that you would honor me with such praise. I do consider that your nephew is a strong willed man and of course he is very handsome indeed. It will be good to see you again.”
“Of course, Darcy has already decided on this other woman and he is never wrong.
In any event, I do hope to see you again, Miss Brinn. Perhaps if he is unhappy with this other woman, you can catch him.”
“I shall be the first person to know if that happens.”
* *
Darcy next left with his cousin and went to Darcy House and saw that Nellie was gone. They next spoke with Mr. Johnson who said she left the house shortly after Mrs. Hughes and before he could tell Mrs. Hughes that she had written the ransom note and later awoke the others as she knocked at the front of the house.
By now a thick fog rolled in and one could hardly see his hands in front of his face.
They were fortunate to arrive at Mrs. Younge’s house to ask if she had recently seen her niece but this time the woman did not come to the door.
Moments later the woman’s housekeeper arrived and let the men inside and soon the woman screamed. Both men then saw Mrs. Younge’s body lying on her back in a pool of blood. She had her throat slashed and it was recently done.
“Darcy continued on to the boarding house as his cousin remained with the other woman and asked her if Mrs. Younge had any enemies who might be responsible.”
“I suppose she has made a few enemies but you can see the type of tenants we have to deal with, but murder is a very different subject.”
He asked the woman where she had been and was told she had been gone less than an hour and had stopped at the market for food. She next said Mrs. Younge had asked her to make some beef stew with biscuits for dinner and she had made that purchase.
Whilst Colonel Fitzwilliam remained with the housekeeper, Darcy soon passed the man stationed outside the boarding house where Anne had been found just hours earlier.
When the guard stationed outside the boarding house recognized Darcy, he opened the door and let him inside to speak with the magistrate and Darcy told him of the murder.
“So we have a murder along with the kidnapping, but at least Miss de Bourgh is back safe at her uncle’s home. We need to find the sisters and any others. The kidnapping has failed but no one can rest easily until all who are involved are arrested. What are your suspicions, Mr. Darcy?”
“I believe George Wickham had a role in planning this and he used my servant Nellie and her sister Doris, who is my aunt’s servant. But I believe Nellie has done most of the legwork in Wickham’s absence.”
“You are saying that Nellie has left, but is she also a thief? If she has left for good, then she and her sister must have learned that Wickham is on a ship sailing for Australia. Most likely the sisters have stolen from both you and your aunt and have now aborted the kidnapping altogether.”
“It might be they realize that they have to leave and we may never see them again.”
“They may try to steal any jewels or other valuables you and your aunt keep at your homes.”
“That would be difficult. Only Mrs. Hughes and I know how to access the jewels at Darcy House and my aunt Catherine is the only one who knows where her jewels are kept. Still, I do not discount how clever these thieves can be.”
“Yes, Mr. Darcy, it would be good to read some of Nellie’s letters and her sister’s as well. And what do you know of her twin sister?”
“I know of very little but any woman who would threaten to cut off a woman’s fingers can easily commit murder and the same likely applies to her sister.”
“This man Wickham apparently sees himself as a ladies man.”
“That is true. He and Mrs. Younge were very close the last few years but he prefers the company of much younger women.”
“Then he is likely attracted to both Nellie and her sister.”
“That is what Mrs. Younge told us earlier, that Wickham likely has his mind on the twin sisters and sees this as a game and is playing them like a fiddle.”
“Do you believe Mrs. Younge was involved in this scheme?”
“I do not think that she knew of this but she did rent her niece this room for a few nights and apparently the woman paid for it but I would have assumed that the woman would have asked her niece many questions. Still, I do not believe she was involved.”
“Then Mr. Darcy, either Nellie or a man murdered Mrs. Younge. Did her home appear to be ransacked?”
“No, everything seemed in order, but there looked to have been a little struggle.”
“Is Nellie a large woman?”
“No, she is not a large woman. In fact, I would call her petite at best and I understand that her sister is similar in size.”
“That tells me she was murdered by man who came up behind her and prevented her from screaming and then cut her throat. If that is the case then either he was put up to it by Nellie or her sister. Darcy, I suggest that we leave immediately and go to Mrs. Younge’s house and arrange to have a coroner brought to the house and get the body out as soon as can be.”
“And I agree with that and perhaps we may even be able to determine if Nellie’s sister Doris also took a room nearby.”
“Mr. Darcy, I just do not feel good about all that I am learning. It may be that the sisters are now only after your valuables including money and jewelry and your aunt’s as well, but I also believe they may be looking to try another kidnapping. This kidnapping of your cousin was set up before Mr. Wickham left for Australia but he was acutely aware of your feelings for Miss Bennet, and so it is possible that she is his next target to be kidnapped. I will take care of things here but you would be wise to not let your friend be out of your sight.”
CHAPTER 12
Elizabeth was not a person prone to fear and all appeared to be mostly resolved. She knew that soon the sisters would be found and brought to justice and now she wished for her long walks at Longbourn and the thick dense fog beckoned her to take a walk. This would be her way to relax from the close confinement thus far. Darcy had told her not to leave the house unless he was with her but she only planned to take a short walk, perhaps only to the en
d of the street and back and then she would be back inside the house before Darcy returned.
She left through the front door and made a left turn and begin to walk down the street but the street turned and suddenly she was not sure if she had made her earlier turn. Now panic began to set in and as hard as she tried she could not find her way back to the house. She had left over a half hour earlier but could not be certain where she was. The fact that she had walked a considerable distance and had not stayed close to the house was soon evident as she found herself in a poor area. Already she could hear some people arguing and men cussing and she turned around to walk back in the direction she had come from when she heard voices coming from in front of her and they were from a man and a young woman. Next she heard the man mention the name Nellie. She backed up to the side hoping that the others would not see her as Nellie said that Darcy’s friend Elizabeth could be kidnapped and they would be rich for life. Though she had never met Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy had already written of her in his letter to Georgiana and Nellie knew from Darcy’s description who she was as soon as she saw her. Elizabeth had no chance as she turned to run in the dense fog and tripped as two masculine hands grabbed her and covered her mouth and nose to muzzle her until she next lost consciousness. She then was brought into a building close by.
When she awoke she found herself tied securely and gagged.
“She is quite pretty, Nellie. It is too bad your Mr. Wickham is not here to enjoy her company but I will have my way instead.”
“No, you will not touch her. You have done enough. I told you not to kill my aunt.”
“But we did not need another to get a cut in the ransom.”
“She was not involved in the kidnapping and knew nothing, but I tell you that Darcy is onto us. Doris is coming tonight and we will divide the jewels and the money three ways as soon as we reach Ireland. They will not find us there,” said Nellie.
OUT OF THE BLUE CLEAR SKY: (A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE VARIATION) Page 11
