The Portrait of Elizabeth

by Jane Angwin

  "I know what will hurt him, Miss Bennett. I saw you together in the woods at Longbourne, and it is quite clear that he is very much in love with you. I have known him my whole life, and believe me, I have never seen him care about another woman."

  "I believe you are mistaken, Mr. Wickham. Mr. Darcy has just arrived from London, and he has brought his new wife with him. He and his cousin Anne were married a few days ago, and he isn't at all concerned about my whereabouts."

  "Do not lie to me, Miss Bennett. I saw what I saw, and there is no mistaking his feelings for you. He will be out looking for you soon, so we don't have much time." Wickham walked over to the bed and leaned over her, coming just inches away from her face. He smelled like alcohol, and he tried to kiss her, but she jerked her face away, and he laughed a wicked laugh. "After today, Miss Elizabeth, he will no longer want you, but you will know what it is like to be with a real man." He laughed again, and stood up, giving her a lascivious look that made her skin crawl. "I have some things to take care of, but I will be watching the cabin, so don't even think about trying to escape."

  After he left the cabin, Elizabeth continued working on the ropes that were tying her wrists together. She knew the ropes were cutting her skin, but she didn't care. It occurred to her that it had been Wickham that had followed her in the woods in Lambton, and now all she wanted to do was to get loose somehow and figure out how to escape from this madman. She was making some progress, but she realized it would take much too long to get loose, so she started looking around the room to see if there was something to help. She spotted an old rusty metal box on the floor behind the large leather chair close to the bed, and she prayed that there would be something inside to help her. She slid off the bed, and lifted the lid with her shoe, trying not to make any noise to alert Wickham. Her heart started beating as she saw that there were two large hunting knives inside, and she knew she only had a short time to figure out how to get one out to help slice the ropes. She turned around and sat down on the floor with the box behind her, grasping the blade of the closest one with one hand while she rubbed the rope against it with her other hand. The rope was thick, and she was afraid it would take forever to cut through it, but using all her energy, she was finally able to cut through, and she was able to release her hands. She quickly grabbed both knives, and holding one in each hand, she got back on the bed with her hands behind her to appear as if she was still bound.

  She had no sooner repositioned herself on the bed when the door opened, and Wickham returned. Elizabeth's heart was now pounding so loud, she was afraid he could hear it, but she remained still and waited for what he would do next. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, removing one of his boots. "Well, well, Miss Bennett," he slurred, "this is your lucky day." He leaned over and tried kissing her again, and she turned her head, and he kissed her ear. She could really smell the alcohol on him now, and it was clear he was inebriated. He grabbed at her breast and ripped the bodice of her gown as he tried pulling it down. She wanted to strike back at him, but she didn't want him to see her free hands and the knives, so she rolled back and forth to appear to struggle. She now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was about to assault her, and she realized that there was no use trying to run, as he would easily catch her and take her right on the ground where she fell. The thought of what was about to happen was abhorrent to her, and she knew that her only option was to use a knife she had hidden behind her. Could she find it in herself to injure and possibly even kill a man? As he leaned over and started to tug on his other boot, and before she had another moment to even think about it, she pulled her arm out from under her with the hunting knife and closed her eyes and plunged the knife into Wickham's back. She thought she would pass out from the feeling of what she had just done, but without looking back, she bolted off the bed and ran from the cabin, not waiting to see what she had done.

  She had no idea where she was and how far away from Pemberley he had taken her, so she just ran as fast as she could go, praying that if he was still alive he could not find her. She found herself in the middle of a dense woods, and even though it was still daylight, she had no idea how much time she had before nightfall. After running for what felt like hours, she finally had to slow down and stop to catch her breath. She leaned against a tree and listened carefully to see if she could hear anyone coming, but it was perfectly silent except for the occasional chirp of a bird. She looked down and realized that she had blood on her hand, and in her other hand she still held the second knife that she had gripped underneath her as he came at her. "Good Lord, what have I done?" she cried out as tears began falling down her face. "I pray that I didn't kill him. He is an evil man, but I do not want to have his death on my hands."

  As soon as she could breathe normally again, she began running again, trying to find a path or a creek to follow, but she found nothing. She wanted to discard the knife, but she had enough sense to know that she might need it if he found her or if she needed protection from a wild boar. On an on she went, frantically looking to see if there was an opening of some kind, but the woods were seemingly endless. As she feared, the sky soon began to darken, and the wind began to whip through the branches, chilling her to the bone. She very much regretted not wearing her half boots that morning, and her shoes had become soaked and torn as she trudged through the underbrush that was wet from rain earlier in the day. Elizabeth knew that it would soon be necessary to find some kind of shelter for the night, and so she slowed to survey her surroundings. As she peered into the trees, she thought she saw a dim light of some kind off to her right. It flickered and went dark, but she turned and walked toward what she thought she had seen. It was now practically pitch dark, and her fear was that she had imagined the light, but just as she was about to give up hope, she saw it again, this time closer to her than before. She tripped and fell several times in the darkness, but the light remained steady, and she was finally able to come to an opening in the trees where there stood a small cabin with a faint light coming from inside.

  Fearing that she may have somehow made a large circle in the woods and that she was simply back at the cabin where Wickham had taken her, she stopped to think. "I cannot say what that cabin looked like, but it seemed to only have one small room, and this cabin appears much larger to me." She crept closer and tried to look into the window, but being too far away and unable to see anything, she slipped around the side of the building. There she saw a stone chimney, and she knew with certainty that the shack had no fireplace, so she felt confident that this cabin was not the one where she had left Wickham. "Please Lord, let someone be here to help me," she prayed.

  She walked back around to the front of the cabin, and this time she could peek in the window where the light was coming from. She noticed pretty curtains at the window, and it was obvious that this was not used by hunters. Still seeing no sign of anyone, she quietly knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she knocked again, this time a little more forcefully. To her dismay, there was still no response, but she was now so cold that she couldn't feel her feet or her fingers, so she tried to door and found it unlocked. "Hello?" she said. "Is anyone here?" When it was obvious that no one was at home, feeling quite desperate, cold and afraid, she stepped inside and felt the immediate warmth, as if someone had just been there and had only recently had a fire in the fireplace. There on a small table underneath the window was a candle that was burning. "Who would leave home with a candle burning?" she wondered. The cabin was dark, so she took the candle and found her way around the room, looking at the charming furnishings. She saw that there was a second room, and she cautiously looked inside to make sure no one was asleep and simply hadn't heard her knock. Finding it empty, she returned to the front room and noticed a large quilt spread across the back of a couch, and sitting down, she took it and wrapped herself in it, feeling her fatigue setting in almost immediately. "I will just close my eyes for a moment, and then I will determine what to do next.", she said to herself. She blew o
ut the candle, put her head down on a pillow on the couch, and she immediately fell fast asleep.

  Darcy had slept poorly, tossing and turning through the night, angry that he hadn't been able to explain to Elizabeth why he had brought Anne with him to Pemberley. He knew that she believed that he had married Anne, and it was imperative that he speak to her as soon as possible before she left Pemberley. He checked outside the window to see if the rain had stopped, and seeing that the rain had cleared, he knew that her aunt and uncle would want to return to Lambton as soon as possible, so he quickly dressed and went downstairs to stop them.

  "Good morning, Master William," Mrs. Reynolds said as he came down the stairs. "Are you going out for a ride before your morning meal?" she inquired. "There was a bit of rain earlier, but it has stopped, and it appears to be a lovely day."

  "No, I am not riding today, Mrs. Reynolds. I am waiting to speak to the Gardiners and Miss Bennett before they return to Pemberley. Have they come down to break their fast yet?"

  "No, Sir. I believe you are the first one up. It is still quite early."

  The young boy who was polishing the wooden railing of the grand staircase had heard his Master's inquiry, but he had not been directly asked, so he waited until Mr. Darcy left the foyer to speak to Mrs. Reynolds. "Excuse me, Mrs. Reynolds," he timidly said. "I didn't mean to listen in to your conversation with the Master, Ma'am, but I did see the Miss he was asking about this morning. She was up and out of the house quite early before anyone was awake."

  "Excuse me, Nathan? You saw Miss Bennett this morning? What time did she leave the house?"

  "The sun had just started coming up when I saw her leave. I was sweeping the front steps, and I saw her go around to the side gardens. I followed her to make sure she didn't go into the woods alone, but she went into the maze, and I assumed she would be fine exploring inside."

  "Thank you Nathan," she said. She immediately went to the breakfast room to see if Mr. Darcy had gone there to wait for his guests, and she found him filling his plate at the sideboard. "Excuse me, Master William. One of the servants just informed me that he saw Miss Bennett leave the house early this morning when the sun just started to come up, and as far as I know, she hasn't returned yet. I have been up and around the house since then as well, and all has been quiet. He told me he saw her go into the maze, and that can take some time to explore. Perhaps she got lost inside, and she is still trying to find her way out. You know how you used to get lost until you memorized where the entrances were."

  Darcy was alarmed, hoping that she hadn't decided to leave Pemberley and walk back to Lambton. He knew that she was a good walker and the five mile distance wouldn't deter her from leaving. He left his plate of food on the table and raced from the house to see if he could see her, but not seeing her in the garden, he walked to the stable area to make sure the Gardiner's carriage was still there. On the way there, he met Mr. Raymond, who was walking from the stable toward the house. "Good Morning, Mr. Raymond," Darcy greeted him. "I was coming to check on the Gardiner's carriage. They will be leaving sometime today."

  "G'day to you too, Master William. I was just coming to find you as well." He had a look of concern on his face, and Darcy wondered if something was wrong with Omega.

  " You look a bit worried, Mr. Raymond. Is Omega alright? "

  "Yes, Sir, Omega is fine, but I have something concerning to report to you. I was walking Miss Darcy's horse around the paddock real early this morning to check out her new shoe we had to replace, and I thought I saw a man come out of the woods over there behind the maze. It happened so fast, I couldn't get a close look, but I am fairly sure that it was that young Wickham on the property, Sir. I know you have told everyone he is not allowed anywhere near Pemberley, so I thought you should know right away."

  "How long ago did you see him," Darcy said with alarm.

  "I took Sophie back to the stable right away and would have come to the house with this information, but unfortunately, I noticed that Poppy was down in her stall, and she was in a bit of distress, finally delivering her foul. I'm sorry, Master William, but there were no others around to send to tell you, and I'm afraid I had to stay with her until she pushed that little guy out. She was pretty far into it, and the birth was pretty easy, so I don't think it was much more than an hour ago. I just left Poppy and went back to the edge of the maze, but I didn't see him anywhere, so he might have gone back into the woods."

  Darcy pushed past Mr. Raymond, racing to the backyard, hoping against hope to see Elizabeth wandering the grounds, but knowing in his head that she wouldn't be there. He knew exactly what had happened. Wickham had found her, and this was his way of finally hurting him to his core. He had somehow found out that he was in love with Elizabeth Bennett, and he had followed her to Pemberley. He knew it was futile, but he ran into the maze anyway to see if she was somehow lost inside. He raced through all the narrow pathways, and when he was just about at the back entrance, he found a pale blue and yellow quilt on the ground. He recognized the blanket from the special room that he had chosen for Elizabeth, and his worst fear was realized. "He has her," he said aloud. "I will kill him."

  He ran back to the stable and found Mr. Raymond standing there with Omega saddled and ready to go with a rifle strapped across the side of the saddle. He handed a pistol to Darcy, and he showed him a pouch with a knife he had attached to the saddle. Darcy mounted the horse, and yelled to Mr. Raymond, "Tell all the men to spread out across the property and begin the search for Miss Bennett. Wickham has her, and he couldn't have gone far. Be sure Mrs. Reynolds informs the Gardiners, and tell her to call my physician in case we need him." He kicked Omega's flanks, and he took off into the woods. He knew that Wickham was as familiar with the property as he was, and he had a strong feeling that Wickham wanted him to follow him. Thinking about all the places they had explored when they were boys, he decided the first place he would search would be the big cave that they had used as a fort. He rode for quite a distance through the trees and came to a large field of wildflowers that he had to cross to get to the large hill of huge boulders and rocks where the cave was located. He noticed that none of the flowers or tall weeds had been recently trampled by a horse or a man on foot, and it was obvious that Wickham had not taken her to the cave.

  He turned back into the woods and decided to check the old ruins that they had discovered several miles away. He felt that he was losing precious time, but he had to try everyplace that Wickham knew about. He was almost to the ruins, but to keep Wickham from hearing him approach if he was hiding there, he slowed down and stopped Omega to go the rest of the way on foot. He took the rifle and the pistol and quietly walked toward the ruins, knowing that Wickham could have him in his sights at that very moment. He was certain that Wickham wouldn't shoot him until Darcy saw Elizabeth, and he could boast about whatever he was going to do or had already done to her. It made Darcy sick to his stomach, and he vowed to do whatever it took to rid the earth of the villain. He got close enough to yell out to Wickham if he was there. "Are you in there, Wickham? Let Elizabeth go, and I won't shoot you." He waited for some kind of response, but he heard nothing. He tried again, "Show yourself, Wickham. You have me where you want me." Still he heard nothing. He cautiously approached the walls of the ruins that were still standing, and he threw a rock into the middle of the ruins, hoping to bring Wickham out into the open. Still nothing. It was obvious that this was yet another dead end.

  Now he was feeling frantic. Three hours had passed, and he had no idea where Wickham had taken her. He got back on his horse and started through the woods again, trying desperately to think how Wickham's mind had worked. All of a sudden, he vividly pictured Elizabeth in a small dark room, and he felt a coldness and instantly knew where to go. It was a long way to his father's hunting cabin, but he had to get there. Instead of riding through the woods, he skirted the forest on a dirt road he knew well, and he rode Omega like the wind, knowing that Elizabeth's life depended on it.

  A
s he entered the woods again and found the path to the shack, he saw recent horseshoe prints in the dirt, and he knew this was it. His heart started pounding, desperately afraid of what he would find. Once again, he stopped Omega far enough away from the cabin to keep his approach quiet. He swung down from the saddle, tying Omega to a tree and he grabbed his weapons. It was late in the afternoon already and it was getting dark, but there was still enough light to see the outline of the cabin from his hiding place. He knew in his heart that this was where he would find Elizabeth, and it was all he could do to keep from screaming out for her.

  He stealthily moved through the trees, and approached the side of the building, putting his ear to the thin cabin wall to try and hear voices, but it was much too still, and he sensed that something was terribly wrong. He went around the back and saw an old horse cart, and a horse tied to a tree. There was only one way in, so he walked around to the front of the cabin, listening for any noise. He pulled out his pistol and with all his strength, he kicked in the front door, moving quickly to the side, waiting for gunfire to pierce the air, but nothing happened. Was this a trick? Was Wickham inside, waiting for him to enter the room and then shoot? There was only one way to find out, and he yelled out to Wickham. "I'm here, George. You have me where you want me. How much money do you want this time? Tell me how much you want and you shall have it. Just let her go. Show me that Elizabeth is safe, and you can have the money and your freedom." There was still total silence, but then he heard a low moaning sound, and he could no longer wait. He boldly burst inside, gun drawn, ready for the confrontation. What he saw was a total shock to him, and he stumbled backwards, gasping out loud. There on the floor next to the small cot in the corner was Wickham, face down with a large hunting knife protruding from his back. His eyes momentarily flickered open, and when he saw Darcy standing there he attempted to move, but it was obvious he had lost a lot of blood and was close to death. Darcy scanned the small room and Elizabeth was not there, which gave him hope that she had somehow escaped. But where had she gone? And was it possible that she could have done this to Wickham?