by C. P. Odom
As he felt himself drifting off to sleep himself, his last thought was that this new marriage promised to be very interesting.
Chapter 26
The first bond of society is marriage.
— Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes
Ancient Roman lawyer, writer,
scholar, orator and statesman,
106 BC‒43 BC
Monday, October 5, 1812
Pemberley, Derbyshire
The sun was an hour above the horizon when McDunn, his face barely moist in the cool morning air, turned a corner on one of his usual running paths in the Pemberley gardens to find Elizabeth Darcy walking toward him. She stopped still as soon as she saw him, and McDunn throttled back his pace to a trot until he came to a halt about five feet away from her, breathing deeply but not especially urgently.
“Good morning, Mrs. Darcy,” he said, giving her both a bow and a warm smile. “You’re up rather early. I usually have these paths to myself when I run.”
“Good morning, Major,” she replied, giving him a curtsy as she examined him.
“Yes, I know,” he said, with a crooked grin. “You’ve likely never seen someone running around in such unfashionable clothing and sweating unnecessarily like I do.”
“I was not aware you had arrived from town,” she said, dodging his statement though she indeed looked rather startled by his appearance.
“Miss Darcy and I arrived last evening,” he said in explanation, then his grin widened. “You likely were not aware of our arrival since you and Darcy retired rather early.”
At Elizabeth’s blush, McDunn continued. “I run when I can to try to retain at least a few shreds of physical fitness.”
“Ah. I see. I believe.”
McDunn laughed lightly and motioned to the path. “Might I prevail on you to walk with me? After I run, I need to walk to cool down.” She nodded, and he turned to walk down the path in the direction she had been going.
“And I can’t afford cramps since I’m sure Darcy will want to ride after lunch.”
“I did not know you rode, sir.”
“I had to be dragged into it, kicking and screaming, by the efforts of both your husband and his cousin as well as his sister. However, after almost three years of practice, I’ve come to enjoy it. It’s completely unlike anything I’ve ever done before though I’ve been warned this period is quite dangerous for a relatively new rider. Evidently, I know just enough to be dangerous, and this is the time when I’m most likely to get myself killed.”
“Let us hope it does not happen. Your company would be missed by my husband, and you and I have hardly moved beyond our first introductions.”
“I’ll try my best, Mrs. Darcy.”
“I left William sleeping when the sun woke me because I was eager to see his gardens. They are so lovely, and they seem to stretch forever!”
“I know what you mean though I’m not as much of a garden and flower person as you appear to be. I’m an urban boy though the town where I was raised was rather small by comparison to the really big cities. But I never spent much time outside town until I joined the Marines, and they sent me all kinds of places—usually, unpleasant places.”
“I just love to walk through the country,” she said, looking about her with pleasure.
“You’ll have a good time exploring then. I usually try to run about three miles, and I know there are many parts of this park I haven’t seen in the three years I’ve been here.”
“That is what Georgiana told me when she and Darcy visited at Longbourn. And William enjoys walking these paths as much as I do when we walk in the afternoon before it gets too cool.”
“I think Darcy enjoys walking with you more than he enjoys the gardens. He’s about at smitten as I’ve ever seen a man.”
“I suppose it was a rather unusual courtship.”
“And very short!” he said with a laugh. “That’s what I want in the unlikely event I ever find an Elizabeth Bennet for myself—a short courtship—though I think I’ll skip the excitement you and Darcy experienced.”
“Perhaps you need some help, Major. I could enlist Georgiana to help me. Between the two of us, I am sure we could find you a suitable lady.”
McDunn only shook his head slowly. He had a smile on his face, but there were dark shadows lurking behind his eyes.
“No,” he said, after they walked a bit further. “I don’t think I’m ready. Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer sometime, Mrs. Darcy, but not just yet.”
As they walked farther into the garden, Elizabeth remarked, “I really do not know much about you other than you are William’s friend and you do not dance.”
McDunn laughed merrily at this. “Actually, I do dance. At least, I do now. Darcy’s sister made me learn. She was a stern taskmaster and even went so far as to hold practices with the staff and musicians to accompany us. A most assertive person, Miss Darcy.”
“I wish I could see you tell my mother that. I am afraid she does not have a very high opinion of you. She does not understand why Darcy persists in keeping you as a friend.”
“Because I’m not a gentleman, I assume. But it’s okay because I’m really not. I’m perfectly comfortable just being Darcy’s friend. He’s certainly the best friend I’ve ever had though we’re quite different people.”
“He says the same about you, Major. I think you are good for him.”
“I hope so. In any case, I really enjoy running here at Pemberley where everyone is used to me. It’s too difficult to run in London without being terribly conspicuous. And I try to avoid being conspicuous.”
“But why do you run?” she blurted. “I have never seen anything like the way you were running. It was as though you were running for your life!”
McDunn looked at her and smiled. “In a manner of speaking, Mrs. Darcy, I was. Tell me, have you heard of the Royal Marines? They serve on the ships of your navy.”
She thought for a moment. “I have seen marines mentioned in The Times. I remember a story about something called a ‘cutting out’ expedition.”
“I was an American Marine in…in a far off war. A very, very bitter and devastating war against tough, hardy enemies. We did physical exercise to keep ourselves ready for battle. We had a saying: better to sweat a little in peacetime than to bleed a lot in wartime.”
“But you are no longer a…an American Marine, are you?”
“No, though old habits die hard. Darcy’s cousin is in the army, and he rides every morning. And he rides hard. His horse is always well lathered when he returns. And he and Darcy practice fencing since it’s also part of the colonel’s martial duties. I suspect he will do it for the rest of his life. So I continue to run and occasionally do other exercises even though, as you said, I will never be a marine again. But so much of what I do these days seems to be done sitting at a desk that I need to do something to delay the onset of swivel-chair spread.”
She looked at him in confusion. “What is it you said? Swivel-chair spread?”
“An American expression. As I said, you’ll get used to them. Swivel-chair spread refers to getting a fat posterior from sitting too much.”
“I see. At least, I have a glimmer of what you mean. But what of your family, Major? Are they in America?”
She was both surprised and shocked to see Major McDunn’s face take on an expression of sudden grimness, one most at variance with his usual mien. The harsh lines carved in his face made him look distinctly…stern. He looked most alarming.
“I…I am sorry. Did I—”
“It was not you, Mrs. Darcy,” he replied hastily. “It was me…I was remembering my parents and sisters, all of whom are now dead. And a very special woman who also died. Your question…well, it made me remember how much I miss everyone.”
The expression on her face must have
indicated her desire for more information since he forced a slight smile and shook his head slightly. “Not right now if you please, Mrs. Darcy. This lovely morning is much too pleasant for sad memories of an unchangeable past. There surely are more pleasing topics.”
They walked on in silence again for a few minutes; then she spoke again. “I have not yet met William’s cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“You will very soon. We expect him this morning. I like him tremendously, almost as much as I like Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam and I understand each other. He and I have shared similar experiences—experiences that give us an understanding Darcy comprehends but has never experienced personally. We have, as we used to say, both gone to see the elephant.”
“I am sorry,” Elizabeth said, her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I do not have the pleasure of understanding you.”
“Roughly, it means gaining experience entailing considerable hardship and cost. We have both been in situations where people were trying very hard to kill us, and we had to do the same to them before they did it to us.”
“Ah, I take your meaning although I have no idea what it would be like to be where you and Colonel Fitzwilliam have been.”
“That’s why we were there, ma’am,” he said gently. “We were there to protect you so you and the other civilians wouldn’t have to experience similar or worse horrors yourself. You’ve read of the Trojan War, I presume?”
When she nodded, he continued. “The warriors of Troy were doing the same for their women and families, but they failed. As a result, their women suffered all the horrors of being ravaged by the victorious Greeks.”
Elizabeth seemed to be digesting this as they walked, then she suddenly stopped and faced him. “I long to know more about you, Major McDunn. I am certain there must be more.”
“I realize that, Mrs. Darcy,” McDunn said gently, “but we decided to wait until Colonel Fitzwilliam joined us before we explain everything to you. I warn you, some of it will be rather difficult to believe, and we wanted to allow you and Darcy some time to yourselves before we told you everything.”
“Everything?” she asked in surprise.
“Everything we know—why Darcy kindly offered me his hospitality for as long as I wish, why he also offered his estate for my experiments, and why we—all of us—have formed a partnership for our telegraph and other inventions.”
“I did not know you were partners,” she said, looking at him in wonder. “I have heard much about this telegraph, but it was always mentioned as though it was owned by my husband.”
“That’s just as we wish it, as you’ll learn. But be patient. We’re waiting for Colonel Fitzwilliam so all of us who have been together since the first day will be there.”
“All? Including Georgiana?”
“It most definitely includes her. Miss Darcy has been a part of it since she was thirteen years old.”
Elizabeth mulled over what she had been told for a few moments before she sighed. “Well, I suppose I shall have to be patient until my new cousin arrives. It appears our walk is at an end since we have arrived at the house. But before we go inside, I want to say how much I have enjoyed speaking with you this morning. You may be an American, as you keep repeating, and you may not be a gentleman—as my mother accuses you though I would dispute the matter with her—but your manners and civility cannot be criticized. I have greatly enjoyed our walk as well as your amiable and intelligent conversation.”
***
“This cannot be!” breathed Elizabeth, as she toggled the images on the computer tablet in her hands. On the table before her were one of McDunn’s pistols along with his only remaining Krugerrand, a few other coins from his time, his wallet, and the pictures of his family. She had seen them all and listened to his story with eyes that had remained wide with astonishment the entire time.
Suddenly, she looked at McDunn apologetically. “I am sorry; I did not mean to question the truthfulness of what you have told me—”
“It’s just so unbelievable, right?” McDunn said with a broad grin.
“Exactly so,” Elizabeth said with a smile of her own.
Putting down the tablet, she leaned back in her chair. “Now everything makes ever so much more sense.”
“And you see why we need to keep my involvement camouflaged as much as possible. Otherwise, some wise guy is going to start asking questions we can’t answer, even if your husband is a bit unhappy with the praise he gets. But he deserves all of it, Mrs. Darcy! Can you imagine the leap of faith he made when he didn’t have me run off his property three years ago? Now that really is unbelievable!”
“Yes, you have a point, Major,” Elizabeth said, looking up at her husband, who colored slightly at McDunn’s praise. “So, what do you plan next?”
“Build some more steam locomotives for a start. The demonstrations of our ability to haul large tonnages of coal at higher speed and for much less cost than our competitors give us a leg up on building more rail lines to start hauling freight and passengers.” He shook his head ruefully.
“What is it, McDunn?” Fitzwilliam asked.
“I was just thinking of all the things we’ve had to learn. I remember thinking that I knew how to do all of this, both from my own knowledge as well as the historical and technical records in my computer tablet. Then we started, and as problem after problem cropped up, I had to repeatedly ask myself why it was so cursed difficult to make this stuff work as we planned!”
“I remember,” Darcy said with a reflective chuckle. “Your language is usually rather restrained, McDunn, but I heard oaths definitely not fit for delicate ears.”
“Well, he is a military man, Darcy,” Fitzwilliam said.
“I remember stumbling on a saying from one of the most important inventors from my time,” McDunn said. “He said, ‘Success is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.’ Boy, was he correct!”
Georgiana looked up from the two computer tablets she had in front of her. “Both of these have passed all their self checks, Major. And they are fully charged. Shall I shut them down?”
“Until next month, Miss Darcy.”
“Very well. But you know how much I would dearly love to spend hours and hours exploring them.”
“I agree!” Elizabeth said feelingly. “The photographs alone are enthralling!”
“But you both know why we have to save them.”
Georgiana mournfully stabbed the power-down soft key on the screen. “They are all we have and all we will ever have in our lifetime.”
“Do not despair too much, Miss Darcy,” he said consolingly. “I have some ideas about reducing the amount of smoke and coal ash coming out of the exhaust stacks of our locomotives, so you will need to do some research for me.”
“When may I begin?” she asked eagerly.
“Tomorrow, I think. And if Mrs. Darcy wishes to help and learn at the same time, I see no reason against it.”
“Oh, wonderful! I shall be delighted,” Elizabeth said enthusiastically.
“As for right now, I believe it is time to sample some of my newest batch of blended Scotch whisky and pat ourselves on the back for discovering how to make it so much smoother. I’m glad our need to talk in privacy allowed us to get rid of your absurd habit of making the ladies leave when we menfolk imbibed the stronger drinks.”
“Of course, this blending of yours is just as illegal as the whisky itself,” Fitzwilliam said, curling the mustache he had kept in imitation of McDunn’s when he shaved his beard. “That makes it taste ever so much better!”
Darcy only rolled his eyes as he crossed to McDunn’s sideboard to pour himself a brandy.
“I still say it is filthy stuff.”
Chapter 27
In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thin
g is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
— Theodore Roosevelt, American adventurer,
war hero, and US President
Saturday, October 10, 1812
Pemberley, Derbyshire
As Darcy’s comfortable coach rumbled along the road leading away from Pemberley, McDunn was daydreaming, half-lulled to sleep by the easy rocking of the well-sprung vehicle. Word had come earlier that Mrs. Bingley had given birth to a daughter, and all their party were on the way there when Elizabeth Darcy gave a sharp cry of alarm, bringing him upright.
“A man!” she cried, pointing out the window. “A man just appeared in the air!”
McDunn saw Darcy and Fitzwilliam look sharply at each other.
“Was this not—” Fitzwilliam began.
“Yes!” cried Darcy. “It was exactly here! Wainright, stop the coach!”
All at once, McDunn realized what Darcy and Fitzwilliam meant, and a sudden jolt went through him. “Today’s October 10!” he exclaimed.
When the four occupants of the coach looked at him, he said, more softly, “October 10! The day you found me, three years ago to the day. And evidently right here from what you say!”
“What does it mean?” Elizabeth asked, trying to catch sight of the man who had fallen from the sky, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“I have no idea, Mrs. Darcy, but I had better take a look!” McDunn drew his pistol from beneath his coat as he jumped to the ground.
Fitzwilliam followed behind him, and McDunn turned as he heard other boots hit the ground. Darcy was assisting his wife from the coach while Georgiana waited eagerly behind her.
“Hey! Wait a minute!” McDunn cried.
“You cannot stop Elizabeth,” Darcy said. “I have already learned better than to try.”
