A Dangerous Courtship

by Anne Louise

  “He did mention that, but I cannot be certain that another overheard our conversation.”

  “Do you recall when he mentioned this to you and if anyone was nearby who may have overheard?”

  “I do recall him mentioning it and he left two days later to visit the property. As for anyone who may have overheard the conversation, I do not recall any servants or anyone else close by who may have overheard the conversation.”

  “If you had one person that you might think suspicious, who might that be?”

  “Really, I do not know anyone who I would suspect would do such a thing. All of the staff has been at Darcy House for many years. Well, I suppose I should not make that statement because we have had some changes. We do have a new footman who has been with us about three months, but he came highly recommended and we have not had any problems with the man. He mainly keeps to himself. Come to think of it, he was nearby on the evening that Mr. Darcy spoke of his interest in possibly buying such a property, and that was the same day Miss Bennet left to return to her home.”

  “That is a keen memory that you have, Mrs. Pierce. Now when we return to Darcy House, I would like for you to act is if you know nothing about the kidnapping and the ransom note. Miss Darcy has already told that no one at Darcy House knows of this, and we want to continue to act as though we know nothing of it. I am hoping that we may be able to flush out the person who may be involved in this thing.”

  “I will do whatever you say, Mr. Jennings. And I will keep my eyes and ears at the ready to watch for and listen to any gossip that might be discussed.”

  “Mrs. Pierce, here is the ransom letter that Georgiana received. I thought you deserved to read and understand everything that we need to do to catch the people or persons involved.”

  “So you really believe that someone at Darcy House might be involved? I note that the letter that Mr. Darcy supposedly wrote mentions the housekeeper at Pemberley, Mrs. Reynolds. That is interesting.”

  “Yes, both Mr. Darcy and I believe that was a mistake that the kidnappers may ultimately regret. Miss Pierce, Mr. Darcy is very wealthy and there are many people in this town who would like to see him come to harm. Can you think of anyone who might be so full of hate for the man that he would stoop to such antics as kidnapping?”

  “Mr. Darcy is a better source for this information than I am, Mr. Jennings.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Pierce, I believe you are correct. Anyway, we should probably talk some more while I am there. It will not be long before others discover that there has been a kidnapping.”

  After speaking with Mrs. Pierce, and later with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Jennings and Mrs. Pierce first stopped by his office in town and he spoke with his people and gave instructions for them to observe Darcy House and look for the kidnappers. Once they returned to Darcy House, it did not take long for some of the servants to be curious of the whereabouts of Miss Darcy and the reason why Mr. Jennings was with her, but the new footman said nothing but stayed close and may have been listening to her and the man speak.

  Georgiana’s ladies maid later asked Mrs. Pierce if Georgiana would be returning later and Mrs. Pierce told her that she was staying with others, but did not say who are why.

  At the appointed time, Mrs. Pierce told one of the servants to light a lamp and to place it where the letter had stated it should be placed and watched as another servant volunteered to do it.

  This only served to make the other servants more curious. Mr. Jennings and Mrs. Pierce continued to gather the papers and diaries but did not notice that any of the papers they left earlier had been altered and the rooms had remained locked. Still, the investigator noticed that some of old Mr. Darcy’s diaries had been removed and apparently had been perused recently and some of the letters that Darcy had filed away had also been tampered with.

  When next Mr. Jennings later returned to speak with Darcy, he told of his findings and that he had placed his people to watch Darcy House.

  “Darcy, did you not yet read what you had written to your sister and which was included in the ransom letter?”

  “I did read it and someone forged that brief missive. I never saw my abductors.”

  “But did you look at the writing on the ransom note carefully to see if you recognized the hand writing?”

  “That writing is different. It likely is the forger’s normal writing style, but I do recognize it is different from the letter from the attorney telling me about the Burgess property.”

  “So Darcy, this tells me that the person knows you well. Either he already had some of you and your father’s letters, or he was looking to find them. Apparently, someone perused your father’s diaries and yours as well, because when he was finished with them he put them back, but not in the place you described. There is another thing, with his ability to write in your hand, he would find it easier to get money from most banks.”

  “That is probable, and then the others have my horse and gold watch and a deep hatred for me.”

  The man and Darcy turned at once to look at each other.

  “I assume we both are thinking the same thing.”

  “You mean that George Wickham might be responsible for this?”

  “That is exactly what I think, but we still do not know. If he is involved, he at least has what he has already taken.”

  “From what you said the kidnappers did to you, they will not hesitate to make another attempt when they learn that you have escaped. They will be out for revenge and might even go after your sister or Miss Bennet. Darcy, this is serious enough that I want to bring in the magistrate and give him a lead role. Has Wickham ever been a violent man?”

  “No, I have never known of him to hurt anyone, though he has brought enough misery to many young women.”

  Darcy next told the man about paying Wickham three-thousand pounds in lieu of the living promised by his father. “This money was given to Wickham over two years earlier for him to use to study the law.”

  “Then he must be drinking and gambling a great deal to have gone through such a large sum of money, but we cannot be certain he is involved. I will ask around to see if anyone has seen him recently. Something might come up.”

  “The man is a cad, Jennings. He has ruined more young women than any man alive and many fathers and brothers are looking for him. I worry for my sister and for Miss Bennet. Tell me again of how you intend to capture the kidnappers?”

  “There are a number of options we can use, Darcy. If we are convinced there is someone inside Darcy House, we can trap him and may learn of the others. We still do not have their next letter, but assuming they would want the money dropped off, we would have to be careful.”

  “What motivation would one have to confess and help us?”

  “He might want to save his neck, Darcy, or we might make him think that the others have set him up. If we were suddenly to have you appear in Darcy House and have the insider think the others have left town with all the ransom money, that might flush out that insider.”

  ****

  Darcy was pleased to bathe that night and wear his own clothes and he was grateful that Georgiana had picked out some of his clothes earlier and put them in with her own.

  That night at Darcy House brought no letters but before dawn, a side door used by the servants was chosen as the drop-off point for the next letter and a loud bang on the door alerted the others and a letter addressed to Miss Darcy was found under a rock.

  Mrs. Pierce next went into the study and showed the letter to Mr. Jennings, who had awakened. The men who had guarded the house had not seen the drop off. This puzzled the man but Darcy had asked him to read any letter and he did read it before handing it to Mrs. Pierce.

  The next morning Mrs. Pierce ensured that Darcy’s study and his bedroom and Georgiana’s room was locked and next she and Mr. Jennings went to see Darcy. The local magistrate, a Mr. Adams, arrived an hour later and greeted the others.

  “Darcy, I am glad you have returned to us. Later I want to hear your story
, but for now I wish an update.”

  Mr. Jennings and Mrs. Pierce then told of the loud knock at the door early in the morning but said they saw no person. They next showed him the latest ransom letter.

  “I have men watching the house from a distance for strangers and so does Mr. Jennings, yet the person who dropped off the letter escaped unseen. We still do not know when and how we are to drop off the money.”

  Mr. Jennings then told of what he had uncovered at Darcy House.

  “That tells us a great deal and it is likely that one of the servants is involved. Look, Darcy has returned but surely others at Darcy House might already suspect that he is staying here. Darcy, you currently have an advantage. I propose that Georgiana write a response that demands proof that Darcy is alive before the ransom is paid. Of course, the ransom will be fake. This will upset things and perhaps one of the kidnappers might return to the old Burgess property. In the meantime, I will go and visit the local magistrate there. In fact, I shall leave in a few minutes.”

  Darcy gave Mr. Adams the money the other magistrate had loaned him, plus some more that he promised to give to Mr. Smithwick and his wife for helping him. Mr. Adams also agreed to return the clothes the man had loaned him.

  ****

  Two days later a carriage arrived and Elizabeth and her Aunt Gardiner appeared outside the door of Darcy House and were next welcomed inside.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Pierce, we have met before and you have also met my Aunt Gardiner.”

  “Yes, I remember you both.”

  The ladies curtseyed and exchanged pleasantries.

  “Is Miss Darcy at home today? She invited me to visit with her.”

  “No, but I remember she wrote to you about her brother. She is staying with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle is the Earl of Matlock. Miss Darcy told me to give you directions so you can come. I hope you have your things with you, for she is eager for you to stay with her. Do not worry that it is not Darcy House. You are expected to stay with Miss Darcy. I must ask for your forgiveness, but things are difficult after the sad news about her brother. The rest of the house do not know about these things so that is why I am keeping my voice down.”

  The woman next gave directions to the women and their driver confirmed he knew where to go. Minutes later the carriage arrived at the home of Darcy’s aunt and uncle and the two women were invited inside. Georgiana greeted the guests and welcomed them inside but Elizabeth could see that Georgiana had recently been crying and suspected the worst. Somehow she knew that Darcy was still missing and braced herself for the bad news to come.

  As Darcy’s aunt spoke with Mrs. Gardiner, Georgiana grabbed hold of Elizabeth’s arm and the two went to a distant corner of the parlor.

  “Elizabeth, I am so glad you have come. Did Mrs. Pierce tell you the news about my brother?”

  Hearing such words convinced Elizabeth that Darcy was dead. The room was unhappy enough, as it was, and Elizabeth prepared to hear the words that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. Tears welled up and she was in a state of discomfiture and began to cry. She said a silent prayer but braced herself for the news and wondered how she would live without this man, when suddenly she felt the presence of another person and heard a deep baritone voice that made the hair stand up on her neck and arms as she tried to catch her breath and calm her wildly beating heart.

  “Miss Bennet, you have come. You do not know just how much I have missed you.”

  Elizabeth tried to manage the tears that now streamed down her cheeks and Darcy helped by using his handkerchief to dry her tears. She was in a fog and her emotions had gotten the better of her and she could barely hear her aunt say something and next saw the servants bringing her trunks upstairs and felt her aunt hug her goodbye and walked her aunt to the door and said a few words, but it was all done in a surreal manner, as she continued to cling to Darcy.

  Finally he brought her to the settee and they set down together.

  “How was your trip, Miss Bennet, and how is all your family? Georgiana said they were well as of your last letter. I do hope you had a good Christmas and new year?”

  “Mr. Darcy, we are all fine and it was a wonderful Christmas after you and Doctor Williams helped my mother and others when they were sick. William, we are courting without my father’s permission?”

  “Yes, darling, we certainly are.”

  Her smile brought on a soft chuckle from Darcy.

  “My father knows of this sordid business, but I have told no others. When I did not see you, I was certain that you were dead. Now you must tell me everything. God willing, I may be able to help you in some way?”

  “Finally we are alone, so I will call you Elizabeth.”

  She reached for his hand and softly giggled back happy tears as Darcy wiped them with his handkerchief as others gave them this private time together.

  “Your arrival helps to cheer up both Georgiana and myself.”

  “But I did think the worse, and Mrs. Pierce never mentioned you were alive.”

  “I will explain it all, but suffice it to say, there is a good reason for staying here.”

  Darcy told her the story starting with his only visit to the Burgess property when he was a boy and about receiving the letter and of being knocked unconscious outside the gatehouse.

  Elizabeth gasped when he explained how he was attacked and hearing him describe how he had felt a sharp pain and then there was darkness. When he described the inside of the gatehouse as a tomb, she held his hands tight and grew more anxious as he described how he tunneled through the night to escape.

  “But why did you not just wait until the morning after you had rested?”

  “That was not the correct decision to make. For all I knew, they might come back in the morning and kill me, or perhaps they would return in an hour. No, the correct decision was to try to escape right then and I was full of adrenalin and could stay warm by digging. Also, I did not know what the weather would be like later, and thought it likely that I would be able to find a barn somewhere and sleep in the hay to keep warm, if I did escape. More importantly, I would be alive.”

  Darcy next told of meeting the Smithwicks and staying with them that evening and going to see the local magistrate the next day.

  “It appears that the Smithwicks were very kind to you. How was it riding back to town in the public coach like most people do, and being dressed like a common laborer?”

  “That is a good question. I could see that others thought me beneath them, just because I looked poor. On the positive side, I could rest because no one wished to include me in their conversations.”

  “Now for the important question, William, why are you staying here instead of at your home?”

  “Mr. Jennings believes that one of the servants may be involved in this. Of course, I am well, but if others think I am still missing, then the kidnappers will look to be paid and we can capture them. These men are dangerous and I wish to keep Georgiana safe.”

  “You seem to have an advantage at the present time, but the word will soon spread that you are here. You mentioned the local magistrate near the Burgess property has posted guards to watch the gatehouse. Will he report back soon?”

  “I hope so. The men who did this also have my horse and other clothing plus all the money and my identity papers.”

  At three that afternoon, Mr. Jennings, accompanied by Mrs. Pierce, returned to meet with Darcy and just as they took their seats in the study, the local magistrate, Mr. Adams, entered. Darcy now took pleasure in introducing Elizabeth to both men and she accompanied them and Darcy’s uncle and Georgiana as Mr. Jennings started the discussions.

  “The local magistrate where Darcy was kidnaped is a Mr. Blackman. Mr. Adams, I have it that you have just returned from visiting the place of the kidnapping, so what news can you tell us?”

  “There is good news. One man’s body was found in the woods near the gatehouse and the second man died whilst trying to ride Mr. Darcy’s horse, or at least t
hat is what Mr. Blackman’s men said. We visited the site where they held Mr. Darcy and both of us expected to see a larger structure but it was more like a stone house for a guard. Anyway, it was secluded and did appear to be like a tomb once we came inside. I also got to speak with the men who had been watching for the kidnappers. The men returned, and true to what the kidnappers wrote in their missive to Mr. Darcy, both men showed up at that time. The older man was still drunk and the two men argued violently about killing their prisoner or keeping him until a ransom was paid.”

  “Did the two men fight?”

  “Yes, Mr. Darcy, the older man wanted to kill you right away after saying that you might already be dead, but the men never made it as far as the gatehouse as they continued to argue over the money and other things they took from you. Apparently the younger man appeared to be dressed as a gentleman but the older man looked like a drunkard and was a simpleton and demanded his share. At one point he threatened to go to the authorities. The younger man then agreed but seconds later he hit the man over the head from behind, knocking him out and next took whatever money he had given the man.”

  “Did the one blow kill the man?” asked Mr. Jennings.

  “I do not know, but the men said that the younger man hit him several more times and he was most certainly dead. He then dragged the man further into the woods as Mr. Blackman’s men approached him. When he saw them he jumped on Darcy’s horse but the horse bolted and gave him his last ride, finally throwing the man off and he broke his neck against a stone wall.”

  “That was neatly done,” replied Darcy. “ Do you have their names?”

  “The older man is a Mr. Stone and the younger is a Mr. Wickham.”

  “You must mean George Wickham, do you not?”

  “Yes, Mr. Jennings, Darcy’s old nemesis is no more. I have all the money that we recovered, less what they spent on drink, and your hat and clothes and your horse is safe. I paid Mr. Blackman the money you asked and paid Mr. Smithwick. He was with us when we visited the site and both men sent their regards, and Mr. Smithwick will bring back your horse on the morrow.”