Chapter 63

63

D arcy paced the length of the Netherfield library again and again. What was happening at Longbourn? Would Bennet keep him away from Elizabeth? She thought the world of her father and she would do as he wished — and she was not yet of age.

He wondered if her sister would have been able to speak to Bingley before he returned — the thought of news was all that was holding him together.

Finally, finally, the crunching of the gravel on the drive heralded the carriage arriving. He hurried to the door and nodded at the footman to open it. Richard stood, silently supportive, beside him.

Darcy frowned; Bingley had descended from the carriage, but was deep in conversation with the head groom, who had waved at the stable boys to take the coach to the stables, but was nodding at whatever instructions he was being given.

Then Bingley was bounding up the stairs towards him. "Come, Darcy, Colonel, we have a battle to plan." He led the way into the library, stopping only beside the butler.

"We will dine in the library, Mr. Walter. Send the trays in when they are ready."

He closed the door firmly behind them, and glanced from one to the other of them. "There is a lot to do, but I will tell you the kernel of the matter. My dear Jane tells me that Miss Bennet must be removed from Longbourn — secretly — tonight. It transpires that Bennet is not a good man, having mainly his own interests at heart, and Miss Bennet might become a pawn in the dispute."

Darcy's heart went cold. "Is she fit to move? How far? And she is not of age, so Bennet has the legal right to pursue us."

Richard rubbed his chin. "Have you your steward with you, Darcy? No, I suppose not, given the haste with which we dragged you here. My batman is a good man. He can do whatever action is needed."

Darcy nodded and turned to his friend. "Tell us exactly what Mrs. Bingley has planned, please."

"She will ensure her sister is ready to leave the house, and is going to pack a few necessaries, all without rousing any suspicion. When all the staff have retired, she will come downstairs to the kitchen entrance and unlock the door, setting a candle in the window to show us it is safe." Bingley paced the room. "Apparently Mr. Bennet has been drinking heavily the last few evenings, so she is hopeful he may be asleep before we arrive with my heavy coach and park it quietly in the lane that runs behind the estate."

"We can take my coach," Darcy said. "It has seats that may be used as a bed."

Richard shook his head. "No, Bingley's coach is unmarked. We will need to use that."

"But it might put Mrs. Bingley at odds with her family," Darcy protested.

Bingley sighed. "I think that is inevitable, given what has happened. But we will think of that later. Now we have only a few hours in which to make our plans; most importantly, a place of safety where we are to take Miss Bennet."

Darcy watched Richard begin to pace while he was thinking. Then he spoke. "All right. It cannot be Netherfield; it is the first place Bennet will come and demand entrance."

Darcy nodded. "Is London too far for Miss Bennet to travel safely? He will come to Darcy House next, so she cannot go there. If we take her to Matlock House, she will be safe from Bennet."

Richard gave a sharp bark of laughter. "No, Darcy. Mother would never permit you to go to Miss Bennet's bedside."

Darcy felt the warmth spread round the back of his neck. He had never been in a lady's bedchamber since he was a small boy and had run into his mother's rooms — until today.

"No," Richard was musing. "Bennet will go to London next. He will use her aunt and uncle and perhaps even try to make a charge of kidnapping against you, Darcy." He looked up. "How long until she is of age?"

"I do not know," Darcy said helplessly. "But we cannot hide her for that long. She will need to see a doctor regularly, if nothing else."

Richard looked at them both. "I think I will ask my batman — Monckton is a good man — to go to a nearby village or town; one that none of us know. It is to be hoped that he can take a house there that will suffice for a week or more, until we know the extent of Miss Bennet's recovery. Then, perhaps, we can plan further."

Darcy nodded. "As soon as she is able, I would want to ask her what she wishes to do. It is important to include her in all decisions as soon as possible." His heart sank; would she not wish to see him again? He would pin his hopes on the fact that she had smiled at him, had whispered his name, had allowed her hand to rest in his.

He glanced at the window. "It needs to be done now, this minute, if we are to find a place where we can take her and her sister tonight."

Richard nodded. "I will go with Monckton, and once we have somewhere, I will leave him making the arrangements and return in time to go with you to recover Miss Bennet." He grinned wolfishly. "And in the morning, I will go to Bennet to plead your case, Darcy, and waste Bennet's time so he does not discover her loss until later. I might intimate you have returned to town, devastated that he has prevented you from seeing his daughter."

"Clever," Bingley said. He crossed to the mantel to ring the bell. "I will have your tray saved, Colonel."

Darcy had crossed to the shelves and plucked a map from it. He opened it hurriedly onto the table and ran his finger in a circle around Longbourn.

"Flamstead." He jabbed his finger down. "It is to the north-west, so away from town. Less than … three miles from Longbourn, so Elizabeth will be in the cold air for the shortest time, but well away from local people. We can go north to Dunstable for supplies."

"Good points," Richard sounded impressed. "I will make a military man of you yet."

The butler knocked and entered. "You called, sir?"

"Yes." Bingley glanced at Richard. "Please summon the colonel's batman, and arrange for three good horses to be saddled, and ready a groom to accompany them — one who is a trustworthy man and who knows the area well."

It was half after one in the morning. Darcy crouched behind Longbourn's boundary wall, wondering what had brought him to this. If it were not for Elizabeth, he would have had nothing to do with it, but Bingley seemed certain that his wife was convinced it was best for her sister, and Darcy knew Elizabeth trusted her implicitly. And Mrs. Bingley had seemed to know how he could help Elizabeth, and had not refused to allow him to assist her.

"There!" Richard had seen the candle appear in the window.

A few moments later, Darcy was following Mrs. Bingley up the servant's stairs, towards Elizabeth's bedchamber. His heart was behaving erratically; while he certainly did not wish to be discovered, he ached to hold her in his arms.

Then he was there, Mrs. Bingley folding back the bedclothes and Elizabeth smiling up at him as he had the honour of lifting her blanket-wrapped — and frighteningly light — form in his arms. It seemed only moments later that the coach was cautiously making north-west, waiting to turn the corner before lighting the torches for a safer journey.

He still had Elizabeth in his arms, and Mrs. Bingley leaned across to see her sister's face. "Are you well, Lizzy?"

"I am, thank you." Elizabeth's voice was small and weary, but she seemed content to have melted into his grasp, leaning against him for support.

His heart knew no greater joy than having her so close, and, in the darkness, he rested his head gently on hers, and heard her breathing hitch. He hoped she would recover soon, and permit him to be with her as she attempted to understand what had happened. But he must first apologise to her again, must be willing to follow her wishes, whatever it meant for him.

He sighed, and felt her head move. "Just rest, Miss Bennet. We will soon have you safe."

He gave himself up to enjoy this time with her in his embrace.