4

There were voices, two male and two female, distant and indistinct, and there was a painful shock of bright light no matter how hard Elizabeth pressed her eyes shut. She groaned, feeling herself jostled about, a pleasant warmth encircling her despite the cold biting at her face.

“I am going to put her into the carriage and then find a doctor.”

“Put her here beside me.”

“Is she injured?”

“Thank God you spotted her, Brother; I am sure she would have frozen to death!”

“The poor creature, left all by herself! How strange!”

“Is that not the inn just there, sir?”

“It is. I will take rooms for us and as the innkeeper to fetch a physician at once.”

“Here, let me put the blanket about her, and the hot brick.”

“I shall ask the innkeeper where I might obtain another.”

“Might I accompany you, sir? I should like to refresh myself.”

“Of course. You stay here, poppet - you shall be perfectly safe, and I shall not keep you waiting long.”

“Shall I attempt to rouse her? We ought to find out who she is and where she lives.”

“Better to allow her to wake on her own - if her head is injured… Good God, if we had not driven past when we did….”

A deep, pleasant voice trembled with emotion as gentle pressure stroked Elizabeth’s head, and her eyelids twitched; she willed them to open, but she feared the piercing shards of light that accompanied her megrims. She drew in a deep, slow breath, not ready to let go of the soothing sensation of floating that pulled at her. Her body was still now; there was a heavy warmth around her, and a faint fragrance she both knew and yet could not identify, which made her feeling strangely at ease despite the pulsing of her temples.

Elizabeth parted her lips as if to drink in the euphoric scent that curled around her, and gave a little hum as a comforting pressure warmed her body further. The voice of a young girl tickled at Elizabeth’s flickering consciousness, and she attempted once more to open her eyes a little.

“Miss? Are you injured? And pray, what is your name?”

Elizabeth’s eyes came into focus, landing on a pretty young woman, fair-complected and finely attired, about Lydia’s age. The girl watched her with wide blue eyes, earnest and expectant. “I wish to help.”

Elizabeth offered the girl a smile, gathering her wits at last. “I thank you. I believe I merely fainted, that is all. And you may call me Lizzy, if you like.”

“Lizzy,”

the girl repeated with a shy smile. “That sounds like a nickname - mine is Gigi. Well, you gave us all such a fright, Lizzy,”

Gigi cried. “That is, my companion and I. My brother saw you from the window and feared something truly dreadful had befallen you.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brows, her forced smile flickering. Something dreadful had befallen her, and though she had intended to devise some solution, her panic had gotten the better of her. “You brother must be incredibly kind and solicitous,”

Elizabeth replied. She glanced around, finally registering that she and the girl were alone in the stationary carriage.

“He has gone to secure rooms for us at the inn, and my companion needed to refresh herself,”

Gigi explained, sensing Elizabeth’s curiosity. “And he will send for a doctor to attend you, as well. Do you live here in the village, or nearby?”

“My father’s estate is about a mile from here,”

Elizabeth answered, wringing her hands as she recollected the danger to her home. And then she recalled that Mrs. Hawkins had mentioned the inn being full already - her would-be rescuers would not be able to take rooms at the Red Lion.

An idea blossomed in her mind, cleverly borne of her desperation. “I would be happy to offer you and your brother rooms at Longbourn,”

Elizabeth said. Mrs. Hill would be enough chaperone, along with the companion the girl had mentioned. And she had heard two male voices - the brother and a valet or footman perhaps? Surely the presence of so many others at Longbourn would deter the schemes of the iniquitous officers. And yet, her conscience pressed upon her. She would have to warn them of the danger.

“That is very generous of you,”

Gigi replied, her eyes alight with excitement. “My brother was so disappointed that we were obliged to turn back - that is, we came up from London, but got no further than Luton before the snow was too thick, and the roads quite impassable. We had hoped to catch up to a large party of friends travelling north a couple days ahead of us. His dearest friend was recently married, and his sisters disapproved so thoroughly that they have remained in London, which honestly is a bit of a relief - they are truly horrid.”

The girl seemed to realize she had been babbling, though Elizabeth was too caught up in her own troubles to be amused by the rambling tale of Gigi’s brother’s friend’s horrid sisters. It was just the sort of chatter Lydia and Kitty would have liked - Elizabeth sighed, wistfully amused that she should be missing them already.

Gigi brought a hand to her face, covering her mouth as her eyes widened, and then she let out a breathy giggle. “I fear I have said too much. I do not often meet new friends. My brother had such high hopes that I would enjoy the company of the new Mrs. Bingley and one of her sisters he particularly admires - but we were delayed departing and now this beastly storm has obliged us to turn back toward London….”

Gigi bit her lip and gave a self-deprecating shrug of her shoulders. “You must think me very silly.”

“Not at all,”

Elizabeth assured her, reaching a hand out from under the warmth of the blanket and giving Gigi a gentle pat on the shoulder. “You have been very kind; I owe both you and your brother my thanks for finding me and acting quickly. I am only preoccupied with something distressing that I just learned of while in the village and I - I beg your pardon, did you say Mrs. Bingley?”

“Yes,”

Gigi replied. “But whatever has distressed you? Is that why you fainted?”

Elizabeth’s mind whirled. Gigi had said that her brother admired Mrs. Bingley’s sister - but who was her brother? A great many of Mr. Bingley’s friends from London had attended the wedding, and even the impending danger at Longbourn could not completely forestall Elizabeth’s curiosity - even if it ought to. She shook her head as if to organize her thoughts, reminding herself that she had greater concerns than being admired.

“I am ashamed to admit I fainted from fright - or perhaps anxiety,”

Elizabeth said. “There is something I must make you aware of, if you are to stay at Longbourn. Something terribly frightening - in truth, I do not know who else I might apply to for aid, or how I ought to act, though certainly I must take some action.”

Gigi gave Elizabeth’s hand a comforting squeeze, and Elizabeth smiled weakly, hoping her new friend’s brother might admire her enough to be of assistance. She had no clear recollection of him lifting her from the snow and placing her into the carriage, though the tones of his deep voice had been soothing and vaguely familiar.

“Whatever is the matter?”

Gigi’s interest was clearly captivated, for she leaned toward Elizabeth eagerly. Her expression bore more fascination than fear, reminding Elizabeth again of her two youngest sisters.

“There is a regiment of the militia quartered here in Meryton,”

Elizabeth began to explain. “I have discovered a plot amongst them to burglarize the homes of prominent families who have traveled away for Christmastide, including my own home.”

“How dreadful!”

Gigi gasped. “But your family cannot have gone away.”

Elizabeth’s presence indeed ought to mean that her family was not far away. She gave a rueful shrug of her shoulders, as if her abandonment was a shade in her own character. “My family has travelled north - with the Bingleys, in fact. They left me behind - they forgot me, I think.”

She could not bring herself to admit to her new friend that it was possible she had been left behind as a punishment for her own churlishness.

Gigi drew back in astonishment, her face betraying shock, pity, fear, compassion - and for some reason, embarrassment. “You are acquainted with the Bingleys? Oh - the regiment - oh dear, is this little village Meryton, perchance? And you are Lizzy! Elizabeth Bennet? Oh dear! And I told you…. Oh Lord, my brother is going to be terribly cross with me!”

Before Elizabeth could ask the poor girl why she had worked herself into such a state, the carriage doors opened. A kindly woman in her late thirties, presumably Gigi’s companion, entered first and took a seat beside Elizabeth. “I am glad to see you looking better already, Miss….”

She would have introduced herself, but Elizabeth’s voice caught like a lump in her throat as she turned toward the cold wind blowing in through the open door of the carriage as Gigi’s brother climbed into it.

“Miss Elizabeth Bennet,”

said Fitzwilliam Darcy.

***

The mood in his carriage was strange; Darcy struggled to read the expressions of the two women so dear to him, and he suspected that Mrs. Annesley could sense that more was amiss than just Elizabeth’s swoon into the snow.

Elizabeth stared at him in astonishment as he spoke her name, while Georgiana’s air shifted from tense excitement to… something like guilt? She averted her eyes, murmuring that she had not realized they had stopped in the very same neighborhood where he had stayed in the autumn. Darcy knew not why that should matter - good Lord, what had she said to Elizabeth?

“Miss Elizabeth, you were not entirely conscious when I lifted you from the snow - allow me to properly introduce you to my sister, Georgiana Darcy, and her companion, Mrs. Annesley.”

“I have given Lizzy leave to call me Gigi,”

his sister said sheepishly.

Darcy wanted to grin, but could only gape. It should be no surprise to him that Elizabeth could put his sister so instantly at ease, even when she was not at her best. She had been in a precarious condition when he had found her; his carriage had just rounded the bend that would send them back to London when he saw her collapse.

Looking as though she was struggling to compose herself, Elizabeth adjusted her posture beneath the thick woolen blanket and inclined her head with gratitude as she said, “I must thank you for coming to my aid, Mr. Darcy. No doubt you thought me to be of a heartier constitution when last you were in Meryton.”

Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she poked fun at herself, and Darcy wished to respond with the sort of repartee that came so naturally to her, but Georgiana spoke first. “Oh yes, I have heard you are very fond of long walks. But, Will, Lizzy said that she fainted because she had just heard something horribly alarming! And she has offered to host us at Longbourn - the inn is full, they must have told you so - ought we not repay her kindness through whatever assistance may be possible?”

The carriage lurched into motion; he had instructed his valet, who was acting as coachman at present, to take them to Longbourn as the inn was indeed at capacity. He had intended to return to the village after returning Elizabeth to her family and see if any servants might be hired for a night or two at Netherfield, as Bingley still held the lease, and he had no wish to return to London only to attempt the journey north again in a few days’ time.

“Of course,”

he said automatically, his mind awhirl. What could his sister have said to Elizabeth, to be looking so chagrined at discovering the lady’s identity? It was bad enough she had revealed that he had told her of Elizabeth at all. But his mortification was nothing compared to his curiosity- what was Elizabeth doing in Meryton at all?

“I was happy to be of service - that is, not happy to see you in such a dire situation as you were, but glad that I might be in a position to remedy any danger. I am surprised to find you here at all, and in such peril - I had expected your family to be traveling to Derbyshire with the Bingleys.”

Mrs. Annesley gave a gentle cough and then said, “Perhaps we may allow the young lady to explain herself.”

“Thank you,”

Elizabeth replied; her lips curved upward a little, though her brow furrowed. “Indeed, I appreciate you all; I am grateful for the rescue and for your concern - and for the ride back to Longbourn. However, I fear you may not wish to involve yourselves in the dreadful mess I have found myself inveigled in.”

The blanket shifted, as if Elizabeth shuddered beneath it. Or perhaps she had shivered. “Are you warm enough? I fear you will take a fever from such exposure to the cold,”

Darcy said, leaning forward and beginning to extend his hand toward her before recollecting his manners. “I inquired after the doctor but I was told he has travelled to visit some relations in Hampshire.”

“I am comfortable, only - well, I am terribly frightened and more than a little bit angry,”

Elizabeth said, clearly wringing her hands with distress beneath the blanket. And how Darcy envied that blanket at present, for all the warmth and comfort it gave her.

“It is truly shocking!”

Georgiana huffed in indignation before clamping her mouth shut and giving a look that indicated Elizabeth might proceed without further interruption.

Darcy studied the concern on his sister’s face, perceiving tender compassion and even affection in the look of solicitude she gave her new friend. He had known Georgiana would instantly like Elizabeth. The perilous circumstances were not at all how he had imagined their acquaintance beginning, but perhaps the urgency that hung in the air might expedite the intimacy he sensed was already developing between them. Already Georgiana seemed more talkative than usual with a new acquaintance.

Knowing he would devote himself to solving whatever problem fate had presented her, Darcy fixed his attentive gaze on Elizabeth and gave her an encouraging nod. For a moment she silently stared back, her eyes searching and her countenance utterly inscrutable. Darcy struggled to decipher her sentiments, perceiving traces of confusion, amusement, and curiosity in her expressive eyes. Her lips twitched upward for a moment and she gave a breathy laugh, her cheeks growing pink as she looked away, flustered by the wordless exchange.

“Forgive me - I fear I shall sound very silly - even in my own head it all sounds beyond credulity,”

Elizabeth said. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a sharp breath before she turned back to face him again, the words spilling out in a hasty shambles. “This morning I overheard two officers speaking outside my window. They had come to Longbourn to do some sort of reconnaissance - they plan to return later and plunder the house for any valuables, and mean to do the same at Lucas Lodge and any other homes that may hold anything of value, if the families are away for Christmas.”

“And your family… is away? I knew of their intention to travel with the Bingleys, but I cannot think why you should be left at home all alone,”

Darcy said gravely, his mind grasping for a logical explanation where none could be found.

Elizabeth flashed him a smile that did not reach her eyes. “That was not our original plan, to be sure. But it has happened, and I fear that the coming snow storm may interfere with my family’s ability to return for me. In the meanwhile, I have attempted to take matters into my own hands - I came to the village to speak to Colonel Forster about Lieutenant Harrington and Captain Marveston, only to get the distinct impression that he and Lieutenant Wickham are involved in the scheme.”

Beside him, Georgiana flinched at the mention of Wickham; Darcy turned to look at his sister, intending to give her some subtle comfort. To his surprise, it was not panic or distress written on her countenance, but fiery vexation - at him. She was not pleased that he had withheld the knowledge of Wickham’s presence in the area.

On the opposite seat, Elizabeth was still fidgeting beneath the blanket, unaware of the sudden tension between siblings. “Sir William Lucas is the local magistrate, and he has taken his family to Kent with the Collinses, so I have no other recourse. I have Mrs. Hill to think of, and her children - I had thought Johnny Hill might teach me to shoot Papa’s pistol so that I can defend my home when those brigands return….”

Her voice trailed away as she perceived the unspoken detente. “I know this must all sound mad - forgive me, I ought not to have involved you.”

“Oh, no, Lizzy!”

Georgiana leaned forward to lay a hand on Elizabeth’s knee. “My brother and I are quite familiar with George Wickham’s treachery, only I - I did not know he was here in Meryton. I have not seen him since last summer, when he…. He has behaved very selfishly toward our family on more than one occasion, and with increasing malice. I am sorry indeed that you are in danger of being his next victim, for I know all too well the damage that can be done by a wastrel who thinks only of enriching and indulging himself!”

Elizabeth gaped at Georgiana, but her shock was nothing compared to Darcy’s astonishment. He had been pleasantly surprised to find Georgiana so vocal with her new friend, but then he had expected that, even wished for it, for his sister had been growing a little bolder every day since learning of his attachment to Elizabeth. But he had presumed that Wickham’s designs against Georgiana were still too painful for her to speak of, and had avoided even speaking that blackguard’s name in her presence. It was plain to see that he had been wrong, and that she did not appreciate his underestimating her.

Something else jolted his mind, and Darcy turned to Elizabeth with wonder. “I beg your pardon, did I hear you say that you meant to shoot these burglars?”

She straightened her posture, her gaze now a challenge and not a question. “That is what is commonly done in such circumstances, is it not? It seems infinitely preferable to swooning from fright, which I hope never to do again. And really, I cannot think it right to involve you, or anyone so wholly unconnected with my family.”

“Unconnected? Bingley has been like a brother to me for many years, and now he is your brother,”

Darcy said, mentally wincing as he considered how very like Miss Bingley he sounded; that lady was far too often asserting that they were practically family already. “Forgive me - even if we were strangers, and I had not come to know you and respect you, I should gladly come to the aid of anybody at the mercy of George Wickham’s villainy.”

“He belongs in the deepest, darkest dungeon,”

Georgiana hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring out the window, as if she might go off in search of her vengeance directly.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at Georgiana’s burst of vehemence, and Darcy caught himself mirroring the expression he found so beguiling on Elizabeth. She espied him and smiled. “I owe you an apology, sir, for ever believing… a word he said.”

Darcy gave her a rueful smile in return, his fingers twitching from a need to take her hand in his. “I shall not deny that I was disappointed to hear you defend him, when last we spoke, at the ball. But he is a practiced deceiver whose lies are generally accepted when presented with flattery and charm.”

Elizabeth gave a remorseful nod of her head. “You are not obligated to involve yourself in danger on my account.”

“How could I face your father if I left you here alone with only a pistol and a few hours of practice using it?”

“Besides,”

Georgiana added, “you did say that we could stay with you at Longbourn. We are friends, and friends help each other.”

Elizabeth glanced over at Mrs. Annesley, who had remained silent and observant since they departed the village - the good lady gave a nod of approbation. “Oh, very well - how could I refuse such kindness?”