Darcy exhaled slowly, shaking his head slightly as he absorbed the implications of what had just been placed in his hands. “I will use it to see justice done.” The words came quickly, instinctively. He looked back at Sir Edmund, his voice firm. “I care little for winning elections, but I will not see Derbyshire’s future compromised by a man like Stanton.”
Sir Edmund studied him for a long moment before allowing a small smile. “That is precisely why you were the right man to stand for election, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy had no answer for that.
Sir Edmund straightened. “I shall send the records to your house later today. You may do with them as you see fit.”
The carriage pulled to a stop outside Darcy House, and Darcy blinked, coming back to the present. “Sir, will you not join me for some refreshment?” he offered.
But Sir Edmund declined, shaking his head and promising to send the papers over by courier as soon as possible. Then he stepped out and signaled for his own carriage.
Darcy remained seated for a moment, staring up at the familiar façade of his home. For the first time in weeks, clarity settled over him. He knew what he had to do, and why. He had a plan.
And the first step he intended to take concerned Elizabeth Bennet.
He exited the carriage, striding up the steps with purpose. His butler opened the door and assisted him in removing his coat.
“Miss Bennet?” Darcy asked, unable to keep the eagerness from his tone.
The butler hesitated. “The lady left not half an hour ago, sir.”
Darcy froze. “What?”
“Yes, sir. She did, however, leave a note for you. It is on your desk.”
A note.
Darcy barely heard the butler as he moved swiftly to his study. The paper was waiting for him, his name written in Elizabeth’s hand. He broke the seal, unfolding the letter with unsteady fingers.
Mr. Darcy,
I am grateful for all you have done for me. You have been my protector, my advocate, and my friend, and I shall always think kindly of youfor it. I am pleased that you are finding success in your campaign, and I wish you well in all that is to come.
Lord Matlock assures me that I am no longer required to accompany you, and so, I take my leave. I have imposed upon your kindness long enough.
Thank you again, for everything.
Yours,
Elizabeth Bennet
Darcy’s fingers clenched around the paper.
She was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Elizabeth sat by thewindow, staring out at the bustling street below, her chin resting lightly against her hand. The sound of carriage wheels rattling over the cobblestones, the distant chatter of merchants and errand boys—it all felt oddly distant, like a world that no longer belonged to her.
She ought to be happy. She ought to be relieved.
She had been returned safely to her family. She had no lingering injuries beyond a dull ache in her skull that reminded her she had been foolish enough to run about London alone in a hired carriage. She was alive. And, as an unexpected consequence of all that had transpired, she would be granted a settlement of fifteen thousand pounds—a sum beyond anything she had ever dreamed of possessing.
It would change everything for her family.
It would be enough to see Jane properly settled, to bolster Lydia’s marriage prospects beyond the sort of reckless, romantic notions she was so prone to. It would give Mary the freedom to choose, rather than be forced into something simply because she lacked alternatives. And Kitty—Kitty would finally have something of her own, something that would allow her to shape her future rather than drift aimlessly, following Lydia’s every whim.
Elizabeth sucked in a shaking breath, rubbing at the corner of her eye with frustration.Tears?Really? For what? She never allowed herself to be foolishly sentimental. And yet, here she sat, feeling every bit the foolish girl she never wanted to be.
