She stared at him until his smile faded. “I will remain two minutes,” she answered.
“That is almost long enough to whet your curiosity,” he grinned confidently. “As you know, certain events prevented me from enjoying my wedding tour with my darling Lydia. A lamentable chance, but I fear it could not be helped, and the matter relates directly to Darcy. I heard, the very morning after it had taken place, that he had disappeared.”
She lifted her chin. “And with no one to hold you accountable to the vows you had just made, you saw your chance to abandon my sister?”
He lifted his hands in entreaty. “I beg you not to judge hastily until you have heard all, Miss Elizabeth. There was a man sent after my carriage from London who had an urgent message for me, to which I replied with all proper haste. He said I would be doing a very great service to king and country, and of course, to Darcy himself. You may not believe me, but I would see no harm befall the man. He has ever been a great friend to me, and I shall be forever indebted to him for his goodwill and support. I was told that his very life was in danger and that certain acts of discretion might restore him.
“I agreed, despite the rather harsh condition that I was to absent myself from the region and to avoid any further contact with my dear family until matters could be brought to a judicious close. Of course, it pained me to part from my darling Lydia so soon, but I trusted that in good time we would be reunited and permitted to live out the rest of our merry lives in peace and no little prosperity.”
He paused and looked to Elizabeth to see how she received this assurance, but her expression gave him little comfort. He resumed quickly.
“Well,” he continued, “this fellow told me of Darcy’s kidnapping—does that surprise you, Miss Elizabeth? He’s not dead—not at all, though some wished him to be.”
Elizabeth held herself in vicious check, but could not prevent a shuddering sigh. Her joyous relief must have been more evident than she realized, for Wickham smiled as he watched her, and his confidence grew.
“As I said, Miss Elizabeth, this fellow had heard of the whole ordeal and wished to spare Darcy the discomfort of his circumstances, but he was too late. That is why he sent for me and asked for my,” he gave a modest bow, “personalexpertise.”
Elizabeth tightened her arms about herself, still quaking. “Who was this person?”
He held up a finger again shaking his head knowingly. “Tsk, tsk, that I cannot reveal. What I can tell you is that I learned recently of that man’s duplicity. It appears that he was as much a party to Darcy’s abduction as the man who actually hired the thugs and took him captive. There is more than one faction at work here, Miss Elizabeth, and it will take the sword of Alexander to cut this knot. You are fortunate that I have at last found my way clear to come to you, for I myself am in no little danger.”
Elizabeth stopped him. “Mr. Wickham, forgive my doubts of your sincerity, but I have little confidence in your truthfulness. Are you certain that you did not know this party’s intentions and involvement from the beginning?”
He shrugged, reaching to pluck a dead branch from the nearest tree with an affected nonchalance. “What I did and did not know matters little now. What does matter is that it is known now that Darcyisalive, and has escaped.” He lifted a calculating brow in Elizabeth’s direction, watching for her response and receiving the assurance that she hung desperately on his words. “I know not how it was done, only that an urgent message was sent from the other party, making impotent demands and warning of dire retribution should my patron’s involvement become known.”
“And that is why you come here now? You think this other person can or will no longer protect you, and you intend to defect. I suppose you wish for me to use whatever influence I might have upon the gentlemen in question, that you may again seek the benefit of Mr Darcy’s fortune in exchange for a name? Doubtless you also hope for Colonel Fitzwilliam’s connections to save your worthless neck from Army justice.”
He turned to smile beatifically at her. “You always were a clever woman, Miss Elizabeth. I ought to have married you instead of Miss Lydia.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms again and glared at him. “We do not need your information, Mr. Wickham,” she announced coldly. “The colonel is already searching for the real truth, not your version of it, for his suspicions were aroused months ago. I am certain that he has already discovered Mr Darcy’s whereabouts and was, in fact, the agent who effected his escape. So you see, we are not in a position that forces us to bargain with a traitor and a deserter.”
He laughed. “Fitzwilliam may have suspected something, but he was not quick enough to release Darcy. My information is more current than his, and I know that his travels must have been somewhat behind Darcy’s. I know when Darcy left Portugal, but no mention was made of Fitzwilliam, and his arrival would not have gone unnoticed. It is probable that Darcy is already in London, in which case he is in greater danger than you can imagine, but the good colonel may yet be some days or even weeks. What protection have you and Miss Darcy now, Miss Elizabeth? You may be assured that Pemberley is not the fortress it appears to be. I heard that Darcy was in a rather bad way when he left the country, and will be in no condition to battle these evils. Furthermore, he will likely have less trust in Fitzwilliam than he does in myself at the moment. You have little choice but to accept my word, Miss Elizabeth, and I exhort you most urgently to do so.”
She lifted her chin. “Pretend that I shall choose to do so. What can you offer that I could not discover on my own? What surety have I that your word is genuine?”
He spread his hands. “I know people—useful people, but they are not found in drawing rooms. I can also tell you in whom you should and should not trust. As to my faithfulness, I have only a gentleman’s honour, Miss Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth snorted, rather like Lydia, then coughed. “That is quite enough answer for me. I shall think on the matter. Since you need my assistance as well, I shall depend on you to remain in the area for another day, at least.”
He frowned unhappily. “I suppose that is not unreasonable, but I insist on not meeting you here in the woods. I have my reputation as a married man to think of, after all. May I contact you directly at the house?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment, then decided to test him. “I shall consider a proper meeting place and send word by Mr O’Donnell. I trust he is already known to you?”
Wickham smiled cannily. “I know what you are about, Miss Elizabeth. He is no associate of mine, but I pay attention to what is whispered about. That lad is as innocent as a newborn babe. There are others inside Pemberley in whom you should not trust, but if you wish to know who they are, you must meet with me tomorrow, with the promise that you will secure for me the assistance I require. I know I can depend upon your word, and that Darcy would bend over backward—even for me—where you are concerned.”
Elizabeth’s brows jumped in involuntary acknowledgment, and Wickham smiled again, doffing his hat. “I would be happy to accept a note via Mr O’Donnell. You may tell him I shall await here just at dusk to hear whether you will meet with me again. Now, may I see you back to the house, or at least within sight of the garden?”
She curtsied and dipped her head. “I do not require an escort back to the house, for I know my way quite well enough.”
He bowed gallantly. “If you are certain, Miss Elizabeth. I know what becomes of men who try to escort you against your wishes. To think I attributed that bit of brilliance to Miss Darcy!”
She shot him a questioning glare, and his eyes flicked meaningfully to the distant slope where they had been attacked. “I ought to have recognised your own handiwork sooner, Miss Elizabeth, for I know of few women capable of, er, disarming a man quite so thoroughly. Did the poor rascal survive your driving?”
Elizabeth ignored his question. “If you indeed know of the matter, then you know that we are not wholly defenceless here, Mr Wickham.”
He smiled again at the sparking displeasure in her eyes. “I shall look forward to meeting you at this time tomorrow, if you should so choose. If I have no word from you by this evening, my offer expires. Good day, Miss Elizabeth.”
Chapter thirty-five
