As soon as the carriage halted, both boys jumped out and Andrew followed Richard toward the spot he had seen the man discard what was, very evidently, a screaming child. As they got nearer, the crying became ever louder. The sight that greeted them made them stop in their tracks. It was a beautiful little girl who, except for her eye colour, looked amazingly like their late baby sister Tiffany. She was in every way dirty, but from her little nightgown they could see that she was a gentleman’s daughter, and she also wore a ruby encrusted cross.
Andrew took charge. He knew that nothing could ever replace their sister, but he also knew that his mother would turn him over her knee if they did not protect this mite and bring her home to care for her until they could find her parents. He stripped off his coat and swaddled her as best he could so she could feel his warmth, and within fifteen minutes the drivers had the team and the vehicle turned around in a clearing so they could return to Snowhaven with all haste. When she stopped crying, she asked for“dink” which they interpreted as drink, so they let her sip from the water and lemonade they had in pouches. She then spied a biscuit and devoured four of them in a row.
As soon as they exited the forest, they stopped at the first inn they found where they had a maid take the girl to thoroughly wash and clean her. One of the guards kept close watch to make sure that the tiny girl was safe. The innkeeper’s wife gave them a gown that her babe had worn and outgrown, and as soon as they were able to leave, they headed east, soon crossing back into Derbyshire. Once she was clean, they were able to see that her hair colour was almost identical to Tiffany’s, as was the shape of her eyes; eyes that were mesmerising. They were hazel with flecks of green and gold, not the cerulean blue that was a hallmark of the Fitzwilliams. Once she had eaten and had enough to drink, they asked her for her name and were able to get“Izzy”. When they had examined the cross, they found an engraving on the back that read‘For my Elizabeth.’She kept asking“Where Papa,‘aney, and John?” were, and they continued to promise to find them for her if they were able. Eventually she snuggled between them, her arms around Richard’s arm and her head leaning against Andrew and they looked at each other and smiled in a way only brothers can. Life and limb would be willingly risked for this little one should it come to that.
When they pulled to a halt in front of the castle-manor house at Snowhaven, Reggie and Elaine Fitzwilliam hurried outside with great concern, fearing that one of their boys was ill. Both parents felt a wave of relief when they saw their sons looking hale and healthy as they alighted the equipage and then both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Andrew reach into the interior and turn around holding a little girl that looked just like…Reggie caught his wife as she fainted.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It had been a sennight with no word from anyone demanding ransom, and each day that passed the hope that little Lizzy would be recovered dimmed. Jane would cry each time as she spied her baby sister’s empty bed, but thankfully Mrs Manning always managed to comfort her. The lady seemed to be a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark time.
The longer that there was no ransom demand, the more Bennet became convinced that his wife had somehow found a way to harm Lizzy. As much as he wanted her to pay, there was no proof; all signs pointed to the missing maid and no trace of her had been found.
Fanny walked into Meryton and saw the unlit candle in the one window—the signal that Sam had returned. Once she saw that no one was around she waddled to his door and let herself in. He was waiting for her in the little living room, dining room, and kitchen in one, and they hugged and kissed with the excitement of pulling it off.
“Well?” she asked in anticipation.
“Here,” Sam produced a small box which looked like a mini chest that Fanny had given him ahead of time.“As you asked.”
Fanny gingerly opened the lid and almost gagged at the smell as she looked at the drying organ within. She closed the lid and thanked Sam most profusely as she handed over all of the money that she had saved. She thought that she was clever, pilfering money from her husband’s strong boxthe few times she had been able to slip into his study. After the service that he had performed for her, she had no problem handing the stolen one hundred pounds over to Sam. The conspiratorial couple said their goodbye for the final time. A lad from Mr Lucas asked him to report at the magistrate’s office the following afternoon. The next morning Sam resigned with the excuse that his family needed him in Devon, gone before Bennet or Mr Lucas were able to question him.
Fanny was quite pleased with herself. Everyone thought that she was not intelligent, but she had shown them all. When she returned to the cottage her husband had consigned her to, she looked like the cat that got the cream. For a short while she was able to forget her reduced circumstances and rejoice in the apparent success of her plan to kill the Devil’s spawn, and she hid the little chest with her morbid souvenir in the bottom of her small closet.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Back in the drawing room Mrs Smythe, the new housekeeper at Snowhaven, waved the salts just below her mistress’s nose. When the Countess came to, she at first thought that she had imagined the vision of her dead daughter, but then she saw the tiny girl clinging to Andrew for dear life. It did not take long for Andrew and Richard to relay the tale of how they discovered the toddler and what her name was. It was noted that she asked for her Papa, and‘aney, which were persons currently unknown to them, someone named John, and sometimes she asked where a‘miz ammy’was. One person she never called for was her mother. Based on the name Elizabeth on the cross, and her saying her name was‘Izzy, they asked her“Are you Lizzy?” the little girl had nodded in the affirmative with a smile which meant she was very used to being called such.
Elaine approached Andrew and slowly extended her arms. After some hesitance, she must have decided that she could trust the kindly looking woman, so she allowed herself to be taken and Elaine sat with the gift of the young one in her lap. As she examined the little mite closely, she could see that although there were some basic similarities with her departed Tiffany there were more things that were different, especially the shape and colour of her eyes.
As the little girl sucked her thumb and relaxed against Elaine, she fell asleep, and the Countess was hopelessly lost. As much as she wanted to never let her go, she knew that they had to search for her parents or parent, and if found she would have to relinquish the girl. Due to that fact, the Countess tried to stop herself falling in love with the little girl, but it was already too late. She would not begrudge the parents this gift she had unwittingly been given. It was something only a parent could understand but being able to hug Lizzy had eased the ache of not being able to hug her own just one more time. She breathed the little one in as she hugged her and nodded as she looked up at her husband that at last, she was no longer haunted.
The Earl walked over and kneeled next to both ladies in the room, and he looked at Lizzy for a long moment before he again met the eyes of his wife.“There are some moments you know God had a hand in. Thank you, Lizzy.” He leaned in and kissed the top of her head and then his wife’s who nodded and smiled at him without restraint for the first time in too long.
“Even if we find them, maybe Richard can fight her papa for the honour of her care.” She teased her boys.“He’s already scowling at you, his own father.” Her three men laughed, and Lizzy woke up and smiled at her before sighing in contentment. It was obviously a sound she was used to hearing, and that was a great relief for them all.
The next morning, the Darcys arrived in time to break their fasts with their family after the urgent express summoning them to Snowhaven had arrived the previous evening. As they all ate, the Fitzwilliams shared the story of the little girl who had been discarded in Sherwood Forest. It was decided that notices would be sent to the newspapers in all of the shires surrounding Derbyshire. If there were no responses within three months, then the Earl and Countess would decide the next step. The three Darcys were amused when they were told how the maids had argued among themselves as to who would act as nursemaid to the beautiful little girl, and how the argument had been settled speedily by the housekeeper who had taken the privilege for herself the night before.
When the repast was finished, the family assembled in the family sitting room and the maid who had today been appointed to look after the toddler brought her in. All three Darcys were struck not only by the beauty of the girl, but also by the intelligence that seemed to shine from her eyes. The family guessed, based on her size, that she was around one, which made her walking and speaking ability all the more remarkable.
“We have no idea what her birthdate is, do we?” William asked.
“No, William, there was no date engraved on the back of her cross,” Aunt Elaine agreed.
“You found her discarded yesterday on the twentieth day of June, did you not,” William asked his cousins who both nodded.
“Yes, I dare say William is onto something,” his Uncle Reggie said.“As long as little Miss Lizzy is with us, her birthday will be the day you boys found her,” the Earl looked at his sons with pride,“and we will say that she is one now.”
For three months, notices were placed in the papers, and after two the scope was expanded to some shires another ten miles further, but no one called to claim Lizzy. Maddie Ellison had departed Lambton for London just a few days before the notice appeared in the local broadsheets, so she did not see it and was not able to pass on the information to her betrothed when she was apprised of their missing niece. She had already claimed the young girl as family when her Edward had said that his niece was missing, correcting him even then by saying ours. Maddie volunteered to start writing small thoughts and happenings of the family in a journal so that when she was found they could share things they might have forgotten with her. Maddie’s father had once given the same advice to a mother whose only son had gone to war, so she hoped she was not overstepping; she was pleasantly surprised when her Edward kissed her in appreciation. It was no tentative first kiss, and she could not wait to be his wife to help him carry his burdens, realise his dreams, and fill his desires.
In the three months since she was brought home to Snowhaven, the petite little ball of energy had wormed her way into the hearts of everyone that came into contact with her. As each day passed her vocabulary increased, and after six weeks, she was calling Elaine Mama, and Reggie‘Unca’, as she still had a vague memory of her father.‘Andew’and‘Itch’were beloved older brothers, and she loved her new Aunt and Uncle and cousin Will very well.
In early October 1792, the Earl claimed little Lizzy as his daughter, and she officially became Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam. At Longbourn, a grieving father finally accepted that his beloved daughter was dead. In early October, as she was being adopted, Bennet and his family gathered for a funeral-like ceremony at which they buried an empty coffin. Fanny Bennet hid herself and watched with glee, walking carelessly back to the cottage not paying attention to the obstacles on the ground. During this exercise, the first massive pain of labour hit her, and she tripped and fell extremely hard hitting her head on a rock as her world faded to black.
Chapter3
Elizabeth’s new parents and brothers resolved that when she was old enough to understand the circumstances of how she became a member of the family, it would be fully disclosed to her. Lizzy loved to run, her short legs pumping furiously at every opportunity to evade, but after the tragedy with Tiffany, her parents made sure she had two nursemaids with her at all times and she was always carried up and down the stairs, much to her chagrin. She was not a wilful child, so she obeyed her parent’s wishes to never go near the stairs or attempt to climb them on her own.
The vivacious little mite seemed happiest when she was outdoors and free to run on the grass, she also seemed to have a penchant for taking walks through the gardens. She was fascinated by the maze and had found her way out on her own on her third try—something that no other child had accomplished to date. She was never allowed to go into the maze on her own; she was always accompanied by one of her new and doting brothers.
