Wickham sneered, his desperation morphing into a reckless bravado as he slowly advanced. “You think so, do you, Darcy? You will not stop me from taking what I want. I have warned you before. If your aunt does not pay me, I will simply keep your bride for myself. She is a pretty enough thing and will no doubt please me well enough.”
“How did you escape your prison cell, Wickham?” Darcy asked in an attempt to distract Wickham long enough for Elizabeth to get away. They were carefully inching backwards, praying that someone would come looking for them.
“It was easy enough to pick the lock on the door once that fat magistrate fell asleep,” Wickham said, holding up the knife he had and waving it around. “I took this knife from him before I slit his throat.”
Suppressing the shudder at the thought that his former playmate could so easily take a life, Darcy decided it was time to act. He moved quickly to raise the gun that was hidden in his coat pocket and fired before Wickham even registered the action. His bullet caught Wickham in the right shoulder, causing him to drop the knife and fall to the ground in pain.
Darcy moved to stand over Wickham. “Your lies and jealousy have brought you only ruin,” he spat at his former friend. “You have lost the trust of everyone who once believed in you. Not only will you be held accountable for an attempted kidnapping, but you have added the murder of a magistrate to your crimes.”
Wickham grimaced, clutching his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers. “You think this is the end?” he hissed, his eyes wild with defiance. “I will have my revenge, Darcy. You cannot protect her forever!”
Darcy's expression hardened. “You will never have the chance to harm anyone by the last name of Darcy again, Wickham. My men will patch up your wound and ensure you are never found again—at least not in England. I have many connections, and if you survive this injury, your life will be decidedly unpleasant, but no less than you deserve.”
He turned to Elizabeth. “Elizabeth, if you will untie my cravat, we can use it to bind Wickham’s hands. After that, I will ask you to return to the inn and summon my men to join me here.”
Nodding, Elizabeth moved to do as he asked. However, before he could leave, she offered a suggestion that brought a smile to Darcy’s face. Following her lead, he untied Wickham's cravat as well, using it as a rough gag to silence his rantings and cries of pain.
“There,” Darcy said, stepping back to survey his handiwork. “That should keep you quiet for the time being.” Wickham glared at him, but the fury in his eyes was now muted by the gag. When Darcy was momentarily distracted, Wickham tried to escape, despite his injuries and binds, and Darcy struck him across the temple, rendering him unconscious.
Before long, three of Darcy's men arrived with Elizabeth following them, leading four horses. They brought additional bindings to secure Wickham's feet and a rope to tie him to the saddle. Upon seeing the gag across Wickham's mouth, they exchanged smirks but left it in place as they prepared to set off for the final miles into London. Before his men departed, Darcysearched Wickham and found a letter from Lady Catherine confirming what Wickham had said.
Darcy returned to the inn, where he and Elizabeth informed Georgiana about Wickham’s escape and his second attempt to kidnap Elizabeth, an effort thwarted only after Darcy subdued him. Once they had explained everything, Darcy excused himself and went to his room.
Seated at the small writing desk, he took a deep breath to steady himself before beginning a letter to his cousin. Wickham’s revelation about their aunt’s scheme weighed heavily on him, its implications both distressing and far-reaching. As he put pen to paper, Darcy’s mind raced with worry, analysing the consequences of her machinations and what steps might be necessary to counter them.
Stevenage
Wednesday, 20 November, 1811
Richard,
I must inform you of a frightening encounter we had with Wickham. With some hired men, he attempted to kidnap Elizabeth as we travelled to London. Were it not for your warning to be careful and the diligence of your men in protecting us, he might have succeeded. Of course, I would not have allowed him to take my wife or sister without a fight, but it was good your men were with us.
Wickham was captured and is being taken to London by three of your men. I will provide details of this when we are in company once again. However, before he was bound and gagged, he spoke of the instigator behind all of this and the events of last summer: Lady Catherine. It appears thiswas not the first time she has used Wickham’s services in an attempt to force me to bend to her will.
The fool had in his possession a letter written in our aunt’s hand, ordering the abduction. Despite his capture, I fear for the safety of my wife and the well-being of my family. Lady Catherine might have others willing to act at her command. We cannot wait for her to cause harm—action must be taken before it is too late.
Please join me in London as soon as possible so we might discuss this matter further.
FD
He sealed the letter and sat back, thinking about various options for dealing with Lady Catherine.
After handing the letter to one of his men for immediate delivery to where Richard was stationed in nearby Hertfordshire, Darcy turned and found Elizabeth sitting patiently, waiting for him. He walked over to her and knelt before her.
“Wickham has been taken care of, but we must remain vigilant,” he said, his voice steady but laced with concern. “I do not know what else Lady Catherine might try, especially now. You must be cautious, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth nodded, recognising his concern. “Georgiana and I will be careful, Fitzwilliam. It is not as though we will be going anywhere by ourselves in London, and you would have insisted we go everywhere with a footman even if you were not worried about a threat. Now, however, we will be even more vigilant. Do not worry so much, my darling.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his head in her stomach. “You are my life, Elizabeth. I know that I survivedfour years without you, but now, I do not believe I could survive if you were taken from me. You have my heart, so much more than you did that summer at Pemberley.” Darcy leant back to look at Elizabeth and lifted his hands to caress her cheeks. “I love you, Elizabeth Darcy,” he whispered, before pulling her down to touch his lips to hers.
Early the next morning,the Darcys boarded the carriage for the final leg of the journey to London. The trip was, fortunately, uneventful, and shortly after noon their carriage arrived at their house on Park Lane. Since they hoped to keep their presence from becoming public knowledge, Darcy directed their coachman to deliver them to the back of the house. It was something he frequently did on solo trips into town, when he hoped his return would go unnoted. Most of his family and a few close friends knew about this practice; though it rarely worked as well as he would have liked, it did, at least, usually delay the news.
Tired from the journey and wanting to give her brother time to show his wife their London home, Georgiana went to her room not long after arriving but not before ordering a bath and requesting a tray for her dinner. Mrs. Annesley did the same, and the two were not heard from for the rest of the day.
Elizabeth and Darcy were equally tired, but Darcy did need to spend a few minutes attending to business, so the two returned downstairs after bathing and dressing in comfortable attire.
After Darcy finished and the two shared a light meal, they settled in the library to talk. It had become an important part of their routine since their marriage, and while they regularly used this time to read books together, they also used it to discuss the happenings of the day or plans for the coming days.
