Darcy stood for some time at the window of his chamber. The inn yard below lay almost deserted beneath the moonlight. Somewhere a stable door creaked in the wind, then all was still again. Henderson—the villain—had gone.
Burke had told him so almost as soon as the dreadful account was finished. The captain had quitted the inn shortly after noon and by now would be many miles distant. Had Darcy learnt the truth an hour sooner, he would have ridden after him without a second thought. Now there was nothing to pursue but his own fury.
He turned abruptly from the window and began pacing the narrow room. Every detail returned with merciless clarity. Elizabeth shrinking from his touch. The tremor in her voice. The smile she had forced for his benefit whilst believing herself, all the while, diminished by another man's violence. She had tried to protect him from her distress. And not only had he failed to protect her, he had left her alone to suffer.
He stopped before the hearth, one hand braced against the mantle. Had he known, he would never have walked away from her room. Henderson would have answered for what he had done before another hour had passed. Instead he had spent the afternoon searching his own conscience, persuadinghimself that he had presumed too much upon her kindness, whilst Elizabeth had borne the consequences of another man's brutality in silence.
A fresh surge of anger rose within him, so fierce that for one reckless instant he was tempted to saddle his horse and ride through the night regardless. It would achieve nothing. Burke was right. Henderson had too great a start, and every mile Darcy rode in pursuit would carry him farther from the one person who truly needed him.
Elizabeth. His kind, brave Elizabeth. That was where his duty lay, where his heart lay. Whatever shame she believed herself to carry was founded upon a lie. Nothing Henderson had done could alter her worth, nor diminish the esteem and affection Darcy bore her. If she imagined herself ruined in his eyes, then he had failed her as surely as if he had stood aside that morning and watched the assault himself.
He would put it right, he must. Tomorrow he would go to her and tell her plainly that his feelings had not altered, that they never could. If she would have him, he would ask her to become his wife. If she refused him, he would nevertheless ensure that she was forever safe. Henderson would bear the consequences of his actions as if set upon by an avenging angel. He had hurt the most precious thing in the world—and he would pay a high price.
Chapter Fifteen
The first thing Darcy became aware of was the pounding in his head. He opened his eyes against a shaft of pale sunlight that had somehow found its way through a gap in the curtains and lay directly across his face. For several bewildered moments he could not account for the unfamiliar heaviness in his limbs nor the unpleasant dryness in his mouth. Then his gaze fell upon the washstand, where the offending decanter of French brandy sat with barely a glass remaining. "Confound the stuff," he complained to the room in general.
He was out of bed almost before the words had left his lips. Within minutes he had dressed with efficiency, but very little order. His cravat sat at an odd angle, his coat was buttoned incorrectly and a shadow of stubble darkened his face. Burke intercepted him in the hallway and handed him his gloves. "I thought you might require these, sir."
Darcy snatched them with scarcely more than a muttered word of thanks, calling back, "I shall find Miss Bennet before she leaves." He took the stairs two at a time and crossed the hall towards the passage leading to the chambers Elizabeth had occupied. That they had both occupied not so very long ago. Hishand had already reached the door before he realised it stood open.
The room beyond was empty. The bed had been stripped and the deep green curtains and bed hangings drawn back to admit the morning light. Martha knelt beside the hearth sweeping ashes into a small pan. She looked up in surprise as Darcy appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, my days! You gave me a fright. Good morning, sir."
Darcy looked about the room, his eyes searching instinctively for Elizabeth before settling upon the maid. "Mrs Darcy?"
Martha blinked in evident surprise. "Mrs Darcy?"
"Yes, my wife, where is my wife?" Darcy attempted to keep his voice level but an edge of panic bled through. The girl looked startled by his appearance and manner.
"Oh... she left nearly an hour ago, sir."
He could hear blood pounding in his ears. "Left?"
"With Mr and Mrs Frost. They arrived early and set out soon afterwards. Mrs Goose saw them off herself."
Darcy stood perfectly still. The room, which only a moment before had seemed full of Elizabeth's presence, suddenly appeared stripped of it. Her brush was missing from the dressing table. Her travelling cloak was gone from its peg beside the door. Even the scent of her seemed to have faded to nothing,the windows open to let in a gentle breeze. There remained not the smallest sign that she had ever occupied the chamber.
Without another word he turned and left, the bewildered Martha watching him disappear down the corridor.
He found Mrs Goose presiding over her kitchen with the brisk authority of a field marshal. A pie had just emerged from the oven and two flustered maids darted between table and pantry under her direction. "There you are, Mr Darcy!" she exclaimed the instant she caught sight of him. "I was just telling Cook you'd likely be wanting breakfast before setting off yourself."
Darcy scarcely heard her. "You saw my wife leave?"
"I did indeed."
"And she departed with the Frosts?"
Mrs Goose looked faintly puzzled by the urgency in his manner. "Yes. A little after eight, if I remember rightly."
Darcy felt his stomach sink. "What did she tell you?"
"Only that you had some business to conclude here before following after them. She said there was no reason for everybody to delay on her account."
Mrs Goose paused, rubbing a little flour from her hands with her apron. "I confess I thought it a touch unusual. I even asked whether she'd rather wait until you were ready."
"And what did she say?"
