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At this, I ground my teeth. I had to intervene and stop that vile man—he could be the culprit who had abused Sarah. I searched in vain for a nearby branch or rock to use as a weapon. Then, at the verge of my vision, a flash of black feathers dived from above, straight towards Mr. Price. Rollo! What is he doing?

Rollo plunged down upon Mr. Price’s face, and a thunderous bellow burst from the man. He released Sarah, and she shrank back from him. An instant later, Rollo flew off.

“My eyes—the blasted devil attacked my eyes. I can’t see!” With his hands covering his countenance, Mr. Price reeled to and fro.

Thank you, Rollo. My respiration settled, and I struggled to my feet.

“Mary, come and ’elp me.” His hands groped for her as he turned this way and that. But Sarah backed further away from him. “Damn you, woman!” His frantic movements brought him to the edge of the precipice. “Come to me now or I swear I’ll…” He tripped on the loose stones, and fell backwards, disappearing over the ledge. His scream pierced the air.

Good Lord. My legs collapsed, and I fell upon my knees. Rollo landed nearby and cocked his head at me.

Sarah rushed to me and took my hands, lifting me to my feet. “Madam, are you hurt?”

“No, I am well.” I uttered the words as much for Rollo’s benefit as hers.

“Thank goodness.” In a plodding gait, she ventured to the edge of the escarpment.

I ought to have accompanied her, but I could not bring myself to move. “Can you see him?”

“Yes, he…he lives. He raised his hand to his head.” She walked back to me.

The fall must have injured him. My stomach gurgled. Perhaps I ought to have aided the man, yet my only thought had been to keep Sarah safe. “Come, we must get help.”

“Of course.” She took my arm, and we maintained a fast walk. Despite the unlikelihood of Mr. Price managing to pursue us, I took frequent backward looks to reassure myself that he did not. Questions for Sarah dominated my mind, but I refrained from posing them. She appeared to have retreated into her thoughts—her lower lip trembled, and her sight locked upon the path ahead. No doubt we both could use a bit of solitude to recover from our confrontation with the ruffian.

When we emerged from the coppice, I directed her towards Mr. Brown’s house. Fitzwilliam had gone there this morning to oversee repairs to our tenant’s building.

Upon descrying Sarah and me, my husband strode towards us. “Elizabeth, are you well?” His sight fixed upon the dirt stains covering my skirt.

“Yes, perfectly so.” I stood straighter and brushed the dust from my dress. I chose my words with care, wary of sparking his fury. “A man who identified himself as Mr. Price accosted us on the northern peak. He mistook Sarah for someone else.” I gave her a glance, and she lowered her gaze. I further described Mr. Price’s hostile actions towards Sarah and Rollo’s timely intervention without any mention of having been thrown to the ground—after all, I should have nothing worse than a bruise or two from the incident. “The man fell from the precipice and needs assistance.”

“I shall go and find him.” Fitzwilliam turned to the three servants who worked nearby. “Bill, attend Mrs. Darcy and Sarah back to the house. Sam and Joe, you come with me.”

Thus, my husband, Sam, and Joe mounted their horses and galloped away, and Bill walked with Sarah and me.

Back at the house, I led Sarah to my morning-room and urged her to sit across from me for a private talk. Before I could pose my first question to her, she burst out weeping.

“My misdeeds are many, madam, and I cannot expect you to forgive me. I am mortified for having brought this trouble upon you and having caused you injury. I shall be gone from here as soon as I can gather my belongings.” She sniffled and raised her handkerchief to her face.

“You are not to blame for what happened, and I am not injured. That horrible man will not be allowed to hurt you ever again. Mr. Darcy and I will see to that.” Yet my words failed to calm her.

She shook her head. “You do not understand, madam. He spoke the truth. I lied to you and to everyone else. My name is not Sarah Jones, and I am Mr. Price’s wife. Once he is recovered, he will come here and demand that you release me to him. I have no choice but to leave.”

My heart clenched. The situation did indeed sound bleak. According to the law, she belonged to Mr. Price—much as I hated to acknowledge that fact. Still, I should not stand by and allow that awful man to take her away. “Do not despair. We will protect you.”

“No matter what you may tell Mr. Price, he will not give me up. He will demand justice from the magistrate.”

“My husband is the magistrate, and he would never place a woman in a dangerous situation. We shall solve this problem one way or another. You are safe here, at least for now. If we have no other choice, then we shall find another place for you.”

Her eyes met mine. “Where could I go?”

“There are several possibilities. We can find you a position elsewhere, perhaps at my father’s estate in Hertfordshire or my husband’s property in Scotland.”

“You are too kind. But…this is not your problem. I cannot ask you to get involved.”

“I am already involved, for you are a valued part of this household.”

At the knock upon the door, Sarah froze.