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Just then the ponies began to whinny, jerking their heads up, as if trying to break free from the reins that secured them to a nearby tree. Georgiana sat up. Something was not right.

“I shall check on the ponies,” she stated as calmly as possible, reaching into a bag she had laid on the blanket to retrieve her pistol.

Seeing Georgiana retrieve the pistol brought Elizabeth up to a sitting position—alert. She cast a wary eye around the pastoral scene, before her eyes came back to rest on Millie, who was sleeping soundly. All of a sudden, the ponies broke free of their restraints and began to run, dragging the phaeton with them. Georgiana stared after them in shock, not realizing the reason for their flight. Twirling about, she froze. On the large rock just above Elizabeth and Mille, sat a huge, dark gray animal with its teeth bared. The waning daylight showcased the eerie yellow eyes that met hers, and her heart stopped. The wolf!

Seeing the alarm on Georgiana’s face, Elizabeth turned slowly, her heart lurching as she locked eyes with the monster above her and Millie. It growled menacingly, moving closer to the end of the rock, preparing to jump. Georgiana began crying and running towards them, as Elizabeth instinctively rolled over to cover Millie with her body. The creature jumped just as Georgiana fired a shot, and it yelped in pain. But the wound she inflicted only served to make him land awkwardly before regaining his footing.

Back upon all fours in an instant, he leapt towards Elizabeth who hid her face in the blanket and screamed. Just as Georgiana leaned down to grab a fallen limb for a weapon, the crack of a rifle rang out. The shot brought her to a standstill, and before she could turn, William rushed past her. Brought out of her stupor by his appearance, she resumed her run towards her child, still holding the makeshift weapon and beginning to weep.

William reached Elizabeth first, leaning down to pull the dead beast away, and then kneeling with a strangled cry, “Elizabeth!”

As he rolled her over and off Millie, the child began to wail, frightened by being awakened so violently. Georgiana, trying to control her sobs, tossed the stick and reached down to pick up Millie. Sheltering the child in her embrace, Georgiana stepped a short distance away, continuing to comfort the girl as she watched her brother frantically checking Elizabeth for wounds. Her heart began to ache at the amount of blood now visible. Surely, that did not bode well.

There had been copious amounts of blood down the back of Elizabeth’s gown, whether from the wolf or from wounds to her, William could not tell. When he turned her over, his hands began moving over her body in what would have been a scandalous display of impropriety had Georgiana not been the only witness. As it was, he halfway feared that the bullet that felled the wolf might have passed through the animal into her, but she appeared unscathed. He found no evidence of wounds except for the now rapid dampening of her sleeves. Tearing the flayed cloth away, his eyes involuntarily filled with tears at the bloody scratches covering her arms.

“Oh, sweetheart!” The absolute despair in William’s voice, as he began undoing his cravat and ripping it into bandages, brought Elizabeth back to her senses. Seeing the silent tears sliding down his cheeks as he wrapped her arms, her heart broke, and as he finished, she reached up to cup his face with both hands.

“Fitzwilliam, look at me!” He obeyed, misery etched on his face. “I am not seriously injured. I have only these scratches. You have saved us.”

For a moment, he seemed not to understand, still staring with a troubled mien, but all at once he did something that he had longed to do since discovering her again at Netherfield. Claiming her mouth, he kissed her thoroughly, deeply, unabashedly, endlessly. Knowing it was futile to try and resist, Elizabeth returned his kiss with equal passion, the strength of her love at that moment so overwhelming that she lost all ability to reason.

Georgiana walked away to give them privacy, the tender scene bringing even more tears. Whispering soothing words to Millie, she headed in the direction of the phaeton, which had stopped just past the pond, one wheel hung over a downed log, stopping their retreat. In the distance she caught sight of Mr. Campbell coming towards them as fast as his old mare could trot.

~~~*~~~

The trip back to the house seemed to take forever, and on the last two hundred yards, William galloped on ahead so he could send a footman after the physician. By the time the phaeton turned the last curve to the front portico, numerous servants were waiting alongside the master to help the women into the house. One long-time footman had seen the look on William’s face, as well as the blood on his clothes, as he rode towards the front door and had immediately set out after Mr. Woodwright.

Mrs. Reynolds had descended the front steps as quickly as the front door was opened, and upon seeing the upheaval, began issuing orders. Even as William passed her with Elizabeth in his arms, taking the steps two at a time, she was right behind him and reaching for her bag of remedies from a maid hurrying towards her. Georgiana trailed after her brother but stopped to hand Millie to her nurse, Mrs. Calvert, who had heard the commotion and had hurried to the foyer.

Way ahead of the others, William reached the open door to Elizabeth’s sitting area, walked inside and having no patience, kicked the partially open bedchamber door back to enter it. Heading straight to the bed, he laid her gently on the counterpane against her protestations that she would get it dirty. Without saying a word, he sat on the edge and began unwrapping his makeshift bandages in order for Mrs. Reynolds to apply some of her remedies to the scratches. He had had little time to examine the wounds at the pond and as the bandages came off, he flinched. Swallowing hard, he realised that a few were much deeper than he had first believed and began to worry that they might become infected.

Elizabeth inspected William with fascination. He was so completely focused on her injuries that he was not paying any attention to her, not even answering her complaint that she would bleed on the beautiful counterpane. Finally, he stopped long enough to notice her watching him. There was a strange look in his eyes as he leaned in to softly kiss her forehead, both eyes, then the tip of her nose.

“I love you, Elizabeth,” he breathed into her ear before capturing her lips at last. They were lost in the kiss when Mrs. Reynolds arrived, having come through the sitting room. She respectfully turned and walked back into that room without making a sound. Unfortunately, Georgiana had not come from that direction and the bedchamber door flew open, causing them to fly apart.

“Oh, Brother, are her wounds very deep?” Hurrying closer, she could barely see Elizabeth’s face over his shoulder so she ran to the other side of the bed, taking a seat on the edge. “Are you well, Elizabeth?”

Though her mind was still on William’s kisses and his declaration of love, Elizabeth managed to answer. “Thanks to you, I will be.” She sought William’s eyes and a sharp pain pierced her heart at the look of love on his face. “And your brother.”

Georgiana began to sob. “No. I had no part in your rescue. I could not have stopped that creature with just my pistol. I am so sorry that I put us in harm’s way.” She kept chattering nervously. “I believed the wolf had returned to the north, but I should not have taken the chance.”

Elizabeth shushed her. “Please, do not blame yourself. I begged you for the picnic, so it is my fault.”

William interrupted. “No! Everything is my fault. I took most of our men to Lord Burton’s estate. I was too confident the beast had moved north, and we were just fortunate that Mr. Campbell discovered footprints showing that the wolf had backtracked and was returning to Pemberley. I pushed Onyx to the limit to get home. Finding that you had taken the phaeton out, I tracked you, albeit almost too late to rescue you. Can you both forgive me?”

Elizabeth caught his hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing the back of it. “You have always been swift to take the blame when you have done nothing to warrant it. Your quick actions saved us. Let us speak no more about it.”

Just then, Mr. Woodwright, the physician came rushing through the door, followed by Mrs. Reynolds. Glancing between the furrowed brow of Mr. Darcy and the apprehension on Miss Elizabeth’s face, he resolved to lighten the atmosphere.

“Well, well, Miss Elizabeth,” he jested, “it seems you cannot stay out of trouble.”

Elizabeth tried to smile bravely. “So I have been told most of my life, sir.”

~~~*~~~

Chapter 24

London