Darcy's Temptation (31 page)

Darcy stepped from the Donnelly coach and looked around the village. People bustled from one building to another, mostly women holding onto hands of younger children—through the very crowded street. He walked to the front of the coach, and a stranger passed, spitting tobacco juice not a foot from Darcy's polished boots. He scanned the half dozen soldiers drilling beside the jail. Darcy lifted his head, his heart pounding, and spoke to Conrad for probably the last time. “Would you take my trunk to the inn, Conrad?”

“Yes, Sir.” The man made Darcy a slight bow. “May I say, Sir, you will be missed. It was an honor and a pleasure serving you, Sir.”

“I appreciate your tolerance, Conrad. If I may be of service to you somehow, please feel free to contact my estate. According to Miss Donnelly, my name is Darcy, and I am from Derbyshire. If you tire of Darling Hall, I am sure I can find you employment elsewhere.” Darcy felt an obligation to the man who nursed him back to health.

“Maybe I will consider your offer someday, Mr. Darcy, but, at the moment, my family is here, and I must remain.” Conrad was apologetic, but thankful. He picked up the trunk and headed toward the inn.

Darcy looked around the street again, hoping something might look familiar. Yet, a profound sense of loneliness crept into his veins. Since waking from his attack, the one face he felt he could trust belonged to a middle-aged man lugging his trunk toward the inn. Once Conrad returned to Darling Hall, Darcy would be entirely alone until he found someone he knew or who knew him.

He stepped off the wooden walkway to cross the cobble-stone street to the inn when he came face to face with Charles Bingley. The look of astonishment on the man's face took Darcy by surprise.

“I beg your pardon, Sir,” Darcy quipped and started past Bingley.

Charles recovered and then faltered,“Darcy?”

Hearing his name called, Darcy spun back toward the man. “You know my name, Sir?”

“Of course, I know you.You are Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

“I have never been more pleased to hear someone call my name.” Darcy smiled and grabbed Bingley's hand to shake it. “May I inquire as to your name, Sir?”

Although elated to find Darcy in health, Bingley looked puzzled. “Come on, Darcy, you know me; we have been intimate friends for several years. Plus, we are brothers as we share family.”

Darcy stepped back to look closely at Bingley, hoping a better examination would stimulate his memory, but nothing about the man seemed familiar, although the stranger was amiable enough. “I am sorry to say, Sir,” Darcy stammered, “I cannot recall our acquaintance.”

“My name is Charles Bingley, but why am I detaining you here on the street?Your sister and cousin are waiting for me at the inn; we came to bring you home.”

“Home?” Darcy seemed confused with the word, but he allowed Bingley to lead him toward the inn and the uncertainty.
Bingley ushered Darcy through the main doorway, where a few people were seated in the dining area.The dimly lit room offered little ambiance, but it was clean and warm. A well-dressed military officer and a young lady rose as Bingley approached.A look of mirth overspread both their faces.

“Look who I found,” Bingley called in a cheerful voice.

The girl gasped and then rushed forward to encircle Darcy's waist with her arms and bury her tear-stained face into his chest. Instinctively, he clasped her to him. “Fitzwilliam,” she sobbed,“we were so worried about you.”

“It is fine—I am fine,” Darcy whispered softly to her.Then the name
Georgiana
resurfaced. He used the word to make it stick and make it his own.“I am fine, Georgiana.”

Hearing him call her name caused Georgiana to collapse against him. By now, Edward, too, wanted to embrace Darcy. He hugged him and slapped Darcy's back in a typical male form of bonding. “Darcy, the family has looked high and low for you. We thought you met with foul play.” Edward stepped back to examine Darcy's face, trying to assess whether his cousin was hurt in some way.

Conrad took a position close by; he made Darcy a quick bow. Darcy's attention came to rest on the man.“Thank you, Conrad.”

“I left the trunk in the care of the innkeeper, Sir. I will bid you farewell, Mr. Donnelly. Pardon me, Sir—I mean, Mr. Darcy. It is good to see you found someone waiting for you. Goodbye, Sir.” Conrad offered up a near-toothless smile and then bowed out of the scene.

“Mr. Donnelly?” Edward questioned while directing Darcy to a chair. Bingley held out one for Georgiana, and they all settled in at the table in the back room to decipher what happened.

Just as Georgiana's name came to Darcy when he saw her, so did Edward's. At least, glimmers of memory returned—just as the doctor predicted. “Edward,” Darcy stuttered, “I remember
very little until today.” His eyes darted from face to face. Finally, Darcy's eyes settled on his sister, and he reached out to caress her face with his palm. Georgiana turned her head slightly, kissing his hand. “I remember your face, my Dear, although in my memory you are much younger. How have you grown without my knowledge?”

“You always wanted Georgiana to remain a young girl.”

“How is our father?” Darcy's expression showed concern. His memory came in bursts of energy, much like a candle flame fighting to stay alive against a light breeze.

“Our father? Our father, Fitzwilliam?” Georgiana's voice quivered. “Our father died six years ago.” The tears welled in her eyes again; her brother's words scared Georgiana.

“Our father is dead?” Darcy's own voice shook as he looked to Edward and Bingley for confirmation. “It cannot be. I remember his weakness; my memory told me of such several days ago, but I know nothing of his passing.” Darcy's hands shook as well, and he let his head fall onto Georgiana's shoulder.

“Perhaps,” the colonel spoke softly, “we should start at the beginning. Obviously, there are things amiss of which we must speak.” He ordered drinks for all of them. “Darcy, why do you not tell us what you know, and we will try to fill in the blanks.”

Darcy did not know where to start; the details bounced about chaotically in his brain. Looking at Edward and Georgiana helped him make connections, but the need to complete the picture consumed him. “I woke up several weeks ago at Darling Hall, an estate owned by a Miss Elizabeth Donnelly. Miss Donnelly is a bizarre creature of which I shall speak more at a later time. Let us just say the lady tried to convince me I was her cousin Frederick, and we were to marry.”

“Well, that explains Mr. Collins,” Edward mumbled.

“Mr. Collins? The cleric?” Darcy wheeled around to question his cousin.

“Then you truly do not remember Mr. Collins?” Edward's voice held all his seriousness.

“I know of what Miss Donnelly told me.” Darcy returned Edward's serious gaze.

Edward asked warily,“And that would be?”

“I am married to the man's cousin.” Darcy found this idea amusing, but he saw the others did not share his mirth. Finally, he said, “Then, this is true? I am married?”

“Of course,” Georgiana gasped. “Elizabeth carries your child, or she would be with us.”

“My child?” Darcy still looked confused.

“Let us return to the infamous Miss Donnelly.” Edward refocused Darcy's attention in an area less disturbing for him.

Darcy shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Miss Donnelly claimed she found me on the road after an attack. I was wounded and in bad shape, but I remember nothing of such an attack.”

“That confirms what Mr. Howard reported,” Edward joined the conversation again. “Your coach was found on the road to Hull; you were on your way there to meet Hannah More.”

Darcy shook his head again as if this information made sense.“Hannah More? She was an acquaintance of father's.”

Edward let this pass for now. “Your coachman and postilion were dead. We brought their bodies home to Pemberley for burial. First the thieves and then the locals ransacked the coach.”

“At least, Miss Donnelly told the truth there.” Darcy's words held irony. “Much of what Miss Donnelly told me did not make sense; she invented a family—a father whose approval I lost and an older brother who earned the family estate by birth order. She wished to marry by her eight and twenty birthday for, I discovered, she is to inherit a substantial sum if she does.”

Innocently, Georgiana reasoned, “Then she is a hideous creature?”

“Miss Donnelly is attractive enough,” Darcy continued,
“but she has fits of anger, and she is obsessed with cleanliness. In fact, the lady refuses to remove her gloves for fear she might encounter dirt on any surface, be it furniture, fixtures, or human skin.” Darcy shared a look of bewilderment with his loved ones. “As I said earlier, her stories began to crumble a little over a week ago. In her desperation, the lady initiated a tryst, which I refused.” He heard Georgiana's quick intake of air. “I apologize, my Dear, I should choose my words more wisely. I am trying to reason out loud.” Darcy reached out to take his sister's hand.

“I am well, Fitzwilliam,” she offered. “I just did not expect such devious actions from a
lady
.”

Darcy took up the story again. “I discovered only yesterday Miss Donnelly knew my identity all along—a fact for which I will never be able to forgive her.”

Again, Georgiana's eyes grew large in surprise, and a mumbled imprecation escaped Edward's lips. Darcy continued, “It seems I met Miss Donnelly briefly in London last year at the home of the Hursts, whoever they are.”

Edward and Georgiana turned automatically to Charles Bingley, and Darcy's eyes followed suit.“The Hursts—my sister Louisa is married to Mr. Hurst,” Bingley began. “Miss Donnelly?” he questioned. “I remember her vaguely. It was shortly after we left Netherfield, and the Festive Season began in London. You seemed to notice her at first, but you abandoned the lady after introductions. Caroline was not too pleased to see your attentions go elsewhere.”

“Caroline?” Darcy looked confused. “I thought you said
Elizabeth
, Sir.”

“Accept my apologies, Darcy,” Mr. Bingley stumbled through the words. “My sister Caroline and I once hoped she would be the object of your attentions, but we still ended as brothers. My dear Jane is your Elizabeth's sister.”

“May I ask where Netherfield is?” Darcy tried to take in all they told him.

“Netherfield is my estate in Hertfordshire,” Bingley explained. “Our wives are from there, Sir.” Bingley felt awkward, as Darcy had not recognized him as he did Georgiana and Edward.

“Hertfordshire? That explains why references to that area played true in my memory. Miss Donnelly claimed Hertfordshire to be my home; little did she know I hold memories from there.” Darcy looked pleased in making the connection. “Our wives come from an estate in that area?”

Darcy directed the question to Bingley; however, Edward made the response. “Longbourn is a simple estate but is nothing in comparison to Netherfield or Rosings or Pemberley. The Bennet family has five daughters, and Mr. Bennet has limited resources.”

“What did my wife bring to the marriage?” Darcy seemed businesslike.

“You love Elizabeth,” Georgiana tried to assure her brother.

“Then it was a prudent match for her.” Darcy's words held a coldness no one expected.

“No,” Georgiana demanded. “Elizabeth is not like that. Fitzwilliam, you must remember her; Elizabeth is your other half.You risked censure of our family because you fell in love with her. You were miserable until my sister finally accepted your proposal.” Her words trailed off as she looked in her brother's face. Georgiana dropped her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Darcy looked for affirmation from the two men. Having received it, he softened his tone for his sister's sake. “The doctor, Mr.Addison, suspects my memory to return. I did often dream of someone, but I never knew our connection. Mr. Addison says dreams and memories are related.”

“It must be Elizabeth,” Georgiana grasped at Darcy's hand. “Elizabeth is so strong; she has been running Pemberley in your absence.”

“A woman running Pemberley?” Darcy laughed out loud.

“Elizabeth and I managed without a man to protect us.” His sister's words cut short Darcy's amusement.

“I just witnessed a woman's ability to run an estate,” he quipped.

“Elizabeth is not Miss Donnelly, and neither am I.” Georgiana's anger grew quickly. “You taught us how to run the estate; it was your idea, Fitzwilliam. You said the times were changing, and we needed to help you save Pemberley.”

“I suggest you guard your words, Georgiana.” Darcy offered her a reprimand. “I realize this situation is unusual, and our relationship has changed, but I am still your guardian.” His words held a veiled threat.

Georgiana forced her eyes closed to fight back the emotions coursing through her. “You are wrong, Brother,” she whispered.

“If I am, I shall offer you my apologies.” Darcy's words held inroads of his once-reserved nature.

“Yes, Fitzwilliam,” she said automatically, once again assuming her position as Darcy's subordinate.“If you have no objections, I will retire to my room.” She stood to take her leave.“I love you, Fitzwilliam,” she said, uncharacteristically raising her eyes to challenge him when he, too, stood. “I am happy you are safe.”

Darcy kissed her cheek.“I will see you at dinner.”

 

Edward, Bingley, and Darcy spent another hour trying to help Darcy remember what seemed to be a lifetime of changes. Darcy knew the gist of what happened up to his father's death, but the last six years had blurry edges. He possessed no real memory of much of what they shared; he simply accepted what the men told him. Darcy recalled assuming responsibility for Georgiana, and his mother's death, but he had no memory of his relationship with Bingley or, more importantly, of the mysterious woman to whom he was married.