Netherfield Park Quarantined (11 page)

“Very good, Mrs Whitaker. And are any of my sister’s belongings
missing?”

“No, Sir. Laney looked through her mistress’s belongings, and the only
items missing are the clothes Miss Georgiana was wearing. Even Miss
Georgiana’s reticule was in her room.”

“We will need to keep a close watch over the house and the
neighborhood.” Richard declared. “It is certain that Wickham has someone
watching the house, waiting for your arrival, William. I would not be
surprised to see a message arrive soon from Wickham.”

“Richard, we will need to downplay your involvement in this matter, as
Wickham fears you more than he does anyone else. If he knows you are in
here, he will be careful, not wishing you to find him. I believe that if he thinks
he only has me to contend with, Wickham will not use as much caution.”

Richard nodded his head. “And if he learns you have your wife with you,
he will taunt you with her to distract you.”

“You are correct, Wickham will love to torment me in any way possible.
We will need to have someone keep close watch over Elizabeth, as I cannot
lose my wife.” Darcy stated.

“I have assigned Hannah to be Mrs Darcy’s maid, and I am certain we
can count on her to keep a close eye on the Mistress. And Hannah’s brother is
in the stables, so he would be able to keep watch over the ladies when they
walk in the garden behind the house.”

“Good, Hannah and her family have been dependable for many years.
She is a good choice, Mrs Whitaker. Richard, do you have anyone from the
military who can be trusted to carry the money from the bank to the house?”

“Yes, there is a lieutenant who has been extremely loyal and I would
trust completely.” Richard picked up a pen and dipped it into the nearby
inkwell, then began to write a message to the young man. Timmy was sent for
and, when he arrived in the study, Richard gave him the information as to how
to find Lieutenant Walker. “Give the message to Lt Walker only, no one else.”

“Of course, Colonel.” Timmy said as he left the room.

 

~~ ** ~~

Elizabeth woke in a strange room, all alone. At first she was confused,
the last thing she could remember was being in the carriage with William and
Richard. She realized she must have fallen asleep during the trip, and a smile
came to her face as she realized her husband must have carried her inside
rather than disturb her slumber.
So this must be the Mistress’ chambers of
Darcy House. My, if this is my suite, I can only imagine the grandness of the rest
of the house. This room is far nicer than anything in which I could imagine
living.

Rising from the bed, Elizabeth wandered about the room, taking in all
the details to the lovely room. The scene which had been painted upon the
wall was incredible. She felt as if she were outdoors, with a fence painted
leading towards a path which led up the wall, where a mountain could be seen
in the distance. The ceiling of the room was a soft blue with billowy white
clouds painted all about. There was lush green carpeting which, with the
painted walls, made Elizabeth feel as if she were walking in a grassy field.
There was a bench along the one wall, near a window, which was inviting and
comfortable, so Elizabeth took a seat there and continued to roam the room
with her eyes.

The bed frame was made of a deep walnut color, with the bed coverings
being flowery in shades of mauve, yellow and green. The feeling of the bed
being an actual bed of flowers was tremendous. Closing her eyes and taking a
deep breath, Elizabeth could almost imagine smelling the wild flowers and
fresh, country air.

Darcy opened the door quietly, incase Elizabeth was still sleeping.
Seeing her sitting on the bench, her eyes closed and smiling, made Darcy’s
heart jump with joy. She looked as if she had lived in this room all of her life.
This was the perfect room for his Elizabeth, as she always seemed so
comfortable in nature. When Darcy’s father had the rooms decorated for
Darcy’s mother, the boy thought his father to be silly. Now, seeing the joy
Elizabeth appeared to have found in the room, Darcy could not be more
grateful to his father.

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth saw her husband standing nearby. “Forgive
me, William. I was just enjoying the feeling of the room.”

 

“There is no need to apologize. You appeared very comfortable and
relaxed. Am I correct in assuming you approve of the room?” Darcy asked.
“Very much so. Did you have this done? There does not seem to be
much aging to the decorations.”

“Actually, my father had it done for my mother. Mother hated leaving
Pemberley to come to Town, so this was Father’s gift to make her feel as if she
were home in Derbyshire.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Your father was a wise man. It is wonderful.”
“Did you sleep long enough? Are you well?” Darcy asked, tucking a stray
curl behind Elizabeth’s ear.

“I am well. It was a little alarming to wake in this room, all alone, but I
realized where I must be and began looking about at everything. It really is
the most incredible room in which I have ever been.” Elizabeth embraced her
husband, wrapping her arms around his chest. “Has there be any further
news?”

“Nothing we did not already know. As we assumed, Mrs Younge is gone.
Mrs Whitaker, our housekeeper here at Darcy House, says she checked Mrs
Younge’s rooms, and her belongings are gone. I believe it is safe to assume
Mrs Younge is involved with the abduction.”

“What an evil woman. What will you do now?”

“Richard has written to one of his men to come. We will use the
lieutenant to retrieve the funds from the bank, and then we wait for Wickham
to contact us. He most likely already knows of our arrival. I doubt it will be
long before we receive word from him.”

“Promise me you will be careful. The thought of losing you is too much
for me to accept.” Elizabeth held tighter to her husband.

His hand caressing her back, as he held Elizabeth to him, he spoke softly.
“Have no fear for me, dearest. Richard and I have many advantages on our
side, and we will have men with us, where Wickham will have very few, as he
will not wish to part with any of the money.”

After several moments, Richard was heard at the door. “William, a
message just arrived from my father. He demands we come to Matlock House
immediately. If we do not, I am sure it will make matters worse than they
already are, so we had best make our appearance and state the facts, then we
can return to the matters of importance.”

“Of course, we would be summoned at this moment, when I am
extremely comfortable and do not wish to be disturbed.” Darcy exclaimed. “As
you say, we had best deal with this matter and be done with it. I will be down
in fifteen minutes. Have the carriage brought around.”

“No need, Father sent his carriage so we would have no excuse.” Richard
shook his head. “I will see you downstairs.”

Darcy returned is attention to Elizabeth. “I wish you to remain here, my
love. I do not wish to subject you to my uncle’s cruelty, and if Lady Catherine
is there, I definitely do not wish you to have to endure her.”

“Very well. I will see you off, though. And I would like to meet Mrs
Whitaker so I might speak with her after you leave.”

“Yes, my dearest love. Whatever you wish.” Darcy squeezed his arms
tighter around his wife, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I truly love you,
Elizabeth. Do not ever forget that.”

The couple made their way downstairs and out to the awaiting carriage.
Elizabeth stood at the open door of the townhouse to watch the carriage roll
out of sight before returning inside.

Moments later, the voice of a child was heard crying out as there was
banging upon the front door. Elizabeth rushed to the door alongside Mr
Crossman, and the door was opened to reveal a boy, no more than ten years of
age. “Missus, there be a wreck. A carriage overturned. The Master, he bad
hurt. He begged me to come fetch you. Please Missus, you must hurry.”

Mr Crossman called out for some of the footmen to come, and before he
could turn back towards the door, Elizabeth was outside, racing after the
child. One of the footmen, Alfie, was coming down the hall when he heard Mr
Crossman, and he ran out of the house in search of his Mistress.

Alfie looked around the streets, trying to spot Mrs Darcy or the carriage
wreckage. He could find nothing of the sort, but he kept looking. More of the
men from Darcy House joined him, but no sign of an overturned carriage could
be found, nor could they find a clue as to where their new Mistress had
vanished.

An hour went by, and still there was no sign of Elizabeth. Mr Crossman
sent Alfie to Matlock House to inform the Master of the event.

 

~~ ** ~~

Darcy and Richard arrived at Matlock House, both prepared to deal with
the disapproval of Lord Matlock. Darcy was certain Lady Catherine was there
as well, and he was not wrong. As soon as the young men walked into the
drawing room, Lady Catherine descended upon Darcy.

“What were you thinking, Darcy? Your mother and I planned your
marriage to Anne, from the moment each of you were born, we knew you
were meant for each other. How could you through away your birthright, and
what you owed to your family name, all for some country chit? You have
made a foolish mistake, and it is fortunate for you that your uncle and I wish
to save you from your mistake. We have already taken steps towards
rectifying the situation.”

“There is nothing to rectify.” Darcy stated boldly. “And I do not recall
asking for your assistance or your advice. I am pleased with my decision to
marry Elizabeth, and I look forward to many years to come with her at my
side.”

“You cannot be serious, Darcy.” Lady Catherine nearly shouted. “She is
no one of importance, no family connections or wealth. This chit is of no more
status than my scullery maid.”

“That is enough, Lady Catherine. My wife is the daughter of a
gentleman. Their family history goes back farther than your own husband’s
did. Sir Lewis was given his lands and title, the Bennets have held their estate
for over one hundred years. They may not be wealthy, but what does that
matter to me? I have enough wealth to take care of a family for many years to
come. And if wealth and title go hand in hand with making someone
influential, there are many in the peerage who would be in danger of losing
respect. How many Lords and Baronets have gambling debts or spend too
extravagantly and have nothing left of their family fortune?”

“Fitzwilliam, enough of that. You will treat your aunt with respect.”
Lord Matlock added to the conversation.

“No, Uncle, I will treat her with the same respect she has shown my wife.
Elizabeth is my wife, by my choice, and it is a love match. Why would I give
that up to marry my sickly cousin who does not care a lick about me?”

Lady Catherine rounded on her nephew. “Does not care about you?
Why, Anne has known since she was a small child that you were her future
husband. She has planned her entire life around becoming Mrs Darcy of
Pemberley. And she has nothing but love and compassion for you. You ignore
her to chase after harlots.”

“Harlots? Darcy has never been with another woman until Elizabeth.”
Richard supported his cousin’s choice. “Unlike my father, my brother, Sir
Lewis, and yes, even me, Darcy saved himself for his wife and only his wife.
Uncle Gerald was a man of deep convictions. He instilled them in William.
Even when he was teased mercilessly, William did not falter. He held strong
to his beliefs and kept to his celibate lifestyle. I have seen William with
Elizabeth, and I can honestly say that they are truly in love. How dare you
attack his morals when your own are far more questionable than his?”

“Son, I will not allow you to treat your aunt in such a manner, not in my
house. If you cannot be civil, I will ask you to leave.”

Darcy turned toward Lord Matlock. “If Richard leaves, so do I.
Remember that, Uncle. It is only out of respect for him that I came here
tonight.”

“Darcy, it is ridiculous for you to behave so irrationally. You were
engaged to your cousin, and left her alone to face the world. You married a
nobody, a daughter of some poor country squire. Her mother’s family has no
connections, only a solicitor in the small neighborhood near her father’s estate
and a man in trade. When society learns of this, your little chit will be
disgraced and laughed out of London.” Lord Matlock attempted to make his
nephew see reason.

“I do not care what society thinks. I would be more than pleased to
remain the rest of my life at Pemberley, with Elizabeth by my side.” Darcy
replied.

“But what of your sister?” Lady Catherine asked. “If you will not protect
her from the scandal which will arise from your foolish behavior, then it is up
to me to take matters into my own hands. I will take custody of Georgiana,
raise her properly for her introduction to society.”

“You have no right to take Georgiana from William or myself, for that
matter. Uncle Gerald placed William and myself as Georgiana’s guardians, not
you. And what do you know of society anyway? When was the last time you
attended a ball or were, even, in London for the season? Anne was never
allowed to come to Town, so she has no knowledge of what a season is like.”
Richard stated.

Lord Matlock shook his head. “I thought it was peculiar for my brother
in law to leave Georgiana in the care of two young men, both of which were
unmarried and had never raised a daughter of their own. Our solicitor feels
we stand a good chance in court to remove Georgiana, only to protect her
from further harm Darcy’s marriage will bring. We can have the two of you
declared unfit to be her guardians, and, in doing so, we set the groundwork to
rid the family of the fortune hunter wife with whom he is saddled. Since you
both refuse to see reason in the matter, I will speak to the solicitor tomorrow
to begin the process.”