Chapter 16 #2
He saw the red bloom on the man’s shirt and the look of disbelief on his face.
George knew that he had to leave as soon as he could, so he found the key to his father’s strongbox and removed all the funds that were therein; a paltry twenty pounds but that would have to do for now.
He reloaded the pistol and then headed toward the park.
He was determined to get revenge on the one that had started all the problems for him with Mr Darcy: the mongrel!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At the coaching inn that night, Oscar Bingley confirmed that there was a footman outside his youngest’s door and that the window was jammed shut so there was no option for her to attempt an escape from the second-floor window. He then joined his wife in her chamber.
“I wish I would have seen the damage that I wrought sooner,” Martha said displaying more contrition as befitted the situation after years of trying to make her understand the truth.
“How are we to correct her? She is not yet fourteen; surely there is something that can be done?” Martha asked hopefully.
“Now that you mention it, let me tell you the real reason that we are to Wiltshire…” Oscar proceeded to inform his wife about the school that Caroline would be attending in a little more than a fortnight.
When he was complete, his wife did something that she did not very often—she thought about what her husband said.
“I believe that this is the best chance of having her behaviour and beliefs amended,” Martha said.
“At least, that is what I will pray for as you and I both know how stubborn Caroline can be. How many times have you warned her and then done what you said you would do when she did what she was not supposed to? And still, she thinks that you will not stand by your word!”
“It is my fear that Caroline has allowed her delusions to take a deep hold of her, and if she is unable to change her behaviour, I am afraid we may have to turn to more drastic measures,” Oscar said allowing the inference to hang heavily in the air.
“Let us give the Dark Hollow School a chance before we act precipitously,” Martha said, hoping that it would even though there were some doubts. The parents agreed and climbed into bed, the same bed, for the first time in some years.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The afternoon after the Bingleys departed, the family celebrated Elizabeth’s eighth birthday. There was, of course, a massive chocolate cake, with nine candles on it. There was a pile of gifts, as there was each year, including some new riding habits as she was growing out of her old ones.
There were games before the cake, then after the candles were blown out and the huge slices of cake consumed, knowing the answer already, Anne asked: “Do you want to ride in the morning, Lizzy?”
“Yes, I very much want to. I need to try out the new hunter green riding habit that Aunt Anne and Uncle George gave me.”
“Horsey!” exclaimed Alex who had turned two earlier in the month.
“Yes, son, horses,” his father indulgently said. “When you are older you will get your chance.”
“We will meet at the stables before we break our fasts,” William stated.
“Me too, me too,” Georgiana demanded.
“Sorry, Gigi, we will be riding too far for you to ride with us,” Elizabeth said, and her cousin looked crestfallen as she fought the tears that threatened to fall. “I will ride with you later in the day, I promise, Gigi, and you know I always keep my promises.”
Lizzy’s words had instantly cheered her cousin and the family chatted amiably until it was time to retire to change for dinner.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Carol Fitzpatrick read the latest report from Pemberley.
She was encouraged that all of the people that she desired to make pay for what they had reduced her to were at Pemberley.
There was one possible fly in the ointment.
Her late husband’s bastard, George Wickham!
Her men, both in the environs of Pemberley now that the Fitzwilliams left Snowhaven, had reported that the young man watched the family whenever he could, thinking himself well hidden.
‘If his by-blow interferes in my plans, I will get rid of him!’ she told herself. ‘Then again, he may be of use to me.’ She decided that she would evaluate if he could be useful to her before she chose to dispatch him.
She was a lot happier than she had been as she moved toward exacting her revenge on the family which had naught but ignored her advice and direction.
She felt good enough that she had ventured out into local society again, though was displeased with it for what a savage place she had to endure while her plans came to fruition.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Once Wickham packed a valise, he slipped out of the rear of his late adoptive father’s dwelling carefully into the late afternoon sun in case someone had heard the shot and came by to investigate.
He vaulted onto the dead man’s gelding after securing the valise to the saddle.
Based on what he had learnt in the past, he knew that the mongrel and some of the other family members would take a ride in the morning.
He rode to the outcrop of rocks close to the bridle path and went to sleep on the ground, hidden from sight by some boulders.
That night he dreamed of being a man of wealth and consequence.
He slept fitfully until the first vestiges of dawn were visible in the east. He walked to the stream and relieved himself then walked upstream and drank his fill.
He returned to where the horse was tied up where it would be invisible to those on the path and checked the reload of the late Jim Wickham’s pistol.
As the sun was peaking above horizon, William, Andrew, Richard, Anne, and Elizabeth set off toward the bridle path after a slight delay while Lizzy had fed Astraea a carrot and an apple.
They were escorted by Biggs, Johns, two more footmen guards, and a groom.
As they were setting off, George Darcy was waiting for his steward who was late for a meeting—which he never had been before.
He dispatched a groom to go to the Wickham’s home and make sure that all was well.
The groom entered the open door after receiving no response to either his knock or hailing.
As soon as he walked in, he saw the steward, his head to one side, his shirt soaked in blood, and the pool of blood below the chair.
The groom did not need to hail a doctor to confirm that the man was dead.
He turned and sprinted to his horse, making all haste back to the stables.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mrs Fitzpatrick’s two spies saw young Wickham preparing himself to fire upon someone, but they were powerless to stop it. They would have to reveal themselves to the group riding up the bridle path in order to do so, and exposure was not an option.
It took the out-of-breath groom to inform the master what had befallen Mr Wickham. George Darcy had no doubt that George Wickham had finally snapped and killed his father; the only question was what else he intended to do.
He shouted for Douglas and told him to have every footman and groom ready to ride in a matter of minutes and he yelled for a footman to summon his brother-in-law.
He had a terrible feeling that young Wickham meant to harm the group that had ridden out a half hour earlier.
Within a short time, above twenty riders spread out at full gallop in all directions.
The group out riding was all in the best of moods.
It was a spectacular day, they were together, all of them enjoying the longer ride they had planned together.
Lizzy and Anne were in the middle of the group, William and Richard were ahead of them, and Andrew behind, their escorts just behind Andrew.
They were drawing near to the outcrop of rocks next to the bridle path they were traversing when a shot rang out.
The horses startled, and each rider fought to control their mount.
They had all been concentrating on their task when Biggs came galloping though their middle, and that was when they saw the most chilling sight imaginable.
George was mad, he had missed the mongrel and hit her horse instead.
He considered reloading and trying again but he realised that would be suicide.
He was about to slink toward his stolen mount when he felt a sharp pain in his head and his world went black.
In the ensuing furore after the gunfire, one of the spies had snuck up behind George Wickham and had just hit him hard with a cosh.
He dragged the lad to where his compatriot was holding their horses, threw the unconscious young man over one of the horses behind the saddle, and took off to gain some distance before taking the time to lash him securely and gag him.
Biggs had seen young Wickham stand just before he fired, watching with horror as Astraea was struck in the neck causing her to drop like a stone with the young miss under her!
He charged forward with Johns hot on his heels, followed by the other two footmen and the groom.
It was as the escorts came to a halt when the other four noticed that Astraea was down and that they could not see Lizzy but for some of her raven locks protruding from underneath her beloved horse.
Anne burst out in tears and William gathered her in, trying to comfort her though he felt as if he would be sick. Richard and Andrew had leapt from their horses to assist in lifting the dead animal off Lizzy.
This was the scene Reggie Fitzwilliam and George Darcy came upon.
Reggie quickly looked around and saw his sons, niece, and nephew, but no Lizzy, then looked at the commotion as Biggs and Johns yelled for everyone to lift together.
That was when he realized he was seeing these men were rolling Astraea to one side, and then he saw her.
His beautiful daughter, prone on the ground and not moving.
The End of Book 1