Chapter 26 #4
“Caroline?” cried Charles as he ran to her.
Darcy and the colonel looked at each other in utter disbelief.
The woman—so thin that it was a wonder she could walk, her hair cut off and in complete disorder, her face swollen, looking at them with fearful eyes—could not possibly be Caroline Bingley!
Even Bingley seemed unsure of her identity but, as he moved closer to see her face, he ran to her, calling her name.
A barely audible whine mixed with Bingley’s voice and Markham’s command.
“Stay away from her, Bingley, and you—go upstairs woman. How dare you leave your room?”
“Oh God, you have a child,” Bingley cried as he supported his sister in his arms. “This is a child. Is it yours, Caroline?”
“A ch-child?” The earl, livid, looked at his son in utter disbelief. “You have a child? My grandchild?”
“Oh, do not be too enthusiastic, Father; I do not think he will live. The poor creature was born too soon and will likely die any minute; this woman was unable even to give me a worthy heir.”
“It was not my fault,” yelled Caroline, and both Darcy and David could recognise the determined, argumentative voice of Caroline Bingley. “You hit me that day, and I fell on the stairs. That is why James was born early. You almost killed your son, you cruel, heartless wretch!”
“James? His name is James?” asked the earl, still dazed by the unexpected news while Darcy and the colonel seemed uncertain as to what to do next.
“Who the hell knows his name? And you—go upstairs this instant, woman—I will speak to you later!”
“Son, did you hit your wife? This cannot be true; I cannot believe it. It surely was a mistake, was it not? Did you fetch a doctor to see the child? We must have a doctor immediately,” the earl said tentatively with a hopeful look. He grabbed his son’s arm, but the young Markham pulled away.
“Stop talking nonsense, Father. Leave me alone—all of you. This spectacle is over.”
It only took a moment for Darcy and the colonel to join Bingley, who was holding Caroline close to him.
The two men surrounded their friend while he walked tentatively to the door, supporting his sister and her child.
Caroline seemed unable to walk; she struggled to move her feet while her arms held the infant tightly.
With horror, Darcy could not take his eyes away from the bruises visible over her neck, face and wrists; some darkened impressions left by a merciless hand were visible on her nape as she bowed her head to watch her child.
“Where do you think you are going with my wife, Bingley?”
“I am taking my sister home; a doctor will take care of her without delay as it is obvious she will not find the care she needs in your house. You will not oppose me, or else, as God is my witness, I will kill you. Step aside.”
“You will kill me? You? That is so amusing that I will laugh for days.”
Markham moved in front of the small group but could not reach Bingley or Caroline, as Darcy and David moved before them.
“So that is your plan—stealing my family away? We will see about that; we will see if anyone would blame me for shooting thieves who tried to kidnap my child,” Markham said with unleashed rage.
He leaned near the fireplace, and a second later, a pistol appeared in his hand.
Instantly, both Darcy and David ran to him, but it was the earl—only two feet away—who grabbed his son’s arm first.
“Son, what are you doing? What is happening to you, my boy? Please let us sit and talk, nobody is stealing your family. Son, I am begging you.”
By that time, Darcy and David had reached Markham and held him from behind but his father continued to plead with him, standing in front of him, holding his arm tightly.
Markham fought violently to escape his captors, and in his struggle, he hit his father; the earl lost his balance and, searching for support, fell against his son.
The blast shattered the entire house; both the earl and his son grew limp and eventually their strangely entwined bodies slid slowly towards the floor.
Darcy and David could do little but put Markham down; David was still holding him forcefully while Darcy moved in front of them to check what had happened.
A moment of silence followed and then Darcy’s grave voice.
“The pistol went off; he is badly injured.”
∞∞∞
Midnight had come and gone, and he was still not there.
He did not keep his promise, and despite her harsh words, which were still resonating in her own mind, Cassandra knew David was a man of his word.
Therefore, if he did not keep his promise, something had happened.
She moved around the room, stopping in front of the window, as she had a thousand times that night.
She stared outside through the moonlight, hoping, praying, begging to see his carriage. The street remained empty.
She threw herself onto the bed, crying from helpless despair.
She wanted to go after him but did not know where he was, and what if he should return and not find her there?
She should go to the Darcys’; perhaps Elizabeth had received some news.
Surely, Elizabeth would have informed her if she knew anything more.
Still she should go. She would not disturb Elizabeth, only ask the servants whether Darcy was home. Yes, that is what she should do!
She took her coat and awakened her maid, sending her to fetch the coachman.
The maid looked in shock at her mistress—dressed only in a nightgown, her hair down, barefoot—but obeyed silently.
A moment later, however, Mrs Spencer appeared in the doorway; Cassandra turned her back to her companion, but Mrs Spencer ignored her dismissal.
She took Cassandra’s arm gently but decidedly.
“I cannot allow your ladyship to go anywhere. The master specifically told me to keep you in the house. He said he must find you here when he returns.”
Cassandra turned red at that daring answer, and a sharp reply escaped her lips. Mrs Spencer’s countenance remained unchanged, and a loving smile lit her face as she gently directed Cassandra back to her room.
“I know he is late, but he will return, my child; I can feel it. You must learn to be confident in your husband and to trust the Lord.”
“And you should learn to trust Mrs Spencer,” added David from the doorway; his voice made Cassandra gasp and she remained still while her husband moved slowly to her. Mrs Spencer sighed and exited the room, hiding her tears.
Cassandra’s eyes travelled along his body to confirm that he was unharmed, and then she looked at his face to find answers to the questions she did not dare to ask. “Darcy and Bingley are fine,” he whispered.
His arms embraced her closely, and she crushed herself against him.
His gaze, the expression of his face and his tensed body told her something had happened.
However, as long as he was safe and her friends were safe—she selfishly chose not to ask more for the time being.
The nightmare was over, and anything else mattered very little to her.
∞∞∞
Darcy stood at the edge of Elizabeth’s bed and watched her carefully while he related the tragic events to her, choosing his words carefully.
“So the earl killed his son?”
“No—no. It was an accident; the gun went off between them. The earl is still in shock. Despite the fact that his son’s character was revealed tonight, I am sure the earl would prefer to have died himself to save his son. What a punishment for a father.”
Elizabeth looked deeply into her husband’s eyes and confessed with all her sincerity, “Lord, forgive me—I feel no regret that a man’s life was taken. I feel no pity for either Markham or the earl. I know it sounds cruel, but that is how I feel. I am glad he is gone.”
Darcy kissed her hand. “You must not trouble yourself any longer with any of them.”
“I shall not—they both will be forgotten soon. Only poor Caroline likely will not be able to forget him.”
Darcy shivered as he remembered Caroline’s state. Elizabeth looked at him closely and took his hand.
“Is she so altered? Is that why you did not allow me to see her?”
He could not possibly tell Elizabeth the truth about Caroline’s condition, not after all the emotions she had to bear that night. “The doctor is with her now, and you need to rest without delay. We will talk more tomorrow.”
She hesitated a moment, obviously desirous to continue, but finally accepted his decision.
“Very well. William, I am pleased you decided to bring Caroline here.”
“My dearest, I confess I am not at all pleased, as my first concern is your peace of mind, but I saw no other solution in the midst of that din. We thought of little else but keeping the entire story as private as possible—though I doubt there will be any secrecy after tomorrow. Bingley’s house was already full of guests with your parents staying there. ”
“Oh, you could not possibly have exposed poor Jane to such distress—not now when she is still not recovered. As for Mama, only imagine her reaction when she discovers this abominable story.”
“Precisely. Besides, we have an entire floor unoccupied, so Caroline can reside there without disturbing you at all. We shall offer her the best accommodations and hire some extra help to serve her and take care of her son until she…until she is strong enough to travel and return to her house.”
He was not at all certain Caroline would recover enough to travel; even the doctor was shocked when he saw her and discreetly confessed to Darcy that he was sceptical about any improvement.
“William, can I at least see the child, please? Only a moment, then I shall return to bed—I promise.”