Chapter Twenty-Two
A little more than an hour later Elizabeth curled up in her favorite chair in Darcy’s study. She had retrieved the letters from her family and meant to savor Jane’s letters. Slipping off her shoes and folding her feet up under her, she snuggled into the warmth of the chair.
At length, she took both letters in hand to determine which was written first. Noticing one letter was marked as being missent elsewhere, she decided to attend to it first. The beginning contained an account of all her family’s little parties and engagements, with such news as the country afforded, but the latter half, written in evident agitation, provided more important intelligence.
Since writing the above, dearest Lizzy, something has occurred of a most unexpected and serious nature, but I fear alarming you. Be assured we are all well. What I must say relates to poor Lydia. An express arrived from our Uncle Gardiner at twelve last night, just as we were all gone to bed.
Against his original inclination, Papa agreed to permit Lydia to accompany the Forsters to London for a military ball and other festivities.
Lydia traveled with our aunt and uncle to Cheapside.
Uncle Gardiner reports the colonel retrieved Lydia from the Gardiner residence the day after Christmas, and all appeared well.
However, the following day, he and Aunt Madelyn meant to escort Lydia and Mrs. Forster shopping, but when he called upon the hotel, the Forsters had just arrived, and there was no Lydia.
In fact, the colonel denies having approached our father regarding the possibility of Lydia accompanying him and his wife, and as they had just arrived in London—although Uncle swears the man’s appearance to be uncannily like the colonel’s—the colonel could not have been the one who rode away with Lydia in his coach.
Uncle Gardiner ascertained the direction the coach took, but found no trace of Lydia at the posting inns.
Because the carriage departed along the North Road out of London, we assume this is some sort of elaborate hoax or an elopement.
Yet with whom, we do not know. Colonel Forster gives us reason to expect him here soon.
I must conclude, for I cannot be long from my poor mother.
I am afraid you will not be able to make it out, for I hardly know what I have written.
Without allowing herself time for consideration, and scarcely knowing what she felt, Elizabeth, on finishing this letter, instantly seized the other and opened it with the utmost impatience, to read as follows. It was written a day later than the conclusion of the first.
By this time, my dearest sister, you received my hurried letter.
I pray this may be more intelligible, but though not confined for time, my head is so bewildered I cannot answer for being coherent.
The mystery of Lydia’s flight increases.
I know not what to think. After making every possible inquiry on that side of London, Colonel F.
returned to Hertfordshire. With the kindest concern, he came on to Longbourn and broke his apprehensions to us in a manner most creditable to his heart.
I am sincerely grieved for him and Mrs. F. but no one can throw any blame on them.
This is what we do know. A man presented himself to Papa as Colonel Forster.
He convinced Mr. Bennet to allow Lydia to attend the military entertainment in London.
That same man repeated his performance at our uncle’s home.
Because of the colonel’s superb reputation, neither our father nor our uncle doubted the act.
Compound this with two other unexplained occurrences, and we are at a loss as to how to approach this break with propriety on Lydia’s part.
Following on the colonel’s return to Hertfordshire, a constable came seeking the colonel.
The constable held a summons for Mr. Denny.
He is charged with the murder of a bar maid near Limehouse.
The constable produced a drawing based on witnesses’ accounts of the man with whom the woman left the Black Ghost, where she knew employment.
The thing is, the colonel sent Mr. Denny to Dublin nearly a fortnight prior on military business.
Colonel F has heard regularly from Mr. Denny and is certain there is a grievous mistake.
Mr. Denny could not have been in London at the time of the woman’s death.
However, Charlotte Lucas reports talking to him shortly before the incident occurred.
Mr. Denny allegedly accompanied her and Maria in Meryton, but this was after Mr. Denny’s first report arrived from Ireland—so such would be impossible.
Upon questioning Charlotte, she commented on the man having grey eyes, rather than Mr. Denny’s brown ones. Maria confirms her sister’s assertions.
What we fear, Lizzy, is improbable. But we have no other solutions. Our sister has, of late, been the exclusive recipient of Mr. Wickham’s attention.
Elizabeth’s heart leapt to her throat. Wickham? She and Darcy assumed the fiend had left the Hertfordshire area after they encountered him in London. Why did he return to the village? She read on:
When the colonel met with Papa, the only indication that something was amiss was the man had an unusual marking on his hand.
But this was easily explained away at the time.
The marking on the man’s hand was a similar crown shape as on Wickham’s hand.
Mr. Denny has brown eyes, while Mr. Wickham has grey ones.
As such, we conclude that somehow Mr. Wickham disguised himself as both the colonel and as Mr. Denny.
At first, although never something for which any of us would wish, we assumed Lydia’s absence was so they could go off to Scotland to marry.
So imprudent a match on both sides! But could Mr. Wickham have more nefarious motives?
The woman … the bar maid … was killed in a manner most heinous.
The constable explained it to Papa and the colonel, and they confirmed her death to be in the same manner as the woman you accidentally discovered during your flight and, later, that of Miss King.
They now believe Mr. Wickham to be the perpetrator of these crimes and are actively searching for him. We fear Lydia might be his next victim.
My poor mother is really ill and keeps to her room.
It was her encouragement by which Papa permitted Lydia to leave.
Could she exert herself it would be better; but this is not to be expected; and as to my father, I never in my life have seen him so affected.
I am truly glad, dearest Lizzy, you were spared something of these distressing scenes.
But now, as the first shock is over, shall I own I long for your return?
Circumstances are such I cannot help earnestly begging you all to come here as soon as possible.
My father is going to London with Colonel Forster to try to discover Lydia’s trail.
What he means to do, I am sure I know not, but excessive distress will not allow him to pursue any measure in the best and safest manner.
As the colonel has obligations, my father and uncle will carry on without him.
Elizabeth darted from her seat, in all eagerness to be with her family at once. Without losing a moment of time so precious, she reached the door, but Darcy opened it instead. “Good God! What is the matter?” he cried.
“I must go!” She started past him, but Darcy caught her arm to stay her retreat.
“Go where?” he demanded.
Still in a state of shock, she mumbled, “Longbourn. Home. Wickham has Lydia.” Elizabeth hesitated, her knees trembling under her; and despite her need for action, she sagged against Darcy.
“Wickham has abducted your sister?” He said the words without believing their truth.
Elizabeth shoved the letters into his hands as she pushed away from him, needing distance from the man she loved.
“She is probably dead … or worse, poor, innocent, silly Lydia is one of Wickham’s followers by now!
” Her voice rose in volume and in shrillness as acknowledgment of the situation claimed her.
“We will leave at once.” He moved to the bell cord to summon a servant.
“No!” The word resonated through the room.
Darcy reached for her, attempting to calm her. “We should return to Longbourn. Your family requires our reason.”
“We are the reason for their anguish.” The words hung in the air between them.
“What would we do at Longbourn, William? Set up armed guards around the estate? Talk all my family into wearing cloves of garlic around their necks for protection? We did this to them. You and I. We defied the Fates by thinking we could find love and end the curse simply by being together.”
“I am … grieved, Elizabeth. So very grieved.”
“Grieved, William? Wickham did this to take revenge on you. I chose to be with you, but all we did was destroy my family. First, Georgiana. Now, Lydia. Who is next? Will it be Jane or Kitty or Aunt Madelyn? How many more before it stops?” She wrapped her arms around her waist, closing off any contact with him.
“We will find a means … we will make this right, Elizabeth,” he pleaded.
“I do not want to find a means! I simply wish to return home. I want this to end!”
Darcy nodded curtly. “I will send Sheffield and your maid to pack our belongings.”
Her chin rose in defiance. “You are not coming with me.”
“Elizabeth, this is madness. You are my wife. I will assist in the search for your sister.”
“And what will you do, William, when you find Lydia? Take an ax to her head like you did the others? Free her soul?” Her voice quivered with rage.
Darcy flinched from the accusation. “I will do whatever is necessary to end your sister’s wanderings.”
Her head knew him correct, but not her heart. It grieved for a silly girl fooled by a conniving fiend. “Do not dare to take that self-righteous attitude! If we had pursued Wickham, as I wished …” she charged.