Chapter 19
Darcy could not let go of Elizabeth.
They stood at the edge of the road, Beorht next to them.
Darcy’s arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders, his hand holding onto her upper arm as if she might be stolen away again at any time.
His other hand entwined with hers, and he held their hands to his chest so she could feel his pounding heart.
While they stood there, Darcy asked Elizabeth how she had so thoroughly wrecked the iron-barred window in just a couple of days.
Elizabeth described the decisions and hard work that had gone into the feat.
She concluded her tale with, “But of course the major reason I was able to break out was that I was lucky. Whoever installed those bars did a poor job and likely weakened the window frame more than I did!”
“Still,” Darcy said, “I guarantee that most ladies would not even attempt to break out of their one-room prison, let alone think to use…well, one of the few chemical agents you had at hand to break down leather….And using tea to eat away at the wood was just as brilliant! You, my love, are miraculously clever, hard working, and an original thinker.”
“And lucky!” Elizabeth insisted. “I am especially lucky to have you and your cousin discover my location so quickly. I would have been better off not escaping, truly.”
They both laughed at the irony. Then they hurried to tell one another every single thing that had occurred during the past few days.
When the carriage arrived, Darcy lovingly helped Elizabeth to enter and then handed in her empty valise. “I will ride out here for propriety,” he said.
She pouted, and he longed to kiss the expression off her face. She said, “I do not know if I like that idea!”
He very much agreed with her, and his body seemed to wish to cast its own vote, but he squared his shoulders and said the responsible, upright, gentlemanly thing: “We are going to get married immediately, and with very little family in attendance. Let us not add scandalous stories to the mix.”
“You are right, of course,” she agreed quickly. She heaved a breath and seemed to draw herself up. A smile replacing her pout, she asked, “What are we going to do about our disloyal relations, Darcy? I am not of a mind that we should just pretend nothing happened.”
“We should not, and I do not know how you feel, but I absolutely could not act as if this mad series of events had not occurred. However, this will be something we will wish to think over and talk about extensively before acting. I suggest we ask the Gardiners for advice.”
“Now that is an idea I can gladly adopt,” she said. Leaning back into the squabs, Elizabeth allowed Darcy to close the carriage door.
Mounting Beorht again, they set off towards London.
Darcy could not prevent his eyes from frequently moving to observe Elizabeth through the carriage window.
Thank goodness he did so, because only a half hour into the journey, he saw that his intended had fallen asleep with her face leaning on the window.
He knew that every rut in the road would result in her head banging against the glass.
Calling for Mr Evans to halt, Darcy decided that he must ride inside with her for her safety.
He pulled the shades down and held Elizabeth close, and during the next two hours, he acted as pillow and protector for his dearest love.
Having arrived at his London house, Darcy informed his butler, “I must be off for a few hours, Mr Stanford. However, I have orders that are entirely singular. I need you to listen carefully, spread the news to every servant who needs to know, and follow the orders perfectly, no matter the circumstance.”
Darcy’s butler looked surprised and a bit affronted. He said stiffly, “That is true for every order you give, sir.”
Smiling, Darcy replied, “I know that, and I appreciate your loyalty and leadership. However, these orders are, as I said, quite unheard of. I wished to emphasise that, though I will not give you the reason, there is a very good reason to adhere to my orders even though they are so shocking.”
“I understand, sir.” Mr Stanford nodded his head and waited silently.
“I am expecting the second Darcy carriage to arrive today or tomorrow, with Miss Darcy, her companion Mrs Annesley, and my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Of course there will also be at least Miss Darcy’s lady’s maid in the carriage, as well, and perhaps Cooper.
I expect Travers and Barnes to arrive with the carriage or soon after.
Naturally, this entire party is to be welcomed, and all their rooms should be aired and readied for their arrival. ”
“Yes, sir.”
“My second destination this afternoon is to the Gardiner family, who are relations of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I will be inviting them to come and stay here, so if a Mr and Mrs Edward Gardiner present themselves, perhaps with their four children and servants, please admit them. Because I am not certain if one or more of them will come, I believe we should wait before making up their rooms.”
“Very good, sir,” was the patient reply. Although Mr Stanford maintained his expression of polite professionalism, Darcy saw the tension in his shoulders as he waited for the unprecedented portion of the orders.
“Other than these expected parties, do not admit any other guests for any reason. Most particularly, do not allow a Sir William Lucas, a Mr William Collins or his wife, or anyone who claims to be a relation to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, other than the Gardiner family. Absolutely do not allow my aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh, or my uncle and aunt the Earl and Countess of Matlock. Do not allow my cousins Miss Sarah Fitzwilliam, Miss Margaret Fitzwilliam, the Viscount Hargrove, or Miss Anne de Bourgh.”
Darcy saw only the tiniest widening of his butler’s eyes, but he was fairly certain that he had managed to astound the man.
“While I am gone, I wish for the staff to welcome Miss Elizabeth Bennet with every attention to her comfort. As I indicated to Mrs Smithson when we first arrived, Miss Bennet has had a difficult journey, with little chance to rest, bathe, or even eat of late. I wish the staff here to provide everything she might need or want. Her safety and well-being are paramount.”
“Yes, sir. All your orders will be followed, and we will keep her safe,” Mr Stanford promised. He seemed to know Miss Bennet’s importance, and Darcy assumed that they sensed that Elizabeth would soon be their new mistress.
Darcy’s first errand was to purchase a Common License.
He wanted to marry Elizabeth as soon as possible, and with this license they would still have to wait seven days—but all told, they would marry before he had dared to hope when he first rode from Pemberley towards Longbourn.
Darcy also arranged that the wedding be held at St George’s in Hanover Square.
He approached the second errand with eagerness. He genuinely liked and respected Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, and he hoped that the Gardiners would be willing to accept his hospitality.
His arrival at 10, Gracechurch Street occasioned excitement; once he had given his card at the door, the housekeeper’s face lit up, and she immediately brought him in and led him to a parlour.
“Mr Darcy,” she announced, and Darcy noticed that Mrs Gardiner gave her housekeeper a nod before turning to greet him.
“Oh, my dear Mr Darcy. I hope you have news?”
“I do. She is safe at Darcy House. I only just arrived at my home and left immediately to obtain a wedding license and time and date.” He pressed a slip of paper with the relevant information into Mrs Gardiner’s hand.
“Good God, Darcy!” Mr Gardiner exclaimed as he walked in briskly, “it is good to hear from you so soon after we received your express. When did you get her back?”
“Gardiner!” Darcy shook the man’s hand. “I was reunited with Elizabeth several hours ago, on the road near Hatfield.”
“The road?”
“Is this room appropriate for the more private discussions?” Darcy whispered.
Both Gardiners and Darcy relocated to Gardiner’s study, and Darcy explained, “Elizabeth had broken out of a locked room with iron bars in the window. She had made her way to the road and was attempting to walk to you here.”
Darcy considered it a testament to Elizabeth that her dearest relations did not shriek in surprise at the news; they merely nodded as if such news was, in fact, comprehensible.
“And you took her to Darcy House….” Mrs Gardiner said with more hesitancy than he had ever heard from her.
“I dropped her off at my house, but I did not go in even to eat or refresh myself,” he said.
“I gave orders that no one from her family, other than you, is allowed to enter, as is no one from my family, other than my sister and one of my five cousins. My house can be quite a fortress, ma’am, and I need to keep her safe.
I came straight to you, after purchasing the license and arranging the wedding, because I hope that some or all of you will agree to come and stay with Elizabeth, Georgiana, Mrs Annesley, and I until the wedding.
I would hate for your house to be targeted if there is any further attempt at interference, and I fear that your servants may not be numerous enough to withstand a determined foe. ”
Mrs Gardiner did startle at those words, but she admitted, “Our rear entrance is more vulnerable than any portion of your house, I suppose.”
Darcy nodded. “I do not expect further efforts to recapture her, truly, but I will not sleep nor eat if I do not do everything I can to safeguard her.”
“I can see that,” Gardiner agreed. He said to his wife, “I think we should all go, my dear. Do you agree?”
“I do. I will start packing. In the meantime….” She turned to Darcy and said, “Elizabeth has always relied on my maid Julia, so I can send her with you now to be a sort of lady’s maid for Elizabeth. I will send Becky as well, to help your staff prepare for our children.”
“Thank you. Should I send a carriage or a wagon to you?”
“No, thank you,” Gardiner said. “I will arrange things from this end, and we hope to see you within five hours.”
“Thank you. Needless to say, please do not give any information to the Bennet family until the four of us—you two, Elizabeth, and myself—have discussed things.”
Gardiner paled and said, “Of course we will not. We value your trust in us.”
Darcy helped the two selected maids into the carriage, seating them on the front-facing seat, and he took the rear-facing seat and politely kept his eyes on the London neighbourhoods they passed on the way to Mayfair.
Once again, he was making his way back to Elizabeth. He felt as if his bubble of happiness was almost fully re-inflated at that point, but he looked forward to feeling more solid in his joy.