Twenty-Six #3
"Your presence here will require some explanation," Colonel Fitzwilliam replied.
"So too will the forged references procured for Mrs. Younge.
You have paid in gold until now, and I imagine the money found in your reticule will correspond closely with the sum Wickham described in his statement.
You may be surprised what further evidence the militia and the Bow Street Runners can uncover when given sufficient cause. "
A slight movement near the wall drew Darcy's attention. Hale wrenched himself free of the sergeant's grasp and lunged towards the pistol lying upon the floor.
Colonel Fitzwilliam moved instantly. "Stop!"
Hale paid no heed. Before his hand could close upon the weapon, the sergeant seized him by the back of his coat and dragged him violently away. Hale struck the floor with a curse, while Colonel Forster kicked the pistol beneath a heavy cabinet.
Mrs. Vane did not so much as flinch.
"Hale," she said with quiet contempt, "you have always mistaken desperation for courage."
The sergeant hauled him to his feet and bound his hands securely behind his back.
Colonel Forster turned towards the door. "Take both men outside. Keep them apart."
Wickham looked towards Darcy as he was led away.
"You will remember our agreement."
"I shall remember everything," Darcy replied.
Whatever reassurance Wickham had hoped to receive was absent from the words. His countenance fell, and he allowed himself to be led from the room without further protest. Hale followed, still breathing heavily from his struggle.
Mrs. Vane reached for her reticule, but Colonel Fitzwilliam stopped her.
"It must be searched."
For a moment Darcy thought she might resist. Instead, she released the small bag and allowed him to take it. Her dignity seemed almost incongruous amidst the splintered door and the armed men, yet she clung to it as though it were the last possession no one could take from her.
As Colonel Forster approached, she looked once more at Darcy.
"You believe this is ended."
"It is."
"You cannot know that."
"I know you will never again come near my sister."
Mrs. Vane's expression remained composed, yet he detected the truth of her defeat in the slight tremor of her gloved hand.
"You have your father's certainty," she said.
Darcy inched closer to her. "I hope I possess more mercy than he showed your family."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But mercy does not require me to permit you to injure mine," Darcy added.
Colonel Forster offered his arm, not as a courtesy, but as a clear indication that she was to accompany him. After the briefest hesitation, Mrs. Vane accepted it. She passed Darcy without another word and crossed the threshold into the bitter afternoon.
Richard remained behind as the sound of footsteps receded from the cottage.
"Are you well?" he asked.
Darcy looked about the little parlour. The fire continued to burn. The false packet lay upon the table, and fragments of the broken door were scattered across the floor. Nothing within the room seemed sufficient to contain the suffering that had brought them all there.
"I do not know."
Richard returned his pistol to its holster. "I had expected her to deny everything."
"So had I."
"Do you believe what she said of your father?"
Darcy considered the question.
"I believe she remembers it as she described it. Whether my father acted with unnecessary severity, I may never know. But her father’s guilt does not excuse hers. I do know that my father lamented Mr. Hartley's death, for he recorded as much amongst his papers.”
Darcy crossed to the window. Outside, Colonel Forster directed the prisoners towards the waiting carriage while the sergeant stood guard. Mrs. Vane paused beside the steps and turned her face towards the distant hills.
For years she had nourished her hatred of the Darcy name, allowing it to consume every better impulse.
She had waited, planned, and drawn others into her designs.
Yet when Darcy looked upon her now, he saw neither a triumphant enemy nor the fearsome figure he had imagined, but a woman who had surrendered her entire life to a grief she could never relinquish.
He thought of Georgiana, frightened and ashamed after Ramsgate. He thought of the dangers at Pemberley, of every unexplained misfortune, and of the unseen hands that had carried knowledge of his movements and affairs beyond the estate.
Then, as his anger at last began to loosen its hold, his thoughts turned to Elizabeth Bennet.
During his brief return to Hertfordshire, he had often wondered whether she had heard of his arrival, or whether she had walked to Oakham Mount in the hope of seeing him.
He had longed to go there himself, but dared not risk drawing attention to his movements.
Although they believed only Wickham and Mrs. Younge had been watching him, they could not be certain no other accomplices remained.
He would not risk placing Elizabeth in danger.
Darcy released a slow breath. The anger remained, but it no longer possessed him.
Richard came to stand beside him. "It is finished, Darcy."
Beyond the window, Mrs. Vane entered the carriage. Colonel Forster followed, and the door closed behind them.
"Yes," Darcy said quietly.
For the first time in a long time, he truly believed it.