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Fitzwilliam stared down at the note, rage and fear warring for supremacy. Wickham was demanding thirty-thousand pounds, clearly alluding to the fact Fitzwilliam had denied him the opportunity to get it before by stymieing the elopement.
He was surprised to feel a hand on his wrist, and he looked up to see Miss Bennet standing in front of him. Her presence sent a wave of calm through him that he couldn’t explain, but he quickly took a step back and folded the letter, needing to focus. “He assures me he will be in contact with further information, but I cannot wait that long. I am asking for anyone who is willing to do so to help me search for her. They cannot have gone far, for he had insufficient funds to escape.”
Though he was generally only tolerated by the people, and Fitzwilliam could freely admit that was his own fault due to his behavior at the Assembly ball, he was gratified by the number of volunteers who stepped forward. Several men appeared eager to help, and he had a moment of discomfort for how he had so unfairly judged the people of Meryton. They owed him nothing, but they were rallying around him now to assist.
They started to break themselves into groups and decide who would be searching where as Darcy stripped off his tail coat and handed it to Caroline Bingley. “I can hardly search with that.” He moved forward, only realizing after a moment that Lizzy was keeping pace with them. He turned to look at her. “I do not have time to speak right now.”
“I think I know where he is camping.”
Darcy stiffened at the words, turning to face her and giving her his full attention. “What?”
“I found it earlier today. Colonel Forster was gone to London, and Walters refused to listen to me, but I might have an idea of where he was camping, at least as of this morning.”
“You must tell me at once.” His mouth dropped open in shock when she shook her head. “You would deny me this knowledge because of acrimony?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I would not. I could hate you more than anyone in the world and would still help you find your sister. I cannot simply tell you where it is. I must show you, for I discovered it by accident myself.”
He realized it was improper, but when weighed against Georgiana’s safety, he had little concern for how it might look to grasp Miss Bennet’s hand and rush from the Netherfield ballroom. He did his best to slow his pace enough for her to keep up comfortably, but he was anxious to find Goliath and start riding.
He almost considered sweeping her into his arms and carrying her, thinking he might still move them at a faster pace, but he could well imagine her reaction to that. Even if he tried to set aside consideration of the shocked outrage that would circulate through the crowd at his high-handed tactics, he knew it was a terrible idea.
He forced himself to exhibit some restraint until they reached the stables. The young groom was quick to comply with his orders to prepare Goliath, and when he looked up as Lizzy moved away, he realized she was retrieving a lantern. It was a smart idea, though it wasn’t completely dark yet.
They were likely to need it at some point though, and when she returned to his side, he lifted her by the hips and placed her on the horse astride, not bothering with the uncomfortable position of sidesaddle that was incompatible with the saddle anyway. She gasped at the sensation, and she gasped again when he mounted the horse behind her, her body plastered to his. He put his arm firmly around her waist to hold her against him while using his other hand to control the reins, and he spurred Goliath to bolt forward.
Lizzy turned slightly in his arms, craning her head up so he could hear her as she gave him rough directions. He set Goliath on the path toward Meryton, allowing the horse to run as freely as he wanted until Lizzy tapped on his arm several minutes later. She was looking up at him again, and he slowed Goliath to be sure to hear her.
“I need to get down and walk from here. There was a particular rock, you see.”
He did not see, and for a moment, he wondered if she was simply leading him on a blind venture, either to seem useful when she had no valuable information, or perhaps even to assist Wickham. The thought sat uneasily with him, and he couldn’t be certain she’d truly given up any interest in the man.
He considered dropping her by the side of the road and continuing on, but when she got down, she had such confidence as she slowly moved forward, eyeing the ground with the lantern aloft, that he found it impossible to believe she would play games when Georgiana’s safety was at stake. For all her faults, she appeared to genuinely like his sister, and she had been sympathetic to the situation between Georgiana and Wickham.
Feeling bad for misjudging her, he followed along quietly behind her, his impatience growing by the moment though. He was about to say her method wasn’t working when she lowered the lantern to the ground a little more and made a soft sound of delight. “Here it is.”
To his absolute shock, Lizzy got on her hands and knees on the road, and he realized she was looking down the hill. She pointed that way, telling him as she looked up, “That is where I saw the spot earlier. I do not see a fire, but maybe he wouldn’t have one if he is keeping Georgiana prisoner to obscure their presence.”
“Lead the way,” he said with slight discomfort at the idea of Miss Bennet putting herself in danger, but he had no choice. He had to rescue Georgiana before Wickham injured her or compromised her.
If the man had already done so, there would be no hasty wedding if that was Wickham’s aim. Instead, he would find himself dead and disposed of in some unremarkable location, as Fitzwilliam would never force his sister to marry a man who had violated her, and he would never allow Wickham to get away with such a course of action without punishment.