The Black Forest, Grand Duchy of Baden
Summer of 1798
Mr. Darcy, it will be necessary to remove all the baggage in order to lighten the load,” Metcalf, the Darcy driver, explained. “The wheels are about six inches deep into the mud. Fortunately, we have a full moon, and, eventually, we will be able to free the carriage.”
“Since we have no other choice, we must do what is required so that we may continue on our journey,” Mr. Darcy said, looking at the mired wheels. “Herr Beck tells me that they have had a very wet autumn in the Schwarzwald. I believe they have had more rain here than we did in England. Hopefully, Mrs. Darcy and Miss Darcy are enjoying more favorable weather in Baden than William and I did in Stuttgart. By the way, where is William?”
“I don’t think the meal we had at the inn agreed with him, sir. Herr Beck went down the road with him so that he might relieve himself.”
“Again? My poor son. His mother and I have always thought of William as having a cast-iron stomach, but it seems that German food does not agree with the boy.”
There was no doubt that German food did not agree with thirteen-year-old Fitzwilliam Darcy. This was the third time he had found it necessary to go into the woods, and it was a source of embarrassment for the young man. Although everyone had eaten the same food at the inn, he was the only one who was experiencing any discomfort. Herr Beck, the man whom they had hired in Stuttgart as a guide and translator, had found the situation amusing and had been teasing him about it. However, William was not amused, and when he felt another cramp, he walked farther down the road to get away from his tormentor and went into the woods alone.
Having performed the unpleasant task several times, the young Darcy was now an expert on the best position, and he used a large tree to support his back. He had been there a few minutes when he felt something brush against him. Believing it to be the foliage, he reached out to push it out of the way, and in doing so, felt something scratch him near his hip. He quickly looked about him, and what he saw terrified him. A wolf, with blazing blue eyes, was standing less than three feet away from the crouching boy.
Every instinct told William not to move or to call out, as either might cause the animal to lunge, and since he had removed his heavy overcoat, he had nothing to protect himself from any bite. But no defensive action was necessary. The wolf lay down and started to whimper before turning on her back to expose her belly. At Pemberley, the Darcy estate, there were easily a dozen dogs, and he was familiar with this behavior. A canine only did this when it was being overpowered by a more aggressive dog or if it had done something wrong. Because William was hidden by the tree, the wolf had not seen him, and the scratch had been accidental. It almost seemed as if she were apologizing for their encounter.
William retreated. But from a distance, the wolf followed him. With his heart pounding in his chest, he finally reached the road and could see the men working on the carriage. Before going in search of his father, he took one last look down the road and saw the wolf standing in plain view. Because of the full moon, the road was lit up as if it were daytime, leaving the female lupine completely exposed. Without thinking, William waved to her, and it was only then that she returned to the woods. The only conclusion he could draw was that she wanted to make sure that he was safe. But what kind of wolf did that?