Mr. Darcy nudged his horse to move alongside Elizabeth as the cottage came into view. There was no light inside nor any sign to make them think Wickham had come this way with Miss de Bourgh.
Colonel Fitzwilliam dismounted and handed the reins to Darcy. He motioned toward side of the cottage and left them with a finger against his lips.
Handing the reins of the colonel’s horse to the footman, Darcy dismounted and gave his reins to Elizabeth. He whispered low and she had to bend down to hear. “Take the horses away lest they make any noise that would give us away.”
Elizabeth wanted to ask whether he thought Wickham might be near, but she turned away as he motioned the footman back the way they had come.
Riding quietly away, Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder and saw Mr. Darcy going the opposite direction of the colonel. Both men went quickly in an arc around the cottage, bent low to stay out of sight.
Her stomach flipped as the footman led them into a copse nearby and tied the horses. He motioned to her pistol as he drew his own. “Wait here, Miss. I will not be far. I want to help Mr. Darcy and the colonel should it come to it. If you fall into trouble, send the horses out into the field as a sign.”
Elizabeth clutched her small pistol and nodded. “I will be fine. I will remain on my horse just to be certain I might flee if accosted.”
The footman nodded his agreement with her plan and left her, swiftly disappearing in the dark shadows to another copse closer to the cottage.
Time passed in interminable increments as Elizabeth waited silently for some indication that her idea had been wrong.
Elizabeth prayed Mr. Darcy and the colonel found them, but the threat of violence made her thankful she had not partaken in tea with her grandfather and Mrs. de Bourgh. She feared if she had, the meal might have been difficult to keep down as her nerves got the best of her.
A gunshot and the yells of men broke the silence around her and Elizabeth jumped causing her horse to bolt and gallop from the copse. She could not grasp the reins but wound her arms around the horse’s neck and buried her face in his mane. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut and prayed as more gunshots rang out.
The footman dashed out of his hiding place and stood in front of her horse causing the beast to slow its gallop into a canter. Elizabeth glanced up and screamed at the footman as the horse seemed certain to run the poor servant under its hooves.
The footman moved at the last moment and grabbed the reins as he vaulted up behind Elizabeth onto the animal’s back. He easily stopped the horse and dismounted quickly. “Not to worry, Miss. I know horses well enough to stay out of their way.”
Elizabeth held tightly to the reins and stared at the footman. She didn’t think she had ever truly noticed him at Netherfield, except for his service at dinner or when he was needed for some task, and for that she was sorry. “Thank you Andrew, I owe you my life.”
“Oh no, Miss, you do not. I was only doing as Mr. Bingley would wish me to do. I could not see you so frightened and not offer my assistance.” The footman gave a small bow and stayed beside her.
“What do you think has happened? It is awfully silent. Perhaps we ought to go back into hiding?” Elizabeth looked at the cottage, her heart filled with distress.
The footman lifted his arm and pointed at a figure stumbling away from the cottage. “Look there, someone is coming.”
The figure was slight and much shorter than Wickham, Mr. Darcy, or the colonel. Elizabeth dismounted and ran to embrace Anne de Bourgh.
“Oh, my dear, your mother will be so relieved!” Elizabeth said to the young woman as she led her towards the footman.
Anne’s face was streaked with tears and her dress was dirty and torn in places. “Mother will be very angry, Miss Elizabeth. I did not mean to go with Mr. Wickham, but she will not understand.”
Elizabeth felt the poor girl trembling and removed her riding coat and placed it around her shoulders. “I will see that she does understand and no further harm comes to you. I give you my word for I knew you did not go willingly with the lieutenant. He is a beastly man.”
Miss de Bourgh gave Elizabeth a weak smile and her tears began again. “He did not compromise me, Miss Elizabeth. He tried and I fought him. When I told him he would get no ransom from you or Mr. Bingley if I was harmed, he stopped. All he wanted was the money.”
Elizabeth’s own tears fell then, and she was filled with righteous anger against Wickham. She wanted to throttle him herself but Miss de Bourgh needed her.
When they reached the footman, Elizabeth noticed that the girl winced with each step they took. “I know you are in pain, dear, but if we can get you up on my horse, I can see you safely to Longbourn and send for Mr. Jones.”
The footman interrupted Elizabeth. “I am strong enough to carry her back, Miss Bennet. I would be much gentler on the young miss than the back of a horse.”
Elizabeth knew he was right but she looked to Miss de Bourgh. “May Andrew carry you home? I will be right beside you. He is a kind and good man. Why, just moments ago, he saved me when my horse became frightened by the gunshots.”
Miss de Bourgh nodded her agreement and wiped at her tears. “Yes, please get me away from here.”
Remembering the gunshots, Elizabeth only halted their progress across the field to inquire after Mr. Darcy and the colonel.
Miss de Bourgh said that Mr. Darcy had freed her and sent her away after the gunshots. It was the colonel who fired on Mr. Wickham when the lieutenant rushed him. “I do not know whether Richard’s aim was true.”
Elizabeth fell silent and some darkness took hold of her spirit as she hoped the colonel had hit his mark. Poor Miss de Bourgh was in such a state when they found her and it was all the fault of the lieutenant with no scruples.
After Mr. Jones had come to Longbourn and seen to Miss de Bourgh, Elizabeth left Hill and the footman behind to watch over her.
The young lady was tucked safely into her own bed and given a dose of laudanum as the shock of her ordeal had settled upon her.
Outside Longbourn, Mr. Darcy and the colonel met Elizabeth as she came out. Wickham lay face down in the dirt of the lane, his hands bound, and as far as Elizabeth could see in the darkness, he did not seem to be suffering from any wounds a gun might inflict.
Elizabeth looked to the colonel. He seemed not to have sustained injury either and tipped his hat to her. “Will she be well, Miss Bennet?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“Mr. Jones has said she will in a day or so. Wickham hurt her, there were bruises,” Elizabeth said, her eyes bright again with tears. She had sat with Miss de Bourgh and held her hand as the apothecary made his examination.
“Did he say whether Wickham…whether he…” Mr. Darcy asked, his anguish over his cousin’s reputation evident.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I did not allow such an examination as Miss de Bourgh told me he only wanted money in exchange for her freedom. Still, I think he tried as she has bruises from rough handling.”
The colonel turned on his heel and went to Wickham. Elizabeth turned away as he pulled the disgraced lieutenant roughly to his feet and delivered a felling blow to the man’s midsection.
As Wickham fell to his knees in the lane wheezing for air, the colonel turned and said he wished to see his cousin.
Mr. Darcy turned and held up a hand. “You must not tonight, Richard.”
Elizabeth spoke up. “She is certainly sleeping by now as Mr. Jones gave her laudanum. She was nearly hysterical once the reality of the past few hours became clear. I comforted her as best I could. Perhaps tomorrow?”
The colonel relented and turned away. “I am taking him to the stables at Netherfield, Darcy. Come along if you would save me from becoming a murderer.”
Mr. Darcy looked to Elizabeth. “Thank you for taking care of her. I do not know what further pain she might have suffered had you not been there to bring her home while we dealt with Wickham. I am indebted to you.”
Elizabeth swiped at her tears. “There is no debt greater than what Miss de Bourgh will pay in the coming months. We must see Wickham is handled and then see that she is made whole.”
The colonel turned and his words silenced them all. “She will be made whole if it takes the rest of my life to see it done. My work begins tonight, but tomorrow, I will propose to her and declare my love, Darcy.”
He turned and went to Wickham again and pulled the wicked man to his feet. Instead of mounting his horse, Richard Fitzwilliam pushed his prisoner in front of him down the darkened lane.
Mr. Darcy took the reins of the colonel’s horse and mounted his own. Elizabeth did likewise and they followed behind the colonel and Wickham to Netherfield.