Chapter 11

The Darcy carriage rolled out of London with both of its occupants lightly dozing. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who rode alongside on his horse, periodically checked on them to see that all was well. He predicted that they would be at Longbourn well before the noon hour.

His predictions were discarded when a carriage wheel came loose and fell off only a short distance outside of London. The resulting jolt naturally awoke both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy who were thoroughly confused until the colonel explained the situation.

Unfortunately, it took longer to remount the lost wheel than it ordinarily would have done, as it had taken some time to find the necessary bolt. During this wait, Darcy's condition seemed to deteriorate, his breathing became even more labored, and he experienced severe pains in his chest. Lizzy informed Colonel Fitzwilliam of the situation, and the two agreed that as soon as the wheel was repaired they would stop at the closest in, which was little more than a mile ahead.

The inn was not the sort of place Mr. Darcy would have normally stopped. It was a small establishment which obviously catered to much lower class customers. However, it did appear to be clean and well-kept.

The Colonel went inside the inn to secure accommodations while Lizzy waited in the carriage with her husband. She was watching the door to the inn, waiting impatiently for Fitzwilliam's return when she saw George Wickham exit the inn with a triumphant grin on his face. Lizzy heard the voice of his companion before she saw the lady, but it was a voice she would recognize anywhere –Lydia! It couldn't be, could it? Lizzy craned her neck and caught a glimpse of her youngest sister climbing into a carriage with Mr. Wickham. She felt helpless as she watched the carriage quickly start out on the road toward London. Though Mrs. Darcy hated to admit it, she knew there was only one possibility, Lydia was eloping with Mr. Wickham.

The minutes that ticked by before Colonel Fitzwilliam's return seemed like hours to Lizzy, and when he returned she practically leaped from the carriage.

"Oh, Colonel it is absolutely dreadful. I can scarcely believe what I just saw!"

"Does this have something to do with Mr. Wickham. I did seem him briefly as I entered the inn, but I do not believe he saw me. Never mind him; I do not believe he will try to take any hurtful actions this morning."

"You do not understand! He already has!"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Did you see his traveling companion?"

"I only glimpsed her briefly. She seemed to be a silly young girl. I have known him to ruin many young women. It is not an unusual sight."

"That foolish young woman is my sister! She is only fifteen."

"Heaven help us! I will stop them, Mrs. Darcy! Which way are they heading?"

"Toward London."

By the time Lizzy realized what was happening, the colonel was already in the saddle and on his way, leaving Lizzy to wonder what course of action would be best. Her husband seemed barely conscious and surely needed assistance, so she called the footman and driver to her side and asked them to please carry her husband inside.

A middle-aged woman quickly approached them.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Smith, are you in need of assistance."

"Thank you, Mrs. Smith, I am Mrs. Darcy. Our cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam was in here a moment ago to reserve rooms, but he had to depart rather hastily and I do not know what arrangements he made. As you can see my husband is seriously ill. I hope you can show us to a room immediately."

"Oh you poor dear, he certainly does seem to be poorly. Let me take you to this room, and I will have a hot bath prepared for him right away."

"A bath."

"Oh yes. When my Thomas –Mr. Smith that is- was ill with pneumonia last year the doctor told us to have him take hot baths when his breathing was troubled. It sure seemed to help."

"Oh. Thank you then."

When Darcy had been taken to a room and placed in bed, the driver and footman went to tend to the horses and carriage while Lizzy gave Darcy his medicine and called for a maid to bring tea.

By the time Mrs. Smith announced that the bath was ready, Darcy was feeling significantly improved; his immediate condition did not seem so alarming.

"Mrs. Smith, my husband's valet has traveled ahead of us –this was an unplanned stop. Is there perchance a manservant to help with my husband's bath here?"

"Oh dearie, I had not thought of that. I am afraid there is no one available at the moment. I expect your husband is too weak to climb into the tub with just your help."

"Could you call our footman up to the room please?"

"I can manage without him." Darcy managed to say. Lizzy quickly blushed as she realized the implications.

"Are you certain, sir?"

"Yes, dear."

As Mrs. Thompson excused herself, Mrs. Darcy helped her husband toward the tub. Mr. Darcy hated that he could barely walk a few steps, though he supposed he ought to be thankful he wasn't being carried as he had been just a short while before.

Mr. Darcy sat in the chair beside the tub as his wife gently helped him to remove his clothing. He noticed that her hands were shaking and that she was becoming redder and redder as she worked. He wondered if his own cheeks carried such a brilliant blush. Darcy considered that perhaps he ought to have had his footman help, and avoid giving Elizabeth such a great degree of embarrassment. On the other hand, he could not deny that, ill as he was, there was something pleasing about having his wife's help with this particular task.

As Elizabeth helped her husband climb into the bathtub, she could not help but notice how gaunt he had become. This time of barely being able to eat and hardly keeping anything down was beginning to destroy him nearly as much as his troubled respiration. If he had been so hearty as he had been a few weeks before, Lizzy would not have been strong enough to help him; of course, he would not have needed the help.

"Ahh!" Darcy sighed as he sunk into the hot water. He soon found that the hot water helped to ease his pain and his breathing.

"I suppose we ought to have tried this sooner."

"Who knew?"

For several minutes Darcy relaxed in the tub while Elizabeth tried not to stare too much at her husband. Then, all of a sudden he began to have a seizure. Quickly realizing the the danger of the situation, Lizzy lunged for Darcy and wrapped her arms around him, lifting him partly out of the water. She could not lift him completely out, but she was able to raise himself to safety.

When the seizing ended, Lizzy sighed in relief, "That was frightening."

"I am well now, dearest."

"You are."

"And you are wet."

"Very true. I am hopeful that our trunks have been brought up. Shall we get you out of the tub?"

"Yes, please."

"And I will be ever reluctant to have Mr. Stinson travel ahead of us."

"It was not all bad." Darcy grinned.

"No, sir. It was not."

"Someday... when I am well-"

Lizzy was not to find out what would happen someday, for just then a voice was calling from the other side of the door.

"Hello!"

"Just a moment." Lizzy called back. She quickly helped her husband from the tub, wrapped a robe around him, and seated him in the chair. Only after Darcy was comfortably situated did Lizzy go to the door.

"Mr. Jones! I had certainly not expected to see you here."

"I am on my way to London and was only making a quick stop here. I heard talk in the common room about a man who was brought in very ill. I thought I would offer up my services. I hadn't expected to find you here Miss Elizabeth –I mean Mrs. Darcy."

"Yes, the ill man is my husband. He has been seriously ill for some time. Dr. Winters gave us permission to travel, but the trip seems to have been too arduous."

"Will he allow me to examine him."

"I am certain he will. Let us help him back to the bed. He has just finished a bath and is not dressed yet."

"Fitzwilliam, Mr. Jones is here to see you."

"Mr. Jones? I can think of several gentlemen by that name, but none who I would expect to see me here."

"He is the Meryton apothecary. He happened to be traveling through and heard about your illness. Let me help you back to the bed and he will examine you."

"Should I trust him?"

"Most definitely. He has been taking care of our family almost my entire life. Besides, Dr. Winters was entrusting you into his care anyway. I have here a letter from the doctor to Mr. Jones regarding your condition."

"I see."

As Mr. Jones carried out the examination, Lizzy answered most of his questions, allowing her husband to speak as little as possible. However, the apothecary noticed that she looked to Mr. Darcy often, and that gentleman seemed to communicate his needs to her with his eyes alone. He had seen such communication before, but generally only among couples who had been married a long time.

"Your heart rate is incredibly rapid, Mr. Darcy."

"I noticed."

"Have you tried drinking saltwater?" Darcy looked toward Lizzy with a raised brow.

"No, no saltwater. Is that something we should try?" Mrs. Darcy asked.

"It is known to help slow the heart rate."

"I believe Mr. Darcy is willing to try just about anything that might help. Is that not so dear?" Darcy nodded.

"I like a compliant patient. I can tell you, Mr. Darcy, your wife was certain not a compliant patient as a child."

"What do you mean, Mr. Jones? I always did exactly as you instructed without complaint, and never tried to get out of bed too soon -when you were looking."

"Yes, Miss Lizzy."

The examination revealed little new, and Mr. Jones heartily approved of most of the measures which were being taken in Mr. Darcy's care. He did advise the couple to halt their journey for a few days. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy agreed with the wisdom of that advice, and decided they would stay in that inn for the time being.

After affirming that he would check on Mr. Darcy on his return from London the following day, Mr. Jones bid the couple adieu. It was only after the apothecary's departure that Mr. Darcy began to wonder about Colonel Fitzwilliam's absence.

"Where is my cousin?"

"Chasing Mr. Wickham and my youngest sister, though as long as he has been gone I assume he has caught up to them by now."

"What?" Lizzy explained to Darcy what she had witnessed that morning.

"And what do you think he will do when he finds them?"

"I do not know, Fitzwilliam. He took off so suddenly that we really did not discuss his plan."

Before Lizzy and Darcy had much time to fret, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam! You have returned! Did you find them?"

"I did. Your sister is in the private sitting room right now. She is not particularly happy."

"You must share what happened."

"Well, as you know, I took off after them as quickly as possible. I stopped one carriage whose shades were drawn, and found inside a very irritable woman who reminded me a great deal of Aunt Catherine. Thankfully, I did not have to travel a great deal further before I encountered the carriage containing Mr. Wickham and Miss Bennet. Indeed, it was the next carriage I came upon."

"And what happened when you found them?"

"Wickham! I thought you were serving with the militia regiment in Meryton."

"I am."

"Then I trust you have been granted a proper leave."

"Of course."

"And may I ask what you are doing with my cousin?" The Colonel gestured toward the lady who did bear a strong resemblance to Mrs. Darcy.

"You are not my cousin!" Lydia exclaimed.

"I most certainly am, Miss Bennet. Your sister has married my cousin and that makes you my cousin as well.

"And what you do you think you are doing?" The young lady spat.

"Rescuing you from a scoundrel?"

"I hardly think my dear Wickham is a scoundrel."

"Then tell me, Miss Bennet, why he has not sought your father's consent to marry you."

"How do you know we have not already married?"

"If you had married, Mrs. Darcy would have known."

"Well Wickham means to marry me. There is no cause for alarm."

"Excuse me, Miss Bennet, but there is every cause for alarm. You will not be marrying a man with such dissolute habits. I honestly doubt he means to marry at all."

"Her virtue has been taken, Fitzwilliam. Would you simply take her away from me now?"

"What is your game, Wickham?" Wickham laughed.

"Is it not obvious?"

"I daresay you wish to ruin my cousin."

"Yes or at least to receive what I am owed."

"What you are owed? Was not the four thousand pounds Darcy gave a just compensation."

"Four thousand pounds! When were you given four thousand pounds? Was it from Mr. Darcy?"

"My love -"

The colonel interrupted, "Mr. Darcy gave Wickham four thousand found. Three thousand were to compensate for the living he refused to take."

"But, Wickham, you said -"

"Whatever he said was clearly a pack of lies. I believe he thought to ruin Darcy's reputation."

"No, I sought for him to pay me to marry the girl. And so he shall, for she has already granted me her favors."

"Mr. Wickham! How dare you share such private matters."

"Miss Bennet, do you begin to believe me about this man's character. Surely you cannot wish to be yoked to such a man!"

"But she has no choice for her reputation and that of all her sisters will be ruined if we do not marry."

"Do not worry, Miss Bennet. Your reputation will be protected. Now, Wickham, I suggest you get on your way! If I have see you any longer I just might run you through." With that Colonel Fitzwilliam helped Lydia dismount the from the carriage. Then the two watched the carriage roll away.

"So how did you bring my sister back here?"

"She rode my horse, and I walked alongside. Why do think it took so long?"

"What will we do about her reputation?"

"Do not worry about that at the moment. I believe I need to travel to your father's estate and assess the damages."

"Please send Mr. Stinson and Betty back to us. We will be staying here for a few days. Will you take Lydia home?"

"Do you believe that I should?"

"It would probably be best."

While Colonel Fitzwilliam went to have the carriage made ready, Lizzy found her sister in the sitting room.

"What were you thinking?"

"That we were in love." Lydia whimpered.

"Oh dear! I want to berate you for being foolish, but I can see that you are suffering."

"I thought that he loved me, but I have been listening to your new cousin berate all the ride here. Apparently Mr. Wickham is not the man I thought he was. But he is so handsome, how was I to know."

"I can understand you being able to fall in love with the man, but how you could be so foolish as to elope is beyond me."

"As if it is so very different from what you have done."

"Excuse me?"

"You ran off and married Mr. Darcy. As far as all of Meryton is concerned, it was an elopement. It might as well have been."

"Lydia! I will not deign to honor your accusation with a response. I am going to return to my husband now."

"But there is nothing to do here!"

"Colonel Fitzwilliam is preparing to take you back to Longbourn, so I daresay you shan't have to sit here for long!"

"He will probably spend the whole time lecturing me."

"You probably deserve it."

As it happened, Colonel Fitzwilliam did not spend the trip lecturing Lydia. In fact, he rarely spoke to her as he rode alongside the carriage. Lydia could easily have forgotten his presence; she spent the trip staring at the window and watching the passing scenery, at least until a particular person went riding past.

"Papa!" Mr. Bennet did not hear his daughter's exclamation and continued riding. The Colonel heard Lydia's shout and turned his horse to chase down the older gentleman.

"Mr. Bennet!" Mr. Bennet looked at the young man with curiosity.

"Excuse me, are we acquainted sir?"

"No but we are related."

"I do not have time for games this morning."

"This is no game. Your daughter is married to my cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam, at your service."

"I do not mean to be impolite, sir, but I truly need to make haste."

"In an attempt to find Miss Lydia Bennet?"

"What do you know of my daughter's situation?"

"I know that I have been on my way to transport her back to Longbourn. She is in that carriage there."

"But how?"

Colonel Fitzwilliam related to Mr. Bennet the basics of that morning's events.

"That is quite a story! I believe I am much indebted to you, sir."

"Let's not worry about that. Instead let us worry about what will happen now. Tell me, how widespread is the knowledge that Miss Bennet has eloped."

"It is not widespread at all. Other than myself I believe Jane is the only one who knows any details. Jane went into Lydia's room this morning to wake her and found a note saying that she had eloped. It was really dreadful note. Jane came straight to me, and I left immediately with instructions for her not to tell anyone. By now the household must know that I am gone and that she is gone. With any luck we will be able to go home and everyone will believe that we left together."

"Perhaps you should go and visit your daughter and son-in-law, since they won't be able to visit Longbourn today. Then you might tell your family that was the purpose of your travels."

"Brilliant plan, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Then we might be able to return home and put this all behind us."

"Unless there is a child." Mr. Bennet buried his face in his hands.

"Do you mean to say that he has already had his way with her."

"He claimed so, and she did not deny it."

"Good heavens! I had hoped that if we found them by nightfall, such a fate could be avoided."

"Unfortunately, it was not."

"What can we do? You are not suggesting we make them marry?"

"Not at all. I think it would take a great deal of money to persuade him to marry her, which I believe was his plan. Wickham wanted to either extort money from Darcy or ruin him."

"Well?"

"If there is a child, we need to find someone for her to marry. I can look in my regiment and possibly ask around in other regiments and try to find a man who is looking for a wife immediately. It's not ideal, but at least I could find someone who is not a scoundrel like that man."

"And how will we work this out so it doesn't seem suspicious."

"You take Miss Lydia home, then have her travel with other relatives and we can introduce her to the man we choose. They can have courtship away from her home. If she has a baby it will be born early, but if she is living away from Hertfordshire no one need know."

"You are quite the strategist, Colonel."

"Thank you. It helps in times of battle."

"Well let me go and see my daughter."