Ch 37

Elizabeth and Jane pulled into the driveway. Elizabeth turned off the car as she noticed her father pacing the walkway outside the house. He stopped and began convulsing.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth began as she jumped out of the car.

Jane left the food they had just picked up and hurried after Elizabeth, seeing her father with his hand running through his thin, gray hair.

"Yes," he said through tears as he turned to them with a smile, "That's her."

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat. If he was smiling, she had to be alive. She reached out and gripped Jane's hand, waiting for information. As soon as he hung up the phone, they peppered him with questions.

"What happened?" she cried.

"Your uncle got a call from the police today. They received a tip on her location and went to a flat. She was there with all of her things. No sign of Wickham."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"I'm not sure of the particulars. But she is safe and sound with your uncle. I'm going to go get her now. You tell your mother that when I return I will have her daughter safely with me."

He hurried off to the car, leaving the two sisters standing in complete shock.

"What on earth do you think happened?"

"I don't have any idea."

A smile crept on Jane's face, "I'm just so glad that she is okay."

"Me too," Elizabeth replied as they moved into the house to tell her mother.

When their father returned that night, they all sat around the table as Lydia told her story. It was a dramatic tale about sneaking out together, hiding in his flat in London and a plan to get married. Elizabeth listened to her story and watched her grand gestures, and got angrier by the minute. The whole thing seemed like a game to Lydia. She was first a vixen, wrapped in wild passion by Wickham, and then as things became more serious and Lydia realized how dangerous he was, she became a damsel in distress, waiting for her knight in shining armor. When she was finished, everyone looked at her incredulously. There were so many holes in her story; Elizabeth didn't even know where to begin.

"So how, exactly, did the police find you?"

"I don't know," she said with a mischievous grin. "Someone must have tipped them off."

"Who would have?"

"I don't know," she said again, this time appearing angry.

"Lydia," Elizabeth began again, "Don't you see how worried we all were? We thought you were dead."

"Lizzy," her mother interrupted, patting Lydia's hand. "We've all been through a lot lately, let's just get some rest and we'll talk more about it in the morning."

Elizabeth stood and pushed her chair back. She couldn't believe her entire family was trying to act like nothing wrong had happened.

"I've got to get home," she said simply. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

Walking around the table, she leaned over and kissed Lydia on the forehead, "I'm glad you're safe."

Elizabeth went to get her things in the guest bedroom and heard the door open behind her. She turned to see Jane leaning against the doorframe.

"Are you really leaving?" she asked.

"Yes, I can't stand to be here anymore. What was she thinking?"

"She obviously wasn't. She's just a teenager."

"She could have…" her voice trailed off as she thought about Gigi and how obviously mentally scarred she was from Wickham. Maybe Lydia was putting up a front to fight her psychological wounds.

"Can you watch her?" Elizabeth asked quietly. "Maybe she's more traumatized than she thinks right now. Once the excitement wears down, I don't want her…" she trailed off again.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked, stepping forward. "You look a little sick."

"No," she countered, "I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

She pulled her bag to her shoulder and walked down the hall to say goodbye to the rest of the family. She heard Lydia and Kitty talking in Kitty's room. She was about to open the door to say goodbye when she was startled to hear the name Darcy.

She opened the door, interrupting them, "Darcy? Like William Darcy?"

Lydia's face turned a bright shade of red. Elizabeth had never seen her sister appear embarrassed about anything.

"It's a secret," she said quickly.

"What's a secret?"

"Well," she said slyly, excited to have information that not only Elizabeth didn't have, but that Elizabeth apparently desperately wanted.

"Darcy was the one who found us. He came to the flat in London and wanted to talk to me. Wickham tried to scare him away but Darcy wouldn't have any of it. He began screaming at Wickham and told him he was going to pay for what he had done. Wickham just laughed at him and didn't move. I was watching from behind. Well, Darcy called out my name and asked me to come out to the hall and talk to him. Wickham again acted like he wasn't going to let me talk to him. Wickham pushed Darcy and told him to sod off. That was about it for Darcy. He swung hard and knocked Wickham out completely. Then he stepped right over him and came to get me. He told me that I was in a lot of danger just being with Wickham and that I needed to go home. He said if I came with him then I would be fine. At first I told him I didn't want to because I was so scared about what Wickham would do once he came to. Darcy told me not to worry and he would take care of Wickham. He said that he would call the police and let them know where I was and that father and uncle were out looking for me. After that he picked up Wickham and left. Lord only knows where he took him. Then about an hour later, a policeman showed up to see what was wrong."

Elizabeth listened in complete disbelief. "How did he know where you were?"

Lydia shrugged. "I don't know. But he found me. He's my savior."

Elizabeth saw the glossy look come over Lydia's eyes and imagined she had written Mrs. Lydia Darcy on all of her notebooks already.

"He told me not to tell anyone. Don't tell mom or dad, okay?"

Elizabeth found herself nodding, unsure of what to make of any of it.

In her car on her way to her apartment, she felt a migraine creeping into her skull, pounding her temples. She couldn't seem to make heads or tails of anything that had happened. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her aunt asking for details. Maybe her aunt would give her the information she was looking for so desperately.