Chapter 44: Long Overdue
Darcy had raced towards the cottage along with Richard and his men. He was enraged beyond measure and hoped fervently that it was not too late to save Elizabeth.
During his ride, he remembered the childhood days where he had played with Wickham in the same house where he held his wife as a captive. He was angry at himself for not taking solid action against him after Ramsgate.
When they approached the hill, they saw an old carriage standing near the house.
Darcy immediately dismounted his horse and asked his men to stop.
"Richard, if he sees all of us, he may feel threatened. He may try to harm Elizabeth in desperation. I will go alone."
"Are you sure?"
"I am." He said without hesitance.
He ran to the cottage and stopped near the door. Before he could plan his move, he heard a scream that made his heart stop. Elizabeth! Oh no!
He heard her cry from the first floor. Without a second thought, he kicked the door open and ran up.
Wickham never expected to face Darcy in the entire affair. According to him, his plan was perfect. He was shocked beyond measure when he saw the door crash down and when he came face to face with an enraged Darcy.
Darcy was engulfed with rage when he saw Elizabeth struggling to free herself from Wickham's grasp. He charged towards Wickham and dragged him away from Elizabeth. With one fierce kick, he sent Wickham flying across the room. Within seconds everything happened. Elizabeth watched in horror as Wickham pulled his gun out as he struggled to stand.
"Darcy, I will finish you off now. I should have long ago. I want her. I want to…" Before he could finish his sentence, Darcy surprised him and plunged forward. He drove his pocket knife into Wickham's shoulder. Before he could pull the trigger, Darcy punched him hard in the face.
Wickham tried to stand up and fight. But, as one final blow, Darcy kicked him with such force that Wickham fell against the old glass window. The impact was so strong that the window crashed, and Wickham fell outside. Elizabeth watched everything in shock.
Darcy immediately ran to his wife. "I am so sorry, Elizabeth. Oh! God! Did he hurt you?" He tried to carry her in his arms and noticed the state of her dress.
He immediately covered her with his coat.
She had no idea how he found her and was overwhelmed with happiness and relief. She cried uncontrollably in his arms.
"I promise you I will never let anything like this happen again." Darcy said, in agony. He was unable to watch her distress. She winced in pain as he lifted her.
"Are you hurt, Elizabeth? Where?" He asked as guilt tore him apart.
"My ankle… I think I twisted it.. when he dragged me up the stairs. How did you find me? I had no hope, Fitzwilliam. Thank you for saving me. I cannot imagine what would have happened if you hadn't come." She shut her eyes tightly, unable to fathom her plight in the hands of Wickham.
"I wish I had never let him abduct you. It is all my fault. I should have killed him in Ramsgate."
Richard stood by the door, unable to interrupt them.
"Darcy, is Mrs Darcy hurt?" He asked in hesitance.
"Yes. I will take Elizabeth to Pemberley now. Before that, I have some unfinished business with Wickham."
Richard sensed what Darcy was referring to.
"There is no need for that." He said calmly.
Darcy understood. Wickham was dead.
When he fell from the upper floor, Wickham was in excruciating pain. He had misjudged everything about his childhood friend. He had never anticipated such a brutal attack from Darcy.
He landed with force, and his neck snapped as he hit the ground.
In the last few minutes of his battle with Darcy, he only had one question in his mind. How did he find out that I had her? How did he get here so soon?
As Darcy's men surrounded him, he knew it was the last few seconds of his life.
Unable to move any part of his body, his vision blurred. He did not want to die without knowing how his plan had failed.
As his eyes closed, the last thing he saw gave him shock and anger. He knew his soul could never rest in peace. It was the face of a woman he had underestimated all along.
Dorothy walked close to him and watched him in his last moments. She felt nothing for him. For the first time in her life, she felt proud of herself.
Darcy carried Elizabeth to his carriage, he was very much worried about her well-being. He felt no remorse that Wickham was dead. Richard stayed back.
Once they were in the carriage, Elizabeth calmed down a little. She saw a woman enter the carriage and was shocked. Just like Darcy, Elizabeth did not doubt who she was.
"Fitzwilliam, this is…this is the maid from Netherfield. She was the one involved in the compromise."
Dorothy felt ashamed to be in the presence of the couple. But she did not know what else to do except to accompany them, as Richard had ordered her to.
"Elizabeth, you are right. But she came here with information about Wickham. Without her, there is no way I could have saved you."
"Was Wickham behind the compromise?"
"No. It was Miss Bingley."
Elizabeth stared at him in shock. Sensing Darcy's discomfort to discuss the details in the carriage she refrained from asking him any more questions. She was devastated to know that the person responsible for the compromise was so close to them all the while and related to her sister.
Thousands of questions raced through her mind. But she felt happy that her ordeal was over. She was in the arms of her husband, and she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Georgiana was relieved to see Elizabeth. But when she saw the state of her sister, she was horrified.
"Fitzwilliam, what happened to Lizzy? Oh! No!" She asked in agony.
Darcy hurried upstairs and carried Elizabeth to her room.
"Is the doctor here yet?" He asked impatiently.
"Fitzwilliam, I do not want to be seen. I am perfectly fine. My ankle should be better in a few days." Elizabeth said in distress. Completely mortified by her abduction, she did not want to see anybody.
" Your ankle is swollen. The doctor would know the best way to treat it."
" Please understand. I just cannot." She looked away, and Darcy could understand her feelings.
He sat beside her on her bed and tried to console her.
"I understand how you feel. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I am the one guilty of causing you so much pain. Please understand, we cannot treat it by ourselves."
"Do you think my reputation has been ruined because of this?" She asked in a quivering voice.
"No! Absolutely not." Darcy said in agony.
"Elizabeth, if there is one person to blame, it is me. I spared him once, and it has been a mistake that almost cost your life. I can never forgive myself. I cannot imagine what you must have gone through with that scoundrel."
He held her tightly, and Elizabeth felt safe with him in their home.
The maids came to change her clothes, and Darcy reluctantly left her.
He tried to explain things to Georgiana. The doctor arrived, and Darcy convinced Elizabeth to get her ankle treated.
Elizabeth was grateful when the doctor did not question her about the events.
He informed Darcy that she would not be able to walk for a week or two.
Darcy was deeply concerned about Elizabeth. He knew that apart from her physical injuries, her mind and heart would be deeply affected.
When he saw her, she looked far better. She smiled at him weakly.
"You must eat something."
"I am not hungry. I need answers."
Darcy quickly related how Dorothy had arrived along with Richard a few hours ago. He explained briefly about Dorothy's association with Wickham and how Wickham had double-crossed her. Elizabeth listened to him wide-eyed when he related details about Miss Bingley.
"She asked him to kill me?"
"Yes, that sick woman has had the guts to orchestrate this. I did not have a good opinion of her, but I never thought she would be this venomous. Do not worry, Elizabeth. She is going to pay for her deeds. I cannot explain how enraged I am by her deeds."
"But, why? What could she want by harming me? She planned the compromise, which did not work her way. Could this be pure revenge?"
"The maid informed us that part of her plan was to marry me."
"So, she thought she could make you believe that I ran away, and when I did not turn up anywhere, she could marry you?"
Darcy winced in disgust and nodded his head. To his surprise, Elizabeth started laughing.
"Fitzwilliam, this is ridiculous. You would never marry her."
"I am glad that you are aware of that. I love you deeply Elizabeth, no force on earth can make me think ill of you. I was an idiot to doubt you before. I can never do that again."
"I know. I still cannot believe that I am here safely with you. I was so scared. Thank you for saving me."
"You do not realise it. I cannot take credit for that too. You saved yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember the old woman whom you helped in Hyde Park?"
"Yes, Mrs Rawlings."
"She is none other than the mother of Dorothy."
Elizabeth looked at him perplexed.
"That day, she has seen you help her mother. Later, when she discovered the real character of Wickham, she wanted to come to us with the truth. She wanted to save you. You must realise that your act of kindness must have impacted her in some way."
"This is all so surprising. I cannot believe it. She looks so timid. How did she gain the courage to risk everything and help us?"
"I intend she wanted to fix her actions of the past. Her biggest mistake was helping Miss Bingley in the compromise and fleeing that night. But I am very grateful for her help. We would not have had any idea about your captivator if she had not come on time."
"Can I see her?"
"Later, not tonight. Emma has been crying for you. Shall I bring her?"
"Of course."
Darcy watched in admiration how Elizabeth handled the troubled child.
"Nothing is wrong with me, Emma. I fell and twisted my ankle. If you are a good girl, I will play with you very soon."
Georgiana came and took Emma away.
Darcy made Elizabeth eat. She did not have an appetite. But she ate for his sake.
He did not want to leave her that night. He stood up reluctantly.
"You must be tired. Do you want me to leave?" He asked, looking at her with adoration.
Elizabeth looked at him, unable to form words. Inwardly, she wished he had consummated their marriage on their first night together. She felt ashamed to think of the minutes in Wickham's hands.
"I do not think I can sleep."
"I can keep you company till you fall asleep."
"The only way I can go to sleep tonight is if I sleep on your shoulders. Don't leave me, Fitzwilliam." She said, gathering courage.
Darcy immediately joined her in bed. He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
She did not need any words of comfort from him. His touch gave her everything she needed.
Within minutes Elizabeth fell asleep. Darcy watched, unable to take his eye off her beautiful face. He could not imagine a life without her. He was angry at himself for being lenient with Wickham. He was enraged at Miss Bingley. He did not want to spare her.
He knew he had to deal with many things regarding the matter. But at that moment, Elizabeth wanted his presence, and nothing else mattered to him.
The couple slept peacefully that night, despite the events of the day.
After acknowledging their love for each other, in the past weeks, each of them had a lot of expectations about the first night they would spend together as a couple. But the reality was not close to any of their imagination.
Without a physical union, it brought them closer to each other than ever. Each knew the love they had was everlasting, and no force could separate them.