Warning attempted assault on a female in this chapter

Chapter 3

"Aye I recall the girl," the inn keeper said uneasily. "She seemed a bit dazed. Thought it was a good thing the man who left her had purchased a ticket straight through. She seemed likely to sleep through at least the first stop with how out of it she was. It was quite the spectacular to set tongues wagging about Miss Bennet."

"Do you recall where her ticket was purchased through too?" Darcy asked grimly. When the inn keeper glanced down again at the counter and then towards Darcy's purse, Darcy laid another coin onto the counter.

"Northeast towards Oxford via Reading," the inn keep said pocketing the coin. "Her ticket was to Reading. A few other passangers went on that coach as well." When the inn keep gave him a significant look, Darcy laid down another coin. "Including a duo of young swells headed back to Oxford that were mighty interested in the young miss and a middle age couple that only purchased tickets as far as Epsom. I imagine if you ride fast you might catch them at Epsom or just past."

Darcy grimly thanked the greedy inn keeper and offered him more coin to convey to his coachman his direction, Northeast toward Epsom and then Reading, when the man arrived to inquire after his employer. The inn keeper in what he considered a show of good will, warned Darcy that the young swells were inebriated and had a swagger that he thought boded ill for the young lady if no respectable passangers boarded at Epsom. Darcy with this warning left quickly and spurned his horse on.

Darcy's thoughts as he rode in the direction the post coach his Aunt had secured passage for Elizabeth on were centered soley on recovering Elizabeth and making her his wife as soon as possible. He had always known his aunt would object to whomever he chose to marry, but he had never expected her to act so irrationally or violently. He knew he would not feel at ease until Elizabeth's last name was Darcy. He had previously believed he would enjoy their engagement period as an opportunity to slowly introduce Elizabeth into his world, delighting in her excitement and joy at such a time. He had been eagerly anticipating a gradual increase in the liberties he could take with her as he awoke the passion he knew was in her. That was no longer an option, her reputation had been compromised with his aunt's stunt and the only thing to do would be to marry quickly and provide her the protection of the Darcy name.

He would be forced to endure having her in his house, in the adjoining chamber without making her thoroughly his. He knew that as a gently reared maiden, he needed to take things slowly, gradually increasing their intimacies so that she was not frightened. He was not the type of cad to believe Elizabeth could go from having never been kissed to sharing her body the way he wanted her too. His time in town had assured him just how desperately he wanted her to willingly share her body with him.

By the time he had left Netherfield he had been desperate for release with a willing female. He had strict beliefs regarding where it was acceptable for him to find relief. Doing so with housemaids and the lower class serving girls and brothels of the country were something he frowned on. He had been rock hard more times then he cared to admit while in the neighborhood thanks to Elizabeth and embarrassed himself in his bed more then once. He had gone to his preferred brothel upon his return to town, since the madame had strict rules regarding the cleanliness of her girls and the use of french letters to prevent conception, believing relief was at hand. To his mortification the talented hands and lips of the experienced imorata could barley get him semi hard. He had left unsatisfied, just to dream of Elizabeth that night and spend in his bed covers again. A few weeks later he had once again returned to the high class brothel desperate for real relief with a woman and not a fleeting dream phantom. This time he was careful to pick a woman that ressembled Elizabeth in stature and coloring, but once again, his body would not cooperate. He had left unsatisfied yet again. His third time he had finally found relief. He had closed his eyes and pictured Elizabeth. Rather then the harlot on her knees in front of him, he had imagined that it was Elizabeth's pert mouth and lips wrapped around him. He had moaned and grunted her name, thrusting into the warm wet cavern and when opened his eyes to not see his Elizabeth, but another woman, he had recoiled in horror, the rush of pleasure he had received quickly gone. He had left feeling dirty and soiled and had not returned. The embarrassment of soiling himself in his sheets was preferable to the dismay he had felt at seeing another woman when he desperately wanted Elizabeth.

His forays into the high class brothel were not his only attempts to forget Elizabeth. He had attended balls and other entertainments where someone from his circle could find a wife, but felt drawn to not a single lady he encountered. As appropriate as they all were he resented the fact that none of them where Elizabeth Bennet. He had even felt mild resentment that he was a Darcy and not some middling squire of Elizabeth's sphere so that he could marry her and raise a household of children together. To make matters worse, he avoided two attempts at a compromise and had more then one fathers offer to increase their daughter's portion for Darcy's consideration to gain a connection to him. He was disgusted with the way members of his class were willing to sell off their daughters.

A quick stop in Epsom revealed that the post coach had left minutes before, picking up no new passengers and only the middle age couple has disembarked. The man and his wife from the coach overheard Darcy's inquiry to the stable man and assured him that their fellow passangers, a young sleepy miss and two young gentlemen were still aboard. The two gentlemen, the man said with disapproval in his tone, were deep into their cups, partaking from a flask the whole way. Without waiting to hear more Darcy whirled his mount and headed after the coach, whose dust still hung over the road.

…

Col. Fitzwilliam, as he rode his horse towards Epsom, passing Darcy's coach with a wave to the driver, considered the situation Lady Catherine had embroiled them in. He had suspected Darcy's partiality towards Elizabeth and had done his best to not also become enamoured of the vivacious young lady, not wanting to poach on his cousin's territory. The fact of the matter though was that, Lady Catherine, a memeber of his family, had willfully destroyed a young lady's reputation. His honor, and the honor of the Fitzwilliam family, could not allow such a thing to stand. Because of Elizabeth's promise to not become engaged to Darcy, that left himself to salvage things. A large grin broke out over his features, he would be the one to propose to and marry Elizabeth to save her reputation. He was pleasantly pleased with the prospect. He had found Elizabeth to be delightful and attractive. He could, he mused, do much worse for a wife. He was tempted to dwell on how pleasant not only daily life, but the more intimate aspects of marriage would be but decided instead to focus on the practicalities necessary for bringing about the union.

…

Elizabeth dazedly fought to keep her wits from scattering. At the posting inn, inside the carriage Lady Catherine had jabbed at her with her cane to wake her and then poured something down her throat. She had slept most of the first part of the ride unable to keep her eyes open. When the middle age couple that had been traveling with them disembanked and no new passengers took their place she thought nothing of it as she struggled to force her mind to work and her limbs to obey her thoughts. But then once the coach pulled out of the posting inn yard the two gentlemen that appeared near her in age began to eye her, raking their gazes over her, lingering with leers on aspects of her person and nudging each other, exchanging smirks. After a few minutes one spoke to her, causing her no small amount of alarm.

"What is a sweet little piece like you doing out here all alone," the first said with a leer.

Elizabeth unable to format a clear thought, her mind still foggy looked at the two and blinked in confusion and an uneasy sense of instinctive fear.

"I imagine the next part of the trip shall be far more enjoyable now, wont it? My friend and I are always up for a bit of entertainment and here you are to provide it," the second said has he reached out his hand and roughly grabbed Elizabeth's knee. Elizabeth reflexively jerked back, the movement weaker then it would have been if she was not feeling the effects of what Lady Catherine had given her.

"A bit of spirit in you is there?" the first said with a laugh. "That should make this certainly interesting. It will be more fun for us if you don't lay there like a little rag doll. Of course with your assets, I could have fun whether you participate or lay there," he said as he reached across to caress her chest.

Elizabeth, acting on instinct, weakly raised her hand and slapped at his face as it approached her and backed as far into the seat as possible, her eyes darting around, adrenaline fueled by fear fighting to give power to her drugged limbs. The two both lunged for her at once, as she moved to avoid the first the second roughly grabbed her and held her in front of him while the first grabbed the neckline of her dress and pulled downward, ripping it. Laughingly he gleefully said, "What a delightful bounty I have found," as he reached out to touch her.

Becuase of the tussle inside the coach, none had noticed the coach stopping. The man pawing at her was roughly pulled out the open door and thrown to the ground. Elizabeth taking advantage of her captors distraction attempted to break out of his hold that had gone slack in his surprise. She made it no further then the carriage door and would have tumbled out the open door into an ignoble heap outside on the ground below the door if not for the hard chest she fell into and strong arms that wrapped around her.

Before she could register the familiar face of Darcy, the man in the coach said with a smirk, "No need to get violent. There is enough of her to go around. For the right price you can even have the first go at her."

Elizabeth hearing this and not having seen more then a hard chest of the individual she had fallen into, weakly struggled in his arms in an attempt to get away. Her foggy brain urged her to run and hide but her drug laddden limbs struggled to obey.

Darcy unable to articulate his anger at such a disgusting thought to him as anyone, him or these men, forcing themselves on Elizabeth, growled and locking his arms around his precious bundle backed away from the coach. The man he had thrown from the coach moaned painfully from the ground and the one in it attempted to drunkenly lurch out, after his prey, but a quick right hook from Darcy sent him sprawling back into the interior of the post coach. Darcy backed further away, putting distance between him, with Elizabeth in his hold, and the coach.

Seeing her assailants unable to harm her further and now conscious of her struggles to free herself, he loosened his hold and gently said, "Elizabeth," as he allowed her to take a step backwards, away from him.

Elizabeth shocked, weakly said, "Mr. Darcy?" in disbelief.