Chapter 6

As his coach rolled out of the inn's yard Darcy glanced anxiously at his traveling companion. They had both refreshed themselves at the inn and he had hired a private parlor for them to eat in. While awaiting Elizabeth to escort her to the private parlor the inn keeper had complimented him on the care he took of his wife. Darcy had not corrected the man and he was relieved when Elizabeth did not either when a serving girl called her Mrs. Darcy.

With a tired laugh as she settled back into her seat, Elizabeth said, "Poor Lady Catherine. She was determined to have my promise not to engage myself to you, as if you would ever consider such a thing, and now due to appearances the serving girl assumed I was your wife, without any engagement on our parts. Lady Catherine I imagine would be seriously displeased."

Darcy felt his lips curve up in an aswering smile to hers and said, "And a very lovely Mrs. Darcy you make." Elizabeth laughed at this, thinking he was not serious, but before she could respond he spoke again. He said, "I understand part of your reasoning for giving her your promise was due to my history with Mr. Wickham. If you would allow it, I would wish to share my side of our history."

"I would very much like that," Elizabeth said softly. "I find myself once again questioning the sketch I have made of your character. Your actions today on my behalf were quite unexpected."

Darcy cringed inwardly to hear his beloved claim surprise that he would follow her with the sole intention of retrieving and protecting her. It showed him just how inadequate of a suitor he had been, leaving her behind at the end of November and planning on immersing himself in Lady Catherine's estate business before seeking her out now. He was glad that he had been unable to fight his inclination to see her and sought her out earlier today in enough time to discover her absence. From now on he promised himself Elizabeth would be the most important thing in his life, along with his sister, Georgiana.

Slowly Darcy accounted for her his history with Wickham. He carefully alluded to the fact that in addition to gambling and drinking, Wickham's behavior at university with females was also unacceptable. Elizabeth, being a clever individual, hesitantly asked if he was similar to the men from the post coach. Darcy assured her he had never known Wickham to be as bad as that, as to force or hurt a woman, relying on his inate charm to seduce them with false promises. Elizabeth nodded and huddled into herself as she recalled the experience. Darcy hesitantly reached his hand out to offer whatever comfort he could. Elizabeth seeing it grasped it in relief uncaring about the propriety of holding the hand of a man unrelated to her, just glad for the simple comfort of human contact. Her patable relief made Darcy bold and he carefully moved seats from across the coach and sat beside her, to offer whatever comfort she would accept. Elizabeth turned towards him with a shrudder and a sob and burried her face in his chest. His arms carefully encircled her and he spoke soothingly to her. Assuring her of her safety and his protection.

"Lady Catherine came to the parsonage this morning," Elizabeth said softly her voice muffled by his chest. Realizing Elizabeth wished to talk about her ordeal, Darcy encouraged her to unburden herself to him. "She insulted me, speaking out against my relations as if her manners and subsequent actions showed her to be any better then my family. Some of them may not always show themselves in the best light, but they are not vicious, not like her," she said with a shrudder and Darcy gently and slowly spread his hand across her back, begining to slowly rub it in small circular soothing motions. To his relief Elizabeth relaxed back against him.

"She demanded her coachman cease me and when I protested she slapped me. I remember him roughly dragging me outside and throwing me into the coach. Then I do not rememener anything else until I awoke to Lady Catherine looming over me and poking me with her cane. As soon as she saw my eyes were open she swooped down on me and forced a vial of something down my throat. A few minutes later as I tried to keep my eyes open her coachman hauled me out of the coach and into the inn. I wanted to protest when he bought a ticket in my name, but could not make my mouth work to speak. He forced me onto the post coach, and as soon as it began to move I fell asleep I assume," Elizabeth said softly. "I next remember coming to a stop at the inn right before you arrived. I wanted to leave the post coach before I traveled any further but could not make my limbs obey my commands to move or my mouth to speak. I at first thought nothing of the fact that I was alone with two uknown male passengers. I was more concerned with attempting to think. When they began to speak to me and then reached for me, I felt a burst of energy that compelled me to attempt to protect myself, but it felt as if my very own limbs were against me. And then the door opened and one of my attackers was suddenly gone. I willed myself to escape out the door no matter what. And then you were there and I was safe," Elizabeth concluded.

"If only I had been there sooner," Darcy whispered agsinst her hair as he held her and continued to rub soothing circles on her back. "I will ensure you are protected now."

Elizabeth clung to him as she softly cried. She was still ensconced in his embrace a few mintues later when she said suddenly, "He would have made a very poor clergy man."

"Luckily he felt the same way and he accepted 3,000 pounds in exchange for renouncing the living at Kympton in addition to the 1,000 pounds my father had left him," Darcy said softly as he continued to hold her. He was alert for any signs that she wished for him to release her, but had no intentions of doing so unless she desired it.

"He lied then. He said that you denied him the living."

"I did, when he came back to claim it later. I can show you the paper he signed relinquishing the living and the receipts for his debts I have bought."

"I am not as churlish to demand proof from the gentleman that saved me and gave up his day to aid me."

"I would not expect you to be churlish, but if you," Darcy paused and braced himself, "if you hold Wickham in esteem I would offer you proof."

"I had considered him to be a friend. Before today I would have denied such a thing to be possible, but not after the assistance you rendered me today. I am ashamed that I allowed him to take me in so. It is now confirmed, I am a gullible fool and you must be confirmed in your belief of my own inferiority, " Elizabeth said drawing back from him as if burned.

Despite that he had planned on releasing her at the first sign she wished it, his arms instinctively refused to do so. "No," he cried vehemently. "You are not. Many have believed in his goodness, my own father, my sister. My sister believed in it so strongly she consented to elope with him last summer when she was but 15."

"Your sister?" Elizabeth gasped softly peering upward into his eyes.

He haltingly told her about his sister, Wickham and Ramsgate. To his intense satisfaction he felt her arms encircle his middle and her small hands on his back, giving him a hug of comfort. A hug was such a simple act of human comfort but the bounds of propriety forbade such physical contact outside of the family. Darcy found himself eternally grateful that Elizabeth was able to disregard proper behavior in her compassion for her fellow man. To be on the receiving end of that compassion was a balm to his soul after an emotionally ardorous day for him.

He became aware that Elizabeth's breath had evened out and she once again slept. He was unsurprised that her body craved sleep. She had been injured, drugged and then frightened. At the inn she had initially expressed a desire to walk a bit to stretch her legs after eating but at the end of the meal she had confessed to him that she did not think she could walk further then the coach. He gingerly reached his hand up to feel her head, detecting a bump on it. He had been concerned when she had winced when she put on her bonnet Molly had packed upon arrival at the inn before leaving the coach, but she had assured him it was fine. He could detect the faint swelling of one of her cheeks, likely where Lady Catherine had slapped her, when her bonnet was not in place. She had removed it with relief and an apology that he assured her was unessesary when they returned to the coach. Now that some distance was between them and where he had caught up to her, knowing of her injuries Darcy wondered if it would be better to stop and consult a doctor or local apothecary right away rather then continue on to the safety of his estate. The inn they had eaten at gave him no faith in the quality of the medical help available locally though. Col. Fitzwilliam had warned Darcy that she was likely to experience shock from her experience today but had not suggested he seek a physician.