The storyline, new character development, new events, and new characters are my intellectual property. Glorioux
Father and Child
The rider dismounted. Darcy knew at once, he wasn't human, and Elizabeth was related to him.
Darcy froze; he couldn't move a muscle. Warrior was whining, he had received another gift. Warrior had figured out, it now understood human speech; it could nearly understand every word. He knew Darcy wanted her to stop. He ran to her side and growled at the stranger.
Darcy saw his face, it was the one he could never remember.
He was pale, no skin color, his hair was amazing like Elizabeth's. Well, a bit like his, but even more wild and unruly, his hair was multicolored with hues not seen in humans. Darcy thought he might have horns. Whereas Darcy never thought a man beautiful, he would say the stranger was beautiful, though his eyes were different, he had no pupils. Darcy could see a very light hue, also changing, and with closer observation, he could see a slight rim.
He touched Elizabeth's face with great care, speaking in accented old English Darcy that had learned in Cambridge.
"My child, how I longed for thee. Nobody is as beautiful or as precious as my daughter; you are a bright star."
Elizabeth asked in a child's voice, "Father?"
"Yes, you are my daughter. I didn't know that you existed for a while. I made a terrible mistake when I went to fight a war and lost track of time. When I came back, your mother was gone. I looked everywhere and couldn't find you." His voice broke down.
"Come with me, I came to get you. I feel you, my child is heavy with sorrow; I ache because I couldn't foresee the malice of others I could have stopped the killing had I been alert." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him and cried. He held Elizabeth, trying to console her with great tenderness.
Darcy could see him dwarfing Elizabeth. Darcy was taller than any of his acquaintances, but the father was a giant of a man over 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall.
Elizabeth sounded regretful, "I cannot Richard's parents would die of pain. Is my mother with you? "
He didn't say, instead, "Come with me to your rightful place," he asked again.
He looked at Darcy, "You are one of our people. A while ago, a child was stolen by a nasty being wanting to cause pain. The child was abandoned, left to die. It wasn't so, the baby girl was found by a kind human." The tall stranger looked sad.
"The same being, a jealous one, found her years later, and murdered her. We didn't know and thought she'd died. You see, her nature was disguised, so we would think her gone. Her parents mourned her, but she lived, and you come from her line."
"If you thought her dead, how can you be sure?" Darcy asked.
"One day I heard a call for help, I ran thinking it might be my child, but it was your call. I saved you from the waters, but you didn't need me. If you had wished, you would have been out. But he aware, the jealous enemy is still out there, if the enemy knows about you, will try to kill you." He sighed.
"My child, I must leave; every second I am here I endangering you and others. If you don't come, call me whenever you need me."
Lizzie shook her head, "I don't know who I am, I am afraid, don't leave." She held on to him.
He bent to kiss her head, then touched her forehead. "Now, you do and know much more."
She blinked, knowledge filled her mind.
He touched Darby, "Protect her. I will respect her wishes as difficult as it is. You see, I have waited for many lifetimes for a daughter," he turned away from Darcy to stand in front of Elizabeth.
"Now that I found you, now that I have seen you," he stopped and said no more. If he said it, he would do it, he would take Elizabeth. His body was shaking from the effort to control himself. He wouldn't do it against her will, he wanted her love. Instead, he turned towards Darcy, "You know much, use it. Don't kill in anger, it stains you."
"Who is the enemy?"
"It changes, it moves around. How to say it, it finds hosts. I already said too much."
"Why hate so much, I mean the enemy?" Elizabeth asked.
"The oldest reason I suppose, a scorned lover, or maybe one coveting what belongs to another. Only take what or who comes freely to you. Enough said."
His control was tenuous. He let Elizabeth marry because her husband had a warrior's spirit. And this one, he was a good match, once he accepted his nature, he would be able to move across with ease, to bring her back often. This young male would learn more later. He would be surprised to learn his lineage.
He needed to have the strength not to take his child, every second around her made it very hard.
Elizabeth held on to him, wanting to keep him.
"I must go, there are enemies who are more than they seem. You will find out that you cannot say much about what is now inside of you. I have blocked you for your own protection. Don't talk about it outside, many you cannot see can hear all that you say. I left much unsaid. Remember my words, one never knows who listens, again remember that. "
With this, he pulled Elizabeth gently away from him, "Someone will come to protect you."
He leaned and kissed her lips softly, "If you need me, just call me," he whispered a name. He didn't look back, so they didn't see the odd colored tears running down his cheeks, his heart bled, what to do?
When he left, Elizabeth said, "Did I imagine all of this?" She touched her lips. She felt loved.
"Let's go inside, I feel Bartlett, he is coming."
Warrior heard that and growled nastily. His master disliked his brother, and he had tried to harm his mistress. His fur went up surprising Darcy. He bent to pet him, "You don't like Bartlett, do you, good boy? "
Warrior barked twice, it didn't like Bartlett at all. Darcy grinned at seeing Elizabeth laugh, "I would say that Warrior understood you. Warrior bark once if you don't like the nasty Bartlett."
Sure enough, Warrior barked once and ran to the house, banging his tail.
"I'll be," Darcy was surprised, he saw Warrior's eyes, he understood correctly. "We have one special hound, we do."
Lord Fitzwilliams met them at the door. He looked pale and anxious, "Who was that outside? I mean the tall, well, the giant stranger."
"Someone who lost their way," they both said in unison as they had agreed to say if asked.
When they went back to the drawing-room, the same question was asked. The answer was the same.
They had seen him holding Elizabeth, but nothing else was said.
Darcy's uncle was quiet and asked them to follow him to his office. When he closed the doors behind them, he asked, "You seemed to recognize him, you saw him before, right?"
"Yes, but I didn't remember him till now. You are right, he is the one that saved us when we were drowning." Darcy didn't want to lie.
"Son, who is he? Is the man Lizzie's father? We won't tell anyone. You know all the servants were stuck to the window. Since that day of the hawk, they call our girl a Fae princess. I am not so sure whether it is a good thing."
"He is; we just didn't want to worry you. I think he is a king, but there many things we don't know." Darcy saw his uncle's concerned face.
"I just worry that he might want to take our girl away. I am not sure if I could survive that." The Earl's eyes filled with tears.
"He didn't have wings," Lizzie pointed out thoughtfully. "I didn't see them, thank goodness. Was he a demon?"
Darcy laughed at her face, her eyebrows were knitted, his uncle winked, no longer sad. "I doubt it, that would make you one."
He touched her forehead, "Uncle, see here, this is new," over her left eyebrow, she had a small star.
Both Darcy and his uncle blinked, "Did it just twinkle?" His uncle asked.
"Not sure, but at least it changed colors. What does it mean?"
"Who knows, something to mark her, his uncle said, "but that hawk was one of his. All the birds are as well. Maybe he is making sure nothing happens to our girl."
Neither thought to look at Darcy for a similar marking. Probably not easily seen since his curly hair fell unruly over his forehead. Darcy didn't use hair pomade, it was a wasted effort leaving his hair looking dirty. His father told him to let his hair be, it had a mind of its own. Just like Elizabeth's, whose coiffure was never perfect. Her lady's maid just let it be, the untidy curls just couldn't be controlled and were part of her charm.
The good and the bad
Bartlett
He rode a horse. When he unmounted, he was unsteady. His father saw him from a window, "He is drunk, let me go before he comes in."
His father waited at the door, "I think you need to leave."
Bartlett was waving an envelope, "I have a letter, Richard mailed me a day before he died," then pulled out a pistol. "Move away, you will not stop me."
Darcy had also come out and was already pointing a pistol, "Leave immediately, you are distressing my wife. You have done enough damage. I won't tolerate another upset."
Bartlett laughed nastily, "Wife, that is risible, don't make me laugh harder, you and Bingley. I heard about you two sodomites, it was and is the rumor. It must be true, you and "your wife," stay in different rooms, ask anyone."
Warrior was right there, snarling, his rough up, ready to attack.
"Move out, I am getting Lizzie, she is mine." Bartlett insisted and pointed the gun.
Warrior, Richard's terrier was barking angrily, Bartlett wasn't getting the mistress, no. His master was clear, "Attack," he had said the last time Warrior saw Richard.
Darcy saw what the drunk was about to do. It all happened fast.
Right away, he wished for Bartlett's gun to burn his hand.
Before Bartlett pulled the trigger, Lizzie had just come and was looking.
"Drop the gun," Lizzie screamed and ran to get Warrior.
Bartlett didn't do as ordered; he was going to kill Warrior. Suddenly, Bartlett's hand burnt as if it were holding a hot iron, but he had already pressed the trigger. Bartlett was screaming, claiming that Darcy was a demon. It wasn't the first time to call him a demon; he had always disliked his younger cousin and called him nasty names. he was the bully in Eaton.
The bullet barely missed the dog. It was a miracle.
The hawk that was always around, l screeched and went for Bartlett's face, who covered his face in terror.
Elizabeth nearly screamed, "No, don't attack him."
The hawk stopped in mid-air and flew to stand on a railway, almost next to Elizabeth's hand. The bird screeched lightly. Lady Fitzwilliams nearly fainted when Elizabeth scratched over his beak, and the hawk rubbed his head on her hand. Amelia, her sister, held her arm to steady her.
Servants were looking out the windows, everyone was talking, all hoping to see the nasty Lord Bartlett punished. Elizabeth's fame had gone up a notch, but recognition is not always a good thing.
Lord Fitzwilliams grinned, the first spontaneous smile since the news of his son's death. Warrior watched the bird, not barking, with great interest. Warrior could see that it wasn't a bird, he banged his tail, hoping for a pet, but not sure how it could happen.
"I'll be. My grandfather had a hawk. He loved my Papa, but no one else. Our Lizzie is an enchantress, I have seen her with all the animals."
Then he stared at Bartlett, "Bartlett, you are forbidden to step a foot on this house from now on. You don't come waiving a gun at anyone. If you harass Lizzie once again, you will find yourself without funds."
Bartlett had sobered, the fear did that to him. "I am your heir." But he obeyed and climbed the horse.
"Out now, I won't repeat myself." The Earl turned around, already dismissing his son.
More Company
Another rider was coming in the distance.
"Lizzie invite the 'boy' in. I have gloves inside."
"May I?" She had a thick coat and extended her arm. "Here, come, sweet boy, come." Lady Fitzwilliams felt dizzy.
The servants, including the gardeners, all watched the scene with interest.
When the bird gently perched on her arm, Lord Fitzwilliams smiled widely.
Bartlett started to get down from the horse again.
Darcy stood by Bartlett, "I want you to go. You have been told."
"Ha, you don't sleep with her, I remember in Eaton, you and all the pretty boys."
"It isn't any of your business. Get going! Shut your mouth, or I will be obliged to take further action." Darcy wanted to hurt him.
The rider arrived, nobody they knew, a man, in his late twenties. He wore hunting clothes. It was easy to see that he carried knives, along with a bow and a quiver of arrows.
He had a letter. Darcy recognized the paper and was taken aback. "Mr. Darcy, you don't know me." His English was educated but had a strange accent. "I will serve as your guard."
He looked at Bartlett coldly, "I am here to make sure nothing happens to either you or your Lady wife. I am Jak Silver, please to meet you." He looked at Darcy.
He jumped from the horse, Darcy looked at Jak Silver. He was much taller than Darcy, but not broad. He was lean and powerful.
Darcy knew who sent him. He looked at the newcomer carefully. His blond and red hair was wild and curly; he had a clean, hard face, no sideburns or facial hair. His eyes a pale blue, not a friendly face. "Yes, I heard you were coming."
He turned towards Bartlett spoke softly so his uncle couldn't hear, "What goes on between my wife and me is none of your affair. He advised I am going to look into Richard's death. If I find out you were involved, be afraid; I will not be merciful."
Bartlett shuddered. Darcy recoiled, he saw it on Bartlett's eyes; he had killed his brother. Darcy knew but had to prove it. Bartlett still tried to get down from the horse.
Jak was by Bartlett in one leap, "You aren't welcome, leave."
Bartlett laughed, "How will you two make me leave?"
Jak pulled out a jagged knife, "Try to step forward if you wish," he threw the blade on the air; it flipped twice before he picked it up by the handle, and waited.