"No, we cannot go straight to the townhome without a plan," Elizabeth was insisting, her husband and her sister amidst a heated argument. "Papa will be there, but we have no manner of idea what that horrid man and his pernicious accomplice will do."
"It is safe," Charles was insisting. Jane merely took another deep breath when the carriage was heavily disturbed by a bump and the tea she'd partaken in just that morning threatened to rise. She even held a hand to her mouth. "Jane, darling, are you all right?" she was asked, for Charles must have seen.
"Charles, please, can you stop arguing with my sister for a moment and please talk to me?" she encouraged in a low and serious tone.
Elizabeth met Jane's gaze and they exchanged a momentary silent conversation that spanned from 'what's wrong?' to 'no, I'll tell you later' and from 'are you sure?' to 'yes, of course I am!'
Charles took both of her hands in his and met her eyes. "Jane, you may tell me anything and I would be happy to hear it," he announced.
Even Elizabeth seemed eager to hear it, for she leaned forward and rested one hand on Jane's knee in support. It all seemed right, Jane thought, to tell them at this moment. She was nervous, but the sickness had abated enough that it would be pleasant and they had enough time to simply sit and enjoy the news.
"Sir?" The servant steering the carriage cut Jane off before she could even speak. "I think there may be a problem."
Charles seemed to have trouble deciding whether to look at Jane or answer the call, and so Jane knew she must keep quiet for another moment while he dealt with this issue. She gave him a nod and a gentle prod. "Go ahead," she urged in a whisper. Charles opened the door of the carriage when it was safe to say that they had stopped and Elizabeth crawled over to take Jane's hand in hers.
Jane regarded her sister with a smile, meeting her eyes. "I am glad to be safe again," she remarked with a happy laugh; one full of relief and longing to say her secret. It would not be right, though, if Charles did not hear it first.
Elizabeth did not seem content to simply hold Jane's hand and enveloped her in a tight embrace, keeping her so close that Jane could smell the faintest hint of Mr. Darcy's cologne attached to Elizabeth's coat, not yet washed away. "Oh, Jane!" Elizabeth murmured. "You must never do that to us again, especially not to me. I cannot think of life without you. You are such a good Aunt to William and my very best friend." She hugged Jane tighter and tighter until Jane could barely but breathe. "And my very favourite sister, of course."
Jane, though, was all too grateful for the contact and hugged back tightly. "I promise, I shall not let that happen again," she murmured, words only for Elizabeth to hear. "Where is Mr. Darcy?" she inquired with worry ever-present in her tone. "I would hate to have parted you from him, it was hardly my intention!"
Elizabeth scoffed at that, a dubious expression upon her face. "Jane," she remarked. "Honestly, I daresay you didn't intend to be kidnapped," she chastised, affectionately embracing her once more. "Please do not worry yourself over the choices I made to come rescue you. I am sure Fitzwilliam would have done precisely the same, had it been Georgiana."
Something must have slowly made sense in Elizabeth's head, for her expression took on a thoughtful visage, almost as if calculating.
"Jane," she remarked slowly. "Why did they take you? And what precious item did they have stored in that room with you?"
Jane should always have known that her sister would be the first to put the pieces together. She truly had the wit that most women only longed for and most men could not compete with. It was a lucky thing that Mr. Darcy was as intelligent as he was, for Lizzy deserved only the best.
The door was pulled open and Charles crawled back inside. "There is a foreign carriage outside the house. Your father is here as well. We must hurry," he insisted, taking Jane's hand and beckoning Elizabeth as well. "We think it's only Mrs. Brown."
"And what of Mrs. Townsend?" Elizabeth inquired. "And her wayward husband?"
He shook his head, picking Jane up into his arms without a word and carrying her as though they were just married and there was a threshold to conquer. She allowed it, if only that he was helping her out of the carriage and he did put her down after a few steps. "Neither is about," he remarked. "Which only makes the situation worse."
Jane exchanged a worried glance with Elizabeth and she did want to tell them how very dangerous her abductors were and the threats they had made to her husband, her family, and the extended family members as well. "Charles," she pleaded, holding onto his hand to prevent him from going inside just yet.
Elizabeth, however, was harder to persuade. "I will simply go see," she assured, giving Jane's arm a reassuring squeeze and a smile aimed in Charles' direction, as if to promise that everything would be all right.
She was away quietly, her dress lifted up so the hem did not trail along the ground and collect mud (which was, Jane noticed, a habit that she had picked up since marrying the well-to-do Mr. Darcy and at times, Jane wondered if her sister even realised how she had changed).
"Jane," Charles tugged on her hand. "Come. We'll take you upstairs where you will be safe. Now that we have you back, they are no longer a threat! They will pick some other family with money and affluence."
Her dear, dear Charles. Jane looked him in the eye and clung to his hand tightly, shaking her head. She knew now that she had to make him understand, even if it did render him useless and speechless. "Charles, it is not that they want riches."
"Then what?" he asked, easing closer. "Jane, why would they take you and leave such letters without ulterior motives?"
"They want our child."
Charles stared at her in confusion, peering down to her stomach (as though he perhaps expected it to have inflated) and then up at her face (as if to see if perhaps her nose would grow if it were a myth) and then lower and he shook his head, blinking rapidly. "You?"
"Yes."
"Us? We?"
"You and I, yes," Jane confirmed, voice serene and even.
Charles let go of her hands and stared at her with a look of incomprehension that Jane wondered if she should repeat her words to see if they were actually in English or if she had just thought they were.
"You," he repeated, the word a soft exhalation as his gaze dropped to her stomach.
"Charles!" Jane protested with a relieved laugh. "I'm pregnant. Please, say something, else I might think I have robbed you of the ability to speak!" She met his eyes. "I cannot go in there, Charles. It is our child they want most of all. They are angry with your father and they want to take it out on us."
A striking look of bravado overcame Charles' features and his posture even straightened some. "Jane, I will protect you," he announced firmly, eyes darting to the house. "I've the hunting guns inside. If they even so much as try anything, I shall put a stop to it."
Jane was nervous, yet, but she put all her faith in her husband, knowing that if he had a plan, then she must trust him. It was within the vows she had taken to cherish and to obey and he had taken the same and he would protect her, without a doubt. She nodded, taking hold of his hand, but he paused in his step and turned to kiss her so vehemently that Jane wondered what had come over him!
"Charles!" she protested, gasping.
His hands were already roaming to her stomach. "Can you feel anything yet? Of course you wouldn't. It's far too early. Have you been faring well? Are you feeling well? Jane, you must tell me everything," he urged eagerly and anxiously.
"Papa!"
The worried cry came from inside the house and it was most certainly Elizabeth's voice, shouting in horror. Jane's excitement (and Charles' too, by the look on his face) faded immediately and was replaced by worry as they immediately dashed towards the house.
It was not quick enough.
The sound of two gunshots being fired echoed loudly all about them and then Elizabeth shouted again. "No!" That single word, screamed into the air and driving fear into Jane's heart, accompanied by an icy chill down her spine. She hurried inside as fast as she could, but Charles was faster than her.
There were no more shots fired after that.
tbc
Exams are nearly, nearly done and so is this story! Thank you to everyone who's been reading!