Netherfield Hall
Breakfast Room
Elizabeth stifled as smile as the hat Lady Bedford wore bobbled, the taxidermy bird looking for all its lifelessness as though it would take flight to escape the shaking of its perch. Her hat looked uncannily like Elizabeth's favorite disguise, just obviously worn for a completely different purpose.
What possible purpose, Elizabeth did not fully understand. Most especially since it was still quite early for such things.
Lady Bedford turned her glare on Elizabeth and Elizabeth fought a shudder. The woman was beyond angry. Hurt, self pity and an odd longing conjoined with her anger to make her a truly formidable foe.
"I see you're awake early." Elizabeth wasn't sure who she had addressed as she was no longer looking at either she or Darcy. After her flash of anger, Lady Bedford would not make eye contact with either of them.
Odd.
"Yes, Lady Bedford" Elizabeth went with a cheerful tone, trying to diffuse the awkward situation. The Duke had made a small plate for the lady and set it across from him at the table before sitting back down next to Elizabeth. They were still closer than technically appropriate and he seemed to lean into her ever so slightly, narrowing the small gap even more. "Truth be told, I am usually an early riser. I tend to be up with the sun whether I want to or no." She smiled at the woman, who was scowling at her plate as though it also offended her.
"Why have you risen so early Lady Bedford?" Darcy hadn't looked away from the woman opposite them, his gaze intent and, if she read him correctly, suspicious.
Very odd.
"I occasionally enjoy early mornings, Your Grace."
Darcy sat back in his seat, his body still tense but he no longer looked as though preparing himself to lunge for the strange lady.
"It is pleasant out this morning, Lady Bedford. Perhaps you were contemplating a walk?" Elizabeth smiled a wooden smile but the lady didn't look up to see her effort.
Lady Bedford glanced at the door, then past Elizabeth's head to look out the window. She cringed, but quickly recovered.
"Ah, no. No walk today, I am afraid. I believe I will be going to town for a little while. There must be some manner of shopping to be had even here." Elizabeth was glad to see the lady could power through her discomfort to throw a barb at her, admittedly quaint, town.
"Yes, Mr. Marsden runs the millinery sh-" her words died as she heard the front door slam and heavy footfalls come their way. All three in the breakfast room stood as the footsteps came closer.
"I say, old chap!" Elizabeth heard Mr. Bingley exclaim loudly. "For heaven's sake, how have I become a chaperone in this home?" He said, apparently to someone, most likely Mary. "Unhand Miss Bennet and come back to the breakfast room. Miss Mary and I have news to share."
She heard a muffled reply, followed by a hiccuped giggle. Lady Bedford rolled her eyes hard and, for only the second time, looked at Elizabeth with narrowed eyes before looking away in disgust.
The door burst open and Mary strolled in, followed very closely by Mr. Bingley and the Major General… still holding Jane. They wore matching smiles, so wide they must be slightly painful. The Duke reached under the table and squeezed her hand, keeping them lightly entwined but out of view of the others. It should have been a comforting gesture but he seemed to sense danger she had yet to realize and that bothered her.
"Mr. Wickham is gone." Mary stated evenly.
"And we found blood!" Mr. Bingley chimed in excitedly.
Mary looked up to Mr. Bingley and smiled wide. "We did, didn't we?"
"Yes, Miss Mary. And it was you who identified it as blood." His pride was apparent not only in his tone but his beaming features.
The pair were far too happy to have discovered something possibly gruesome together.
Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth caught the rustle of feathers as Lady Bedford dropped her head quickly, staring back at the table wide eyed. She was sure she heard her repeat the word 'blood' questioningly before schooling her features.
Her Duke did not miss the movement either.
"Lady Bedford, would you know something of this?" His Grace spoke with such calm authority, Elizabeth couldn't help but be impressed. If she weren't sitting so close she wouldn't have known his entire body was tense.
"Your Grace, but I'm sure I do not know what you mean?" She waved her hand and attempted a small smile.
Darcy sat lounging in the chair with that carelessly statuesque posture Elizabeth had only seen in the titled classes. "I'm afraid I don't quite believe that, Lady Bedford."
Mr. Bingley laughed uncomfortably. "Darcy, I'm sure she wouldn't have gone that far. You wouldn't, right Caroline?"
"Oh, do be quiet, Charles." She snapped at her brother.
"Now, that was not necessary." Mary stepped forward but Caroline continued her rant, turning to the Duke.
"Did my brother even know you were keeping someone locked in the root cellar?" Her bitterness seeped through her careless words. "Did you deign to tell him?"
To be fair, His Grace did look slightly abashed. Not enough that most would notice but enough that Elizabeth could.
"Caroline." Mr. Bingley started quietly but firmly. "It should be enough that I trust him. This is my home and my guests may do as they see fit." He looked to his friend. "Most especially him."
"Ugggnghh" Caroline let out an incoherent string of frustrated consonants. "He brought a bloodied man here and kept him in the root cellar!" She pointed to the Duke in accusation. "He compromised a-a person" Elizabeth wanted to take exception to that particular statement but Caroline continued. "in the middle of a country assembly, no less!" She looked back to her brother. "Look at this house! You have three - THREE! - unmarried ladies" she scoffed out the word. "Secreting about with clear nefarious intent. Did you expect me to trust him?"
"I am engaged!" Jane shouted happily and too loudly for the confined space. Elizabeth was not even remotely surprised. "And, I take offense to nearly everything you just said. My sisters are not nefarious?" The last was a forceful statement she clearly began to doubt midway through her sentence. "Well, Lizzie might seem a little nefarious. But only because she has to be! Don't make her feel bad for it!" Elizabeth cringed and Richard stroked Jane with one hand, showing off his strength and distracting her lovely mess of an elder sister.
"Lady Bedford." The Duke spread his hands out flat on the table and leaned forward, still maintaining a calm, measured tone,even in the face of the ridiculousness. "Regardless of my supposed transgressions, why would you trust a newcomer, a complete unknown over someone you have known for nearly twenty years? Because it was the Duc, was it not?"
Caroline swallowed thick, her long neck trembling as she completed the action. She nodded weakly, barely perceptibly, but it was enough.
Elizabeth was shocked, she had seen quite a few misguided betrayals in her life but nothing so damaging. What would they do now? Wickham was their lead! She immediately began formulating a plan to possibly capture General MacDonald but even while doing so knew it would be futile.
Darcy had been staring menacingly at Lady Bedford. He was breathing heavy and had lost the guise of disinterested nobility. Instead of shouting at the now cowering Lady, Darcy addressed Bingley and Mary.
"You said you found blood?" His teeth were tightly clenched but he maintained an even voice.
Mr. Bingley was openly gaping at his sister, coming to grips with the consequences of her actions, it seemed, so Mary stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Grace, if you will follow me, I can show you where."
Darcy stood abruptly, still glowering at Lady Bedford. "Do not leave this house." He growled at the Lady and held his hand out for Elizabeth.
"Thank you, Miss Mary." He finally turned from Lady Bedford to nod his thanks at Mary before looking down at Elizabeth, worry written all over his handsome face. It struck Elizabeth rather forcefully the full extent of the situation.
This was her future husband and he needed her.
"Well, shall we all go for a walk then?" She smiled into the worried eyes of her Duke and felt his body relax, leaning slightly into her again and she knew all would be well.
/
Darcy felt his entire body drain of its stress as Elizabeth smiled up at him.
"Yes, Miss Elizabeth, let us walk." He looked over to his cousin, still cradling a lightly giggling, obviously drunken Miss Bennet. "You should get her some tea, Richard, she will need it." His cousin only nodded, looking drunken himself. "And congratulations, Old Man." Richard's drunken grin took on a brightness Darcy had never seen in the man. Not even before the war.
How was it possible they were both so happy amidst such utter chaos?
The group made their way down the front steps, each lost in thought, the only noise the sound of the birds as they cried around them.
Miss Mary and Charles led the way, each with a kick to their step. They both seemed so happy to have been a part of all of this. Darcy couldn't help but regret his having waited to inform Charles of the circumstances surrounding his arrival until just the night prior. He should have trusted his friend. Charles may be flighty at times, and far too jovial for his own good, but he was honorable to a fault. Darcy should absolutely have trusted him.
A frown formed unbidden as he began to wonder about that idiot Wickham.
The man was a snake, a predator and a poor excuse for a gentleman but, Darcy wasn't certain he could stomach being responsible for his untimely demise. He would not necessarily be opposed to seeing him deported, or even remanded to gaol, but, murder?
Elizabeth moved closer to him and he felt her arm brush the full length of his. Tingles erupted all over his scalp and a shudder travelled down his spine as his maudlin thoughts fled his mind. He would never tire of his reaction to her.
"Thank you." He mouthed, not wanting to verbalize his gratitude to the rest of the group. This was for them.
They held eye contact for an intense breath before nearly walking directly into Miss Mary and Charles who had stopped suddenly.
"Here!" Charles pointed to a branch of a spindly bush, splashed with a bright red, very nearly blending in with the deep red of the plants fall coat.
Darcy and Elizabeth both moved forward quickly to examine the blood, their eyes intense, contemplative faces mirrored between one another.
Elizabeth was first to spot the second blotting of blood, this time a small puddle on the ground just down the slightly overgrown path from the bush.
"It is a trail." She trained her gaze on Darcy. "Should we follow?"
Indecision battled within Darcy. Any sort of path could easily be a trap.
"Let's!" Charles clapped happily, annoying Darcy slightly by still thinking of this as some sort of game. "Miss Mary." Charles held his hand out for the third Bennet sister and they began picking their way down the trail.
"Well, I suppose we shall." Elizabeth smiled up at him, the sun gleaming off her unruly curls. He pulled her close to him.
"Do not leave my side, Elizabeth." He tried for a stern voice but how was that possible with this fierce little woman smiling up at him?
"Yes, Your Grace." Her smile turned mischievous. "I don't want you where I can't protect you."
Darcy groaned but smiled wide.
They would just have to protect each other, he supposed.
/
If Caroline had been angry before, with the Duke and his heavy handed dealings in her home, she was absolutely furious now. Not only had she been embarrassed in front of her little brother, but she was in the hated position of doubted her own actions. Had she just hurt someone by proxy? Was she responsible if the blood did belong to Wickham?
Her pretty features were scrunched up in an ugly expression, perfectly mirroring her feelings.
She schooled her features quickly brushing aside the niggling self doubt. As she rose, she adjusted her hat, which had drooped slightly to the left side of her head. The side with the bird always dipped on her. She debated having a second bird added to the right side, balancing the piece perfectly.
Maybe a peacock?! She nearly clapped in excitement before her smile fell.
No. A peacock would be too large.
Perhaps a songbird? Lord knows they had awoken her enough times with their incessant chirping, revenge would feel rather sweet. The imagery would fit perfectly as well. She did have a beautiful voice.
It was decided. She nodded her head to herself, finalizing her decision and unbalancing her hat yet again.
She lifted her graceful hands to right it yet again, only to strike something, or rather someone with her elbow.
"Aie! Cette femme blessée et stupide." Caroline turned to see a man standing next to her, dressed as a footman.
"What do you think you are doing?!" She screeched, her flux emotions going wild in a minute. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and another man entered the room, not dressed as a footman, but not dressed as a gentleman either.
Both men ignored her. "Est-ce la bonne femme? Je ne veux pas me tromper."
Caroline began to panic. "No! No, I am not the right lady! Um, er." She began fumbling for her French. "Er, Je ne suis… uh, pas celui que tu veux!" She shouted the rest triumphantly, happy she could conjure anything but panic in that moment.
God, but she was a perfect Lady.
Her triumph lasted only a moment. The men began talking to each other in a more animated fashion and she could only catch a few words. She heard "bird" a few times and "hat", she was sure she heard something close to "she was supposed to be ugly" but they were clearly not speaking to her.
"Alright, enough!" She shouted. "You will both leave this - aghng" The rest was muffled as the man dressed as a footman covered her mouth with his grimy hand, the other man moving forward, opening a bottle. He plugged her nose and poured a bitter liquid down her throat.
"Laudanum." Was Caroline's last thought before all went black.
She would awaken far from home and even farther from safety.
/