Chapter 2

"Cole, leave that woman alone if you do not want her jealous husband to kill you," Jack said mockingly.

"Men like this, with their fancy clothes and money, think they are superior to us, but deep down, they are just cowards. So I am not afraid of him!" Cole said with a sneer at Mr. Darcy. "Darling, you should allow me to show you what a real man is."

The ruffian tried to caress Elizabeth's cheek, but Mr. Darcy stopped him. "Do not you dare touch my wife!" he said emphatically.

"I am not one of your servants to have to obey your orders," Cole replied and pointed his pistol at Mr. Darcy's head.

"Sir, it is not necessary to resort to violence. Please stop this nonsense!" Elizabeth said, very concerned.

"Enough, Cole! Do not waste any more time. Take that man's money and leave them alone. We are thieves, not scoundrels who prey on ladies," Smith said. He was the oldest and the leader of the group, so Cole did not dare contradict him.

To avoid further conflict, Mr. Darcy handed Jack a small leather bag full of coins, and Cole went to help Smith with a man who refused to give his money. Smith had instructed them only to steal money because the jewelry was hard to sell, and getting caught with it made it much easier to prove a crime.

While the ruffians continued to harass the passengers and guests of the inn, Elizabeth took the opportunity to speak with Mr. Darcy. "I thank you very much for helping me, but I shall ask you to please not confront those men again."

"Do not worry, Miss Bennet, I know how to defend myself very well," Mr. Darcy said, still unsettled by the argument with Cole.

Elizabeth had to stop herself from saying what she was thinking. That gentleman was so arrogant and proud that he felt he could fight three armed men without getting hurt. "I am traveling with a friend to my uncle's house. As soon as these men leave, she will surely come looking for me, and this nightmare will end."

"Are you traveling in the mailcoach, Miss Bennet?" asked Mr. Darcy, looking around. Elizabeth was eating when the thieves arrived, so she was not wearing gloves. So, Mr. Darcy surreptitiously took the ring from his pocket and slipped it onto the finger of Elizabeth's left hand.

As expected, she was initially surprised, but she could not complain then, let alone start arguing with him. Therefore, she remained silent and preferred to pay attention to everything happening. But Mr. Darcy noticed the expression on her face, so he decided to clarify his action immediately.

"Miss Bennet, please do not be alarmed. What I have done has not been motivated by the feelings I declared to you a few days ago. I gave you this ring to make it more credible that there is a close relationship between the two of us in case those criminals bother you again. Your rejection was eloquent enough to obliterate any feeling I ever had for you." As Mr. Darcy spoke, he never took his eyes off the thieves.

Elizabeth felt a little embarrassed to learn that Mr. Darcy remembered every word she had so vehemently said in her parsonage. But at the same time, she felt relief knowing that he had turned the page on that sad episode that was so uncomfortable for both of them. "I understand; please, do not worry. In response to your previous question, sir, yes, I am traveling in the mailcoach with a friend of Mrs. Collins."

"I hope you and your friend will accept my hospitality and can continue the rest of the journey with me in my carriage. After what has happened here, I think it will be safer than traveling alone," Mr. Darcy explained a little tensely. He could not tell Elizabeth that he would not be comfortable knowing that she was traveling by public transportation and exposed to many dangers. But above all, he could not tell her he wanted to spend a few more hours in her company to deliver the letter.

"I do not think it is necessary, Mr. Darcy. When those bandits have obtained all the money from the people in this place, they will leave, and we can forget about this unfortunate matter. If you are concerned about what you said about us, I am pretty sure no one heard you. Also, no one knows us here, so there will be no consequences for either of us if that is what bothers you."

Elizabeth was grateful for Mr. Darcy's intervention but wanted to end the uncomfortable conversation as soon as possible so she would not have to discuss personal matters. She was uneasy with the whole situation and even more so when she felt that ring on her finger. She had not even wanted to look at it and wondered if he had bought it, thinking she would accept his marriage proposal.

"I fully understand that you do not wish to spend another minute in my presence, Miss Bennet. I am fully aware of the low opinion you have of me. But I think you should put those feelings aside for a few hours and accept what I am offering you. At least asked with your friend before rejecting my invitation."

It hurt Mr. Darcy very much that Elizabeth was reluctant to accept his help and protection. Every one of her excuses sounded like another rejection and reminded him that he was in love with a woman who could not even tolerate his presence.

"Alright, Mr. Darcy. I shall talk to Mrs. Taylor before making a decision. I imagine she must have been hiding somewhere when she saw what was happening here," Elizabeth explained.

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth sat quietly, waiting for the thieves to leave the inn. Both were very uncomfortable with the situation but knew they had to stay calm to avoid further problems.

"Cole, Jack, we have enough money now. We better leave before someone notifies the authorities," Smith told his men.

Before leaving, Cole approached Elizabeth and told her with a threatening voice. "My dear lady, I am sorry I do not have time to get to know you better, but who knows, maybe in the near future, you will be a widow and…."

"Do not talk like that to my..." Mr. Darcy tried to say while Elizabeth took his arm to stop him from pouncing on Cole.

"Cole, stop wasting our time; we must leave now!" yelled Smith angrily.

The three ruffians left the inn, and everyone present was greatly relieved. Elizabeth once again thanked Mr. Darcy for his help, and when she was going to search for Mrs. Taylor, she saw her enter the inn worried. She was hidden in the stable along with other people when one of the servants alerted them to what was happening at the inn.

After inquiring about her safety, Elizabeth told Mrs. Taylor about Mr. Darcy's offer, and she gratefully accepted the invitation to travel with Lady Catherine's nephew. Mr. Darcy ordered his coachman and page to transfer Miss Bennet's and Mrs. Taylor's luggage from the coach to his carriage. Then, he communicated to the ladies that they would be ready to continue their journey to London in less than fifteen minutes.

"Mr. Darcy, thank you very much for your help. I was so worried about Miss Bennet, but luckily everything was resolved quickly, and we shall be able to continue our journey without any further inconveniences."

"It is the least I can do for you after all you have been through this day," Mr. Darcy replied.

Mr. Logan had finished securing Elizabeth's luggage and was about to do the same with Mrs. Taylor's when he heard horses approaching.

Elizabeth was looking at Mr. Darcy's carriage, thinking it was definitely more comfortable and spacious than the mailcoach. Still, despite that, she knew that the remaining hours of the journey to London would be tremendously unsettling due to that gentleman's presence. Also, she noticed that he looked a little sick and the dark circles under his tired eyes.

Just as she looked at Mr. Darcy's face, Elizabeth realized she was wearing the ring he had given her. She was about to remove it so she could discreetly return it to him when she saw the three ruffians riding towards them.

When they reached their objective, Smith, Jack, and Cole dismounted and drew their weapons. Someone had alerted the magistrate of the neighboring town, and he had assembled a group of men to hunt down the three thieves.

"We meet again, my dear," Cole said to Elizabeth as he took her arm and pointed his gun at her.

"We will take this woman! Tell the magistrate that no one should follow us if you want her safe and sound. As soon as we are safe and far from here, we shall let her go," Smith yelled.

Cole was about to force Elizabeth onto her horse when Mr. Darcy got in his way. "Leave my wife alone; how much money do you want for not bothering her again?"

"I am sorry, sir, but we no longer have time to talk to you. Jack, take care of the lady," said Smith.

Mr. Darcy was desperate and decided to try to talk to the oldest of the group. "You will not get very far on horseback; if you really want to take a hostage, you better take me in my carriage. I am sure my family will pay a good ransom," Mr. Darcy explained.

Smith thought for a moment and realized that it was a good idea. The horses were quite tired and could not keep running. "Alright, you and your wife get into the carriage immediately," Smith said.

"You do not need to take her," countered Mr. Darcy.

"Yes, I need to take the lady with us because that way, I will make sure you do not try to do anything stupid like run away. It is clear that you care deeply for your young and beautiful wife and will do anything to protect her," Smith replied.

Mr. Darcy was unperturbed by Smith's words, but Elizabeth could not help but blush at the thought that there might be some truth in what he said.

Cole and Jack would drive the carriage, and Smith would ride inside, keeping an eye on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy at all times to ensure they did not try to escape.

Once they were seated, Mr. Darcy murmured to Elizabeth without Smith noticing. "Do not worry, Miss Bennet; this nightmare will be over soon."

Elizabeth could only smile nervously at such a display of devotion. But unfortunately, she did not feel so optimistic about what was happening.

P&P

Mr. Bingley was in the club drinking a glass of brandy without even imagining the tremendous trouble his friend and the sister of the woman he dreamed of every night were in.

He could not leave behind everything he had experienced in Hertfordshire and his admiration for Jane Bennet. He was aware that in the past, he had been rather fickle when it came to matters of the heart, but this time it was different. In his previous experiences, he was captivated by their beauty every time he met one of his angels, but as he got to know them better, that initial admiration faded. It had been the opposite with Miss Bennet because the more he knew her, the more he admired her. He was so in love with Jane that he sensed he would never forget her. It was a pity she did not feel the same for him because Mr. Bingley was sure he could make her very happy.

"Charles Bingley, you do not know how nice it is to see you again, old friend," Jonas said enthusiastically.

"Jonas Cooper, you are just as I recalled you, although I must admit that you do not have that naughty boy face anymore," Charle said as he warmly welcomed his childhood friend.

"You have not changed a bit in the last few years that I have not seen you. Thank you for accepting my invitation to meet at the club. I have only been in this city for a few months and know very few people. I wish we could get together sooner, but you were not in town," Jonas explained as he settled into a chair beside his friend.

"I was in Hertfordshire for a while and then went to Scarborough to visit my family." Mr. Bingley and Jonas talked pleasantly over a glass of brandy for more than one hour, remembering old times.

Aaron Bingley, the father of Mr. Bingley, was a leading tradesman in the north of England. Thirty years ago, when he and his father were expanding their business beyond Scarborough, they met Jonas's father and uncle, who helped them with legal matters and met other businessmen in Manchester. In this way, a beautiful friendship arose between the parents of Charles and Jonas that later extended to their children.

"Why do you not come over to Louisa's house for dinner tonight and take the opportunity to say hello to my sisters and meet my brother-in-law?" Charles asked cheerfully.

"I sincerely appreciate your invitation, but I have another commitment, Charles. Besides, I do not think your sisters would be so happy to see me," Jonas said, smiling. He remembered that his friend's sisters were haughty and vain and had no interest in associating with people they considered inferior.

"If you wanted to, my sisters would adore you. You only have to tell them that you are the favorite grandson of the Earl of Somerville, and you will see that they invite you to dinner every night with the hope that one day you will arrive accompanied by your illustrious grandfather," replied Charles, unable to contain his laughter.

"Do you think it is funny? My grandfather is an Earl, and although my father is an important barrister, I am still just a simple solicitor. If I need to talk about my connection with the nobility to get someone to accept me, trust me, my dear friend, I would rather have those people out of my life," Jonas explained seriously.

"I understand, and I admire you for that. Although you are socially superior to me and my sisters, you have always treated us with affection and respect even though they do not deserve it," said Mr. Bingley sincerely. "Tell me a little more about your work and what you are doing."

Jonas told his friend he had achieved an important position in a law firm representing influential clients. "My dream is to be a barrister like my father and represent my London clients and their interests in the higher courts. My grandfather has even told me that he can help me become a judge in the future, but I am not so sure that is what I want for my future. But tell me more about how your life is going and why the idea of being a landowner lasted so little."

"It is a bit of a complicated story; if you have time, I can tell you the details of everything that has happened in my life," Mr. Bingley explained.

"Of course, I have time to listen to your story, it has been a long time since we have not seen each other, and I would love to know if I can help you with anything," Jonas replied sincerely.

Mr. Bingley told his friend about his time in Hertfordshire and the reasons for leaving that place. "I am still sad about everything that happened, but I think that with time I shall be able to forget her and look for an estate to fulfill my father's dream."

"Bingley, you will forgive me if I am intrusive... But I cannot believe what you did. You cannot give up everything because your sisters and friend told you it was the best for you. If you are sure this lady does not reciprocate your love, I think it is reasonable to get away from her. But leaving a place without even saying goodbye because others advise you to do so is something very different. No one can know better if that lady had feelings for you than you." Jonas had always thought that his friend was too impressionable and immature, and it struck him that at twenty-four, he still had not managed to grow in that aspect.

"Things are not as easy as you think, Cooper. But I do not deny that you are right, sometimes I am too insecure, and I let others decide for me. And you, is there someone special in your life?"

"If you mean a woman, no, because I do not have time for that. At the moment, I have other priorities. And speaking of that, yesterday I was at the house of some good friends of my parents. Mr. Gardiner has quite a prosperous business, and I plan to invest some savings in his company. Do you know him? I know that even though you do not tell your sisters, you are still involved in business and commerce."

"I have heard of him, although we have a different kind of business. He is in the fabric business, and I am in the production business. But I know that he has a good reputation and he is trustworthy. In fact, I have spent a long time studying how to diversify my investments to minimize the risks of each market. Maybe you could introduce us to see if we can do business together."

"In two more days, he invited me to dinner at his house; I shall send a message telling him I will go with a friend interested in learning more about his business."

"Perfect, I am free that evening, and to be honest, any distraction is welcome." Mr. Bingley was glad to spend the afternoon with his friend and to be able to set his mind on anything but his problems.

The friends continued talking for almost two hours, recalling anecdotes from childhood.

P&P

Elizabeth closed her eyes, trying to hold back the urge to cry. She was terrified by everything that was happening. She knew that her life had changed forever from the moment she got into Mr. Darcy's luxurious carriage.

'What will become of me?' Elizabeth wondered as she could not stop thinking about the future.

P&P

Thanks to everyone who leaves comments and enthusiastically follows the story.

In the next chapter, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will have to unite to find a solution to their problem.

See you soon!

Saludos,

Yo