“Lady Elizabeth,” Mr. Collins entered the room. “You must return to Rosings and—aaaah.”
He shrieked at seeing the gun on the table and backed away. “Where did you get that! No, no, no. Lady Catherine would be most seriously displeased with me if you killed her friend. You must put it away. Do you not know that the words of the Lord are ‘let he who has been struck turn the other cheek.’ You must not shoot your own father.”
Elizabeth laughed again. “I promise. Mr. Bennet is really my father, far more than he is.”
“Ah, Lizzy, younowbegin to sound more like yourself,” Mary said approvingly.
The sound of a hard knock on the door downstairs reverberated. The gun was instantly in Elizabeth’s hands. Shepointed it towards the open door to her room, far out in her hands, standing with the shooting stance that Mr. Bennet had taught her to maximize accuracy.
A small part of her mind, that was not terrified out of its wits, noticed that Mr. Collins and Mary were not comforted by her readiness to defend herself. She supposed she would not be if she were in their situation.
“Put that away, Lady Elizabeth. A young lady, especially of your high birth, should not be wielding such a weapon.”
“I’d prefer if you did not use such a title. Call me Lizzy, like your wife does.” Elizabeth pointed the gun towards the floor. Part of her found it delightfully amusing how the way that Mr. Collins described her had instantly changed, and without any apparent hesitation. What was deeply comforting was how littleMary’smanner to her had changed.
“It is Mr. Darcy with his cousin and Lord Hartley. Someone else is with him.” Mary had gone to the window. “There is a large group led by Lord Rochester and Lady Catherine coming up the avenue.”
Elizabeth heard Lord Rochester shouting from the distance, “Darcy, what are you about!”
That was enough for Elizabeth, she hurried down the stairs, still carrying the gun.
If she thought about anything she would curl up in a ball in her room. But what she instead focused in her heart on was what Mr. Darcy had said to her this afternoon, about her integrity, and she thought about Mr. Bennet’s affection for her, and the care he had always shown for her. And she remembered her mother telling her that Mr. Bennet was a kind man, and that he would care for her, before the raving and convulsions began.
A memory came to Elizabeth. The doctor had told Mr. Bennet how Mama’s ribs had been broken. Mr. Bennet asking him seriously if this would make her death count as murder.
Lord Rochester had in fact killed her mother.
Another hard knock on the front door to the parsonage. Darcy’s shouted, “Elizabeth, my carriage will be here in a few minutes, and I shall convey you to Mr. Bennet’s house.”
She pointed the pistol at the ground. She took several deep breaths and opened the door and strode out.
It was dusk, and the sun was almost gone. But thankfully there was still enough light that she could easily see Lord Rochester and the Rosings footmen with him. If he rushed at her or tried to grab her, she would shoot him, even if they hung her afterwards.
Lord Rochester strode closer, and he shouted, “Damn you, Darcy. I have had enough of this. Meet me tomorrow, if you are not a coward.”
“No!” Elizabeth’s voice rang out. “I’ll meet you. You murderer. I remember enough to know you killed my mother. Your beatings gave her the fever that killed her.”
Lord Rochester confidently stepped towards her. Elizabeth raised and pointed the pistol at him. “Another step and I shall shoot you.”
Lord Rochester sneered. “I did not hit her with enough force to have killed her.Youhave been raised to despise me, and—”
“I was raised to know nothing about you.”
“You will not shoot me.” Lord Rochester strode forward.
Arms out. Steady yourself. Don’t shift the point you are aiming at when you pull the trigger.
Just as Papa taught her. Her aim was right on Lord Rochester’s chest.
“Elizabeth,” Lord Rochester firmly said as he stepped forward reaching to take the gun, “put that toy down, and obey me—”
Bang.
Chapter Nineteen
The sound of a gunshot rang out.
Colonel Fitzwilliam had moved with shocking speed as Darcy and Hartley stared at the scene with shocked horror. He had pressed Elizabeth’s arms down and caused the bullet to go into the ground instead of Lord Rochester’s chest.
