Darcy quickly jumped up from the settee and unlocked the door, then chased the screaming person down the hall and dragged her back.
“Help! Please! Help Miss Blackwood! Someone is murdering Miss Blackwood!” Miss Abernathy cried in terror.
Try as they might, they could get nothing else from her until Elizabeth slapped the girl lightly. “Charlotte! Where is Miss Blackwood?” she demanded.
“I went to retrieve the Wordsworth from my room. Someone is in her bedroom with her. She was crying out, crying out for God. And there was a man’s voice. Someone ismurderingher!”
Darcy’s eyes widened as he and the others jumped up and abandoned Miss Abernathy on the settee as they all raced to the staircase and up the stairs, followed by a maid who joined them halfway there.
Minutes later, they all stood, panting outside the door belonging to Miss Lavinia Blackwood. Emanating from the room was a very different kind of panting, and, as Miss Abernathy reported, a great deal of crying out, accompanied by obviously enthusiastic moans. It was clear that whoever was behind the doors was enjoying themselves immensely.
There was a great deal of disbelief on the faces of the men, and confusion on the faces of the ladies, none of whom quite understood what they were hearing, when Darcy spoke. “I really must insist that the ladies retire to the Bennets’ private parlour immediately. MissBlackwood is not in the sort of danger you imagine.” He then turned to the maid and said, “Please find my godmother, another of the female chaperones, and Major Bartholomew, and send them here without delay.”
As they were bid, the ladies retreated to Elizabeth’s parlour and rang for tea, though they left the door open to hear what was happening in the hall. Ten minutes later, all four ladies poked their heads out of the door of the Bennets’ private parlour as Mrs Darlington strode purposefully down the hall, followed by Lady Millicent, and unlocked the door to Miss Blackwood’s room. She entered, followed by the chaperone.
Seconds later, there were shrieks, and Mr Mercer was ejected in his drawers from Miss Blackwood’s bedroom, as Lady Millicent followed and beat him about the head with the giant feathered fan that she carried everywhere.
“Fiend! You wicked! Wicked! Man!” Feathers flew about the hall as Lady Millicent emphasized each of her words with a swat from her enormous fan. Mrs Darlington shooed the ladies back into Elizabeth’s parlour and closed the door.
Mr Mercer was dragged up to the third floor, beaten soundly, and deposited in his room by the men, who were grim regarding Mercer’s shameless disrespect of Mrs Darlington’s hospitality. That lady joined him there later, accompanied by Major Bartholomew and Mr Darcy, where she informed him that it was one thing for her not to allow compromises in her home, but he had not compromised a lady. He had openly and brazenly strolled up the stairs to the ladies sleeping quarters, and ravished a woman, however willing. Right in Mrs Darlington’sfamily wing. It was impressed upon Mercer that hewouldbe required to marry Miss Blackwood without delay, or face worse than being called out, for Darcy, Bingley, and Lord Chesley were furious, and there was no doubt the other men would be as well when they learned of it.
The following morning,Mrs Darlington announced the upcoming nuptials. “Over the years, some hasty couples have rushed into the village to purchase common licences from Mr Irving and marry before leaving the neighbourhood, but almost all of my guests have preferred to marry from their homes, or from London or Bath following the end of the house party. Due to the necessity posed by Miss Blackwood and Mr Mercer, the banns will be called this Sunday for their wedding. The house party, which was intended to end on the third of August, will now be extended to the fifth of August.”
She waited for the murmurs of her guests to die down before she continued. “If anyone else wishes to announce their engagements and call the banns this Sunday, for a wedding on August fourth, or if you become engaged in the next few weeks, you may purchase a common license and make it a group wedding, after which, a breakfast will be held here. I am certain I do not need to ask you all to keep your silence on this matter when you leave Ever After End. None of you, I am sure, would wish to have such a tale hanging over the place where you spent the summer, let alone the place where you met your future husband or wife.”
“You have all beenrobbedof a most romantic activity,” Miss Larkspur spoke up angrily. “Now that a goodly number of pairings have become apparent, I had planned with Mrs Darlington to have the gardens lit and chaperoned at night for moonlit strolls, to better advance your courtships. Sadly, due to the misbehaviour ofsome people,we have decided that we cannot risk any further mishaps.”
Two hours later,Mary caught Elizabeth and Jane in the morning parlour. The rain had finally ceased, and their young men were in the study, making arrangements for the evictions. Most of the other party guests had elected to spend the day in the gardens, even though they were still quite damp.
“Lizzy, Jane, I want to tell you before anyone else that Mr Elwood has offered for me, and I have accepted him.” Mary said happily.
“Oh Mary, how wonderful! Our mother will be so happy to hear of it!” Jane cried, throwing her arms around her sister. “Will Mr Elwood go to Longbourn?”
“No, I do not believe that necessary. Papa gave Uncle Gardiner a letter allowing me to wed. We will send my uncle an express today, and ask him to arrive early, and bring a marriage settlement with him. Mr Elwood will write to Papa, asking for his blessing.”
“Why would that be necessary?” Elizabeth asked, not having caught onto Mary’s plan.
“We plan to join the wedding ceremony here, and avoid Mama’s fits,” confirmed Mary.
“Oh Mary, I had hoped that if we all accepted offers, that we might have a triple wedding in Meryton,” Jane objected.
“If you accept offers, we couldallbe married here.” Mary was firm. She had no desire to suffer her mother. She wished to marry, and begin her new life directly.
“Whatever you decide is best for you, Mary, we will stand by you,” Elizabeth vowed.
At dinner, the engagements of Mr Pemberton and Miss Abernathy, Mr Fletcher and Miss Penfield, and Mr Elwood and Mary were announced. All three couples declared an intention of marrying from Ever After End with Miss Blackwood and Mr Mercer. Mrs Higglebottom and Lady Millicent were beside themselves planning such a wedding and breakfast, and though Mary might have thought she had escaped, she was informed that she must appear in the morning parlour with the other brides each day to assist with wedding preparations. Mary still considered it an escape from the hysterics of Mrs Bennet.
CHAPTER 39
The following morning, Darcy went with Bingley, his godmother, the magistrate, and the bailiffs to evict the six tenants from their farms. There was a great deal of screaming and threats, begging upon the part of the wives, and crying from the children, as well as Mrs Darlington, who wept bitterly that it had come to this. In the end, Darcy was grateful that he had sent for nearly two dozen men from Pemberley to assist. Those men would be staying in the farmhouses and watching the fields at night to ensure that the previous tenants did not return and cause damage. Word was sent to the new tenants, informing them that their cottages were ready, and to arrive with all haste. Before they arrived and before his aunt could object, Darcy himself paid to improve the barns, chicken coops, and farmhouses, even giving each a coat of paint, and having each chimney swept before the new men and their wives arrived.
The following Monday,another garden party was held. After so many days of rain, and then remaining subdued on the Sabbath, the guests were thrilled to be outdoors. Miss Blackwood and MrMercer were allowed nowhere in the house or the property without the accompaniment of Lady Millicent or Mr Wifflethorpe. Mrs Darlington was still rather put out and in a curmudgeonly mood. She did not think well of Miss Blackwood or Mr Mercer for taking advantage while she was distracted with the matter of Edith becoming part of her household, and worried the matter would affect the reputation of future parties. She hired several young men from the estate to serve as footmen and guard the halls and staircases that led to the sleeping quarters, and would every year in the future, but bemoaned that it was necessary due to some guests behaving a great deal worse than children.
“I have a ward now, a child to look after and support, and Ever After End must be a thriving concern so that she might inherit it one day,” she told Darcy and Elizabeth, who were happy for her that she now had family to live with her and love in addition to her other friends, and a new purpose to work towards.
Down on the green the guests played croquet. There was a great deal of squabbling over colored mallets, and the game began. Elizabeth turned out to be unexpectedly good at the sport, and she and Darcy competed awfully, striking each other’s balls, and sending them into the hedges or the woods. Mrs Darlington had learned many years past not to hold the croquet tournaments near the lake, she had lost too many balls that way.
There were so many competitors that they played in turns, and after their game, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy lounged under the canopies with Mrs Darlington and several others. Jane and Mr Bingley were strolling on a distant part of the green, and Mary and Mr Elwood were playing the game.
