“Then let us proceed,” said Mr. Bennet.
THE FIRST TASK AFTERthe meeting was to send an express to Lord Matlock in London. While Fitzwilliam meant to interrogate Mrs. Younge himself, warning his father would allow the earl to take action to search for Mr. Wickham against the possibility that he was still in town. How likely that was, none of them could say, but it was prudent.
“I shall ride to London,” said Fitzwilliam when Darcy asked. “I can make better time than if I take a carriage.”
“The journey will be much less comfortable,” warned Darcy, though understanding his point.
“In some ways, yes, though I have never found much comfort in a carriage. Regardless, I deem speed to be critical.” Fitzwilliam fixed him with a stern glare. “Remain vigilant while I am gone, for there is every chance that Wickham is skulking about looking for an opportunity.”
“Do not concern yourself, Fitzwilliam,” said Darcy. “I know what is to be done.”
His expression softened, and Fitzwilliam nodded. “Well do I know it. With any luck, I will return to Pemberley before Wickham can make his move. If I do not trust the men you hired to deal with him, and Thompson is here. I shall return the moment I can.”
The following morning, after he departed, Darcy set into motion the search of the property as Fitzwilliam had suggested. While they might have been tipping their hand and warning Wickham they suspected something of his activities, their actions were opaque enough to suggest it was nothing more than a precaution. While they had done their best to say nothing about their going, anyone targeting them, whether Wickham or someone else, must know that the intrusion and the discovery of the spy prompted their removal from town. It was a chess match between two foes, though altered because neither had full view of the board.
“There is nothing you can do about it but wait, Darcy,” chided Mr. Bennet that morning.
Darcy had gathered with Bennet and Bingley in the study while they awaited word from the searchers. There was no expectation of any success in finding Mr. Wickham or anyone else who should not be on Pemberley’s lands, but if he wasanywhere nearby, they should at least discover some evidence of his presence, perhaps in a recently used firepit or a cottage that should be empty, showing recent signs of habitation. Darcy had wished to lead the search himself, but Fitzwilliam had opposed it, and Bennet had persuaded him it was far safer to remain within the house.
“You should not set foot out of this house until we know it is safe,” said Bennet when he argued his position. “Once we know Wickham is nowhere nearby, it should be safe so long as you stay nearby. For the nonce, have Moore handle all tenant concerns and preserve yourself for your wife, who will not be at all happy with me if I allow you to perish in some foolhardy way.”
Trust Mr. Bennet to make a jest at a moment of such gravity. Were anyone to ask, Darcy would state his appreciation for his friend and his father-in-law, both of whom possessed spirits that were far lighter than his own. This waiting was still not conducive to peace of mind, leaving Darcy irritable and restless.
“I understand part of Darcy’s distraction,” said Bingley. “If you were involved with the search, you would learn much more about the estate you have now inherited.”
“Yes, I suppose I would,” said Darcy, “though I had not considered it that way. It is the waiting and worrying that threatens to drive me to madness.”
“Then engage yourself in something that will distract you,” suggested Bingley. “What say you to a game of billiards?”
“I do not suppose that will distract me much,” muttered Darcy.
“Come, Darcy, I insist. It is better than pacing the floor.”
“Be off with you, then,” said Mr. Bennet, shooing them from the room. “I shall allow you to distract yourself, for I am already pleasantly engaged.” Mr. Bennet held up a book as proof. “I do not need to wear holes in Pemberley’s finely appointed carpets.”
Little though Darcy thought he would benefit from it, he allowed Bingley to lead him from the room. Anything was better than this waiting with no notion of when it would end.
“THE SEARCHERS FOUNDnothing,” said William later that evening.
Elizabeth nodded, considering the day. First had been the surprise departure of Colonel Fitzwilliam for London, followed by the mustering of several search parties of men who scoured the estate for any sign of unauthorized presence. William had taken Elizabeth and his mother aside and explained the reason for ordering his men onto the estate, speaking of their conjecture about the identity of the man who had entered the London house at night. Elizabeth knew that Mr. Bennet had apprised his wife, and though they had left Mr. Bingley to decide whether to inform his sister, her behavior since had proven he had taken her into his confidence.
“Did you expect they would?” asked Elizabeth.
William grimaced. “Fitzwilliam believes Wickham is too crafty to be taken unaware, but if he had sheltered on the estate, there should be some sign of it.”
“That is a lot of ground to cover. If this Mr. Wickham knows the estate, he knows how to hide his tracks.”
There was no response, though Elizabeth knew her husband agreed. The lack of any evidence of Mr. Wickham’s presence nearby did not encourage them at all, especially as no one in the family was familiar with the secrets of Pemberley. Those footmen and others who had lived at the estate for years led the searches, which left them some confidence that it had been thorough, but no one who knew anything about the situation felt at all comfortable with matters as they stood.
“Youwilltake care, will you not?”
A smile was William’s response, along with a squeeze of her hand. “As it happens, I agree with Bingley—Wickham must know by now that the earl will never allow him to hold Pemberley. The danger, I suspect, is more for you and our sisters than for me. If Wickham can take a hostage, he can demand a sum for their return.”
“Then we must keep them close to home,” said Elizabeth. “If they are out on the grounds, he might take one of them, but entering the house is far more difficult.”
“That is what we are counting on,” agreed William.
“The more shocking part of this all is the notion that your cousin’s death was not an accident.”
