By the time he was in riding clothes, and Stevens was attempting to neaten the mess Darcy had made in the dressing room, he had almost convinced himself that the duke had assigned men to watch him, as he had done, and was therefore responsible for Elizabeth’s abduction. Of course, the duke would know that Wickham was Darcy’s nemesis; everyone in the county knew that.
Still, even if the duke was the one responsible for removing Elizabeth from her relations, Darcy would have to gather the money and travel to the inn mentioned in the note.
Or…maybe Elizabeth had not been abducted. Darcy imagined that even the most entitled duke would not wish to order the murders of two well-to-do English people in order to kidnap a lady; and the trouble of subduing and kidnapping three adults, one a man, would hardly be practical. If Elizabeth had been kidnapped and the Gardiners left alive and free to act, certainly they, too, would send an express informing him of such.
Perhaps this note was meant to send him far from Pemberley, while the duke (or some other evil-doer?) set some other plan in motion. Once Elizabeth had arrived, finding Darcy gone, would the duke visit again? And then he would…what?
Darcy asked Stevens to meet in his study in a quarter of an hour, and he arranged for Morris, Connors, and Mrs Reynolds to also attend the meeting. While he waited for them, he wrote an express to Richard, succinctly narrating the occurrences of the morning along with his speculations as to who had done what. “Please let me know if Wickham has gone missing, or if you discover any fact or rumour that may pertain to the situation.” He rang for a footman to send the express promptly.
When the team of his most trusted servants arrived, Darcy relayed the happy news that Miss Elizabeth Bennet was going to marry him. He saw genuine joy in their eyes, and some relief, aswell. Stevens murmured, “Thank God,” so softly, it was obvious he did not mean to be heard.
“The bad news,” Darcy informed them, “is that today I received a note purporting to be written by George Wickham, announcing that he has kidnapped my intended and requires an enormous sum of money as ransom.”
Mrs Reynolds queried, “Purporting?”
“Exactly.” Darcy appreciated his senior servants’ intelligence and decorum. Making an announcement of the kidnapping of the woman who was soon to be mistress would certainly cause outcry in most households, to no one’s advantage.
He briefly explained that several pieces of evidence indicated that the use of Wickham’s name was a ruse, and the entire allusion to kidnapping may, in fact, be a trick meant to lure him away from Pemberley and possibly into a trap. He explained, “I have no evidence for my current theory about the person behind this note, so do not spread this idea unless you have very good reason, but it did occur to me that it could be the Duke of Lymebourne.”
Connors and Morris looked incensed. Mrs Reynolds looked anxious, and Stevens, surprised.
Darcy said, “I have already reached out to Colonel Fitzwilliam concerning Wickham. My further intentions include contacting the man hired to send Tom, the express rider who carried the note to Pemberley; contacting the local investigator who was watching the duke on my behalf; checking for any local rumours about Wickham; sending several armed men to the White Stage inn near Ambleside; checking with magistrates and apothecaries in the Lake District, in case there has been an abduction; and sending a messenger to the inn where my intended and her relations should be spending the night, tonight, to ensure if all is well with them and, if so, to inform them that there has been an attempt to make problems here,warning them to take utmost caution in regards to any approach by strangers or messages from anyone, including myself.”
He looked around at his loyal servants and added, “If anyone has additional or alternative suggestions, you have my full attention.”
Mrs Reynolds said, “Although I suppose that both Miss Bennet and Mr Gardiner know your handwriting, I suggest you send this with your letter you send to the inn.” She withdrew a small volume of Wordsworth’s poetry. The soft leather cover had several scuffs and the sort of dark, shiny patina that was evidence of frequent use. “The maids found this under the furniture in the guest bedroom Miss Bennet had used, and I was going to give it to you today with the suggestion that you find a way of returning the volume to her. It will certainly convince her that this message is from you, even as you warn her to be sceptical of future messages from you.”
Darcy took the book, stroking the cover, loving the fact that his soon-to-be bride loved reading poetry. But a surge of resolve flooded him as he considered anew the possible explanations for the note and the possible actions he should be taking at this very moment.
He checked for further ideas and then delegated various tasks to each of his servants. After they hastened away to carry out his plans, he once again picked up paper and pen to write a warning to Gardiner…and Elizabeth.
The footman who had been sent to consult with Lodge, the investigator based in Lambton, returned to Pemberley with disturbing news: the man had not been seen for almost a day, and his wife was worried. Darcy swiftly reached out to tenants,field hands, and residents of Lambton and Kympton, forming search parties to scour multiple areas. He utilised a long-established chain of communication, including the ringing of church bells in Lambton, Kympton, and Pemberley Chapel, to summon searchers.
Darcy himself, once the search was underway, rode to Lambton to interview Mrs Lodge; based on what she said, he decided to ride towards Lymeston. She insisted that he take a garment belonging to the missing man and their bloodhound to aid his search. Darcy asked Mrs Lodge’s manservant to arrange that a message of his intentions be sent to Stevens, who was in charge of coordinating communication amongst searchers.
On his way out of the market town, Darcy chose two large men from a search party, and the three rode towards the construction site that would become the new Shirethorpe. There were not yet any structures built, and after a quick search of the surrounding forests, Darcy led the threesome to the old Shirethorpe. The ride would usually take two hours, but of course it lasted far longer as they came across hunting cabins, dense copses, and other places where someone could be hidden. The bloodhound’s lack of interest as well as the evidence of their own eyes convinced the men to keep travelling.
Once in Shirethorpe, Darcy found that people were eager to help him. The mayor explained that he had heard a dozen rumours of efforts by “the great master of Pemberley” to help the townspeople if they were really forced to relocate; so far, only two abandoned buildings had been taken apart and carted away.
A quiet passing of word through the town of Darcy’s need for help resulted in almost a dozen searchers gathering in the town centre. The mayor, who in his seventh decade was quite rotund, declined to join the search, but he promised all the help he could muster. He arranged for horses he owned to accompany the different groups of searchers, in case they found Lodge, andhe suggested that the quarry should be searched—because, he claimed, the quarry had been officially closed as of that very morning.
Darcy and the two from Lambton rode to the quarry with four men who had worked there, accompanied by an extra steed and of course Lodge’s dog.Thanks to the latter, it was not long before Darcy heard the three short whistles that meant discovery. The man that one of the quarrymen had found trussed and gagged was indeed Lodge, and everyone pitched in to untie knots and ply the man with water, cured meat, and a hearty swig of gin.
Darcy decided that it would be safest to leave the duke’s land as soon as possible, so once Lodge was replenished enough to ride the mayor’s horse, Darcy made ready to leave. He thanked the Shirethorpe quarrymen and requested that they spread the word to all the other Shirethorpe searchers that the missing man had been found alive. Then Darcy, Lodge, and the two Lambton residents rode out; when they finally passed the gully that marked the boundary of the duke’s land, Darcy delegated the chores of riding to each of the churches to ring the “found” bell signal.
He accompanied Lodge to his home in Lambton. Mrs Lodge was relieved and grateful to see her husband returned and safe; she sprung into action, asking her manservant to take the stallion back to the mayor of Shirethorpe, serving the men tea, rubbing salve into Lodge’s chafed wrists, and ordering a meal.
Finally, Lodge asked his wife to allow the men some privacy, and Darcy eagerly accompanied his investigator into the man’s small study. Darcy began, “Before you tell me what happened, Mr Lodge, I think I should tell you about a note that was delivered to Pemberley.” He quickly outlined the facts and the steps he had taken to investigate the claimed kidnapping.
Lodge frowned. “Oh, my God. I wish I had more information for you. I saw a man following that youth you sometimes use to carry messages—Billy, he is called—and I followed the follower, to ensure Billy’s safety and perhaps learn if the man pursuing Billy had been ordered by the duke. I used all caution, remaining back, minding my steed’s noises, but suddenly I lost sight of those I followed. I hesitated, trying to determine if it would be best to take another route to Pemberley, to check whether or not Billy had returned, or if it would be better for me to abandon silence for speed to try to catch up.”
Shaking his head ruefully, Lodge said, “I had decided to take a different path to Pemberley, but then I felt terrible pain as I took a clout on my head, and when I woke up I was tied up as you saw. I never did find out anything about the man I followed, or whoever took me into that quarry—but I think you and I can be certain that the duke was involved somehow. I saw evidence that the things you have been doing on behalf of the people of Lambton and Shirethorpe have made you into a kind of folk hero that His Grace could never hope to be.”
Darcy shrugged. “The mayor hinted as such. I suspect that the duke would not actually order a wealthy couple be killed and a gentlewoman be kidnapped, just because some of his people like me better than him; I suspect that he wants me missing in action for a while, perhaps so he can make the acquaintance of my intended, or perhaps he wishes me soundly beaten and then abandoned by a road, so that if I am robbed or killed when in that weakened condition, it will not be traced back to his orders. Or…. What do you think he plans?”
“He is evil enough for any of those thoughts, I give you that, sir.” Lodge shook his head and admitted, “I find it difficult to imagine what could motivate him to do anything, but as for my kidnapping, I wonder if the duke even knows of it. It would be quite damning, if I died, for my body to be found on his land. Ithink that the man he hired to follow Billy, for whatever reason, may have worried about me and acted on his own.”
Darcy rubbed his face with both hands. Then he asked for anything that Lodge had determined earlier to report and finally took his leave.
