She struggled free. “Yes, it is, but it’s more about him than her, I suppose. She has awakened this morning with no memory of any of it, no matter what it is he’s done to her.”
“I knew Wickham was a very bad man,” I said. “But really, shooting everyone every morning? It’s…”
“I know,” she said. “But we must go.” She pulled on me.
I looked into the distance. “Well, Elizabeth, you know that it will take us likely twenty minutes to walk all the way to the Ridgeton barn. Is it the barn or the stables, mind you?”
“The barn,” she said. “And I needed to be sure you were all right, so I waited for you. Obviously, I could have gone to thebarn myself, in the wee hours, and… and… well, I don’t know. As I say, if we shoot him, he is out of our reach.”
I sighed heavily.
From behind us, a voice called out, “Ho there, where do you think you’re off to, Darcy?”
I turned around.
Richard Fitzwilliam, still in his nightclothes, was standing on the steps.
Elizabeth considered. “Perhaps we should simply make a stand? If we are prepared for him, we can stop him.”
“Prepared,” I said, thinking that through.
“Yes, we’ll simply barricade the entire household into one room and when he arrives—” She broke off. “But if we kill him, he is out of our reach.”
Richard was striding across the grass towards us. “I heard the two of you, as you were leaving, chattering on about something that sounded mad, and I could not make heads or tails of it. And then, here you are, not even dressed, Will, and here she is, and she doesn’t look much better—”
“I am dressed!” said Elizabeth stoutly.
“But you two are together in the morning going god-knows-where, and it’s all very scandalous,” said the colonel.
Elizabeth groaned. “The propriety!”
“Right,” I said. “The damnable propriety.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it is easier when they are all dead,” she muttered.
Richard furrowed his brow. “What?”
“Come along, Richard,” I said. “We’re going to seek Wickham in the barn at Ridgeton.”
“Wickham? What in the blazes is Wickham doing here?” said Richard. “Shouldn’t we put on clothes first?”
“I’m wearing trousers!” I said.
Richard sighed. “All right, can you wait for me if I go to get trousers, too?”
“No,” said Elizabeth. “But if you have a gun, colonel, bring that. Catch us up!” She yanked on my hand again.
We set out towards Ridgeton.
By and by, Richard joined us, completely dressed, tying his cravat. “I don’t suppose you’re going to explain what this is about.”
“Well, you see,” I said, “quite some time ago, I began to live Thursday, April ninth, over and over again.”
“Now, see here, itisApril ninth, though it is the first time it has ever been so,” he said.
“For you, it is,” I said.
He fixed me with an odd stare.
