“Then we are fortunate. I only hope my cousin fares as well.”
At that moment, he heard his name. He turned toward the entrance, and Richard stepped out.
Darcy grinned. “Richard! I have been chasing you all over England.”
He placed the case containing the pistols into Richard’s hands.
Peter approached with the ammunition and the carbine.
Robert followed with Darcy’s trunk, which Darcy took from him.
“Attend to the horses, then eat and rest. Your brother will join you shortly.”
“Yes, sir.”
Richard and Darcy dined together in a private parlor. When the maid had cleared away the dishes, they moved nearer the hearth.
Richard poured a drink for them both and asked, “Darcy, what brings you rushing after me in such haste?”
Darcy related his suspicions regarding Manvers.
“Richard, he may already have committed one murder, and he was prepared to commit another when he fired upon your brother.”
Richard’s expression darkened.
Darcy added, “I came armed, and your batman is with me.”
“Cooper? Very well. We may have need of him. He has been trained in surveillance. We shall set him to watch Manvers while we travel to Elvaston. Lady Abigail may be able to fill in what we do not yet know.”
Darcy added gravely, “She will inherit should anything happen to the heir.”
Richard swore an oath under his breath. “We must protect that boy’s life. I pray we are not too late.”
The two men retired early.
The following morning, they departed at sunrise, traveling the length of the day and stopping only to eat and to rest the horses. That night, they lodged in Leicester.
The next day, they started out at six and rode together until they reached the junction near Cavendish Bridge. There, they halted to refresh themselves and rest the horses. The Black Bull was a busy coaching inn, yet Darcy was able to secure the private parlor, and the men ate together.
The colonel took the opportunity to speak with them all, and particularly with his batman, before they separated.
“Cooper, no heroics. Manvers may have murdered one man already, and he came very near to succeeding against my brother. I require only that you observe him, and, if you are able, learn what he intends next. He is mortgaged to the hilt and has gambled away his fortune. I doubt he would ever be sent to a debtor’s prison, for he is a peer, but matters are pressing upon him now. He may prove dangerous.”
“Yes, Colonel. I understand.”
The colonel then addressed the others.
“This warning applies to you as well. If Manvers is already at Elvaston, any one of us might be shot. We believe he may be desperate enough to seize one of Harrington’s daughters for the sake of her fortune.”
When they had finished their meal, the batman set off along the Great North Road, while the carriage turned westward. Elvaston lay only five miles farther, and they reached it within half an hour.
Richard sat opposite his cousin and asked, “Well, Darcy, do you feel at home?”
“You jest, but Pemberley lies only five and thirty miles to the north. If Lady Harrington and her children are in danger, we might shelter them there while we root out Manvers.”
Richard considered. “That may be the safest course.”
When they were within a mile from the house, Richard halted the carriage. He and Darcy stepped down, and the Miller brothers joined them upon the road.
