With the last thread of awareness she possessed, Elizabeth whispered silently into the darkness:
Fitzwilliam…
Please.
Save me.
For a moment—just a moment—she felt something strange.
Movement.
As though the world had fallen away beneath her.
Or perhaps she herself was rising.
Flying.
Then the darkness rushed back.
And Elizabeth remembered nothing more.
∞∞∞
Darcy was halfway to the Netherfield front door when Richard caught his arm. “You cannot simply arrive at Longbourn at this time of night,” the colonel said sharply.
Darcy turned on him. “Elizabeth may be drugged and carried away within the hour. I will not stand here discussing it like a parliamentary debate.”
Richard did not release him. “And if you arrive with no plan?” he said evenly. “What then?”
Darcy opened his mouth—and stopped. The question struck where reason lived, not where panic burned.
Against every instinct urging him to run—to reach Elizabeth before she vanished from his life forever—the rational part of his mind forced its way forward.
If he found her…
What then?
He could ride on horseback faster than in a carriage, but how would he move her to safety? Drape her unconscious form across the front of his horse? Even if she were alert, it was not as if he had a pillion saddle so she could ride behind him—never mind the fact that it would not be safe nor quick, especially in the dark.
This is not some fictional romance novel of Georgiana’s, man! Use your wits!
He exhaled sharply. “You are right,” he said hoarsely, changing direction and heading towards the drawing room.
The household had altered in the few minutes since Charlotte’s arrival. Georgiana had been sent upstairs to bed earlier, though Darcy suspected she would not sleep. The Hursts had withdrawn quietly, leaving the crisis to the family.
Only four people remained: Richard, Bingley, himself, and Lady Anne.
She sat very straight in her chair, Elizabeth’s letter resting in her lap. Her face had gone pale, but Darcy recognized the effort she made to remain present despite the fear that must have seized her.
He felt a deep surge of gratitude for her.
Richard began to strategize immediately. “First question—has Miss Elizabeth reached her majority?”
Darcy shook his head. “No. She is twenty.”
“Then legally she is still under her father’s authority,” Richard said grimly.
Darcy clenched his jaw.
