Page 46 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
Colonel Fitzwilliam scowled at her when she entered, so she did not acknowledge him. She pulled the chair closer to the bed, opened a tome of Wordsworth’s poetry, and began to read aloud.
“I beg your pardon, Lady Elizabeth, but it is late. Doctor Scott and Grey will sit with Darcy through the night. You should get some rest.”
“He is my husband, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she replied quietly. “I cannot abandon him in his hour of need. Not until he is well enough to care for himself.”
“Very well. Then I shall retire to Matlock House and return in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“Richard. We are cousins now.”
“Yes, I suppose we are…Richard.”
The colonel bowed and left. Elizabeth opened her book and began reading in low soothing tones. He must surely have a headache whether he was unconscious or asleep. She thought it was the latter.
#
Richard did not return to Matlock House. A niggling thought that had been festering in the back of his mind had grown into a fully-fledged suspicion.
The neighbourhood he was seeking was not that far from his home—just a short detour.
He walked to the house in question. It was dark, either because the inhabitants had retired or they were not in town. The latter was the most obvious as its owners rarely bothered with the Season. Then he heard horses’ hoofs shuffling about in the mews. He might be fortunate after all.
A coffee house across the street was open and served spirits. A boisterous lot were celebrating the last of their Saturday wages.
For such a fine area, the customers were uncouth, the colonel thought as he ordered himself a coffee and sat down with ascruffy looking lot. He hoped they were tradesmen by day who may have information about the house across the road.
They welcomed him heartily when he treated them to a free round of what was commonly known as theblue ruin[6], the best method to loosen tongues he had ever come across.
Hours later, and after several tumblers of the drink,they were bragging about escorting a fine wealthy young lady. The other two had been screaming banshees.
Another round ofblue ruinand it was clear that the well-behaved lady and her companion had been delivered to the house opposite.
Richard contemplated storming the house and breaking the locks, but that would notify the perpetrator that he was coming. It was only an hour until dawn. He would stand a better chance if he did not have to fight off an army of footmen.
If Georgiana was in the same condition that Lady Kitty had been, he might have to carry her out of the house. He could send for help but was afraid of revealing his purpose to the men surrounding him. So much could go awry.
The coffee house closed at the same time as the public houses opened. The men padded away to their next haunt while Richard bid them farewell, asserting his pockets were let, which made the men laugh boisterously at his expense. He only shrugged and walked in the opposite direction until the men had entered the public house. Only then did he turn back and hide in the shadows of the mews. As he expected, a tired maid opened the door and emptied a bucket of stale water. She did not lock it when she went back inside. He had his opportunity and stealthily entered his aunt’s home.
The servants were busy in the cellar where the kitchen and scullery were situated. His aunt must be in residence. Her ruse about needing to stay at Matlock House for the wedding because her own home had not been aired out for months had been discovered.
The de Bourgh townhouse was a quaint little house. He knew where his aunt and cousin usually stayed and guessed easily in which of the two guestrooms it was most likely Georgiana was held captive. He made it unseen to the first floor; no footmen were about.
To his surprise, the door was not locked. He entered and approached the bed. His relief was profound when he found Georgiana sleeping, or quite possibly doused with laudanum, under his aunt’s roof. He gently prodded her to rouse her without scaring her witless, making her scream, or calling any attention to them in any other way. She was a light sleeper and woke easily, too tired to question him about entering her bed chamber. He made her promise to remain silent and not question him before they were back at Darcy House.
She pulled a day dress over her head and a cloak around herself to conceal the haphazardly donned gown. Richard found a monstrous bonnet to cover her hair and face. The only thing remaining was to get her out of there unseen. He made a gamble and chose to leave via the front entrance since only the servants were awake. Out on the street, he hired a hackney that had just delivered goods to a tradesman’s stall. He dared not venture back to Matlock House as he knew not whom Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s accomplice might be. He had nothing else on his mind but to take his cousin home to safety.
Chapter 15 Heavy Burdens
Elizabeth must have fallen asleep sometime in the early hours of the morning and had not even stirred when her book hit the floor. It took her a moment to comprehend what had awakened her. At first, she thought it was the unintrusive presence of Grey, Mr Darcy’s valet, but the racket was not coming from the dressing room. She heard agitated voices of both sexes coming up the stairs when the door was flung open and none other than Georgiana Darcy stepped into the room, followed by the colonel. Elizabeth jumped to her feet, ran the few steps to her sister’s side, and embraced her.
“I am so glad you are alive and well!” she cried.
“I do not understand. Good gracious, what has happened to my brother?”
Elizabeth’s eyes shifted between her sister by marriage and the colonel, who shrugged. Elizabeth guessed he had chosen not to tell his young cousin much.
“Your brother has been severely injured and has yet to regain consciousness. But he has opened his eyes and groaned. The doctor says it is a good sign that he responds to pain. We must be grateful for small mercies at this point, Miss Darcy.”
