A Royal Bennet (24 page)

“Lady Elizabeth, I need to remove the stone from
you. I will try to be careful, but I am sure you will feel
discomfort or pain as the stone moves.”

“I am well.” Elizabeth said with a sad smile. “Do
not fret so much.”

Just after Darcy had climbed down into the hole,
Richard and the men with whom he arrived at the
location. Richard hurried as close to the hole as
possible.

“Wills, what do you need?” He hollered.

“I will need some assistance down here. The rock
will need to be removed from on top of her before we
can move her.”

Mr Bennet feared the worst. “How badly is she
injured?”

“I cannot tell at this moment. She seems to be
drowsy and disoriented, but I do not know if it is due
to any injury.” Darcy stated, attempting to keep his
voice neutral.

Richard quickly prepared to join his cousin, and
was soon being lowered into the underground cavern.
Once his feet touched the ground, his training on the
battlefield commenced. “We will need some more
rope, and a couple of blankets. The soil appears to be
soft and spongy, so it could be that she only sank into
the soil and is pinned beneath the stone. We can tie
rope around the stone, and, with you men pulling, and
Darcy pushing, we should be able to move the stone
easily enough. I want to cover Lady Elizabeth’s head
and face to keep more dirt from falling on her.”

The men agreed, and soon, the rope was wrapped
around the stone and fastened snuggly. Richard
covered Elizabeth’s head and shoulders with a
blanket and kept his hand near her face to protect her
if the stone were to roll back at her. He was prepared
to move her as soon as the stone was off her. Then
Darcy could hold her as the men pulled them from the
hole.

The stone was not willing to budge at first, but on
the third try, it finally began to move. Darcy pushed
with all his might, his back against the cavern wall as
his legs pushed the stone to the side. The men above
were able to pull it up high enough that, with Darcy
pushing it to the side, Richard was soon able to pull
Elizabeth’s body to safety.

“She is free, Wills, she is free. Tie the rope around
you and the men will pull you up to the surface. I will
follow.” Richard said to his cousin as he gently held
Elizabeth for his cousin.

Darcy quickly hollered to the men to lower the
stone, and he allowed it to return to the area where
Elizabeth had lain. As soon as the stone was safely on
the ground, Darcy had the rope tied around his waist,
and he scooped Elizabeth into his arms.

“Pull us up.” Darcy called out to the men. “I have
Lady Elizabeth, pull us up.”

The men pulled on the rope, bringing Darcy to the
surface, with Elizabeth grasped to his chest. He held
on tightly, not wishing to risk her being further
injured. Even when the men pulled them from the
hole, he held her tightly, carrying her to the wagon
before he released his hold on her.

Darcy stepped back to allow Mr Bennet and Mr
Abernathy to take charge of the young lady who held
the Master of Pemberley’s heart. When Richard
joined his cousin, they watched as Mr Abernathy gave
a quick inspection.

“I believe Colonel Fitzwilliam was correct in his
observation. I believe she will have aches and pains
over the next few days, and perhaps a sprained ankle,
from the looks of it, but it does not appear the stone
did much damage.”

The breath that Darcy had unconsciously been
holding came rushing out of him. “Thank the
heavens.”

“I believe we should take the young lady to the
house and warm her up. She is soaked and chilled.”
Mr Abernathy said as he looked up to Darcy. “If I am
correct, Mrs Reynolds will have a roaring fire burning
in the young lady’s bedchamber, and perhaps a hot
bath readied before we arrive there. We should have
something warm for her to drink as well. Some tea
and some broth would be appropriate.”

Richard took the request and sent a rider ahead to
the house to inform the housekeeper of the
physician’s request. Darcy simply stood beside the
wagon, watching the men taking care of his love.

As Abernathy declared it safe for them to take
Elizabeth to the house, Darcy jumped into the driver’s
seat and took up the reins. Richard took the seat
beside him. Before the wagon began to move,
Elizabeth’s eyes opened. “Where is Sadie? She was
injured. Where is she?”

One of the stable hands came forward, carrying
the loyal dog. “She is here, Ma’am. Have no fear. She
will be limping from a hurt paw and some scrapes, but
I think she will be fine.” He said as he placed Sadie on
the wagon bed, beside Elizabeth.

Having her beloved dog beside her, Elizabeth
dozed off, her fingers entwined in Sadie’s fur.
~~ ** ~~

The wagon came to a halt in front of the main
house. Before any of his servants could come to assist
the Bennet family in carrying Elizabeth inside the
house, Darcy was off the wagon and at the side,
prepared to scoop her into his arms once again.

The staff of Pemberley were prepared to
undertake any request which could be given. Seeing
their master was preparing to carry the young lady
inside, the footmen stepped out of his way, yet were
close at hand if they were needed. One of the young
footmen realized the injured dog on the wagon should
be moved indoors. Darcy had left strict orders with
all his staff that Sadie was to be treated like she was a
guest in the grand house, and the dog had been since
that day. The young footman, Wesley, gingerly lifted
the dog into his arms and carried her inside, following
Darcy up the stairs.

Most of the Pemberley staff assumed Darcy’s
infatuation with Lady Elizabeth would lead to the
couple marrying. Lady Elizabeth and her family were
well liked and appreciated for their kindness, so the
staff had no difficulty in doing little things in return.
When it was learned that Miss Bingley had played a
part in Lady Elizabeth’s disappearance and injury, the
staff members were repulsed at the disgusting
woman who was known to be vulgar.

Elizabeth was taken up the stairs and into her
bedchambers by Darcy. He gently placed her on the
bed and stepped back, allowing Mrs Gardiner and Mrs
Reynolds to take charge of the young lady. Darcy
found it difficult to tear his eyes from Elizabeth, afraid
that if he turned his view away, she would vanish and
he would be unable to find her.

Mr Bennet coughed roughly to capture Darcy’s
attention. “Perhaps we should leave the ladies to tend
Lizzy. She will need a bath and fresh clothing.”

Darcy was embarrassed that he had continued to
watch as the ladies prepared to undress Elizabeth to
clean her. “Yes, forgive me. Let us step down the hall
to the drawing room. I wish to discover what Bingley
has learned while we were out.”

~~ ** ~~

The men entered the drawing room and found
Bingley with a glass of port in his hand, and fury
building by the moment. “Ah, I am pleased you have
returned. Lady Elizabeth, is she alive? Please, tell me
that my sisters have not caused my future sister in
law great harm.”

“The physician is with her now, but her injuries
appear to be minor in comparison to what they could
have been. And what has been done with your
sisters?” Darcy asked.

Richard entered the room just behind his cousin.
“Hurst is making arrangements. Mrs Hurst will be
making a journey to northern Scotland tomorrow.
The estate there is primitive and isolated from all
society. Mrs Hurst is not pleased.”

“If I had my way, Louisa and Caroline could both
rot in a prison cell for the rest of their lives. Anything
less is too easy for them.” Bingley announced, taking
another long drink from his glass.

“The constable wishes to speak with us with
regards to Miss Bingley and the postilion.” Richard
stated. “He particularly wishes to know Mr Bennet
and Wills opinion on the matter.”

Darcy looked at Mr Bennet. “Do you wish to speak
with him now or wait until we know more of Lady
Elizabeth’s condition?”

“We might as well deal with it. It will take the
ladies a while to bathe my daughter and get her
settled in her bed. And the physician will need to
examine her for injuries.” Mr Bennet stated. It was
clear to see the fatigue which was taking hold of the
gentleman.

“Very well, let us take our seats. Richard, would
you be as kind so to show the constable in here?”

Moments later, Mr O’Leary, the constable, entered
the drawing room, following Richard. The men
discussed the matter, all of the possibilities of
punishments, and finally arrived at a decision.

Caroline Bingley would join her sister in Scotland,
to spend her days in the desolate estate that no one
wanted. There would be three servants hired to
watch over the ladies, a maid, a cook, and a footman.
They would have weekly provisions delivered from
the nearest village, which happened to be ten miles
away. There would be no horses for the ladies to ride,
no possibility of escape from the location with the
exception of on foot, and neither Caroline nor Louisa
were strong walkers.

The fate of the foolish postilion was the main issue
with the constable. As he was the one to actually
cause the harm, and the Bingley sisters were
conspirators, Raymond was the one with the most to
lose. The constable decided to offer the young man a
lighter sentence if he would confess, saving everyone
the need for a trial. Bingley snorted and suggested
sending the man to Scotland with his sisters.

“Serves them all.” Bingley said, obviously after
having drank quite a bit. “My sisters would have their
footman to keep them occupied, and he would suffer
their unhappiness and cruelty towards him.”

“Bingley does have a point.” Mr Gardiner stated.
“Not only would they all be imprisoned together, but
they would all make each other miserable for the
remainder of their lives.”

Mr Bennet chuckled. “It would be cruel, but a just
way to see to it they all suffered the same.”

The men all agreed and the constable went to
speak with Raymond. “The decision has been made to
allow you to live out the rest of your days in Scotland.
You will remain there for the remainder of your life,
never to return to England. You will be the footman
in the house where Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst will
be living for the rest of their lives.”

“Oh, yes, I will be pleased to be in service to the
ladies.” Raymond could not believe his good fortune.

“Young man, you must understand. The estate,
where you will be living, is not one of luxury. It is
located in the northern area of Scotland, very remote
and no other people around for miles. There are no
tenant farmers, for it is not good farm land. Do you
understand what I am telling you? You would be
alone, with the ladies and two servants, for the rest of
your lives. And you cannot leave the estate.”

“But I will be with Miss Bingley, as she promised.
That is the most important part. I accept the terms.”

“Very well. You will leave tomorrow. If, for any
reason, you leave the estate, you can still face charges
of attempted murder. You would, most likely, be hung
for such charges.”

“I will not leave the estate. I will remain there, as
Miss Bingley will be there. That is all that matters.”
Raymond stated.

The constable knew that the young man was
deluding himself with his thoughts of Caroline
Bingley’s devotion, but the young man had accepted
the offer and that was all that mattered.

He returned to the drawing room, expressing the
sentiments of the postilion. The men all agreed that
Raymond was naïve and foolish, but they wished to be
rid of the trio as soon as possible.

Richard decided to take the journey north with
Hurst, escorting the condemned to their new
accommodations. Once he finished there, he would
return to London, as he planned to return to his unit.
There was word of war brewing again, and he would
be instrumental in training the new recruits. His
years of battle had honed his skills and used his
natural talents to good use. But he would not return
to a battlefield. After the last battle, when he was
nearly killed, his left leg had been permanently
damaged. Though it rarely stood in his way when he
needed to ride or walk, he felt the pain of it most
nights. It was a secret his family never knew. But he
felt safe in the knowledge that they would be grateful
for his not being able to return to war.

Caroline was furious with the decision which was
made for her. “I will not go. You cannot make me go.”

Bingley stood his ground. Walking towards his
sister, he came to a stop mere inches from her face.
With a menacing glare never before seen from
Bingley, he growled. “You are going to Scotland, or
you will be spending time in prison. If you choose not
to go to Scotland, you will face deportation as a
punishment for your crimes, if you are lucky. You
conspired to commit murder. And the plot was
against a member of royalty. Have you no notion of
your foolishness? Have you no conscious? It is bad
enough you plotted to kill someone, but to have that
person be a member of royalty. You heartless shrew.
You worthless harpy. As head of our family, I am
telling you, you will be going to Scotland with Louisa.
I will not tolerate you any longer. You have destroyed
my life and nearly murdered a kind and caring young
lady. I have been stupid, and will pay the price for the
rest of my life. But I will not allow you to cause any
further harm.”

“No one will convict a lady of such crimes. You
should accept the truth. Miss Elizabeth is not worthy
of all this commotion. Her entire family is beneath us,
and your betrothal to her sister is going to ruin our
family. I will not live in Scotland, and neither will
Louisa. We will remain in England, and prepare for
the coming Season in Town. We will be welcomed to
all the best parties and dinners, just wait and see. If
you go through with the wedding to Jane Bennet, we
will be the laughing stocks of society.”