Netherfield Park Quarantined (16 page)

Darcy arrived mere moments before his father died. After this event,
Darcy and Richard, both, learned to pay heed to any of Darcy’s “feelings”.
When the feelings of Elizabeth’s pain began, fear gripped Darcy’s heart. Fear
of not being able to save her, of losing the greatest love he had ever known. It
was only because of Richard’s reassurance that all would be well, that Darcy
was able to keep sane.

As the men neared the estate, plans were being put into place. Richard
had been to the estate in Ireland once, when he was near twelve. Lord
Matlock had taken his two sons there while on a trip to purchase new horses.
Searching his memory, he described the house and the surrounding areas.
“There are four floors, and an attic above that. I remember sneaking up into
the attic with my brother, as we heard there were ghosts up there. There was
a unique platform outside the attic, stretching out over the roof of the rest of
the house. I thought it was a proper location from which to stage battle, as the
house could be defended from that location. And you could see for miles. As
long as there is no one standing as look out from up there, we should be able
to approach the house with no problem. If I remember correctly, there is a
ridge over there, to the east of the house, and we will be able to see the
platform on top of the house.”

“If there is someone up there, what do we do?” Darcy asked, desperately
trying to keep his mind looking forward.

“We can cause a distraction. Set a fire in one area and sneak around to
storm the house from another direction. I doubt there are many working with
Wickham, as he will not wish to part with any of his ill-gotten gains.”

“There are few who would trust Wickham, as he has lied and cheated
everyone with whom he has ever tried to work. I would not be surprised to
see him cheat Mrs Younge, leave her and run away without her.” Darcy stated.

“Do you think Lady Catherine would have travelled there?” Richard
asked.

“No, though I am concerned that her lackey, Collins, is involved as well.
He might be there. I do not fear him, as he is not smart enough to know how
to defend himself. He thinks that he can talk his way out of any problems.”

“That would fit the man who hired the carriage to take him to
Rosemoore. From the description you gave me of the fool, I believe he has
arrived. Fortunately for us, he hired the carriage two days ago, and would
only have arrived this afternoon. With us coming on horseback, we traveled
more quickly.”

The men had hired four other men in Dublin, and they knew the area
well. One of the men stepped closer to Darcy. “Sir, perhaps I can suggest
something.”

Darcy and Richard nodded towards him. “What do you have in mind?”

“I know the housekeeper’s son. His name is Jerry O’Rourke. I could ride
to the house, ask to speak to Mrs O’Rourke, tell her I wished to be in contact
with Jerry. I know where he is, he went south, to Waterford, where he is
working. When I ask Mrs O’Rourke for her son’s address, hopefully I can get
her to the side and ask her questions.” The young man, named Tommy,
looked confident.

“Very well.” Darcy agreed. “And we will meet back here, at the shack.”
~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~

 

Chapter 13

Pacing about her study, Lady Catherine was furious with the lack of
progress by Laub and his man. She thought he would return from
Hertfordshire with the documents Darcy had signed for his wedding. The
country solicitor could not be intelligent enough to hide the papers from her
hired men. She was certain there would be no problems with obtaining the
papers. Then she could precede in having Darcy’s marriage annulled.

But Laub had returned empty handed. Without those documents, of
assurance they had been destroyed, she would not be able to move forward.

“Where could the papers be?” She demanded of Laub.
“We searched the office, and were even able to break into his safe.
There was nothing there with your nephew’s name on it. There was also
nothing there with the Bennet family name on it, though I am sure Phillips
was the family solicitor. He was married to Mrs Bennet’s sister and had
apprenticed under her father.”

“What about his house? Does he have a study or a safe at his house?”

Laub shook his head. “We were unable to gain access to the house.
There were too many people inside before his death, and now, the house is
being guarded by men hired by Mr Bennet. We thought of questioning Mr
Bingley, your nephew's friend who’s house in which Mr Darcy was staying at
when the wedding occurred. When we arrived at Netherfield, the man was
not home and his staff refused to speak with us. We kept a watch over
Netherfield, waiting for him to return, but he never did. It is our belief he is
staying at Longbourn with the Bennet family.”

“Then force your way into the Bennet household and retrieve the
papers. I am certain Mr Bennet has a copy of the papers, we need to find them
quickly.” Lady Catherine demanded.

“We went towards Longbourn, but were stopped. No one is able to
access the Bennets or their house. Mrs Phillips is staying at Longbourn as
well. Mr Bennet is not a fool, he has hired guards from Town to protect their
home and all inside. There are even armed men moving about the estate,
keeping watch over the tenants, as well.”

“There has to be a weak link in their armor. Find it, and get those
papers.” Lady Catherine seethed as she spoke. “I will not allow a family of
country nobodies to outwit me.”

~~ ** ~~

Mrs O’Rourke answered the door, as her husband was carrying Mr
Collins’ bags upstairs. Recognizing the young man, she smiled. “Tommy
Shannon, how have you been? We have not seen you in an age.”

“It is good to see you, Mrs O’Rourke. How are you and the mister?”
“We are fine. How can we be of service?”

Tommy looked around. “Mrs O’Rourke, could we speak in private? I
wish to speak with you concerning your son, Robby.”

 

“Has something happened to Robby?” Mrs O’Rourke asked, concern was
obvious.

 

“No, nothing has happened to Robby, but it is extremely important I
speak with you.”

The housekeeper nodded her head. She led him to the back of the main
level of the house, to a room which appeared to be her private study. Once the
door was closed, Mrs O’Rourke asked him to explain what was happening.

“Forgive me for frightening you, Ma’am, but it is important I find out
information. Are you aware of two young ladies being here in the house,
young ladies who are here against their will?”

“I know there are two rooms being used, though I am not sure who is in
them. Mr Wickham and Mrs Younge take meals to the rooms and never allow
us near them. There are two young ladies? Lord, help us.”

“I am here with the family of the two ladies. One of the men is the
husband to one lady, and the other is his sister. Can you tell me where in the
house they are located? Can we access them by windows?”

Mrs O’Rourke knew something was going on in the house, but she was
not at liberty to ask questions or demand information. “The one room is on
the second floor, near the north corner. The only window is small, too small
for anyone to fit through. I believe they wished that room for that very
reason. The other room being used is in the attic. There was a maid’s room
up there, and there is no window in that room.”

“How many people do they have here? Are they armed?” Tommy asked.

“Another man arrived today. He is the new master of the estate. Mr
Collins. I do not know much of him, only what was sent to me by the solicitor
for Lady Catherine. The first man and the lady, they are armed at all times. I
know the man carries a pistol and at least one knife always, and the lady has a
knife strapped to her leg and a small, ladies pistol in her pocket. They are
planning to leave with the person in the second floor room, two days from
now. I overheard Mr Wickham telling Mr Collins that this morning.”

“Good, now, there are no others helping them?” Seeing Mrs O’Rourke
shake her head, Tommy continued. “Is there anyone here who would be
willing to aid us in bringing the two ladies back to their families? They will be
handsomely paid, as the husband is Mr Darcy.”

“Mr Darcy, of Pemberley? I know his family.”

 

Tommy nodded. “The other man is Colonel Fitzwilliam. He remembers
coming with his father, Lord Matlock, when he was a boy.”

 

“I remember Lord Matlock and his sons. The younger son was a kind
and good natured boy.”

 

“That is the Colonel. Mr Darcy is the brother of the younger of the two
ladies.” Tommy reassured her.

“I will need to speak to my husband and the footmen. I am sure they
will be able to aid Mr Darcy and the Colonel. There is one thing I should tell
you. The person up in the maid’s room in the attic, must be ill. There was talk
of sending for an apothecary if there was no improvement soon.”

This was not good news to Tommy. This would mean the plan needed
to come together quickly. “We will be at the shack, a mile north east of here.
Will you send someone with a message to us, later tonight, after you have
spoken to the men?”

“I will. Tommy, your mother, God rest her, would be so proud of what
you are doing.” Mrs O’Rourke smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. She
quickly embraced the young man before her, and quickly escorted him out of
the house before Wickham or Mrs Younge could see him.

~~ ** ~~

Lord and Lady Matlock had arrived in Dublin and immediately prepared
to continue their journey. They were not surprised to find a message left by
their son when they hired a carriage to take them to Rosemoore.

Mother,

I knew you would come. I hope you were able to
convince Father of the truth and he is with you. We are
heading for Sir Lewis’ estate of Rosemoore. It is our belief
that Lady Catherine would have sent her lackeys there
with Darcy’s ladies. We are not sure how many men
Wickham has with him. We have hired some to take with
us, local men who know the area. Please use caution when
you approach Rosemoore, I do not wish you to be harmed.

I pray we will see you soon, and we will have
Georgiana and Elizabeth safely recovered. Darcy has been
having one of his feelings, this one is that Elizabeth is
injured and taken ill. Keep a prayer for all of our safety.

Your loving son,

 

Richard

Knowing there was a small inn two miles from Rosemoore, Lord
Matlock decided to travel there and hire someone to check on the estate
before the Matlocks went to the house. They hired a dozen men from Dublin
to journey with them, in case Richard and Darcy needed assistance.

~~ ** ~~

Darcy was pacing the floor of the shack when Tommy returned. When
the young man entered the shack, Darcy rushed towards him. “What did you
learn? Are they there?”

“They are there, though Mrs O’Rourke has not seen them. Wickham and
Mrs Younge handle their care, not allowing anyone else in the rooms. And a
Collins arrived today. He is the new master of the estate.”

“I knew he was involved with Lady Catherine in this plot.” Richard spat
his words.

 

“How many others do they have and what sort of weapons are they
carrying?” Darcy asked.

“Only Wickham and Younge, as well as Collins. Wickham and Younge
have knives and pistols with them at all times, from what the housekeeper
said. Mr Collins does not appear to be armed, only demanding. Mrs O’Rourke
said Wickham and Mrs Younge are taking one of the ladies with them and
leaving the area in two days. And, Mr Darcy, the other lady is ill. They are
trying to decide whether to send for the apothecary.”

Darcy’s heart nearly stopped. His beloved was truly reaching out to
him, sending him messages, telling him she was in poor condition. She was
dying, and if no one helped her soon, she would perish. He could feel it in his
heart, the pain she felt and her body slowly giving up.

“We must go tonight. Do you know where in the house they are?” Darcy
asked.

“One is on the second floor, north corner of the house. The other is in a
maid’s room in the attic. From what I have been told, the one in the attic is
your wife.” Tommy looked cautiously at the man before him. “Mrs O’Rourke is
going to speak with her husband and the staff, and then they will send word
here to us as to what would be the best way for us to rescue the ladies.”

Richard nodded his head. “So we have to wait until there is more
information.” He knew his cousin would not want to wait. “William, it is
important we have the information. It is the safest way to get both of them
out of the house.”

“Is there a physician or apothecary near here? We need to have them
ready for when we rescue them. Elizabeth needs help soon.”

 

“There is a physician, just the other side of the inn we passed.” One of
the other men stated.

Richard looked at his cousin for a moment. “William, you should take
the rest of the men back to the inn, have the physician prepared for when we
get inside the house secured. Have a good meal, refresh yourselves. Then
bring some food back for Tommy and me. We will wait here for the message.
If you have not returned, Tommy will come to the inn.”

Darcy looked at the other men, all of whom had ridden hard and
followed orders without complaint. They had not eaten in hours, and they had
to be hungry. “Very well. We will return with a filling meal for you.”

Nodding, Richard was relieved he would not have an argument with his
cousin over leaving. As Darcy walked passed him, a smile graced the Master of
Pemberley’s lips. “I am only going, due to the fact I need food and know the
men do too. If we do not see to our needs now, what good will we be to Lizzy
in a few hours? I am attempting to be rational, even though my heart
demands I race ahead and storm the house to find her.”

“It pleases me to see you are listening to your head, not your heart.
Keep thinking this way, William. It is the only way we will be able to rescue
Elizabeth and Georgiana.”