Netherfield Park Quarantined (17 page)

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One of the guards approached Mr Bennet’s study. Upon being directed
to enter, the man walked to the edge of the desk. “Sir, there has been a
sighting of two men, on horseback, watching the estate carefully. They are the
same men who have been seen in Meryton watching the Phillips residence and
also near Netherfield’s main house.”

“Is it the same men who were seen in Meryton just before Mr Phillips
was murdered?” Mr Bennet asked the man.

“It is believed so. Lawson saw them in Meryton, and when he returns
from checking with the men there, I will take him to the area where the men
were seen earlier. They are intent on watching the comings and goings here
at the house.”

“Fortunately we have no set routine which they think they can exploit. I
wonder if they are the same men who attempted to come here, claiming to
express their condolences to Mrs Phillips.”

“Most likely is, from the description of the men. We will keep a close
watch over the estate, including the tenants. Mr Gardiner sent word that
there would be more men coming. Colonel Fitzwilliam, cousin of your son in
law, contacted a Colonel Forster of the militia. He asked that the militia be
brought here to protect the area. The letter stated Colonel Forster is aware of
the situation, and is more than willing to assist the family of Colonel
Fitzwilliam. Evidently, Mr Darcy’s cousin saved Colonel Forster’s life.”

“He must have made the arrangements when Elizabeth was kidnapped,
as I am not certain if William and his cousin know of Mr Phillips’ murder.” Mr
Bennet turned towards the window. “I pray they are successful in finding my
daughter and Miss Darcy, and bring them home safely.”

“Your family still is unaware of your daughter’s being taken?”
“I did not wish to cause any further fear until we know for sure what has
happened to her.” Mr Bennet said sadly.

 

“Very good, Sir. None of my men know the situation. I will keep the
news to myself.”

“Mr Denny, you are as commendable as Mr Darcy said you were. When
he sent you to Mr Gardiner to arrange coming here, I was amazed at the high
regard the man had for you.”

“Mr Darcy is a gentleman of great compassion and kindness to those
who are loyal to his family. My aunt, Mrs Agnes Reynolds, has been the
housekeeper at Pemberley since the Master was a small boy. There is no finer
master to be found, and my family would give up their lives to protect them
and theirs.” Denny then got a grin on his face. “Besides, if my aunt thought for
a moment I had not done my best to protect the family of our new Mistress,
she would take me behind the barn and tan my hide. Even though I am grown,
I do not underestimate the fury that is my Aunt Agnes when she gets up a
head of steam. I would rather battle Napoleon himself than tangle with Aunt
Agnes.”

Mr Bennet smiled. “I look forward to meeting your aunt in the future,
and am grateful for the advice on not getting her dander up. I am truly
grateful for your loyalty to my family as well. See to it the men are fed and
able to rest.”

Denny nodded his head. “We have it all worked out, Mr Bennet. Do not
fret a bit.”

 

~~ ** ~~

Lord and Lady Matlock had just taken rooms at the inn near Rosemoore
when they heard voices entering the building. Turning around, they saw the
haggard face of their beloved nephew. Lady Matlock moved quickly to him,
pulling him into an embrace.

“William, my dear boy, are you well?”

 

“I am Aunt. I am surprised to see you here already.” Darcy said, glancing
at his uncle wearily.

“Have no fear of me, Darcy.” Lord Matlock stepped to his nephew as his
wife released her hold on the young man. “My wife has made me see the error
of my way of thinking and now I understand the truth. I am here to assist in
rescuing your wife and sister.”

“Thank you, Uncle. How did you arrive so soon? You must have been
behind us in travels.”

“Actually, Richard wrote to me ahead of your departure from England.
He was sure that Wickham had gone to Dublin from Liverpool, but was
awaiting confirmation. His letter told me you were most likely traveling to
Ireland soon. If you were gone from Liverpool, we would travel to Ireland. I
also sent word to my cousin to have a ship ready for us when we arrived in
Liverpool. We also had the fortune of knowing where we were going, where
you and Richard have had to figure it all out.” Lady Matlock smiled.

Lord Matlock was confused. “The letter you showed me from Richard
stated they were sailing to Dublin that day. You knew they had not left
Liverpool when we left London?”

“There were two letters. The first one told me the truth. The second
letter I was to use if you finally came to your senses and realized what a mess
your sister had created. You see, your son knows you well.”

Lord Matlock shook his head. Turning his attention back to his nephew,
he had questions. “Where is Richard? Have you found your ladies?”

“Richard is at a shack nearby, waiting for word from inside the house at
Rosemoore. Lizzy and Georgiana are inside the house, though we believe
Lizzy is quite ill.”

“Oh, no.” Lady Matlock exclaimed. “What do we know of the situation?
Will you and Richard be able to gain access?”

 

“It appears there are only two, possibly three armed people inside the
house. George Wickham, Mrs Younge, and Mr Collins.”

 

“Mr Collins? What is he doing here?” Lord Matlock bellowed.
“He is the new master of Rosemoore, as Lady Catherine gave the estate
to him as a gift to keep my wife away from me.”

 

“Good God, Catherine is a bigger fool than I had thought. Are there any
guards on the grounds?”

“No. And, fortunately, one of the men with us is known to the
housekeeper and her family. He has already been able to speak with her and
she is to send word to the shack as to how we can best recover the ladies
without further harm.” Darcy stated.

“You men can discuss the situation further while you eat. William, you
need to refresh yourself and I will order you and your men something filling
and nourishing.” Lady Matlock stated, as she shoo’d her nephew to the
necessary room.

Once Darcy had splashed some water on his face and washed off with a
cloth and some soap and water, he felt much more alive. He returned to the
dining room to find the other men already beginning to eat the fine food which
was being served to them. Cold meats, breads, a hearty stew, and plenty of
strong coffee were consumed. While eating, Darcy and Lord Matlock were
able to discuss options for the rescue.

It was decided that Lord Matlock would stay at the inn with the
physician, for which had been sent and arrived at the inn while the men were
eating. Once the house was secure, a runner from Darcy’s men would be sent
to the inn to bring Lord and Lady Matlock and the physician to Rosemoore.

As Darcy and the men, including most of the men who had arrived with
the Matlocks, prepared to leave, Lady Matlock kissed her nephew on the
cheek. “That is for you.” She then kissed his other cheek. “And that is for
Richard. And I insist you give it to him as I did you. Now, you have food for
him and the other young man?”

“Yes, Aunt. And some coffee in the heavy crock, to keep it warm. Thank
you for coming to aid us.”

Patting his cheek, Lady Matlock felt tears stinging in her eyes. “I cannot
imagine anywhere else to be at a time like this. Now, be careful and bring our
girls back safely.”

~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~

 

Chapter 14

It was nearly midnight when Wickham knocked on Mr Collins’
bedchamber door. “What is the meaning of this, disturbing me at such an
hour?”

“I suggest you come up to the attic. Miss Elizabeth is not doing well.
Perhaps it is time to call for an apothecary.” Wickham said.

 

“Do whatever is necessary, and we will discuss it in the morning.”
“Mr Collins, I am firm on insisting you come up to the attic. You need to
see her condition. I will not be held responsible if she were to die.”

“Elizabeth will not die, she is looking forward to our wedding. With
such a joyous event coming, she has much to live for.” Mr Collins declared.
“Very well, I will accompany you. I am sure you are exaggerating the
situation.”

The two men made their way up the stairs, finally arriving at the attic.
Wickham opened the door, allowing Mr Collins to step inside. Indeed,
Elizabeth appeared to have worsened since Mr Collins had seen her earlier in
the day. “Very well, send for the apothecary.”

Wickham nodded his head. “You should remain here until I return. I
will not be long.” He then left the room in search of the housekeeper.

Mrs O’Rourke was preparing to go to her rooms, knowing the rescue
party would be arriving soon. She knew Mr Collins had gone to bed early, as
he was fatigued from his journey. She thought Wickham and Mrs Younge had
gone to bed, in the room they shared on the second floor.

The footmen and Mr O’Rourke were more than willing to assist in the
recovery of the two young ladies to their family, and had formulated a plan.
The footmen were to meet Darcy and the Colonel at the servant entrance in
the back of the house. They would lead them up the back stairwell to the
second floor to remove the young lady from the room in the north corner. The
men would then work their way up the stairs to the attic to free the other
young lady. While two men secured each of the young ladies, three men each
were to force their way into the bedchambers of Collins and Wickham,
securing the three culprits.

The men had just arrived as Wickham came to ask for the apothecary.
Seeing Richard, coming through the rear door, Wickham turned around and
ran up the stairs. He continued up to the attic, leaving Mrs Younge on her
own, alone and asleep in their bed. Wickham was smart enough to know his
best bargaining tool was Elizabeth. Darcy would do anything to regain his
wife, most likely even allow Wickham to leave unharmed. Wickham could not
care what happened to Mr Collins, as he had little use for the pompous
clergyman.

Rushing into the maid’s room in the attic, Wickham pushed Collins out
of the way, dragging Elizabeth off the bed. As he turned around, the nearly
limp body held before him with a pistol in his other hand, Wickham came face
to face with the man he hated more than anyone else in the world, Fitzwilliam
Darcy.

“Darce, what brings you all the way here? I was planning to return
Georgiana soon, we were bringing her back to England in a few days.”

“You know why I am here, Wickham. Georgiana is only part of my
reason for being here. Now, hand me my wife. There is no need to jostle her
about like you are.”

Wickham sneered. “Ah, well, I cannot just hand her over to you. You
see, if I do, you will kill me. I just cannot allow such a thing. So, I think we
need to work out a trade.”

Richard had arrived at his cousin’s side. “Georgiana is safe, the men have
her outside with Mrs O’Rourke. She is well and not injured.”

 

“See, old friend, I did not cause your sweet sister any harm. And your
dear wife, well, her injury was an accident. She took a fever from the wound.”

Mr Collins was outraged. “She is not Mr Darcy’s wife, she is to marry
me. Lady Catherine told me she would make certain the annulment happened,
so Elizabeth was free to marry me.”

“My aunt is the one who is wrong. Elizabeth is my wife, and will be my
wife for eternity. You will never marry her.” Darcy growled.

“You have no say in the matter. Lady Catherine and her brother will be
seeing you placed in a sanitarium, as the fever you had at Netherfield has left
you addled.”

“Mr Collins, it is you who is addled.” Richard stated. “And my father is
well aware of the truth. He and my mother are down the road, waiting for us.
They support us, in returning Elizabeth to her rightful husband.”

“It is not possible.” Mr Collins sputtered. “He told Lady Catherine and
me he would support all we did to protect their family. He suggested a
solicitor to assist with the annulment. Lord Matlock believed all we told him.”

“Once he learned the truth, my father decided to show his support to my
cousin and his wife. The best thing you and Wickham can do is hand Elizabeth
over to us.”

Mr Collins stood possessively beside Wickham and held on to her limp
hand. “She is my betrothed. She is to marry me. I am her father’s heir, it is
natural for us to marry. And it was Elizabeth’s own mother who suggested the
arrangement, she supports the marriage.”

“Mrs Bennet has no authority to make arrangements for marriage. Mr
Bennet is the head of the family, it is his name on the marriage contracts and
he who decided Elizabeth and I should wed. Hand over my wife,
immediately.” Darcy was growing angrier by the moment. It was clear
Elizabeth was ill, she needed to be tended to by a physician.

Wickham began edging closer to the door leading to the platform,
dragging Elizabeth with him. Mr Collins followed Wickham’s retreat, firm in
his refusal to give up to Darcy, the woman he planned to marry.

The door to the platform was open, and the two men took their hostage
outside. There was a rope ladder at the far corner, near the chimney, where
some repairs had recently been accomplished. Wickham planned on carrying
Elizabeth over his shoulder down the ladder, and then he would drop her to
the ground and take one of the horses. But he had not counted on Mr Collins
being such an idiot.

As they neared the edge of the platform, Wickham called out his plans to
Darcy. “Your bride and I will be climbing down the rope ladder. Once I reach
the ground, and everyone stays away from me, I will leave her on the lawn
while I leave on one of the horses you brought with you.”

“You will do no such thing, Mr Wickham.” Mr Collins declared. “I am the
master of this house, these men are trespassing and they have no claims to my
betrothed. You may climb down the ladder if you wish, but you will not be
taking Elizabeth with you. Mr Darcy will not harm you, or I will have further
charges pressed on him.”