Vampire Darcy's Desire (34 page)

In her dream, Mrs. Younge’s décor had demonstrated the woman’s good taste, but, in reality, the furnishings were shabby.The cushions showed threadbare sections, but the place was clean. No dust rested on the cheap figurines nor were there spots on the carpeting. Looking at the economy with which the woman lived made Elizabeth pity the late Mrs. Younge. The woman’s descent into hell had started with Wickham’s seduction.

“Someone is in the kitchen,” Darcy whispered into her hair. “Let us see who.”

He pushed open the door, and the smell of porridge filled the air. An old woman with white hair stood with her back to them, fussing over the food preparation. Darcy cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned quickly and was surprised to see Darcy and Elizabeth occupying the doorway.“Oh, goodness gracious me.”The woman wiped her hands on her apron.“He’p you, Sir? Ma’am?”

“We are friends of Mrs.Younge. Might she be about?” Darcy tried to keep his tone amiable. He had no idea whether the woman was a vampire. He would take no chances with Elizabeth here. He moved to shield his wife from a possible attack. Elizabeth had shared part of her dream with him, and after Mrs.Annesley’s words of advice, Darcy knew not which “reality” to trust.

“Have yet to see her, Sir. Mrs. Younge come and go as she please. I hep out here couple days a week with cleanin’ and cookin’.”
The woman adjusted the lid of the soup pot. “She be havin’ guests later. I fix soup for ’me.”

“Are there guests in the house now?” Elizabeth ventured from off Darcy’s right shoulder.

“Mr. George left hours ago. He be it.”

Darcy shot a quick glance at Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye.“Mr. George?”

“He be an ole friend of ’Melia’s, too. My, Mr. George kin sleep—sleep for two days stright, he did.” She chuckled as she bent over and pulled two loaves of bread from the oven.“You be stayin’ tonight, Sir? Ma’am? I fix mighty fine soup.”

“We are considering it.” He took Elizabeth’s hand to edge her back through the door.“Would you mind if we looked around?”

The woman looked up suspiciously.“How be you know ’Melia?”

Elizabeth responded casually, “She and I worked together before she was governess for the Darcy family. I taught school for a year before I hooked up with my mister.”

“This be yer mister?”The old woman eyed Darcy appreciatively.

“Yes, he is.We just came to London to make our way. I thought Amelia might have a place we could afford until we got a nest egg of our own.” Elizabeth snuggled into Darcy’s arm in a possessive way.

“Well, seein’ as how you know ’Melia, I be supposin’ you could choose yer room of those empty ones.All be clean ’ceptin’ Mr. George’s.”

“We will not bother anything,” Elizabeth assured her, “just look around.”

“That be fine, Ma’am.” The woman turned back to her work.

Darcy and Elizabeth slipped from the room and headed towards the main staircase. “Does this resemble your dream?” Darcy wondered aloud as they ascended the hardwood steps.

“Only in the angle of the curvature of the staircase,” she said, trying to downplay the vivid dream, which still clung to the recesses of her mind.

“The old woman said Wickham is no longer here.”

Elizabeth murmured,“What if she was wrong?”

“She is not.” Darcy touched the knob of the only closed door in the hallway. “I am able to sense Wickham, and I have no such feeling right now.”

Elizabeth sighed audibly, accepting his reasoning. “I hate it when you are right,” she joked, trying to ease the tension.

“You must accustom yourself to it, my love. I am rarely wrong.”

“Open the door, Mr. Darcy,” she said,“so we can find what we need and then leave this place.”

Darcy turned the knob slowly; the click of the release made Elizabeth jump, but he let the wood swing away from the frame, revealing a darkened room. Cautiously, Darcy moved to the windows, pulling open the drapes to let the natural light pour in. Finally able to see, Elizabeth tiptoed into the space.

Nothing seemed out of place; the water pitcher, the glass, the hairbrush, the folded towel—everything appeared to be ready for the next guest.They surveyed it all—every inch of the room. Elizabeth’s gaze fell on the chintz-covered bed. “What is that?” She pointed to dark streaks on the pale yellow cloth.

They cautiously approached the four-poster from either side—the drape, a dark guillotine blade, seemed to separate them from reality.“I do not know.” Darcy touched the black streaks spread in a curving pattern across the flat surface of the bed cover. He touched the smudge with his finger, brought the flakes to his nose, and sniffed.“I think it is dirt.”

“Dirt?” Elizabeth questioned.“Why would there be dirt all over the coverings? It makes no sense. Even if Wickham had mud on his jacket, it would not be in a definite pattern. Step to the foot of the bed. Can you not see it is an outline of someone lying here?”

Darcy did as she suggested. “It is indeed; you have a good eye, Elizabeth.”

“Did Wickham sleep here on this dirt-streaked bed?”

Darcy walked away to examine the rest of the room. “As clean as the other rooms are, the bed seems out of place. It must have something to do with
him
.”

“Is there anything else? This room is most unwelcoming.” Elizabeth
closed her eyes and shivered.“Wickham slept here after both of his attacks on us.”

“The only other thing that seems out of place is the hand towel. All the others are neatly folded, but this one is twisted and placed next to the bowl. It has a smear, as if someone wiped their soiled fingers on it.” Darcy held the towel aloft.

Elizabeth came forward for a closer look. “This does not look like the same dirt as is on the bed. It is greyer in color and has an odd smell—more like ashes.”

“Earth and ashes,” Darcy summarized. “I suppose we will add them to our growing list of vampire theories.”

“These different concepts must all fit together somehow,” Elizabeth warranted.

“Let us depart, my love.We have seen enough.” Darcy reached for her and, hand in hand, they left the house. Elizabeth wondered what would become of the old woman and even the house when Amelia Younge did not return. Sitting in the hack Darcy had flagged down for their return to Overton House, she could not control her tears. Imprisoned by her thoughts, she again grieved for a woman she had never known.

 

Entering their town house some thirty minutes later, Elizabeth quickly slipped away to freshen up and add their findings to the list she had began begun the previous evening. Darcy squeezed her hand in parting and headed towards his study to complete some estate paperwork.

“Mr. Darcy,” whispered Mr. Frasser as he passed through the foyer,“you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?” Darcy asked, annoyed.

“It is Mr. Bingley, Sir. I assumed you would wish me to admit him.”

“You are quite right, Mr. Frasser.Where is Mr. Bingley?”

“The gentleman waits in your study, Sir. I took the liberty of ordering tea upon your return. I will serve it momentarily.”

“Thank you, Mr. Frasser.”The inevitable moment had arrived.
Instead of going directly to his study, Darcy stepped into a nearby sitting room to gain control of his nerves. For some time, Caroline Bingley had seemed to expect him to reciprocate her attentions to him. However, he had never found Miss Bingley appealing. In fact, there had been only one or two others throughout the years with whom he had considered marriage, but that had been before he understood the full ramifications of the Darcy hex.With Elizabeth, he had lost his head immediately, despite her less-than-stellar social connections. The situation was an awkward one for both men. Darcy had delayed as long as he could. He walked quickly towards his private room, a sense of guilt permeating every step. He should have sent Bingley word of his marriage, but he had avoided acknowledging his obsession with
his Elizabeth
. Would Bingley understand? “Bingley,” he called out as he entered the room,“why are you in London? I thought you to be in Hampshire!”

Bingley sprang to his feet and shook Darcy’s hand. “We heard nothing since we left you along the London Road. I came to assure myself that you had suffered no harm.”

Darcy motioned to the chair Bingley had just vacated and then took the one opposite, behind the desk.“I am ashamed to put you through such trouble, Bingley.As you can see, I am well.”

“I am relieved to confirm just that, Darcy.” Bingley shot a quick glance at his friend before adding,“You were in some distress when we parted.”

Darcy cleared his throat, preparing to confess everything, but before he could speak, Mr. Frasser carried in a tray of tea and cakes. Both men waited for the butler to deposit the refreshments on a nearby table.“Thank you, Mr. Frasser, I will pour,” Darcy said.

“May I pour instead?” Elizabeth stood framed in the doorway. She had changed into a deep green day dress, which complemented her eyes, making them more intense, and her complexion glowed with their sudden scrutiny.

Bingley sprang to his feet and bowed. He stammered, “Miss… Miss Elizabeth! I did not expect to see you at Overton House.”

Darcy slowly rose from the chair. His whole body responded to
her entrance. Like the flame and the moth, she enticed him simply by walking into the room. Speaking softly but firmly, he said,“Bingley, may I present my wife.”

“Your
wife?!
” Bingley exclaimed. Before he could recover from the shock, he asked,“When?”

“Three days ago,” Elizabeth said sweetly, a hint of amusement playing across her face as she moved to where Darcy stood.“Please return to your seats, gentlemen. I simply came to welcome you to our home, Mr. Bingley.” She stood beside Darcy as Bingley sat back down quickly.

Darcy took her hand and brought the back of it to his lips. “I was just about to divulge our surprise to Bingley when you joined us, my dear.”

“I apologize for interrupting you, my Husband.”

Darcy led her to a nearby chair. “Please join us, Elizabeth.” He seated himself across from her and next to Bingley.

Elizabeth poured the tea as Darcy began his explanation.“Bingley, I should have shared my situation with you before we left Netherfield, but being in such an emotional upheaval, I could
not
speak of it. I presented my plight to Elizabeth the night of the ball, having found her an irresistible force over the weeks we were in Hertfordshire. However, because of the gruesome discovery of Miss King’s body, she did not give me an answer.” He paused to accept the tea Elizabeth offered him.“Knowing I was leaving with you, Elizabeth sent her response by courier. Luckily, the man she dispatched met Lucas along the road. Lucas, sent on another task, brought me news from Georgiana of my uncle, the Earl of Matlock, coming to London on family business. She had no idea we had left Netherfield on the same morning. As fate would have it, coincidentally, we all met on the London Road.When I read Elizabeth’s message, I immediately returned to claim her hand. Once I held Mr. Bennet’s permission, I moved heaven and earth to make the wedding happen before Christmas. Mrs. Darcy’s aunt and uncle graciously allowed her to marry out of their home, and my aunt and uncle were able to witness our joining.”

Darcy’s convoluted tale amazed Elizabeth. She wondered if he had planned the story prior to Bingley’s appearance or whether it was purely extemporaneous.“My Husband, Mr. Bingley, can be very persuasive.” Elizabeth dropped her eyes in feigned embarrassment.

“Mrs. Darcy,” Bingley said, having regained his composure, “may I wish you much happiness. Darcy is an exceptional friend, and I am sure he will make you a
fortuitous
match.”

“It is
fortunate
, Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth said calmly,“that my dear Fitzwilliam and I care so deeply for each other. My regard for Mr. Darcy grows daily. I have no doubt about our match.”

Bingley flushed in embarrassment. “Oh, Mrs. Darcy, I meant no offense.”

“No offense is taken, Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth reassured him. “I expect you are simply surprised by the speed of our courtship.”

“My regard, Bingley, began with the many meetings between Elizabeth and me during our stay in Hertfordshire. It grew rapidly when she came to stay at Netherfield with her sister. I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. I was in the middle before I knew I had begun.” He sipped his tea.

“After Fitzwilliam and you saved me from my attacker, I became dependent on him. I think his tender care during that time finally won me over,” Elizabeth added. Elizabeth knew—because Darcy had told her—that if Mr. Bingley thought more about the matter, he would remember Darcy had
avoided
her after that attack, saying he did not want her to think he was courting her. But Elizabeth was confident a man would never think of such a thing.Those comings and goings were in the realm of female thoughts.

“Mrs. Darcy and I married while His Lordship was in town. Colonel Fitzwilliam stood up with me, as he and his parents insisted on being here for the ceremony. In fact, Georgiana returned to Matlock with my aunt and uncle earlier today. Elizabeth and I will leave for Pemberley the first part of next week. I was remiss in informing you, Bingley, of my change in marital status; it was shameful of me. I became so engrossed in our first few days as
man and wife I neglected my friends. Forgive me, I pray you.”

Bingley shifted uncomfortably, not accustomed to Darcy’s humility. “It is perfectly understandable, Darcy. Besides, you realize I also needed a few days away from my sisters. Seeking you out was a reasonable excuse to allay Caroline’s censure. In reality, I should thank you for aiding my escape.”

Elizabeth stood. “I will leave you two to renew your friendship.” She returned her cup to the tray. “Mr. Bingley, I hope you will join us for supper.”

“Mrs. Darcy, I cannot intrude on
newlyweds.
”