Page 64 of Undone

"Then perhaps I shall take the papers elsewhere. There are others who would pay handsomely for what they contain."

A silence followed. Darcy imagined Mrs. Vane considering the threat, calculating whether Wickham possessed sufficientresolve to carry it into effect. The packet contained nothing that could injure him or his family, though Wickham had been instructed to speak of it as though it held letters, accounts, and private memoranda stolen from Pemberley.

Colonel Fitzwilliam glanced at Darcy. At his cousin's nod, he lifted his boot and drove it against the lock.

The wood splintered beneath the blow. The door flew inward, and Colonel Fitzwilliam entered at once with his pistol raised.

"Do not move!"

Darcy followed him into the cottage, with Colonel Forster and the sergeant close behind. The small parlour was dim despite the fire burning in the grate, for heavy clouds obscured what remained of the afternoon light. Wickham stood near the hearth with the packet clutched in one hand, precisely where he had been instructed to stand. Should Mrs. Vane betray the least suspicion, he was to threaten to cast the packet into the fire and force her hand. Opposite him, Mrs. Vane had turned sharply towards the broken doorway. Beside her stood a man Darcy did not recognise, his hand already moving towards the inside of his coat.

Colonel Fitzwilliam aimed his pistol directly at him.

"I should advise against it."

The stranger's hand became still.

"Remove it slowly," Colonel Forster commanded. "Two fingers only."

The man obeyed, drawing a small pistol from inside his coat and lowering it carefully to the floor. The sergeant stepped forward, kicked the weapon beyond reach, and seized him by the arm.

"Hale, I presume," Colonel Fitzwilliam said.

The man gave no answer, but the fleeting change in his expression was sufficient confirmation.

Mrs. Vane looked from Darcy to Wickham, and understanding settled over her features. Her surprise lasted only an instant. She drew herself upright, adjusted one glove with deliberate care, and regarded Wickham with undisguised contempt.

"So," she said. "You betrayed me."

Wickham attempted a shrug, though the movement appeared strained beneath Colonel Forster's watchful gaze. "I had little choice."

"There is always a choice."

"Spoken like a woman who has never stood within sight of the gallows."

Mrs. Vane's mouth curved into a faint smile. "Do not deceive yourself, Mr. Wickham. You did not act from fear of the gallows. You acted with no sense of loyalty."

Wickham turned towards Colonel Forster. "I have done what was required of me. You heard her. She came for the papers. There are sufficient witnesses."

"And you shall receive whatever consideration your assistance merits," Colonel Forster replied. His tone suggested that the consideration might prove rather less than Wickham hoped. "Sergeant."

The sergeant took the packet from Wickham before securing his wrists. Wickham submitted without protest, though resentment darkened his countenance as he was moved to the far side of the room beside Hale.

Mrs. Vane watched him for a moment before turning her attention to Darcy. There was no fear in her expression. He had imagined this meeting many times during the preceding days, but never had he expected her to receive defeat with such composure.

"You went to a great deal of trouble," she said.

"You left us little alternative."

"I left you a great many alternatives, Mr. Darcy. You simply failed to perceive them."

"You arranged for Mrs. Younge to enter my household under false references. You employed Wickham to gather intelligence concerning my family and estate. Then you directed him towards my sister."

Mrs. Vane's gaze did not waver.

"Now that I think of it, you must also have contrived my invitation to the Kingsleys' ball. I do not yet know your purpose in that, but it proved a grave mistake. That, and ever involving my sister in your schemes."

"Your sister survived," she said.