Page 26 of Midnight at Pemberley

He stopped the horse far enough away that those in the house could not make out their forms. “I missed you,” he said quietly.

“Of course, you did,” came her retort. She snaked her arms around his neck and pretended nothing had changed. “Now, kiss me before I must face my family.”

He considered shoving her away, but a heartbeat later, he groaned and pulled her to him. At length, he set her from him and took up the reins again.

As he rode into the entranceway to Longbourn, other issues consumed his thoughts. It would be necessary for him to return to the woman’s body and destroy it without anyone’s knowledge.

“Elizabeth!” Mary called from the open doorway. Immediately, her family poured from the house.

“Mr. Darcy, what means this?” Mr. Bennet demanded.

“Miss Elizabeth met with an unfortunate accident of some consequence.” Darcy’s voice boomed over the clatter, and they all fell silent. “We will explain once we see her into the house.”

Mr. Bennet reached for Elizabeth to assist her down. “Come, Lizzy,” her father insisted as Jane and Kitty rushed to wrap her in their embrace.

A few steps towards the door, Elizabeth paused. “Papa,” she called over her shoulder. “Have Mr. Darcy come in. He saved me today, and we owe him our gratitude.”

Mr. Bennet reached for the reins of Darcy’s horse. “Come in, Mr. Darcy. Pray, come in.”

Darcy dismounted and followed the others into the parlor. Bingley had called often upon the household, but Darcy had not. Although comfortable, the furniture appeared worn and frayed, but there was cheerfulness in the place. Elizabeth took up residence on a settee covered in a floral design. Before anyone could object, she looked up at him standing in the doorway and ordered, “Mr. Darcy, please join me. I will require your support in making my family understand what occurred.”

Again, silence and inquiry filled the air. “Naturally, Miss Elizabeth, if it allays your fears.”

Jane fussed with Elizabeth’s hair. “My!” she gasped. “You have leaves entangled in your curls. Would you not wish to freshen up before we discuss why you are so disheveled?”

“Possibly, Mr. Darcy would like some port, Papa,” she said, ignoring her sister’s administrations. It did Darcy good to observe her tenderness directed upon him.

Mr. Bennet did her bidding. The rest of the family huddled together. Miraculously, no one spoke. They permitted Elizabeth to orchestrate the situation, and Darcy suspected she was often in charge. When Darcy had his drink, Elizabeth cleared her throat. No sign of the earlier fright remained.

“First, I wish to assure you I am well. I walked into Meryton this morning to see if Aunt Philips required assistance for this evening’s gathering. On my way back, I heard something unusual. I do not know what it was, although Mr. Darcy seems to think it might have been a wild dog or some such animal.” She actually reached out and patted the back of his hand as it rested on the seat between them. Darcy thought about catching hers, but propriety overruled the impulse.

“At any rate, I thought whatever it was gave chase, and I ran in fear. In hindsight, it was a silly thing to do, but I was distraught.”

“Naturally, you were, my dear,” her mother said.

Prolonging the drama, Elizabeth paused. “I ran towards Thompson’s barn. I thought I might seek shelter there.” Suddenly, Elizabeth lost her nerve.

She glanced at him, and her lips trembled. “Would you … Mr. Darcy?” She buried her face in her hands, and so he leaned over and whispered softly, “I will tell it, Miss Elizabeth.”

Darcy claimed the tale upon which they agreed. “Mr. Bingley and I were out riding.”

“Mr. Bingley?” Jane looked around, wondering where he was.

“Bingley will arrive shortly,” he assured her. “We rode along his property line. Suddenly birds took flight in fear, and almost immediately we heard a sound of something running and viewed a dark shadow of what could have been a large dog along the road. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw Miss Elizabeth, in obvious distress, running over the crest of a hill. Bingley and I gave pursuit. Before we could reach your daughter, Mr. Bennet, we heard Miss Elizabeth’s screams. When I finally found her, Miss Elizabeth was on the ground, crawling away in terror.”

“I do not understand, Mr. Darcy.” Mr. Bennet leaned forward.

Elizabeth now sobbed audibly, her eyes downcast. “Should I go on, Miss Elizabeth?” Darcy asked softly. “Would you rather retire to your room and permit me to speak of this incident?”

She looked up suddenly and caught his eye. “Thank you. I will return when Mr. Bingley arrives.”

“You go,” he said in true tenderness.

Mr. Bennet motioned for his housekeeper, Mrs. Hill, to assist Elizabeth. When she was safely on her way up the stairs, Darcy added, “Your daughter attempts to be brave, Mr. Bennet, but she knew real terror today. As Miss Elizabeth executed her escape from the dog or whatever she thought was there, she fell into a ditch. Neither Mr. Bingley nor I saw her fall, but Miss Elizabeth was on the ground when we reached her. And the fear was very real! The cause of her fall was the body of a woman lying in a crevice.” He heard a collective gasp from those in attendance. Mrs. Bennet began to fan her face, as if to swoon. “Mr. Bingley rode into Meryton for the authorities. I brought Miss Elizabeth here to the safety of her home.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Jane whispered. “Poor Lizzy.”

“Did she see the woman’s body?” Mr. Bennet implored.