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He leaned in to whisper, “Calm down. We need to hear him out. Otherwise, how are we to help Elizabeth?”

William studied Richard for a few moments before dropping back down in the chair, a clenched jaw and steely eyes proof that he was livid still. Richard took the seat beside him as a precaution and nodded to Frederick Stanton to continue. The older man tapped Mr. Scroggins on the shoulder, motioning for him to stand down and then took his seat as well.

“The fact that he was married did nothing to curtail Stephen’s pursuit of respectable women. His conduct was despicable and we parted company over his actions. Many disturbing reports followed—arguments, rumours of maidens ruined, duels, angry fathers and brothers. It was as though he had no conscience. Whomever he desired, he pursed with a passion, and once he had the woman, he no longer wanted her it seemed. I began to believe that Stephen was tempting fate, and that one day an angry father would finish him. It was not until his thirtieth birthday, however, that a cruel incident convinced me to intervene and commit him to Bedlam.

“I ... I had invited my niece to Northgate. Mary Catherine was to be married, and her mother, my sister, was determined that the wedding be held at our ancestral home. My niece was a lovely girl, barely twenty, with dark blond hair and green eyes. By this time, Stephen had been back in my good graces for about a year and often frequented Northgate. I remember thinking upon her introduction to Stephen that he acted the perfect cousin—respectful but not flirtatious.

“Apparently that was all an act as he was quickly smitten with Mary Catherine. My servants caught them together in a compromising situation so I went to him—asked him not to trifle with her affections. All he did was scoff! He implied that I had an evil mind—that he was only taking an interest in her welfare as any cousin should. The next day he eloped with her, taking a curricle and heading to Gretna Green. He was driving when it overturned, and she was killed. Everyone was devastated—everyone except Stephen.”

A grimace crossed Stanton’s face. “He laughed! Laughed! He claimed Providence must have intervened to save him from an imprudent union.” He shook his head. “Our family was shattered, while he went on his merry way without so much as an apology. After that, I filed the papers to have him committed; but, in a twist of fate, someone alerted him, and he was on a ship to Italy before I realised he was missing.

“The next time I laid eyes on him, he was nearing four and thirty and much too clever for me to manage. Our relationship has been strained ever since. He knows I will not support him, but he insists on coming to my homes when least expected. That is how I learned of his new occupation—marrying widows for their money. I challenged him about his comings and goings at Northgate Manor, and he admitted as much to me.”

Everyone was silent, as furtive glances were exchanged between the occupants of the room. Finally, William asked through gritted teeth, “How many women has he married?”

Lord Stanton lowered his eyes to the floor. “Actually, there has been only one actual ceremony of which I am aware.”

William’s voice was low and controlled. “What do you mean?”

“He carried out such a sham marriage to Lady Marlton, a wealthy widow, within a few months of his return. They eloped to Gretna Green. The poor woman died several months later under peculiar circumstances, and I was never sure of Stephen’s innocence. After her demise, he began preying on other wealthy women—those who were most vulnerable—widows mostly, but anyone with no father or brothers to protect them. Sadly, most were not very intelligent.”

“Once, I confronted him with what I suspected, and he did not bother denying it. In fact, he bragged of procuring blank marriage certificates, stolen from the magistrate in Gretna Green, and forging them. Apparently, Stephen and his victim would begin the trip to Scotland, and then along the way he would drug her. I suppose it was easy to keep her drugged for a sufficient number of days and then bring her out of her stupor to proclaim that they were married. He boasted of showing his new wives their marriage certificates while they were still quite groggy. The ring on her finger and the fake certificate was apparently proof enough. After a few months, they would find themselves back in their own homes, and Stephen would be gone, along with their money and jewels. I am sure they were too embarrassed to say anything, and who would champion them in any event?”

William gripped the arms of his chair, his knuckles turning white. Stanton swallowed hard, quickly adding, “You realise I could do nothing by the time I was informed about it. I knew that my son was not divorced from his first wife in Italy, so any subsequent marriages were illegal, including the one to Lady Marlton.”

Seeing William’s continued discomposure, Stanton sputtered, “Over the years, I have tried, given the resources I have, to help the women my son has injured. I will repay your cousin’s dowry, though it may take some time. I know it is not much, but it is the best I can do under the circumstances. I cut Stephen’s allowance off years ago, though I have allowed him to stay at my estates under certain circumstances, and I use the funds he would have received to reimburse what he has stolen.”

He bowed his head. “You understand that one does not stop loving his child, just because he becomes someone who is unlovable.”

Seeing Stanton’s guilt, William hoped he might be willing to tell what he knew about Elizabeth. “What can you tell us of another of our acquaintances whom your son has apparently deceived—Elizabeth Bennet. She certainly would not fit the pattern of a wealthy woman or a widow, which you describe.”

Lord Stanton observed Mr. Darcy, instantly recognising the place that Elizabeth held in his heart. “Yes, dear Elizabeth. You are correct in that she was not his usual target. I met her in Hertfordshire when I leased an estate there for hunting. I did not mean for Stephen to find me and join me there, but he did. Elizabeth was such a delightful girl and so smart—not fooled by my son in the least. I am afraid that her indifference intrigued him, and he was determined to have her. I tried to intervene and had great luck with her father, as Mr. Bennet was an old acquaintance from Cambridge. He listened to my council and soundly rejected Stephen’s overtures.”

“Mrs. Bennet, however, was as mercenary a woman as I have ever seen and she tried to force the match. Alas, Mr. Bennet died while I was in London on business, and when I returned, Stephen was gone and so was Elizabeth. I knew immediately what had transpired, just as surely as I knew she would never have agreed to marry him. She hated him, you see.”

William swallowed the lump in his throat, as the earl continued. “When I returned to Northgate she was there but it was too late to help her. If I took her back to Meryton, her reputation would have been ruined and, besides, that horrible mother of hers would never have let her return home. Stephen paid the mother to have the daughter, of that I am sure!”

Without waiting for a reply, he stated, “I believe Elizabeth Bennet was the only woman that Stephen ever truly cared for, though he is not capable of loving anyone but himself. He told me that he loved her and accused me of turning her against him by telling her about his past. That was untrue, but he could never admit that she despised him. Then when he learned she had planned an escape from Northgate, well, you know about the fire I am sure.”

Stanton turned to meet William’s gaze. “If I am not mistaken, I believe you know everything that has happened to Miss Bennet since she disappeared from Meryton.”

William nodded slightly, without speaking.

“I also believe that she did not die in the fire. You are hiding her, are you not?”

Astonished at the man’s powers of deduction, William sat speechless, his eyes blazing, while Richard’s gaze flew from one man to the other.

Unnerved, William had to know. “How did you ascertain she was not dead?”

Lord Stanton sighed. “Only my intuition. Something was not quite right in the account my housekeeper gave after the fire. She was evasive about the details, and I got the distinct impression that she knew a great deal more than she was saying. Then again, I recognised how difficult it had been for her to deal with Stephen all these years.”

He shook his head tiredly. “I suppose some part of me did not want to know. So, I did not press her.” Noting their uneasiness, he vowed. “I give both of you my word as a gentleman and as Elizabeth’s friend, that I will never tell him that she may be alive. I thought a great deal of her and Mr. Bennet, and it sickened me to see her treated in such a manner.”

William’s agitation was palpable, so the earl persisted. “Nevertheless, let me warn you—though Stephen will get nothing from me, he has significant resources from his mother’s family. If he were to ever to suspect that Elizabeth is alive—well, he is relentless in pursuit of what he desires.”

William lifted his chin, his eyes like flint. “That makes two of us.”

Stanton nodded. “Of that I have no doubt, Mr. Darcy. Keep her hidden. She deserves to be happy—to live as she desires, not as he wishes. Take care of her.”