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“Now that I have Miss Elizabeth Bennet in hand, I must post a letter to London. I shall return shortly afterwards so that you may get some sleep.”

Cramer nodded and rose from his chair to grab some ropes lying on a dresser. Then he proceeded to tie Elizabeth’s arms and legs so that she could not escape nor be of help to Lydia.

On the road to Lambton

A particularly rough patch of road, with a hole so wide that the driver found it impossible to miss, threw William’s head hard against the corner of the coach where he had been trying to rest. His mind was too full of Elizabeth to sleep when he lay down at night, so short naps in the coach had become his main source of restoration since setting out for Pemberley days before. He had driven himself and his servants hard, rising early and not stopping until long past dark, and though the servants had been trained to perform without complaint, it was obvious they were just as weary as he. William had already made a note in his journal to give each of them a bonus for their part in getting him home as quickly as possible.

Now that he was awake again, William groaned and stretched before opening the curtain to ascertain where they might be on the route from Derby to Lambton. Pleased to see familiar hills in the distance that he recognised as close to Pemberley, he once again began contemplating his mission. From the position of the sun, he judged it to be early evening, and he hoped to be home in time to ascertain that Elizabeth was at Pemberley, as Richard had referenced in his letter. If she were not, he was resolved to begin a search for her immediately.

Suddenly reality overwhelmed him. God willing, he would soon face the one woman he had tried so hard to forget the last two years. What was it mother used to say? The best laid schemes of mice and …

Taking several deep breaths, he began to talk sense to his now-racing heart.

Calm down, Darcy! You owe the Bennets this much for not exposing Wickham when you should have. Do your duty now and unburden yourself of all your regrets in that quarter. Once you have located Elizabeth and Lydia and made certain of their safety, you will be free to marry someone entirely unconnected to the Bennets and build a life based on accord, if not on a passionate love.

Though William was not even certain he believed the last part of this declaration, in order to cope, he must pretend he did. Closing his eyes, he leaned back into the corner once more. There was time enough for another short nap between here and Pemberley, if the roads would cooperate.

Chapter 19

Whilst Wickham was busy sending an express to Lord Addison demanding he appear in Lambton with a ransom for Elizabeth, Sarah Younge was sending a servant to the Lambton Inn with a letter informing Drago and Sully that their rival had brought yet another woman to the boarding house. As a result, when Wickham returned from the pub where he stopped for an ale before returning to his hostages, he was not prepared for what he discovered.

Upon unlocking the door to the room where Elizabeth and Lydia were being held, he found them silently sitting on the bed, hands and feet tied, with a full tray of food lying untouched between them. That Cramer had not untied their hands to allow them to eat was concerning, but Wickham instantly began to cut the ropes before taking time to sort things out. Suddenly, the men he had cheated out of Lord Addison’s patronage instantly rushed out of the adjoining room with pistols drawn.

“Welcome back, Wickham!” Drago cried. “Now, if you will be so kind as to empty your pockets and hand Sully that pistol you are carrying.”

Without waiting, Sully grabbed the pistol in Wickham’s waistband and started emptying his pockets, laying the contents on a nearby table. “What is this? More letters from his lordship?” he teased.

Wickham’s face paled. “Wha-what is this about?”

“You know what this is about!” Sully shouted. “We were lined up to swindle that dandy, Lord Addison, and you ruined it, you mongrel!”

Glancing between the two men, Wickham frantically tried to contrive a way to talk himself out of the trouble he was in. “Give me time to explain, Drago. It is not like it appears.”

“Start talking.”

“I was minding my own business, hosting a poker game at the Bronze Pig in the Mint, when I was approached by one of Lord Addison’s minions. At the time I had no idea who he worked for, but he asked if I wanted to make some money in exchange for a kidnapping scheme. Naturally, I said I did.”

Furious to hear Lord Addison was the one paying these miscreants to kidnap her, Elizabeth cried, “I should have known that blackguard was involved!”

Ignoring her outcry, Wickham continued to explain. “I was taken to a townhouse in Mayfair, where I was introduced to his lordship. Clearly angry, he explained that the men he hired to do a certain job had failed him. Then he mentioned your names and asked if I was acquainted with you. I figured that since you were on his bad side, it would be best to let him think we were acquainted, but not friends. I took his offer to pay me to kidnap Miss Bennet, intending to hold her for a ransom and split whatever money I made with you afterwards.”

“How kind of you,” Drago replied sarcastically.

“Surely, you know I am not fool enough to cut you out of the deal.”

“Had you explained all of this before now, I might have believed you,” Drago replied. “As it stands, I do not.”

Suddenly a groggy Cramer, who had been asleep in another apartment, rushed into the room waving a gun. “I heard voices! What the deuce is going on?”

Upon seeing Drago pointing a pistol at Wickham, Cramer turned to shoot Drago and struck him in his leg. Sully, who held two pistols, was partly hidden behind the door and opened fire, hitting Cramer in the back and killing him instantly. Simultaneously, Wickham drew his weapon and shot Sully, who fell to the floor mortally wounded.

Unfortunately, this provided Drago time to grab another gun and take aim at Wickham. This round hit Wickham in the chest. Grasping at a profusely bleeding wound, George Wickham fell to the floor.

Lydia instantly dropped down beside him. “George! George! You cannot die!”

Wickham rallied to smile wanly at Lydia. “Take care of Emma. She deserves better than—” Suddenly his head rolled to the side as he fell unconscious.

Thinking him dead, Lydia began to scream, prompting Drago to pull a small pistol from his boot and point it at her. Elizabeth launched herself between her sister and their assailant. “If you harm Lydia, I will not go with you willingly, and, if I am killed, I doubt I will be of any use as an object for ransom!”