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It was just as dawn was breaking that William was abruptly awakened by what felt like soft lips on his neck. At once unable to breathe, he stilled as completely as possible, thinking surely he had dreamt it. When it was not repeated soon afterwards, he let go the breath he held and closed his eyes again, only to feel another soft kiss land in the same spot.

Drawing back to examine Elizabeth, he found himself the subject of two incredibly dark eyes and pleaded, “Please desist, sweetheart. It is hard enough to hold you so close without fulfilling my deepest desires.”

He had barely got the words out when her hands slid around his neck, fingers clutching the hair at his nape before pulling his head down to place a passionate kiss on his lips. Unable to resist what his heart had craved for so long, William was returning the kiss just as zealously when Elizabeth suddenly stopped, letting her head come to rest upon his chest again.

“Forgive me, my love,” she murmured, her voice breathless. “I am behaving worse than our son ... tempting you to give me your attention even though I know you have been hard at work all day and need to rest.”

Our son?

Confused, William drew back to examine her again. Even in the faint light he could see that she was flushed, so he laid a hand upon her forehead to verify a fever. His fears were instantly confirmed.

God help me! The fever has left her senseless. I must get her back to Pemberley as soon as possible.

Rising, he hurried to fetch the flask of water before helping her sit up. “Take some more water, my love.”

After several swallows, Elizabeth pushed the flask away, saying lethargically, “Why must we rise so early? Lie back down.”

“You have a fever, and I fear it may grow worse. We must return to Pemberley to prevent that from happening.”

It appeared that Elizabeth tried to laugh, though it resulted in a deep cough. “You are so good to worry about me and the children,” she managed to say.

Ignoring the reference to children they did not have, the cough drove William’s anxiety higher. “Could you eat a bite of bread or cheese? You need to eat something to regain your strength.”

Numbly, Elizabeth shook her head, murmuring, “Too tired.”

Breaking up what was left of the sausages and cheese for Duke, who rapidly finished them off, William declared, “Then, all that is left is to get you dressed.”

Fetching her clothes from the lines, William discovered Elizabeth’s chemise and stockings were dry, her gown was dry except for a few seams in the shoulders, and her muslin pelisse was still a bit damp, but serviceable enough to wear for a short while.

Taking them to the bed, he laid them down. Praying she would not argue, he said, “If you can stand with your back to me, I will help you out of my shirt and into your chemise.”

A bit wobbly on her feet, Elizabeth was able to do just that. William struggled not to look at anything but her back, and once she had donned the chemise, he instantly pulled her gown over her head. Then, he turned her so that he could help with the buttons, which in this case were located on the side. Afterwards, letting go of the breath he had unwittingly been holding, he assisted her in settling on the edge of the bed once more.

“Should I help you with your stockings and boots?”

Elizabeth’s eyes had closed, and she swayed somewhat as she nodded. “Pl-please.”

Ere long, she was presentable, so William quickly donned his own clothes and stuffed everything else into the hunting bag. Then he proceeded to saddle Zeus and open the stable door to walk him out. Exhilarated by the cloudless blue skies, the fresh scent and the cold temperature, Duke ran in circles over a thin layer of ice that now coated the ground.

Shaking his head at the sight, William could not help but smile before returning to Elizabeth. Once at the bed he stooped down to take her hands, saying, “Dearest, I am going to pick you up and place you upon Zeus. I will mount right behind you, so do not fear falling off.”

Though she opened her eyes whilst he talked, Elizabeth seemed dazed and did not answer. With no reason to wait, William did as he said he would and soon had her sitting atop Zeus. Closing and securing the door, he turned to put a foot in the stirrup and hauled himself into the saddle.

“Turn to me, sweetheart,” he said, opening his coat. “Wrap your arms around me and lay your head against my chest.”

After she had done so, William pulled his coat around her and his greatcoat about them both, making certain to cover her legs and feet before securing it with the belt. Kicking Zeus into a walk, he began retracing his previous trek to the cottage. Duke ran ahead as though he knew just where to go.

Once back at the road where they had discovered Drago the previous day, William was pondering which route to take when Harrigan, Osborne and Decker rode up, with Marshall following in one of Mr. Darcy’s carriages. Immediately, William unfastened his greatcoat and slid off Zeus before pulling Elizabeth down into his arms and heading towards the carriage.

As he approached the vehicle, Marshall jumped down and scrambled to open the door, enquiring, “If I may ask, how is Miss Bennet, sir?”

“She has a wound on her arm from where she was shot and a fever, so I must have the apothecary see her right away.” After helping Elizabeth into the carriage and covering her with several blankets he found lying on the seat, William closed the door and turned to hurriedly address the men. “I am grateful that you returned so early and thought to bring a carriage.”

“The carriage was Mrs. Reynolds’ idea,” Harrigan replied. “God bless her. She thinks of everything. When you had not returned this morning, she had everyone up before daylight to form a search party.”

“I am grateful for such diligent employees,” William replied. “You will all be amply rewarded for your service.” He started to open the carriage door but stopped. “By the way, what happened last night once you got Drago back to the boarding house?”

“By then Mr. Wickham was dead. However, the apothecary had just finished with that blackguard, so he attended the one we found in the carriage. As far as we know, as of last night he was still alive, although Mr. Wilburn intended to lock him in the Lambton jail after the apothecary was finished.”