“Anyway, I thought whatever it was came in chase, and I took off running. In hindsight, it was a silly thing to do, but I was afraid.”
“Of course, you were, my dear,” her mother consoled.
Prolonging the drama, Elizabeth took a sip of her tea before continuing. “I ran towards Thompson’s barn; I thought I might seek shelter there.” Suddenly, Elizabeth lost her nerve. She glanced at Darcy, and her lips began to tremble.“Would you…Mr. Darcy?”
Darcy knew of what they agreed, and he began the tale from there.“Mr. Bingley and I were out riding.”
“Mr. Bingley?” Jane looked around, wondering where he was.
“Charles will be here shortly,” he assured them. “Anyway, we rode along the outskirts of his property. Suddenly birds took flight in fear, and almost immediately Charles and I heard a sound of something running.When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw Miss Elizabeth, in obvious distress, running with all her might over the crest of a hill. Instantly, Charles and I took off after her. However, 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 in his chair.
Elizabeth now sobbed audibly, her eyes downcast.“Should I go on, Miss Elizabeth?” Darcy asked softly.“Would you rather retire to your room and let me speak of this incident?”
She looked up suddenly and caught his eye.“Would you mind? I will return when Mr. Bingley arrives.”
“You go,” he said. The tenderness in his voice was not lost on Elizabeth.
Mr. Bennet motioned for Mrs. Hill to help Elizabeth. No one else in the family wanted to miss Darcy’s story.When Elizabeth was safely on her way up the stairs, Darcy added, “Your daughter tries to be brave, Mr. Bennet, but she was traumatized today. As Miss Elizabeth tried to escape from the dog or wolf or whatever she thought was there, she fell as she ran. 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 where the slopes of two hills meet.” 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
“Oh, my goodness!” Jane whispered.“Poor Lizzy.”
“Did she see the woman’s body?” Mr. Bennet wanted to know.
Darcy took a drink of the port, taking time to weigh his words. “Unfortunately, I believe she did; it was a gruesome sight, especially for a gentlewoman such as Miss Elizabeth. If you ask if your daughter knew the woman, I doubt it. Mr. Bingley did not recognize the woman’s face, and her clothes and appearance would indicate she was of the working class, not likely to be of Miss Elizabeth’s acquaintance.”
Mr. Bennet mused,“I see.”
Mrs. Bennet began to cry audibly, and her younger daughters saw to her immediately, patting her hand and offering supportive hugs.
Darcy had planned what to say next.“The constable and possibly Colonel Forster will be here soon to ask Miss Elizabeth some questions. She will need all of your support,” he said with authority.
“Naturally,” Mr. Bennet said as he stood. “Jane and Mary, I believe Elizabeth could use your help.”
“Of course, Papa.”And they were gone.
Mrs. Bennet’s lament became so agitated Mr. Bennet sent his wife to her room, along with his other two daughters. “Give your mother a dose of her nerve draught,” he ordered as they led the weeping woman from the room.
When they were all finally removed, Mr. Bennet asked, “Was the woman murdered?”
“The body was badly mutilated. She did not die naturally, but I cannot say whether she died at the hands of a man or was attacked by a wild animal. She was in the middle of a field where two hills intersect.” Darcy kept his voice soft, trying to portray the seriousness of the situation.
“Was Elizabeth chased by an animal or a man?”
Darcy did not know how to answer that one. “I saw no pursuer, Mr. Bennet, but from the reaction of the birds, I would suspect an animal.Yet for Miss Elizabeth, the pursuit was very real and very harrowing.”
“Do you know where Elizabeth’s cloak might be, Mr. Darcy? She did not have it on when you brought her home; she wore your greatcoat.” Mr. Bennet made it easy for him. Darcy would use the cloak as his excuse to return to the body. He originally thought he would tell Mr. Bennet that he planned to meet the constable before the man came to question Elizabeth; now, he had a ready excuse.“Did she throw it at the pursuer?” Mr. Bennet continued.
“I cannot say, Mr. Bennet.Your daughter did not wear a cloak when I found her, but it is logical she would wear one because of the weather. It was the least of my thoughts at the time.”
“I am thankful, Mr. Darcy, that you and Mr. Bingley were there when Lizzy needed you.”Tears misted the man’s eyes.
“Mr. Bennet, I believe I will ride out and see if Miss Elizabeth’s cloak is there; I am sure the constable went to the scene first. Possibly, I can intercept him and ease the pain of the questions he will be asking your daughter. I would not want Miss Elizabeth to suffer any more distress today than necessary.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy.We are in your debt.” Mr. Bennet stood and Darcy followed.
“Miss Elizabeth seemed most insistent that I stay with her today, but I shall not be gone long. Simply tell her, if she asks, that I went to find Mr. Bingley.” Darcy picked up his gloves from the entrance table, needing to hurry now that he had permission to do so. “I will be back within the hour, more than likely sooner.” And with that, he was gone.
Back in the saddle, Darcy circled Longbourn House, hoping to find what he needed in the barn or stables. If not, he would have to ride to the manor house on Netherfield’s land and retrieve one of the swords.Then he saw it, resting beside a stack of firewood. Leaning down from the horse’s back, he caught up the short-handled ax with one hand and rode on.
He rode with a purpose, praying he could reach the woman’s body before Bingley brought the authorities. Seeing Elizabeth’s cloak draped over the corpse made him realize how lucky he was with both Georgiana and with Elizabeth.
Reaching the site, he slid from his mount, surveying the area before taking the ax from the saddle. No one could see him unless they came the way he had from Longbourn. He still had time to right one of Wickham’s wrongs; he would not let this victim become one of the walking dead.
He bent by the body and forced himself to withdraw the cloak. From his neck, he removed the cross on a chain. First, he touched it to the woman’s forehead. “In the name of the Father,” he began. Then her chin. “And of the Son,” he continued. Finally, he laid it between her breasts.“And of the Holy Ghost,” he whispered.“Dear God in heaven, take this woman’s soul and guard it from the evil it knew recently. Ask her to forgive me for what I must now do to her body.”
He rose to his knees, where he might have more leverage. It took three sharp whacks of the ax to sever the head from the body, but he did so without remorse. Otherwise, the woman—whoever she was—would become like Wickham, searching the land for innocent victims. With no blood circulating through her veins, it was a matter of bone and tendons. Afterwards, he adjusted the head to make it look as it had when he and Bingley last saw it, retrieved his cross, covered the woman again with Elizabeth’s cloak, and mounted his horse to leave.