Marrying Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice Variations) by Clara Winfield

Author:Clara Winfield [Winfield, Clara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heartiman
Published: 2021-01-26T05:00:00+00:00

PART III

UNEXPECTED MR. DARCY

22

DARCY

“Home,” Darcy echoed. “Yes. I will take you home, Miss Rose. Let us bid these gentlemen farewell, and be on our way.” He bowed curtly.

“Oh, come now, Darcy,” Wickham said. “You cannot take this delightful young lady away so soon. We have only just had the honour of making her acquaintance.” His predatory eyes seemed to devour Miss Rose. “And what lucky fellows we are.”

Darcy’s fists clenched immediately. He was very close to showing Wickham exactly what he thought of him.

“Let us go,” Miss Rose whispered. “Please, sir. Do not allow this to go further.”

She was right. Darcy should not give this villain the satisfaction. He clenched his jaw muscles and nodded. “Very well.”

Miss Rose just had time to curtsey to the Colonel before Darcy swept her through the orchard, heading back towards the chaise.

“Will they follow us?” she whispered.

“I do not know. It is possible.”

“Do you think they will make trouble? Or will they let us go without any further ado?”

Darcy strode on, pulling his companion along at his speed. “If they do not let us go, they will have me to deal with.”

“There are two of them,” she said quietly. “And we are on their land.”

“We are on the Earl’s land,” he corrected her. “My uncle would never stand for violence on his property. I believe my cousin will take the path of least resistance and permit our exit. However, we can be sure the matter will not end there. I will be ready to take whatever action is necessary.”

She stole a glance at him. “That sounds ominous.”

“This is my problem, Miss Rose. Not yours. I will make sure you have no involvement in any trouble which comes to pass.”

“That is all very well, but—”

“We must escalate our search for your family. I suggest we return to the idea of asking a church cleric for help. If we find a large church with a sympathetic vicar, we can be sure you will be in safe hands.”

“But clerics do not have any particular expertise in returning missing people to their families, do they?”

“They have a desire to do good. And any decent vicar and his wife will possess the will to help. That is the best we can hope for now.”

They reached the chaise without being accosted. Darcy scanned the area to ensure they were not about to be ambushed.

Could it really be this easy? The horses seemed healthy and happy. The chaise did not appear to have been sabotaged. There were no men skulking in the nearby bushes. It really did look as if they would be allowed to leave without hindrance.

It was possible the Colonel had decided to let his cousin Darcy go without penalty, even though he believed him to be guilty of heinous crimes. Family ties were strong in the upper class world. In a confrontation such as this, the Colonel might err on the side of stepping back.

But there was no way Wickham would let Darcy walk away for good, and risk the truth coming out.

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