Page 25 of Until My Last Breath

Mr Bennet, however, refused to give them too much attention and focused instead on what needed to be done. About half an hour later, he and Jane were ready to leave.

Once the carriage was loaded, they left for a destination that promised no leisure or entertainment, only pain.

~ ♥ ~

The sun was high in the sky when the carriage finally stopped. Elizabeth’s heart raced when she awoke. Her tired body had betrayed her, and she had fallen asleep. Looking down, she noticed she was still holding Mr Darcy’s hand, and that he was still sleeping.

The door was abruptly opened, and Brown’s gruff voice came from the outside. “We’ve arrived. Leave.”

Elizabeth tried to stand up, but her legs were stiff and cramped.

Ned put his head inside the carriage and shouted at them. “Why are you taking so long? Do you think we can wait ’ere the whole day?”

But Mr Darcy did not even flinch.

“Sir, Mr Darcy is not well,” Elizabeth pleaded as she stepped out of the carriage. “If you treat him harshly, I am sure he will not survive.”

Brown and Ned exchanged a disgusted glance, and Wickham was nowhere to be seen.

“What are we going to do with ’im?” Ned asked.

Brown looked inside the carriage. “We’ll need to carry him upstairs.”

“He has been bleeding since we left Rosings. I am sure he will need a doctor,” Elizabeth added, trying to stretch their luck a little more.

Brown approached her. Elizabeth recognised him as the man who had shot her. “I’m telling you this just once, so for your own sake, pay attention. We’ve already called a doctor. He’s a local fellow. When he arrives, we’re telling him that our friend was hurt during a hunting party. You’ll be his wife, Mrs Smith. I’ll be with both of you all the time the doctor’s in the house. If I suspect you’re trying to pass any kind of message to him, I’ll personally kill the dandy, then the doctor and lastly you. Do not try me, lady. Have you seen Wickham’s face? I did that. Are we understood?”

Elizabeth shivered as the image of Wickham’s disfigured face appeared in her mind and nodded.

He came closer to her. “And don’t try to escape.” He did not need to finish. She understood what he meant.

When Brown moved towards Mr Darcy, she was able to breathe again. Thankfully, her efforts were being rewarded as the men, with some measure of care, carried Mr Darcy inside the house and then upstairs.

Only in that moment did Elizabeth notice her surroundings. They were somewhere on the coast, and the house, a small, three-floored cottage, quite fanciful and picturesque, was situated on the highest point of a cliff. It had an astonishing view.

It was ironic that they could be in such a beautiful place under such dreadful circumstances.

Were they to die there?

They went upstairs, to the third floor, and the only door was opened. Inside, there was a spacious and light bedroom. The walls were covered with a charming and expensive wallpaper that Elizabeth had only seen in fashionable warehouses in London. The remaining furniture comprised a sofa, a well-crafted vanity with a mirror and stool, and a large, elaborate four-poster double bed where they dropped Mr Darcy.

Brown turned to her with a sneer and threw the bag with bandages ather feet. Then, they left.

Ned noticed Darcy’s blood on his arm. “I bet the dandy won’t survive the night,” he said closing the door behind him.

Alarmed, Elizabeth ran to Mr Darcy, sitting by his side on the bed, and feared the man might be right. “I hope the doctor does not take too long to arrive,” she whispered.

Darcy eventually opened his eyes. “Elizabeth…”

“I am right here. Please do not talk. They said a doctor is coming to see you.”

Ignoring her reassurances, Darcy continued. “I need to ask you a favour,” he said slowly, looking down at his blood-soaked bandages. “If the worst comes to pass, please, I beg you, find my sister… give her the love I shall not be able to give. I am confident the two of you will be great friends. I knew it from the moment I saw you with your sisters. Would you do that for me? Please?” He spoke in an almost imperceptible whisper, his strength failing him.

Elizabeth looked down at him with her heart full of compassion and fear. She could not deny Mr Darcy his wish but promising him this would give him the peace of mind she was not sure she wanted him to have. What should she do? How to give Mr Darcy a good enough reason to fight for his life, or even hope they would escape this place, when she had none?

After further consideration, she saw a way, and with his pleading eyes still on her, Elizabeth took a deep breath. “No, Mr Darcy, I am afraid I cannot do that. I am sorry.”

Darcy gasped painfully.

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