Page 67 of Until My Last Breath

The day continues…

“Forgive me, my love… I have failed you,” was all Darcy could say before surrendering to total despair.

From the darkness that was swallowing him, a muffled thud of something hitting the floor brought him back to his senses. Forcing his eyelids to open, he raised his head and gasped. The lifeless body of that cruel man lay on the floor with a burnt bullet hole between his opened eyes.

Darcy frowned, his distressed mind struggling to understand. He forced himself up on one elbow and turned. There, by the now opened door, Mr Chase stood with his arm extended, the smoking pistol still in his hand, as his men were entering the room after him.

Understanding dawned.

The shot…

Not Elizabeth…

With a renewed determination, he tried to stand, just to fall as everything spun around him.

Elizabeth.

He needed to reach her.

He crawled to her. Ignoring the muffled sound of shouting voices, the red drops trickling from his nose down to his throat and chest, and theexcruciating pain engulfing his entire body, he dragged his battered body closed to her; his mind focused only on her.

She needed to be alive…

Darcy put his hand on her chest. Tears filled his eyes as he felt her breathing. Her ashen face, blurred with the vivid red of her blood, was raised with tenderness, as his tears washed away his sorrows. “Elizabeth,” Darcy whispered, kissing her head.

She winced and gasped.

Darcy noticed her shoulder. “Richard, Mr Chase, someone… please…” he cried with a crooked voice.

Captain Walker knelt beside him.

The surprise attack to the village had been much faster and easier than the captain had anticipated. The pirates were so drunk that they offered little resistance to his trained crew. Satisfied with the results, Captain Walker had left his men to finish the job, while he and some other men headed to the ship. It was when they heard an isolated shot. At their arrival, they found a wounded Richard already being attended by Mr Chase, five dead men on the floor, and Mr Darcy calling for help while holding his betrothed.

As Captain Walker examined Elizabeth, he rubbed his forehead. “Her shoulder, Darcy, it is dislocated. I will need to put it back; and now. It will be painful, but it needs to be done.”

Darcy nodded, but could not take his eyes from her. “Elizabeth?” he said stroking her bruised cheeks.

She fluttered her eyes. “William… you came…”

“Yes, my love. I came for you. I am here,” he said, tears still falling down his face. “Elizabeth, please listen to me. Your shoulder… it is dislocated, and we will need to put it back. But it will hurt, my love…”

She opened her eyes again and saw his handsome, bleeding face before her. “Do what you must,” she whispered. “Nothing can hurt me more than being away from you.”

Elizabeth’s declaration of love was his undoing and he could not hold back his sobs anymore. He would take another shot if it could save herfrom feeling any more pain. Gently stroking and kissing her face, he just added, “Everything will be fine, Elizabeth. I promise you.”

The entire crew present in the cabin stopped as anticipation grew between them. They had never heard of such braveness in a gentleman’s daughter.

“Darcy,” the captain said. “Hold her firmly.”

Forgetting his own pain, Darcy lay on the floor beside Elizabeth. As she had done for him before, he held her firmly in his arms, leaving her dislocated shoulder free.

“Miss Elizabeth, I need you to be brave, just once more.” Captain Walker stopped and reached for his handkerchief. “Please, bite it. It will help you.”

He turned back to Darcy, but found his moist eyes shut, and his face buried in Elizabeth’s hair.

Captain Walker took a deep breath and pulled Elizabeth’s shoulder with all his strength. Her sharp cry of pain, muffled by the handkerchief in her mouth, was followed by a solemn silence. Mercifully, she fainted just after that.

“She will be fine, Mr Darcy. Now let me see to your nose.” Taking Elizabeth from Darcy’s embrace, Captain Walker signalled to one of his men to take Miss Elizabeth back to their ship. “Be quick. She needs the doctor.”

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