Colonel Fitzwilliam looked amused. He turned his head to the side to whisper in her ear, “Did he just use the words enjoy and assembly hall in the same sentence with Darcy’s name?”
Elizabeth laughed lightly. “They seem incongruous terms,” she said without moving her lips.
“It appears, Cousin, that we will be attending an assembly in the good village of Stanwick.”The colonel brought her gloved hand to his lips. “I hope, my dear, that we have something appropriate to wear. I will meet you here as soon as you freshen your clothing.”
“I suppose we will simply have to attend the dance ourselves to determine my husband’s motives.” Elizabeth reached for his arm.
The colonel patted her hand.“Let us be about it, Mrs. Darcy.We did not travel this far to falter now.”
Elizabeth rushed after the boy toting her baggage to Darcy’s room. She shook out one of the clean gowns, working the wrinkles free. In less than thirty minutes, she rejoined the colonel in the inn’s entranceway.“Do you suppose Mr. Darcy will be surprised by our appearance?” For some reason, Elizabeth’s courage wavered.
“If Darcy is surprised by the fact that the woman who loves him traveled halfway across England to find him, I am sure it will be pleasantly so.”The colonel placed her hand on his arm.“To the next adventure, Mrs. Darcy.”
They walked the quarter mile to the village assembly hall. Light filtered through every window, and the sound of instruments, sometimes poorly played, filled the chilly night air.
“Do you see him?” Elizabeth stood on tiptoes, hoping to spy Darcy.
Although the colonel was not as tall as her husband, he still cut a fine figure. “I have a better idea. In a crush like this, we could him find us.”
“Will it work? I do not see Wickham either, although he can change his appearance. I could be looking right at him and not know it to be him.” Elizabeth took the colonel’s proffered arm.
“If not, we will try something else,” he guaranteed.
The music changed suddenly to a waltz, and Elizabeth looked about in surprise.“A waltz? At a country assembly?”
“Maybe the Scottish are more progressive than we Brits—even northern England must be a bit less censorious,” he teased. “Will you still honor me with a dance, Elizabeth?”
“My wife waltzes only with me, Cousin.” Darcy stood in his usual haughty stance, waiting for the colonel to relinquish Elizabeth’s hand.
The colonel chuckled.“You always claimed the pretty ones for yourself, Darcy. Where am I to find another partner who knows how to waltz?”
“I fear I do not care, oh cousin of mine.” He took Elizabeth’s hand and led her around the edge of the floor and brought her close, resting his hand on the small of her back.
When the music began, only six couples dared the dance; however, all eyes remained on the Darcys. Darcy held Elizabeth next to him, but she arched her back so she could see his eyes, and then they stepped into the dance, and magic happened. They were in each other’s arms once more.“I missed you,” he murmured close to her ear as they swirled around the floor’s corner.
“I feared I had lost you.” Elizabeth’s eyes drank in the face she craved.
“You are mine, Elizabeth Bennet Darcy.” He spoke softly, but there was no doubting his words.“When you waltz, you waltz with me; and when you love, you love only me.”
Elizabeth’s face lit up. She let her hand inch up to his shoulder, where she could play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I will waltz only with you, my Husband, and our love binds us across
The coach jostled her awake. Elizabeth shot a quick glance at her husband’s cousin. Although he pretended to sleep also, Damon Fitzwilliam scrunched his eyes shut; it was not the relaxed face of someone truly asleep. She realized she had spoken the words of her dream aloud, and the colonel had heard her declaration of love, but he pretended ignorance of it. Such speech should embarrass her, but Elizabeth was beyond denying her love.
Elizabeth had waited three hours for the wheel’s repair, but not before she had tried to let or even buy a horse of her own.Without an alternative, she reluctantly yielded to the only choice available.
Ignoring the colonel’s pretense, Elizabeth asked, “When shall we reach Stanwick?”
The man sat up immediately, overlooking how they had both chosen not to speak to her discomforting intimacy. “I estimate it will be several hours after dark. Peter is a skilled coachman and will get us there safely, but even he will need to exercise more caution on unfamiliar roads after nightfall.”
“Will Fitzwilliam be there?”Again, Elizabeth bit her bottom lip in distress.
The colonel wanted to lighten her mood by telling Elizabeth that her dreams always came true, but his earlier deception precluded it. “I am incontestable in my belief of my cousin’s speedy arrival in Stanwick; yet I cannot warrant his safety in doing so.”
Elizabeth looked out the window at the passing countryside. “This land has a savageness about it—not necessarily sinister—but definitely a harsh, unbroken fierceness.”
“Aye, it does. It is as if a person steps back in time to when life itself was ruthless.” Fearing he had said too much, he tapped on the carriage’s roof to tell Peter to pull up.“I think I will spell Peter for awhile; I want him well rested for the last part of the trip.”
Wickham patiently watched at the village inn throughout the day, but there was no sign of reinforcements on Darcy’s behalf. Darkness had surrounded the village for at least two hours, and no one any longer traveled the roads. Feeling more secure, he sauntered off towards his house. Evidently, Darcy had told the truth about Elizabeth Bennet’s withdrawal of her affection. Wickham had once thought that impossible, and had even considered how he might kill the two of them together. Now his only problem was how to dispose of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Wickham did not want to allow Darcy to become a vampire, because Wickham did not want to continue the struggle between them. He preferred to rule the kingdom alone.That meant killing Darcy the traditional way, without the benefit of feeding. Of course, that also meant he must keep the others away from his prisoner.
A little after nine o’clock, the Darcy carriage rolled into the courtyard of the Blue Dragon in Stanwick.With the stops and the darkness, the seven or eight hours they had estimated had turned into nearly ten.“I will see to the room,” Colonel Fitzwilliam muttered as he helped the rumpled-looking Elizabeth from the coach.
“If Fitzwilliam has a room, I will be staying with my husband.” The colonel recoiled, as if slapped.
As they had on several occasions during this trip, they both pretended not to notice the exchange. “Ah, I no longer need to sleep on a pallet.”
Elizabeth blushed, although with the darkness, no one saw. Impulsively, she caressed his cheek. “I am sorry, Damon. I will forever be grateful for your interference and your gentlemanly concern. Although it was a bit awkward the first evening, I truly took comfort in knowing you were so close. I will never be able to repay you for your kindness.”
Damon Fitzwilliam fought the urge to turn his head and kiss Elizabeth’s palm. She was Darcy’s wife, but for the past few days, he She is phenomenal, he thought. “I could not let you travel halfway across England alone. The Earl of Matlock would disown me for sure, and as I am a second son, I cannot afford to be in his disfavor.” He tried to cover his growing feelings with a jest.
“Let us go inside and see what we can learn of my husband.” Elizabeth took the colonel’s arm as they entered the inn.
Just as with all the other places they had frequented over the past few days, the innkeeper greeted them at the door and jumped to meet their needs. They had decided prior to leaving the coach that the colonel would ask discreet questions. “My cousin and I were to meet in Stanwick,” he began a bit aristocratically. “I escorted his wife, so that they might enjoy a holiday in Edinburgh. Would you tell me, Sir, if Fitzwilliam Darcy is a guest at this inn?”
The innkeeper glanced at the registry. “Let me see. We have a Mr. D’Arcy.” He turned the registry so the colonel could see the name.“He registered yesterday. Be that whom you seek, Sir?”
Damon was momentarily flustered, but he recovered quickly. “That appears to be him.”
“Very good, Sir. I be afraid no one saw Mr. D’Arcy today.The maid reports his bed remains unused.Yet Mr. D’Arcy’s belongings be still in the room. He paid for three days, so I kept the gentleman’s personal things intact.”
The colonel could feel Elizabeth’s fingers tighten on his arm, and he brought his free hand to rest on hers.“Did my cousin speak to anyone whom you noted?”
“The gentleman, he walked ’bout the village upon his arrival. He sat for some time with Mr. Bruce. Bruce be pro’bly the most knowledgeable man in the area, lived here forever he has.” The man puffed up with importance. “We be thinkin’ Mr. D’Arcy be attendin’ the St. Cuthbert dance last night at the assembly, but old Bruce say he not there.You not be thinkin’ somethin’ bad happen, do ye, Sir?”
The colonel smiled with confidence. “Of course not. My cousin is a learned man—very interested in history—more than
“Mr. D’Arcy be findin’ plenty of those.”The innkeeper chuckled as he made arrangements for their baggage. “I be puttin’ the lady’s things in her mister’s room.You be needin’ one of yer own, Sir?”
“That would be excellent. A comfortable bed would take care of all my travel woes.”
“Ye be starvin’, too, I ’magine.”
Elizabeth looked about her.“If it would not be too much trouble, something hot would be most appreciated.”
“Ye and the lady take yerselves into that there room. Me wife find ye some meat pies and some tea. She be happy to serve ye there.”
“Thank you, Sir,” the colonel responded. “Ask your kind lady to make my tea into ale, if you would.” He maneuvered Elizabeth towards the private room.“And our coachman needs provisions, as well as our cattle.”
“No problem, Sir. All be seen to.”The man moved away to do their bidding.
When they were seated in the private dining room, they were able to drop the pretense. Elizabeth released her breath. “At least, we know Fitzwilliam is here. I was surprised that he used the old spelling of the family name.”
“Very astute of Darcy, in reality—he can blend in better.”
Elizabeth looked anxious.“I suppose so.”
“It seems I will be spending time in the taproom after we eat.A few rounds of drinks should loosen the local tongues.”
“Where do you suppose Fitzwilliam is now?” She spoke softly, although they were the only two in the room.
The colonel took her hand in his. “I doubt if Darcy waited for long before he approached Wickham’s coverture. Knowing your husband, he went through the front door, guns blazing, like one of those tales of the Archibald Montgomerie and the 77th Regiment of Foot.”
“How would you handle it, Colonel?” she half teased.
“Years in the military would make me a Cherokee, not one of the Royal Scots. I would wait and watch and choose the right moment.” He laughed at himself. “I suppose Darcy’s way is the more honorable one.”
“But not necessarily the more prudent one.” Elizabeth squeezed his hand. “No one who ever met you, Colonel, would think you anything less than honorable.”
The innkeeper’s wife interrupted their conversation. “Hopin’ the meat pies serve ye,” she said as she placed the tea service on the table next to the colonel’s tankard.
“They smell delicious, Ma’am.Thank you for all your trouble.” The colonel and Elizabeth were ravenous, immediately attacking their fare.
The coachman appeared at the door, and Elizabeth motioned him forward.“Yes, Peter?”
“Mrs. Darcy, I be takin’ note, as ye asked.The Master’s horse is in the stable.”
“Trident?” Her excitement rose.
“Yes, Ma’am.Trident glad to see me—gave him a randy apple, likin’ I always do.”
“Watch Trident for us, Peter. Let me know if anyone goes near him.”The servant looked pleased with the new responsibility. “We will be staying here for a few days, so use the time to make whatever repairs are needed.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He bowed out of the room.
The colonel had already consumed a goodly portion of his meal. “You get some rest tonight, Elizabeth, and I will find where Wickham is and how we might best approach him.”
“You will be careful, Colonel?”
“I have not my cousin’s powers. Like you, my dear, I am very much a human, and I must depend on my wits to survive.Trust me, I will not do anything foolish. As soon as I know something, we will act.”
“Make it soon, Colonel. I fear Fitzwilliam needs our help.”
The colonel nursed his drink as two men shared their stories of how each night those foolish enough to be out after midnight took the chance of meeting what these men simply called “bloodsuckers.” He also learned that the whole neighborhood “knew” the source of these diseased creatures to be the master of Wickford Manor.
“He be the family of Seorais Winchcombe,” the one called Gordy told him, “the one who be lovin’ Lady Ellender. The lady and Lord Benning be buried up in the cemetery with all them others. It be odd the man came here.”
“How far is it to Wickford Manor?” the colonel asked casually.
“Half ’n mile back towards the church.Wickford Manor is not much by London standards, but it got some land.The thing is, it sit right on the back of the line where be the church’s graveyard. Like Wickford Manor takin’ in them souls.”
His partner offered his own insights. “Some be sayin’ them bloodsuckers dance in the hall every night. I nary believe it, but everyone be sayin’ it so.”
Finally, having all the information he needed, the colonel bid the two farewell. “It is near eleven, gentlemen. I shall not detain you any longer. I thank you for sharing your local legends.” Damon Fitzwilliam knew he should go and share what he had discovered with Elizabeth, but if what these men said was true, he needed to act now, before the “dance” began.
A quarter hour later, he stood before the church’s graveyard. Everything still seemed quiet, but after the past hour of listening to two grown men excitedly share what they knew of the grave sites looming before him, Damon Fitzwilliam had to steel his nerves before proceeding. As rambunctious children, he and Darcy had often played soldiers, hiding behind family headstones in a pretend battle; and in the military, he had spent more time than he cared to remember with the dead. Yet this was different, and the colonel sensed it. In this cemetery, death lived.
He chastised himself for his fear and quickly crossed the mounds to exit through the hedge shrub outlining the graves. A
