An uncomfortable silence descended upon the couple. For his part, Darcy was desperately trying to think of something else to talk about besides his all-encompassing feelings when Beth spoke.
“Will, I want to thank you so much for what you’ve done and have pledged to do for my family. We don’t deserve your goodness, I most especially.” Will made to interrupt, but Beth would have none of it. “It’s true! You’re risking your life for us, and after all the hateful, unjust things I said to you last July—”
This time, Darcy did cut her off. “You’ve nothing to apologize for! I’m sorry for your brother, and I can see how that could make you feel bitter. But, let’s be honest—I did nothing to improve your opinion of me in our earliest days. All you could rely on was Whitehead’s lies.” He looked away. “My… proposal to you was beyond insulting, and your reproofs… well, how can I deny the truths you threw in my face?”
“Will,” she cried, “I didn’t know what I was saying!”
Darcy went on, disregarding her words. “I hid at Pemberley and wished the world to hell. I turned my back on all the people of the town when they needed me the most. My father must have been spinning in his grave. All that has happened is my fault.”
“Will, stop it! You didn’t do any of this! Denny and Whitehead did!”
“I could’ve stopped it.”
Without conscious thought, she moved to him and took his hands, looking at them intently. “You’re stopping him now. Father’s right—this is a war. Don’t let my cruel words torture you. I spoke to you in ignorance and prejudice.” She lifted her face and in a determined voice, continued. “But now my eyes are open and I see you as the best man I’ve ever known. You saved my sister and you’ve pledged to protect my family. I can never repay you for your courage and generosity. I’m proud to call you my friend!” She so wanted to say more, but couldn’t.
Darcy’s eyes watered and his thumbs caressed the back of Beth’s hands. “Friend, Beth? Yeah, I’m glad to be your friend. But…” He looked away, his thoughts in turmoil. He drew a deep breath and blurted out, “You’re not one to lead a man on. If you’ve changed your mind about me since the summer, tell me straight up. My wishes haven’t changed; my love’s been as constant as the North Star. I’d be honored if you would even think about accepting me.” He flinched at the amazed look on her face. “Beth, I’m sorry to be putting you in this situation—it’s only been a few months since July—but I’ve just got to know! I’m keeping my word to your father about helping out, whatever you say. Just… just tell me true. If you can’t…” He gulped. “If you can’t, I’ll understand. I’ll be content being friends, and I’ll never bother you again for as long as I live.”
The anguish on his face loosened her tongue. “Oh, Will! I… I… my feelings!” She paused to gather her disconnected thoughts. “I’m heartily ashamed of my words at the Burroughses’, and I want to take back every cruel thing I’ve ever said! As for my feelings, they’re about as opposite from what they were as they can be!” To punctuate her declaration, she gripped William’s hands firmly.
Will stared at their intertwined hands and then searched her face. “Beth Bennet, I want things to be clear between us. I love you.”
“And I love you, Will Darcy.”
Beth was almost ashamed of how Darcy’s face lit up in incandescent happiness, knowing how she had hurt him months before. Another moment and her painful recollections vanished, for she was swept up in Darcy’s strong arms. She buried her face in his vest as he kissed the top of her head, murmuring sweet nothings.
But just as swiftly as it had begun, the joyful interlude ended. Darcy took her gently by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length. Beth was confused at the anguished expression marring Darcy’s masculine beauty. He looked deeply into her eyes, his mouth in a hard line.
Darcy’s voice trembled. “This is not out of gratitude for what I did for Lily, is it?”
Beth blinked. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m grateful for what you did! Why are you unhappy?” To her astonishment, William’s face nearly crumbled.
“Oh, Beth, if you’re accepting me out of gratitude, well… well, I just couldn’t stand it!”
Beth was incredulous at William’s stubborn inability to grasp what was so clear. Couldn’t the fool see that she loved him body and soul? Only one way to clarify things came to mind. With a look of determination, she reached up and lightly kissed him on the cheek. As she drew back slightly, she said to his amazed face, “That’s for Lily!” and in a softer tone, she added, “And this is for me.” This time her lips firmly met his with a scalding kiss.
Beth was starting to become concerned over William’s lack of response, but then she felt his strong hands on her shoulders gently pull her closer as he deepened their kiss. Beth was relieved and thrilled, and it was pleasant to learn that Will’s lips felt very soft against her mouth. Her arms moved by their own volition to twine around his neck as her body arched against his. They seemed to become one. Her moans of delight were a counterpoint to his. An intoxicating dizziness overtook her senses. She felt she could remain thus occupied for the rest of her days.
“What the devil is this!?”
The two were startled by Mr. Bennet’s cry and jumped apart as if the other were on fire. Beth could feel the heat of mortification replace the warmth of desire on her face. Mr. Bennet glowered from the doorway of the study, his mouth working soundlessly in his righteous anger. Darcy was the first to break out of his shocked stupor and begin a rambling apology. This seemed to accomplish nothing but to unlock Bennet’s tongue.
“Keep your mealymouthed assurances to yourself. I’ve no time for your perfidy,” he growled in a low tone, his desire not to alert the entire household evident. “You return my youngest from that bastard Whitehead, I turn my back on you, and you reward me by treating her elder sister in exactly the same manner!”
“No, Father, please. Don’t blame Will. This is my fault,” Beth claimed.
“Your fault!” Bennet laughed incredulously. “I suppose you threw yourself at him!”
Before Beth could assure her father that that was exactly what she had done, Darcy cut in. “Mr. Bennet, sir, this is my fault. I pledge to you that my intentions are honorable. I respect you and Miss Beth, but… I’m ashamed to give you reason to doubt me. I beg to explain myself.”
Bennet thought it over for a moment. “Beth, leave us.”
Beth looked between her father and her lover and clenched her teeth. She would not let these two men—whom she loved most in the world—decide her fate without her attendance. Instead of obeying her dismissal, she defiantly moved closer to Will and took one of his hands in both of hers. “No, Father, as this concerns me, I’ll remain.”
Darcy turned, his face registering his concern. “Beth, are you certain—”
Beth returned his look with a glint of steel. “I’ll stay by your side. There’s nowhere else I want to be.”
A relieved grin stole across Darcy’s face. He nodded and faced their inquisitor. “Mr. Bennet, I’ll tell you straight up that I’ve admired Miss Beth for some time—since our first meeting, I’d say. The plain truth is that I love her. Tonight, I’ve learned that she returns those sentiments, and well… I let things get out of hand in expressing my happiness.”
Bennet eyed the young man closely. “You say you love my daughter?” At Darcy’s confirmation, he asked, “And would I be wrong to think that she is your motivation for your involvement in my family’s concerns?”
Darcy sensed dangerous ground, but answered truthfully. “You wouldn’t be wrong, sir.”
“No,” Bennet declared. “No. No, sir! You ask far more than I can pay.”
“What?”
“Elizabeth will not be the price of your benevolence!”
Darcy was dismayed. “But… but she isn’t!”
“Father,” Beth injected, “you wrong him—and me!”
“How?” he shot back. “Don’t you feel gratitude for his actions?”
“Of course, I do! But my feelings for Will have roots before tonight!”
“Indeed, sir,” Darcy agreed. “I asked her that very question before I asked her to marry me.”
Bennet turned to Beth. “And have you accepted him?”
Beth wasn’t sure that she understood that there was an actual second proposal in William’s earlier words, but apparently he thought so, and she was willing to concede to his thinking. Besides, it would give her enormous ammunition to tease him for the next twenty years.
“Father, Will has proposed to me, and I’ve accepted,” she stated with a small smile at Darcy.
Bennet was unhappy with Beth’s declaration and took it out on Darcy. “I have to question your sense of timing, Darcy, if you think that the situation in which we find ourselves is one that compels you to propose to Beth tonight.”
Darcy’s expression showed he agreed with Bennet’s observation, at least to some extent. “I can’t argue with that, sir.”
Bennet’s anger cooled a bit, but he had one last shot for his soon-to-be son-in-law. “And I don’t take too kindly to a young man making love to my daughter in my own house.”
Darcy hung his head. “I plead nothing but my undying love for her as my excuse.” He was very unhappy, but Beth was not. She knew her father well enough to know that he was well on the way to forgiving them, if he had not already. The gleam in Bennet’s eye, missed by Darcy, proved that Beth was not far wrong.
Bennet sighed. “Darcy, I want to talk to Beth alone.”
Darcy nodded and smiled a farewell to Beth. She, on the other hand, wanted to prove something to both of them, and kissed her fiancé on the cheek. Bennet’s look darkened as Darcy’s lightened, and he had a relatively light step out the house.
“Well, Father?” Beth crossed her arms, her look a clear challenge.
Bennet sighed again. “Perhaps you did throw yourself at him.” Beth said not a word, but her upraised eyebrows told the tale. Bennet groaned. “Are you witless, girl? Didn’t you tell me you couldn’t stand the man?”
Beth bit her lip. “I did, but I changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind? You’re going to spend a lifetime with him based on changing your mind?”
“Have you no objection but that?”
Bennet crossed to his chair and sat down. “Beth, you know I didn’t hold the same poor opinion of the boy that you did. I always thought you were too hard on him. It now seems he may be an even better man than I thought.”
“He’s the best man I’ve ever known. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but that’s the truth.”
Bennet flinched at Beth’s words but recovered quickly. “If I was to lose your company, I always hoped it’d be to a better man than me. But are you sure about this? He’s a very serious sort of fellow. I like him, but will you be happy with a man like that?”
“Father, if you knew what I know…” She paused and realized she would have to tell him everything. She gave her father a brief history of her acquaintance with Darcy and their unorthodox courtship. She left out most of the details of their late-night clearing of the air in the Burroughses’ library and the shocking discovery of Darcy’s old injuries, but enough was said to amuse the older man.
“My, my, you’ve had quite the time of it, haven’t you, my girl,” he laughed. “Turned him down! I’d have paid money to see that!” He sobered. “And yet, he didn’t throw you over.”
Beth bit her lip again. “No, he didn’t. I don’t deserve that kind of devotion.”
“You’re wrong, dear,” Bennet said softy. “Everyone deserves that kind of devotion.” He rose and crossed over to take her hands in his. “If you truly love him, then I’ve nothing to say but that you have my blessings—both of you.” They hugged each other, Beth drowning in her happiness, until she could feel strange movement from her father.
She pulled away from his embrace. “Father, are you laughing?”
Bennet rubbed an eye and said sheepishly, “I was just reminiscing about when I was courting your mother.” At her expectant look, he continued. “I used to go to dinner at your grandpa’s house after church, and one Sunday your mother and I were walking about, and she was showing me her father’s place, and there was the barn, and one thing led to another…”
Beth was horrified. “Father! You didn’t!”
“Oh, no, no! Nothing seriously wrong!” he claimed. “Although it looked bad enough to your grandpa! Helped settle our courtship in a more rapid manner, I can tell you that.”
Beth was still scandalized. “No wonder Grandpa didn’t like you.”
Bennet chuckled. “Nope, he didn’t. I hope to get along with your young man better—as long as he minds his manners and behaves himself in my house!” Beth nodded happily and received a kiss on the forehead. “Now,” Bennet grew more serious, “go and help your mother and sisters pack. That wagon from Pemberley’ll be here any time now. Go on with yourself.” Beth left for the back of the house, and Bennet steeled himself for his talk with Darcy.
He walked out onto the front porch. There was Darcy, talking in low tones to one of his men, pointing towards the low hills at the entrance to the farm. The movement from the doorway caught his eye, and he dismissed his hireling to await Beth’s father. Bennet walked beside him and looked out into the moonlit darkness. They stood together for a time, not sharing a look or a word.
Finally, Bennet broke the silence. “You’ll take care of her?”
Darcy didn’t have to ask whom the older man referred to. “Yes, sir.”
Bennet sighed. “A man’s not supposed to favor one of his children over the others. It’s a sin. But, Lord help me, Elizabeth’s the child of my heart. When you’re a father, Will, you’ll understand.”
Will faced the man beside him and saw that Bennet seemed to have aged before his eyes. “Rest easy, sir—Beth will want for nothing. She’ll be comfortable, cared for, and safe. I pledge my life on it.”
“Well… I hope it doesn’t come tothat,” Bennet teased halfheartedly. They shook hands in the darkness and Bennet turned the conversation to Darcy’s plans for Whitehead. It was a few minutes later when a lookout reported that a wagon was spotted approaching the turnout. Another few minutes saw the arrival of a flatbed open wagon, with three men in it and a rider as escort. The wagon stopped before the house, and Darcy ordered it unloaded. Two long boxes and one smaller one were carried into the house. Bennet was surprised as to the contents.
“Henry rifles?”
Darcy shook his head, grinning. “No, sir. These are Winchesters—Model 1866 lever action repeating rifles. Fires the same .44 caliber cartridge as the Henry, but it’s more reliable. All my riders carry Winchesters.”
Bennet looked at the two cases, each with six rifles. “And you’ve brought along a dozen more?”
“Even at fifteen rounds, a man can run out of ammunition. Having two loaded rifles can make the difference in a gunfight. That last box is a case of ammo.”
Bennet shook his head. At almost fifty dollars a rifle and knowing that Darcy had two dozen men working for him, he was looking at more money than some farmhands would see in their lifetimes. “You’re a generous man, Will Darcy.”
Darcy shrugged. “If you want a man to do his job, you give him the tools he needs. Bennet, I don’t mean to rush anything, but the sooner the women are on their way to Pemberley, the better I’ll feel.”
Bennet called for his wife and daughters to prepare to leave. Turning to Darcy, he asked, “You’re sure about Pemberley?”
“Yes, sir. It was built to withstand Indian raids. I’ve sent Fitzwilliam to organize the defense of the house. It’s the safest place in fifty miles.”
The ladies made their appearance, Lily now in her own clothing. All were taken aback at the sight of the firearms, but none said a word as they were escorted outside. Darcy had Beth on his arm, and he was just reaching to lift her up into the wagon when a rider came in hot.
“Ethan,” greeted Darcy, “what news? Why did you leave your post in town?”
The young cowhand pulled up in front of his employer. “Whitehead, Mr. Darcy,” he panted. “Whitehead’s done come back early from Fort Worth. He an’ Denny an’ his riders were at Whitehead’s place in town when I left, and they didn’t sound too happy from what I heard.”
Darcy stared at his man, while José cursed something in Spanish. “They’ll be coming ’ere, boss,” he told Darcy. “What’ll we do with the women?”
“We can’t go through town,” said Ethan. “They’ll see us for sure.”
“Can we cross at the ford?” suggested a voice from the darkness.
“No,” said Bennet. “The water’s still too high from the rains. We’d be washed away.”
Darcy’s eye was caught by a glint of light from the hilltop, as the lookout used a mirror to flash a warning in the moonlight.
Riders.
Darcy’s insides turned to ice. They were trapped and out of time.