Virtue and Vanity: Continuing Story of Desire and Duty (19 page)

“Let us do so,” her aunt replied as they walked stealthily onto the balcony. Five men were seated at the table. One was an army officer in his bright red top, while the remainder were dressed in dark overcoats that all seemed to match. Except for the officer, they did not appear to be gentlemen; in fact, they acted surly during the meal and placed many demands on the servants. Maria and Jenny performed their duty of serving the food.

Elizabeth whispered, “It galls me to see such low-life rant at Maria.”

Suddenly, one of the men stood, and grabbed Maria to accost her. All the men stood and Mrs. Busby was about to whack the offender with her ladle, when she was grabbed by both arms and restrained by two of the rude foursome. The first man also grabbed Jenny by the arm and pulled her toward the table.

The fourth man, evidently the leader, was very fat and began to chuckle. The officer had stepped back into the shadows. Alarmed, Elizabeth commanded, “Go and get Mr. Riggs and tell him to bring his pistol. Maria is in danger.”

Sarah began to hurry along the balcony when she heard the fat man say, “My sweet little ones. How would you like to find out what real men are like?” He put his hands on the table after beckoning Maria to be brought forward.

A bright glint of steel flashed and a sharp thud brought a sword onto the table, a hairbreadth away from the fat man’s hand.

Pulling it back, a young officer emerged and said, “I am Captain James Gray. If you do not let these women go, the next move of my blade will separate your hand and arm.”

The fat man turned and chuckled, “But, sir, there are four of us and one of you.”

“
All the
better. When I end up skewering you, no one can say it was not fair.” The captain pulled out a pistol with his other hand and aimed it at the two men restraining Mrs. Busby. “Now, which of you wants to die first?”

The two men released Mrs. Busby’s arms and she quickly retreated behind them.

The captain turned back to the
fatman
, but before saying anything, two loud cracks and thuds were heard behind him. He glanced toward the sound. Mrs. Busby held a heavy pitcher in each hand as she stood over the two outlaws.

Maria kicked her captor in the shins as Jenny jumped on his back and clawed his face. He fell, moaning, to the ground, trying to shake her off.

The captain, who had been holding the fat man at bay with his sword now turned to face him and said, “Now, do you wish a sword, so we can say you were armed?” With a sly smile he added, “Though, it would be a pity to mess up the floor with your innards for these hard working women to clean up.”

“I am your prisoner, sir,” was the scowling, uneasy reply of the fat man as he raised his arms.

Mrs. Busby said to Jenny, “Go and fetch the constable.”

Sarah was only part way down the steps from the balcony when the scene had already resolved itself. She turned around and stepped quietly back to Elizabeth. They watched as the Captain tied the hands of the four highwaymen and the constable took the villains away.

Mrs. Busby, Maria and Jenny then expressed their gratitude to the Captain by serving him a repast fit for a king. At one point in the meal, while Maria was serving him, the Captain looked at her intently and said, “You look familiar to me. Do I know you?”

“It is unlikely, sir.”

“What is your name?”

“Maria.”

“Your surname?”

“Harwood,” she answered with a shaky voice.

“The Christian name seems familiar, but not Harwood.”

After this exchange, Maria allowed Jenny a much greater presence in front of the officer than herself. This was not difficult to accomplish, as Jenny was clearly enamored with the handsome junior officer. He seemed to enjoy Jenny’s continual hovering--many gentlemen had respectfully described her as “a handsome young woman” and “pleasing to the eye.”

After the evening activities were over, Sarah and Mrs. Darcy finally retreated to their room.

Sarah mused aloud, “I wonder if those were the highwaymen who were following us.”

“Possibly.
Though the rogue following us seemed taller than any here
tonight.
. . but, that may be due to the fact that we were looking down on them this evening.”

Elizabeth sat down and continued, “Now, I am both vexed and anxious. How can I leave Maria in this dangerous situation? Yet, how can I ask her to return home?”

Sarah remained thoughtful and quiet.

A soft knocking was heard at the door. Sarah arose and let Mrs. Busby in. The innkeeper curtseyed and said, “I am so sorry, my lady, about the lateness of your supper. I suppose you saw the commotion in the dining room?”

“Yes.”

“This is the first time in my seven years as proprietor of this inn that anything like this has ever happened. Captain Gray said he would arrange for an officer and gentleman to dine here every night for the next few months to help scare away any felons in the future.”

“Do you think the highwayman who followed us was part of the gang?”

Mrs. Busby smiled broadly, “No, Ma’am. Your spy is none other than Mr. Reynolds. I spotted him outside a few minutes ago.”

Elizabeth produced her first relaxed smile of the day as Mrs. Busby said, “Your supper will be here any minute.”

Jenny brought the meal and the two ladies partook of more food than expected. With the meal finished, they were soon in bed with all light extinguished.

Elizabeth asked, “What do you think I should do about Maria?”

After a pause, Sarah said, “I think you need to let her go. The Almighty cares more about Maria than you or I ever could.”

After a further pause, Elizabeth said, “I now understand the feeling my father had in letting me marry Mr. Darcy. . . Sarah, you are a wonderful niece, your beauty of mind and wisdom far beyond your age.”

“Thank you. I love you, Aunt Elizabeth.”

“And I love you. I appreciate your being with me through this trial
of mother’s love. Good night.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The next morning, Mr. Riggs assisted Elizabeth and Sarah into their waiting carriage. As Mr. Riggs closed the door, Mrs. Darcy said, “Do ask that fellow across the street to come and talk with us.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The tall, black-cloaked man came over to the carriage but kept his face turned away, and with an obviously altered voice said, “Your driver said my lady wished to see me.”

“You no longer need secrecy, Mr. Reynolds.”

A sheepish looking, surprised, Mr. Reynolds turned toward Elizabeth. “How did you know?”

“Mrs. Busby spotted you yesterday.” With a kind voice, she asked, “Will you not join us in the carriage on the way back to Pemberley?”

“Thank the Lord,” the elderly servant said. “I was dreading riding all that way on horseback again. I almost froze to death last night sleeping in the livery.”

Once he was seated, Mrs. Darcy continued, “Now, tell us Mr. Reynolds, who sent you to spy on us. Was it Mr. Darcy?”

“No, Ma’am. Mrs. Reynolds sent me to follow your carriage. I do not believe Mr. Darcy knows anything about your adventure.”

“Good. And please, see to it that he does not learn anything about it when we arrive home. I feel foolish for coming.”

Mr. Reynolds nodded, “You may depend on me; but, Mr. Darcy would understand that a mother needs to know her child is safe and well-cared for.”

“Yes, he sometimes seems to understand my thoughts even before I do.” Here the carriage took off and Elizabeth finished, “At least I do not think Maria discovered our presence while we were here. She has such a desire to prove herself that she would be quite upset with me.”

That evening, after supper, Elizabeth was working on an intricate embroidery piece, while Mr. Darcy was reading the Times. Sarah sat quietly working on a poem, having agreed to spend the night at Pemberley before returning home. Laura had excused herself to bathe before bed.

From behind his paper, Mr. Darcy innocently inquired, “
Elizabeth,
how was your visit with Maria?”

Elizabeth answered absentmindedly, “Fine,” and then became very quiet. After a moment she asked, “Who told you? Mr. Reynolds promised not to.”

He lowered the paper and smiled tenderly at his wife, “No one needed to tell me of your true destination.”

“How did you find out?”

“My dear Lizzy, for the week prior to your departure, you spoke of nothing else except Maria and your concern for her welfare. The cover of your visiting relatives in Hampshire was rather transparent--especially to anyone who loves you and understands your mother’s heart. I was tempted to ask to go
along.
. . a father worries about his daughter, too, you know.”

Elizabeth smiled at him, “Sometimes I forget what a tender heart you have. I should have told you where I was going so you wouldn’t have to worry about us too.”

“With the disappearance of Mr. Reynolds, I knew that you were being looked after, so I didn’t worry about you and Sarah overly much; but, I hope you know I would like you to share all your concerns with me.” He glanced at Sarah. “Miss Sarah, perhaps you will tell me how my daughter is faring.”

“She looks very tired; but, she also looks quite happy. The proprietor seems to be quite pleased with her work.”

“Does the inn seem a safe, respectable place as we were
told.
”

Elizabeth and Sarah glanced at one another,
then
Sarah said, “It has a very good reputation. The rooms a quite clean and the meals are tasty. There was an incident when we were there. . . .”

“What kind of incident?” Mr. Darcy asked as he jumped up and began to pace. “Did this incident
involved
Maria?”

Lizzy set aside her needlework and went to her husband. Grasping his arm she explained, “Maria is fine. She has many people watching out for her welfare.”

He drew her into his arms and said, “Thank God. I should have known you would not have come home without her if she were in any real danger.”

Sarah slipped out of the room as Elizabeth settled into the lap of her long-time beau and began to give him details about their adventure.

Chapter Thirty

At the next mid-week Methodist class, as Sarah finished reading aloud the final scriptural verse, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint;” she looked up and, to her surprise, she saw Andrew Darcy sitting behind Mr. and Mrs. Hand. She tried not to stare. As the class progressed, she noted that his countenance revealed close evaluation of the proceeding. At one point, his eyebrows were furrowed and his face was perplexed while she responded briefly to a question. She was determined to talk to him after the closing prayer, but when the heads were raised at the end of the meeting, Andrew was no longer present.

That night and the next day, she tried not to think about Andrew’s visit, but it kept leaping to the forefront of her thoughts. Why had he come to the Methodist class?

She soon forgot about Andrew’s visit the next day as she received the following letter from Maria:

My dear Sarah,

It has now been four months since I began my service here

in
Yorkshire.

I must tell you about an important incident yesterday. I was washing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. A wood splinter thrust itself into my calloused hand. It was a small one, which I quickly removed, but the vexation of it and the coarse appearance of my hands caused me to start crying. I am afraid my tears mixed with the soapy water on the floor.

An enormous sense of unworthiness fell upon my soul. I did not deserve to be born a Darcy; how easily could I have been assigned washing floors for the rest of my life. Sorrow for my past foolishness filled my heart. In the midst of my
brokeness
, a desire to do something more substantial with my life began to form, and with it a deep seated peace started to envelope my heart. The drudgery of my service lifted as I realized all service, no matter how menial, is done to the King of Kings. My tears of sorrow changed to tears of joy.

Uncertain about the future, my heart opened to Providence for direction.

I heard someone march into the kitchen with the sound of boots. The sound stopped in front of cook, who evidently pointed to me. The boot steps then proceeded over to me. My hair was all around my face and, because of my
tears,
I did not wish to look up, assuming it was one of the workmen.

The visitor got down on his hands and knees on the wet floor and asked, “Does an unworthy suitor have any hope with you?”

I looked up and I saw the handsome and anxious face of Mr. Paul Westbrook. I am afraid I burst out with renewed crying and moved forward enough to place my head against his strong shoulder as we sat on the floor.

Mr. Westbrook, nay, I can now call him Paul, told me about how his friend Captain James Gray rode to Derbyshire to tell him about this young servant woman who looked very much like Miss Maria Darcy. Once Paul extracted the story of my service from Mr. Reynolds, he immediately visited Yorkshire.

Mrs. Busby came in. Paul stood and pulled me up. Once he introduced himself as a friend of Captain James Gray, Mrs. Busby could not do enough for him. She told me I should change clothes and spend the rest of the day with the “tall, handsome man from Derbyshire.”

I will not give you a long story, but suffice it to say, that Paul is now on his way back to Pemberley to ask permission of father to court me. He wanted to take me, but I told him my time of promised service was not done; though Mrs. Busby will not let me stay any longer if father’s response is favorable.

The word is out now. The cook treats me with great respect. Jenny is thrilled and wishes to treat me like a lady, though I will not allow her. I have asked her to visit me at Pemberley and this has given her great pleasure as we talk about what I shall show her.

Tell Thomas and Georgiana that their years of gentle patience and advice to me may actually bear fruit.

I thank you,
cousin
Sarah, for your suggestion of Mrs. Busby. While I would not recommend entering service for every young lady, it has been good for the “pampered princess of Pemberley.”

Sincerely,

Maria

Sarah was delighted to show the letters to Sir Thomas and Georgiana and to watch their faces fill with joy.

“Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth must have received the news last night,” a delighted Georgiana said as she continued. “We should receive a message at any moment. . . .”

Sir Thomas said thoughtfully, “I am pleased at Maria’s change from frivolity to maturity.”

His wife replied, “Let us visit Pemberley at once.”

And so they did. The
Staleys
and Sarah arrived at Pemberley to find Mr. Paul Westbrook was already there talking solemnly with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. It was obvious to the group arriving that Mr. Westbrook had been accepted as they saw Mrs. Darcy embrace the young man and Mr. Darcy pat him on the back; the threesome were all smiling. Mr. Darcy noted the Staley’s arrival and called them and Sarah over to congratulate the young man who had captured their daughter’s heart. The groom-to-be soon excused
himself
from the impromptu celebration as Andrew came in and said, “Well, Paul, it seems I am to travel to Yorkshire to escort my sister home. Would you care to join me?”

“Indeed,” the young man said. “I trusted enough in a positive response to my request that

I came prepared to accompany you.” Turning to the group in general, he excused himself.

Andrew chuckled and said, “I have never seen anyone so eager to go to Yorkshire.” Then he follo
wed his friend out of the room.