Edmund’s eyes did not leave Richards, but they looked excessively wary. And rightfully so. How had her brother put anyone related to his good friend at risk?
“And what does this have to do with the maid?” he asked as Harriet watched the muscles of the colonel’s forearms, which were clearly visible through his coat, clench and relax as he tried to contain his anger.
Richard shook his head and then scrubbed his face with his hands. “As you are most likely aware, but failed to inform me, Wickham…” He paused and looked toward Harriet. His eyes told her that what he had to say was not something he would normally say in front of her.
She gave him a small smile and a nod of her head. Whatever he was about to say, she would hear it without flinching.
“He helps convince the maid to make the correct decision. He is the old man. His disguise is good,” Richard concluded.
“But if the maid is not missing.” Harriet looked toward Richard. “Who is?”
Richard squeezed his eyes shut. Agony etched his features. “Georgiana and Elizabeth.” The words came out as a pained whisper.
Harriet gasped, as he took another turn around the room, likely to help work through some of his emotions, but she did not watch her colonel struggle to regulate his temper. She turned her full attention and as displeased a look as she could on her brother.
Edmund sat forward in his chair and refused to look at Harriet. “Who is Elizabeth?”
“Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy’s betrothed.” The colonel’s words were sharp, but he did not raise his voice. There was no need. Anyone could see and hear the displeasure that filled him. “They were both taken last night. A footman was beaten and left for dead. We discovered him in a field this morning.”
Harriet wrapped her arms around her middle. Mr. Darcy’s sister and his betrothed were gone? She said a silent prayer that they would not end up as Penny had.
Edmund was quiet for a moment as he tipped his head and observed Richard. “Has there been any contact between the abductors and the family?” he finally asked.
The colonel drew a letter from his pocket and handed it to Edmund. “I did not leave until this had arrived.”
Harriet rose from her chair and peeked over her brother’s shoulder as he read the letter. He would likely scold her for that later, but at present, she did not care what he did to punish her. Perhaps there was a way that she could assist.
“I would have expected Wickham to request more money than this.” Edmund said as he folded the letter.
“He will.” Richard continued to make a circuit of the room, but his steps were not heavy, they were soft and measured. He was thinking and anxious to be on his way to do whatever could be done. Harriet had seen him prowl around a room like this before – many times in her younger years, truth be told.
“I am to retrieve thirty thousand pounds to have at the ready for Darcy,” Richard added.
Edmund’s brow furrowed. “Why thirty thousand?”
“It is a theory that Darcy and Mr. Bennet have about Georgiana’s dowry.” Richard dropped into the chair once again. “Wickham has seen Pemberley’s accounts – though it was years ago – and thinks he knows what money Darcy will have available. Bennet thinks Wickham believes the loss of Georgiana’s dowry will be felt not just once but twice more as the amount is replaced from investments and then as the investments are replenished.”
Edmund’s expression was one of wonder. “Bennet reasoned this out? Do I know this Bennet fellow?”
“You may have met him. Gardiner is his wife’s brother. Elizabeth spent some time with my mother and father when she was younger. She once managed to trick Lawrence into climbing a tree.”
Harriet smiled as she remembered that tale, and then, her expression grew tight as she realized that Elizabeth was more than Richard’s cousin’s betrothed. She was a dear friend of longstanding.
“Do you mean the child with the big brown eyes and the quick temper?” Edmund asked.
“That would be Elizabeth.”
Harriet watched her brother deflate just a bit, and she knew that he was indeed feeling the gravity of all that had happened and the part he had played in it. She was happy to know he had not changed in essentials completely. Still, she would have to speak to him later to make sure he was still the brother she had always loved.
“Did you question the rider who delivered this letter? Do we have a lead for where to search?”
Of course, he did! Harriet pressed her lips together to keep her words inside her mouth rather than tossing them out. How could her brother doubt that the colonel had not asked questions?
The look Richard gave her brother let her know that she was not the only one annoyed by his questions. “I did, but you already hold part of the answer. Look at the letter closely.”
Again, Harriet rose and went to look over her brother’s shoulder. Leaning down to see the letter more clearly and close enough to her brother to hear a small huff of annoyance that her actions provoked.
“Do you see the errors that have been made?” asked Richard.
There were four errors. How clever! She had revealed where she was when writing this letter.
“Yes, I assumed her hand was shaking so there was a need to fix the formation of some letters,” her brother said.
Harriet rolled her eyes. This was why she could often get the better of him at times. He was brilliant at deciphering things, but so was she. It was just that she was often quicker.
“And which four letters would they be?”
“She is in town?” he sounded both surprised and impressed. When was he going to learn that not all females were as society wished them to be?
“The rider said the letter originated in Cheapside.” Richard shifted forward in his chair as if he was ready to spring into action. “We will need men to search any establishment in the area that has a connection to Mrs. Younge’s sister, Isabella. We will not find the ladies, of course, but they may have left behind something that will help us.”
That would make it harder for the ladies to be found since she assumed this Wickham fellow knew how skilled Colonel Fitzwilliam was at running someone aground.
“You believe he will move them?”
“I do, and so do Mr. Bennet and Darcy. There is still more than twenty thousand pounds to demand. And to prolong the abduction prolongs Darcy’s suffering.” Richard’s shoulders sagged as he mentioned his cousin’s pain.
“We will also need men to watch any of Matlock’s holding within a night’s drive of London,” he continued. “I will need additional men to escort me back to Hertfordshire since I will be travelling at night and with such a large sum of money.”
Harriet sucked in a quiet breath that was not quite as quiet as she would have liked, since her brother obviously heard it from the look he gave her. “I am well,” she whispered. But she still could not help but feel the danger that travelling at night with a large amount of money would present.
“They will then be needed to watch various roads in the area, and, at least, one or two will be needed to carry money to designated drops,” the colonel concluded.
Edmund rose and moved toward the door to his study. “Come. We will decide who to send, and I will write the necessary orders. Harriet, send three footmen to my study in fifteen minutes.”
Harriet caught Richard’s hand in her own as he rose to follow her brother. When he looked at her, she said softly, “Take care.”
He smiled a half-smile and gave her hand a squeeze before following her brother into the study and leaving Harriet to quickly fetch the footmen who were needed and return so that she could see the colonel again before he left.
