Page 18 of Through the Eyes of Love

The followingday

Richard had arranged to meet with several men who had served under him and now worked with the Bow Street Runners.

“A great deal of money and the Darcy family jewels were recently stolen. The crime was committed by a person who knew the estate well, but we need concrete proof to make an arrest. Perhaps if you are able to obtain a receipt from the jewellers where his ill-gotten gains were sold—if he had been brazen enough to use his real name. We need to find out how many jewellers are involved and have them describe the man who sold the stolen items to them. Here is a likeness of the man you are searching for. In order to take him into custody,he must be caught in the act of selling the stolen property. Mr. Darcy is a wealthy man, and you will be well compensated when George Wickham is securely behind bars.” Richard left the meeting confident that the Runners would not fail their former commander and do everything possible to find their prey.

* * *

Darcy could not concentrateon the book he was holding. There had been an issue on his mind for many weeks, so he rang for his housekeeper.

“Did you need anything, sir?”

“Mrs. Reynolds, I owe you an apology.”

“An apology?”

“I am ashamed of the way I spoke to you after the fire. I was not myself and you, more than anyone else, deserve my respect, not my abuse.”

“Mr. Darcy, I have known you since you were a kind, sweet-hearted boy. You were a caring, generous master until you suffered an unimaginable disaster. I am proud of you and always will be.”

“I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I am grateful to have it.”

CHAPTER 5

“Mrs. Reynolds, can you tell me the meaning of all this writing?” Elizabeth was dusting in the drawing room when her attention was drawn to the names on the leaded glass windows.

The housekeeper came up alongside her. “Those engravings are a Darcy family tradition. On their wedding day, when the happy couple leave their breakfast, they honeymoon in this cottage. They drink a toast with special silver goblets and etch their names on the windows. In fact, there is a special etching tool that has been here for almost two hundred years.”

“Mrs. Hopkins told me there are rumours this cottage is enchanted. Do you know anything about that?”

“Maude Darcy, one of the master’s ancestors, was betrothed to a man she hardly knew and could not abide. Hers was an arranged marriage, and Maude argued with her father about her imposed nuptials all the way to the church. After the breakfast, as the newly married couple neared the cottage, the bride’s eyes filled with tears. She not only dreaded the prospect of her wedding night, but also her vow to share this stranger’s life as long as they lived. They entered the cottage and toasted each other before the bride went upstairs to prepare. A short timelater, Maude’s husband entered the room. Without warning, she felt as though she was seeing him for the first time. She now loved him and was overjoyed they were wed. Several months after the wedding, Maude’s husband died in a shooting accident. The story goes on to say she would do anything she could to keep alive the love that was to be found in the cottage forevermore. She was the first to etch her and her husband’s names and the date of their marriage so their love could never be forgotten. That is why every Darcy who honeymoons here is happy and their love conquers all obstacles.”

“That is quite a tale. Do you believe the stories of the magic of the cottage to be true?”

“There is no magic to the cottage. It is thought to be enchanted because everyone who has celebrated their wedding night here is said to have found love and enjoyed continued bliss. Mr. Darcy was once betrothed, and the woman he was to marry visited the cottage and insisted she engrave their names with her engagement ring. The master has heard stories about the cottage being a special place since he was a boy. He did not know about the etching tool nor the tradition that onlymarriedcouples etch their names. I attempted to stop her, but when she tried to scratch the glass, the large stone fell out of the ring.”

“Mr. Darcy was betrothed?”

“His father signed a marriage agreement when he was a boy. Not long after the fire, his intended and her father arrived here, and they released Mr. Darcy from the agreement. I grieve for Mr. Darcy’s injuries and the loss of the house and livelihoods of so many, but I will never regret not seeing Lady Beatrice again. I have said enough for today, pray return to your duties.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for the story.”

* * *

Darcy foundthe day’s post on his desk in the library of Pembrook Cottage. He leafed through the envelopes. A letter from his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam was among them.

London, 1 September

Darcy,

I shall not annoy you with the details of the ridiculous antics of the latest recruits I have been assigned to train. To say they are trying my patience is an understatement.

More importantly, we have definite proof Wickham was the man who tried to sell your properties and the Darcy jewels. The Bow Street Runners have not yet located him, but they are getting close. He could hang for the thefts, but according to the Runners, we may not have any way to prove Wickham set the fire. After they locate their prey, the Runners will attempt to catch him in the act of selling the stolen property.

I shall keep you apprised of their progress. I pray you are feeling better and continuing to recover from your injuries.

R.F.

Darcy staredat the letter in his hand. His first reaction to the constable’s investigation had been correct after all. How could a man he had known since he was a boy have sunk so low? His good father provided Wickham with everything he needed to live a good life. Was his greed and hunger for revenge so powerfulthat he preferred murder and robbery over earning a living? Darcy begged G-d it would not take long for Wickham to be brought to justice.