Page 67 of Shields and Roses

Richard followed his gaze. "Oh, no," he said. "I do not believe she found us."

"A little too late, however," Sir Phillip said. To Darcy's surprise, he was smiling.

"What has you so pleased?" Darcy asked him.

"Simply that. She is too late. Without her power over Anne, she has no more power over any of us. Remember, Mother and I are not poor relations. I may be young, not even quite of age, but I am also the true owner of Rosings Park and a baronet. She is merely a life tenant of the estate. And you two are your own men, not beholden to her for anything. Let her bluster and blow if she wishes."

"Well, we cannot put up with her bluster for too long. There are others over whom she might gain power if we do not hurry," Richard replied. Even as he spoke, the carriage pulled to a stop nearby. They could hear Lady Catherine shouting to the footman to set the step and help her out. The door of the carriage flew open, almost hitting the man as he rushed to comply

"Where is my daughter?" she bellowed, glaring at the three men through the open door. The footman fumbled with the step, just barely managing to get it fixed in place before she pushed her way out, slamming her hand down on his head to catch her balance.

"Where is my daughter?" she shouted again.

Darcy, Richard and Sir Phillip looked at each other. They did not dare wink or smirk, but all three seemed agreed on how to handle the situation.

"Oh, she is around her somewhere," Darcy said in an offhand tone.

"Around here somewhere!" Lady Catherine's outrage was clear. "What have you done to her?"

Darcy shrugged. "I have done nothing to her. She is perfectly well."

"But where IS she?" By this time Lady Catherine was standing directly in front of Darcy. She looked for all the world like a cobra preparing to strike.

Richard decided to join in. "To the best of my knowledge, she is in a carriage with her husband," he said calmly.

"Husband! Fitzwilliam is to be her husband! And she is clearly NOT in a carriage with him. Where IS she?"

Sir Phillip made a show of looking in the window of Darcy's carriage. "It is true," he said, "she is not in Mr. Darcy's carriage."

Lady Catherine's face, which was already red with outrage, darkened to an almost purple hue. "You terrible men! What have you done with my daughter?"

"We have seen her married to a man she loves," Darcy said. "It is done and done for the best. You tried to control her, but now you have lost her entirely."

"Who! Who has she married?" She spit out the words like poison.

Again, the three men looked at one another. Richard decided to take the question.

"That is none of your business," he said simply.

Lady Catherine's anger was beyond words. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out. The glare she gave Richard could have pierced a stone wall.

Taking advantage of the silence, he spoke again. "My cousin and I must thank you for the hospitality you have shown us. We do, however, need to leave. There are personal matters we must take care of that prevent our immediate return to Rosings Park. Good day, Aunt Catherine."

He bowed, and Darcy followed suit. As Lady Catherine still stood, stunned by her own rage, the two men quickly boarded Darcy's carriage. At the same time, Sir Phillip bowed, also wishing Lady Catherine a good day before rushing off in the direction of the church where his mother awaited him.

As Darcy's coachman whipped up the horses, Lady Catherine still stood in furious silence, unable to speak or move. Without any instructions from his master, the coachmen set the horses at their top speed. Before she was able to recover, they were already beyond the church and halfway through the village.

They headed on the lane out of the village and towards the main road. As they moved swiftly along, Richard had an idea. He consulted with Darcy, who agreed with the plan. Darcy poked his head out the window and shouted some instructions to his driver. Their journey would end up being a little longer, but there was much less chance of Lady Catherine catching up with them once she got back into her carriage and on the road which, after the insolent way in which they had responded to her, she was more likely to do than staying and finding a way to bother Anne.

When they reached the main road, Darcy coachman followed the instructions he had been given and turned away from the route back to Rosings Park, London or Hertfordshire. They would take a number of twists, turns and side roads, leading her on a merry chase before turning back to their original destination. She had somehow managed to follow them to Boxwell; she was not going to catch up with them this time.

Chapter 36: Delayed

As they rattled away on the southward road leaving Boxwell, Darcy kept looking out the window behind him for signs of pursuit. No one could be seen, but that did not completely calm his mind.

"Do you think she will follow us instead of staying to find and berate Anne?" he asked Richard.

"Oh, I am certain she will try. Aunt Catherine was spitting mad. She will want immediate revenge and another chance to have her say. No doubt she is thinking up all manner of unpleasant threats to shout at us if she ever catches up." Richard laughed at the thought. "We probably should not have handled her in quite that way, but I will admit it felt good to make Aunt Catherine feel powerless for a change."