Defending Elizabeth Page 11

  Elizabeth was startled. She just received a letter from Jane two days prior. It was Jane's habit to compose a letter a week. Two in such a short period made her nervous. She took the envelope from Kitty and tore it open with much less grace than usual. As she scanned the letter, her eyes got wider. After a moment, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  "What is it?" Kitty said, wringing her hands. "Is it Father? Is someone unwell?"

  "We are all unwell, but Lydia the most of us all. She has eloped with Mr. Wickham!"

  After relaying the distressing news, Elizabeth fell into tears of shock, which turned to tears of grief and then of anger. She was not entirely surprised her impetuous younger sister would agree to such a plan, but to be thrown over by the man she thought about to propose to her--for her sister? Elizabeth could not decide which of them she was the most angry with. Either way, it was a dark stain on the name of Bennet, and would undoubtedly affect the sisters' marriage prospects.

  Well, this resolved the issue of whether Mr. Wickham is a scoundrel, she thought, and laughed ruefully through her tears. It sounded as if Mr. Wickham was engaging in the same plot with Lydia that he had with Georgiana Darcy.

  "I must return home at once. Mr. Collins must arrange for my immediate travel home. I shall find him this minute and ask him to do so."

  Before Kitty had a chance to respond, Elizabeth was out the front door calling for her brother-in-law.

  She heard no response from Mr. Collins, but Elizabeth was startled to see Mr. Darcy emerge from the lawn of Rosings.

  "Miss Elizabeth, are you unwell? I believe I saw Mr. Collins headed for the church a quarter of an hour ago. Is there something with which I can assist you?"

  He strode to her side quickly and seemed on guard to catch her if she swooned.

  Elizabeth looked at him for a moment. Ought she to share what happened with him? Her first inclination was to hide the shame of the elopement from him, but who else in the world had also been a victim of Mr. Wickham's plots? Mr. Darcy might know, better than anyone, where Mr. Wickham and Lydia might have gone.

  Before she knew the decision was made, the story came tumbling out of her, and the tears began anew. Elizabeth hid her face, embarrassed at both her outburst of emotion and of the behavior of her sister.

  "My apologies, Mr. Darcy, for burdening you with this."

  "I am not unduly burdened, Miss Elizabeth," he said, handing her a handkerchief.

  Elizabeth took it and did her best to comport herself. By that time, Kitty was outside, carrying a cloak for Elizabeth.

  "You shall catch your death of the cold, and then we shall have two tragedies." She reddened as she saw Mr. Darcy standing next to Elizabeth. Kitty curtsied clumsily. "Good day, Mr. Darcy."

  "It appears it is not, Mrs. Collins." Then, to Elizabeth, "I will leave you to the capable care of your sister. There is something to which I must attend." With a bow, he turned and returned to Rosings.

  Kitty escorted Elizabeth back to the parsonage.

  "You did not tell him, did you, Lizzy?" asked Kitty.

  "I did," Elizabeth said, weakly. "I told him all."

  Kitty's eyes widened, but she refrained from chastising her sister. "A cup of tea is what you need." She entered the house with a call for tea to be brought to them.

  When the tea arrived, Elizabeth accepted a cup, allowing it to warm her chilled hands. She breathed in the steam and felt herself return to her rational mind. There was no time for any foolishness such as she exhibited outside; their mother was surely behaving foolishly enough for the entire family, and that was to say nothing of the degree of imprudence Lydia displayed. Elizabeth must retain her wits if she was to assist her family.

  There was the sound of hooves outside, and Elizabeth looked out the window to see Mr. Darcy racing by on horseback.

  "Well," she said hopelessly, "I suppose that answers the question of Mr. Darcy's response to our predicament. He could not get away quickly enough." She thought of one of his statements: "I am not unduly burdened." Certainly not, as his quick escape from Rosings indicated.

  "Do you think he will gossip about our situation?" asked Kitty.

  "I do not believe so. I was not the only one who shared a confidence during our conversations. He told me something he would rather not be made known."

  Kitty nodded, and Elizabeth was struck once again by how much her sister matured since her marriage. The Kitty that lived at Longbourn would have wheedled and begged for the story until Elizabeth went mad.

  "That does soothe me."

  "There shall be no soothing for me. I must get back to Longbourn. Would you be so kind as to retrieve Mr. Collins from the church? I shall pack my clothes.

  Kitty left to fetch her husband, and Elizabeth collected her belongings. Mr. Collins was shocked at the idea of Lydia's behavior, although he was also secretly pleased he chose the sister he did. He was all too happy to arrange travel for Elizabeth, and she was soon on the road back home. She did not know what help she might provide, but nonetheless, she needed to be with her family during this trying time.

  * * *

  Upon her arrival home, Elizabeth found her mother in bed, lamenting how life could be so terrible as to do such a thing to her dearest, her favorite, her baby Lydia.

  "Who knows what that horrible Mr. Wickham did to her to compel her to leave home! Oh, I cannot imagine. I feel faint again," and with that, Mrs. Bennet lapsed into a swoon that at least provided her daughters with a moment's reprieve from her wailing. However, it was only a moment, and her eyes sprung open again and turned to Elizabeth. "Lizzy! Why did you bring such a horrible man into Lydia's life? I am certain she never would have done this if it was not for your poor example."

  Elizabeth knew better than to take real offense; when she was vexed (which was most of the time), their mother said things she did not necessarily mean. Elizabeth was aware enough to realize the elopement was not her fault; being thoroughly taken in by Mr. Wickham's stories, however, left an angry bruise on her pride. How could she have been so trusting, so foolish?

  "I know that look, Lizzy," Jane whispered to her. "This was none of your doing; do not listen to Mama. How could you have known his true character?"

  "How could I not?" Elizabeth. "I had my doubts, but I did not take them seriously, and now see what has happened. To think I thought he proposed to me!"

  Jane's eyes widened. "He proposed to you? How? When?"

  It was then Elizabeth remembered she had not told Jane about the letter Wickham sent to Hunsford. She pulled her sister out of their mother's room and away from Mrs. Bennet's keen ears.

  "He sent me a letter at Hunsford telling me he had to speak with me about an important matter immediately upon my return."

  "He sent a letter? No wonder you suspected it to be a marriage proposal. What a very forward thing to do."

  "There is more, Jane. So much more."

  "About Mr. Wickham? What did you discover?"

  "I do not think Mr. Wickham told me the truth in regards to Mr. Darcy. In fact, I believe I judged Mr. Darcy too harshly. He told me a story about Wickham which I cannot repeat, as I do not wish to cause harm to the story's subject. But Mr. Darcy was engaging during my trip to Hunsford--do not give me that look, Jane, I am aware how it sounds. But it seemed as if he was concerned Mr. Wickham might cause me pain. I really do believe Mr. Darcy was acting with my best interest in mind."

  "I am shocked to hear you talk so of Mr. Darcy, but I cannot focus on anything due to my worry for Lydia. Did Mr. Darcy give you any indication whatsoever Mr. Wickham was capable of something like this?"

  "Indeed he did," Elizabeth said gravely. "In fact, this seems to be a pattern for Mr. Wickham."

  "Do you think they will marry?"

  "I think Lydia believes she and Wickham are to marry. As to whether he will follow through, I doubt it. From what Mr. Darcy told me, Mr. Wickham is on the hunt for a wife with a sizable dowry."

  "That disqualifies Lydia."

  "
And me," said Elizabeth.

  "What might Mr. Wickham's intentions be, if he is not inclined to marry her?"

  "Ruination. We will all be ruined. I want to be upset with Lydia because of what she had done, but I know the blame falls firmly on Mr. Wickham."

  "So you believe he means to take advantage of her! Oh, Lizzy, how terrible."

  "At this point, a marriage to the rogue is the best outcome we can hope for. However, I am unsure how our father might compel Mr. Wickham, even if he succeeds in locating them. Papa does not have the funds at his disposal, I am certain, to please Mr. Wickham."

  "All we can do is pray."

  A bellow from the bedroom announced their mother required their presence.

  "Well, pray and ensure Mama does not yell the house down," Jane said with a smile. "Come, Lizzy. Let us see what she requires."

  Chapter 19

  Darcy regretted the fact he had left Rosings with such little notice. He would have liked to tell Elizabeth his plans, but he did not wish to raise her hopes until he knew if he could deliver. If Wickham's main goal was to wed Lydia, they would be on the road to Gretna Green. Darcy suspected, however, that Wickham had no intention whatsoever of marrying Lydia Bennet. Luckily, he still recalled some of Wickham's old haunts. Perhaps that would send him in the right direction.

  Darcy had another stroke of luck. As he walked through a neighborhood he knew Wickham had once spent time in, he encountered one of Wickham's former associates. Loyalty to his friend was not nearly as important as coin, and the man had soon given Darcy a good idea of exactly where to find Wickham and Lydia. Darcy hoped his information was true as he stepped up to the door; London was a large city, and a man with more sense than Wickham might hide very effectively indeed.

  Darcy had to work to keep his lips from forming in a sneer when Lydia Bennet threw open the door in response to his knock.

  "Lord, Wickham, it is Mr. Darcy!"

  Wickham stepped into view behind Lydia and gave Darcy a smug smile.

  "Why, it is indeed, my dear."

  "Well, come in It has been so boring here, Mr. Darcy. I do not know why we must stay in London. I thought we were going to Scotland, but here we have stayed, in this dingy flat." She cast a baleful look towards Wickham.

  "I told you, dearest, I have business I need to finish prior to our departure."

  "Lying to your beloved already, Wickham? That is low, even for you."

  "He is not lying, are you, Wickham? You would not lie to me."

  "And why do you believe that? This man appeared to be in love with your sister Elizabeth a few short weeks ago. What makes you believe he would not deceive you?"

  "Oh, that was very unfortunate. I do hope Lizzy does not take it too badly. But it could not be helped. Once Wickham and I got to know one another, he realized it was me, not Lizzy, whom he loves. You must not blame him, and neither must she! For who can stand in the way of true love?"

  Darcy only just managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. He shot a sideways glance at Wickham, who was edging towards the back door.

  "Would you leave her alone with a stranger? Not that I should be surprised."

  "I was merely planning to offer you a drink." Wickham indicated a bottle on the table. "But if you have no interest in my hospitality, Darcy, I shall save it for myself."

  "Always the gentleman, Wickham."

  "Pardon me if I do not possess the graces of someone like you! Not everyone was born with your advantages."

  "But you were born with more advantages than most, which you chose to squander."

  "Mr. Darcy, I think you insult me," said Lydia. "I do not think marriage to me is squandering anything."

  Darcy considered what it would be like to be married to Lydia Bennet; it would not be a joyful existence for him, and he suspected neither would it be for Wickham.

  "I apologize if my words caused you offense, Miss Bennet. None was intended."

  "I accept your apology. I always believed you to be a gentleman, regardless of what Lizzy might have said."

  Darcy winced a bit at the thought of Elizabeth disparaging his manners, but then focused himself on the task in front of him. He glanced around the room and discovered it contained a single rumpled bed. What he feared had come to pass.

  "Miss Bennet, would you be so kind as to tell me why, if the two of you love one another so much, you chose to sneak away and to marry far away from your family? Do you not think they would like to view your nuptials?"

  "That was Wickham's idea." Lydia tossed a dimpled smile at her fiancé. "He knew how hurt Lizzy would be, and he said it would be a much more gracious thing for us to celebrate in private, so she did not have to suffer through a long engagement. It will be easier on her if we are married before she discovers what has happened. Then she can begin to work on forgetting Mr. Wickham as a potential husband, and rather seeing him as her brother." Lydia leaned in close to Mr. Darcy, as if she was telling him a secret. "Lizzy always had greater hopes for the relationship than Wickham gave any encouragement to. I did not realize until he told me, but my sister pursued him quite shamefully!"

  "Indeed?" said Darcy, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

  "Oh, yes! You should have seen her making a fool of herself over him. I was quite embarrassed for her."

  "I cannot imagine."

  "It was a spectacle. Lucky for me, my Wickham knew what he wanted, and he pursued it."

  "Yes, that much is clear." Darcy glanced once again at the unmade bed. "And he appears to have won."

  "He has! So you see, Lizzy will understand eventually. But we are doing her a favor by not forcing her to endure our wedding preparations. Our decision to elope was really quite selfless."

  "And what of you, Wickham? Is this all as you remember? Did Miss Elizabeth Bennet pursue you relentlessly until she went to Kent and you were finally able to court the sister you intended?"

  "That Cambridge education is certainly impressive. I do not know that I could have summed things up so well."

  Darcy did not bother to mention Wickham had the same opportunity for a Cambridge education, even if he did spent most of his time in the pubs rather than with his studies.

  "How very selfless of the two of you to consider Miss Elizabeth's feelings. I feel you should be rewarded for such goodness. Please, Miss Bennet, let me make you a gift of a fine new bonnet as a wedding gift."

  "Oh, how lovely!" Lydia clapped her hands. "Do you mean it, Mr. Darcy?"

  "Indeed I do. Perhaps while you are choosing the bonnet you want, Mr. Wickham and I will have some time to renew our acquaintance. We have much to discuss, and I am hoping this matter might be resolved in a way that is beneficial to all of us."

  "If you are to be reasonable," Wickham said smoothly, "I will hear what you have to say. Provided, of course, you neither say nor do anything that might upset my intended."

  Darcy did not rise to the implied challenge; if he was to resolve this situation, he would have to do his best to work with Wickham. Knowing that did not make it any easier, though. He clenched his jaw and escorted Lydia and Wickham to the milliners'.

  * * *

  "Oh, this one is my favorite!" cried Lydia rapturously. "No, wait, perhaps this one is. Would it be possible," she inquired to the milliner, "for the trimming on this bonnet to be put on the other one? Price is no concern."

  Darcy almost felt sorry for Wickham; Lydia would be an acquisitive wife. But this mess was quite of Wickham's own making, and Darcy would waste no sympathy on such a man.

  "Let us step outside," he said to Wickham.

  They did, and then just stared at one another for a moment. There was so much animosity built up over the years Darcy doubted whether they would be able to speak courteously to one another. He took a deep breath and reminded himself he was doing what was best for Elizabeth.

  "Do you think she suspects you have no intention of marrying her?"

  "I would not say I have no intention. It would be more correct to say I require the proper i
nducement to make her my wife."

  "And what do you consider the proper amount to compel you to do the right thing?"

  “Fifteen thousand pounds would provide an adequate compulsion, I would think."

  "For fifteen thousand, I would expect you to marry a scullery maid."

  Wickham looked at the doors of the milliners'. "Have you listened to Lydia? A scullery maid might be preferable."

  "This is a mess quite of your own making, Wickham."

  "Indeed it is, Darcy, which raises the question: why are you so interested in the reputation of a country gentleman's daughter? Is it your plan to interrupt any nuptial plans I make, just on principle?”

  "Do not behave as if you ever intended to marry Miss Lydia Bennet. At least do me that courtesy."

  "Perhaps I did. She was easier to win than her older sister. Elizabeth was nothing but work, work, work. I could no longer bear it."

  Darcy took a step closer to Wickham and drew himself to his full height. "I will thank you not to refer to the lady in such familiar terms."

  Wickham laughed and gracefully took a step back. "Oh, now all is clear. Perhaps we both have an interest in a Miss Bennet?"

  "My motivations are no concern of yours."

  "All that concerns me is your money. Although you must like Miss Elizabeth quite a bit to come looking for Lydia like this."

  "What ought to concern you is the fact fifteen thousand is an unreasonable amount. I might be more amenable to paying a sum such as five thousand.”

  "And for that amount, my bride would need to be several degrees more reasonable."

  "We could go back and forth all day to wind up somewhere near ten thousand, or we could just agree on the amount now. Why not save ourselves the trouble?"

  "That is what I like about you, Darcy. You dislike all forms of dancing, whether with an agreeable young lady or around a topic."

  "I am simply astute in understanding my partners."

  "Ought we to shake on it?"

  "Would you respect the implied contract of the handshake?"