Darcy's Passions (26 page)

“No, Miss Bingley's directed her comments to my memory of Elizabeth once preferring Mr.Wickham also; it seems you and Miss Elizabeth were both fooled by his façade of caring.”

“Obviously, Miss Elizabeth knows my secret; you told her. Is that not so?”

“At Hunsford in an impulsive act, I ludicrously proposed—a
droit du seigneur
, so to speak; but, when I professed my love for Miss Elizabeth, her reproofs included charges of my abuse of Mr.Wickham. I was angry, at first, and wished to defend my actions, and then I wanted to protect Elizabeth from George Wickham's deceit. I am
afraid I betrayed you, but I did not do so lightly. I knew enough of Miss Bennet's character to realize she would never use the knowledge against you.You saw her strength of character today.”

“The strength of her grasp on my hand gave me the ability to raise my eyes and look in her face. Her face told me I had nothing to fear from Elizabeth Bennet.”

“Yes, my dear,” Darcy nearly at a loss for words continued, “we hold mutual admiration for Miss Elizabeth, it seems. But we must put these thoughts aside and attend to our guests. Come, Sweet One.” He offered his sister his arm; both paused before the boxwood rose before leaving the conservatory.

 

Darcy retired to his chambers early that evening. Hope and a bit of confidence flowed through him; his sister's words involving his and Elizabeth's futures rang in his memory, but Darcy needed to discover the whole truth about his chances, and only one person could accurately supply the information: Elizabeth. He must see her, and he must see her alone.

 

The master of the house rose early. He wanted to be away from his guests. He thought only of Elizabeth and of finding out if she could learn to love him. If her wishes changed, Darcy would renew his proposal and face the consequences of his choice later. The ride into Lambton took a little over a quarter of an hour. It was early, but not unreasonably so. He would simply ask Elizabeth for permission to call upon her in advance of the rest of her party; he would bring a curricle, and they could take a drive around the grounds of Pemberley before dinner. Darcy would make his intentions known again and let fate take its course.

Upon reaching the inn, he learned the Gardiners left only moments before. Disappointed, he first considered seeking them in the village when the servant told him the young lady remained behind in her quarters. Darcy's eyes glinted with pleasure when he instructed the servant to announce his presence to the young woman. As the servant knocked on the door and opened it to the
sitting area of the guest rooms, coming face-to-face with Elizabeth startled Darcy. Her pale face showed her to be in a clearly agitated state. She barely saw him, so great her discomposure, and before he could recover enough to speak, she started past him by saying, “I beg your pardon, but I must leave you. I must find Mr. Gardiner this moment, on business that cannot be delayed; I have not an instant to lose.”

He knew not the source of the anguish in which he found Elizabeth, but he knew he must protect her. Propriety would demand he let Elizabeth pass without interference, but Darcy's love for her could not allow him to ignore her. “Good God! What is the matter?” He wanted to take her in his arms to comfort her. “Miss Elizabeth, I will not detain you a minute; but let me, or let the servant, go after Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.You are not well enough; you cannot go yourself.”

He stayed close because Elizabeth seemed to sway under the distress of the situation; she took his advice, and the servant was recalled and commissioned to find Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and have them return immediately.

With the servant on his way, Elizabeth took a seat, as she could control her trembling legs no longer. Her distress caused Darcy to fear news of the death of her mother or father. Without being asked to stay, he pulled a chair close to her for he could not leave her in such discontent, and he momentarily reached for her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb as he gently held her fingertips. He inquired of what he might do to help her, and although Elizabeth requested nothing of him, she did, finally, turn to him with her dilemma—she had dreadful news from Longbourn. Darcy began to think of ways to care for her well-being if the death of a parent was of what she spoke. The acknowledgment of the situation brought tears to her eyes, and her sobs held Darcy in desolate anticipation. He offered her comforting words and then observed her in sympathetic silence.

When she finally spoke, the words spilled out in clusters of ill happenings. “I have just had a letter from Jane, with such dreadful
news. It cannot be concealed from anyone. My younger sister has left all her friends—has eloped; has thrown herself into the power of—of Mr.Wickham.They are gone off together from Brighton.
You
know him too well to doubt the rest. She has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to—she is lost forever.”

Darcy tried to control first the contempt, then the anger, and lastly, the empathy he felt; astonishment fixed him in place. Elizabeth blamed herself for not letting others know of Mr.Wickham's low character, but it was his secret—his sister's secret—she kept. Darcy's pride would ruin the woman he loved. Lydia Bennet's folly would not only mark her as a “fallen” woman, but it would taint the reputations of all of her sisters as well.“I am grieved, indeed—grieved—shocked. But is it certain—absolutely certain?”

“Oh, yes! They left Brighton together on Sunday night, and were traced almost to London, but not beyond; they are certainly not gone to Scotland.”

Darcy fought the urge to touch her shoulder, but instead he lightly touched her fingertips once more. Elizabeth continued to sob, but he noted her shoulders no longer shook. He asked, “And what has been done, what has been attempted, to recover her?”

Even before asking the question, Darcy knew where this conversation led. He grappled for something to say which could change the situation; although he listened to Elizabeth's response, he attended to it only for the details for he swam in the disgust he now felt for Mr. Wickham, as well as himself. His forswearing her to secrecy caused Elizabeth's distress; loaded with self-reproach, he became determined to find a way to remedy the situation for only two days ago Darcy vowed to protect Elizabeth no matter what the consequences. Elizabeth lamented the inevitable outcome of her sister's alliance. Mr. Bennet went to London, but he needed Mr. Gardiner's help, and she would leave shortly to help comfort her family. Mr.Wickham's character, as he knew, could only be easily swayed with monetary inducements, and her family could offer him no such sums. Again, she blamed herself for the lack of foresight in seeing George Wickham's true nature and Lydia's idolized ideas of love.

Darcy stood during this last passage and began to pace the room in solemn reflection; the intensity of his anger pulsed hard along his temples. He wondered if Elizabeth recognized the effect she had on him. Her tears pierced his heart, and every time she dabbed at her eyes, Darcy's agony crescendoed. He needed to be free of this room; he needed to find Wickham and stop this madness; he needed to take action. With compassion he finally spoke, “Miss Elizabeth, I am afraid you have been long desiring my absence, nor have I anything to plead in excuse of my stay, but real, though unavailing, concern. Would to Heaven that anything could be either said or done on my part that might offer consolation to such distress! But I will not torment you with vain wishes, which may seem purposely to ask for your thanks.This unfortunate affair will, I fear, prevent my sister's having the pleasure of seeing you at Pemberley today.”

“Oh, yes,” she stumbled with embarrassment, “be so kind as to apologize for us to Miss Darcy. Say that urgent business calls us home immediately. Conceal the unhappy truth as long as it is possible, I know it cannot be long.”

Demonstrating as much decorum as he could muster, he readily assured her of his secrecy. “I pray for a happier conclusion to this matter than there is at present reason to hope. Please give my regards to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.” He made her a quick bow, which she acknowledged with a sorrowful nod of her head. Stepping to the door, Darcy gripped the handle and with only one serious parting look went away.

Emerging onto the streets of the village, he leaned back against the inn's outer wall and gasped for air.
How could it be?
He was so close to winning Elizabeth's heart.To have her snatched away from him again seemed unthinkable. He knew, or, at least, he hoped for an honest chance of Elizabeth's wishes changing in regard to him; now all possibilities of love appeared in vain.
What made the situation worse was George Wickham created it. He always wanted revenge on Darcy; if Wickham knew the irony of the situation, he would be pleased with what he started.
Darcy climbed upon Cerberus's back and
turned the reins toward Pemberley, but he remembered none of that—all he remembered was Elizabeth's “fine eyes” lost their glow.

 

Darcy arrived at Pemberley as his houseguests finished their breakfasts; he mumbled his apologies about having urgent estate business, which caused him to ride out early this day and to which he would now need to devote some time alone to work through. He waited not for their civilities but made an exit to his study and quickly secured the door behind him; he wanted no interruptions until he sorted things out.

 

Several hours later a light tap at the door roused his attention—the tap so delicate Darcy had no doubt it came from Georgiana; otherwise, he would have ignored it as he had the offers from servants for tea and refreshments. He crossed to the door and opened it quickly to find his sister half turned to go. Darcy spoke not a word, just offered his hand, and led her to the settee; he seated himself next to her, but he did not speak—no words necessary for her to share his anguish. After several excruciating minutes, Georgiana reached up to brush the hair from his eyes. “Has something happened to Miss Elizabeth?” she asked while gently stroking his cheek.

“Why would you ask that? Am I that transparent?” he snapped.

She withdrew her hand from his face and dropped it into her lap. Georgiana enjoyed the new level of respect her brother gave her of late, but his restraint and that stern look sometimes made her still feel like a foolish little girl. Darcy noted she flinched from the tone of his voice; he forced gentleness into his manner when he spoke again.“I apologize, Georgiana, you deserve none of my anger.Allow me to collect my thoughts, and then I will try to explain what has happened.” Her eyes rose to meet his as she tried to read the turmoil found in his face. “I do not know where to begin,” his voice was hoarse. “I arose this morning with hopes sowed by your words in the conservatory last evening. I decided I would woo Miss Elizabeth, and I rode to Lambton to ask her to ride out with me this afternoon before dinner. I know it was rash, but . . .”

Georgiana reached out to squeeze his hand.“Fitzwilliam, please tell me she did not refuse your attentions again.”

“No, Miss Elizabeth did not refuse me; I found her in too much distress to even accept my compassion. Miss Bennet received dreadful news from Longbourn.” Darcy heard Georgiana gasp. “I am going to tell you quick what must be said, but the news will play hard on your sensibilities, Dearest One; remember I mean to give you no harm. In short, Miss Elizabeth's youngest sister ran away—gave her heart—to George Wickham.” The news clearly caused agitation for Georgiana, but she did not look away; she waited for him to continue. “Lydia Bennet has nothing but her affections to attract Mr. Wickham. He will use her ill and then abandon her. Her folly will destroy her reputation, which will, ultimately, reflect upon Miss Elizabeth and her sisters.”

Georgiana's eyes filled with tears. “Poor, Miss Elizabeth! Poor Mr. Bingley and his love for Miss Bennet!” She consciously omitted a touch of empathy for her brother to her list.“What will you do, Fitzwilliam?”

“What would you have me do, Georgiana?”

“Brother, you love her; you cannot cast Miss Elizabeth aside, even if she cannot be yours; you said as much last night. Our pride in dealing with Mr. Wickham allowed him to prey on others. We never concerned ourselves with their destruction, only with our own, and now God brought Mr.Wickham's evil back to someone we both affect.”

Darcy actually laughed out loud. “Georgiana, you continue to amaze me. How little I know about you! I already decided I must resolve this situation, which means I must deal with George Wickham. I wondered how to tell you without causing you grief. Instead, you give me permission and demand my speed in these negotiations.”

“We have always been of the same nature,” she nearly teased.

“You spend one afternoon with Elizabeth Bennet, and you already ‘pain' your brother with your taunts.”

“What is your plan?” She turned more serious, but only after
giving him a brief smile.

“I will go to London tomorrow to find Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet. I know things about George Wickham's nature Mr. Bennet has yet to learn. I hope to convince the girl to return to her family; they could then hush up her indiscretions. Her journey began in Brighton so most in Hertfordshire will have little knowledge of her folly, assuming Mrs. Bennet controlled her tongue for once. I will tell the Bingleys estate business calls me back to London, but that means you must entertain them while I am away. Are you up to it, Sweet One?”

“I will do what is necessary to protect Miss Elizabeth.”

“Miss Elizabeth must never know of my involvement; it would not be proper to inject myself into so private a matter. Besides, although I desire Miss Elizabeth's regard, I do not want her to bestow it upon me out of gratitude. I want her love.”

“As our first dealings with Mr.Wickham were our secret so will this one be.”