Darcy's Passions (29 page)

Mr. Gardiner agreed Lydia should be married out of his home, and he would make arrangements to bring her there the next day. Mrs. Gardiner returned to London then, and they would go together to bring Lydia to Gracechurch Street. Gardiner soon learned of Darcy's good business sense. Getting Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia Bennet for so little was a stroke of genius. Although it would be a strain on the Bennets' finances, Mr. Gardiner would share the expenses with his sister's family.That is when he learned Darcy's full plan. Darcy would assume all the expenses of the wedding, but he wanted none of the credit for doing so.

“I will hear of no compromise. It is my conviction if George Wickham's worthlessness was better known, it would be impossible for him to persuade any young woman of character to leave with him without proper bonds. I knew of his low character, but my foolish pride would not allow me to make known the extent of his depravity. I once thought myself above his actions. However, I
came to realize if I did something before, none of this would be possible. I cared only for my own private matters and did not consider the ramifications of Mr.Wickham's evil on other people.” Darcy never spoke directly of his sister's shame, but he gave Mr. Gardiner to know Mr. Wickham betrayed Darcy's family. He was obstinate about his involvement and would not relent, no matter how much Mr. Gardiner tried to change his mind.

“Well, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Gardiner offered,“it seems you have Mr. Wickham's life planned.”

Darcy laughed conspiratorially.“He said something similar.”

“Will you join me for dinner, Sir?”

“I cannot, Mr. Gardiner, I have other obligations this evening.”

“My wife returns tomorrow. I wish to discuss your proposal with her.Will you join us tomorrow evening as our guest?”

“It would be a pleasure to spend time with you and Mrs. Gardiner again.”

The men parted, each with a degree of satisfaction. Mr. Gardiner would see an end to the troubles Lydia brought on the family; Darcy would preserve Elizabeth's respectability and maintain his slim hopes she would one day change her mind and marry him.

 

“I will not change my mind, Mr. Gardiner.” Darcy renewed his contention to be the sole benefactor in the Wickham matter again on Sunday for Mr. Gardiner had second thoughts about taking credit for Darcy's triumph; but Darcy's obstinacy won out.

Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner finally agreed to his demands, but they did so with an ulterior motive, realizing Darcy's preference for their niece, a preference Darcy hoped to one day make public. “I must tell you, Mr. Darcy, we will be forever in your debt,” Mrs. Gardiner began. “We accept your offer reluctantly in hopes by doing so we maintain the respectability of Lydia's more deserving sisters. They should have fulfilling lives despite their youngest sister's folly.”

The Gardiners had the pleasure of his company that evening for dinner, and Darcy had the pleasure of listening to them tell stories
of Jane and Elizabeth as children and as young ladies growing up in the Bennet household. Those tales of Elizabeth's precociousness most interested him, but he also took delight in learning more about Jane Bennet. He misjudged her nature, and he knew making amends to Bingley must come soon. “Those two girls,” Mrs. Gardiner was laughing so hard at the story she told that tears came to her eyes, “would look at you and maintain their innocence, which was usually true for Jane, but not so much for Lizzy. Even when you were mad at what they did, you could not be mad at either of them. Their goodness made you love them even when your favorite vase lay in a hundred pieces on the kitchen floor.”

The Gardiners' own children showed interest in Mr. Darcy because he was a “favorite,” according to their parents of both “Cousin Jane” and “Cousin Elizabeth.” Having children in the house made Darcy fancy Elizabeth even more than usual. It was a perfect way to end a most pleasurable evening.

 

On Monday, Darcy finalized the plans for the church, the transfer of funds to Lydia Bennet, and the purchasing of the commission. Calling on the Gardiners one last time, he found they sent a dispatch to Longbourn with news of the impending marriage.
Finally,
he thought,
Elizabeth will be free of all these provocations: she will be able to laugh again
; he dearly missed that laugh. Lydia was coming to Gracechurch Street that day, and he would return to Pemberley on Wednesday. He would come again to London for the actual wedding; Mr. Wickham had no one else to stand up with him; plus, Darcy's need for meticulous planning required he be there to assure nothing went awry before the nuptials.

 

All were happy to see his return to Pemberley, with his sister most anxious to seek his company privately; but that would wait; today Darcy served as the “good” host. “Mr. Darcy, you were grievously missed on our trip to Nottingham,” Caroline called to him.

He answered her politely, “I am sorry to cause you grief, Miss Bingley.”

“Has your urgent estate problems been resolved?” Bingley implored.

“Generally so,” Darcy lied,“but I will need to return to London for a day or two at the end of the month.Then everything
will be finalized
.” He emphasized the last words to give Georgiana some peace while she waited to learn the whole story.

“I would have wished to be of service to you, Darcy,” Bingley offered.“You do so much for my family.”

“Your caring for Georgiana was of service to me, Bingley. I could not leave her in your care if I did not value your friendship. She means more to me than does Pemberley.” Georgiana blushed with his words, and her eyes misted with emotions. He was the finest man she knew; finding a mate who could live up to her brother's image could be difficult in her estimation. “In fact,” he continued, “I hoped to keep you at Pemberley when your sisters depart for Scarborough. Besides wishing you to care for Georgiana in my absence again, I would wish to spend some time with you as gentlemen.”

“I would enjoy that, Darcy,” Bingley smiled from ear-to-ear.

 

Later that evening, Georgiana tapped lightly on his study door. “I wondered when you would make your way here, Dearest One,” he teased.

“I wanted to make sure our guests retired for the night,” Georgiana came forward to have a seat across from his desk. “Please tell me what happened in London. Did you find Mr.Wickham?”

“Are you sure you want to hear all the unsavory details?”

“Besides knowing Miss Elizabeth is going to be well, your story can only confirm how lucky I am to have you as my older brother. Although it would probably upset me to ever see Mr. Wickham again, I do want to know his fate
and
your advantage.”

Darcy summarized the events of the last ten days, accenting the squalor in which he found both Mrs. Younge and George Wickham, but he assured Georgiana Mr. Wickham would marry
Lydia Bennet; Darcy would attend the service at St. Clements Church along with the Gardiners.

“Then you will be able to pursue Miss Elizabeth again,” Georgiana encouraged.

“Have you considered the ramifications of that, Georgiana?” he started. “If I earn Elizabeth's love, it would mean Mr. Wickham would be my brother—our brother.”

“Fitzwilliam, we have many relations we rarely see. Mr. and Mrs. Wickham will be in Newcastle; I am sure Miss Elizabeth would understand Mr. Wickham would never be welcomed at Pemberley.You could not have done all these things and then give up.You must find a way to win Miss Elizabeth's heart; you deserve her, and although she does not know it yet, she needs you.”

“Georgiana, the man who earns your heart will be winning a true romantic.” He chuckled while she blushed.They finished the evening with his relating some of the more amusing Elizabeth Bennet stories shared by the Gardiners; they laughed and talked into the late hours.

 

As promised, he returned to London to witness the exchange of vows and to finalize the money matters. The wedding took place on a Monday at eleven o'clock in the morning. A month had passed since Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet left Brighton, and finally to be rid of the chaos gladdened him. In Lydia Bennet, Darcy saw the same effusive, immature girl from Hertfordshire; the results associated with her actions meant nothing to her. Instead, she babbled on about whether Mr.Wickham should wear his blue coat for the ceremony. Mrs. Gardiner tried to caution the girl, but silence could not be attained.

 

Darcy dined with the Gardiners on Tuesday, but they spoke more of Lydia's insolence rather than of Elizabeth and Jane; he would prefer to hear about the latter. One of the Gardiner children, Cassandra, gave him a crayon picture of himself, Jane, and Elizabeth
walking in a garden and holding hands. Although the likenesses were not accurate, the sentiment touched his heart in a way he never knew. He took the drawing back to Pemberley and placed it in a special spot in his study.

Returning to the security of Pemberley, having both Georgiana's and Bingley's company brought him comfort. Yet, being with Bingley constantly reminded Darcy he must make amends for his duplicity in separating Bingley from Jane Bennet. One early autumn day, although the season was yet to open, they went out shooting. “I believe the last time, Darcy, we were shooting was at Netherfield,” Bingley said wistfully.

“You are right, Bingley,” Darcy paused as he planted the idea. “That was a pleasant time, was it not? By the way, have you made a decision on Netherfield? It seems a waste of money to let an estate one never uses.”

Bingley, not sure he heard Darcy accurately, seized on the idea. “Not having stayed through the winter, I am still unsure of the house's soundness. Maybe I should consider returning to Netherfield and make my decision based on what I find.”

“That seems to be a logical manner of making a judicious decision, Bingley.”

“Would you consider joining me, Darcy? We could shoot, ride, and enjoy my estate. I would like for you to come with me.”

Darcy chuckled with the success of his ploy. “I would enjoy that, Bingley.”

“Capital! I will send servants to open the house.We can go to Hertfordshire next week.”

Darcy's heart leapt. He would see Elizabeth again. Could they continue what they began at Pemberley? At dinner that evening,
Bingley told Georgiana of his plan to return to Netherfield.“Your brother consented to join me,” he shared. Georgiana smiled knowingly at Darcy, but she said nothing. She knew him well enough to know the uncertainty he felt in returning to Elizabeth's home. Everything could change in the next few weeks.

 

She hugged him a bit longer than usual and reached up to caress his cheek when they departed for Netherfield that mid-September morning. “I will say a prayer for your happiness, Brother.” He smiled weakly at her as he boarded the coach; Darcy could think of nothing but Elizabeth.

 

“Darcy, we have been at Netherfield for two days now,” Bingley mused, “and Mr. Bennet has not called. Do you think we should call on him instead?”

“Let us wait until tomorrow to see if the situation changes. If not, then, we can offer our own civilities.”

“Tomorrow it is then,” Bingley stared out the window.

 

There were few places at Netherfield where images of Elizabeth did not dance through Darcy's head. He saw her on the staircase as she was on that last Sunday; he saw her carrying the water to her sister's room; he saw her reaching for the book of poetry in the library; the image haunted his waking and his sleeping hours.
Tomorrow
, he thought,
tomorrow will tell whether I declare my love to Elizabeth Bennet again
.

 

Riding next to Bingley as he entered the pathway leading to Longbourn, both gentlemen were silent, deep in the wonderment of what the next hour would bring. Bingley wondered could he renew his relationship with Jane Bennet; Darcy wondered how Elizabeth would welcome him. Of course, this was not Pemberley. The excellent company he found in Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner would be replaced by the simple-mindedness of Mrs. Bennet, but what Mrs. Bennet said did not interest him. Darcy had a dual purpose for
this visit: assess Jane Bennet's feelings for Bingley and Elizabeth Bennet's feelings for him.

 

Upon being announced and entering the room, Darcy's eyes sought only Elizabeth.Weeks had passed since he saw her; the last time she cried over Wickham and Lydia, and relieving her distress became his only concern. He observed her for weeks last fall, memorizing her every gesture and the full gamut of her emotions; therefore, immediately, he recognized her uneasiness—the source of the uneasiness questionable. Was it his presence here at Longbourn? Was it that others might find out about Hunsford and Pemberley? Was it embarrassment of his knowing about Lydia?
Let me first see how she reacts to my presence; then I will decide my next step
.