Darcy's Voyage: A Tale of Uncharted Love on the Open Seas (31 page)

“Did you enjoy your visit with Mr. Bingley yesterday, Jane?”

“I had a most enjoyable time at Netherfield.”

Elizabeth smiled, knowing that Miss Bingley would have to have been on her best behaviour in front of her brother. “Yes, and it is good you were
there
when Mr. Collins was
here
humiliating me as well as himself!” Elizabeth looked at Jane and rolled her eyes. “I have never been so uncomfortable in my whole life!”

“I am so sorry that happened!”

“Well, Jane, I believe there are just some things in life that are meant to happen that you cannot avoid.”

Jane took her hand. “You miss Mr. Darcy. I can tell.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Sometimes I feel that just knowing he loves me gives me strength to endure anything. But, yes, Jane, I do miss him.”

“I enjoyed watching the two of you at the ball. It was also interesting to hear the thread of gossip that began to circulate after your first dance, and then increased greatly after your second.”

“And just what were they saying?”

“That the esteemed Mr. Darcy certainly has good taste, and wherever he goes, he can have the best pick of dance partners.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “And?”

Jane looked down. “And… that you better not hold to any expectations about his having danced two with you.”

“I shall remember that, as Miss Bingley gave me the same warning.”

Both sisters laughed.

Elizabeth reached over and put her hand on Jane’s. “Have you told Mr. Bingley… about William and me?”

Jane shook her head. “I do not feel as though I should; at least, not until he makes an offer of marriage to me. I do not feel it right to mention that his best friend is secretly married to my sister.”

“That is probably very wise, Jane.”

“I know that he shall be greatly pleased, Elizabeth; do not fret about that. I would not want him to think that I am telling him solely to encourage him to make me an offer of marriage.”

As the two began talking of other things, they saw the object of their conversation approach them on horseback, surprising Jane with a visit. He joined the two sisters as they visited, and at length, Charles and Jane departed to go for a walk.

Elizabeth turned her attention back to her sisters and the officers and continued to watch in concern as one of the officers, George Wickham, seemed to concentrate his attentions on Lydia. Her youngest sister responded in what seemed, to Elizabeth, to be an overly flirtatious and even provocative way. He had a charming personality, but Elizabeth wondered about his intentions. Certainly a man in his position would not bother with someone with as little fortune as Lydia. She was surprised, then, when he walked over to her.

“Good day,” he said, seating himself next to her. “You have a very pleasant family, Miss Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wickham.” For some unknown reason, Elizabeth felt his words were a little too coated in sweetness.

“And your sister and Mr. Bingley seem very happy.”

“Yes, they are.”

Wickham smiled and paused, as if searching for a way to say something.

“And his friend, what is his name?”

Elizabeth quickly turned to him with a blush sweeping over her face, startled at his reference to her husband. “He… his name is Mr. Darcy.”

Wickham smiled at her obvious nervousness.

“And is he from around here?”

Elizabeth chided herself for her sudden nervousness. “He lives in Derbyshire.” Elizabeth unknowingly began rubbing her hands together.

“And you said you had only come to know him spending those few days at Netherfield?” He flashed her a charming smile, meant to disarm and assure her of his trustworthiness.

Elizabeth turned her face from him, feeling as if she was being interrogated.

“I… he…” Elizabeth had the gnawing suspicion that his questions were not as casual as they seemed. “I have not known him long, no.”

Wickham narrowed his eyes, noticing her obvious discomfort.

“I notice that he did not join his friend today. Is he no longer in the neighbourhood, then?”

Elizabeth looked at him, searching the face behind the charming smile, suave voice, and penetrating eyes. “No, I believe he had some business that took him back to his home in Derbyshire.”

Wickham’s charming smile was quickly replaced by a satisfied grin.

Further conversation was prevented by Lydia briskly walking toward them.

“Mr. Wickham, I wondered where you had gone off to!”

“Well, Miss Elizabeth, it appears as though your sister desires my company. If you will excuse me, it has been a pleasure conversing with you.” Wickham gave her a polite bow, and then eagerly went off with Lydia.

As he walked away, Elizabeth was annoyed at herself for reacting as she did.
Why did I feel so uneasy when he spoke of William?
She gripped her hands together and shook her head.
There was no reason to react that way
. She could not help turning her gaze back on him, nevertheless, wondering what it was about him that so disconcerted her.

Darcy arose at dawn the next day to get an early start making inquiries with Durnham’s help. When no one at Pemberley seemed to recall seeing Wickham in quite a long time, they set out for the surrounding villages and made inquiries. Wickham had not been seen by anyone.

That night Darcy retreated to his study. It had been a long day and he was too restless to sit and relax, wondering what Wickham could be doing and who it was that saw him.
What is it that I am not seeing?
he asked himself. He paced relentlessly before walking over to the mantel and picking up Elizabeth’s sampler. As he looked at it, Georgiana walked in.

“Am I disturbing you?”

Darcy quickly put the sampler down and returned to his chair. “No, please, come in and sit.”

Instead of sitting, Georgiana walked up to her brother’s desk, facing him. She had just come to learn from one of the servants that his preoccupation since arriving had something to do with Wickham.

She decided to ask him outright. “Fitzwilliam, what brought you home so suddenly?”

Her eyes searched his and noticed the pain that flooded them.

“I… I received a note that there was a matter of urgency here that needed my attention.”

Georgiana waited, but he seemed reluctant to go on. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. Over the years, Georgiana had come to recognize that as a sign he was nervous and concealing something.

“Does it have to do with George Wickham?”

Darcy started at this, looking up into the wise, maturing face of his sister. Her look of tenacity surprised him at first, and then softened his guard.

“Have you seen him recently?”

Georgiana shook her head. “No, and I do not wish to, but I would have liked to have been informed of this.”

“You have grown up, Georgiana, and sometimes it is difficult for me to remember that.” He stood up and beckoned her to come to him. She walked around the desk and he drew her into his arms.

“I received a note that Wickham had been seen around Lambton and Pemberley. I was worried about you.”

“Did you not trust me, Fitzwilliam?”

“I trust you, Georgiana. I do not trust him.”

He drew her away and looked at her. “I will make some final inquiries into this matter tomorrow, and then on the following day I want you to join me when I return to Netherfield.”

She gave him a sly smile, and walked over to the mantel. “You have been spending a great deal of time with your good friend, Charles Bingley. You must be enjoying his company.”

“Yes, I am.”

“And Miss Bingley?”

“Miss Bingley is, and always will be, an unfortunate accessory to my friendship with Bingley.”

Darcy watched as Georgiana casually picked up the sampler.

“And what of Miss Bennet?”

A lump in Darcy’s throat forced him to swallow, and he watched her turn slowly and give him a piercing gaze.

“Miss Bennet?”

“Yes.” She turned and bore her eyes into him. “You claim that you trust me. Would you please trust me enough to tell me exactly who Miss Elizabeth Bennet is?”

Darcy stared at her and then laughed softly.

“Oh, I had forgotten. She mentioned that she met you when she and her aunt and uncle toured Pemberley.”

“So you
have
seen her at Hertfordshire!”

“Yes, I have. But how did you know?”

Georgiana walked back around to the chair opposite his desk and sat, still holding on to the sampler. “Too many things were all too conveniently linked together. You called out the name
Elizabeth
from the carriage in America and reacted in a way I had never seen you act. And then there was the strange note from Wendell, with only the word
Longbourn
written on it. When Miss Bennet visited Pemberley, she mentioned that she lived at Longbourn, which is in Hertfordshire, which just happened to be where you set off to so suddenly.”

“You are quite the detective, I see.”

“Oh, I have all the clues, but I do not know what they mean! The final clue, however, I have just recently discovered while you have been gone.”

“And what is that?”

She held up the sampler. “I had not noticed this before, but a few days ago I was looking at this sampler and I saw the initials of the one who stitched it.
EB
. They are cleverly concealed among the tendrils of the vine, but definitely an
EB.
Now please do not tell me it is all a coincidence!” Georgiana crossed her arms in front of her, as if she was not going to leave until he explained this all for her.

Darcy looked up, taking a deep breath as he did. “I met Miss Bennet on the ship going to America.”

“I thought as much.”

Darcy tightened his jaw as he contemplated how much to tell her. “I grew quite attached to her, but did not come to learn any particulars about where she lived or where she was staying upon arriving in America. That morning when we docked, I went in search for her, but she had already disembarked and was on a carriage to I know not where.”

“And that is why you seemed so despondent when you arrived in America?”

Darcy nodded. “All I knew was that she was staying with her aunt and uncle in New York for a few months and then would return to England. I knew she lived in Hertfordshire. Wendell said he would see if he could find out exactly where she lived. That was what his note was for, which, by the way, was addressed to
me,
and younger sisters should
not
be sneaking a peek at their brother’s correspondence!”

Georgiana smiled and looked down, then slowly lifted her eyes to look innocently at him.

“So you found her at Longbourn in Hertfordshire?”

Darcy nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Georgiana clasped her hands. “I am glad!”

“You are glad?”

“Yes. Fitzwilliam, I liked her so very much, and I prayed and prayed that she was someone of whom you were fond and that she cared for you in return.” She nervously looked down at her hands. “I have very often thought about the fact that you would someday marry, and that it might be someone whom I would not like or who would not understand me.”

Darcy reached across the desk and gave Georgiana’s hand a gentle squeeze. “And what did you think of Elizabeth? I mean, Miss Bennet?”

“I did like her. Just in that small amount of time I spent with her, I came to like her very much.” She looked at him and smiled. “She is so very unlike any other woman I have seen you with.”

Darcy looked down, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Now you know very well, Georgiana, that I have never really taken a strong liking to any particular woman. Usually the association was out of duty or obligation or some familial obligation. There may have been a few whose company I enjoyed, but none I would have sought as my wife.”

“Oh, but there were certainly many who wanted you to take a liking to them and who would have, without the slightest hesitation, consented to being your wife!”

“Yes, and I can remember all your comments after I would introduce one of those women to you.”

Georgiana looked down, displaying a childlike pout for her brother. “I was not
that
bad, was I, Fitzwilliam?”

Darcy laughed. “I quickly discovered, Georgiana, that the quieter you were around the lady, the more vocal you would be to me after she left!”

Darcy smiled at his sister. He had wondered over the years if she would have approved of
any
lady. He often speculated that his sister would be more reticent to give her approval of a woman than his mother would have been. “And how did you find Elizabeth?”

She smiled. “I enjoyed her company. I felt as though I could talk to her easily. As a matter of fact, Fitzwilliam, I felt perfectly comfortable around her.”

Darcy stood up, guiding Georgiana’s hand around the desk until she was by his side and pulled her close in a hug. “I could not be any happier, knowing my two favourite ladies enjoy one another’s company.”

“Did she say anything about
me
?”

Darcy nodded. “As a matter of fact she did. She likes you very much.”

Georgiana sighed, and Darcy knew it was a sigh of contentment.

***

The following day, Darcy concluded that Wickham was nowhere in the vicinity and became suspicious as to the origins of the note. He fixed on departing the following morning to return to Netherfield and determined to spend the rest of the afternoon with Georgiana.

He returned just after midday and after eating a light meal, they walked together around the grounds.

“Who do you believe wrote the letter, Fitzwilliam?” inquired Georgiana as they approached the lake.

“I really do not know. I could not decipher the signature.”

“Perhaps I can. If you still have it, I might look at it when we return.”

“I have it here,” Darcy said, as he reached into a pocket and pulled it out.

Georgiana took it, and Darcy watched as her eyes narrowed.

“What is it, Georgiana?”

“Well, overall, the handwriting does not look familiar, but…”

“Yes?”

“But the way the ‘W’ is made in Wickham’s name. There is only one person I know who makes a ‘W’ like that.”

“Who is that?”

Georgiana looked up with a serious look on her face. “Mr. Wickham.”

A cold chill swept through Darcy as he began to ask himself all of kinds of questions. “Wickham! But why would he…?”

Darcy turned and grabbed Georgiana by the shoulders. “Are you sure of this?”

Georgiana nodded, frightened by the look in his eyes.

“We must get back to Hertfordshire right away!”

“What is it, Fitzwilliam? Why would Wickham want you to come here?”

“The bigger question is why did he want me to
leave
Netherfield? And how did he even
know
I was there?”

The two began walking briskly toward the house, Darcy bringing his hand up to rake his fingers through his hair. “The theft!”

“What theft?”

“Someone broke into my room the night of the ball. I just assumed it was someone who wanted some small items that he could easily grab and sell for some easy money.”

“Do you think it was Wickham?”

“I have no doubt it was him.”

They rushed into the house, and Darcy ordered his bag packed as well as a trunk packed for Georgiana as quickly as possible. He was not sure how long they would be gone.

Durnham returned with Darcy’s bag. “It is a full day’s journey, sir. We will not make it there before dark.”

“I know. We will travel as far as we can today and then make the rest of the distance in the morning.”

Darcy paced the floor waiting for Georgiana’s things to be packed. He was confident that the man who broke into his room was Wickham. He shook his head.
Is he that desperate for money?
There seemed to be something else that he was not seeing.
What was it?

Darcy thought back to that night, how Durnham had searched the room after the theft for any missing valuables. Darcy had sensed that he was missing something. He thought back to his room. He kept most of his valuables in the armoire, and they had searched all the drawers in it. Just a few things were gone. There was the closet, but apart from his hanging clothes, nothing really of value that would be easy to lift.

His mind’s eye travelled to the bed and the small table next to it. Normally, he just kept his book…

Suddenly Darcy stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened as he considered what he had neglected to check for that night.
The marriage certificate!
His heart lurched as he realized with great anguish that he had not looked in that drawer. And if Durnham checked it, he would not have been aware of its presence there, let alone its absence. If Wickham discovered his and Elizabeth’s marriage certificate, what damage had he been doing with it these past few days?

What a fool I am! How did I not think of it?

Darcy restlessly waited for everything to be readied for their departure, and then he rushed through a farewell to the Pemberley staff.

When Darcy and Georgiana were settled in the carriage, the two travelled in silence for quite a distance. At length, after observing her brother’s demeanour for some time, she stated, “I suspect, dear brother, that you have determined what Wickham’s reasons were for ensuring you leave Netherfield.”

Darcy turned sharply and looked at his sister, seeing something in her for the very first time. “How do you know me so well, Georgiana?”

Georgiana smiled. “You wear your great depth of feeling on your face, Fitzwilliam. Over the years, I learned to read your face when you refused to tell me what you were feeling.”

“I never wanted to burden you.”

“I am old enough now. Tell me, what do you think Wickham is up to?”

“Before I tell you what I think Wickham is doing, Georgiana, I must tell you something first, that ultimately I believe will please you, but initially it will confound you. I fear at first you will not understand.”

“I am listening.”

Darcy began rubbing his hands nervously together, while Georgiana waited patiently.

“It is a long story.”

“We have a long ride ahead of us.”

“Yes.” She watched as he turned to look out the window and then turned back and faced her directly. “I told you that Elizabeth and I had been on the ship together that took us to America.”

Georgiana nodded.

“Yes… well…” Darcy took a deep breath. “What I did not tell you… was that she and I…” He reached over and took his sister’s hands. “Georgiana, Elizabeth and I are married. We got married on the ship.”

Georgiana’s jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide. Darcy held on to her hands tightly as she began to pull them away.

She looked down to hide her tears and said softly, “You are right, Fitzwilliam. I do not understand. How you could be married without telling me?”

Darcy calmly and deliberately explained to Georgiana how everything came about.

At length, she did recover; her tears ceased, and she was able to view this announcement with joy. She was able to understand a little more as they discussed it, and she asked questions of how all had come about.