by Kate Speck
Darcy also chuckled, “He handled himself well enough, I thought. He is a nervous talker and the more anxious he becomes, the faster he speaks. Although we could not understand half of his speech, he truly does care for your sister and wishes to know her better.”
“I am glad. I always thought they would match well and their temperament is so similar that they should be very happy together. She deserves the best after everything she has gone through.” Elizabeth sighed.
“Are you saying I am not the best? You said I was the best of men.” Darcy quirked a brow as he teased her. “Should I have pursued your sister, Elizabeth?”
“Oh, no. You are mine and I will be selfish in keeping the very best of men, Mr. Darcy. Jane is meant for Mr. Bingley and I am meant for you. As I told Jane in London, it is all selfishness when it comes to you. You are mine!” Elizabeth merrily laughed.
Darcy kissed her hand. “Yes, my Beth. You are all mine and I am all yours. I love you.”
After several more tender kisses, the couple returned to the house where Bingley received approval for courtship with Jane Bennet and Mr. Bennet proudly declared, “If any young men come for Kitty or Lydia, send them in, for I am quite at my leisure.”
Chapter 19
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Darcy.” Charlotte Lucas smiled. “Eliza has told me much about you and I have never seen her so cheery in all the years I have known her.”
“Charlotte is my dear friend and niece to my new stepmother, William, and I hope to invite her to Pemberley in the summer. I promised her faithfully that I plan on throwing her in the path of rich gentlemen and she might finally find her own soul mate.”
“Oh, Eliza,” Charlotte replied, “You know I am not a romantic like you. I only wish for comfort and security so that I will not be a burden to my family. A decent man of morals and honour is all I need.” She squeezed Elizabeth’s hand with a broad grin.
Darcy returned his greetings to the woman of seven and twenty years, the eldest daughter of Sir William Lucas, a knight who lived only two miles from Longbourn and was Mrs. Howard’s only brother. “It is very nice to meet you as well, Miss Lucas. Miss Elizabeth has shared with me a little of the times you shared in your youth and of the incident with your brother and how angry her Aunt Phillips became a long time ago.”
Charlotte laughed, “That was over ten years ago but poor Mrs. Phillips has not forgotten and gives John an evil eye even to this day.” They all looked at the young man of nineteen sitting quietly on the other end of the room near Kitty and Lydia who were attempting to flirt with him. “He has been distraught this past week that the love of his life is engaged to another man but he will overcome it.” She winked, “We will be connected with the Bennets by marriage and perhaps he will finally concentrate on his studies at university and learn to be a good master for Lucas Lodge in the future instead of pining for his lost love.”
“Oh? Who did he love? Was it Miss Mary?” Darcy innocently asked as he watched Georgiana speak merrily with Mary Bennet and Maria Lucas, Charlotte’s seventeen-year old sister. “Mr. King might have lost his betrothed if he did not act sooner.”
Charlotte giggled and hid her mirth while Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Charlotte! You should not have said anything about that!” She chastised her friend.
Darcy’s eyebrows rose high after looking at Elizabeth and he gasped, “You?! He loves you?”
“And why should you be so surprised, Mr. Darcy? Am I so barely tolerable that I should not tempt any gentleman?” Elizabeth challenged. “I have had a few callers in my youth.”
Darcy chuckled, “In your youth… You talk as if you are a spinster. No, my dear Miss Elizabeth, you are most charming and I will be the first to declare that you have a unique quality that makes you irresistible. Remember, I stole you away from Bingley from right under his nose.” He turned to Charlotte Lucas and explained, “You must have been told, I was introduced to my betrothed through Mr. Bingley and while he was busy with his businesses, I spent numerous days away from my own tasks so I could be near Miss Elizabeth. I will admit I encouraged Bingley to take care of his appointments as a priority and perhaps I was responsible in adding to his work to keep him away from you, Miss Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth’s mouth opened in surprise, “I never knew you could be so mischievous! I had wondered why you had attended Georgiana to all of the outings but did not know that you prevented Mr. Bingley from attending!”
“Why do you think I planned the dinner party at Darcy House on his sister’s birthday? I wished for you to be with me without Bingley’s attendance.” Darcy proudly flashed his smile. “All is fair in love…”
Charlotte laughed, “You two are meant for each other, I am certain now. Eliza, with all of your tricks and mischief from your youth and now Mr. Darcy’s true character being revealed, I can only imagine how many grey hairs your children will give you both!”
The group laughed and spoke more of Elizabeth’s childhood in Hertfordshire. The families enjoyed the dinner immensely to celebrate Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Howard’s wedding the next day with the Bennet clan, the Lucases, and the King family. Darcy also spoke cordially with Mr. King and included Bingley, comprehending that they would likely be brothers through their wives in the future.
~*~
“We will see you in a week, dear brother! Oh, dear Agnes, enjoy your time in London and make sure Thomas takes you to an outing or two. Congratulations, sister!” Mrs. Kingston kissed their cheeks.
The Bennet daughters all kissed their father and his new wife and Brandon embraced them to congratulate them.
Mr. Bennet turned and shook Darcy’s hand. “Thank you for the use of Darcy House, son. I am most eager to visit the library again but I promise to take my dear Agnes to the theatre in the least. It will be very grand to use your box and I will ensure my dear wife does not fall off the balcony.” He winked. “Thank you again, Darcy.”
“It is my pleasure, sir. Have a safe journey.” Darcy smiled in return.
After the carriage departed and the family began to return to Longbourn, Brandon tapped Darcy’s arm.
“William, do you have a moment to speak with me?” He asked solemnly. “Perhaps walk in the gardens for a few minutes?”
Darcy was surprised with the request but readily agreed. “Certainly, Brandon.” He turned to Elizabeth on his arm, “I will return indoors soon, my love.”
Darcy walked with the young man and realised that Elizabeth’s brother had been very quiet since his return to Hertfordshire and wondered if something had happened to upset him.
“What can I do for you, Master Bennet?” Darcy asked with a small smile. The fourteen-year-old boy appeared nervous and fidgeting next to him.
“William,” Brandon began. “I know I behaved horribly when we first met and I did not trust you to care for Lizzy, but I know you are a good man and she loves you very much. How did you know you loved her? How did you make my sister love you back?”
Darcy chuckled, “I was introduced to Elizabeth at the Gardiners and I could not stop staring at her. I did not speak a word to her but I saw her fine eyes and I knew my heart had been captured. She spoke with my sister and I knew I admired her for her intelligence and kindness and wanted to marry her that night. I do not know how I gained her regard but after her near death at my home, I dedicated myself to her happiness and she saw something in me and agreed to courtship and finally marriage. Do you still have concerns that I will do something to hurt her, Brandon? I promise you that I will do everything I can to make her happy.”
“No, no,” Brandon waved his hand and shook his head. “She has never been happier and I trust you, William. Do you think you could ever trust me to...” He took a deep breath. “You know I am a good brother to Lizzy and you are a good brother to... Miss Darcy. Do you think I have a chance with her? I wish to marry your sister, William. What can I do to gain her regard?” He asked with determination in his voice.
Darcy was grateful for his years
of practicing a stoic face in public and hid his astonishment. He remained thoughtful, as he just now realised that Brandon Bennet had been quiet since his return with Georgiana to Hertfordshire and had remained absolutely taciturn in his sister’s company.
After a quick cough, Darcy gently answered, “Georgiana is sixteen and will be out next fall, and my aunt as well as Mrs. Kingston are already planning on parading her around in town. When will you turn fifteen, Brandon?”
“March,” the young man answered. “But I am more mature than my friends! I am heir to Longbourn and will be a good match to anyone, William. I can take care of her and she will be comfortable for the rest of her life!”
Darcy chuckled, “Georgiana has £30,000 and does not need to marry a wealthy man, Brandon. She can care for herself and does not need anyone to take care of her.” He paused for a moment and reminded the young man, “Do your recall what you said to me when we first spoke?”
Brandon stilled for a moment in thought and smiled. “Yes, I told you Lizzy did not need you and that she could take care of herself.”
“Yes,” Darcy replied, “and the same goes for Georgiana. But you are still very young and will have more than six years until you are of age. Do you wish for Georgiana to become a spinster while she waits for you? She is a little over a year older than you and she would be two and twenty then. I know Jane is two and twenty now, but remember, she has been engaged and would have been already married if Mr. Goulding had lived.”
Brandon plopped down onto a bench in the gardens. “I know. Miss Darcy is so beautiful, she will be swooped up right away when she comes out. Darn it, William! I will never have a chance with her!”
The older gentleman sat next to Brandon and patiently advised his young friend. “Do not despair, Brandon. You are young yet and your heart will be captured again. You do not know Georgiana well, as I do not believe you have spoken one word to her yet, and I will advise you to speak with her and get to know first. I know that I was intrigued by Elizabeth at first sight but my heart was touched when she spoke about her likes and dislikes and fell in love with her after seeing her generosity and compassion. Take the time to grow and learn and be the young man that you are meant to be, Brandon. You have a bright future ahead of you and whether or not Georgiana is married at seventeen or two and twenty, you have time. If you are constant and feel the same way about Georgiana in six years as you do now and she remains unattached, we shall have another conversation at that time, Brandon, but I wish for my sister to marry for love and find a worthy young man who will love her and care for her above himself. I wish the same for you as well, brother. You deserve someone who will love you and not for your possessions or for your connections.”
“I understand, William. I will be constant, I am certain, and I am grateful for your guidance while papa is gone. I am very glad you are here. Thank you, brother.” Brandon hugged his future brother-in-law. “Now, how does one talk to a girl? Miss Darcy is so unlike Kitty and Lydia who blabber on and on and I have no idea how to begin speaking with her!”
Darcy laughed, “I am not one to start conversations so I do not have any wisdom to share there, Brandon, but from what I know of my sister, she likes music and kittens and lemon cakes. I suppose asking her about the day and commenting on the weather is a good place to start.”
Both young men continued to speak jovially of other topics before returning indoors.
The next day, while Netherfield was booming with activity, with the Gardiner children playing hide and seek in the many rooms of the mansion and the Bennet ladies and Mrs. Kingston calling on Mrs. Hurst to make her acquaintance, there was a visit to the Clerkenwell Gaol that would change the fate of one man.
~*~
“If you say anything about his involvement, he will have you killed, John. The other two men who have been brought in with you for questioning, they are here to see if you spill any secrets. They have been ordered to kill you if you show signs of weakness.” The hooded man threatened. “You will be found responsible for the Marrs and Williamsons murders and will be hanged. I will leave it up to you how you die. You can use the scarf I brought you to take control of your own fate or be hanged in public humiliation, but do not dare speak one word of our master’s involvement, mate.”
John Williams buried his face in his hands as he cried. “But what if they spare my life if I give them what they want? What is our master’s future to me? I will be dead! I do not remember everything and I am so confused. I have these sores on me and I know I am sick. They cannot hang me if I am sick, right?”
Wickham growled from the other side of the metal bars, “If you say one word about our master or me, you will lose everything you know. You will still be hanged and I will make sure your grandmother in Lambton will be murdered in her sleep. If you cooperate to the end, she will receive £100 for your loyalty, Williams. Your grandmother, the woman who gave up everything to leave her home in Ireland to raised you from your birth, her life is in your hands, friend.”
Williams paled at the threat, “I understand. I have no choice left and I know I must die. I vow to not speak a word and please do not hurt my grandmother. Tell her... tell her I am sorry. I know I have been a disappointment but she is the only person who loved me and I do not wish to see her harmed.” He sighed, “Give her whatever you can from what I own and all of the payments from our master. She deserves to have some comfort in her old age.”
Wickham shook his friend’s hand through the bars. “I will take care of Mrs. Murphy, Williams. She was always very kind to me as a young boy and I will give her your payment. I am leaving tomorrow to begin my commission and will not be able to visit you again. Best of luck to you, my friend.”
Wickham walked the hallway of the prison and nodded to two men in the next compartment and handed a few more coins to the guard before leaving. It would be the last time he saw his childhood friend alive.
~*~
“Are you certain? It was definitely Wickham?” Robert Peel asked his companion. “Do you know where is he now?”
“No; the man who had been tracking him lost him at a tavern and Wickham was gone,” Colonel Fitzwilliam answered. “But I spoke with the gaol guard and after giving him a piece of my mind, he said he heard Wickham mention leaving tomorrow for his commission and he will be taking his position in the militia. I have been asking around but someone high up is protecting him and I have not been able to find out where.” He poured himself a large drink and gulped it down. “At least it is all over. The public will be rejoicing and it will be a spectacle but at least it is over.”
Peel also drank from his glass, “Everyone loves a public parade and his body will be carted through the streets and it will be ghastly. Men and women will be demanding their pound of flesh and it will be grotesque. You will write to Darcy and inform him?”
“Yes, I will use your desk and write the note now. He will not be happy that Wickham disappeared without a trace and that Williams killed himself in his cell using his scarf. We do not know who hired him or who was funding him and we still have not found the knife.” The colonel replied. “Darcy believes that Wickham might be after him after denying him additional funds last summer. He worries that Wickham might hurt him through his family or his betrothed and I got him a handsome dagger as a wedding gift and he started carrying it hidden in his boot.” He laughed. “I hope Miss Elizabeth is not accidentally pricked by that long, hard tickler!”
The gentlemen began to giggle, which grew into a boisterous laughter and they soon wiped their eyes from their amusement. Several moments later, Colonel Fitzwilliam asked his friend with more seriousness, “When do you think you will marry, Peel? I am damned envious of Darcy for marrying Miss Elizabeth. She is such a woman. She is not for me but someone with her looks and wit... Perhaps I should start looking for a wife for myself.”
Peel laughed, “I am far too young to marry now, Fitzwilliam, but I do agree Miss Elizabeth is quite the catch. What you told me about her fortune a
nd connections, she would have been a fine wife for anyone but I will enjoy my bachelorhood for a few more years. I have too many things I wish to accomplish and looking for a wife to warm my bed is not a priority. I will do my duty as MP and I hope to be Home Secretary or perhaps the future Prime Minister! I will marry the first woman that can gain my interest for more than one evening and perhaps someone who can connect me politically to higher powers so I can reach my goals. I might be willing in ten years or so, by the time I am your age, old man.”
Richard Fitzwilliam laughed, “I am an old man. I am nearly one and thirty and alone and too stubborn to change my ways. I offered my cousin Anne de Bourgh to marry her and she laughed in my face. I told her I was serious and she had her companion tell me that she was serious as well. No one thinks I can be a good husband but anybody between fifteen and thirty may have me for asking. A little beauty, a few smiles, and generous compliments to the army, and I am a lost man.”
“As long as it is not some mindless chit like Caroline Bingley, I am certain you will be happy, Colonel.” Peel comforted his friend. “Had you heard the latest about Allens?” He began to chuckle. “My man should have updated you already.”
Richard began to laugh uncontrollably again, “Yes! I heard several items were constantly breaking daily from the newlywed arguing over everything. Caroline Allens was not pleased to hear that the grand mansion in Cumberland is nothing but a pile of rubble and demanded that her husband travel straight away to the north in the dead of winter to begin building the greatest mansion that has ever existed, but Bingley wrote in an ironclad clause into her dowry that they cannot withdraw more than £2,000 in the first year and of course Caroline Bingley already used nearly all of that fortune in less than three weeks into their marriage. She wishes to build a house as large as Pemberley and she has no money to do so.” They both laughed. “Allens was already seen visiting the pub every night to get drunk while his wife is scrambling to see where they will live until something can be built, since they were disowned by Samuel Allens’ mother and they cannot ask for help from Bingley.”