She walked alongside Darcy in silence for a bit as they both were lost in thought.
* * *
Darcy was so glad to be in her presence once again, he had forgotten why he was upset. He looked down at her. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Elizabeth.”
“I feel the same, Mr. Darcy. May I ask what you are doing in Meryton today?”
“I came to find you,” he said bluntly.
She looked up at him and they shared a warm look. “Oh?”
“Yes. I wished to speak to you about some things that have been troubling me. One of these I only found out today. And now have seen with my own eyes. You have made friends with George Wickham?”
“In a way. It was not by choice. He just seemed to be there when I would go out. It was never my intention to become close to him.”
Darcy looked at her in alarm. “You have grown close to him?”
Elizabeth immediately recognized her error and lifted one hand, shaking her head. “Oh, no, that is not what I meant,” she denied. “I have spoken to him on several occasions and had lunch with him at Charlotte’s…”
“Charlotte Lucas?”
“Yes, she is my dear friend.”
“I know. Why would she invite Wickham to lunch?”
“I believe she wanted me to ask him questions about you because you have known each other so long.”
“Charlotte does not approve of me?”
“She does, yes,” Elizabeth replied, she appeared a little surprised by Darcy’s jealousy.
She tried not to smile, but Darcy was aware of it.
“Then why would she invite that rogue to dig through my background? Especially a man like him.”
Elizabeth looked up at him, frowning slightly. “He does not speak well of you, either, Mr. Darcy, I am afraid.”
Darcy’s face darkened. “What has he said about me?”
“He repeated the same things my father told me. That you have swindled people out of money including himself, and have a heart of ice.”
“I wish to inform you of the truth of the matter.”
Elizabeth stopped and reached out to grasp him by the arm. It only lasted a moment before she abruptly let go, aware that they could be seen by everyone around them. “I wish you would, Darcy,” she hissed desperately. “I just know the things he is saying cannot be true. And while I believe there is a bit of truth to every lie, it is my opinion what he has told me has been a twisting of the truth. Did you swindle him out of money?”
Darcy was only a little surprised by her direct question. He had grown used to her being completely straightforward.
“Of course I did not. The only money I have in my accounts is money to which I am entitled. My stipend provides me with adequate funds to live a comfortable life, as I am used to. My estate generates money through our tenant farms. But I do not swindle. I never have. I can tell you, though, why he says that. And why he says I have a heart of ice.”
“My sisters do not believe him either,” Elizabeth said softly.
Darcy’s smile almost could not be seen. “That’s nice, Elizabeth.”
“Tell me why he’s saying such things about you?”
“The story with his family goes further back, however I shall start with him. When we were young, my father, as you know, was his benefactor. We are not related by blood.”
Elizabeth nodded, her attention unwavering.
“My father paid for everything for Wickham, including a fund for him to attend Eton. Wickham did not actually attend Eton, though. He used my father’s money for frivolous things, possessions and people. Father was of course unaware of Wickham’s taking advantage of him. When Father passed, Wickham expected me to continue in my father’s steed supporting him. I did, for a time. I did not throw him out on the street without a pot to relieve himself in. He was kept well-fed, dressed and sheltered. But when he proved to me that he could not mature and would continue spending the money, which was now mine, as frivolously as he wanted, I instead purchased a commission in the Queen’s Army for him, hoping it would push him to mature. It did not. At that point, I was through being his proverbial piggy bank. I informed him that I would no longer stand for it and I cut him off.”
“No, I imagine you would not.”
“And then there is the situation with Georgianna.”
Elizabeth looked at him, confused. “Georgianna? What has she to do with Mr. Wickham?”
“Years ago, when Georgianna was but a young miss of four and ten years, Wickham tried to seduce her and get her to run away with him.”
Elizabeth’s face revealed her shock. “Wh…what?”
“I stopped his plan and opened Georgianna’s eyes to his scandalous behavior. She dropped him and told him never to contact her again. She does not know he is in Meryton, as far as I am aware. Please do not inform her.”
“You have my word.” Elizabeth was shaken by the news that Wickham was, indeed, the worst type of cad. She suddenly wanted nothing more to do with the man. She moved her eyes slowly over Darcy’s face, silently admiring his handsome features. “Thank you for telling me, Darcy. I would rather know the bad things than live in a world of ignorance.”
Chapter 29
When Elizabeth woke the next morning, she was nervous and excited at the same time. She was planning to speak to her parents at breakfast. She planned to tell them what was going on. Darcy had slipped her some papers pertaining to the orphanage in London he wished to assist. She planned to show them to her father at her earliest convenient opportunity.
Which would be this morning. She was not just going to tell them about the orphanage, though. She planned to tell them everything. She was falling in love with Mr. Darcy and she suspected he was falling for her, too. She would do her best to settle this feud. It was long overdue. There was no sense in holding a grudge for a hundred years, or however long it had been.
She slid out of bed and prepared herself for the day. As she pinned her hair back, she stared into her own eyes in the mirror and wondered if Darcy was actually going to be the love of her life. She hoped he wanted to be. It seemed to be in his eyes when he looked at her.
Once she had dressed, she pushed her feet into her day slippers and wrapped herself in a warm shawl. It would be warmer downstairs, where the fire would be big and the heat would spread all through the dining room. She felt a cool breeze on her face as she went down the stairs. She hurried into the dining room.
Lydia was the only one missing. She slid into her chair and rubbed her hands together. She was prepared to confront her parents, but would let them get some food in their tummies before she proceeded with it. She had planned it all out. They would begin speaking about every day things and she would casually bring up Darcy. It was anyone’s guess what would happen next.
The beginning of the breakfast went well. She and her sisters chatted with their parents about mundane events.
“I am very excited about the ball at the Smythe’s,” her mother was gushing. “It is so beautiful there. They have lovely furnishings, do they not, my love?” She looked at her husband.
Mr. Bennet looked up at her from his plate and nodded. He looked down without saying anything. Mrs. Bennet went on as if he had given her a proper reply. “They are such a lovely couple and they have that handsome son! He is not yet married. It will be a grand celebration. Perhaps one of you will catch his eye?”
“I do not want him to catch my eye,” Mary was the first one to pipe up.
Elizabeth was not surprised. She did not know when Mary planned to get out of the house and get her nose out of a book, but until she did, she would remain unmarried and no social butterfly.
“I do not either,” she added her own opinion.
Mrs. Bennet looked at her. “You do not want him to catch your eye? He is a wealthy young man. He is handsome. What could be wrong with that?”
“It’s always wrong when your heart is already with someone else,” Jane said, her head down and her voice soft.
“What was that, my dear?” Mr. Bennet looked at his eldest daughter as if he had truly missed something fascinating.
Jane repeated what she said and the family fell quiet. “Please explain yourself, Jane,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Please tell us how you know such a thing about your sister?”
Jane looked at them defiantly for only a moment before dropping her eyes in respect. “You both know that I have been waiting on you to approve an invitation from Charles Bingley to court me. I will eventually marry him.”
“Yes, we know that,” their mother said.
“It is the same with Mr. Darcy and Lizzie. They care about each other. I can see it whenever they look at each other.”
The girls now had Mr. Bennet’s full attention. “You are talking about Mr. Darcy again?”
Elizabeth’s cheeks colored a deep red. “I am sorry, Papa, but we must get past this.”
“Because you believe he will forgive the mistakes that caused our families to fight all these years?”
“That is one reason, yes, Papa.”
“And what would the others be?”
“There is only one I guess I should mention. I am falling in love with him.”
“So you will definitely be turning my cousin down?”
Elizabeth braced herself. “I will not marry Mr. Collins,” she said firmly. “I wish to marry Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
“What? I am afraid I cannot allow that to happen, my dear.” Mr. Bennet shook his head back and forth vigorously enough to make Elizabeth think she would end up with a headache if she did that.
“You must get over this feud, Papa, and I think I know how to help you see past it.”
He gave her a curious look. “You do? What might that be?”
“He gave me these papers.” She had hidden them under her bottom. She slid them across the table to her father, who sat staring at them.
“What is this?” he asked, his shoulders still rigid and nervous as he looked at the papers.
“These are papers he had drawn up to help renovate an orphanage in London.”
“In London?”
“Oh, think of the children you could help, dear!” Mrs. Bennet grinned from ear to ear. “It would also boost our reputation tremendously. That is just what I need for my girls to find husbands and happy lives.”
“Charity work is not done so that we might advertise about it, my love,” Mr. Bennet did not sound like he had love in his voice for her. He stared at the papers for a moment before sliding them closer to him. He went through each page scanning them.
She wondered if he was looking for loopholes or any scam Darcy might be perpetrating.
When he turned over the last page, he was quiet for a moment. “I do like his proposal, my dear,” he said to Elizabeth. “But how can I enter a contract with a man I do not trust?”
“Trust must be earned,” Elizabeth replied. “Just like respect. If you join with him in this charitable act and let him show you that he is an upstanding citizen in England, your opinion will change...”
“Might change,” her father interrupted her.
She nodded. “Yes, might change. I believe it will. He is an amazing m…gentleman.” In reality she was taking it on blind trust that he was as great as he made himself out to be. Her only frame of reference was that he kept up payments to Wickham until he proved completely untrustworthy. When Wickham refused to do anything for himself, Darcy had had enough. She completely understood why he cut of Wickham’s stipend. A man can only be taken advantage of so many times before he loses his mind. And along with treating money poorly, he made sure people knew of his disdain. The fact that he had run off with his dear sister, trying to get her to diminish her self-respect and dignity…the thought made him furious.
“I will look over these documents, dear,” Mr. Bennet said. “If the information is sound, I will let you know. Will that satisfy you?”
“Yes, Papa, that would be so wonderful, if you would.”
“Lizzie wants to marry him,” Lydia said, giving her sister a snide, haughty look, as if she had given away a terrible secret.
Elizabeth just looked at her sister. “I am smitten,” she admitted. She turned her eyes back to her mother and father. “I must confess to it. I cannot help it. He is a grand gentleman. Wait until you talk to him in depth. I am sure… I am thinking now there will be more things to think about. Truthfully,” she put a hand to her head, “I suddenly feel dizzy. I believe I will need to lie down before my day begins.”
“Are you well? Do you need anything?” Her mother, usually a busybody, was by her side in moments, touching her forehead. “You do not feel feverish.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No. No. I feel fine. I have things to do and I will not let the headache bring me down or keep me inside.”
“It is going to rain today,” her mother said quietly. “You know you hate rain. I know you hate rain. Take along as much protection as you can. You do not want to catch a chill.”
“No, Mum, I suppose that would be very bad for me.”
“Perhaps when you are older, you will feel comfortable moving away… to the colonies, perhaps?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I would love to visit the colonies, but I really think there are roots that will keep me grounded here in Hertfordshire.”
“Darcy,” Lydia spoke up teasing.
Elizabeth just grinned. Maybe. Maybe.
Chapter 30
Elizabeth was pleased her father had invited Darcy to come by for a visit. He did not inform her that he was doing so, so when the door opened and Darcy was ushered in, she was taken aback. She wanted to run to him and jump into his arms, pouring kisses all over his face and the last one on his lips.
But she did not. She held back. She would be a lady if it was the last thing she did.
She curtsied prettily to him. “Why hello there, Darcy, I did not expect you to visit today.”
“Yes, I have come to save the day.”
She grinned. “Oh? And how do you propose to do that?”
“I am saving you from a lifetime of agony with a frog of a man whose arrogance knows no bounds.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Who? Mr. Collins?” she asked the question in an effort to make him laugh.
Darcy laughed. “How easily you forget.”
She laughed with him. “Oh him. No, I will never marry that man. I could not think of a worse person in the world to marry. He is obnoxious in his arrogance it makes me want to become violent. Me, Darcy, me! You know I am by far the most peaceful person in all of England. I do not want bad will and ill feelings between me and my friends and relatives. I’ll tell you what, Darcy, I would live in a pig sty with swine and a lot of hay before I would marry that man.”
Darcy’s laughter continued. “You would? Oh my. What a strange and perfectly descriptive way with words you have.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy groaned. “If you insist on calling me by my last name, please leave off the Mr.” He kept himself from sweeping her up into a hug. “Bingley calls me Darcy. I give you permission to do so as well.”
“Oh thank you, M… Darcy. I have called you that a few times. I guess you do not notice unless I say Mr. Darcy. And that’s what annoys you.”
“My dear, it is less an annoyance as it is an inconvenience for you.”
She could not help giggling. “An inconvenience for me? Because it takes me several seconds to put in the Mr.?”
He laughed with her. “No, it is because I get uncomfortable when the woman I plan to marry keeps calling me by my formal name.”
“My mum and papa do it all the time. She calls him Mr. Bennet. He calls her Mrs. Bennet. Not a big thing, is it?”
“No. But I would prefer, my dear, if you would call me Darcy, like the rest of my close friends do.”
She smiled. “All right. I will.”
“Will you take me to your father, please?”
“Oh of course.” She spun around indicating tha
t he should follow her.
He did so in silence, admiring the movement of her body as she walked.
“I am sorry, Darcy, I was not thinking. Forgive me for being impolite.”
“I would not consider it impolite. I enjoyed speaking with you. I always enjoy speaking with you. And spending time with you. I… I like your company. I enjoy your presence.”
She wondered how many times he was going to reiterate the same point. It made her feel giddy inside and she hoped she was not showing it too much. Then again, she wanted him to know how she felt so if he did see it, so be it.
She took him to her father’s study and they entered after she knocked. Mr. Bennet was sitting behind the desk.
“Mr. Darcy is here to see you, Papa,” Elizabeth said, staying by the door with her hand on the knob. “I will leave you two gentlemen to speak.”
“Liz!” her father beckoned her back into the room.
She did so looking from her father to Darcy and back again. “Yes, what is it?”
“I have been thinking about this proposal. Please, do sit.” He indicated the chairs in front of the desk. Both Elizabeth and Darcy took a seat, looking at him closely, trying to ascertain if he was angry or happy.
He looked neither to Elizabeth. He looked like her father, a stubborn but kind man. And she loved him for it.
“I read through it yesterday, last night, and again today.”
“What do you think?” Darcy’s anxiousness came out before he could stop it.
Mr. Bennet made them wait a few minutes before answering. “I cannot possibly imagine why anyone would ever turn this down.”
Elizabeth was prouder than she had ever been. She beamed at Darcy, who returned it.
“But…” her father paused for more dramatic effect, “I will have to set some ground rules about who is in charge, and that would be you, my friend.”
Darcy swallowed, imagining this was what it was like to be in the military. Not everyone could handle it, which was why they always needed at least a few more men to join.
Elizabeth and Darcy: A Romeo and Juliet Twist: A Pride & Prejudice Regency Variation Page 15