by Beth Wood
“I am expecting Wickham to arrive at any moment, I cannot possibly leave,” Lydia replied.
“I am afraid that will not be possible, but I have arranged for you to visit him, as I promised.”
“But, where is he located?” Lydia asked.
“I believe I explained his current location fully during our conversation last evening. I know you do not yet believe that I am speaking the truth, but I believe that when you see his present circumstances with your own eyes you will be able to accept his situation.”
Although she still would not allow herself to believe there was a possibility that Wickham was incarcerated, she finally agreed to accompany the Colonel and her aunt to Whitehall.
Before arriving at the Gardiner's residence, Colonel Fitzwilliam had visited the barracks and made arrangements for their visit. Instead of taking the ladies to the detention cells, Wickham would be brought to meet them in the War Office.
“I know you want to see Lieutenant Wickham as soon as possible, but I have arranged for you and Mrs. Gardiner to wait in the adjacent room,” Colonel Fitzwilliam explained. “If you promise not to say a word until I have completed my business with the gentleman, I will leave the door ajar so you will be able to hear our conversation. It should not be long before you are able to join us and judge for yourself the true state of affairs.”
Since it was clear she would be unable to see Wickham unless she agreed to the Colonel's rules, Lydia agreed to stay silent in the adjoining room.
* * *
Darcy was in heaven and purgatory at the same time. He knew his wife was feigning sleep due to the fact that she had wedged one of her hands between them when she made her show of yawning and leaning against his shoulder. The fingers on that particular hand had shortly thereafter begun making slight circles along the side of his leg. It was the sweetest torture of his life. He could not think of a way to respond in kind without being obvious to their travelling companions. In an attempt to subtly embrace his wife, he yawned as well, bringing his arm up and around her shoulders in the process. Little did he know that there would come a day in which that move would be considered the oldest trick in the book.
Although neither gentlemen across from them were fooled in the least, they did appreciate that the young couple were at least trying to be discreet.
When the carriage came to the first stop of the day the happy couple made a big show of waking while Lord Hastings and Mr. Bennet exited the carriage. Before following them out, Darcy claimed a quick kiss from his bride.
While returning to the carriage, Darcy decided to enter immediately following his wife so there could be no question as to who was sitting in which seat for the next leg of the journey. After resuming their previous positions, it was not long before both Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy found their pretext a reality as they drifted into sleep.
* * *
Lydia was once again fascinated with her surroundings. She was certain that no one in her family had ever been to Whitehall before. As she was being led through the War Office to a small room in the back, she did her best to mentally catalogue everything that she saw. She wanted to be able to crow to her sisters about her experiences when next she saw them. She was having so many adventures that her sisters would never dream of undertaking, and she the youngest of them all!
Lydia and Mrs. Gardiner were not left waiting long before they could hear Wickham being led into the adjacent room. What came next would be the greatest shock of Lydia’s young life.
“So, have you come to gloat once again that you have finally found a way to punish me?” Wickham asked. “I cannot think of another reason you would bring me here today.”
“You mistake me, old friend,” Richard replied, handing Wickham a quill and parchment. “I have simply brought you here so that I could collect the list of friends that would be willing to speak on your behalf. A man as charming as you are, you must have scores of gentlemen that would be willing to speak for you.”
After a moment of studying the Colonel, Wickham accepted the quill and wrote a few names on the list then returned it. Looking down at the paper, Richard raised his eyebrows, then looked back at Wickham.
“You truly must be slipping. I only see three names on this list.”
“Yes, well, if you had asked me for a list a month ago it would have been much lengthier,” Wickham replied.
“Ah, I understand,” Richard stated. “Have your debts of honor caught up to you once more? You know they always do. You really ought to learn when to stop.”
“It is no concern of yours,” Wickham replied, bitterly. “Now, do I need to come up with a more extensive list, or will the testimony of these three men keep me from the gallows.”
“That will depend on what they have to say,” Richard explained. “Even you may overestimate the loyalty they will show you when they realize you have deserted your post.”
After a short pause in which the men studied each other, Wickham spoke once more.
“I would ask you one more time to petition Darcy to speak on my behalf. He has always valued duty and honor above all else. Surely he can be convinced to lend a hand one last time to his father's godson.”
“As I said before, he is out of town at the moment. I expect him within the next couple of days, at which time I will tell him of your request. He lost his patience with you some time ago, so I would not count on his intervention if I were you.”
Wickham only nodded wearily. Before asking to have Wickham returned to his cell, Richard asked one last question.
“Out of curiosity, what possessed you to bring Miss Lydia with you when you left Brighton? She does not have the fortune that you typically aspire to in your conquests.”
With a resigned sigh, Wickham confessed, “She may not have a fortune, but she had enough to pay our way out of Brighton. I was desperate to leave before a certain creditor tried to exact his retribution. I had given him all the money I had, promising more the following day. I could not have paid for the coach on my own.”
After having Wickham taken away, Colonel Fitzwilliam found a much subdued Lydia Bennet crying into her aunt's shoulder. Although he still felt she had been a foolish girl to elope with Wickham, his heart went out to the young lady. Her tears brought back to his mind tears of another young lady who had also been deceived by Wickham. As much as he wanted to send Wickham to the gallows immediately, he knew that his cousin Darcy would feel guilty for Wickham's death. He would ensure Wickham was on the next boat to Australia, where he could never touch their lives again.
“I would like to return home now, if you do not mind,” Lydia finally whispered between her tears. As they made their way to Gracechurch Street, she could not even bring herself to make eye contact with either Colonel Fitzwilliam or Mrs. Gardiner.
* * *
When Darcy and his travelling companions pulled into the Inn where they would be spending the night, as well as the Sabbath, he sent up a silent prayer that his valet had been able to secure enough rooms for his entire party. When Carson greeted him at the door, his smile put him at ease.
“Do not fear, sir,” Carson assured him. “After your cousin's valet decided to join us in our carriage I knew you would want me to secure a room for him as well. I have already taken the liberty of having the Innkeeper move the trunks for Mr. Bennet and Lord Hastings into the two rooms I was able to secure at the front of the Inn. Your trunks, as well as Mrs. Darcy's, are in a separate room at the back of the Inn.”
Clapping the man on the shoulder, Darcy thanked him as well as he could in the front room of an Inn. Asking his valet to ensure that Mr. Bennet and Lord Hastings found their way to their rooms, Darcy then dismissed him for the night, instructing him that Mrs. Darcy would not need the assistance of Sally that evening, either.
As soon as Darcy and Elizabeth had entered the room, Darcy locked it behind them, then turned to look at his wife. He let out a sigh of relief as she removed her bonnet. They were finally alone.
Chapter
6
Although the express rider made it to the office of the Times on Saturday morning, it was too late for the Darcy elopement to be included in that day's edition. In the midst of the war, the editor felt it would be in poor taste to place an article concerning an elopement on the front page of the newspaper, but he did place it on the first page of the society section. As there were many ladies who turned directly to the society section of the newspaper, this did not hamper the spread of the news in any way.
So it was that Sunday morning saw a much greater attendance at church services than was typical. As it was the Sabbath, neighbor visits would be frowned upon. Although decisions were made to visit with family as much as possible in order to discuss the news, the only way to solicit an opinion of anyone outside of their family circle would be to attend church. Many a vicar were pleased, though perplexed, with the sudden enthusiasm displayed by members of the parish.
The only notable absentees at church that day were Lord and Lady Matlock, as well as their daughter-in-law, Lady Hastings.
* * *
When Elizabeth Darcy awoke on Sunday morning, she was slightly disoriented. Something was vastly different. As her husband pulled her closer into his chest, she remembered what that difference was. As she cuddled closer to Mr. Darcy she sighed in contentment. She was now very convinced she had made a most advantageous match.
Her mind drifted to the previous evening. Almost as soon as Fitzwilliam had locked the door they were interrupted by his cousin. After Darcy refused to open the door to admit him, Lord Hastings started asking through the door whether or not they were planning on attending Church services in the morning. Darcy had replied that Hastings and Mr. Bennet could do as they pleased, but that he did not anticipate seeing them until later in the afternoon. They had been on the road for close to a week and needed time to rest before completing the journey to London on Monday.
When another knock came to their door a half an hour later, they were much too occupied to even discover the identity of the person on the other side of the door.
* * *
Lady Hastings was furious as she scanned the article concerning the elopement of Fitzwilliam Darcy. According to the article, her own husband knew of the elopement, and had even saved a room for them at an Inn. Although her marriage was not a particularly happy one, when she had entered into it she understood that neither of them would behave in a way that could be viewed as scandalous. What was her dimwitted husband thinking?
* * *
Lady Matlock's feelings on perusing the article were much different. She had long worried about her nephew, and was relieved he had finally found a woman that would make him happy. If his choice would upset Lady Catherine in anyway, than so much the better. She was a trifle concerned that they had married against the wishes of the young lady's family, for why else would her father have chased them to Scotland? She could not imagine any family that would not be ecstatic to have their daughter marry Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.
Lady Matlock pondered this question for most of her morning, even asking her husband his opinion while they broke their fast. His response was a non-committal grunt, accompanied by a mutter along the lines of how much better a match he could have arranged if Lady Catherine had realized that Darcy would never marry Anne.
Although the comment was expected, it did remind her of something that was stated in the article. Looking over it again, she realized that it appeared as if the new Mrs. Darcy had already met Lady Catherine, and was not expecting a warm welcome. If the article was to be believed, she had also met both her sons as well as Georgiana. Those three had not been together with Darcy in well over a year. Whether she had been introduced to them all together, or had been in company with Darcy often enough to be introduced to them separately, their relationship must have been of a long duration.
With a start, Lady Matlock remembered a comment made in passing by her younger son after his return from the annual trip to Rosings Park. When she had asked him about the visit, he admitted that he had found it vastly more amusing than usual. When she had inquired as to the reason, he had replied, “Observing Darcy as he simultaneously attempts to spend as much time as possible engaged in one activity, without giving the appearance that he cares about the activity, can be quite amusing.”
At the time she had brushed off the reply, determining to try to riddle out his meaning another day if it proved to be important. It was now important. With a quick flourish, she sent off a note to her son, requesting his presence as soon as possible.
* * *
Although the women in most households stopped reading after the article concerning Fitzwilliam Darcy, in the Gardiner household the entire paper was examined. They only found a small line mentioning Colonel Fitzwilliam escorting an unknown young lady and her relations to the theatre on Friday evening. Although they had hoped the gossips would be able to connect the dots, there was no speculation in the paper that the young lady he had escorted was in any way related to Mr. Darcy's bride. They were relieved that they had made it to the theatre before word was spread concerning the Darcy elopement, and wondered what more they could do to ensure people were aware that Lydia was staying with her relations in London.
When a tray was sent to Lydia's room with breakfast, Mrs. Gardiner included the article concerning the elopement. As Lydia had locked herself in her room, and was refusing to speak to anyone, they had not yet had an opportunity to discuss Elizabeth's plan.
The shriek that was heard within the Gardiner household a few moments later would be eerily similar to the shriek heard within Netherfield Park the following day when both the Bingleys and the Sunday paper made it to Hertfordshire.
* * *
Darcy had never been more content. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could lie in bed all day long. It was late in the afternoon before he and Elizabeth stirred from their room. They agreed that they should at least eat with their relations, even if they did not plan on spending any more time than was absolutely necessary.
Leaving Elizabeth in the room to Sally’s ministrations, Darcy went in search of Lord Hastings and Mr. Bennet. He was surprised they were not in their rooms. Following the noise to the common room, he found them engaged in a game of chess, with a large crowd gathered to watch. From the conversation of the crowd, it quickly became apparent that the interest was not in the game, but in any information they were willing to provide concerning the newlyweds. Mr. Bennet was largely ignoring the audience, but Lord Hastings was another matter. Darcy did not know how his cousin could have gathered enough information to entertain the crowd for such an extended period of time. They had travelled together one day, during which most of the time was spent either sleeping or feigning such. It appeared as if Lord Hastings and Mr. Bennet had discussed them extensively when they were not present.
As soon as Darcy was noticed, the attention shifted.
“When will we have the pleasure of meeting your lovely wife?” was the first question volleyed from the crowd after the obligatory greetings.
“She is merely refreshing herself,” came the reply. “We thought to dine with our relations.”
“Yes, she must require quite an exorbitant amount of time to refresh herself,” answered one of the gentlemen. “So much so, that her father was able to reach the border before you did. One does wonder just how you engaged your time during the journey.”
“I thought I explained that already,” Lord Hastings cut in. “It was merely a tactic to avoid being caught. By letting Mr. Bennet precede them to Scotland there was no trail for him to follow. They were able to slip in after he had made his inquiries, and marry before he discovered they had followed him, instead of the other way around. Now, I think I've just lost this game. Perhaps we should retire to dine with Mrs. Darcy?”
Mr. Bennet nodded his agreement and the three men left the room, and the gossiping gentlemen, behind.
* * *
“I have never seen anyone able to carry on such inane
conversation while playing a decent game of chess,” Mr. Bennet remarked after making himself comfortable in the private parlor adjoining the bedchamber that Darcy's valet had secured for them. “Most believe it to be a quiet game.”
“Yes, well, not all of us can be as serious as my young cousin here,” Lord Hastings replied. “I believe there should be some levity in every situation.”
Although Lord Hastings was ten years Darcy's senior, Darcy still did not enjoy being referred to as young.
“Well, if Mr. Darcy is young, then you must consider me an infant,” Elizabeth replied. She had settled on the settee hoping that her new husband would join her. She was not disappointed.
“Oh, no!” Lord Hastings exclaimed. “I learned my lesson years ago. A gentleman should never comment on a lady's age, whether she be old or young. There are a few ways to guarantee offending a lady. Commenting on her age is one of them. If you say she is young, it is inevitable that she wishes to be known for her maturity. If you say she is mature, she will be worried and examine every mirror she passes, searching for wrinkles. You will get no comment from me.”
“Very well, but you must know that there are few that would describe Mr. Darcy as young,” Elizabeth replied.
“That is due to the fact that most do not remember seeing him in his short pants. It does not seem possible that the little scamp I remember has matured enough to marry.”
“That is enough, Hastings,” Darcy replied. “I am eight and twenty. I believe that is a full four years older than you were when you married.”
“Yes, but you have met my wife. A poorer decision was never made. Perhaps if I had waited until I matured a few more years I could have made a better decision.”