Rescuing Elizabeth Bennet: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Beauford, Kate

  “I thought you were together,” said Wickham. He gave a self-conscious little laugh. “I feared you had run away together. I hope you can forgive me for thinking you would do such a thing. I know goods were stolen from Netherfield, but I still feared it.”

  “One of my sisters believed the same thing,” said Elizabeth. “It was easier for my family to imagine that than the alternative.”

  “It was not easier for me,” said Wickham.

  Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “It was not easier for you to think I might have eloped with Mr Darcy than that I might have been murdered?”

  Wickham laughed apologetically. “Forgive me. That came out wrong. I am trying to say, very clumsily, that it was very difficult for me to think you might marry him.” He looked down at her, his eyes very earnest. “I am afraid I am not practised in flirtation, Miss Elizabeth. I try to pay you a compliment, and it comes out as the opposite. It is so rare for me to feel an interest in a woman that I hardly know what I am about.”

  Elizabeth’s breath caught. It was as close to a declaration of feelings as Wickham had ever come. Yet now he said it, she did not want it.

  She changed the subject. “I hope Mr Bingley receives word of Mr Darcy soon.”

  Wickham’s face flickered with disappointment, but he accepted the new direction of their conversation.

  “I wonder what can have happened to him? I think —“ He paused meaningfully. “I hope I am wrong,” he began again with great reluctance. “But I worry that perhaps Mr Darcy has been called to account.”

  Elizabeth tensed. “What do you mean, sir?”

  Wickham missed the sudden coolness in her voice.

  “I mean, I am not the only person Darcy has betrayed. I did not speak of them before because they were not my stories to tell, but Darcy has betrayed many people.”

  “Is that so? Who were they? What happened?”

  “I could not possibly mention it, Miss Elizabeth. It is not my place to say. Just know that he has wronged many people. I have feared that one of them may have had enough and confronted him. Perhaps it did not end well.”

  There was a note of smugness in Wickham’s voice that made Elizabeth’s stomach turn.

  “And you cannot speak of what these dreadful injustices are?”

  “I would not. It would be unfair of me to tell you exactly how he has wronged so many other people,” said Wickham gently. “But I have tried my best to help them, even with my limited resources. They know how he has hurt me. I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not.”

  Wickham did not look at all as if he hoped Darcy were safe. There was a certain tone of self-satisfaction in his air that repelled Elizabeth. And how odd of him to mention Darcy’s other wrongs while also making a show of not speaking of them. Elizabeth could not quite place what was wrong. She only knew she could not stand to be in Wickham’s presence a moment longer.

  “If you will excuse me, sir, I need to speak with my sister,” she said. “No, you do not need to accompany me.”

  Wickham’s expression was all astonishment, and Elizabeth suspected he knew he had miscalculated.

  “Of course,” he said gently. “I hope I have not upset you with my speculations. As I said, I hope I am wrong. Though Darcy and I do not speak, we were like brothers at one time, and I regarded his father very highly. I will be heartbroken if anything has happened to him.”

  “I am sure,” Elizabeth murmured. She inclined her head and hurried after Jane. She stuck by Jane’s side as long as the officers were there not to allow Wickham an opportunity to come near her again. His handsome face suddenly appeared to her in a very different light, and it was one she found she did not care for in the least.

  27

  “Have you heard from Mr Bingley today?” Elizabeth tried to look nonchalant as she leaned forward to examine a bare rose bush.

  “Not yet,” said Jane. “I do not know if he means to visit.”

  “He has visited you quite a lot, has he not?”

  Jane smiled. “I suppose he has visited all of us.”

  “Should we not invite him to dine with us? I am sure he is worried about Mr Darcy, and a dinner would be just the thing to take his mind from it.” Elizabeth brushed an insect from the plant. “And he might tell us if he has any news of Mr Darcy.”

  “I still think it so extraordinary that the two of you disappeared on the same night,” said Jane. “What an odd coincidence.”

  “I am sure it is. Why do you not write to Mr Bingley? I am sure he might have some news.”

  “I would not wish to seem forward.”

  “It would not seem forward.” Elizabeth usually admired her sister’s delicacy, but she found it difficult to indulge it today. “Come, we shall tell Mama to invite him. We cannot leave the poor man all alone at Netherfield while he must be so worried.”

  She linked Jane’s arm and pulled her towards the house.

  “He is not alone. He has his sisters with him.”

  “Well then, he might as well be alone. Allowing him an escape will be a mercy.”

  “Do not be unkind, Lizzy. Miss Bingley has been greatly worried.”

  Elizabeth did not doubt that. She was sure Miss Bingley worried about losing a potential husband. She caught the direction of her thoughts, and though she still suspected she was right, she felt a flush of shame.

  “Then perhaps we might invite his sisters as well,” she murmured.

  As Elizabeth suspected, Mrs Bennet was all too eager to have Mr Bingley under their roof and by Jane’s side. She badgered Mr Bennet until he reluctantly sent a note. Elizabeth looked after the servant anxiously, praying the message would bring Mr Bingley with news of Darcy’s wellbeing. As she turned from the door, she almost collided with Mr Collins.

  “I beg your pardon, sir,” she said. “Perhaps it would be best if you did not stand directly behind me in silence.”

  “I hope you are well after your terrible ordeal, Cousin,” said Mr Collins. Since Elizabeth had returned home, he had taken an odd habit of staring at her. Elizabeth assumed her adventure had lessened his desire to marry her. She could not find it within herself to feel sorry.

  “I am well. I was not away for long, and I emerged unscathed.”

  “Unscathed, yes. I am sure you must be relieved your reputation has not been as damaged as you might expect. But I must warn you, cousin, not everyone will look so kindly on what happened to you. Even now, in Meryton, people whisper of you being alone for so long. I fear for your reputation.”

  “How thoughtful, Mr Collins. However, I have no fear. I count myself very fortunate. If you will excuse me—“

  Elizabeth quick-stepped around him and hurried to join her sisters. She wondered why Mr Collins remained at Longbourn. She knew he visited to find a wife among the Bennet girls, and she knew she had been his choice, but if he did not want her now, why did he remain? He had shown no preference for the other girls.

  A note arrived from Netherfield thanking Mrs Bennet for her kind invitation but sending regrets that the family could not travel that evening. While Mrs Bennet pinched her lips and declared she had no particular interest in whether Mr Bingley chose to come, Elizabeth had to turn away and bury her face in a book so her family might not notice anything was amiss. Her heart pounded. Surely Mr Bingley should have heard from Darcy by now? He had time to remain with his cousin and then go to his own house and send word to Bingley. She told herself she had no proof Bingley had not heard from Darcy. He could not suppose the information so very essential to the Bennets that they would want to hear of it as soon as he did. Even so, Elizabeth sent up a silent prayer that Darcy was safe.

  A walk the following morning lifted her spirits slightly. Though Elizabeth did not yet feel safe enough to return to the woods, the lanes and the path along the river gave her plenty of exercise. She looked towards Netherfield, wondering if they might have word of Darcy. If Bingley did not visit them that day, Elizabeth decided she would manufacture an excuse to visit Netherfield herself.
If he had no news to give her, she did not know what she would do. Would it be possible for her to travel to London along the road Darcy had taken and find news of him without drawing attention to herself?

  Elizabeth was still lost in thought when she returned home and went to join her family in the parlour.

  “Oh, Lizzy, look who has joined us,” Mrs Bennet called.

  Bingley looked at her with a beaming smile. Elizabeth’s heart thudded. Such a smile could only mean one thing.

  “Mr Bingley,” she said. “How lovely to see you. I hope you have received good news from your friend?”

  “He has,” said a deep voice.

  Elizabeth turned towards the window, her heart pounding. Mr Darcy stepped forward. His beard was gone, Elizabeth noticed with some regret, and he was immaculately dressed. His hair had been cut, but it was still a little longer than it had been before.

  “Mr Darcy,” she said faintly. “I did not see you there, sir.”

  “Yes, is it not wonderful?” said Bingley. “Darcy arrived at the house this morning. I am still rather put out with him. He does not yet appreciate how much he frightened us all when he dashed off like that.”

  Elizabeth swallowed. Darcy had not taken his eyes from her.

  “Where did you dash off to, sir? You have caused a great deal of worry.”

  “So I hear,” said Darcy. “And I apologise. I had to attend to an important and urgent matter. I was obliged to leave at once, and I regret not leaving a note for Bingley. I thought the matter would only take a day or two, so I neglected to send a letter.” His eyes were intent. “If I had known that people were thinking of me and worrying for me, I would have tried to return much sooner.”

  “I am glad to see you here now,” said Elizabeth. She started. “I mean, we all are.”

  “Miss Elizabeth asked after you every day, Darcy. You see, even with all your bickering and arguing, she was still concerned for you.” Bingley laughed along with Mrs Bennet, who would have laughed at anything Bingley said whether she understood it.

  “Bingley tells me you had an ordeal of your own,” said Darcy. Why did he look so grave? Elizabeth longed to see something of the man she had come to know, some twinkle in his eye or a faint smile to show they shared a secret. Instead, he looked as cool and aloof as if the past week had never happened.

  “I did, sir. It turns out your suspicions about the men working at Mr Bingley’s house were correct.” Elizabeth smiled. “But it is no matter. I am safe now.”

  “Everyone was sure you and Lizzy had run away together,” said Lydia from across the room.

  Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes. Would her family ever cease to embarrass her?

  “I can assure you, Elizabeth and I did not run away together,” said Darcy.

  Elizabeth froze. Did he realise how he had addressed her? Had anyone else noticed? Taking a discreet glance around, they did not seem to. “Although considering what Bingley told me of her trials, I would be glad if I had so I might have been of service to her. But she seems to have managed very well. Not that I would ever have doubted it,” he added, this time addressing her directly.

  “Thank you, sir,” said Elizabeth. Unable to look at him a moment longer while maintaining her composure, she turned from him to take her usual chair. After some hesitation, Darcy took one opposite her.

  Elizabeth forced herself to smile and nod and join in the surrounding conversation, which mainly involved Bingley teasing Darcy about his behaviour with a note of seriousness in his voice while Darcy repeated his steady apologies.

  Finally, the conversation returned to the ball at Netherfield, which had naturally been postponed. Lydia and Kitty spoke most eloquently on the topic while Bingley laughed and looked uncomfortable.

  “I am not sure if throwing a ball is the right thing to do,” he said awkwardly. “It does not seem right considering what happened to your sister because of the preparations for it.”

  Elizabeth looked up. “If you think of forgetting about the ball all together because of me, I beg you would not, sir. I have many happy associations with Netherfield, so I do not think I am in any danger of feeling uncomfortable there. Besides, it would give me something to which to look forward.”

  “There, you see?” cried Lydia. “Lizzy does not care in the slightest. You must throw a ball, Mr Bingley. You promised you would, and it would be a great scandal if you do not keep your word.”

  “Do you think so?” said Bingley. His demeanour had relaxed as Elizabeth spoke, and he looked prepared to tease Lydia.

  “Do not doubt it. You will be the most despised man in town if you deny us a dance. We have all been longing for it and have thought about nothing else for weeks, have we not, Kitty?”

  “Nothing at all. It is all we have spoken about.”

  Darcy frowned. “Even while your sister was missing?”

  “Oh, I was not too worried while Lizzy was missing,” said Lydia. “I told you, we believed she had run away with you. I was sure she would return as Mrs Darcy. We thought it a fine joke that she pretended to dislike you so much while planning to have you all the time. We said the ball would be a fine way to celebrate your marriage.”

  There had been many times over the past ten years when Elizabeth dearly longed for her youngest sister to stop talking, but at this moment, she would gladly have sewn Lydia’s mouth shut.

  “Is that so?” said Darcy coolly.

  Elizabeth did not dare look at him. “As I said, Mr Bingley,” she said, raising her voice slightly in case Lydia spoke again, “I am convinced it would do me a great deal of good if you throw a ball.”

  Bingley beamed. “I did not think it right after what happened to you, but if it helps you, then I will be happy to throw it,” he said. “Everything is still prepared. My sister will worry about the food, but that will not be too much trouble, I do not think.” He drummed the arm of his chair as he squinted at the ceiling. “I will resend the invitations for this day next week,” he said. “Do you think that will do?”

  The two youngest girls and their mother screeched and clapped their hands while Jane beamed. Elizabeth finally found the courage to look at Darcy. He was staring at the carpet, his forehead creased in a frown. Whatever he thought, she could not imagine.

  She did not have a chance to speak to him again before he left, nor could she have found the courage if she wished it. It was as though they had never been close, as though they had not shared such an experience. Elizabeth might have thought she imagined long nights sleeping in his arms while he comforted her or how he kept her safe, no matter what the cost might have been to himself. Elizabeth found it almost impossible to relate the man in front of her now with the man she had grown to care about.

  When he said his goodbyes, he did little more to single Elizabeth out than give her a long look. Perhaps he, too, thought she seemed different. Perhaps he found it hard to believe he had ever allowed himself to grow unguarded with her. Perhaps he thought he had a lucky escape from being forced to marry her. It might seem incredulous to him now that he had ever risked so much for her. As Elizabeth inclined her head and wished the gentlemen a safe journey back to Netherfield, she found herself wishing he had not returned to Hertfordshire. And wondering why he had come only to be so grave and silent. She watched them ride away and was the first to turn away and return to the house.

  28

  Bingley visited Longbourn twice more before the ball. Darcy arrived with him both times. The Lucases were also present on the second occasion, so a table had been set up with tea and coffee to accommodate the guests. Elizabeth poured the coffee, watching Darcy from under her eyelashes and envying everyone he spoke with. Her heart pounded when she saw him returning his coffee cup himself. No one else was near them. He did not look at her as he placed the cup down, and for a moment, Elizabeth was sure he would merely nod at her and walk away. He spread his large hands on the table and stared down at them for a moment.

  “I hope you are well,” he said in a low
voice.

  “I am,” she whispered. “How did you fare on your way to London? You must have been exhausted when you arrived.”

  Darcy smiled faintly. “Fitzwilliam will tell you I slept for twenty hours when I arrived at his lodgings.”

  “I suppose it was easier for you to travel alone once you were unhindered,” said Elizabeth with a careless laugh.

  “Quite the contrary. There are benefits to a companion.”

  Though Elizabeth could not help feeling relieved that Darcy was finally conversing with her, there was still that reserve there that had been lost when they had been together. She could only suppose it was natural. The idea had been for them to return to normal once they returned, after all.

  “Miss Lydia’s words gave me some concern,” said Darcy.

  Elizabeth winced. “I am sorry for that. She should not have said I disliked you.”

  “That hardly matters,” said Darcy flatly in a manner that made Elizabeth flinch inwardly. “I was referring to her belief that we had run away together.” Darcy looked behind him to make sure they were still undisturbed. “I trust others have not had the same suspicion?”

  “Some did, but they forgot it at once when I returned alone.”

  “Excellent.” Darcy’s smile was quick and firm, with little warmth in it. “Then there is no need to fear that we will be forced to marry. We can return to how we were before.”

  Elizabeth raised her chin, though his words struck her cruelly. “Exactly. We do not need to worry about any unpleasantness. We have been very fortunate.”

  “If we were really fortunate, Miss Elizabeth, the whole sorry business would never have happened.”

  Darcy bowed to her and walked away. Elizabeth watched him go, her heart feeling weak and heavy. She was forced to pull herself together when one of the Lucas boys came to the table to ask for coffee and to tease and laugh with her. Elizabeth was aware of Darcy’s eyes on her, but she forced herself to give all her attention to William Lucas. Forget Darcy. He had no desire to be anything to her, and she would return his indifference with her own.