Anne came over to the sofa, and Lady Matlock stood and let her sit down beside Elizabeth. “You were amazing, Lizzy. I can see why Will is so in love with you, and why I will look forward to knowing you better. I am the daughter, and I believe, as Aunt Helen and William. It was God’s will that you be here to save Uncle Robert, and you are not the cause of this situation. If I, as her daughter, cannot blame you, you cannot blame yourself.”
Elizabeth straightened herself and took Anne’s hand. “Thank you, Anne. Intellectually, I know I am not to blame, but it is not how I wanted my introduction to the family to progress. In my imagination, I had rosy pictures of how Will and I and our love for each other would eventually win over everyone. It is just difficult sometimes to face reality when it strikes as it has here. I assure you, I will be alright.”
“I think it is time to put all of this behind us for the moment,” said Lady Matlock. “We were just finishing dinner when this all started. May I suggest we return to the dining room for dessert and hear more from William and Lizzy about their wedding.”
Chapter 19: Mr. and Mrs. Wickham
On Wednesday morning, the Darcy carriage arrived at the Gardiners’ to pick up Elizabeth and Mary, with their luggage, and convey them to Darcy House, where they would take up residence, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the Bennet family from Hertfordshire sometime after noon. After they had been situated in their rooms, they joined Darcy and Georgiana in the family sitting room to await the next expected activity of the day, which was the arrival of Mrs. Wickham and her daughter, Mary Beth.
Shortly before ten o’clock, McGregor entered the sitting room and announced, “Mr. Darcy, Mr. and Mrs. Wickham and Miss Wickham are here. I placed them in the parlor.”
“George is here?” said Georgiana. “I thought you said just Theresa was to come.”
“Those were my instructions. Elizabeth, I will go see why he is here and send for you soon.”
“No, Will. This time I think I should go with you. If I am to make the decision, I want to spend as much time with them as possible.”
Darcy shrugged. “Very well. Let us go.”
When Darcy walked into the parlor, Wickham and his wife immediately rose, and seeing the angry look on Darcy’s face, Mrs. Wickham said, “Please, Mr. Darcy. It is my fault he is here. I wanted him to come with me and apologize to Miss Darcy. I think she deserves that. Also, I think it would be best that she sees us as a true family. It will leave her no doubt where George’s heart lies.”
Darcy pursed his lips and stared at them for a moment. “I will admit, I was trying to spare her that, but given the talk I had with her Monday, perhaps you a correct. Maybe it is best. Elizabeth, this is Mr. George Wickham, his wife, Mrs. Theresa Wickham, and this, I presume is their daughter, Mary Beth. Wickham, Mrs. Wickham, this is my fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Wickham gave a slight bow and said, “It is a pleasure, Miss Bennet. I believe I can see why Darcy has finally decided to give up his bachelorhood.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wickham.”
“And I am also pleased to meet you, Miss Bennet, although I wish it could have been under more pleasant circumstances.”
She reached back and pulled Mary Beth forward. “And this is our daughter, Mary Beth.”
Elizabeth crouched in front of Mary Beth and said, “Hello, Miss Wickham. I am very pleased to meet you. I am Miss Bennet. May I ask how old you are?”
Mary Beth, who was holding tightly to her mother’s dress with one hand and her doll in the other hand, looked at Elizabeth a moment, and then let go her mother’s dress to hold up three fingers, without saying anything.
“I do not understand. Why are you pointing your fingers at me? Can you not talk yet?”
Again, Mary Beth stared a moment and deciding she liked the lady in front of her, she said, “I showed you three fingers, ‘cause I am three. See.” Then she held up three fingers again.
“Now I see. Do you know when you will be four.”
“Next year, on… May… 13th. My birthday is still a long way away.”
“And what is your doll’s name?”
“Marigold.”
“That is a pretty name. Do you know what a Marigold is?”
“Of course, silly. It is a pretty flower and my doll is pretty, so I named her Marigold.”
“You are right, and your doll is pretty.”
Elizabeth straightened up and looked at the Wickhams. “She is a beautiful little girl and seems quite intelligent. Would you mind if I called Miss Darcy down, so she can see her?”
“No, we do not mind. We expected she would want to see her.”
Elizabeth turned to McGregor, who was still standing by the door. “Would you please have Miss Darcy join us.”
After McGregor had gone, she said, “I would like to speak with you more, but I do not want little ears to hear too much.” Then she looked pointedly at Wickham, “I know if she were my little girl, I would want to protect her and give her all the love and opportunities I could.”
“As do we, Miss Bennet. I assure you, she has become one of the most important things in my life lately. I regret I did not spend the time with her I should have when she was younger, but I want to be a good father to her now. You need not worry about me.”
She looked at him a long time, saying nothing, and eventually they heard footsteps in the hall and then Georgiana entered. She walked over beside Elizabeth and said, “Hello, George, Theresa. May I meet your little girl?”
“This is Mary Beth, Miss Darcy. Mary Beth, can you say hello to Miss Darcy.”
Mary Beth, feeling more confident now, made a cute attempt at a curtsy, and said, “Hello, Miss Darcy.”
Georgiana returned her curtsy and said, “Good morning, Mary Beth. I am pleased to meet you, but you can call me Georgie. Is that alright?”
Mary Beth giggled. “Georgie is like my daddy’s name. Why do you have a boy’s name?”
“My real name is Georgiana, but people like to shorten it to Georgie. It is easier to say. And do you know, your daddy and I were named after the same man?”
Mary Beth looked at Wickham and he smiled at her. “That is true, Mary Beth. We were both named after her father, whose name was George. But her mother’s name was Anne, so they named her Georgiana.”
Mary Beth looked back at Georgiana. “I think Georgiana is prettier than Georgie. Can I call you Georgiana?”
“You certainly may. Now, I would like to take you to our library and show you some books with some very pretty pictures. Would you be willing to go with me?”
Mary Beth looked at her mother. “May I go with her, mommy?”
“You may. We will come and get you after we are done here.”
Once they had gone, Elizabeth invited them all to sit and then she said, “My fiancé has told me he offered to buy you first class accommodations on a ship for the United States and loan you £500 to get you started. Mr. Wickham, given all that you have done to try to compromise his sister and try to ruin the Darcy name, why should he do that?”
Wickham could sense the young woman in front of him was a woman of intelligence and strength of mind. He also sensed that it was incumbent upon him to speak truthfully and convincingly, for she held his future in her hands. Therefore, he shrugged and said, “Truthfully, I do not know. His father treated me well – better than most sons of employees are treated, spending hundreds of pounds on my education. Then Darcy gave me £4000 after his father died, which I promptly wasted. My only defense is that his father raised me to expect to live like a gentleman but did not truly teach me how to do it. I thought he should have given me more, but I have finally comprehended that no matter how much he gave me, I probably would have gone through it and wanted more. It took me many years and having a wife and daughter without whom I discovered I did not want to live, to learn there is much more to being a gentleman than having money and spending it as you wished. I was given advantages few of the class into which I was born are ever given, but
I did not have the self-disciple to take advantage of what was given me. Now, every time I look at Mary Beth, I have a desire to give her the world, but I am not yet sure how. However, I am sure I cannot do it here in England, because I have incurred so many bad debts and done things which have blackened my name in many places. Therefore, I suppose the only reason I can give is that it will give Theresa and me a chance to start a new life and make a decent home for Mary Beth and any other children we may have.”
“You went along with his schemes, Mrs. Wickham. Why do you deserve to receive from us the chance at a new life?”
“I have no good reason, except that I loved him and would do anything I could to bring him back into our lives, if it meant we could get away. I am ashamed I did what I did and know I should have resisted his pleas to help him. But I did not and now we are where we are. I can fully understand why you might not want to give us the money, although I promise you, I will do everything I can to make sure you are repaid whatever you are willing to give us.”
“Can you truly imagine I would agree to give you all that money after what you have done? Can you imagine anyone you know doing it? Would you do it? Particularly, since once you are gone, there is truly no way we can see that our wishes are carried out.”
Wickham and Theresa looked at one another and back at Elizabeth. “I cannot imagine what it is like to be in the position you are, Miss Bennet,” replied Mrs. Wickham, “Therefore, I cannot answer your question as to whether I would do it in your place. However, I would like to think that I would at least give us passage to America and maybe a few pounds to handle incidental expenses until we can find work in the United States, if for no other reason than George’s father was a good man whom Mr. Darcy’s father loved, and you would like to see his granddaughter at least have a chance at a better life.”
Then she stood and asked Wickham to stand. “However, we did not come to beg. Mr. Darcy made us an incredible offer which seemed too good to be true. We will have to manage somehow. Now, if you will take us to Mary Beth, we will leave.”
Elizabeth stood and walked in front of Mrs. Wickham. “Mary Beth has obviously been treated well and loved. I had to know you were serious about taking care of her. She is a precious child. I believe you are a strong woman, Mrs. Wickham, and, at heart, despite some of your past actions, a decent one, but I needed to make sure. I hope you will forgive my seemingly contentious questioning. May I ask, what are you going to do about your position at the boarding house?”
“The woman who owns it lives in another boarding house she owns just three doors away. She will run it until she finds someone to replace me, which she assures me will not take her long.”
“Good.” Then she turned to Wickham, “I hope you understand, Mr. Wickham, that by some miracle you have found a decent, strong woman to be your wife, and she has given you a wonderful child.”
“I assure you, I do.”
She reached in her pocket and pulled out an envelope. “In this envelop, there are first-class tickets on the Rose of the Sea, a passenger ship of the Dumont Line leaving in four days. There are also £50 in cash and two £225 bank drafts, made out to Mrs. Wickham, with instructions that only she can cash them. They are dated months apart, so they cannot all be cashed at once. Mr. Darcy has in his pocket a note for £500, with no interest, which you both must sign before you leave. We will give you this envelope and have you sign the note, just before you board. Do you need any spending money to tide you over for the next four days?”
“I would like to buy at least two ready-made dresses for me and Mary Beth before we leave, and I think George needs at least one outfit. I would estimate we can buy them for less than £5 and at the moment we only have £3 and some change. Also, do we need to have money to buy food on the ship or to pay for cleaning of our bed linens and clothes?”
“No, we have purchased you a first-class cabin with space for the three of you. Food is included in the fare and they will clean your room and linens. I am not sure how cleaning of your clothes will be handled. Of course, when you board, you will have the £50, so if you have any expenses, you will have plenty to cover them. However, I urge you to be frugal, because the £50 we give you will have to carry you through perhaps a month, before you can cash the first check. As for your immediate needs,” she opened the envelope and took out two £5 notes. “Here is an advance on your £50. The remainder will be in the envelope given to you when you leave.”
“Thank you. This will help greatly.”
“We will have a Darcy carriage at your door four days from now to take you to the ship,” said Darcy. “Whoever is in it to accompany you to the ship will give you the envelop, have you sign the note, watch to see that you board the ship, and ensure you are still on it when it sails.” He took a paper out of his pocket. “This is the note you will be required to sign. Would you like to read it before you go.?”
Both indicated they would, therefore, Darcy gave it to them. The note was not long and contained what they expected, so they soon handed it back to Darcy, saying they would be happy to sign it once they received the envelope. Then Wickham stuck out his hand, “Darcy, as I said before, I do not deserve this, but my wife and child do. Thank you and I promise you, somehow, over the coming years, I will send you repayment of this loan.”
Darcy took Wickham’s hand. “George, I always hoped you would grow up and do the right thing. I was despairing it would ever happen. Please do not disappoint me.”
Mrs. Wickham went to Elizabeth and held out her hands. She had tears in her eyes. “You are a good woman, Miss Bennet, and I believe Mr. Darcy is a lucky man. Thank you, and I promise you, I will do all I can to make sure our new life is a proper life.”
“I believe you, Mrs. Wickham, and please, if you are willing, write me occasionally and tell me how you are doing. I promise, I will write back to you. Now, let us retrieve your daughter.”
Once they were gone, Georgiana asked, “Do you think it will work out for them?”
Darcy shook his head. “I do not know, but I hope so. In any case, I do believe he will no longer be a problem for us, once they board that ship.”
******
Because the meeting with the Wickhams took less than half an hour and the Bennets were not expected to arrive until after noon, Darcy and Elizabeth decided they should make a quick visit to Matlock House to see how Lady Catherine and Lord Matlock were faring. When they entered the foyer, the butler told them that Col. Fitzwilliam was at the War Office, and Lady Matlock and Lady Alicia were with Lord Matlock in the master bedroom. They asked to be taken to the master bedroom.
When they entered the bedroom, Lord Matlock was awake and seeing them, said, “Darcy, Miss Elizabeth, I am glad you are here. I understand, Miss Elizabeth, I have to thank you for saving my life.”
“I was happy I could help, Lord Matlock. It was one of those times I was glad I took the trouble to learn a few medical procedures. I am pleased you seem so well.”
“As you can imagine, my neck and shoulder are very sore, but it is good to be alive and know that with proper rest and care, I will be able to attend your wedding.”
“That is extremely good news, Lord Robert. May I ask how Lady Catherine is doing?”
“Not well,” answered Lady Matlock. “She has already been removed by ambulance to her townhouse here in London and will probably remain there until the end. The doctor is certain she will never recover and will require constant nursing until she dies, which he believes will be within a few months, if not a few weeks. We are all hoping she will be able to hang on until after your wedding.”
“I am so sorry. How is Anne? Is she with Lady Catherine?”
“She is handling this situation better than we had expected. It was she who insisted her mother be moved if she could be and went to the townhouse with her. She says she will stay with her mother until the end but assured us she will be dining with us often and will be at your wedding.”
As Darcy and Elizabeth were riding back to
Darcy House in their carriage, Elizabeth was snuggled up against Darcy, who had his arm around her. “Will, do you believe we have encountered all the problems we are going to encounter before the wedding? I am rather certain most newly engaged couples do not have to deal with such major complications before they are married. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come during our marriage.”
He squeezed her, kissed her hair, which was uncovered because he had insisted she take off her bonnet as soon as they entered the coach, and then rubbed his face in it. He loved the feel and scent of her hair. Finally, he responded, “I cannot imagine what else might happen, but if it does, I am sure we will deal with it just as well as we have dealt with what has already happened. Every test we have been given has made me love you more and made me more thankful that you will be my wife. I can hardly wait to marry you and take you home to Pemberley, where I guarantee you, our life will be all that you want it to be.”
She turned her head and pulled his head down into a long kiss. “I love you, Will Darcy. As long as I am with you, life will be all that I want it to be.”
The End
Book II:
Patience
Rewarded
Chapter 1: Lambton
There is a very scenic part of England, for those who love rugged terrain, called the Peaks, which is found primarily in northern Derbyshire. Just south of the Peaks is a less rugged, more arable area where farming and livestock raising is done. One of the valleys there contains the Pemberley estate, which had been the home of the Darcy family for hundreds of years. Bounded by long ridges to the north and south, the Pemberley mansion is situated within that valley on the shores of a small lake, fed by a stream flowing from the northwest and southeast, and has magnificent views from all sides of the house. The gardens, which merge the formal gardens near the house with the natural vegetation around the property, make it seem like a natural wonder. The site has many visitors every year, the house and gardens being open for visitors on most Thursdays during late spring, summer, and early fall.
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 17