“Yes, do call after the wedding when I am properly settled as mistress,” Elizabeth said. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Charlotte.”
Once it was certain they had left the house, they all erupted in laughter, including Mrs. Annesley.
“My goodness,” Elizabeth said as she caught her breath. “I daresay that if Miss Bingley knew she would turn such a sickly shade of green this afternoon she never would have worn that shade of orange for her gown!”
“Does she wear any other?” Darcy laughed.
“Oh! You are awful,” Georgiana giggled with them.
“Now, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said in mock seriousness. “I believe you have confessions to make. Why did they both seem to think you were on the edge of making them an offer of marriage?”
Georgiana paled. “No, Elizabeth. Fitzwilliam would never—”
“I only tease, dearest,” Elizabeth said and patted her friend’s hand.
“Oh; I am not accustomed,” Georgiana looked at her feet and blushed.
“It is I who should be embarrassed,” Elizabeth soothed. “But a betrothed may take liberties where a sister cannot.”
“And I hope you always do,” Darcy said and kissed Elizabeth’s hand. The feel of his lips on her skin sent flutters to her belly and a shiver up her arm.
“Miss Darcy,” Mrs. Annesley called from her seat in the back of the room. “Do you need to see to dinner?”
“Oh! Please excuse me,” Georgiana said to her brother and Elizabeth before executing a hasty curtsy and leaving. Mrs. Annesley followed at a more sedate pace.
“Now, that we are alone,” Darcy said as he gathered Elizabeth in his arms. “I will collect my kiss and punish your teases.”
“I am all atremble,” Elizabeth replied saucily before his lips landed on hers.
For several bliss-filled minutes, the world faded away. When Darcy pulled away and touched their foreheads together, while their bodies calmed and their breath returned to normal, Elizabeth considered this was why she loved him. It had happened so gradually and then she realised it so suddenly, she had not given time to consider why or how. That he could steal her breath, consume her focus, make everything else fade away and then share her burdens was why she loved him.
“I have something I wish you would wear tonight,” Darcy said and withdrew an ornate jewellery case from his pocket.
Elizabeth gasped when she opened it and saw a dazzling diamond necklace and matching earbobs and bracelet. “Oh, Ben. It is too much.”
“These are some of the Darcy diamonds,” he said as he undid the clasp and placed the necklace around her throat. “My grandfather bought them for a woman he loved enough to give up his name for. It is only fitting that you now wear them.”
He turned Elizabeth to face him. “You are so beautiful,” he said then kissed her hands. “You shine brighter than these diamonds.”
“I love you,” Elizabeth said and leaned forward to kiss him. “I wish I could demonstrate my feelings with similar gifts.”
“You loving me, accepting me with my flaws and not for my wealth or title, are the greatest gifts.”
Once more Elizabeth felt drawn to Darcy’s lips but the clock chimed the top of the hour, and they resisted. “I should dress for dinner. I would not want to anger my host.”
“Indeed. I hear the host can be a bear when angered, but for the sight of such beauty he might be soothed.”
Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head as he gathered her hand in his to escort her to the hall, where a servant would show her the chamber she would use. As Elizabeth left Darcy’s side, she was aware that he fought to remain rooted and not walk her upstairs himself. She understood that perhaps it would be too much temptation for him and she vowed to check herself. New as her passionate and loving feelings were, she would never wish to cast more cause for shame on her family or scandalise Georgiana.
After leisurely dressing, she was summoned to the drawing room at the appropriate hour. Darcy looked as handsome as ever, and Georgiana looked surprisingly confident as she played hostess.
When Elizabeth asked her about it, she replied, “I believe I cannot behave any worse than Caroline Bingley, so why should I make myself feel uneasy?”
Elizabeth smiled at the sentiment. Their meal passed pleasantly, and before long they boarded a rented hack to journey to Drury Lane. At first, they remained in obscurity as the carriage did not bear the Darcy crest. Soon, however, the gentleman was sighted by an eager acquaintance. With Elizabeth on one arm and Georgiana on the other, he proudly made introductions. Still, Elizabeth could feel the tension beneath his jacket. His smile did not reach his eyes, and his laughter was not genuine. This was all a part for him to play. They had gathered to watch the stage, but the real acting took place on their side of the curtain.
While some openly dismissed Elizabeth, since they did not recognise her name and she came with no lofty title or heraldry such as “heiress of…,” most treated her with interest and deference. Considering how many focussed on the diamonds about her neck, Elizabeth believed they were instrumental to her success without Darcy having to say a word of their connection. When her family entered the lobby, they mingled for a few moments longer before going to Darcy’s box.
Darcy smiled as he seated Elizabeth next to himself. He whispered in her ear, “The last time we were here was when we met again. What fortune brought us together!”
“Are you to be a patron of the stage now?” Elizabeth teased. “In truth, I do not recall the performance. I was too concerned about…” Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice more, “about W.”
“I do not recall the performance either. Lady Darcy had begun her plan for her Bluestocking Club and threatened to make me court every single lady in London. I was too busy lamenting that I had never been more miserable in my life.”
Elizabeth laughed at the image. She wished she had more time with the lady. “Shall we ask Georgiana what performance we saw?”
They did not have a chance because a servant entered the box and whispered in Darcy’s ear. “Show His Grace in,” Darcy nodded.
The Duke of Dorset entered, missing his usual entourage, and Darcy performed the introductions. His eyes fixed on Jane between his conversations with others. Elizabeth held her breath. She recalled a similar scene with Bingley, and the Duke was not near as good-natured. Elizabeth did not mean to cast aspersions on her family, but that a Duke could be persuaded to marry an undistinguished squire’s daughter seemed unlikely.
“Ah, the lovely Miss Bennet — or I should call you Miss Elizabeth, now? I see it is all settled,” he pointed at her necklace. “I will take the credit for it, you know.”
“Dorset,” Darcy said in a low tone.
“Now, Darcy, I recall that tone. If ever a man might kill me, I thought for sure it would have been Darcy when I nearly knocked his ladylove to kingdom come.” The young Duke chuckled. “Then again, it could be that the blow addled her senses and that is why she accepted you.” He clapped Darcy on the back, an unappreciated gesture.
“What happened, Lizzy?” Jane asked, and Elizabeth gave an abbreviated account of the cricket game.
The play started, and Dorset took the seat next to Jane, not seeming to care that it removed Lydia to the next row. “You do not mind if I stay in here, do you, Darcy?” he asked. “Mine gets crowded with…”
He did not bother to finish and instead feigned laughter at the stage. Surely his words were only an excuse to continue talking with Jane. Indeed, they spoke for most of the play. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Heaven help her. Was she destined to spend every play she witnessed worried about a sister? However, when the Duke not only asked to call on Jane but introduced them all to his mother and other noble relations, Elizabeth could hardly guess who was more speechless: Jane, herself, or the many witnesses.
Georgiana invited Lydia to ride with them in the hack, and the two girls talked about the play, Lydia vowing to become an accomplished playwright wh
en she was discouraged from taking to the stage directly. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. At least she was not fixated on the handsomeness of the actors and seemed genuinely interested in the skill displayed. She and Georgiana were exchanging ideas for a new comedy they would write for home entertainment, if not for the world at large, when they exited the carriage. The Darcys had been invited into the Gardiner home for a light supper.
Unexpectedly, they were greeted by a pale and rumpled looking Mr. Bennet.
“Thomas, what is the matter?” Mr. Gardiner asked, and glanced at Lydia who hid behind Jane. “There was no reason for you to come at all let alone in such a state!”
“Kitty…” he said wearily. “Kitty is missing. Gone.”
After the general cry from the others had calmed, Mr. Gardiner attempted to gather more information. “What do you mean she is gone?”
Mr. Bennet held up a crumpled sheet of paper. “She has eloped with Wickham.”
Dear C—
What a terrifyingly beautiful copy of “The Nightmare” you sent me! I have heard much of its fervour in London but could not imagine its detail. You say you feel haunted by such a creature as what is on the poor woman in this painting. Dearest girl, wake up, free yourself! Your nightmare is over.
Yours,
A.F.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Darcy winced as the ladies shrieked once more. Beside him, Elizabeth tensed, and Lydia began sobbing and declaring it was all her fault. Georgiana attempted to soothe the girls.
“What do you know? What has been done?” Mr. Gardiner asked his brother.
Darcy stepped forward. “Sir, I believe I can be of assistance.”
“Mr. Darcy?” Bennet looked at him in confusion. “My brother did write that you were offering to help with Lydia, but I could not fathom why you would be concerned about the matter or our family.”
“Did you never receive my letter?” Elizabeth asked.
“Certainly, I received all your letters about Hunsford.” Bennet looked at Elizabeth in annoyance. “Now is not the time.”
“Did you read them?” Elizabeth pressed, her colour rising.
At any other moment, Darcy would have condemned Bennet for his treatment of Elizabeth, but at the distress of the moment, he could understand.
“Darcy, Elizabeth, perhaps you had better follow us,” Mr. Gardiner said. “My dear, if you will settle the girls. Miss Darcy, please make yourself comfortable here, unless your brother would rather you return home?”
Darcy looked at his sister for her answer.
“Thank you, no. I would rather stay.”
“May you send a servant to deal with the coach?” Darcy said. “I will hire another one when it is time for us to depart.”
“Jones,” Mrs. Gardiner called and a manservant reappeared who had gathered to collect their outerwear and had then discretely made himself scarce, as it was evident Mr. Bennet had disturbing news. “See to Mr. Darcy’s carriage, please.”
Darcy gave the servant the necessary coins and then proceeded to follow his host and beloved to the library while Mrs. Gardiner led the ladies to the drawing room.
Inside the library, Darcy settled near the window, conscious that while he might have much to offer regarding Wickham, he must not appear overbearing. The look of despair in Elizabeth’s tear-filled eyes tormented him. How was it only hours ago they had whispered words of love and felt alone in the world?
“What is to be done, Edward?” Mr. Bennet asked. “I was a fool to let the girls run around as they pleased. Now exertion is required, and I find I have no mind for it.”
“We had better ask Darcy if he thinks he could find Wickham,” Gardiner said. “Finding them would be the chief concern.”
“Darcy? What is all this talk of Darcy?”
“Papa, I had written you a letter, which I suppose must have been misdirected or mislaid, regarding Wickham and something I heard him say before leaving for Kent. Forgive me,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “I ought to have relayed it to you before leaving, but I misjudged.”
She continued to explain what she had heard while Bennet paled. “And you did not think to tell me straight-away? No, no, you were quite right. I would have scolded you for eavesdropping and dismissed it saying men sometimes talked of foul things.” Something like a sob escaped from him. “I have failed you all, even my most sensible daughter.”
“Sir,” Darcy said from his post at the window, “a significant share of the blame lies with me. If I had exposed Wickham’s real character while in Hertfordshire none of this would have been possible.”
“I do not put much store in this talk of seducing my girls to avenge himself on you. It sounded the work of a moment, and my brother tells me that Lydia had already succumbed to him by that point. I would wager not a person alive would have thought you admired my Lizzy, or that you were serious about it if you had.”
Darcy did not know which stung worse. The fact that he had admired Elizabeth then and yet was not serious about pursuing it, or that he remained sure Wickham’s primary motive was always revenge.
“Besides, if not Wickham, then another. To think that she would elope under my very nose, and Lydia seduced somewhere in the lanes about Meryton!”
The expression of Mr. Bennet’s face was all that a father who had received such a blow could be expected to have. Darcy reckoned it was not far from what his own had been in the days after learning of Georgiana’s scheme to elope.
“We will not quarrel about who shares the most blame,” Elizabeth said calmly. “Mr. Darcy, do you believe you might find where they are? They have certainly not left London.”
“No, there was no trace of the carriage going past London. However, I already checked with all the reputable hotels in town and no one fitting their descriptions has arrived in the last day.”
“In a few days’ time, Wickham will seek me out,” Darcy said, but Elizabeth would not meet his eyes. “However, if we find him before then perhaps we can moderate his demands. When he nearly seduced my sister, I learnt he had a history with her governess. Mrs. Younge keeps a veneer of respectability, and last I heard ran a boarding house after being dismissed from my employ. I believe she might know where he would hide.”
“Who knows of Kitty leaving?” Gardiner asked.
“All of Longbourn, no doubt,” Mr. Bennet mumbled. “My wife was insensible at the news, and her shrieking alerted all the servants. She is being cared for now by her sister and Mary.
“Perhaps since she left from home and was not with friends, the truth might be concealed? I suppose it is known that Lydia is now in London?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Bennet agreed.
“We shall say that Kitty desired to join her,” Elizabeth suggested. “Perhaps we cannot hide that she left without parental support, but it does not need to be known that she ran off with Wickham.”
The idea held merit.
“Do you think we can say she came by stage without the issue of others pointing out they never saw her on it?” Mr. Bennet frowned.
Darcy never would have considered such a concern. He would not know anyone who travelled by stage. “Perhaps if it is vague enough,” he suggested. “It is not as though a full-scale inquiry shall be made. Surely most of the passengers on the coaches for the morning would be strangers and many unlikely to return for some time, if ever.”
“There is some truth to that,” Bennet said. “However, there is the matter of the coaching inn master and wife. They are horrible gossips, and all the town relies on them for information. You would be shocked at how secrets cannot remain in small market towns, Darcy.”
Although the words were directed at him, Darcy felt they were a backhanded insult to Elizabeth. He frowned at her father.
“It was just a thought,” Elizabeth said apparently feeling abashed.
“What of Lydia?” Mr. Bennet sighed. “You are not still in love with him, are you, Lizzy? You must all get your love for a red coat
from your mother.”
Elizabeth immediately turned scarlet. Darcy put aside the pain he felt, which he rather supposed her father had meant to inflict, to comfort her. He walked to her side and took her hand in his. “I am happy to say that whatever she once felt for the cad, I am the fortunate man to have earned her devotion, and I never mean to lose it. Matters were not entirely settled when Gardiner wrote to you, but I now ask for your blessing. We intend to wed in two days.”
“Married to Mr. Darcy!” Bennet gaped at them both. “Are you out of your senses, Lizzy? I know you have always hated him.”
“Papa,” Elizabeth said sternly. “I genuinely love him — not out of gratitude or quickly ignited passion — but we will speak on this later. I have been considering Lydia’s situation. Even before this latest news of Kitty, she had refused to marry him.”
Darcy squeezed Elizabeth’s hand after such a speech. Bennet looked at them in wonder for a moment or two before Mr. Gardiner cleared his throat.
“She had better marry someone,” he said.
“Why must her fate be sealed forever at such a young age?” Elizabeth asked. “There have been stories of ladies who were sent away discreetly and returned with no one the wiser.”
“And then what?” Bennet shook his head. “Who do we know that could take the child and keep their tongue? We would forever be prone to blackmail. Jane and Mary’s circumstances would be reduced at the least.”
“My mother is not beyond the age of bearing,” Elizabeth said. “Who better to keep our secrets? Mrs. Hill and my aunt could act as midwife and nurse.”
Bennet stroked his chin. “Clever, Lizzy, clever. Then what becomes of Lydia?”
“Anything she wishes,” Elizabeth shrugged. “I do not see any of the men in this room suggesting we find a way to punish Wickham for his sins, unless you mean to say marriage to one of my sisters is a punishment, so why must Lydia bear more shame in the matter?”
“Hear, hear,” Darcy agreed. “When it was my sister he attempted such things on, I would have moved heaven and earth to prevent their marriage and borne any pain to ensure her happiness.”
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