by Kara Louise
“Thank you, sir. If I may, I should prefer to begin with Wickham. We grew up together as boys as his father was my father’s steward. As he grew into adulthood, I saw him embrace some excessively improper behaviour and disagreeable habits.”
Darcy paused, wondering whether to mention Wickham’s deceitful scheme involving his sister, but when Mr. Bennet seemed to accept his words without question, he determined that revealing those painful circumstances was presently unnecessary.
“He had indicated an interest in being a clergyman, and before his early death my father secured a living for him. Wickham then refused the living, settling instead for a large sum of money. The greater part of that money was gambled away or wasted on reckless living.”
“Go on.”
“Unfortunately he is not a man to be trusted. He has lived his life trying to secure a fortune for himself doing as little as possible. He gambles, cheats, steals, extorts… does everything with purely selfish motives.”
“Your words do not instill in me any confidence that he is either suitable for my daughter or intent on marrying her. As I said before, I do not believe he is going to marry her! And from what you have said, I cannot see why you believe he will!”
“Because, Mr. Bennet, Wickham knows that by marrying Lydia, he is marrying into a family connection with a substantial amount of wealth.”
Mr. Bennet looked at him oddly. “You refer to Jane’s marriage to Mr. Bingley? Come, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley may have a good fortune, but certainly not enough to induce this type of man into marriage!”
“You are quite right in your assessment of what will induce Wickham, and no, it is not Bingley’s fortune.”
“Then whose fortune do you mean? Certainly you are not blind! Our family’s fortune could not elicit that type of inducement!”
Darcy came over to the desk, in front of Mr. Bennet, and stretched both hands out, planting them firmly on the desk.
“My fortune, Mr. Bennet.”
“Yours?” Mr. Bennet looked at him with bewilderment and promptly sat down.
“I told you that I have a strong… very strong admiration for your daughter.”
“Yes, and what exactly are you trying to tell me?” Mr. Bennet found himself struggling to maintain a steady demeanour. Glancing at Elizabeth and then back to Darcy, he asked, “Or is there something you would prefer to ask me?”
“With all due respect, sir, I wish I could have the honour of asking you what ought to be your due. But unfortunately, I cannot.”
Mr. Bennet eyed him suspiciously. “I do not take your meaning, Mr. Darcy. I repeat, sir, just what, exactly, are you trying to tell me?”
Darcy took a deep breath before answering. “Elizabeth and I are married, sir.”
Mr. Bennet narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. He tried to grasp the words he just heard, determining if he could have somehow misunderstood the words. Slowly, and most deliberately, he spoke. “Excuse me, Mr. Darcy, but I believe you just said that you and my daughter are married.”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
Mr. Bennet slowly stood up from his chair, bringing himself to eye level with Darcy. Elizabeth bolted from her chair, reaching out to her father in an attempt to calm him. “Lizzy? You married my Lizzy?” The indignation in his voice could not be mistaken.
“Papa, please…”
Darcy nodded, bracing himself for the anger he heard in Mr. Bennet’s voice and saw rising in his face.
Mr. Bennet pounded a fist down upon the desk. “How dare you come here and tell me that you and Lizzy are married! How can this be?”
“Mr. Bennet, if you will only allow me to explain!”
“Explain? Explain? What sort of explanation can there be?” He turned away, pulling a handkerchief out and wiping his brow. “My Lizzy!” Turning to his daughter, he cried, “All I ever wanted was your happiness, and now I discover you have married this man, whom I hardly know, without even informing me! Without ever asking for my consent?”
He turned back abruptly at Darcy, pointing his finger at him. “All right, young man, but it had better be an explanation that is to my satisfaction!”
“Sir,” beads of perspiration began to form on Darcy’s brow as he struggled to maintain his composure. “We were on the ship together going to America. Down in steerage, where Eliza… Miss Elizabeth was staying, they had doubled up the children in beds. When sickness broke out, Elizabeth charitably gave up her bed to a child and subsequently was left to sleep on the floor. She then took ill, herself. I had the only available bed on the ship so we had the captain marry us so she could sleep in that bed without any semblance of impropriety. We agreed that I would annul the marriage when I returned to England.”
“You agreed to enter the holy state of matrimony… on a ship… only to have it later annulled?” He slammed his fist on the desk. “I find it easier to understand Lydia running off as she did than what you just told me Elizabeth agreed to!”
“I was ill, Papa…”
His eyes glared at Darcy. “So you took advantage of my Lizzy when she was ill?”
“Sir, I never…” Darcy paused and turned to his wife. “Perhaps you had best leave while your father and I continue this conversation.”
“But…”
“Please,” Darcy’s eyes implored her.
“I shall be just outside the door.” Elizabeth gave pleading looks to both her husband and father before turning toward the door.
The two men watched as she exited and closed the door behind her. Darcy turned back to Mr. Bennet. The look in the older gentleman’s eyes and expression on his face were certainly not lost to Darcy’s understanding. He was angry, and Darcy regretted that his anger was compounded against him due to Lydia’s indiscretion. The possibility that Elizabeth had acted imprudently was overwhelming him. “Sir, I hope you will believe me when I say that I have behaved only in an honourable manner toward your daughter.”
Mr. Bennet was taken aback by this. “You expect me to believe that you spent all that time together in the same room and she remains as virtuous as when I escorted her onto the ship?”
Darcy felt all the approbation of her father weighed upon his answer. “Yes, sir.” Darcy closed his eyes as he fought off the imposing awkwardness that this discussion was creating within him. “I give you my word, sir.” Darcy managed to take in a few breaths to bolster his resolve. He continued, “Mr. Bennet, our marriage initially was one of convenience. However, while on the ship, I grew to love and admire your daughter but, regrettably, did not openly confess it due to my belief that she wished the marriage to be annulled. When we met again at Netherfield, I was delighted to discover that she returned my regard and, like myself, desired to keep our marriage intact. I want to assure you that our love for each other is strong and we desire nothing less than being able to openly acknowledge our marriage. I appeal to you, sir. We will do whatever you wish for us. Although I cannot ask for your permission to marry your daughter, I respect her beyond measure and would not wish to compromise her reputation without securing your blessing upon our marriage.” He held his breath, waiting for Mr. Bennet’s response.
Mr. Bennet was quite moved by Darcy’s admission but was still too stunned to respond favourably. “At the moment, I am not inclined to give my blessing; however, I am willing to give it some thought.”
Darcy slowly let out his breath. “I would appreciate that, sir.”
Mr. Bennet had almost forgotten about the reason for their conversation in the first place. When at last he did, he said to Darcy, “But back to my other daughter. This Wickham somehow learned of your marriage to my Lizzy and figured he could entice our Lydia into marrying him so he could, through some means, benefit from your fortune?”
“That is what I assume, sir. His sole motive for everything he does is to secure riches for himself with as little effort as possible. It would not benefit him to run off with Lydia and then cast her off. No, I believe he does intend to marry her and eventually use his c
onnection to me through your family to support his habits and lifestyle.”
“And knowing this, you still wish to remain married to my daughter?”
“More than anything, sir.”
Mr. Bennet knew Mr. Darcy was not a man one should ever refuse. He was rightly angered by his daughter’s secret marriage, but deeply gratified by the measure of this man before him, not just his wealth—that would make Mrs. Bennet undeniably happy—but the strength of his principles and conviction. However, he was not inclined to let the man off so easily.
“Well, Mr. Darcy, I must say that today has been the most taxing day of my whole existence. To go from hearing of the unfortunate elopement of one daughter to the reprehensible secret marriage of another… I truly cannot think too clearly on any of this at the moment.”
“Sir, I offer my deepest apologies for any suffering this may have caused you; however, I do not apologize for marrying your daughter. While my original intent may not have been what it ought, I wish for nothing else but to keep our marriage from being annulled.”
“And are you fearful that I will insist on having it annulled, then?”
“I would hope you would not, sir. But the truth is, at this very moment my aunt is making her way to London to see if she can dissolve it. George Wickham was more than expedient in informing her of our marriage as soon as he learned of it. But his disclosure was most likely not out of any sort of kind-hearted gesture. I imagine he was able to extort some money from her before producing our marriage certificate to her as proof. My aunt called on Elizabeth earlier today and left her with the threat that she would do all she could to have it annulled. I would beseech you to calmly think about all I have said.”
Mr. Bennet looked at the man before him. To say that he looked desperate was not an exaggeration. He rather enjoyed it and wondered just how much this man was willing to take for his favourite daughter.
“Mr. Darcy, on what basis should I accept you as my daughter’s husband? How do I know that you are not as deceitful as this Wickham, or perhaps more so? How can I give my blessing when I hardly know you save from one conversation at a ball?”
“Sir, do you trust your daughter’s judgment?”
Thoughts of his favourite daughter filled his mind. She was indeed the wisest discerner of a person’s character of anyone he knew. He nodded, knowing that of all his daughters, he trusted Elizabeth’s judgment the most. “I will give it some thought, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy looked down, not knowing whether he was in Mr. Bennet’s good graces or not. “Thank you for that, sir.” Darcy then looked back up at his father-in-law. “Mr. Bennet, there is one more thing that I might be able to accomplish in Town if I leave immediately.”
“And what is that?”
“Find Wickham and remove your daughter from his presence.”
“Do you think you can actually find them?”
“I know of several acquaintances that he has there whom he may have contacted. My only concern for your daughter is that I might not arrive in time, if you take my meaning, sir.”
“I do and would be most grateful, Mr. Darcy, if you did remove Lydia from that rake. But now you must decide what matter of business you see to first when you arrive; preventing the annulment of your marriage with my one daughter or securing the innocence of my other daughter. You have a difficult choice before you, young man.”
“I will do what I can.”
“I am quite confident you will.” Mr. Bennet looked closely at the man before him. “Colonel Forster and I talked about leaving in the morning for London to see what we can do to find them. We shall go to the Gardiners’ home and meet you there. Will that suffice?”
“Yes, sir. And hopefully, Mr. Gardiner will have your daughter in his possession.”
“We shall hope, shall we not?” Mr. Bennet looked to the door. “Should we ask Lizzy to join us again?”
“Yes, I should like that very much.”
Mr. Bennet opened the door, finding Elizabeth lingering suspiciously close. “Come, Elizabeth. I would like some words with you.”
Elizabeth walked in and cast a worried glance at her husband, whose face gave her no indication as to the outcome of their meeting.
“Well, Lizzy, I would offer you a seat, but if you are inclined to follow your husband’s lead, you will remain standing.”
Elizabeth nervously looked at her father.
“Papa, I do hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me… to forgive us. We never meant to hurt anyone.”
“Hmmm. I must say that finding out twice in one week that you had an offer of marriage is certainly something I never suspected.”
Darcy looked at him oddly. “Twice?”
Elizabeth shook her head and said softly, “I will enlighten you later.”
“But now, we must decide what we are going to do about this little bit of news. I must confess that I am not at all pleased with this disclosure; however, what is done is done. Until I decide what we are to do about it, neither of you are to speak a word of it to anyone unless absolutely necessary and, of course, you are not to live together as man and wife.”
“Yes, sir, anything you say.”
Mr. Bennet came around from behind his desk and walked toward the door. “You go do what you must in Town, Mr. Darcy. I suggest you find the fastest horse with the greatest endurance that will get you to London in time. Do what you can about Lydia. But I warn you, if you return to Longbourn only to inform me that my Lizzy’s marriage has been annulled, I will be seriously displeased!”
“Thank you, sir. I will do all I can.”
Mr. Bennet left the room with a “Hmmph.”
Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “I am uncertain whether he is completely angry at me still or has accepted our marriage.”
Elizabeth looked toward the door through which her father just disappeared.
She turned back and smiled. “I believe he is considering how insupportable it would be for me to be in a marriage that has been annulled. Presently, he finds the alternative, being married to you, the lesser of the two offences.”
Darcy raised his eyebrows in contemplation of Mr. Bennet’s words. “I suppose I shall have to be content with that at present and only hope that his opinion of me will improve in the future. I will do all that I can, Elizabeth.”
With Mr. Bennet leaving them alone, he took a bold initiative and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips, lifting his eyes to meet hers just as his lips touched the back of her hand.
As he continued to hold her hand, he asked her, “What did your father mean by a second proposal?”
Elizabeth looked away sharply and took in a deep breath. “Mr. Collins,” she said softly.
“Mr. Collins?” Darcy looked at her incredulously. “He actually asked for your hand?”
She nodded as she looked back at him. “Do you find it surprising that he would ask for my hand?”
“On the contrary. It was quite apparent to me that he wanted nothing more than to garner your favour.” Darcy smiled. “What did you say?”
“I told him no, of course!”
Darcy smiled. “Good! I only wanted to be assured of your answer.” He squeezed her hand and looked down at it. “I brought Georgiana back to Netherfield with me. If it is acceptable to you, may I ask her to send for you while I am away?”
“I should like that very much.”
“It would give me great pleasure for you both to become better acquainted. She only had the kindest words about you and your meeting at Pemberley.”
“I am glad.”
“I have told her about our marriage, Elizabeth.”
“Then I believe that we shall not only be the closest of friends, but the closest of sisters when you return!”
A smile readily came upon Darcy’s face. “You do not know how much that means to me.” Darcy beheld the gleam in Elizabeth’s eyes. “I regret leaving again, but I promise I shall return promptly.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and as if in a prayer he a
dded, “With our marriage intact, my beloved wife.”
He kissed her hand again before quickly leaving the room, grateful that he was able to leave the house without encountering the questioning glances or remarks by Mrs. Bennet.
Elizabeth remained in the room and her father soon returned to join her.
“Well, Lizzy. What have you to say for yourself?” Mr. Bennet inquired.
“Papa, he is a good man. You must see that he has the finest character.”
“Oh, I have it on good authority that he is a solid gentleman; a decent, principled man; one whom I should never lament having as a son-in-law.” His eyes twinkled as he looked at Elizabeth.
“Papa, I do not understand.”
Mr. Bennet reached into his desk drawer and drew out a letter. “From your Uncle Gardiner.” He absently scratched at his jaw as he held the missive out toward Elizabeth. “He thought it best to warn me that Mr. Darcy would be coming to talk with me about something of a most astonishing nature and that I should try to be open and give him my full attention. He and Mrs. Gardiner had only words of praise for him and gave him their ultimate approval. Not that I knew why they were bestowing such elaborate praises on the man.”
“And now you do.”
He looked down at her. “Yes, Lizzy, now I do. Although, even having received something of a warning in the letter, I am still shocked. And I could not allow him to think I approved of what the two of you did. No, as much as I have respect for the man, I thought I needed to unsettle him just a bit.”
“But you do forgive us?”
“Yes, Elizabeth, I do. But I am going to be adamant that for the moment we tell no one about this marriage and we wait until Mr… your… your husband returns before we do or say anything. If his aunt does somehow annul your marriage, however unlikely it is, it would be best not to have told anyone of it. Do you understand?”
Elizabeth wrapped her arms tightly around her father’s neck. “Yes, Papa. I do, and thank you!”
Chapter 30