by Lauren King
Elizabeth gets up to walk with the gentlemen to the front entrance. She quietly and affectionately says good bye to William while she helps him with his outerwear. She reminds him to be careful when dealing with people like Sergeant Denny.
“I will. He will be sorry for his actions and threats against your family. Now, I do not want you upset over this anymore; I will handle it, all right?” Darcy says adoringly; he wants to caress her cheeks but does not because Mr. Bennet is nearby.
“Darling, how can I not be upset? I do not want you to have to deal with people like him or situations like this, at all. I am sorry that you are pulled into this again.” Elizabeth sulks sadly.
“Lizzy, you have nothing to be sorry for; did we not talk about this already? I will always protect you. No one harms you and gets away with it. I will deal with this. Now, I do not want you to go anywhere until I come back, all right?” He reaches for her hand and kisses the back of it chastely.
“All right, darling. Please, be careful.” Elizabeth whispers, “I love you.”
“All right, Lizzy; please, let your betrothed go. He will be back soon.” Mr. Bennet chuckles as does Richard from inside the Darcy carriage.
Elizabeth smiles shyly at her Father for teasing her in front of her betrothed and her friend. Then, she jokingly narrows her eyes at Richard which makes him laugh even more.
Darcy is very pleased at Elizabeth’s show of genuine care and affection for him. This is why he loves her so immensely. With a warm smile, Darcy says, “Dearest, go back inside. I will be back immediately after we talk with this sergeant. It should not take too long.” Darcy whispers, “I love you.”
“I love you.” Elizabeth smiles back fondly at her love – her William.
All the ladies except Lydia are sitting in the drawing room. Mrs. Bennet asks if Jane has a suitor; Jane tells Mrs. Bennet a little about Mr. Morgan without mentioning their current problem. Mrs. Bennet does not care too much that he is a well known gentleman barrister in the London court system, but she is ecstatic to hear that his family is on the wealthy side. Then, Mrs. Bennet excitedly asks Elizabeth about her wedding, the wedding breakfast, and her wedding trousseau. Elizabeth answers all of her Mother’s questions; Mrs. Bennet is delighted to hear all the details, but she is dissatisfied that she will not be involved in any part of Elizabeth’s wedding – not even the wedding trousseau shopping.
At the same time that the ladies of Longbourn are chatting, Mr. Bennet, Darcy, and Richard talk with Sergeant Denny about his pending marriage.
“Sergeant Denny, I have come to give you my decision in regards to you and my daughter, Lydia. I will say again what a despicable and dishonorable thing you are doing in regards to your demand for more money before you will marry her after you have ruined her future for any other decent man. I will tell you this.” Mr. Bennet’s eyes bore harshly into Sergeant Denny, and then he austerely states, “Do not push my limits any further or you and your family will be sorry for it. Just because I do not beat you where you stand does not mean you will not feel it in other ways. Now, since you and I have already agreed to Lydia’s yearly income to be 130 pounds then I will honor my word and you will too. That amount will be divided into twelve months. You will get no additional money up front. You will marry Lydia this Monday at our local church at ten in the morning. Now, let me introduce you to Mr. Darcy – my wealthy soon-to-be-son-in-law who you have said that I should get money from in order to pay you.” Mr. Bennet turns to Darcy and introduces him. “Mr. Darcy, this is the…man that is involved with Lydia – John Denny.” Mr. Bennet refuses to designate this sergeant as ‘mister’; he is a contemptible man who does not deserve it.
Sergeant Denny bows and awkwardly greets Mr. Darcy. He never imagined that he would have to meet Mr. Darcy. He thought that Miss Elizabeth or Mr. Bennet would just pay him the money. Sergeant Denny is conscientious of his extremely discomfiting position; he does not know what to say or do with Mr. Darcy present.
Darcy displays his most severe, arrogant glare at Sergeant Denny without flinching. Darcy is taller than this sergeant, so his condescending glower looks worse. Darcy resembles a general looking disgustedly at a lowly, incompetent soldier. Darcy does not bow or have any greetings for the sergeant. This is certainly a significant cut. Usually, Darcy would not even acknowledge someone like Sergeant Denny, so to have the cut done directly at Sergeant Denny, is even worse. Without further ado, Darcy comes straight to the point of the meeting.
“Mr. Bennet, will you mind informing the Colonel that I will fetch him only if I need him. I will spare a few moments to convey my expectations to this person here.” Darcy says composedly; he does not want Mr. Bennet to hear what he plans to say to Sergeant Denny.
“Certainly, I will let him know.” Without taking leave of Sergeant Denny, Mr. Bennet turns to walk towards Colonel Fitzwilliam who is enjoying a drink at the bar counter.
Darcy faces Sergeant Denny with his Master of Pemberley grim expression. “I am not accustomed to talking to or being around people such as you; therefore, I will make this short and to the point. I have been told that you feel that Mr. Bennet should compel me to pay you money before you will marry Miss Lydia or else the Bennet family’s reputation will be ruined. You feel that since I am very wealthy then I should be stuck paying for your greed.” Darcy emphasizes his frown at the Sergeant before continuing.
Sergeant Denny sits completely still, in shock, and is speechless while being filled with trepidation as he faces Mr. Darcy. Sergeant Denny seems to have loss his power behind his threats. He notices that Mr. Darcy does not look like a man to be trifled with. Mr. Darcy may look very sophisticated but he sounds eerily powerful and fierce without having to raise his voice. He looks like a man who always gets what he wants, and he definitely does not look like he will tolerate anyone going against his wishes.
With a forbidding glare, Darcy asserts, “I will tell you this only once. You will not get even one farthing from me. You will not get any more than 60 pounds yearly from Mr. Bennet – not 130. You will not get any money up front. Miss Lydia’s dowry portion is 40 pounds yearly, so if you want 60 pounds, then the additional 20 will be drawn against her 1,000 pounds that she will receive upon Mrs. Bennet’s death. All yearly income will cease when Mrs. Bennet passes. The only amount that you will receive at that point is Miss Lydia’s original 1,000 pounds dowry minus any portion that you have chosen to take out beyond the 40 pounds yearly. You will accept this if you know what is good for you. You will let Mr. Bennet know the yearly income you want – anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds yearly.”
Darcy continues without any consideration towards Sergeant Denny. “I do not make empty threats because it is a waste of my time. You are a waste of my time. You will feel my wrath if you cause any more trouble to any of the Bennets. You are lucky and fortunate to be getting that much. You are foul, depraved sewer scum that has ruined his daughter in a despicable manner, and then you dare to threaten the ruination of the rest of his daughters’ reputation unless you are paid exorbitantly.” Darcy’s scowl is unwavering – just to think of anyone hurting Elizabeth angers him beyond comprehension.
“You will rue the day you were born if you ever breathe one word against any of the Bennets. You will rue the day you were born if you mistreat Miss Lydia in any way. You will rue the day you were born if you cross me. Your entire family will be ruined. If you do not believe that I can ruin your pathetic life, then try me. Is this money extortion that you are forcing upon Mr. Bennet worth more than the irreversible devastation that will befall you and your family? I will not sit idly by while you ruin my betrothed’s reputation. No one hurts my betrothed and gets away with it.” Darcy’s scowl is severe and tenacious, yet his voice is still not raised.
“You have made the biggest mistake in trying to extract money from me or forcing my hands in any way. I do not respond well to threats. With all my wealth and connections, I eliminate all my threats; I will get to you no matter where you live. And if you do not
think that I will randomly check on you where ever you may be located, then you are sadly mistaken, again. If there is ever the slightest rumor or gossip about the Bennets or anyone relating to this entire mess, then I will hold you responsible. I will know what to do with you. If you live a decent life without deceiving and harming others, then you will not have to worry about your welfare.”
“Since you will be marrying Miss Lydia, I will have the misfortune of you being considered as my brother-in-law. However, I will not ever recognize you or acknowledge you as such. You will never claim a familial connection with me, my betrothed, or my family unless someone knows it as a fact and asks you. At that point, you can tell them that we are related only by marriage. Do not ever dare to approach us in public and claim a connection to us. I will not warn you again about any of the things I have said here today. I will only take action next time, and you will regret it, indeed. Do you understand all that I have just stated?” Darcy asks calmly yet gravely.
“Yes, I do, Mr. Darcy.” Sergeant Denny fearfully answers without delay. His voice has no strength, and his heart is thumping rapidly and erratically.
Good God…Sergeant Denny has made such a big mistake with how he handled this situation with Lydia’s family. He thought that Mr. Bennet would just give up the money easily so that his family’s reputation will not be damaged, given he has four more daughters to worry about. He did not think that it was a very large sum of money for a gentleman such as Mr. Bennet. It was even a bigger mistake to involve this Mr. Darcy into this situation. Sergeant Denny does not doubt Mr. Darcy’s words. These wealthy people of the first circles do not become rich by being nice all the time, thus he believes Mr. Darcy’s warnings. He is glad that his regiment will be relocating in March, so he will not be living near the Bennets anymore. Luckily, he does like Lydia; therefore, he is going to try to make the best of this marriage. Minimally, they will live better than his comrades with the addition of Lydia’s yearly income.
As soon as Sergeant Denny answers, Darcy rises to walk away without any consideration towards him. Darcy walks straight to Mr. Bennet and Richard; with his back towards Sergeant Denny, Darcy tells them that everything is resolved; Sergeant Denny will accept from 40 to 60 pounds yearly as Lydia’s income. Darcy explains about the money agreement. Mr. Bennet raises his brow when he hears the lower number acceptance.
“I suppose he accepted that number and condition out of the goodness of his heart, Mr. Darcy?” Mr. Bennet wryly and sarcastically chuckles.
Darcy’s face remains unsympathetic and aloof with the right side of his lips slightly lifting up in disdain for this sergeant and for this entire situation. Darcy despises dishonorable, greedy, selfish, lazy, scheming, deceiving men. Fortunately, this sergeant does not seem to be experienced with these deceptions, unlike Wickham. Wickham has made deception his life’s mission so that he does not have to work a day in his repulsive life. This reminds Darcy to speak with the constable here about what has happened to Wickham so that he is aware of Wickham’s outcome and be prepared.
“Mr. Bennet, Richard, since I am here, I will check in on the constable to inquire about Wickham’s outcome. I want to know what has happened to that vile vermin and where he is currently located. Will you both be waiting here or in the carriage?”
“I will go with you, Darcy.” Richard volunteers gladly.
“I will also go with you so I can see what this degenerate, looks like. I want to be aware in case he should ever decide to come around here again.” Mr. Bennet says logically.
Sergeant Denny sees Mr. Darcy speaking to a Colonel, and then that Colonel looks directly at him afterwards, thus Sergeant Denny has to stand and salute the Colonel properly. As the three men leave the pub, the Colonel comes over to Sergeant Denny and says, “You are Sergeant John Denny?”
“Yes, sir. At your service, sir.” Sergeant Denny replies promptly while standing in salute.
“Will there be any future problems in any quarter, sergeant?” Richard asks severely.
“No, sir.” Promptly, Sergeant Denny answers with complete understanding.
Richard turns to walk off without any further acknowledgement towards Sergeant Denny.
Good Lord! Sergeant Denny wonders if he will have any problems from these three men, now. What a big mistake all this was. To think that his entire family may find out what he has done and for them to be negatively affected by it would surely cripple him. He needs to not stray from his upbringing and stay away from men like George Wickham who are eager to teach him these terrible dissolute ways.
Sergeant Denny was shocked when he found out that Wickham was being held by the constable for robbing two young ladies here. Wickham was badly beaten. How stupid could Wickham be? Is this how debauched and unscrupulous Wickham has become? Will he become like Wickham if he continues down this road and remain friends with Wickham? Does he want friends like Wickham? His family would be ashamed of him for associating with Wickham. He never wants to be in this kind of position again. Yes, it could have been lucrative but look where it got him now. It cost him his reputation with three prominent men who will surely scrutinize and judge his life from now on. He will never be trusted and looked well upon by them, again. It is his own damn fault for being enticed and encouraged by Wickham. Now, his life and his family’s lives are at risk of ruin. Thank goodness that he and Wickham are not close friends, so it should not be difficult to disassociate from Wickham. Hopefully, with time, he will not be under constant scrutiny by his in-laws.
Lydia walks into the drawing room where she hears much jovial chatting. She is upset that Lizzy lectured her earlier and embarrassed her in front of everyone; she is a grown woman, now. Lizzy cannot talk to her like that and reprimand her anymore. Lydia will state her point.
“Lizzy, why are you so upset about my problem? I am the one that had to endure a miscarriage and could have died from it. You do not know anything about it or about how I had to live or about Sergeant Denny.” Lydia states straightforwardly.
“Lydia, you are my sister, so I cannot believe that you are as dense as you are right now. I may not know Sergeant Denny, but I know the terrible thing that he is doing to our family.” Elizabeth responds with great disappointment, displeasure, and frustration.
“I am not dense! You are, Lizzy! You do not know anything! He is not doing anything bad except asking Papa for my dowry so that we can marry.” Lydia exclaims loudly.
Mary and Kitty sit there in silence and in disbelief at Lydia for her words and behavior. It is incredible how wrong and stupid Kitty was to follow Lydia. She just wanted to have some fun. She is glad that she did not follow Lydia all the way.
Mary knew that she was right that Lydia and Kitty were too young and too silly. She is very content that she does not and did not behave like Lydia or Kitty; she is modest and follows the teachings of the bible. No one can criticize her for not being a proper young lady.
Mrs. Bennet just wants to talk about Elizabeth’s wedding. She does not want to discuss Lydia’s problem anymore; she is tired of dealing with it. She just wants to give Lydia the money and be done with it all.
“Lydia, I am trying to speak to you at an adult level since you talk as if you are wise to the world now. I am trying to show you the consequences of your mistakes so that you will not make them again. However, you have not even shown one pittance of remorse or understanding of what you did and how it has affected all of your family. You are an ungrateful young girl who has brought humiliation and shame to your entire family. Yet, you still stand here expecting Papa to give you more money. Did you know that Sergeant Denny had to be bribed to marry you? He demanded more and more money before he would marry you or else he flatly refused even while knowing that you carried his child at the time. Furthermore, he threatened the reputations of all your sisters. That is the man who you like so much. I was hoping that you would convince Sergeant Denny to stop extorting Papa for more money because you knew that it was wrong; instead, you support him. You are so se
lfish you do not even think about your family’s financial situation; actually, I do not think you care of our family’s financial situation as long as you get your dowry. Do you not know that Papa does not have that kind of money to keep bribing Sergeant Denny?”
“Yes, Papa has the money! He said he would get the money. We are not asking for too much. What do you care? You are going to marry a very, very rich husband. Why should this small amount bother you? It is not even your money.” Lydia exclaims loudly.
Elizabeth sighs heavily and narrows her eyes at Lydia then says, “Lydia, you do not know what you are talking about. I had hoped that you matured a little bit after what had happened to you, but you still show that you are a foolish, heedless girl just like you have always been.”
“I am not! I am a grown woman now!” Lydia cries out.
“Grown woman?” Elizabeth poses with sarcasm. “Where does this grown woman think Papa will get that kind of money to bribe your shameful groom? Do you think Papa can just pluck it out of the ground?” Elizabeth glares unyieldingly at Lydia. “What do I care? I care that no one runs Papa to the ground. I care that no one extorts money from our family. I care that no one ruins our reputations. You have hurt your entire family, and you are not even cognizant of it! You still stand here thinking you are deserving of everything and you protect the man that does not even want to be your husband.” Elizabeth retorts angrily and in exasperation.
“Lizzy, stop.” Mrs. Bennet says half-heartedly because she knows deep down inside that Elizabeth is correct in her assessment, but she also feels for Lydia. Mrs. Bennet feels that Mr. Bennet or Mr. Darcy should put out the money to help Lydia. However, she does understand what Lydia did was wrong and dangerous for their entire family. This has all become such a big mess even when there is no longer an illegitimate baby involved. Mrs. Bennet surely does not want Mr. Bennet to be extorted for more money because it will end up coming out of her marriage settlement. How will she survive with less money and possibly have to support some of her daughters if they do not marry? Ohhh, that awful, horrid Sergeant Denny!