by Don Miller
Darcy was somewhat amazed at this last revelation, because that was the bookstore where he regularly bought books and he and his sister knew Mrs. Gardiner quite well. He had not been in it for some time, but it was virtually the only place he went for books anymore. “How did your conversation allow you to learn this?”
“I innocently asked what Miss Elizabeth did all that time in London and Mrs. Collins said the only things she knew for certain was she often walked in the parks, helped Mr. Gardiner in his Import/Export office, and helped Mrs. Gardiner in the Bookstore. Apparently Miss Elizabeth is quite good with both numbers and languages and helps Mr. Gardiner with his records and Mrs. Gardiner evaluate and categorize their foreign books.”
“I cannot believe I have never seen her there during the Season, if that is the time she is usually in town. The only thing I can imagine is that she does not work out front with the customers, but spends all of her time in the back offices and stacks.”
“That stands to reason. It would hardly be proper for a gentlewoman to be acting as a salesperson, although I have the feeling Miss Elizabeth does not necessarily stand on convention. Probably her aunt and uncle do not think it proper.”
“You implied you talked to Miss Elizabeth. Did she return while you were there?”
“No, she did not, but I sought her out. I did not stay long at the cottage, telling them I had to get back to finish packing. I then headed out onto the path into the park from their cottage and eventually encountered Miss Elizabeth. Since we were alone, I decided to tell her everything you asked me to tell her.”
“I thought you were going to wait until she was back in town to do that.”
“I was, but you know I am an opportunist and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.”
“How did she respond to what you told her? Did you tell her about Georgiana?”
“I did tell her the whole Wickham story, including about Georgiana, and she promised to speak of it to no one. She was clearly very distressed with what she heard about Wickham, but in the end she said she believed me and would write to her sister immediately warning her about Wickham’s wicked ways. She also said she was very ashamed she had been so prejudiced against you because of something you said about her when you first saw her and that she was more than willing to believe Wickham’s lies. I did not ask her what you said, but it must have been bad. Will you tell me or do I have to drag it out of you?”
Col. Fitzwilliam could tell by Darcy’s face he was embarrassed about what he had said and did not want to tell him, but eventually Darcy admitted, “Bingley suggested I dance with her, and with barely a glance at her I told him words to the effect that she was tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me and I did not want to give consequence to ladies who were slighted by other men. I feared, but did not know for sure, she had overheard me. I can believe she was inclined to dislike me.”
“Good heavens, Darcy, did you do anything right in your undeclared courtship of her?”
“We did have some spirited conversations, in which she often expressed the opposite view from mine. However, I could tell, in some cases, she was only doing it for the sake of argument. She seems to like verbal combat. I did think I held my own in those discussions and that she appreciated the fact I could. I interpreted that as her way of flirting with me, but clearly I was wrong. Did she mention anything about my opinion of Miss Bennet’s feelings for Bingley?”
“I brought up the subject and reiterated your statement you could see no particular evidence her sister had affection for Bingley.”
Darcy was silent for a long time and Col. Fitzwilliam could see that he was trying to absorb and come to grips with what he had been told. Finally Darcy said, “I seem to have made just about every mistake I could make with her. I think myself an intelligent man, but how could I have messed this up so badly. As I lay in bed last night, I realized there are few things in life I had wanted as much as I had wanted her. But this morning I feel myself a wiser man and am of the opinion it is a good thing I did things wrong, because I have now learned how lacking she is in discernment and knowledge of the society in which I live. I am sure, now I know her better, I can get over this infatuation I have had of her, forget her, and move on with my life. It is time I took a serious look again at the women of the ton and give up my dream of finding one I can love and respect prior to the marriage. I need an heir and to that purpose, I will sit down with Aunt Helen and consider all the young women that she and I know and pick someone to pursue whom I think I may be able to respect and for whom I may be able to eventually develop affection.”
Col. Fitzwilliam had rarely seen his cousin so upset, and if it were anyone else, he might see humor in it. Darcy was one of the richest, most eligible bachelors in England. He seemed to be what every young man in England would like to be. Yet here he was, having loved a woman of decidedly less significance in society whose affection he had not been able to obtain; nor had he been able to convince her to marry him. Suddenly Col. Fitzwilliam did not envy his cousin as much as he had.
While this was going on in the Darcy carriage, Elizabeth was in her room at Hunsford Cottage composing a letter to her sister Jane, wondering how much she should tell her. Finally she started writing.
Hunsford Cottage
Friday morning
Dear Jane
I learned something today I must tell you and which you must discuss with father, for it will require him to restrict activities of Lydia and Kitty and you know how he hates to get between them and Mama. I learned from Col. Fitzwilliam, whom I believe is a not-to-be-doubted source, that Mr. Wickham is not at all what he seems. He has a history of seducing young girls and running up debts, particularly from gambling. Furthermore, his story about how Mr. Darcy denied him his inheritance is a lie. He was promised a living in the town of Kympton near Pemberley, but he refused, saying he wanted to go into law, and was given £3000 in lieu of the living. He also received another £1000 which was his cash inheritance. He signed an affidavit acknowledging the payment he received satisfied any claims he might have on the estate.
You can imagine I fear for Kitty and Lydia, particularly Lydia. She is so impulsive and I know she seemed to favor Mr. Wickham. She seems exactly the kind of girl of whom he has taken advantage in the past and in one case, I know he got a girl pregnant, a situation that cost the Darcys a great deal of money because Mr. Wickham used his connection with the Darcys to help convince the girl he was a true gentleman.
As I thought back to my interactions with Mr. Wickham, I am heartily ashamed at how easily he duped me. Because of Mr. Darcy’s slight of me at the assembly, I was eager to hear bad things about him and more than ready to believe them. But now that I know the truth, I realize Mr. Wickham’s discussion with me of Mr. Darcy’s failing was inappropriate with one whom he had only met. I told him of my dislike for Mr. Darcy and he used it to get into my good graces. I shudder at the thought I might have considered a courtship from him. I did not love him, but he seemed such a good and honest gentleman, I might have given him a chance to make me love him. My only hope is I would have eventually come to understand his duplicity.
Again I urge you to talk to father about this and decide what is to be done. You may share this letter with him if you wish.
Charlotte sends her love and continues to insist that her marriage to Mr. Collins is in her best interest, not that she has any choice now. They have a very interesting relationship which I will share with you when we are together.
I want to get this in the post today, so I must close. I will be leaving here Monday, so send any reply to Gracechurch Street. Give my love to all.
Lizzie
Elizabeth read the letter over and as she read it, was once again embarrassed at how easily she had succumbed to Wickham’s flattery and easy manner. Until Darcy’s proposal and her talk with Col. Fitzwilliam, she realized she never truly knew herself. She had been so proud of her discernment of the character of others and her abi
lity to recognize the truth in questionable situations. How could she fault Darcy for his inability to discern Jane’s affection for Bingley, when she had been so blind with respect to both Wickham and Darcy? She had been so sure that Wickham was good and Darcy was bad and now she was convinced there was just enough goodness between them for one man and most of it resided in Mr. Darcy. And how could she have not recognized that Darcy’s attention to her was that of a man who had affection for her and not one who was looking for fault? She still felt she could not love him, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood he was a good man and very protective of those he loved or liked.
She then thought about Darcy’s sister and imagined she was not at all like Wickham had described her, but probably, at the moment, just a confused and sad young woman. She briefly wondered what it would have been like, had she been more discerning and been willing to accept Darcy’s proposal. Could she have been a help to Georgiana? Could she have made Darcy a more agreeable man? But then, just a quickly, she realized that if she married him, her family might be lost to her. People such as Darcy did not generally associate with people of such a lower class, particularly people of the merchant class, like her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, who she loved as much as her own parents. She would insist on associating with them and he would certainly resist. Darcy was just too proud for her. Perhaps, as Charlotte said, he had a right to be proud, but that did not make it any more palatable to her. No, she was right to refuse him and she would put it out of her mind.
She then picked up her letter and took it down to Charlotte to ensure that it got included in the post that went out that afternoon.
Chapter 4: Georgiana Meets Elizabeth
Three weeks later Georgiana Darcy was sitting at the piano in the music room at Darcy House working on a Beethoven Sonata she had recently purchased, when the door to the music room opened and her cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam entered. She nodded at him as she continued to play, knowing he liked to hear her play and would be more than willing to wait until she was finished. He sat on a couch near the fireplace as she continued practicing the section of the sonata she was trying to master.
When she was done, she arose and went over to sit beside him. “Thank you for coming, Richard. I did not know if you would be able to find the time, now that you are so busy at the War Office.”
“I can always find time for you Georgie. What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“It is Will. He has been so changed since he came back from Kent. He will not talk to me about it, but his behavior has been very strange. He is even more taciturn and serious than usual, but he is making it a point to accept every invitation he receives to a ball or party—even tea parties. The only thing he will tell me is he has decided he has to be more serious about finding someone with whom he can conceive an heir, and that is exactly the way he puts it. No talk about finding someone to love or to whom he might be happy; just someone with whom to conceive an heir. For years he has been adamant he would only marry for the deepest love and mutual interests, and suddenly he returns from Kent having completely changed his mind. I wrote Anne about it, asking if Aunt Catherine had been particularly insistent upon Will and Anne getting marrying. She said Aunt Catherine had been no more insistent than usual. She did, however, mention that while you and Will were visiting, there had been more socializing than usual—with, of all people, the Collinses and their guests, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Sir William Lucas, and Miss Maria Lucas.”
She paused, waiting for him to say something. Comprehending she wanted a response from him, he said, “It is true there was more socializing than usual and I was certainly not aware that Aunt Catherine put any more pressure on Darcy than usual. As for his behavior, I am not sure what to think of it. I have not talked to him since our ride back. I agree with you that accepting so many invitations and saying he has changed his attitude about marriage is unusual. I will have a talk with him. He and I have always agreed we would not have a marriage of convenience, but he may have finally changed his mind. I know he wanted to talk with my mother, when she returns from Devonshire, about whom she thinks might be a good match for him in the ton.”
“I could not stand it if he married one of those hard-hearted, mercenary young ladies that seem to be everywhere in the ton. Therefore I have three questions for you. Firstly, may I assume the Miss Elizabeth, whom Anne mentioned, is the same lady Will mentioned in his letters from Netherfield? Secondly, why did he never tell me he saw her in Kent when he had told me when he returned from Hertfordshire he would probably never see her again? And thirdly, could she have somehow been the source of his current unhappiness?”
Col. Fitzwilliam was in a quandary. He certainly could not be the one to tell Georgiana of his cousin’s proposal and its subsequent refusal. That was up to Darcy. But he did not want to lie to his cousin and ward. After pondering his response a few moments, he said, “In answer to your first question; yes it was the same Miss Elizabeth, whom I came to know quite well and whom I found to be a very pleasant and intelligent young lady. In answer to your second; I am not sure why your brother did not mention he had seen her there. Perhaps he forgot he had told you he would not see her again and did not think it important to tell you he had. Finally, as to her being the source of his current attitude, I suppose that is a possibility, because she was certainly somewhat outspoken. I believe they do not see eye-to-eye on several things and there certainly could have been harsh words between them although, personally, I never observed it. You know how once someone loses his good opinion, it is gone forever. Perhaps his experience with her there made him change his mind about her and he is disappointed in himself for ever having thought highly of her.”
“If that is so, I am very sorry, because she is the first young woman about whom he ever wrote anything of significance in letters to me. In fact, I cannot remember his ever writing to me about a woman before Miss Elizabeth. I had hopes she might be someone he could learn to like, even if she was of a lower social status.”
Col. Fitzwilliam had a sudden inspiration, and he was not sure whether it was a good one or a bad one. He decided Georgiana should meet Elizabeth. If Darcy was acting as Georgiana had said, then he had clearly decided to act on his statement he would find himself a woman of the ton. There could be no explanation other than he was trying as hard as he could to remove Elizabeth from his thoughts. He, who had been so careful about not letting a woman close to him, had let himself develop affection for a woman of little wealth and status, and she had resoundingly refused his proposal. His pride had been badly injured and he was trying to find a way to get it back, no matter what it cost him in the long run. Perhaps if he saw Elizabeth again, he might reconsider his rejection of her and consider pursuing her in a more carefully thought out manner. One way he might see her again was for Georgiana to meet her, like her, and invite her to Darcy House for tea or perhaps some sort of musical collaboration. He knew Darcy would be mad at him for his meddling, but Col. Fitzwilliam was still not certain Darcy was no longer in love with Elizabeth.
“Georgiana, I have a thought. Would you like to meet Miss Elizabeth and see if you think she might be in part the cause of Will’s current unhappiness? I believe I know how we can arrange it.”
A smiling Georgiana took Col. Fitzwilliam’s hand. “Richard, I think that is a wonderful idea. How can we accomplish that?”
An hour later the Matlock carriage pulled in front of the Reader’s Home Bookstore. Col. Fitzwilliam emerged and then turned back to help Georgiana out of the carriage. As they entered the store, a young man approached them. “Miss Darcy, how good to see you again. It is quite a coincidence, because just yesterday afternoon we received some newly printed piano music. I was going to send Mr. Darcy a note telling him they had arrived.”
“Good morning, Mr. Baker. I assume you know my cousin and guardian, Col. Fitzwilliam?” After Mr. Baker had acknowledged he did remember the Colonel and the two men had exchanged greetings, Georgiana continued, “Perhaps I hav
e become psychic. I just felt it was time for me to come browse the music again.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Baker,” said Col. Fitzwilliam, “but before you take my cousin off to the music room, may I ask if Miss Elizabeth Bennet is here? I met her in Kent just a few weeks ago and the last time I talked with her, she said she often helped out at her aunt and uncle’s bookstore, which I believe is this one.”
“You are correct, she does often help here and I believe she is still in the back. She and her aunt usually leave before noon, but I do not think she has left yet. If you will excuse me, I will go see if she is there.”
A few minutes later a smiling Elizabeth emerged from a door in the rear of the store and walked quickly over to Col. Fitzwilliam and the young woman with him. She wondered if the rather tall, willowy, but quite young woman with him might be Georgiana Darcy. If so, she certainly did not look like the haughty young lady Wickham had described. When she reached them, she curtsied and said, “Colonel, how nice to see you. I was not sure I would ever see you again after our last meeting.”
“When I discovered where you helped your aunt, I could not stay away. May I introduce you to someone who has been anxious to meet you?” Turning to Georgiana, he held out his hand, into which she put hers, and he pulled her forward. “Miss Elizabeth, this is my cousin and ward, Miss Georgianna Darcy. Georgiana, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Surprisingly, Georgiana, who was usually very shy and reticent around strangers, immediately liked the very pretty and vivacious young woman whom she saw before her. She seemed to exude self-confidence and an honest pleasure at meeting Georgiana. After exchanging curtsies, Georgiana said with some enthusiasm, “Oh, Miss Elizabeth, I have wanted to meet you ever since Will wrote to me about you when he was in Hertfordshire. I was so pleased when Richard told me this morning he knew where I might meet you.”