Smoky Dreams

by Jaeza Rayleigh

  "He is a militia officer, and that would be considered desertion in time of war. The penalty would be death. All the same, you are correct that it would be wise to act swiftly." Mr. Archer blew out a final puff of smoke, then put the remains of the cigar down in a bowl. He stood and rang the bell for a servant.

  As they waited for the servant to arrive, Darcy felt himself compelled to ask a question. "Are you sure Miss Elizabeth does not like me?"

  Mr. Archer laughed, "I cannot claim to know the mind of any woman, Mr. Darcy. However, I believe you certainly have not given her much reason to like you. One does not gain a woman’s esteem by being proud and standoffish."

  "Well, I hope to change that now," Darcy answered quietly.

  "You do aim high,” Mr. Archer said with a slight chuckle. “Her good regard may be hard to earn. I do not envy you the task."

  A knock on the door, followed by the entrance of the servant put an end to the topic. Before too long Darcy and Mr. Archer had a team of men prepared and were ready to apprehend George Wickham.

  Chapter 5: Villains

  Darcy thought luck was finally with him when they spotted Wickham strolling by himself along the main street of the village. At the sight of their quarry, Mr. Archer called his men forward. Six had ridden behind Darcy and the magistrate, accompanying a cart to transport their prisoner once he was found and apprehended.

  Mr. Archer signaled the men to surround Wickham even as he spoke to Darcy. "The men will take him up as planned. I will go notify Colonel Forster of our purpose and your proof. We really should speak to him first, but I do not wish the man to get away."

  As Mr. Archer turned and headed in the direction of the camp, Darcy rode towards Wickham. His quarry turned and eyed Darcy insolently, not yet aware of his connection with the six men who had dismounted and were moving to surround him.

  "Well, well. The high and mighty Fitzwilliam Darcy has returned to Meryton. I heard the news yesterday after your carriage rolled through the village. Witnesses even mentioned a girl in the carriage who matches the description of your little sister. I am amazed you would bring her where I might have the chance to speak with her again. Maybe this time I can succeed in marrying her. She may not be much to look at, but her dowry is sweet."

  That was enough for Darcy. Time and again he had swallowed his anger and accepted everything Wickham dished out. Not this time. Without a word he dismounted, walked over and punched Wickham in the face. That punch had years of anger and helplessness behind it, and the force knocked Wickham to his knees with blood streaming from his broken nose.

  Even as Darcy threw his punch, the six guards moved quickly to surround Wickham, with two grabbing his arms, so they could drag him to the cart. The whole thing happened so fast that none of the people on the street could say a word in protest, not that there was anyone close enough to be of assistance.

  "Wuh! What are you doing?" Wickham asked between moans of pain. "What?"

  "Sending you to the Marshalsea for debt, Wickham," Darcy said coldly as they loaded Wickham onto the cart. "Something I should have done a very long time ago."

  "But how? Why?" he moaned.

  "I have bought your debts for years and they total quite a sum. Now you reap what you have sown." With that, Darcy returned to his horse and remounted. Two of Mr. Archer's men joined Wickham in the cart to guard him while the others remounted so they could escort it to Cheroot where Wickham would be held until passage to London was arranged. With a feeling of satisfaction, Darcy headed to the militia camp to join Mr. Archer for the interview with Colonel Forster.

  ~*~

  Darcy still retained that feeling of satisfaction as he returned to Netherfield a few hours later. The colonel had been difficult to persuade, but with Mr. Archer's help they convinced him to check with some of the Meryton merchants. As Darcy expected, Wickham had already persuaded most of the merchants to extend him credit, although each shopkeeper thought he was the only one to whom the man owed money. Both Mr. Archer and Colonel Forster were astounded at the total amount, but it was about what Darcy had expected given the time Wickham had been in the village. At any rate, it proved his point and the colonel agreed they could take Wickham and send him on to London and the Marshalsea. Darcy purchased Wickham's debts from the merchants and added the receipts to the total for his complaint. It was unlikely Wickham would ever leave debtor's prison with that kind of debt hanging over his head.

  Now that his necessary business was done, Darcy looked forward to another visit at Longbourn. He knew Mr. Archer had said Miss Elizabeth might not like him, but now that he had brought Bingley back and neutralized the threat from Wickham, Darcy hoped he could change her opinion.

  Bingley, he found, was ready and eager for a visit with Miss Bennet. Georgiana, on the other hand, had no interest in visiting Longbourn or seeing the Bennets.

  "I really must complete my practice on the pianoforte," she told her brother when he asked if she wished to join them. "I will visit another time. You go ahead."

  Darcy understood she might still be feeling shy, so he did not press the point. All the same, he was a little disappointed at her lack of enthusiasm for spending time with the older Bennet sisters. He wished her a good practice while suggesting she could join them the following day.

  Both Darcy and Bingley were pleased to learn the young ladies were at home when they arrived. Mrs. Hill showed them to the sitting room. They quickly saw that Mrs. Bennet was not in the room, much to their relief. Instead, they were greeted by Miss Bennet. Bingley lost no time taking a seat next to her, although Darcy thought she looked somewhat uncomfortable with their presence. Miss Elizabeth's mood was easier to determine as she strode to stand in front of Darcy with such a furious glare, he was surprised not to see sparks shooting from her eyes.

  "How dare you come here, sir, after what you have done?" She spoke quietly, but with much feeling.

  "I do not understand, Miss Elizabeth," he replied, genuinely confused by her anger. "Of what do you speak?"

  "As if you do not know," she answered scathingly, stepping forward so she was standing almost toe to toe with him. "It was not enough for you to ruin Mr. Wickham's prospects and drive him from his home. Oh, no. I saw you in the village this morning. I watched as you punched him and then had him dragged away without any provocation. Where is he now? What have you done to him?"

  "He is on his way to the Marshalsea, where he will be imprisoned for debt." Darcy answered. "He will no longer be a threat to the people of Meryton."

  "A threat to the people of Meryton? I think the true threat is standing right in front of me."

  "No, you do not understand..." Darcy began, raising his hands in a gesture of supplication or conciliation.

  "I understand you think your wealth and position allow you treat others as poorly as you please. You cannot be trusted, and your friend is just as bad."

  "Bingley? What harm has he done?" Again, he was completely confused.

  Miss Elizabeth looked at Darcy in disbelief. "First, he comes here and engages Jane's affections, then he leaves without a word beyond that nasty note Miss Bingley sent. Now he comes back with his intended, taunting my sister unkindly. Yet the moment Miss Darcy is gone, he starts flirting with Jane again. Look at him."

  "His intended? My sister?" Now it was Darcy's turn to stare in disbelief.

  "Miss Bingley told us the betrothal was all but settled."

  Darcy shook his head. "She lied. Your sister is the only one in whom Bingley is interested."

  "I do not believe you. I have seen how cruel you are. You care nothing for others and their feelings. I may not be able to challenge you to a duel, but this is for Mr. Wickham and all those who have felt the sting of your selfish disdain for the feelings of others." With all the force she could muster Miss Elizabeth slapped Darcy across the cheek. Bingley jumped from his seat in surprise at the sound.

  "Now, get out! Both of you," Miss Elizabeth ordered. "You are not welcome in this household."


  Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia cheered at her statement. Miss Mary looked at them all disapprovingly, including her sister, but said nothing to challenge the orders. Even Miss Bennet looked more relieved by their impending departure than upset by Miss Elizabeth's words and actions. Darcy rubbed at his sore cheek as he tried to work out just what had gone wrong.

  "Please, Miss Elizabeth, if you will just allow me to explain," he stammered out.

  "No," she said firmly. "Leave. If you have any pretense to the title of gentleman you will go now, before I call the servants to drag you out."

  "But..." Bingley began only to fall silent as Miss Elizabeth turned her fiery glare on him. He swallowed nervously. As she continued to glare, he gave a jerky bow and rushed from the room. Darcy did not want to leave with all these misunderstandings in place, but as she turned her glare back at him, he realized he had no choice. He also bowed before quickly exiting. The visit to Longbourn was over.

  The two men retrieved their horses from the stables and mounted up for their return journey to Netherfield before saying anything. As they rode down the drive Bingley began to question what had just happened.

  "Why would they think I am betrothed to your sister?" he asked plaintively.

  "I believe that misunderstanding is due to your sister," Darcy replied. "I told you the note she sent was probably not kind. I suspect now she hinted, or perhaps even baldly stated, her hopes that you would marry Georgiana. I expect she meant to warn off Miss Bennet and prevent her from forming any designs on you."

  "How could she? I did not think even Caroline could be that cruel."

  "I suspect she may have dropped similar hints to Georgiana, although I do not know why my sister would not have mentioned them to me. Perhaps that is why she was so uncomfortable with the Bennets yesterday."

  "This is terrible. I would never intentionally treat any woman so poorly and certainly not one I hold in such high regard as Miss Bennet."

  "I think we may have a hard road ahead of us as we try to sort this out. You should also know your sister may have caused more damage to your reputation here in Meryton that just your prospects with Miss Bennet."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I learned this morning that when she closed up the house so we could follow you to town, she sacked all the servants you had hired. Not only that, she gave them no notice nor any references. In fact, she did not even give them the proper pay before they left."

  "But Mrs. Nichols was still there. And there were others I recognize."

  "Although you pay their salaries as part of the lease, Mrs. Nichols and a skeleton crew to maintain the house are actually employed by the owners. You cannot sack them. All the rest, though, were hired by you and could have their employment terminated by you, or in this case, your sister."

  "Well, that explains why I thought the servants were giving me unpleasant looks."

  "Yes, even though they still have their jobs, I imagine they resent the way their fellows were treated."

  Bingley sighed heavily. "What a mess this is."

  Darcy agreed. He wondered what he would have to do to untangle the problem. A part of him wanted to simply slink away in defeat. He had certainly never expected Miss Elizabeth to be so mad at him. If anything, the dream version had been tame in comparison to the real angry woman. As they neared the Netherfield stable, he decided he first would see what Georgiana thought of it all.

  ~*~

  Following the sound of playing, Darcy found his sister still in the music room. Mrs. Annesley sat nearby, doing some needlework as Georgiana practiced. At his entry, his sister stopped playing and looked up. He pulled one of the fancy wooden chairs close to the piano bench and sat down.

  "Why are you back so soon brother?" she asked. She looked at him more closely and continued, "And why do you have a bruise forming on your cheek? At least, that is what it looks like."

  "I had a misunderstanding with Miss Elizabeth. She asked us to leave. And she slapped me." He added the last sentence very quietly, but Georgiana heard him nonetheless.

  "She truly is an uncouth savage, just as Miss Bingley said."

  "She is not! She and Miss Bennet are both kind, courteous and proper young women. Truthfully, Miss Elizabeth thought she had a very good reason for how she reacted. It was a misunderstanding, that is all. In fact, Georgiana, I would like to know more about what Miss Bingley actually said to you. Bingley and I seem to be at the center of several misunderstandings and they all come back to her and things she has done, said, written or implied."

  "I do not understand," Georgiana said, and Darcy thought he detected some of the same frustration and anger he had seen in the dream. "What kind of misunderstanding do you mean? What could possibly justify a lady hitting a gentleman?"

  "She thought I had not behaved as a gentleman," he said quietly. "What have you heard about a possible betrothal with Mr. Bingley. Has Miss Bingley said anything to you?"

  "Miss Bingley has frequently hinted at a wish to be my sister and told me her brother would be a very fine match. Since you returned from Netherfield she has spoken of a betrothal with him as a settled fact, just as she has hinted that she will soon be mistress of Pemberley."

  Darcy could not believe the audacity of the woman. He had never given her the least encouragement for such hopes, he thought. Then he remembered all the little conversations where she had been spiteful about the Bennets and how he had done nothing to discourage her, just as he had done nothing decisive to push her away when she would claim his arm or his attention. Perhaps he had encouraged her without even realizing it. He shook his head slightly. Those thoughts would have to wait; he had other problems to unravel just now.

  "Why did you not ask me about it? Did you really think I would engage you to someone without even consulting you?" he asked.

  "I thought you did not trust me and were ashamed of me for my behavior last summer. You planned to betroth me to Mr. Bingley because you did not think I could be trusted to have a season and find someone appropriate. Why would I think otherwise?" she asked with anger rising clearly in her voice. "You never tell me anything of importance. You never tell me much of anything at all. You simply drag me here without explanation or care for what I might want. Then, you eagerly take me to meet the woman Miss Bingley says had been laying traps for her brother. It was a nasty way of showing Miss Bennet that her hopes would not succeed. She knew of the betrothal, even if I was not certain. She asked when she could wish me joy, but I did not know the answer BECAUSE YOU NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING!"

  As she finished shouting the last words at him, Georgiana banged her hands down on the keyboard. The crashing jumble of notes shocked him as much as her words and temper had done. Was that what his sister really thought of him? Georgiana jumped up from the bench and ran from the room. Darcy simply watched her go, helpless to respond.

  After a few minutes, he realized Mrs. Annesley, who had remained, was giving him a questioning look.

  "She is not betrothed to Bingley," he said. "I brought her here because I thought she would enjoy the trip and the company. Can you help her calm down and let me know when I might try to speak with her again?"

  "Yes, sir. It seems you have quite the tangle to sort out. She is correct that you rarely tell her anything, if you will excuse me stepping out of my place, sir. You are prone to giving orders and simply expecting them to be obeyed without question. When she does ask, the answers are often vague and meaningless. Your sister is feeling very isolated and is certain you view her as a small child without any desires or will of her own. I can see you are trying to be a good guardian and are a very protective brother, but she just sees that you do not trust her. Sometimes, sir, the best way to protect those you love is to give them enough information that they can make their own decisions and protect themselves." She stood, curtsied to him and left the room.

  Darcy remained where he was. He could still hear the noise of the pianoforte echoing in his head, leaving his thoughts hazy and jumbled. Slowly, almost
as if in a dream, he reached over and struck one note. The single, clear tone rang out and cut through the sounds in his memory. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

  Mrs. Annesley was correct. He had quite a tangle to sort out. He had no idea how he was going to do so, but it seemed he needed to be more aware of his own part in causing the problems and he would have to work out how that had contributed before he could figure out what to change.

  He struck the note again. The path ahead was not as clear as he had thought, but the goal was still there. Somehow, he had to lift himself above the smoke and haze of all these misunderstandings in order to find the way.

  Chapter 6: Making Amends

  Darcy left the music room shortly after Mrs. Annesley. He was not sure where he was going, but he would not have gotten there anyway. Bingley met him in the hallway and stopped him for a word.

  "There you are, Darcy. I have been thinking that I should make some reparation to the servants Caroline sacked, I am just not certain how to do that. Do you have any suggestions?"

  "I think the housekeeper would be the best person with whom to talk. She may even know where to find them."

  "Will you come along with me to the study and attend while I speak with her? You can help me if I do not know the correct questions to ask."

  Darcy agreed and they went to the study together. Mrs. Nichols quickly responded to Bingley's summons. When asked about the information Darcy had heard, she confirmed the manner in which Miss Bingley closed the house caused hardship for several of the former servants.

  "A number of those we hired on to supplement the basic staff had no place to go when they were released from service without warning," Mrs. Nichols told them. "It is unusual for that many servants to be released so suddenly, without proper compensation. I took the liberty of allowing those without local families to stay on in the house instead turning them out into the cold. However, Miss Bingley had your London servants take most of the provisions with them. As a result of that and her refusal to pay any wages or the household funds for the month, we did not have enough remaining to keep everyone fed. Several of the local families, led by Mrs. Bennet of Longbourn, provided food enough to keep us all going while they searched for new situations."