“Oh yes! Colonel Forster went to Longbourn to speak directly with my father. Now they have both gone to London to try and discover them. I know that all hope is lost. I cannot see any possible way of this being resolved.” Before she knew it, she was crying in earnest.
Darcy’s heart ached at the sight of her crying. He removed his handkerchief from his coat and began to dry Elizabeth’s tears. Then, he pulled her into his embrace and ran his fingers through her hair as she sobbed into his chest.
After a few moments, Darcy kissed her hair, and whispered, “Elizabeth, please, do not cry. While I know Mr. Wickham’s nature better than anyone else, perhaps he truly does care for Lydia.” Darcy doubted his words even as he spoke them, but he could not bear to see Elizabeth in such agony any longer.
Elizabeth looked up at him and was deeply touched by the evident concern in his eyes. “It is sweet of you to try and comfort me, but we both know that Mr. Wickham’s intentions are not for marriage. He cares not how many young girls’ reputations he ruins, as long as he can take his pleasure from them. Lydia was a fool to be drawn in by his charms. I only hope that she believed his intent on marriage was genuine. Otherwise, I fear that I could not forgive her foolishness.”
“We both know how deceptive he can be,” said Darcy ruefully, “I would venture to guess that she believed him to be sincere in his wish to elope.”
“William,” she said, softly, “I fear for our future.”
Darcy was taken aback by her words. “No, Elizabeth,” he said firmly, “We will not discuss this now. We can worry about it once we know the full details of Lydia’s situation.”
“But, William,” began Elizabeth, her voice quaking.
“Hush, Elizabeth,” said Darcy, knowing where this conversation was headed. He had no desire to have it right now, lest he lose his temper and say something he would later regret. “I shall speak to Mr. Gardiner about an immediate departure to London.”
His tone declared the subject closed and Elizabeth acknowledged his implicit authority. However, she was still worried that Darcy would abandon her, despite the fact that he had already taken her as his own in every way. Lydia’s stupidity would not only ruin her own happiness, but Jane’s as well. For what gentleman would bind himself to a family in such disgrace?”
Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner waited in the music room while Darcy and Mr. Gardiner retired to his study to discuss their course of action. Darcy had called for some refreshments, and Mrs. Gardiner poured tea for herself and her niece. “Lizzy, do not fear, this matter will be resolved.”
“I cannot see any possible resolution,” said Elizabeth.
“Nonsense. Your uncle shall go to London and assist your father in his search. I am certain that even now, Mr. Darcy is offering his assistance. ”
“Mr. Darcy is determined to leave for London instantly but he should not get involved. This is a family matter.”
“Lizzy, he is your fiancée, surely he did not express a wish to end the engagement, and in any case, he could not. He is bound by honor to marry you. Your uncle and your father will insist on it.”
Elizabeth blushed furiously at her aunt’s implication. “Oh Aunt, of course he will not call off the engagement, but I know how it will be. Eventually he will come to regret marrying me because of my disgraceful connections and my family’s ruined reputation.”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head, “Lizzy, you and Mr. Darcy are bound together by everything save for the sanctity of the church. He will not abandon you. His love for you is far too deep to be uprooted by a minor scandal.”
“It is Mr. Wickham, Aunt! Even if this were to be resolved he would still have to call Mr. Wickham brother.”
“You underestimate Mr. Darcy’s love for you, Lizzy, if you believe that it will be diminished by a single man. I can understand your fears, but I still believe them to be groundless.”
Elizabeth knew that her aunt was correct, but it was difficult to imagine a happy ending to this miserable situation and she could not help but feel she had no right to judge Lydia so harshly, as she would also cause her father grief when he discovered her own heedless actions.
Mr. Gardiner and Darcy returned nearly an hour later. “My dear,” said Mr. Gardiner, “Mr. Darcy has offered to join me in going to London. He will also have a servant accompany you and Lizzy to Longbourn. We shall depart at first light tomorrow.”
“I should start packing then, Mr. Gardiner, will you join me?” asked Mrs. Gardiner.
“Of course, my dear. I suspect Mr. Darcy and Lizzy have things to discuss.”
Elizabeth could not meet Darcy’s gaze, and even when he sat beside her and pulled her into his embrace she could not bring herself to speak to him.
“Do not fear, my dearest. I shall go to London with Mr. Gardiner, and we shall assist your father in discovering Wickham. He shall be made to marry Lydia.”
Elizabeth was shocked, if not a little relieved, by Darcy’s declaration, but she knew it was hopeless. “No, William, you need not get involved. This is a matter for my family to deal with.”
“Elizabeth, you are my wife, even though our union has not been blessed by the church. I will do whatever I can to help your family—my family!”
“William, I am deeply touched by your devotion, but Lydia will not and cannot marry Wickham. Your reputation, and Georgiana’s would be ruined forever.”
“Elizabeth, reputation does not matter to me. You know I detest the world of the ton and their ridiculously high standards. I am not blind to the consequences of this scandal, but they are unimportant to me,” said Darcy firmly, “I love you. I will not lose you because of this. How can you still doubt my devotion to you?”
“I do not doubt your devotion,” she said, only half-heartedly believing her words. “But I am not naïve. You cannot afford to marry into my family.”
“Elizabeth,” said Darcy, “we are going to be married. I will find Wickham; I still have some connections in London that will allow me to discover him. I will do whatever it takes to salvage Lydia’s reputation. I will not allow this man and his wretched schemes to stand in the way of my happiness. I would rather have Wickham as a brother than live my life without you by my side.”
“But—“
“No,” said Darcy fiercely, “you will not be released from this engagement. You will be Mrs. Darcy.”
The pure and sincere emotion of his words finally convinced Elizabeth of Darcy’s allegiance to her, and she was suddenly weeping again. This time she shed tears of relief and faith. “Oh William, I love your honor and your determination. But how can such a man be worked on? How will they even be discovered? It all seems so hopeless.”
“Do you trust me, my dearest,” Darcy asked earnestly.
“Of course I trust you. It is Wickham that concerns me.”
“Then you must trust that I will be able to locate Wickham. I suspect he is simply waiting to be discovered so he can make his demands. There is nothing easier than dealing with Wickham. All it takes is money. He will be made to marry Lydia, and if that proves to be impossible then I shall find another husband for her.”
“I cannot imagine how painful it will be to face him again.”
“It will be painful, but I will endure anything to have you by my side. You, Elizabeth, are essential to my happiness. Wickham be damned.”
***
The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner packed up all of their possessions and the trunks were loaded onto the Darcy carriage. Mr. Gardiner sent an express to London to inform Mr. Bennet that he and Mr. Darcy would quickly be in London.
***
The following morning the travelers were ready to depart. The ladies were to travel to Longbourn in Darcy’s swiftest equipage accompanied by two footmen from Pemberley, while the gentlemen traveled to London in the Gardiner’s carriage.
***
It was a relief to all at Longbourn when the Darcy carriage pulled up at the front of the house.
&nb
sp; Jane greeted them at the door. “Oh Aunt, Lizzy, I am so glad you have come back.”
Georgiana was standing slightly behind Jane with Kitty and Mary. Her countenance was pale, but she looked truly happy to see Elizabeth again. She went to Elizabeth and gave her a sisterly embrace; Elizabeth promising that she would meet with her as soon as he had spoken with Jane. Then the three younger girls went off to the garden.
.“I shall go sit with Mrs. Bennet,” said Mrs. Gardiner. “I am sure you could do with a reprieve.”
“Thank you,” said Jane. Mrs. Gardiner embraced her niece before disappearing into the house.
A few moments later, Jane and Elizabeth were alone in the sitting room. “Oh, Lizzy, I have missed you. I am sorry to have brought you back from Pemberley so soon. However, it could not be avoided. When first we heard about the disaster, Miss Darcy locked herself in Mary’s room. I can hardly imagine what she must be suffering. It was only today that Mary and Kitty were able to draw her out of her rooms, and it was only due to your arrival. Mama, of course has not left her chambers, and must have someone with her at all times.”
Elizabeth’s heart wrenched at Jane’s words about Georgiana. “The moment I read your letters I knew that I needed to be home. I could not bear to not be without you and Georgiana. Mr. Darcy has gone to London with our uncle, to be honest; I did not think that Mr. Darcy would be so eager assist. In fact, I thought that he would end our engagement.”
“Lizzy, surely you could not think Mr. Darcy possible of that.”
“If it were any other man than Mr. Wickham, I would not have thought it possible, but yes, I wondered. How did Mr. Bingley take the news?”
“He acted as Mr. Darcy did. He was very supportive and offered up his services immediately, but,” Jane paused, and for a long moment she would not look at her sister. Finally she said, “Oh Lizzy, I cannot deny that I am incredibly worried that this incident will put an end to the wedding plans. What if they are not discovered?”
Elizabeth immediately moved to sit beside her sister, and said, “Jane, you must not think that way,” feeling hypocritical, for her sister’s feelings matched her own. “Did Mr. Bingley give any indication that he wanted to terminate your engagement?”
“Of course not,” said Jane, “but if Lydia and Wickham do not marry, Mr. Bingley will have little choice but to leave me. Any association with me would taint his good reputation.”
“Jane, I am certain that Mr. Bingley loves you far too much to abandon you.”
“He does love me, but I doubt that in these circumstances he can afford to follow his heart. Oh why did Lydia have to do this?”
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her weeping sister, holding back the urge to confess that her thoughts were following the same path, despite everything that had happened between her and Darcy.
Twelve
Darcy and Bingley arrived at Darcy house after having dined quickly at the Gardiner house in Cheapside. They had been in London three days and no progress had been made. When they entered the house, Mr. Taylor informed him that he had prepared one of the guest rooms for Mr. Bingley, and alerted him of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s presence. The good Colonel was in the front sitting room sipping a glass of port when Darcy entered, “Richard, I had not expected to see you.”
The Colonel stood up and clasped his cousin’s hand. “I arrived yesterday on some business for the Major General. My parents are not in town until week’s end so I begged Mr. Taylor for the use of my usual guest room and he took pity on me. Although, he still keeps the liquor cabinet locked you know. I am amazed that I managed to get my hands on this,” he said, indicating the half empty glass. “What brings you to London? Is Miss Bennet here as well?”
“Unpleasant business,” said Darcy, “and Miss Bennet is in Hertfordshire with her grieving family.”
“Whatever do you mean,” asked the Colonel.
“Wickham,” said Darcy vehemently.
The Colonel’s visage darkened at the mention of him. “What has that blackguard done now?”
“The usual. He ran off with a young girl. Only this time, it was Miss Lydia Bennet. The Bennets received an express a few nights ago from Colonel Forster of Wickham’s regiment. Lydia has been staying with him and his wife in Brighton for the summer. Wickham convinced her to run away with him. She left a note for Mrs. Forster explaining that they were off to Gretna Green, but they were traced no further then London. My guess is that he is somewhere in London, not so much hiding, but waiting to make his demands.”
“What has been done to locate them?” asked the Colonel.
“I have spent three days searching Wickham’s usual haunts to no avail. However, I still have some contacts that may be able to help me locate Wickham, with the proper incentives of course. Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Gardiner are going to attempt to trace him through his debtors, for there are plenty of them in the city. ”
“I shall assist you then,” he said.
“Richard that will not be necessary. I know how to deal with Wickham.”
“George Wickham is a scoundrel. He knows better than anyone how to take advantage of you. Besides, I have been longing to pay him back for what he did to Georgiana, and now seems like the perfect opportunity.”
“Richard,” said Darcy.
“I will not take no for an answer,” said the Colonel.
“Very well,” conceded Darcy.
“Besides, a military man can be useful in the seedier parts of London, and if there comes a time where violence is necessary, you will not have to get your hands dirty.”
***
Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam walked quickly down the dirty London streets. This area of London had always made Darcy feel uncomfortable. The buildings were tattered and decaying, the air was dank, and the people were filthy. He could not fathom how Wickham spent his time here. Then again, this part of London housed the worst of the scum and villainy in the city, and this was a class that fit Wickham like a glove.
They had spent the day hunting down the various contacts that might know of Wickham’s whereabouts. However, their enquiries led to nothing. Most had not even known that Wickham was back in the city.
Their last resort was to locate Mrs. Younge, the treacherous woman who had assisted in the Ramsgate affair. Darcy had made sure that Mrs. Younge would never again be a chaperone for young ladies. Darcy suspected that if anyone were eager to help Wickham it would be her. They had learned that Mrs. Younge was now running an inn in one of the more dangerous parts of the city. The knowledge had come from a begrimed barmaid who was no older than sixteen. The young girl seemed intimidated by them, which made Darcy even more suspicious that they were getting closer to finding their quarry.
As they approached her establishment, Darcy turned to his cousin. “Do you think he will be here?”
“If he is not then we will be to back where we started, with no idea at all where he is,” said the Colonel. Then he rapped on the door with his walking stick.
The door opened a crack to reveal a startled young woman. “What do you want?” she demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“I am looking for a Mrs. Younge,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Is she within?”
At that, the girl tried to close the door, but the Colonel stopped it with his walking stick and then forced the door open. “Where is she?” he demanded.
The girl shook her head and whimpered as if she were mute. An older woman appeared from the back room. “Sarah, what is all the commotion?” she cried. “People are trying to sleep!” She looked towards Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Who do you think you are, coming in here unannounced?” It took Mrs. Younge a moment to recognize the gentlemen who had just entered her establishment, and when she did, she said, “I know nothing.”
Darcy crossed the room and said, “I know he is here, Mrs. Younge. Tell him his old friend Mr. Darcy is here to see him.”
“No,” she said.
Darcy shoved a handful of coins at her.
She eyed the silver, as if gauging whether if it was enough to buy the truth. Apparently it was, as she took the money and stashed it away in her apron pocket. “Very well. I will go get him. Wait here.” Then she disappeared up a small staircase.
At that point Darcy took in his surroundings. The place was decidedly gloomy. The furniture was torn and tattered, and the floor looked as if it had not been cleaned in years. The Colonel, too, was looking around the dismal inn with an expression of disgust on his face.
Wickham and Mrs. Younge appeared a few moments later. He blanched when he saw Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, but he quickly recovered and was soon smirking in their direction. “Darcy, Fitzwilliam,” he drawled, “it is always pleasant to see old friends.”
Darcy scowled at the man before him. He was dressed only in trousers and a shirt, the shirt half unbuttoned, and he had that look that signaled he had just bedded a young girl. “I want to see Miss Lydia Bennet.”
“Miss Bennet?” asked Wickham, with a steely glint in his eyes. “Why would Miss Bennet be here?”
“I know she is here,” said Darcy. “I know you ran away with her from Brighton.”
“Even if I did, why should the wealthy Mr. Darcy concern himself with the affairs of a simple country girl like Miss Bennet?”
“Miss Lydia is soon to be part of my family,” said Darcy. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet is my fiancée.”
Wickham smiled as if he had known this all along. “In any case, she is not here. You have wasted your time.”
Neither Darcy nor the Colonel believed Wickham’s words, and their suspicions were confirmed when Lydia appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed only in a nightgown. “Dear Wickham, come back upstairs.” It was then she noticed Darcy. “What is he doing here?”
“Looking for you, my dear,” said Wickham, flashing a dazzling smile in her direction, causing her to blush.
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