Follies and Vices

by Emily Russell

  “What is it, Miss?” she asked anxiously. “Have you hurt yourself?”

  “No, no. Just my foot. I have walked too much for too long. It felt like an ache. Perhaps you could help me sit down…”

  As the maid helped Elizabeth to a stool, Elizabeth waved a hand behind her back. She glanced up in time to see Darcy slip from the room. What a scandal he would have made in shirt sleeves with his hair tousled.

  “I think I am well now. It was just a silly twinge. I am bound to have aches and pains after the journey we have had,” said Elizabeth. “There. It is all better.” She glanced toward the door. There was no sign of Darcy. She smiled brightly at the anxious maid. “Shall we dress for dinner?”

  Chapter 32

  Darcy rose from his chair to greet Elizabeth when she was shown into the drawing-room. “Miss Bennet,” he said in a grave voice. “I hoped you slept well?”

  “Tolerably,” said Elizabeth, trying to look calm though her pulse was racing, and it was difficult not to smile.

  “Tolerably? Was something about the room not to your liking?”

  “Oh, not at all. It was the most comfortable sleep I have ever had. I could have slept like that for hours.”

  “I am happy to hear that,” said Darcy. He looked so grave and formal, it was hard not to smile, especially when he dropped his haughty look for a moment to grin at her. He offered her his hand and led her toward the couches.

  “There is another here who wishes to meet you,” he said as he discreetly stroked her fingers. He nodded to where a tall man rose from his chair and bowed. His face was plain, but he looked cheerful and honest. “This is my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Richard, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

  “I am so glad to meet you,” said Richard. “I cannot express my joy that Darcy is home and safe. Though he is a trying fellow, I am rather fond of him, and I might even have missed him if he had not returned.”

  “Very touching,” said Darcy, dryly. “Do not believe him, Miss Bennet. He would have been distraught if I had not returned.”

  “I am very pleased to meet you, Colonel,” said Elizabeth with a smile. “Though I agree that your cousin is rather trying, I was glad to have him on our journey. It would have been far more distressing without him by my side.”

  “What happened?” asked Georgiana in a timid voice. She sat beside the fire with her eyes fixed on Darcy as though she was afraid to let him out of her sight. “William said he would wait for you before you told us everything.”

  Darcy drew Elizabeth to a chair and then took the one closest to it. Not until the last moment did he release her hand. Between the two of them, they told Darcy’s family the story of what had happened, both of them adding more when the other forgot. Elizabeth noticed Darcy omitted some of the more frightening moments for his sister’s benefit. Elizabeth saw Georgiana’s face pale when Wickham’s involvement was mentioned while Colonel Fitzwilliam curled his fists on his knee, his face red.

  “That scoundrel,” he said. “Will we ever be rid of him? How does he continue to appear where he is least wanted?”

  “I cannot think too badly of Wickham,” said Elizabeth. “I think the matter grew out of his control. He allowed us to escape and went his own way. He did not participate in their taunts. I think they had him as much under their power as they had us. He is a fool and untrustworthy, but I am not without hope that he might improve somewhat given time.”

  “Given a lot of time,” said Darcy in a flat voice. “A lot of time and a lot of distance, far away from us. I never want to see him again.”

  Georgiana’s fingers covered her lips, and her blue eyes were wide. “What do you think will happen to him?” she asked in a soft voice. “Do you think he got away? Will they catch him?”

  “I do not know, and I do not care,” said Darcy. Elizabeth shook her head slightly, and he clamped his mouth shut though he looked as though he had much more to say.

  “I think he is safe, Miss Darcy,” she said. She felt a pang of dismay that Georgiana might still hold a torch for the unworthy cad. “I suspect he is a man who will always fall on his feet no matter where he goes. I am sure even now, he is living somewhere else among other people who are charmed by him. Perhaps this situation will make him a wiser man. I am sure he did not mean it to go as far as it did. Remember,” she added, looking at Darcy. “He only brought me with them to save me. Jerry would have done far worse.”

  “Jerry?” Colonel Fitzwilliam frowned.

  “Jerry Shaw. That is the name he gave. Whether it is real, I do not know.”

  “Oh, it is real. I know of him. I have heard his name around many taverns and — er — other establishments. He is well known for his pursuits. The authorities have wanted to find him for years.” He shook his head. “I cannot believe you were in his hands. He is notorious.”

  “His name meant nothing to me,” said Elizabeth. She smiled. “I remember thinking he looked rather disappointed when he realised that.”

  “What do you know of him?” Darcy demanded.

  “Just what I said. He is a well-known thief and highwayman. The authorities have tried to catch them, but he has evaded them.”

  Darcy’s eyebrows shot up. “That is surprising. He did not strike me as particularly intelligent.”

  “More cunning than intelligent,” said Elizabeth. “I am sure he can hide when he needs to.”

  “Do you know where he might have gone? Anything you might have heard him say that would suggest another hiding place?”

  “Not that I am aware of. He took us to an inn called The Stag, and he mentioned we were near London. If you can find that place, he might be there. But we cannot think of that now. There is much we will need to discuss. I must write to Miss Bennet’s aunt and uncle in London to tell them she is here. They will want to see you, I imagine,” he added, looking at her.

  “I should think so. I will add my note to yours. Would you mind if we attended to it right after dinner? I cannot allow them to have another night of worry.”

  “Of course. They may come as soon as they wish.”

  Chapter 33

  Mr and Mrs Gardiner arrived at Darcy House immediately after breakfast. Elizabeth jumped up from the chair to greet them as they swept her into their arms.

  “My darling girl,” said Aunt Gardiner. Her eyes were filled with tears, and even Mr Gardiner’s looked a little red-rimmed. “The last few weeks have been the worst of our lives. Your family is distracted.”

  “I wrote to your father to tell them as soon as we received your note last night,” said Uncle Gardiner. “We would have come at once, but we knew you must be exhausted. The assurance that you were safe and well was enough.”

  Elizabeth glanced at Darcy with a smile. Yes, she had needed to sleep last night. And once Darcy had come to her room, she had slept better than she could ever remember.

  “It is so good to see you,” she said. She touched Aunt Gardiner’s face. “Sometimes, I wondered if I would ever see you again. I can hardly believe I am standing before you now after everything that has happened.”

  “Why did you not come to us at once? You should have realised we were desperate to see you,” said Aunt Gardiner.

  “I know. I am sorry. We entered London from the west, so Mr Darcy’s house was closer. I was eager to rest and bathe. Miss Darcy was here, so it was not improper…”

  “From the west? I hope you did not have to travel through Hounslow Heath,” said Uncle Gardiner.

  “So you shall return to Gracechurch Street with us?” Aunt Gardiner asked.

  Elizabeth hesitated. “Er — let us have tea while we speak,” she said as the maid entered the room with a tray.

  Darcy had stayed back, allowing the reunion to happen without interruption but Elizabeth turned to him again.

  “This is Mr Darcy,” she said. “He was with me all the time. They took him when he tried to protect me.”

  “Ah, yes.” Uncle Gardiner stared at Darcy. “Your note mentioned somethi
ng about an abduction, but I am sure you can imagine, we would like a little more information. Your parents wondered if you were somewhere with Mr Darcy, but Mr Bingley said Mr Darcy would never elope with anyone. And then we did not know if you were together at all. All we knew is that both of you had vanished from the ball. Your mother has been out of her mind.”

  “Has she ever been anywhere else?” said Elizabeth with a grin.

  “Lizzy,” Aunt Gardiner chided. Elizabeth laughed.

  “Forgive me, Aunt. I am in high spirits from seeing you again. I am sure Mama enjoyed the misery. Has she taken to her room?”

  Uncle Gardiner pressed his lips together and looked as though he did not like to say, but it finally got the better of him.

  “Almost at once. They did not know you were missing until it was time to leave the ball. I understand they were the last ones to go.”

  Elizabeth nodded. Yes, that sounded right. Mama would have found excuses to delay them to give Jane more time with Mr Bingley.

  “Everyone assumed you were elsewhere all evening. I suppose they were also a little wrapped up in their own affairs. When they sent for the carriage, your absence was discovered. Mr Bingley sent servants all around the house and grounds to search for you. They found no sign of you though they found signs of some missing trinkets from various rooms in the house. Mr Bennet was sure you had enough of the ball and found your way home before all the rest of them. Mr Bingley remarked that Mr Darcy was missing, but no one thought anything of that at the time. It seems they did not think you were very excited about the ball, sir, and might have retired early.”

  Darcy nodded. “I cannot deny it does sound like me.”

  Uncle Gardiner nodded. “Well, they arrived at Longbourn. Jane went in search of you, believing you to be in your room, but there was no sign of you, and your bed had not been slept in. That is when they grew alarmed. Your mother took to her bed at once. Your father roused the servants and ordered them to search the grounds and the surrounding area. Later that day, Mr Bingley arrived and said Mr Darcy was missing. And not long after, we heard Mr Wickham had disappeared without a word to his fellow soldiers. It seemed he owed money to quite a few, and they had been growing restless, so few were surprised he might have left. There, er…” Mr Gardiner cleared his throat and glanced at his wife.

  “Go on, Uncle,” said Elizabeth. She cast a worried look at Darcy whose face had grown white with anger.

  “There was, well, there was some talk that you and Mr Wickham might have run away together. It was understood that you were rather fond of him, and he has been known to prevail on young women to run away with him before. Your father declared it impossible but your mother was in great hopes that you might return as Mrs Wickham.”

  Elizabeth gasped. “They believed that? That I might have eloped with a man I hardly knew?”

  “Your sisters said he was a favourite of yours,” said Uncle Gardiner apologetically. “It seems your preference was well known about the town. You know how people talk.”

  “I hardly knew Wickham long enough for him to become a favourite,” said Elizabeth angrily. “Yes, I was charmed by him, but how can anyone know me so little that they would think I would turn my back on everything to run away with an acquaintance of several weeks? It is ridiculous.”

  “Of course it is, but you know how people like to gossip. And any scandal involving marriage or other transgressions will catch people’s attention more than anything.” Uncle Gardiner cleared his throat. “So, I can take it Mr Wickham had nothing to do with your disappearance?”

  “Oh, he had something to do with it. But not in the way you imagine.”

  As the Gardiners were served with tea, Darcy and Elizabeth told them the story. When they reached the part where Mr Darcy had risked himself to protect Elizabeth, Uncle Gardiner extended his hand to him to shake.

  “I must thank you, sir. My family owes you a debt we can never repay. We are all eternally grateful to you.”

  Darcy waved away his thanks. “I was happy to do it. And I am happy I was with Eli — with Miss Bennet throughout the ordeal.”

  “He was very glad I was with him,” said Elizabeth. “I had to save him time and time again. He was a poor fellow prisoner.”

  As the two exchanged an affectionate smile, Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle looked at one another with raised eyebrows. Aunt Gardiner nodded with satisfaction. They had wondered long into the night what the outcome of this adventure might be for Elizabeth. From what they could see before them, it might be resolved with satisfaction after all. They had anticipated a difficult time where the proud Mr Darcy would refuse to marry a country girl with poor connections and Elizabeth would, in turn, declare she would never marry such a proud, disagreeable man. Yet here they were, looking at one another in a way that suggested they both knew what it was to love and that both were overflowing with admiration for the other. Uncle Gardiner sighed with relief. If this meant what he hoped and was not just a temporary camaraderie brought about by their enforced encounter, all their lives would be much easier.

  “What happened then?” asked Aunt Gardiner. She smiled at Elizabeth in a way that made her usually self-assured niece blush. Darcy took up the story.

  Chapter 34

  Just as they reached the part where they were forced to write to Darcy’s uncle, the door opened, and the Earl of Matlock was announced. Elizabeth stood up in astonishment and glanced at Darcy. He looked just as surprised as an older man with distinguished grey hair was shown into the room. There was something of Colonel Fitzwilliam in him, but his proud bearing reminded Elizabeth of Darcy. His rather haughty look melted in relief when he saw his nephew.

  “Thank god,” he said. “I was almost afraid Richard had somehow been wrong. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you, my boy.”

  Darcy shook his uncle’s hand.

  “I did not know you were in London, sir. Is my aunt with you?”

  “She is. We are all here.”

  “Did you receive the ransom note?”

  “Just a few days ago. It had gone astray due to some spilt wine on the address. That is why we are here. I wished to consult my solicitor to ask him what I should do. I was all for releasing the money at once, but he warned me to be careful. He said I should ask for proof that they had you and that you were safe. They also mentioned something very curious in the note that made me think it was a trick.”

  Elizabeth glanced uneasily at her aunt and uncle. They were watching the earl with curiosity, no idea of the shock that was coming their way. If only she had reached that part of the story before the earl arrived, she might have prepared them.

  “They said you had a wife. Of course you have no wife. It has been the despair of the family for years that you found no lady good enough for you. What did they mean by that? Did you add it to the letter to make me suspect I should not release the money? They enclosed a wedding certificate.”

  Darcy took a deep breath. “I did not have a wife a few weeks ago, Uncle, but I have one now. At least I think I do. The legalities of it are a little murky. But if I do not have one, I will very soon.”

  Before the earl’s amazed eyes, Darcy turned and held his hands out to Elizabeth.

  “Uncle, may I introduce you to Elizabeth Darcy, formerly Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn.”

  Elizabeth could hardly look at her aunt and uncle when she heard their gasps. She threw them an apologetic look.

  “And this is Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner of Cheapside.”

  “What? A wife? I do not — is this true, Darcy? This is not a joking matter.”

  “Have you ever known me to joke, Uncle?” said Darcy with such gravity, Elizabeth had to fight the urge to laugh. The urge became even harder to fight when the earl nodded.

  “No, I have not. It is one of your most redeeming qualities, especially compared to my son. So I can only conclude you are telling the truth.”

  “How can this be true, Lizzy?” said Uncle Gardiner. “How
can you and Mr Darcy be married? Why did you not tell us this before?”

  “We were coming to that part of the story,” said Elizabeth. “It was all rushed, and as Mr Darcy has said, we are not sure of the legalities of it.”

  “But legalities or not, I consider Elizabeth to be my wife, and we shall be married either way soon so the matter will be put to rest,” said Darcy firmly.

  “You consider my niece your wife?” asked Uncle Gardiner. His voice was sharp. “What does that mean, sir?”

  “Not that,” he assured him as Elizabeth’s face burned. “I would not take advantage of your niece while the situation was unclear. But no matter what, her reputation has been compromised by this, and I will marry her. Not because I have to but because I want to.”

  “And what do you think of this, Lizzy?” asked Aunt Gardiner.

  Elizabeth smiled and pressed against Darcy. “I suppose if he has compromised me, I shall have to have him.” She smiled up at Darcy. “Yes, I want to marry him, whether or not my reputation is compromised. There is no other man I will have as my husband.”

  The earl shook his head. “This is outrageous. Darcy, you know your marriage is a matter of importance, yet here you are, marrying a woman none of us knows.”

  “That is easily remedied,” said Darcy. “Richard and Georgiana have met Elizabeth already and spent several hours with her last night and this morning. They are already taken with her. You will be as well.”

  Darcy’s uncle walked up and down the room, rubbing his jaw.

  “She is a gentlewoman?”

  “Yes, I am, sir,” said Elizabeth. “My father is a gentleman.”

  “But your family is in trade? You say your aunt and uncle are from Cheapside,” he said with a look at the Gardiners. Elizabeth bristled, but Darcy spoke up.

  “Yes, they are. And Elizabeth is fond of them. Mr Gardiner is a respectable, intelligent man from what I have seen. I admire that he has built his own business. They do not give any of us cause to blush.”