A Hasty Decision

by Wynne Mabry

  “I do not choose my friends like clothing. I care more for substance than appearance, and you waste your breath in trying to persuade me to throw away true and loyal friends. I am astonished that you even bother to suggest this, considering what Anne has done. Thanks to her, our family is already being cast in a very bad light.”

  “Yes, she has let us down dreadfully, but we can yet recover. If you give up this idea of a divorce, then Anne will still be tolerated in society. She will be treated with disdain, which is only what she deserves, but that is better than being a complete outcast, which would reflect badly upon us.”

  “Is this what you would do?”

  “Maria would never put me into such a situation. I do not appreciate you casting aspersion upon her.”

  “I was speaking hypothetically.”

  “I should hope so. Your aunt is above reproach, as your wife should have been.” Lord Matlock gave his sister a look of disgust.

  “Nothing would have happened if Darcy had taken Anne with him to Pemberley. It is all his fault,” Lady Catherine said.

  “My fault that she could not behave in my absence? And you know very well that she refused to travel there.”

  “Then you should have both come to Rosings instead.”

  “A man has to go to his estate,” Lord Matlock said. “Darcy could not have neglected Pemberley. But what he should have done is insist that Anne go with him whether she liked it or not. He was negligent to leave her in London.”

  “He was trying to be considerate of her,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said, throwing himself into the fray. “He had no reason to suspect that she would take a lover the moment his back was turned. Are you forgetting that you have sometimes left my mother alone in London?”

  “Not for a whole summer. I must say that I was very disappointed that you gave testimony today. I am seriously considering cutting off your allowance.”

  “I was not going to let Darcy down. I do not regret telling the truth, and I shall do so again in the bishops’ court, and before the house as well.”

  “You will not be given the opportunity for that.” Lord Matlock looked at Mr. Darcy, “If you are determined to go against my wishes, you will not succeed. If you can find anybody willing to introduce your divorce bill, it will not go very far. I shall block it.”

  Lady Catherine looked triumphantly at Mr. Darcy, but he said, “I am still not going to maintain this sham of a marriage. You cannot prevent me from obtaining a separation, which will allow me to turn Anne out of my home and have nothing more to do with her.”

  “We can,” Lady Catherine cried. “I shall find the necessary evidence to prove that you were also adulterous. Then the bishop with not grant you a divorce.”

  “I would prefer it not to come to that, even if your aunt can find the evidence she is seeking,” Lord Matlock said to Mr. Darcy. “We do not want another trial to cause further disgrace. You must comprehend the importance of putting the family ahead of your own wishes. Just think of Georgiana, who will be dragged down in the disgrace.”

  “At this point in time, I think my family ought to comprehend the importance of my wishes, not to mention the sound justification for them. As for Georgiana, she is absolutely in favour of this proceeding, and there will be no real disgrace attached to her. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I will not yield to any persuasion.”

  “In that case, I know exactly how to proceed,” Lady Catherine said. “I will do whatever it takes to make certain that you do not cast off my daughter. You will feel the full force of my anger before I am done with you.”

  Her brother, who had at least been rational, although biased in his opinions, turned his efforts toward calming her, while Mr. Darcy and his cousin took the first opportunity to escape the carriage.

  “If your allowance is stopped, then I will make it up,” he said as they walked away together.

  “No need for that,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said cheerfully. “I do not think that my father will really follow through on that idea. He probably only said it to appease our aunt. Mama would not like it, for one thing, and he would not want any son of his to be seen lowering his standard of living. Besides, he has always been more bluster than bite. You know he was brought up to be high and mighty.”

  “Oh, all too well. I had plenty of that myself.”

  “So you see that he cannot help taking the imperious approach, but he is not always immoveable. You might even get around him yet. He is furious with Anne, and sympathetic toward you.”

  “He is even more concerned about appearances.”

  “I know.” The colonel sighed. “But at least neither of them can stop you from getting the separation. The evidence is solid, and our aunt’s threats are meaningless.”

  Too Much Temptation to Resist

  “One thousand pounds,” Lady Catherine said. “That is what I will pay you to testify in court that you saw proof of an affair between my nephew and Miss Bennet.”

  She was addressing the man who had once spied upon Mr. Darcy, and was currently employed to watch over Anne. His eyes widened upon hearing what sum of money could be his for performing a simple task. It could be done quite easily. He only had to make up something which accounted for the lack of any other witnesses. The couple might have met in the small stable behind Mr. Darcy’s townhouse while the coachman was out driving Mrs. Darcy somewhere.

  Indeed, that would be an excellent place for a clandestine meeting. Perhaps the atmosphere was not quite ideal, but at least Mr. Darcy was particular about having his stables cleaned regularly and thoroughly. A man came around to do the job every morning, but that was the only time that anybody other than the coachman was in the building.

  Yes, this story could work very well. He only had to do a thorough examination of the stables and invent details that were consistent with possibility. Lawyers had a tendency to delve into the layout of a place in order to ascertain whether things could have been seen in the manner which was described.

  There was that day in the park as well. That could be turned into something useful. He could claim to have heard them discussing what they should do now that they had been found out.

  “What do you say?” Lady Catherine demanded.

  There were many things that one could do with a thousand pounds. The temptation was too great to resist.

  “I will do it,” he cried eagerly.

  Without a Scratch

  At Netherfield on the following morning, breakfast was neglected as the four ladies watched Mr. Bingley peruse a newspaper report of the trial.

  “It does not look so bad,” he said. “At least not for Darcy. He is described here as an honourable gentleman. The writer of this article seems to have taken a liking to him.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Elizabeth said.

  “It says here that the case was indisputable.”

  “Well, we knew that,” Georgiana said. “But is there anything about Elizabeth?”

  “There does not seem to be.” Mr. Bingley picked another paper and read some snippets aloud: “A thoughtful husband who did his best with a difficult wife. No doubt as to Mrs. Darcy’s guilt. The counsel for the defence had a pitiable job.”

  “The poor man,” Jane said sympathetically.

  “Mr. Darcy’s servants gave clear, concise and very damning evidence. Oh!” Mr. Bingley turned pink. “My goodness!”

  “What is it?” Jane asked.

  “Something I had better not read aloud, but nothing to worry about. Suffice it to say that the evidence was indeed conclusive.”

  He waved for a servant to take the papers away. They were carried down to the kitchens and then gleefully passed about between those servants who knew their letters and read aloud for those who did not. This made for a very entertaining morning. They all agreed it was only right that Mr. Darcy had been done justice by the courts and by the papers.

  “That wife of his was obviously a nasty creature,” summed up the opinion of all. “Always rude and demanding, she was,
not like Mr. Darcy, who knows how to be properly considerate.”

  When he came to Netherfield a few days later, conscientious effort went into preparing his room and making up the bed as comfortable as possible. He was also greeted very warmly by his friends and sister.

  “I said it would all go well,” Mr. Bingley said happily. “You have come off without a scratch.”

  “We shall see,” Mr. Darcy said. “It seems that public opinion is favouring me, but you know how easily the tide can turn.”

  He was already feeling uncertain about popular opinion in Meryton. Some relief from that concern came from an unexpected source. Mrs. Bennet, blunt as always, did not hesitate to speak of his affairs, but then she patted him on the hand in a motherly way, and said, “Ah well, we all have our troubles. You must not worry about yours. Everybody knows it was all your wife’s fault. Nobody here thinks badly of you for being in the courts.”

  That did indeed seem to be the case. Mr. Darcy attended a number of parties over the festive season, and he was treated with as much respect as ever, and perhaps even more cordiality.

  “It is capital that you have come to spend Christmas in our neighbourhood,” Sir William Lucas said with his usual enthusiasm. “We must show you a grand time while you are here.”

  There was a concerted effort to entertain him, and speak with him, as though people wanted to be certain that he knew he was welcome. An unfortunate downside was not having much conversation with Elizabeth, but it was for the best that they did not spend too much time together. The danger was not yet over.

  Although she was at Longbourn while he was visiting, they did have some conversation, and he found an opportunity to give her an extensive account of the trial, although leaving out a few details that did not bear repeating.

  “So you see, it was much as my solicitors expected,” he concluded. “Without any evidence to justify mentioning your name, Mr. Brown did not dare to overextend himself. Thank goodness for that. I do not think I could have faced your father if it had gone wrong. Or you. I still cannot quite forgive myself for risking your reputation.”

  “It was my choice,” she said. “I very much want you to be free.”

  There was a sudden blush to her cheeks and a little hesitation, and then she quickly began talking about the benefits to him and Georgiana of not being in an unhappy situation.

  He was no longer in any doubt though. Her word and her expression had revealed that she had a particular reason for desiring him to be free. She did love him. They could not speak of it now, but if his uncle would only relent, then the day would soon come when they could.

  “I hope all will go well again,” she said to Mr. Darcy when he left for London at the beginning of January. The next trial was to take place in a couple of weeks.

  “I am certain it will,” he replied.

  He was less certain upon arriving in London and opening a letter from his solicitors which awaited him. He was begged to call upon them at his earliest convenience so that they could inform him of some new developments. Although not quite urgent, the matter was described as pressing. Mr. Darcy went at once.

  What is Due to Family

  The servants gave their evidence much as they had done before. They were even more cautious in their language this time. After all, a bishop was presiding over the trial.

  Mr. Darcy’s counsel made cross examination almost useless by anticipating the questions which the defence would ask, and posing them in advance, presenting all this information in the best light. This time, they made no references to Anne’s suspicions, knowing that the defence was unlikely to pursue that hopeless and very reckless argument.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam also testified again, emphasizing Mr. Darcy’s extensive efforts to preserve his marriage, and establishing that Anne had never been given leave to do as she wished, except with regard to the most ordinary activities. The colonel’s allowance had not been stopped, and he did not anticipate any further difficulties with his father. Not since that surprising turn of events which had shifted Lord Matlock’s allegiances.

  As the defense called their first witness, Mr. Darcy was thinking how differently this day would have gone if his aunt’s plan had succeeded. He would probably have lost his suit, and Elizabeth’s reputation would have been irreparably damaged. Thank goodness he had been spared from that fate by another person’s conscience.

  Mr. Darcy had not met the man who could have caused them both such harm. His solicitors had told him that this person had presented himself at their offices and confessed his sordid tale of having almost succumbed to bribery. Apparently, the promise of a vast sum of money had temporarily overcome his principles, but they had later prevailed.

  Mr. Darcy had been willing to forgive and forget, but his solicitors had pointed out that this was a great deal more significant than he was considering.

  “Your aunt would be in a great deal of trouble if it came up in the evidence that she had offered a witness money in exchange for lying.”

  “I would prefer it not to come up,” he had replied. “I shall be making my feelings on the subject clear to her, but I do not wish to seek retribution.”

  “That is not quite what we had in mind. It has occurred to us that she has provided you with a way to clear all further obstacles. If your uncle were to know that you have it in your power to disgrace your aunt, he would very likely be persuaded not to block the passage of your divorce bill.”

  “I am certain that he would.” Mr. Darcy had felt a moment of temptation himself. Was this the light at the end of his tunnel? But then he had recalled his own principles and declared, “I shall not attempt to blackmail my uncle.”

  “It is not blackmail,” his solicitor had said. “Just the striking of a bargain. It is done all the time.”

  “But not by me. I cannot bring myself to deal with my uncle in that way.”

  He had not hesitated to inform his uncle of these dealings though.

  Lord Matlock had been furious with his sister. “One does not achieve one’s ends by iniquitous means,” he had shouted at her. “You have been an utter fool. Did it never occur to you that you could be prosecuted for this? It is a good thing that Darcy has not lost all sense of what is due to family. He could have instructed his lawyers to question this false witness about his dealings with you. That would have destroyed your case and your reputation at once.” He had then turned to Darcy. “I must thank you for bringing this to me personally. When your bill comes up in the house, I shall not block it.”

  “What!” Lady Catherine had cried. “There is no reason for you to take his side. I was only doing what was best for the family.”

  “Not by any methods that I can approve. It is the last straw Catherine. I did not want Darcy to seek this divorce, but I understood why he wanted to rid himself of Anne. Her behaviour was disgraceful and unacceptable. It is distressing to know that yours was no better. If this had come out, I would not have dared to block his bill anyway. There would have been a public outrage if I had, but now I shall be supporting him by choice.”

  “Then you will suffer the disgrace of having a divorced niece.”

  “Better that than living with a troubled conscience. I shall not present the bill myself,” he had said, turning again to Darcy, “but I will do what I can to expedite the process. The sooner this is all over, the better. Then we can start living down the notoriety. As for Anne, I think you should take her back to Rosings now, Catherine. And I advise you to live as quietly as possible.”

  “She is not leaving London. Unlike you, I have not yet given up hope.”

  “There is none,” her brother had said flatly. “Have you not read the papers? The evidence is irrefutable. And do not think that you can come up with any other false witnesses. Darcy’s counsel will make short work of them.”

  Mr. Darcy had wondered if his aunt, in her reckless determination, would attempt further bribery despite her brother’s warning; however, on this morning, his wife’s counsel did not c
all any questionable witnesses. The skilled barristers whom Lady Catherine had secured for her daughter made what they could of the arguments, the marital difficulties, and the time spent apart, but these gentlemen could not achieve anything more than Mr. Upton’s less skilled man had done. They did have the sense to dispense with Mrs. Jenkinson though, and thus spared themselves that loss of dignity.

  The proceeding winded down to its conclusion. Arguments were summed up, there was a brief deliberation, and then the bishop granted Mr. Darcy his divorce a mensa et thoro.

  “You are nearly there,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said as they left the court together. “And now you can turn Anne out of your house.”

  “Which I am going to do immediately,” Mr. Darcy said. “I do not want to delay a moment.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam went along to lend support. They were anticipating tears and recriminations, and perhaps even a refusal to cooperate. It would not surprise them to find Lady Catherine there as well, and indeed, she was. Presumably the verdict had already been communicated to her and Anne, for they were supervising the packing of Anne’s belongings.

  Mr. Darcy bridled upon hearing the unpleasant tones in which his servants were being addressed. He made his presence known by declaring, “I shall not have my servants subjected to such ill treatment. If you desire their assistance, you will immediately cease to harangue them, or else you will find yourselves doing this work with no help at all.”

  That spared the servants, but his aunt’s and his wife’s anger was turned upon him instead. They railed against his cruelty and unreasonable attitude, but he made no reply. There was no point to be made, and no defence required.

  They were bitter to the end, but at last, they were gone, along with the dragon who had been employed to keep Anne from disgracing herself further.

  “Should you not have looked in those jewel cases?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked after the door had been closed.