“That is true,” Lydia said slowly. “Papa jested about it, but he does seem inclined…”
“Come, Lydia,” Darcy said, pressing his advantage. “Let us return to Longbourn, and you can have the wedding you deserve.” He held out his hand to her. She looked at it, looked to Wickham, and back to Darcy. Darcy held his breath, waiting for her to make up her mind, praying that he had done enough to convince her.
Taking a deep breath, she took Darcy’s hand.
“He is right, Wickham,” she said. “Let’s go back and do it properly.”
Wickham, however, lost all control of himself. He reached out and snatched Lydia’s hand away and yanked her back into the carriage.
“No!” He said, his grip firm upon Lydia’s arm. “We are going to Gretna Green, now! You will see, it will be better this way.”
“Wickham! You are hurting me,” Lydia cried, fear finally entering her eyes.
Darcy, for his part, had enough. This man had hurt those he loved long enough, it was time to settle this. Darcy pulled his horse around to Wickham’s side of the carriage and grabbed the man by the collar. Wickham, startled by this response, let go of Lydia and turned his attention to Darcy.
Darcy pulled the man from the carriage, safely away from Lydia, and tossed him to the ground. He swung down from his horse just as Wickham got to his feet, and Wickham threw a wild punch at Darcy’s head. Lydia screamed and covered her mouth. Darcy easily dodged the punch and grabbed the reins of the coach, adding them to those of his mount.
“You have gone from foolishness to crime,” Darcy said coldly.
“What crime?” Wickham spat. Darcy pulled himself to the driver’s seat of the carriage. Wickham watched him with malevolence in his eyes. “It seems you are the criminal. Do you intend to steal my carriage?”
“I gave you every opportunity to return the lady to her family,” Darcy said, kicking aside Wickham’s groping hands. “Now, it seems you are determined to kidnap her. This, I cannot allow.”
“Your father would curse you for your involvement with them!” Wickham spat as Darcy urged the team into motion. “They are nothing and you make yourself nothing by caring!”
Darcy clamped his teeth shut, the muscles in his jaw screaming. Wickham deserved no response, and he was determined to say nothing. However, Lydia, it seemed had no such control. The insults she screamed at Wickham made Darcy’s ears burn and Wickham was soon lost in the dust behind them.
“He had no right to degrade my family in such ways!” Lydia said hotly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Darcy, still shocked at Lydia’s vocabulary, said nothing in return, but nodded his agreement. She was quite right, even if her manner of expression was not what he would have expected.
They settled in an uncomfortable silence, driving back towards Meryton. They stopped only once, to allow Darcy to tie his horse to the back of the carriage properly. Lydia’s anger kept her quiet, but by the time Meryton came into view, Darcy could see that fear had begun to replace her anger.
“You’ll have to face them sooner or later,” Darcy said quietly.
“I know,” Lydia said. “But I had hoped it would be a long time from now, and I with a husband to soften the blow.”
Darcy resisted the urge to point out that her method of obtaining a husband was a large part of the problem. Instead, he said nothing. He did not envy the welcome Lydia was to receive.
Chapter 18
Elizabeth
Elizabeth watched the drive with a pit in her stomach. Both Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley had returned, neither of them turning up a trace of the runaway couple. If Mr. Darcy returned with no news as well, then Lydia would truly be lost. For if they had not gone north nor to London, their destination was truly unknown and could be anywhere. Even now, they might be headed to the coast, with ships waiting to take them to any corner of the world.
Stop, she told herself. Her imagination was racing in a most unproductive manner. It did no good imagining them off towards Spain or the Americas, when Mr. Darcy probably had them in tow. Please, she thought, let Mr. Darcy have them in tow.
“Anything?” Jane came to sit beside Elizabeth on the window seat. The setting sun cast the sisters in an orange light.
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Bennet sat in the room as well, each with a glass of wine in their hand, each keeping silent. Occasionally, one of them moved to take a drink, but mostly they seemed overwhelmed by shock. Mr. Bennet kept his eyes fixed upon the opposite wall, while Mr. Bingley’s eyes followed Jane around the room.
“Not yet,” Elizabeth sighed. “The men Papa left in Meryton haven’t returned either, so we know that Mr. Darcy is still out there.”
“It is not surprising that is so,” Jane replied, patting Elizabeth’s hand. During the long day, Elizabeth had shared all of Wickham’s sordid past with her. Elizabeth had been shocked to see anger in Jane’s face after hearing everything, for her sister generally thought the best of people. But even Jane had been shocked and disgusted.
“I should have warned her,” Elizabeth said, voicing the guilt that had been eating her all day. “I knew the truth, and told no one.”
“Hmmm,” Jane said, looking at her hands. “And I suppose you blame Mr. Darcy as well.”
“What?” Elizabeth yelped. The thought had not even occurred to her! “Of course not! Mr. Darcy is not to blame for any of this. Wickham made his own choices, Mr. Darcy could not have stopped him…” She paused, realising what she had said. Jane smiled up at her. “That wasn’t nice,” Elizabeth said grumpily and Jane gave a small laugh.
“You both suffer from the same peculiar brand of pride,” Jane said, turning her attention to the window once more. “You both believe you are responsible for the world, and must take the blame when those in the world act contrary to what is right.”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue, but closed it, considering Jane’s words. It was certainly true of Mr. Darcy, she thought. She had first observed it as an attempt to control the world, but surely she didn’t do such things!
“I suppose I am allowed to say this, now that you are to be married to him,” Jane continued. “But you are so very much alike.”
“Only in good ways, I trust,” Elizabeth muttered grumpily.
Jane made a noise that could have meant anything. Elizabeth turned to argue, but instead stood up suddenly. Jane stood up as well, both of them spotting the same thing.
“What is it?” Mr. Bingley asked, jumping to his feet.
“Someone is coming,” Elizabeth said, moving quickly towards the door.
“Is it them?” Mr. Bennet asked desperately.
“I don’t know, Papa,” Jane replied honestly. “I can see it is a carriage with a horse tied to the back… Yes, Papa, yes, it is them!”
Elizabeth had already left the sitting room by the time Jane confirmed the identity of the visitors and was pulling open the front door. She hurried out into the fading sunlight and shielded her eyes as she waited for the carriage to pull up in front of the house.
Mr. Darcy saw her and smiled deeply. Lydia too, it seemed, caught sight of her elder sister but she held no smiles for Elizabeth. Instead, she folded her arms and slouched into the shadows of the carriage. Jane, Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Bennet all came out to meet the carriage as well.
“You found her!” Jane cried with delight as soon as Mr. Darcy stopped the team of horses.
Mr. Darcy nodded, but said nothing as he jumped down. He walked slowly around the back of the coach to reach them, while Lydia waited for someone to help her down. She made no effort to move until Mr. Bingley offered her a hand.
Lydia stared at Mr. Bingley’s outstretched arm, to Jane’s happy expression, to Elizabeth’s scowl, and finally settled on Mr. Bennet’s pale, creased face. She seemed to realise that she had caused the anxiety so evident in the man’s eyes and, for once, looked properly ashamed. Lydia gave a huge sigh and allowed Mr. Bingley to help her down from the carriage.
“There’s no need to
look at me so, Lizzy,” Lydia said, throwing her head back and squaring her shoulders. “I did nothing wrong!”
Anger and shock flooded through Elizabeth. Lydia could not be allowed to believe this behaviour was acceptable! Or even pardonable! And to say that she had done nothing wrong!
“Perhaps we should discuss this inside,” Jane said, laying a hand on Elizabeth’s arm.
“Yes,” Mr. Bennet said tersely, his mouth set in a disapproving manner. He took Lydia’s arm and led her firmly into the house, Jane and Mr. Bingley following. Elizabeth began to walk back to the house, but stopped herself.
“I must be more angry than I realise to forget you,” she said, turning to face Mr. Darcy. “Forgive me.” She curtsied and stood straight again, finding Mr. Darcy’s eyes upon her. He bowed in return, but Elizabeth could sense that he wished he could do more. She blushed, realising that she too wanted what was not yet proper.
“Let us go into the house?” She asked, pointing to the door.
Mr. Darcy nodded and they walked up the path to the front door.
“There is nothing to forgive,” he assured her. “I have had several hours to confront my own frustration on the matter, and I admit I still have trouble.”
They entered the dark front hall and Mr. Darcy turned towards the sitting room, but Elizabeth touched his arm, asking him to wait.
“Before we re-join everyone,” she said quietly, “is there anything that happened between… between Lydia and Wickham that will… harm her?” Elizabeth flushed deeply at the thought, but she needed to know. If it were so, she would need to cushion the news for her parents.
“No,” Mr. Darcy said quickly. “They stopped for lunch at a wayside inn, but Lydia said that Wickham did not speak to anyone and wouldn’t allow her to speak to anyone either. No one outside this house knows what truly happened.”
Relief filled Elizabeth, she had dreaded learning that Lydia would be forced to marry Wickham as a matter of honour.
“Wickham didn’t allow her to talk to anyone?” Elizabeth asked, smiling for the first time in hours. “She couldn’t have liked that.”
“No,” Mr. Darcy said, a corner of his lip twitching up. “It was a matter of great concern for her for much of the ride back.”
Elizabeth could see the scowl threatening to overtake her intended’s face, and she felt her affections deepen. It was clear that Mr. Darcy had a difficult day, and it was done all for the sake of her and her family. She caught his hand suddenly, stopping his movement.
His hand felt warm in hers, and the touch felt natural and right—as if their hands were made for one another. He glanced down at their touch in surprise, and looked at her expectantly. He squeezed her hand, and she pulled hers away reluctantly. They were not yet married.
“I, we, all of us, owe you a debt of gratitude,” Elizabeth said softly. “Thank you for seeking out my sister, for saving her from herself.”
Mr. Darcy looked surprised. “Elizabeth,” he said, and she shivered with pleasure at hearing her name on his lips. “You owe me nothing. Your family is my family, and I gratefully accept the responsibilities of that.”
If ever Elizabeth had doubted his love for her, that doubt was now chased far away.
Mr. Darcy moved to enter the sitting room and Elizabeth followed. She looked around and found that everyone was present in the room, except for Mrs. Bennet.
“Where is Mama?” she asked, surprised that her mother was not fawning and fussing over her prodigal daughter.
“Mama’s nerves were too much,” Mary explained. “She took a medicine and sleeps. Papa said we shouldn’t wake her just yet.”
Elizabeth glanced questioningly at her father.
“There are a few details we need to clear up,” Mr. Bennet said firmly. “And your mother’s nerves are not a welcome addition at this time. A few more minutes’ sleep will only help her at this point.”
Elizabeth could understand her father’s point of view: Mrs. Bennet was not often helpful in a time of crisis.
Mr. Bennet turned to where Lydia sat and gave her a hard, unflinching stare. Lydia shifted nervously under the look.
“Why did you do this?” he asked her quietly, pressing his fingers together. Disappointment was evident in every syllable of his words.
“Ever…” Lydia squeaked, her voice breaking mid-sentence. She looked nervously around the room, but found no help from her sisters. Even Kitty kept her eyes averted from her.
“Ever since Jane and Elizabeth got engaged, no one had any time for me!” she finally burst out. “Everyone kept saying how happy they were for them, how pretty they are, they got presents, and all the while, not one person noticed me!” Lydia’s bottom lip was quivering. “I wanted someone to pay attention to me, and Wickham said he’d help me! He said that he loved me and wanted to marry me and that it would serve you all right if we eloped because you didn’t pay any attention to me!”
Elizabeth pursed her lips in frustration, she had never thought that Lydia could be so selfish that she couldn’t allow even a month to pass without everyone’s focus to be upon her. Elizabeth glanced around: Jane looked stricken, Mary disapproving, and Kitty still avoided everyone’s eye.
“He’s handsome and charming and an officer!” Lydia continued. “I thought if I came back with such a husband, no one would ever forget!”
Elizabeth looked towards the men this time: Mr. Bennet was pale and shocked, Mr. Bingley looked to be caught between disapproval and discomfort at witnessing this event, and Mr. Darcy looked at the girl in pity.
“Do you realise what you have done?” Mr. Bennet asked quietly.
“What?” Lydia said defensively. “I haven’t done anything wrong, only went after a husband as Elizabeth and Jane did both!” Elizabeth felt her mouth drop open in shock—surely Lydia could see her behaviour was far different than either Jane’s or her own!
“No, you foolish girl,” Mr. Bennet said with a sigh, leaning back in the chair. “You have not acted like your sisters. And I swear I will lock you in your room until you can reason out why!”
“What?” Lydia gasped. “You don’t mean it!”
“I do,” Mr. Bennet said severely, anger finally showing through. “Mary, Kitty,” he beckoned to his other daughters. “Take Lydia to see your mother. I will join you shortly.”
Mary took Lydia’s arm and the three youngest daughters left the room, Lydia stomping up the stairs to show her displeasure.
Mr. Bennet collapsed back against his chair, rubbing his face with both hands. Jane and Elizabeth rushed forward and knelt beside his chair.
“Papa?” Jane said uncertainly. “Are you alright?”
“I am fine, child.” He sighed heavily. “Though I am tempted to consider myself a complete failure as a father.” Mr. Bennet looked terribly sad and Elizabeth’s heart ached for him. “However, I see you and your husbands-to-be and think, perhaps, not a complete failure.” He smiled at his daughters.
“Please, sir,” Mr. Darcy said quietly. “You know that Wickham is a serpent. Do not fault yourself or even your daughter for falling victim to his forked tongue.”
“You are right, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bennet said wearily. “But now I must know the truth: Will I be forced to track down this rogue and force his hand?”
“No,” Mr. Darcy said quickly. “The matter is done. In fact, if we ever hear from Wickham again, I shall have the law upon him.” His face looked thunderous. “I have suffered his villainy enough. And today, he showed himself to be a kidnapper, for Miss Lydia is but fifteen and still under your protection.”
“I had not thought of that,” Mr. Bennet said thoughtfully. “But I dearly hope that such measures are not necessary.”
“As do I,” Mr. Darcy agreed darkly.
“But,” Jane said hesitantly. All eyes turned to her. “But I still do not understand why Wickham undertook this plan. Perhaps he truly does care for Lydia?” Elizabeth appreciated Jane’s optimism, but could tell that not even Jane believed her word
s.
“No,” Elizabeth answered. “I fear that Wickham knew the measure of our betrothed,” she smiled at Mr. Darcy. “He knew that we are marrying men of honour, men of means, who would do anything to protect their family.”
“Including a payment,” Jane said, understanding Wickham’s game. She shuddered at the thought, and gave a stricken gaze towards Mr. Bingley.
“If that was the price for marrying you, I would gladly pay it,” Mr. Bingley told Jane in a loving tone. “Though I will not pretend I am not relieved to be free of the game.”
“Nor I,” Mr. Darcy agreed. “Mr. Bennet, I owe you a great apology. I let this go on for far too long, and your daughter was an innocent caught up in this all.”
“Do not be foolish,” Mr. Bennet said firmly. “That is a role firmly held by my youngest. You, my dear Mr. Darcy, are due nothing but respect and gratitude. Thank you.”
Mr. Darcy looked embarrassed, but repeated none of the speech he made to Elizabeth when she attempted to thank him. Elizabeth was glad to see that he accepted the gratitude from someone, even if it was not her.
Mr. Bennet stood slowly and shook Mr. Darcy’s hand. “I see now, with clearer eyes than ever, how truly blessed my Lizzy is to have you,” he said firmly. He turned to Mr. Bingley and shook his hand as well. “I never could have imagined that any man would be worthy of my daughters, and here they have both found good matches.”
Elizabeth gazed at Mr. Darcy with love in her eyes.
“Now,” Mr. Bennet said, smiling at his daughters and their future husbands, pretending not to notice the affection in everyone’s gaze. “I believe we have a wedding to prepare for.”
“Only two days,” Mr. Darcy agreed, smiling widely at Elizabeth. She felt a thrill of anticipation.
“Everything will go on?” She asked, standing and facing Mr. Darcy, happiness pushing aside all the negative feelings of the day.
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