Mr Darcy’s Marriage Contract (Pride and Prejudice Variation)
Chapter 1
Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, the master of Pemberley in Derbyshire and of Darcy House on Park Lane, glanced absently out through the half-open curtains of the library at the bright, sunny, but frosty day in early November.
Then he looked back at the man sitting at the desk, who was waiting for an answer.
After a few more paces about the room, he resumed his place in the armchair and responded.
“No, Mr Gardiner. I have found no feasible solution. Not a reasonable or acceptable one. I see no escape for me or for my sister. The secret cannot be kept any longer and will probably ruin what remains of the Darcys’ honour.
The fault is mine, and I would gladly take the shame upon myself, but I know I cannot prevent the scandal from poisoning my family’s name.
I would gladly give my life in exchange for my sister’s safety and happiness and to know my father’s soul can rest in peace. ”
“Mr Darcy, you cannot allow such despair to overwhelm you. You are, without doubt, one of the best men of my acquaintance. I have never before heard you speak like this. Your own actions have always been irreproachable, and you certainly cannot be blamed for the present tragic circumstances.”
“You are very kind and more generous with your praise than I deserve. If my actions were irreproachable, my sister would not be in such a situation. I should have taken greater care of her, protected her more, and certainly found her a better companion than that miserable Mrs Younge.”
“We shall not argue over your share of blame, Mr Darcy. However, we both know that such delicate circumstances arise frequently, even in the best families and under the strictest supervision. Young women rarely listen to reason in matters of the heart.”
“You might be right, but the fault for…for having spent her portion? That is certainly mine. Nobody can deny that.”
“I have no wish to deny it, only to remind you that you did not spend the money, you decided only to invest it — and quite successfully, I might say. You had admirable goals and you almost succeeded. It is to be hoped that this final opportunity will resolve all your financial distress.”
“Yes, but it might be ten months, perhaps a year, before the ships from India return, then even more time before the merchandise is distributed and sold to recover the investment and make some profit. By then, it will be far too late. By that time, the scandal will have come out, my sister will be hurt even more, and our reputation will be in shreds. Georgiana refuses to return home, and I fear to imagine how Wickham will respond if he does not receive her fortune in good time.”
“I would gladly loan you the money, sir, but I do not possess such a sum. I also invested along with you, and a significant portion of my savings went into the same scheme, so it will take the same time before I can retrieve it.”
“I know — please do not feel the need to repeat it to me, Mr Gardiner. I know you would do whatever you could to help me, as you have always done for the length of our friendship. I am sharing my distress with you because you are the only one who knows the full story, not just about the present situation but also the past. Not even my cousin Richard, as close as he is to me, is aware of the gravity of the matter, and my uncle and aunts even less so. I do not know how to explain to them — or anyone else — that I am obliged to pay out Georgiana’s portion of thirty thousand pounds in a month, but I do not have the money, nor the means of acquiring it.
Everybody assumes such a sum is safely tucked away in Pemberley’s coffers and releasing it would be nothing to me or my estate.
Only you — and, unfortunately, Wickham — know the truth. ”
Darcy sat and took a mouthful from his glass, then changed his mind and, grabbing it, began pacing the room again.
“I despise myself for considering marrying someone with a large fortune, but I have hardly thought of anything else since we last met. I am ready to become a scoundrel, a fortune hunter, a disgrace, for thirty thousand pounds. How could I ever call myself an honourable gentleman after such thoughts? How could I look at myself or even live with myself? I am horrified only considering I might act in such a way, yet I see no other choice.”
“Marrying a woman with sufficient funds to meet your needs would not be the worst situation if the woman herself would be a good wife to you. Someone who could provide you with the necessary amount but also reasonable companionship, as a partner in life.”
“It might not be if I had the time to get to know that woman, to discover her character and to allow her to know mine. Otherwise, how could I be certain she would be a good wife and companion? How could I know I would be a good husband to her, and how could she appreciate that I am more than a mercenary man? Besides, what expectation might I have of a woman willing to marry me in such a short time, with no consideration for feelings, respect, or affection?”
He sipped some more from his glass, then noticed it was empty and refilled it before he continued.
“Is it not ironic that I used to be disgusted by being hunted for my good name, connections, and assumed fortune, and now I am in the position to seek the same? Poetic justice, indeed.”
For a while, there was silence, and Darcy finished his second drink, knowing he would have to leave soon.
Mr Gardiner was the only person who knew of the dire situation that had begun with his mother’s death and the tragic transformation of his father under Wickham’s nefarious influence, the only one who was aware of the mounting debts that threatened to engulf Pemberley and tear it down, the only man he had trusted with the secret of Georgiana’s sudden and shocking fall under the same baleful influence, ending with her elopement and swift marriage to that scoundrel more than four months ago.
And he was the only confidant with whom Darcy had shared the fact that Wickham had demanded his wife’s fortune be given to him within three months of the wedding, threatening a scandal that would be ruinous to the Darcy name if he did not comply.
Since he did not have the required amount of money, he had invited Wickham to negotiate, and he had been forced to beg for a further three months in which to honour the debt.
The thought of the wretch’s satisfied grin still made Darcy feel sick; he had been tempted — so tempted — to shoot him dead right there, right at that moment.
As much as he despised himself for such a violent impulse, he knew he might well have pulled the trigger had Wickham’s two friends not been waiting in the other room.
In the end, Wickham had agreed to grant him another two months, in exchange for ten percent interest, payable immediately. Hence, he had wasted another three thousand pounds, which Wickham had probably lost at cards and God only knew what else within days.
And there he was, with only a month remaining to find thirty thousand pounds to pay for Wickham’s despicable, vicious habits. But the worst part was the reprobate’s power over Georgiana. Darcy would sell Pemberley itself if that would bring his sister back home, safe under his protection.
Through the mist of his own thoughts, he barely heard his host’s voice.
“Sir, I am not even sure how to say this, but…the truth is…after our last meeting, I spoke with my wife, and…we believe we may have a solution.”
Darcy barely glanced at his companion.
“I am truly grateful to you and Mrs Gardiner, and I appreciate your genuine concern, but we already agreed this is not possible. Please do not trouble yourself further. I should leave now — I have already taken advantage of your patience.”
“Mr Darcy, please take a seat and hear me out. While we do not have the money, nor could I find a source to loan such a sum, there is somebody who has it.”
Incredulous, and not daring to hope, Darcy frowned, wondering about the meaning of such a statement. If there was such a solution, why did Mr Gardiner not mention it earlier and stop his torment?
“You have found someone who could lend me the money?”
“Not exactly, no… Or rather not in the way you think. I know someone who possesses such a sum, and I dare say she might be a good wife and life companion for you. Someone who could provide you with the money immediately and, I hope, offer you a marriage based on respect and consideration. Someone whom I love dearly and very much admire. Someone I would never expose to such an arrangement if I did not think so highly of you.”
The gentleman spoke with obvious pathos, and Darcy struggled to understand his meaning.
“Sir, you are suggesting someone I could marry? Someone willing to accept my proposal and grant me the necessary money?”
“Yes. My niece Elizabeth Bennet. Although while I call her my niece, she is in fact the daughter of my late cousin and her husband — a gentleman, of course. From her mother, she was left a fortune of forty thousand pounds. A portion of it has already been granted to her, and the rest will become hers immediately upon her marriage.”
Darcy stared at his friend, lost for words.
“I did not know you had a niece. I have only heard you mention some distant relatives in Hertfordshire.”
“She is one of those relatives. Elizabeth’s mother died when she was an infant, and her father remarried. She has come to London, and we have invited her to live with us for an undetermined period of time.”
“But…if she has such a fortune, she certainly has the liberty to choose a husband…to wait for a man to her liking! She will surely wish to be introduced to eligible gentlemen and become better acquainted with some before considering marrying one of them.”