Chapter 6 #2
“Lydia! Come with me this moment! Now!” Mrs. Gardiner ran the words through her teeth while grabbing Lydia’s arm.
She whispered, unsuccessfully hoping not to be heard by Darcy.
“Do not fight with me, young lady! I shall not hesitate to drag you out of this room if necessary and confine you to your chamber! You are no better than a spoiled child, and you will be treated accordingly.”
The awful confrontation and the burgeoning tension were broken by the sound of the door opening and closing in haste behind them.
The gentlemen remained still, each of them avoiding the others’ eyes.
Elizabeth sat down, her gaze lowered to the floor.
She was trembling from distress, wondering what Darcy thought and lacking the courage to look at him.
Mr. Bennet cleared his throat.
“Mr. Darcy, I beg your forgiveness for my youngest daughter’s manners.
She is beyond any excuse, and I cannot blame her more than I blame myself for her behaviour.
She has lost her mind to this rascal, and I can do nothing.
They must marry —it seems the only solution.
It saddens me deeply to know that I am responsible for her future unhappiness and cannot save her from her own folly.
Of course, it is not even certain that we can convince Wickham to marry.
Since I cannot comply with his demands, perhaps it would be better just to refuse him and to be done with it.
That way, I will know for sure that I ruined all my daughters’ fates.
Great accomplishment for a father indeed… ”
Elizabeth hurried to his side and took his hand, whispering tenderly, “Papa, please do not speak so. We are fine —we will manage. Jane and I will take of everything.”
“Yes, yes, Lizzy…I know you will…” Mr. Bennet said absently.
Both father and daughter raised their eyes in surprise when Darcy took a few steps forward and spoke with a warmth and friendliness they did not expect of him.
“Mr. Bennet, you should not be too harsh on yourself. Miss Lydia’s age is responsible for her behaviour, surely.
And when a young girl gives her heart away, sometimes her decisions are made despite the family’s advice.
I am confident that, no matter what the future holds for her, she will always have the comfort of your support and affection.
There are times when a father can do only so much… ”
Elizabeth was amazed and puzzled by Darcy’s behaviour.
His kindness and care for her father were unthinkable.
He had shown her, beyond any doubt, that he resented their entire past and loathed even the thought of being in her company.
He proved it clearly by not addressing a single word or glance to her since he arrived at her uncle’s house.
However, with her relatives —and especially with her father —his manners were more than amiable.
He had helped them to discover the fugitives; he appeared to have made some more inquiries on his own; now he came personally to deliver the news.
And besides all this, he showed uncommon sympathy for a situation that would make most people censure the entire Bennet family.
It was as if he were trying to protect Mr. Bennet, and the motives for such generosity were incomprehensible and disturbing to Elizabeth.
That he despised and hated her, she could understand.
But why he became so cordial to her father was a mystery she could not possibly explain or understand.
“You are too generous, sir,” Mr. Bennet answered. “I am aware that the present situation is due to my past neglectful parenting. We all know that such a situation would never occur under —let us say —your supervision.”
Darcy looked at the gentleman for a moment, and Elizabeth was sure his countenance had changed.
To her increasing turmoil, Elizabeth sensed that he was avoiding her glances on purpose, but she could not trust either her perception or her reason concerning him.
She had misjudged him and his character too completely and too often.
Eventually, she heard him reply, his tone equally friendly but somehow hesitant.
“There are people —unfortunately George Wickham is one of them —who manage to charm a young heart and deceive it, pushing her against her family’s best intentions.
Women older and wiser than Miss Lydia have fallen into this trap,” Mr. Darcy declared with no trace of arrogance or censure in his voice.
“In this, I will not contradict you,” Mr. Bennet admitted with a trace of mockery. “Even my Lizzy, whom I consider one of the brightest people of my acquaintance, was quite smitten with Wickham at one point and considered him a close friend until recently.”
Elizabeth struggled to speak calmly, wondering how much embarrassment and distress she could bear in one day.
“Papa, please do not joke about this. I feel ashamed and guilty enough for my wrong first impression, but it has been many months since I ceased considering Mr. Wickham a friend.”
“Forgive me, my dear, I did not mean to offend you. After all, you warned me against allowing Lydia to go to Brighton. I should have listened to you. But I never imagined Lydia could be in any danger, and God knows I could not believe Wickham to be quite so bad.”
Darcy’s uneasiness was now apparent to Elizabeth.
“Mr. Bennet, Mr. Gardiner, forgive me for interrupting you, but it is quite late. Could we speak privately for a few moments? I would like to discuss the steps to be taken under the present circumstances.”
Yes, he did intend to escape from her presence; Elizabeth was certain of it. Or perhaps she was of so little significance to him that he just ignored her.
“My good opinion once lost, is lost forever,” he had said, and he was now proving it. She knew she had no right to be bothered by it. Surely, she could not expect forgiveness from such a proud —and resentful, he admitted —man, who had been so deeply offended.
She bit her lips to dissipate her ridiculous thoughts. Why would she be preoccupied with his behaviour towards her? She mattered not in the present situation, and she would accept even worse treatment for the reward of having her family helped and her father at peace.
“Certainly, sir, as you wish,” Mr. Bennet answered. “However, I keep no secrets from Lizzy —we can speak openly before her.”
“I understand; still, I would rather keep this conversation among gentlemen,” Darcy replied decidedly.
Neither Mr. Bennet nor Mr. Gardiner had any other opposition. The host took the lead towards the library, and the door closed behind them.
The next hour was a torment for Elizabeth. She argued with Lydia for a while under the strict supervision of Mrs. Gardiner. Lydia’s anger was directed at all of them —equally —and she was impossible to convince by any reasonable argument.
Exhausted and afraid she might be tempted to say something painful against her own sister, Elizabeth abandoned the fight and retired to her chamber.
The silence and solitude offered her nothing than more distress.
She wondered again and again at the fact that Darcy decided to come to her uncle’s house, exposing them both to a disturbing new meeting.
He left her with no doubt that he loathed her presence as he purposely ignored her.
And when the opportunity arose, he insisted on her being removed from their company.
But the more uncivil his manners were to her, the kinder he acted towards her family —especially her father.
A sharp, painful thought invaded and tormented her mind while her heart raced unsteadily: How different would everything have been if she had accepted his marriage proposal?
How would his kindness towards her father have been expressed?
Would such an incident have even occurred?
Surely, Wickham’s character would have been exposed to her entire family —perhaps to all of Meryton.
No honourable young lady would have fallen victim to his charms. If only…
But which was more difficult to bear: the threat of having her sister’s happiness ruined and her family’s future jeopardised, or the prospect of being forever trapped in a marriage with Mr. Darcy?
Her turmoil was impossible to temper, so Elizabeth left her room and went downstairs, impatiently looking for a sign of the gentlemen.
Slowly, she stepped towards the library, and after glancing around to be sure she was not seen, she leant her ear against the heavy door.
To her distress, she heard arguing and recognised her father’s voice:
“Mr. Darcy, this is not to be borne! We cannot possibly accept this. It is unthinkable.”
Then Darcy’s reply.
“Sir, I assure you that I have no intention of debating this matter or abandoning my intentions. We may stay here and argue until morning, but my decision is made. I only wished to inform you.”
Again, her father and uncle opposed him stoutly, and Mr. Darcy answered something unintelligible. Elizabeth’s heart nearly stopped for an instant then started beating so loudly that she was afraid they might hear it from inside the library.
What could possibly be the reason for their argument?
What did Darcy intend to do that her father opposed so strongly?
Could it be something related to her? Was that the basis for his refusing her presence at their discussion?
Oh, surely not —it was completely unreasonable to imagine such a thing.
She was a simpleton to imagine that she might be significant to him.
And why was she even thinking of that? Obviously, Lydia was not the only silly one in their family.
But still, why were the gentlemen debating so heatedly?
Elizabeth startled when Mrs. Gardiner appeared unexpectedly and pulled her quite unceremoniously into the drawing room.