Chapter 15 #2
Darcy noticed a few glances passing between the earl and Elizabeth and wondered at them, but refused to speculate further.
He was, however, relieved that it seemed the earl’s pressing her towards the colonel was not having the effect he had anticipated.
Still, he wondered if the matchmaking scheme would eventually bear fruit, if Elizabeth would come to feel some affection towards Fitzwilliam if he behaved more as his usual self and not the jovial charmer he had been upon his arrival.
However, that was not the topic they needed to discuss just now, and Darcy moved to sit next to Georgiana to silently provide comfort if it were required. He did not wait for the others to start and instead, launched into the topic of his concern immediately.
“Georgiana, while I am pleased to have Richard here for several reasons, he has brought with him one item of news that I think will concern both of us.” He waited until he had his sister’s full attention before he continued.
“Miss Bennet, while this does not directly concern you, I believe your grandfather would have you on your guard as well, so I am saying this to both of you so you can be aware.”
Once again, he ignored the hard look from Lord Granfield and pressed on. “George Wickham has somehow managed to obtain a commission in the militia and has come to be quartered here in Meryton. I knew there was a militia regiment here, but I did not know that Wickham had joined until today.”
Richard inclined his head towards his ward. “You need not alarm yourselves unnecessarily,” he said in a steady tone. “But caution is prudent.”
Georgiana’s face went pale, and Darcy reached out to grasp her hand, and was surprised when Elizabeth stood and came to sit on the other side of Georgiana, wrapping an arm around the young girl. “Do you know anything of this man?” he asked her quietly.
It was Georgiana who answered. “I told her of the events of the summer, Brother,” she said softly.
“I… I needed to speak with a young lady, someone nearer my own age. I know you have tried to offer what comfort you could, but Elizabeth has cousins near my age, and, in truth, she understands far better than you how I have felt about my conduct since then.”
“You were taken in by those you ought to have been able to trust, Georgiana,” Elizabeth stated bluntly.
“Yes, there are ways you ought to have behaved differently, but in the end, you did what was correct by confessing all to your brother. I like to think you would have talked yourself out of an elopement, but regardless, the person who should have been advising you was giving you wrong advice.”
“It is my fault,” Darcy said quietly. “I checked her references and thought she was trustworthy, but she was not.”
“Are you possessed of some faculty for divination of which I am unaware, sir?” Elizabeth said, looking at him with her eyes flashing. She sat up straighter, still holding onto Georgiana, but everyone in the room could hear her words.
“Are you prescient and can read other’s minds?
No, I believe that you both did the best you could in the situation you were in.
Georgiana has learnt a valuable lesson and will never act in such a manner ever again, of that I am certain.
Now, how does this man’s presence in the militia change what we have been doing so far?
There is little danger that he would be invited to Millwood, and we have not ventured into Meryton since you came.
I doubt we would have gone any time soon regardless, but we will be certain not to visit the village without an escort.
We have been forewarned and will act accordingly. ”
Lord Granfield and Fitzwilliam, who had thus far listened in silence, both voiced their objections at once. The suddenness of it made Darcy straighten, but it was the earl’s voice that quickly claimed the attention of all present.
“You will not leave this estate without one of us as an escort, Elizabeth Rose Bennet,” Lord Granfield declared, his tone one he used with the soldiers who were at times under his command, one that displayed his determination.
“While most in this blasted village remain ignorant of your inheritance, should Wickham so much as suspect it, I have no doubt he would attempt to compromise you—or worse, to carry you off altogether.”
Richard’s jaw set in a firm line. “Wickham is capable of more than foolish flirtation,” he said quietly. “We would be remiss not to take more precautions than merely refusing the ladies to leave the cottage. I will write to London and see whether a few reliable men may be secured for a time.”
Darcy watched Elizabeth closely as the words fell, already anticipating how such a pronouncement—however well meant—would strike a woman of her temperament.
“I am quite able to protect myself, Grandpapa, which you know very well,” Elizabeth interjected.
“I carry a weapon whenever I leave the house, particularly when I ride across the fields to visit the tenants, and I am always accompanied by a footman. As you were the one who taught me to shoot, you know I am capable of defending myself against anyone who might seek to harm me.”
A flicker of unease passed through Darcy at the mention of a weapon although he remained silent as the earl pressed on.
“If he were merely to damage your reputation,” Lord Granfield continued grimly, “steps might yet be taken to repair it. But were he to succeed in abducting you, the law would offer us little protection.” He paused, drawing a breath and closing his eyes for a moment.
“Even if he did not marry you—if he were to force you—there would be little that could be done to shield you from the consequences.”
He watched as both Elizabeth and Georgiana flushed darkly at the earl’s words.
Georgiana’s colour rose quickly, her hands tightening in her lap as her gaze dropped to the floor; Elizabeth, by contrast, lifted her chin, her expression sharpening even as the colour deepened in her cheeks.
She did not drop her eyes like his sister, but kept them fixed on her grandfather.
How much his sister grasped of the earl’s meaning, Darcy could not be certain, but there was no mistaking that Elizabeth understood it fully.
An impulse rose in him—strong and sudden—to move even closer to Elizabeth, to offer some word or gesture of reassurance.
However, he checked it at once. With her grandfather watching so closely, he could not afford such a breach in manners, nor was he entirely certain it would be welcomed on her part.
Unlike Georgiana, to whom he did offer comfort, what he felt for Elizabeth Bennet was far from brotherly.
The silence that followed only heightened his unease.
No one spoke for several long moments, and the tension in the room settled, heavy and unresolved.
It was not that he doubted the danger the earl described; rather, he could already see how such blunt warnings would sit with a woman who prized her independence as fiercely as Elizabeth did.
He shifted his weight slightly, bracing himself for the response he knew must come.
“Very well,” Elizabeth said at last, echoing the earl’s earlier sentiment, her tone carrying an unmistakable edge.
She folded her hands before her, the movement precise, controlled.
“At present, George Wickham has not the slightest notion that I exist, nor do the people of Meryton know anything of my inheritance. I will do as you ask.”
Her eyes held her grandfather’s steadily as she continued.
“I suggest you take steps to ensure he does not take advantage of the townspeople. My youngest cousins possess not the least degree of sense between them and will fall prey to his attentions if they are not protected—a task my uncle will not trouble himself to undertake.”
Although the remark unsettled him, he held his peace.
“Elizabeth,” Lord Granfield said at last, a note of quiet warning in his voice.
“You must not address me in that manner. We may discuss that subject later.” He drew a measured breath.
“But yes—the three of us have already considered what must be done. Darcy and I will pay a visit to Sir William tomorrow, and Colonel Fitzwilliam will speak to the militia colonel. Both gentlemen intend to keep their presence in the community discreet, as well as Miss Darcy’s, which does mitigate the danger.
Still, enough may already be known to make caution advisable. ”
Inclining his head slightly, Darcy acknowledged the plan, his attention fixed upon Elizabeth.
“Jane and Mary are to call tomorrow morning,” Elizabeth replied, some of the tension easing from her shoulders, “and I will speak to them then. I cannot say whether it will make any difference for Kitty and Lydia, but at least they will be warned and may caution their friends. Other than the tenants I have visited, I have not seen anyone from Meryton since I came to Millwood Cottage.”
The earl frowned, his brows drawing together. “Why have your cousins nor your friends not called before now?” he asked.
Elizabeth’s smile remained calm and unruffled, yet Darcy could not help noting the care with which she chose her words. “I have not had time to write to anyone, save Jane, and only very recently.”
She paused, considering the matter. “That is not entirely true—I might easily have written to Charlotte, but the thought did not occur to me. At first, I was fully occupied with preparing Millwood Cottage for company, and then Georgiana and Mr Darcy arrived, and I have been much engaged with them. Jane would no doubt have told others that I was staying with you, Grandpapa, although I suspect few recall that you purchased this cottage some years ago, wishing for a place of your own during your visits. We have not attended the church in Meryton since you arrived since you preferred to worship in the small private chapel attached to the cottage.”
The earl’s expression softened, his displeasure easing at her answer.
He asked several more questions—about the Lucases and a few others in the neighbourhood—and Elizabeth answered readily.
At first, Darcy listened without particular reflection, but it soon became apparent to him that the earl was doing more than satisfying curiosity.
He was gathering information, quietly and methodically.
Darcy regarded him with renewed attention.
He knew, in a general way, that Lord Granfield had undertaken diplomatic missions on behalf of the Crown, yet he had not previously appreciated the extent of his skill in drawing information from others without appearing to press for it.
The thought gave him pause. He wondered, briefly, how often such methods had been practised upon himself.
The speculation did not hold him long. His attention, inexorably, returned to Elizabeth.