Chapter 18
Lydia just stood there with her mouth agape. Remembering herself, she crossed her arms over her bosom as if attempting to protect her modesty.
“What is the meaning of this, young lady?”
Lydia said nothing.
After commanding the servant who stood across from him to be on his way, Darcy glared at Lydia.
“Step aside.” He stormed into the room and saw his friend asleep in bed.
Evidence of their assignation, in the form of Lydia’s robe, was casually strewn at the foot of Bingley’s bed.
“Bingley! Wake up!” Darcy’s commanding voice drew Bingley from a deep slumber and forced him upright.
His eyes half opened, Bingley said, “What in heavens? Darcy, what has got into you? Is the house on fire?”
Darcy ran his fingers through his hair. “I shall ask the questions here. What has got into you?”
Bingley’s faced twisted into a half awakened grimace.
“Miss Lydia just came from your apartment—in quite a state, I might add.” Darcy looked over his shoulder and noticed she was still standing there.
He did not know whether to be angrier at his friend for taking advantage of the wild child or the young woman herself, whom he always suspected only needed the slightest bit of encouragement to find herself in such a predicament.
He picked up the robe and tossed it to her. “Cover yourself, young woman.”
Bingley looked at her too—his eyes filled with questions. “Miss Lydia?”
Darcy shook his head. “Is that how it is, Charles? Do you dare pretend to be just as shocked by her being here as I am disgusted to find her here?”
“Darcy, what are you accusing me of?”
His chest tight, his fist clenched at his sides, Darcy’s voice hardened. “Is it not obvious, man?”
“I know how it must look to find the young woman here, but I fear there has been some sort of misunderstanding.” Bingley threw back the covers and hopped out of bed.
He walked barefoot to Lydia and reached out to her, stopping short of touching her arm.
“Miss Lydia, you must tell me why you are in my apartment?”
Lydia flung her arms around his neck. “Oh, Charles! What is the point in protesting? We have been found out. I meant to return to my room before the house began to stir, just as you told me I must do, but Darcy saw me in the hallway.”
He grabbed her arms and attempted to remove them from his person. “What are you saying?”
“Charles, how can you pretend last night did not happen? You came into my room and looked in on me. I told you that I could not sleep, for I was not accustomed to sleeping in such a great big room all alone. You offered to stay the night with me—to attend to my comfort, and after a while, you persuaded me to join you in your bed, saying that I would rest more comfortably in here.”
He shook his head. “Darcy, I have no recollection of any of that ever happening. Miss Lydia, why are you suggesting such a thing?”
“La!” Lydia crossed the room and pulled back the covers; thus revealing the evidence of their nocturnal adventure. “Does seeing this refresh your memory?”
What Darcy and Bingley saw marring Bingley’s otherwise pristine white sheet left both gentlemen’s heads reeling. Bloodstains!
Later that morning, Lydia pranced into the room, eager to share her happy news. “Oh, Kitty! You will never ever believe my good luck. Mama will be so very pleased when she finds out.”
The young ladies clasped hands with each other. “You must tell me at once, Lydia!”
Mary entered the room. “What manner of good luck do you speak of, Lydia?”
Lydia’s face twisted with vexation. “Mary, wherever did you come from? I meant for my happy news to be a secret between Kitty and me.”
Kitty said, “Oh, Lydia, do not keep me in suspense. I am sure our sister can be depended upon to keep a secret.”
“Very well, but I shall only say that soon I shall no longer be residing here at Longbourn, for I shall soon be rich and the mistress of my own home.”
Mary’s mouth fell open. “Rich and the mistress of your own home? Surely you speak in jest!”
“I speak nothing but the truth.”
“Who would have asked you to marry him?”
“Mary, how unfeeling you are. Do you mean to say that you find me incapable of landing a rich husband? After all, I am the tallest of all my sisters and the prettiest, and I have more than my share of gentlemen callers.”
“And not a rich one amongst them, as best I can tell.”
“Oh, Lydia, pay no attention to Mary. Pray tell me, who has asked you to be his wife, and when did it happen?”
“Well—that is the thing. The gentleman has not asked me to be his wife, at least not in so many words, but it is simply a matter of time, and, when he does, you must be sure to be very happy for me, for it shall be a very good thing. And Kitty, you are welcome to come and live with me.” She clasped her hands.
“We shall have many fine balls, and we shall invite all the officers. We shall have such fun!”
With that, Lydia skipped out of the room with Kitty trailing close behind her, endeavouring to satisfy her curiosity on when the happy occasion would occur, for it had been much too long since they last attended a grand ball.
Mary could do no more than shake her head and owe Lydia’s improbable account of riches and grand balls to her sister’s overabundance of hope and her undeniable want of sensibility.
Bingley paced the floor of his study. After a number of starts and stops, endeavouring to make sense of the morning’s chaos, he turned to his friend. “Darcy, you must believe me when I say that I do not have a clue how any of this might have happened.”
“Charles, you know that I want to believe you—trust me when I say that. But how does one refute such strong evidence? It is one thing that Lydia was even in your room, for she is untamed and unabashed, and she likely views this matter as a game, but how might one account for the bloodstains?”
“Darcy, I know I am not as experienced with the ladies as I might be for a man of my age, but I would like to think that had I—” He ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. “Had I committed such an act with a young woman, then I would surely have some recollection of it.”
“I know not what to say that will bring you any sort of reassurance, Bingley.”
“You might advise me on what to do and say to prevent me from having to offer for her. I cannot bear the thought of it! If I might be completely honest, the fact is that I do not even like her.”
“If it helps, I will tell you that I believe you in that. I find it highly improbable that you willingly sought her attentions, but I do not know if it will make a difference. If I know the young woman, she will have told everyone whose path she has crossed what happened. No doubt she is making plans for a grand wedding and her future life as the mistress of Netherfield. Then, too, there is the matter of the servant who also saw her emerge from your room this morning.”
“Oh, Darcy! This is grave indeed. I had no idea there were others involved. I had hoped it would be my word against hers with you vouching for my side of the story.”
“Bingley, it would never be as simple as that, and you know it. Think rationally, man.”
“What are you saying, Darcy? Are you saying I have to offer her my hand?”
“I am saying that you will have to do what is expected of you to right this situation.”
Bingley sat and covered his face with both hands. “What will Mrs. Collins think when she hears of this?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Jane. Darcy, you must know what she means to me—how I value her good opinion above all else.”
“The better question is what that husband of hers will think. You know he fancies himself the Bennet family’s protector in Mr. Bennet’s stead. No doubt, he will be eager to see the younger daughter married and away from Longbourn as soon as he learns of this.”
For the first time in her young life, Lydia walked to Meryton alone.
She simply could not wait to share the good news with her heart’s one true love.
Espying him on the street with Mr. Denny, she thought nothing of approaching the officers and beseeching Wickham for a private tête-à-tête.
After they had walked only a short distance from where Mr. Denny still stood, Lydia commenced her speech.
“Oh, my dearest Wickham, things went exactly according to plan, just as you said they would.”
“That is excellent news; however, I suppose nothing is truly decided. It is rather too soon. You must not say a word about what really happened, else it shall all be for naught.”
She threw her hands about his neck. “How clever you were to give me the vial of blood, although I must say it was the most disgusting thing ever. Why, I nearly fainted when I opened the bottle, but I am certain Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley would not have believed a word I said had I not shown them the irrefutable proof.”
He jerked her hands from his person. “Lydia, how many times must I remind you that we need to keep our mutual love for each other a secret, else neither of us shall reap the fortune we deserve.” He tugged at his attire and stood straight and tall.
“Now, you mentioned Darcy. Is he the one who bore witness to what occurred?”
“Yes, I thought it would be so much better were he the one to witness me coming out of Mr. Bingley’s apartment. Oh, you should have seen his face.”
Wickham smirked. “I can well imagine.” This is a far better outcome than I had expected. At the least, he will not attempt to align Georgiana with his idiot best friend. “Did I not tell you before how clever you are? I can hardly wait to reward you.”
She simpered and flashed a coltish smile. “What do you have in mind?”
He looked over his shoulder to make certain no one might overhear. He lowered his voice. “Meet me at our place at dawn.”
Lydia batted her eyes. “It shall be my pleasure.”
“Another thing, whenever we are in company, you must make a show of talking to some of the other officers, else you might give rise to speculation.”
“But I should hate to do anything that would give you cause for jealousy.”
“Jealousy—how might that possibly be when you and I know the truth? We are too close to having our fondest wishes come true to jeopardise it all.”