Vol 1, Chapter 13 #2
The men soon joined the ladies and younger children in the drawing room where the Fitzwilliams, who had never had the pleasure before, were amazed by the talent of the three Bennet sisters, especially the middle sister when her voice swelled for a solo.
Her family all looked on in pride while the Fitzwilliams sat in open-mouthed stupefaction before the applause drowned out all.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The freezing temperatures and the light dusting of early snow did nothing to reduce Darcy’s pleasure at being back at Pemberley as he sat atop Zeus inspecting some tenant homes with his steward, Mr. Edwin Chalmers.
Darcy quickly authorised all of the repairs, then parted with his steward and pointed his horse back towards the manor house.
Working with the steward on tenant issues reminded Darcy of his recent conversation with his Uncle Reggie, more accurately labelled as a raking over the coals.
The more he considered the whole of the conversation, from being asked who he thought he was, to a clarification of what his parents wanted for him, the more he was ashamed at how abhorrent his behaviour had been both in appearance and deed.
He faced the truth of his former behaviour fully.
Regardless of his reasons and justifications, his behaviour had been decidedly ungentlemanly.
At the time, he had tried to deny the charges that he was hypocritical to himself, but he could no longer hide from that truth—even Gigi had called him out on that score as he remembered their conversation when they spoke in the carriage on the way home.
After minutes of silence while his sister had waited patiently for him to talk, Darcy finally told her all.
He left out nothing. He did not miss the look of displeasure when he told her of his slight of the second Bennet daughter.
When he told her how he had attempted to dictate who his cousin should or should not court, his sister’s eyes had grown as large as saucers.
Gigi had not interjected and had, in fact, held her peace until his recitation, which ended with their uncle’s admonishments, was complete.
She took some time to contemplate before she addressed him.
“Uncle Reggie is correct, brother; you have practised a level of hypocrisy.
I have never understood how you would sit by silently when Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst would disdain those in trade while they are from trade!
How could you think landed gentlefolk below you when you were being hosted by the son of a tradesman?
If I did not know you better, I would agree with Uncle that you could be deemed a fortune hunter.
“You accepted Mr. Bingley as a friend, but what of his connections that you used as a foil for your objections to the Bennets? In the past, I have heard you state it is not money which sets one’s position in society, but that seemed to be the measure you used with the Bennets?
” Georgiana shook her head. “It is hard to reconcile what you have told me with the image of you as the perfect brother. Like me, William, you have erred, and also like me, you should have known better.”
“I am starting to understand that Gigi. I have a lot to work on, and after my visit to Aunt Cat at Easter, I will journey to Hertfordshire to apologise to all of the Bennets and hope they will see it in their hearts to forgive me. I fear I have lost the only woman that I have loved, and whom I still love. I will not blame Miss Elizabeth if she never wants to see me again after the way I behaved toward her family, most especially toward herself,” Darcy lamented.
“William, the only way you will know that for sure is if when you have worked on changing those things that give offence so readily and you return to Meryton to apologise. If she is not willing to even listen to your apology, then she is not the one for you,” Georgiana had offered her opinion gently, but that only underscored the truth of her words.
“When did you become so wise, Gigi?” William asked.
“I was forced to look at my part in the near debacle at Ramsgate and acknowledge it. Only after a lot of introspection was I able to start to work on being a better person in general, which was for me also changing my thoughts toward myself to be both kinder and more truthful. It is this I believe you also have begun to do. You have started to acknowledge your faults, and I am well aware that our aunt and uncle see this as the way to begin to make meaningful change. It is also precisely the correct first step, of which we are now both aware.” She smiled a little ruefully when her brother had nodded his agreement.
For his part, he had been impressed at how much his sister had matured since escaping the clutches of George Wickham.
As Darcy handed Zeus off to a groom, he fervently believed that his sister’s wise counsel was correct.
The time had come to take a long, hard, and unvarnished look at his life; it was now the time to make course corrections.
What Gigi said about Miss Elizabeth resonated with him.
He was determined that the next time he saw her he would be worthy of her company, though he would not delude himself that she would be waiting with open arms to welcome him back.
He would have to work to earn both her trust and her respect.
Once he had that, he could try for more.
Fitzwilliam Darcy had never been afraid of hard work!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Would you like coffee, Bennet?” Matlock offered.
“No thank you, Matlock. I enjoyed some before I departed from Gardiner House. I understand that Richard collected copies of the vowels and is on his way to Meryton?” Bennet stated.
“Yes, he took Andrew for company. They told you what that bastard tried to do to my niece?” Matlock got riled up each time he thought of how narrowly disaster had been averted, exhaling slowly to control his ire when Bennet nodded.
“Andrew told me that you had a long conversation with your nephew before he departed for the north. Has he always been the way he was in Meryton?” Bennet asked.
“Conversation? I mostly spoke and he mostly listened. But to answer your question? No, he used to be an exceptionally good and considerate boy; he still is with his tenants and servants. Do not get me wrong, he is as honourable a man as you could hope to find and is fiercely loyal. He has never dallied with any lady and is neither a dandy nor a rake. He was so different before he came out in society and the hunt for his hide began. The fundamental truth is he was never outgoing like my boys, but he also was neither arrogant nor rude.” Matlock then related pertinent parts of his conversation with Darcy to Bennet.
“My wife told Elizabeth that there may have been more to his behaviour at the assembly,” Bennet offered easily, proud of his wife’s excellent intuition.
“Yes, he had reasons to be upset, but none of them excuse his behaviour that night, or any other time he was rude or dismissive,” Matlock asserted. “Also, you should know that he is in love with your second daughter.”
It took Bennet a few moments to snap his jaw closed after the shock of that revelation. “He hides his feelings rather well,” Bennet replied sardonically. “My daughter felt that the few times they were in company together, that he was looking at her to find fault.”
Matlock gave a sage nod. “My nephew is adept at retreating behind his mask and he becomes inscrutable. The irony was that he was worried he would excite expectations he felt his duty to his name would preclude him from fulfilling. He is in for quite a shock when he eventually learns the truth.”
“If he wants Lizzy to look at him as anything but a pride-filled, arrogant man, there will be a lot of grovelling involved!” Bennet chuckled.
Was he ready to part with two of his daughters if Darcy ever succeeded in winning Elizabeth’s heart?
That was not exactly what he had expected to have to consider this day.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, to what do I owe the honour of a bona fide war hero visiting a humble militia colonel?” Colonel Forster welcomed his visitor to his office. “Welcome, Lord Hildale.”
“Thank you for the welcome, Colonel Forster; please call me Fitzwilliam. I am here about a man who, I believe, was an ensign in your unit, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“Are we talking about one George Wickham, by any chance?” Forster asked. “Was, is correct. He is no longer an officer; the man is a private!”
“Then he has been up to his usual nonsense?” the Viscount drawled.
“I never had a good feeling about him, not even the day he joined my unit. He spun a tale that I surmised to be cock and bull about how he saved some maiden and ended up with his bent nose and missing tooth,” Forster informed the brothers.
“Then he ran afoul of a Mr. Bennet, who had the man investigated, turned over the report to me, and I promptly demoted him. I do not want a libertine as an officer, even if it is the militia.”
“You were right to doubt him; he was caught trying to abscond with a tender-aged girl by a relative of hers who gifted him a facer for his trouble. We have come to take him off your hands. He has an extremely long engagement to fulfil at Marshalsea,” Fitzwilliam shared.
“I suggest you have his tent searched at some point; he has been known to borrow items that do not belong to him.”
“Carter!” Forster called. “Where is Private Wickham?”
“He is asleep sir; he had night duty last night,” Captain Carter reported succinctly.
“Show Colonel Fitzwilliam, Lord Hilldale, and all those accompanying them to Wickham’s tent,” Forster ordered. Carter guided the brothers, the bailiff, and his men to the private’s tent. He was about to call out to Wickham to announce their arrival when he was stopped by the Colonel.