Chapter 19
Lizzy and Jane were alone in the drawing room at Longbourn when the housekeeper showed Darcy in.
Declining the offer of refreshment, he closed the door behind him as the servant departed.
Jane’s new status as a married woman made her a suitable chaperone.
Which was fortuitous, as his grave expression suggested a need for privacy.
Lizzy wished she could take him in her arms and soothe him with sweet kisses. A pang of guilt tugged at her heart, seeing what he was suffering on her family’s behalf. Once they were married, she would make it up to him. In the meantime, words would have to do.
“Mr. Darcy,” Lizzy greeted, “it’s a pleasure to see you. You must be tired after travelling from London this morning.”
“More than you know.” He took a seat on a chair opposite the sisters. Though exhaustion dimmed the light in his eyes, they gazed fixedly at Lizzy.
“I understand you have news,” Jane said.
He nodded absently. “It will be difficult to hear, I’m afraid. Especially for you, Mrs. Bingley.”
Jane squeezed Lizzy’s hand, and Lizzy squeezed back, hoping to give what comfort she could.
Darcy remained quiet a moment, then said, “Unfortunately, there is no delicate way to put this. I hope you will excuse my frankness. You both deserve the truth.”
“Of course,” Lizzy said.
“The maid, Minnie, confirmed Caroline’s complicity in Wickham’s scheme. Sadly, the reasons for Caroline’s actions are more shocking than I had expected.”
Jane paled. Lizzy laid a steadying palm on her sister’s shoulder.
Darcy continued, “Wickham initially targeted Caroline, attracted by her twenty thousand pounds. Under cover of darkness, he disguised himself as me. He compromised her, hoping to force a marriage. But when she learnt the truth…she suggested he instead turn his interest to you, Mrs. Bingley.”
Jane let out a muffled cry. Lizzy stroked her sister’s back. Somehow, Lizzy wasn’t as shocked as she might have been. That Caroline would be willing to give her virtue to Darcy was no surprise at all. Of course she would.
That Wickham had deceived her was more unexpected. Perhaps she’d seen what she wanted to see, and let her heart rule her head.
Or rather, let her greed rule her head. Lizzy didn’t believe for a moment that Caroline genuinely loved Darcy. Her motivation had been mercenary all along. It was almost poetic justice that she’d been taken in by a fortune hunter even more devious than herself.
Darcy stood and paced, his fingers carding his hair. “Bingley has decided that his sister must go through with a marriage to Wickham. In lieu of a dowry, he’ll provide them with a quarterly allowance.”
Lizzy nodded. “That seems a wise solution.”
Jane jumped to her feet, her tone incredulous. “But must Caroline truly marry such a man?”
“She must,” Darcy said. “She’s expecting his child.”
Jane gasped and sank back onto the couch. Lizzy took her sister’s hand again but felt none of her shock, having suspected as much for some time. Lizzy ought to feel compassion for Caroline—the woman had been thoroughly ruined. An unscrupulous man had deceived and seduced her.
And in truth, Lizzy did pity her. What Wickham had done was criminal. But Lizzy’s true compassion was for the child Caroline carried. For an innocent babe to be born to such parents!
“Poor Charles.” Jane’s voice was taut. “This is overwhelming! I must go to him.”
“Yes.” Darcy didn’t meet her eyes, just stared into space, as if utterly spent. “I expect he has the legal matters arranged by now.”
Jane rose and Lizzy followed suit, giving her sister a parting hug. With a sad smile, Jane took her leave.
Once she had gone, Lizzy took Darcy in her arms, holding him for a long time. She poured her energy into him, taking on his burden as if it were her own. Then, they sat together on the couch, speaking in low tones, so the maid sewing outside the open door couldn’t hear them.
He looked grave as he said, “I realise this is much for you to absorb.”
“It is.” She took his hands. “But I’m more worried about you. You’ve known Miss Bingley for years. This must be a shock.”
With a wry smile, he said, “It’s not the worst shock I’ve received today.”
Lizzy’s stomach churned. She eyed him wearily. “There’s more? I can hardly imagine.”
Darcy looked off into the distance, incomprehension on his face. “I never suspected it, but in retrospect, perhaps I should have. The affection my father showed towards Wickham—paying for his schooling, arranging a living for him…”
He broke off, looking as if he was trying to make sense of some new information.
Waiting for him to gather his thoughts, Lizzy pondered his words. Choking back a gasp, she placed a hand on her throat. Could it be?
Picturing Wickham in her mind, she could see a resemblance. High cheekbones, chiselled jaw, dark hair and eyes. The unusual height and broad build they shared.
“Oh, Darcy.” Lizzy placed a comforting hand on his arm. “You don’t mean…”
“Wickham is my half-brother.” His voice broke.
She knew not what to do or say, how to ease the pain that seemed to overtake him. She pressed his hand, hoping he found strength in her closeness.
In a ragged tone, he continued, “Perhaps his mother confessed it to him on her deathbed this summer. At least I hope he found out after he tried to elope with Georgiana. That he wouldn’t have knowingly married his own sister.”
“Dear heavens,” Lizzy cried. “What a thought! Could he be so base?”
“I wish I could get the notion out of my mind. It’s impossible to know the truth. He would never admit it.”
Lizzy held his hand in silence, letting him sort through his emotions.
“The irony is,” he said, “I once loved him like a brother. He has destroyed our friendship so utterly, it’s impossible for me to feel any fraternal ties to him.”
She pressed a kiss to his cheek, the half-day’s growth of whiskers rough against her lips. “Oh, my love, what a dreadful day you’ve had. You need rest. Things will look clearer on the morrow.”
“You’re right, of course.” He let out a heavy sigh. “But I have one more thing to tell you—and it could change everything between us.”
Lizzy froze. What could be so dire? A weight pressed on her chest so she could barely breathe. Was he having second thoughts?
He caressed her fingers with his own. “I believe you know my feelings for you. I want to make you my wife, dearest Elizabeth. But I fear you won’t have me after what I’m about to say.”
Relief flooded her. She squeezed his hands. “Nothing could change my love for you.”
He kissed her knuckles. In a strained voice, he said, “Minnie also claims to be carrying Wickham’s child. The babe might truly be his, or she might be lying. I only know that I cannot allow my niece or nephew to be raised by that cold-hearted, deceitful woman. No child deserves that fate.”
“Oh.” The soft sound escaped Lizzy’s lips without intention. Her mind whirred at his meaning. Until this moment, Darcy’s revelations had affected other people. Now, she would no longer be a bystander. If she understood him correctly, this would change her life forever.
“I’m going to offer to take in the child as my ward,” Darcy confirmed. “I doubt Minnie will refuse me. Could you endure that, my love? Could you help me raise the product of that unholy union?”
Tears burned Lizzy’s eyes. He was the kindest, most generous man she’d ever met. Did he really believe she would reject him for that?
She forced herself to take a moment to consider the consequences of what he had suggested. Could she love the child of two people who had tried to destroy Jane’s life?
If the child shared Darcy’s blood, how could she not love it? If he needed this for his peace of mind, then she couldn’t deny him.
“If that’s what you want,” she said, “then of course I agree. The child is innocent. It should not suffer for the sins of its parents when we can give it a happy home.”
He looked at her in wonder. His Adam’s apple worked. “You’re sure?”
She squeezed his hands, warmth flowing through her. Her love for him was too vast for her heart to hold. There was enough to share with a defenceless child, and more besides.
She swallowed down the knot in her throat. “As sure as I’ve ever been of anything.”
He drew her onto his lap and kissed her deeply. The poor maid outside the door would be shocked if she noticed, but Lizzy didn’t have a thought to spare for that. Instead, she focused on the feel of Darcy’s lips, the gentle insistence as he claimed her.
“Dearest Lizzy,” he murmured. “How can I express my thanks? Heaven blessed me the day I met you. I can’t imagine how I got so lucky.”
She smiled and cupped his face in her palm, stroking the line of his jaw with her thumb. “I’ve never met a kinder, more devoted man than you. You deserve every happiness.”
He trailed kisses along the curve of her ear. “Say you will marry me, Lizzy. Make me the happiest of men.”
“Yes—oh yes, my darling.” She brushed her lips against his, enthralled by his tender touch. “Let us not wait. Can we get a special license?”
He grinned. “I’ve already troubled the archbishop enough, arranging one for the Bingleys. If you and I get a common license, we can be married in a week.”
“I suppose that will do.” She rested her head against his. “I can’t express my gratitude for all you did to restore Jane’s good name. The investigation cost you terribly.”
“I have no regrets. It’s better to have the truth out in the open, than lying hidden like a predator.”
“True.” She interwove their fingers. “We’ll be deliriously happy together.”
“I have no doubts. None, my Lizzy.”
The words dispelled all distance between them. She was his forever, and he was hers. And soon, this trouble would be a distant memory.
∞∞∞
Caroline and Wickham were married with all haste. Wickham wore his regimentals, Caroline a primrose-yellow gown from Bond Street in the latest style. The whole affair looked grand and perfectly respectable.
To Darcy’s eye, the bridal couple appeared surprisingly content. In the course of their dastardly schemes, could they have developed a true affection? Neither of them had achieved what they wanted from their machinations. But perhaps somehow, they’d gained what they needed.
The Wickhams departed the wedding breakfast at Netherfield for their honeymoon. The guests continued the celebration.
Darcy rose from his seat at the dining table and raised his glass. “Friends, I hope you will indulge me.” He felt remarkably stupid as all eyes turned to him. But Lizzy deserved this from him.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” he continued. “To Elizabeth Bennet, who has done me the honour of consenting to be my bride.”
A happy cheer went up from the crowd, followed by the clinking of champagne glasses.
Once the noise died down, Mr. Bennet also rose. “Thank you, friends, for sharing in my family’s good tidings. First, I’d like to welcome Mr. Darcy to the family. No man could be prouder of his sons-in-law than I am.”
He looked from Darcy to Bingley. Then he scanned the room full of celebrants before continuing.
“Second,” Bennet said, “I’ve brought with me today a family heirloom.
It’s the award Queen Anne presented to my great-grandfather to thank him for his service to the crown.
” He held up what appeared to be a bronze medal hanging from a wide blue ribbon, framed and under glass.
“I’m pleased to offer it to Mr. Darcy to thank him for his service to my family. ”
Darcy stood in stunned silence as Mr. Bennet brought the prize to him. Surely it was one of the man’s most valued possessions. Darcy felt unworthy. But he couldn’t argue against the award in front of the gathered company.
So he took the frame and shook Bennet’s hand, honoured by this expression of trust.
When the dancing began, Darcy escorted Lizzy onto the floor. “Did you know of your father’s plan?”
“I suggested we do something to thank you for helping Jane. The medal was his idea. Lydia suggested a ball in your honour, but you will be happy to know I quashed that suggestion.”
“Thank you.” Somehow, the words left him unsatisfied. “But I’m robbing your family of a treasured possession.”
“No. The medal will be handed down through my line rather than Jane’s.”
“It will lose its place of honour at Longbourn.”
“And gain a place of honour at Pemberley. Is that so wrong?”
He considered a moment. Finally, he said, “I suppose not. Our children will be your heirs as much as mine.”
She smiled up at him, so much happiness in her eyes that his chest ached. He could hardly believe their wedding was just days away.
Nothing delayed their nuptials except Lizzy’s new gown. For the sake of simplicity, she’d ordered it from the Meryton dressmaker.
Darcy would treat her to a complete trousseau once they got to London for Christmastide. Her wardrobe was serviceable for a small town, but now she would be the niece of an earl. She must look the part.
He felt a twinge of sadness that the young ladies of the ton so often received the type of education Caroline had. The goal was to make them blandly pleasing. To show nothing of the spirited impudence that had attracted him to Lizzy.
He would make sure Georgiana didn’t shy away from expressing her true self. Nor would any daughters he might have.
With Lizzy, he felt confident of raising girls to be freethinking and self-assured. Girls who grew into young women of discernment and sense, who would go on to marry for love.
Or to not marry at all, if they chose. If Caroline had felt she’d had options other than marriage, she might have put her clever mind to better use.
What he wished for his children, though, was the sort of love he’d found with Lizzy. With her, he was a better man. With him, she could reach her full potential. After the trials they’d endured, he was sure their love could survive anything.
As the guests departed, Darcy and Lizzy sneaked out to the garden in the greying dusk. They found the gazebo where he’d first realised he was falling in love with her. He led her into a nearby copse of fragrant junipers and stole a kiss.
“Are you happy, my love?” he asked.
“Never happier,” she said. “I only wish we could go to Pemberley for our honeymoon.”
He eyed her quizzically. “You don’t wish to spend Christmas at Darcy House?”
“I do. I’m just eager to see my new home.”
“You’ll love it there. We’ll go on walks through the woods and take picnics by the pond—”
“As long as you’re there, I’ll be happy.” She gave him a pert little kiss, then led him back to the house. They were both careful to keep things from getting out of hand. But even that little taste of desire left him eager for their wedding night.