Chapter 16
Until she spoke to Jane and Mary, Elizabeth had been feeling righteous anger and disgust at Mr Darcy. Mr Wickham had confirmed every negative thought she had ever had about the hateful man from Derbyshire. But there had been so much more. She had never imagined Mr Darcy so dishonourable and cruel.
Once the three eldest Bennet sisters had prepared and were ready for bed the night of the card party, they met in Jane’s bedchamber.
Elizabeth took pleasure in regaling her sisters with what she had been told about Mr Darcy which she believed proved her bad opinion of him. As she related what Mr Wickham had told her, she was disappointed that she did not detect any outrage directed at Mr Darcy in her sisters’ looks.
“Lizzy, this must be a misunderstanding,” Jane asserted. “Mr Bingley is such an amiable man, he would not be Mr Darcy’s friend if he was as dishonourable as you paint him now.”
“It was not my story, but Mr Wickham’s,” Elizabeth defended petulantly.
“Do you think Mr Darcy would share such conduct with his friend? From what I could tell during our sojourn at Netherfield Park, Mr Bingley defers to Mr Darcy in all things, so even if he knew, he would not speak against Mr Darcy. And as Mr Wickham intimated, Mr Darcy looks favourably on those of wealth.” She knew she had changed what Mr Wickham said, but that was what he meant, was it not?
“And what of Uncle Adam?” Mary challenged. “He has known Mr Darcy since they were young boys. You know how moral our uncle is, and he lives in Derbyshire. Not only that, he has two livings which were in Mr Darcy’s gift, and he has never been wealthy.”
For a moment, Elizabeth was silent. What Mary said gave her pause.
“I will write to Aunt Maddie in a few days, I am sure she will be able to have Uncle Adam testify to the truth of Mr Wickham’s assertions.
” As she said the words, she felt some trepidation.
What if Uncle Adam did not support Mr Wickham’s side?
Elizabeth pushed the thought out of her consciousness.
She was certain that with her intelligence she would not have believed a tale that was not true.
She had seen the honesty in Mr Wickham’s countenance.
Besides, her sketching of characters was impeccable. The words in Aunt Maddie’s letter about not knowing all the facts swam before her eyes, but Elizabeth dismissed them. She was confident in her judgements.
That her sisters—even Jane—seemed to disagree with her, soured the sisterly chat for her, so she soon made an excuse and left the room.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy was in a quandary about what, if anything, to do about Wickham.
He held close to three thousand pounds of the miscreant’s debts.
That was more than enough to see the bastard locked away in debtor’s prison for more years than he would live.
The thought gave him pleasure, but could he chance Anna’s reputation and use them? No, he could not take that risk.
He had heard that the libertine had accepted a commission in the Derbyshire Militia.
Darcy knew that especially knowing the miscreant was in the militia, he should contact Richard and tell him where Wicky could be found.
He decided against doing so, telling himself it was because he was fearful that Richard would run Wickham through—not that the removal of that blight on society would be a bad thing.
His concern was that Richard would be arrested for murder and at worst hung, or at best, transported.
His conscience whispered that it was not for him to make such a decision for his cousin, but like he had about apologising for his words at the assembly, he ignored the thought.
He had a much bigger problem, and that was his infatuation with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
He had thought that as soon as she left the house, and he could no longer see her or smell her light lavender scent, he would forget about her.
That had not happened, which had led to his fury when he had seen her speaking to Wickham.
Again, his inconvenient conscience intruded. ‘What if your enemy hurts Miss Elizabeth or one she loves, and you have done nothing to warn her?’ it asked.
“I cannot!” Darcy lamented aloud to the walls of his chamber. “The Bennet sisters will be safe; they have no fortune to tempt him.” As soon as he said the words, he knew they were not true.
Wickham was a seducer and being the daughters of a gentleman would not deter him.
Darcy was supporting three women who had born Wickham’s bastards, and one of them had claimed he had not taken no for an answer and had raped her.
Knowing that women were seldom, if ever, believed when they claimed they were forced to have relations with a man, the woman in question had refused to report what had occurred to the magistrate.
Although he knew not all of the facts, Lambert had told him of a young lady Wicky had seduced and left her high in the belly. She had died in childbirth.
Even knowing all of this, Darcy could not bring himself to act against the wastrel. It was a comfort to know the two younger Bennet sisters, who were from what he had learnt, in the age range Wickham preferred, were not out. At least, that would keep them safe.
In an attempt to quiet his conscience, Darcy downed two tumblers of brandy, each one with two fingers of the amber liquor rather than the single one finger he normally sipped some evenings.
As soon as Carstens helped prepare him for the night, he was in bed. With the aid of the spirits, he was soon asleep.
Unfortunately the drink did not stop the dreams. Miss Elizabeth visited him in his illusion, but soon the pleasant vision changed to one of Wickham tearing her clothing off and preparing to force her to lie with him.
Darcy woke up in a cold sweat. He slept very little for the rest of that night.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It began to rain the day after the card party. Elizabeth lamented the rain because it stole her ability to take a long ramble, and kept her trapped in the house with Mr Collins.
The latter would not leave her be. He would sit next to her and spew his nonsensical maunderings about his home, patroness, and anything else which entered his head.
He spewed an endless stream—of what he considered—pretty compliments which were anything but complimentary.
The hints about how she would be honoured by Lady Catherine’s attentions—he had evidently pushed her words about her from his tiny brain—and how she would be so very fortunate to be mistress of his home never ceased.
It soon became too much, and Elizabeth sprang up from the armchair where she had been seated—he had moved a chair so he could sit uncomfortably close to her—and made for the door.
“Where are you going, Miss Lizzy?” Fanny demanded. “You will remain and entertain Mr Collins.”
Elizabeth ignored her mother and made for the study. She entered when her father answered her knock. “Papa, you know that Mama is pushing Mr Collins at me. You also know I will never accept him. Please order him to desist. I do not have a minute’s peace in my own home.”
“Come now, Lizzy, you have enough wit to parry anything he says,” Bennet said as he leaned back in his chair and linked his hands over his belly. “He is harmless, and besides, I find his inept attempts at courtship most diverting.”
“Papa, am I to suffer for your amusement?” Elizabeth demanded. She came close to stamping her foot as Lydia was wont to do.
“If it is truly so offensive to you, then while it rains, spend as much time as you are able where he is not. You may read in here, spend time in your bedchamber, or in one of your sisters’.”
“But why will you not tell him to desist, so I need not hide away in my own house?” Elizabeth pushed.
“It is not needed,” Bennet asserted.
“Even if you order it, I will never marry that insufferable, idiotic bore.”
“Come now, Lizzy, you must know I would never try to force any of you to marry where you have no inclination.”
“And if Mama orders me back to the drawing room?” Elizabeth questioned.
“Send your mother to me if she does so. Now you may remain if you choose, but enough discussion. I want to return to this book.”
Elizabeth took a book by John Donne off the shelf nearest to her. She had not looked at the title when she removed it. She did so when she opened the cover, and could not help but give a wry smile. She had unwittingly chosen Death Be Not Proud, which she supposed fit with her dark mood.
For the days of rain, between her own chambers and time spent in her father’s study, Elizabeth only saw Mr Collins at mealtimes. There, for her father’s amusement, she had to tolerate his attempts to woo her.
Fanny Bennet had been greatly vexed when on the first day of the rain, she had come to demand that Elizabeth return to the drawing room.
Her husband refused to gratify her, and worse, ordered her to leave Lizzy be when she chose not to be in the drawing room.
Fanny had thought herself most clever when she had sent Mr Collins to the study.
The man had returned after his disobliging cousin had told him he was not welcome, and further, if any of his daughters chose to spend time in their chambers, he was forbidden from importuning them there.
Even with the many days of rain, which only ceased on the Sunday before the Netherfield Park ball, which was to be held on the final Tuesday in November, Elizabeth had not plucked up the courage to write to Aunt Maddie. She had a feeling she would not like the reply.
After reminding herself about her claim that her courage always rose when she felt intimidated, on Sunday evening she sat at the escritoire in her room and wrote the letter. It would be posted in the morning on the morrow, the day before the ball.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Tuesday, the post was delivered to the Gardiners’ house a little before Gardiner arrived home for the midday meal.