Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Jane smiled and gestured for them to make their way into the parlor. “You have been advising anybody who will listen to become more wicked and mischievous, Lizzy.”
Relief and chagrin rendered Elizabeth speechless as Lydia led her by the hand to join Miss Darcy on the sofa, across from Lady Matilda, the viscount, and Mrs. Gardiner.
It seemed Lydia had swiftly acquired a new friend in Georgiana, for they linked their arms as they sat together – given what Elizabeth had just discovered a half hour ago, she could imagine one thing they had in common.
“What happened… with Mr. Wickham?”
“La, Lizzy, you will never believe it! He is really quite an infamous villain!”
“I believe it already,” Elizabeth drawled, turning to the rational adults in the room for a better explanation.
“Mr. Darcy sprang into action as soon as you were safely in bed yesterday,” Mrs. Gardiner said. She discreetly withdrew her hand from the viscount’s, and Elizabeth began to wonder if she was still asleep, and having the most remarkable dream of her life.
“You know of his history with the cad, I trust,” the viscount observed.
“I heard Mr. Wickham’s versions of events first, and took his account for truth until very recently,” Elizabeth said.
“He was brought up on charges in the Meryton regiment and sent to London to await the assizes. He escaped his captors, and my brother Richard has had men scouring London for him ever since. About a week ago, we received information from one of Richard’s friends in a position of intelligence for the army; he was seen in Hampshire, near the estate of his former commander, Forster.
Apparently, he had a relationship with Mrs. Forster when they were in Hertfordshire, which he wished to continue. ”
“But then he decided he liked me better,” Lydia said. “Of course, it was only because he heard of our new fortune at the Christmas party. Imagine that, Lizzy! I am wounded – as if I were no better than Mary King, that nasty, freckled ninny.”
“Lydia,” their aunt admonished. “Remember what we spoke of.”
“Oh, yes. Well, I thought it a great lark to go away with him and prove to Harriet that I am a hundred times prettier….”
“Lydia!” Mrs. Gardiner grew more severe, and her youngest niece shrank back against the sofa.
“When Darcy saw your letter, Miss Elizabeth, he felt responsible; he has known Wickham all his life, and this is not the first time he has been obliged to step in. He told me that he blamed himself, for he did not make Wickham’s character known in Hertfordshire.
If he had warned the good people of Meryton, surely Miss Lydia would never have given him a moment’s notice. ”
The viscount gave her sister far too much credit, but Elizabeth smiled gratefully at him. “And since yesterday, you were able to recover her?”
“Darcy managed everything. He asked our contacts to scour London in search of them, while we rode south, thinking to intercept them on the road if they had not reached town yet.”
“Had they not? Surely for word to reach Longbourn of their disappearance, and then news of it to be sent here….”
“Pure luck, to own the truth,” the viscount said. “We found them at a coaching inn just south of London.”
“At an inn? Lydia, you did not… please tell me he did not….”
Lydia pursed her lips and blew. “He wishes! He tried to… you know – well, you might imagine… but….” Lydia wrang her hands in her lap and Georgiana murmured gentle words of encouragement.
“I thought I should like to… oblige him. But when the moment came, suddenly I was frightened. I remembered what Harriet told me of her marital duties, and a method of avoiding them. So, I pretended to only want some liquid courage, but I really only drank enough to make Mr. Wickham drink with me, and he had plenty. Finally he fell asleep, and I… I made our clothing very untidy. In the morning I told him that he had… gotten what he wanted. And I was right, for he was glad to have ruined me!”
Lydia burst into tears, as bold in her shame as she was in moments of confidence. Elizabeth was moved by her sister’s courage, both in how she had acted, and how she spoke for herself. “I am proud of you, dearest. That was very clever.”
“It was,” Georgiana agreed. “I wish I possessed such tenacity.”
Lydia wiped away her tears on her sleeves and then pressed Georgiana’s hand in hers. “Oh, my poor, wounded friend!”
“Georgie accompanied us in the carriage,” the viscount explained.
“We were well armed to protect her from any danger, and Darcy thought that if we were fortunate enough to recover Lydia, we could make up a story that we had collected her from her friends to bring her to London. Georgiana lent the scheme complete respectability.”
“I was terrified the entire time,” Georgiana sighed. “But it was worth it to be of use, and when I heard of Lydia’s courage….”
“And when I heard what you had suffered,” Lydia wailed, throwing her arms around Georgiana.
Thinking of what she had read in Elinor’s letter, of Mr. Wickham seducing a young lady of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s acquaintance, Elizabeth sucked in a sharp breath.
If it had been Mr. Darcy’s own sister who Mr. Wickham had tried to elope with for her fortune, this could only deepen Elizabeth’s regret for how she had spoken to him yesterday.
Indeed, she had several times, over the course of their acquaintance, made barbs to Mr. Darcy about Mr. Wickham’s plight.
“I have been an awful, boorish fool, that I ever believed that man,” she cried.
“Come, now, Lizzy,” Jane said gently. “You have been wrong about some others I could name.”
A smile tugged at Jane’s lips, and again Mr. Willoughby winked at Elizabeth. She smiled back at him. “I owe you an apology, too, sir.”
Mrs. Hatchard smiled diplomatically. “I think we can all agree to forget the less pleasant events of the past few days, and never speak of them again. Why should we? There are many happier topics of great interest at present. We might look forward to a wedding or two… or three?”
Mrs. Gardiner coughed. “And I hear the Dashwoods have had the shock of their lives! Norland Park has been restored to them.”
Elizabeth raised her brows in astonishment, but she made no comment.
It occurred to her that her father was not here, nor was Mr. Darcy.
And then she heard a distinctly sardonic laugh in the distance, and her head turned in the direction of the open doorway.
Across the hall, another door opened, and her father emerged from Mrs. Jennings’s seldom-used study.
He was laughing still as he turned to clap Mr. Darcy on the shoulder.
As her companions began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves, Elizabeth stood, paying their chatter no heed. And then she rushed forward, uncertain to whom she was hastening. But her father opened his arms to embrace her, laughing heartily.
“Well, Lizzy, how very clever of you to sleep through the excitement. Just what I would have preferred to do myself, but here I am. I have come to London, which your mother would rather do, but I despise – and she is keeping to her rooms, which I should rather do, and is not at all her custom!”
“Despise it all you like, I am glad that you are here,” she chided him.
“Yes, well, if I wanted to be perfectly useless, I might have stayed home, but to see you and your sister Jane so well recovered is a comfort, indeed. And you have made some very tolerable friends, my dear.” Mr. Bennet chuckled, glancing back at Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth looked over at him; Mr. Darcy was staring at her intently, as he had ever done at Netherfield.
She had the sudden recollection of him in the very room the day before, telling her that he had loved her even then, when she believed he looked at her only to find fault.
But could he love her now, after she had abused him so foolishly?
He stepped toward her and bowed. “Good morning, Miss Elizabeth. I trust you are recovered?”
“From everything but the shame of my folly,” she said softly.
His lips twitched into a smile, and he spoke to her in the same low voice as she had done. “Then I suppose you would not wish me to tell you that I found your obstinate refusal to rest yourself bewilderingly beguiling?”
“And here I had thought you the rare gentleman who does not prefer a foolish woman to a sensible one.”
“I prefer the rare lady who chooses sensibly when to indulge in folly.”
Elizabeth grinned. “Your teasing is much improved, sir.”
He smiled again, this time in earnest. “And has your opinion of me improved?”
“Yes. Several times, in fact.” Elizabeth bit her lip, gazing nervously about the crowded room. She wished to say a great deal more to him, but the merriment around them had reached an overpowering level.
Mr. Darcy cleared his throat and looked to his relations as if in want of rescue.
Naturally, he was met with cheerful defiance.
But Mr. Willoughby rose and called them all to order, declaring it a fine day for everyone to walk out of doors.
To Elizabeth’s immense relief, this scheme was met with unanimous approval.
Mr. Willoughby offered Jane his arm, and as the pair passed by Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet observed, “Mind how you go, eh, son? It would not do for you to land in the snow on your backside again.” He gave a great guffaw and winked at Elizabeth before following the others out of the room.
Mr. Darcy was laughing huskily at this, and Elizabeth’s eyes went wide with mortification that he should understand the jest. Indeed, that he should be so well amused by her father’s acerbic antics was equally alarming and enchanting.
When they were at last alone together, Elizabeth grew anxious.
“I must apologize for my behavior yesterday. The way that I spoke to you was utterly unpardonable. I was exhausted and quite overcome with panic for my sisters, but that is no proper excuse for my churlishness. Indeed, I have been entirely boorish since I have come to London, quarreling with every man I meet. I am heartily sorry for it.”
“Elizabeth, I do not care who you quarrel with, so long as we are in accord.”
She sucked in a sharp breath as he spoke her name. “And are you not cross with me?”
“Is that what you wish?”
Tears pricked at Elizabeth’s eyes. “No! But you have been too generous, and I fear I have not deserved it. What you did for Lydia, after I… well, I confess I scarcely remember, but I am sure it was unpleasant. I did not mean a word of it.”
Mr. Darcy moved closer to her. “Did you mean it when you said you love me?”
A breathy laugh escaped her lips as she peered up at him. “I said that?”
“You did. You also accused me of thinking you fickle in your affections. But the day before that, you called me handsome, which I should like to hear oft repeated if you mean to amend your cruelty.”
Her heart beat faster in her chest, and she dared a step toward him. “And what did you say?”
“I can tell you only what I might have said, had you been of sound mind.” Mr. Darcy reached for her hand, and slowly brought it to his lips, which brushed against her bare fingers.
His dark eyes remained fixed on her as he kissed her hand a second time and then released it to brush a stray wisp of hair from her face.
Elizabeth unconsciously licked her lips as she stared up at him. “It is only fair, since I have told you the deepest secrets of my heart.”
He cupped her face in his hands and softly kissed her forehead, making a trail of gentle kisses until his mouth was inches from her ear. And then he whispered, “I think you handsome, too, my darling. And I love you, Elizabeth, most ardently.”
Another fleeting memory of the previous day drifted through her mind. “You have loved me since Hertfordshire.”
“I have worshipped you since Hertfordshire,” he growled. “Not a single day has passed that I have not thought of you, wanted you.”
“Then we must marry,” she said, and then swiftly brought a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear – you were meant to say that, and I have spoiled it a second time.”
He gaped at her for a moment and then smiled broadly. “I accept your proposal, my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, though it was rather a command. Oh, but I am entirely at your command, and ever shall be.”
“I hardly know if I am to be trusted with such power,” she laughed. She reached for his hand, but he moved faster.
“I am hardly to be trusted,” he murmured before taking her in his arms and kissing her deeply.
Relief and elation coursed through her, and then, passion.
She stood up on her toes and arched herself against him, clinging to his shoulders, and he drew her closer still, his kiss growing bolder and wilder.
They began to stagger about the room in an amorous tangle as he ran one hand up her shoulders and into her hair, while the other held firmly to the small of her back.
Elizabeth let her own hands move upward until her arms curled about his neck, and her feet left the ground as she felt herself pressed against the wall with a soft thump.
A picture fell, bumping the top of her head before Mr. Darcy swatted it away and continued to kiss her senseless, laughing a little as his lips crushed against hers.
When finally they broke apart, each gasping for air, Elizabeth gazed up at him in wonder. “I have always thought you handsome, you know. I am glad you have finally come to your senses and returned the compliment.”
He gave a throaty chuckle before kissing her again. Elizabeth had never been so well-rewarded for her impudence, but with such an inducement as this, she was resolved to be forever impertinent to her husband.