Chapter 10
“What the bloody hell are you doing here, Miss Bennet? And that bloody servant dared to stop me! What is happening here? Georgiana, what is the meaning of this? Why did you open the bloody door?”
As enraged as Wickham was and as much as he swore and bellowed while he stepped further into the room and towards Georgiana — whose panic was now complete and who seemed to shrink and want to disappear — Elizabeth suddenly calmed herself, and her spirit, determination, and strength rose in the face of such an attempt at intimidation.
“Mr Wickham! I might ask what you are doing here. I was all astonishment to hear you had eloped with Miss Darcy when I expected you to propose to Mary King only a month ago! We all waited for the news of your engagement to Mary after you started to pursue her. If I remember correctly, it was soon after she inherited the sum of ten thousand pounds.”
Elizabeth’s boldness petrified Miss Darcy but absolutely shocked Wickham, who blinked and swallowed repeatedly, trying to reply.
“Miss Bennet, you should leave before you make an even greater fool of yourself. I have not yet told Georgiana that you were absolutely smitten with me and hoped for more attention from me, which I refused to give. Now you are emboldened by jealousy and resentment and have come here to ruin our happiness.”
Again, Miss Darcy was the one hurt and suffering the most. With the same calm and a broader smile on her face, Elizabeth responded, “Are you trying to offend and shame me by taunting me with the friendship I showed you, Mr Wickham? Do not bother to do so, I am already disgusted with myself and mortified by my stupidity in trusting you! Yes, I favoured you for a while. That is why I believed your spiteful gossip about Mr Darcy as well as about Miss Darcy! You do remember how ill you spoke of her too, I hope?”
Never expecting such a riposte, Wickham’s audacity deflated, and he was again lost for words.
“This is not…I have not…”
“Of course it is, and you have, Mr Wickham! You seemed charmed by my company too, but that was prior to finding out about Mary King’s inheritance. You even mentioned that, had it not been for Mr Darcy leaving you without the means to support yourself… But you know too well what I mean.”
“I do not know what you mean, and I find this discussion ridiculous! You should leave immediately! You should not have come here in the first place, you have nothing to do with either me or Georgiana!”
“But I do have everything to do with both of you!” Darcy’s voice thundered from the door, and his tall, impressive presence filled the room. Behind him was Mr Gardiner, Tom, and John, all three of them remaining outside the room.
Darcy stepped forward, and after assuring himself with a glance that Elizabeth was unharmed, he stopped inches from Georgiana.
“Dearest, do not be afraid. I am not here to force you in any way. I wish nothing else but to know you are unhurt. Nothing is more important to me than to know you are happy and content.”
“Brother, I am not afraid of you…but I made a decision which will affect our lives and our families regardless. I must keep my word and act so as not to cause even more harm.”
“No, no! I beg you not to make a mistake that will ruin your life! Trust me, I can fix anything. I can remedy any wrong! But knowing you are unhappy would never allow me to be happy either. And knowing you are suffering, I would… No, this does not bear contemplating!”
“Come now, Darcy, this is rather pathetic! All this drama you are trying to paint! We shall marry tomorrow and shall all be happy! I have always been fond of Georgiana, and I would not want a scandal to ruin her reputation! Think of what Lady Catherine would say. Or the earl? Surely you cannot expect her to make a good marriage after that! You will ruin her life with your foolishness and the undeserved grudge you hold against me! You and Miss Bennet here. By the way, it is strange how Miss Bennet used to despise you and suddenly she is your best friend! Pemberley has such an impact on women!” he concluded sarcastically.
Darcy’s jaw tightened and his fists clenched, turning his knuckles white.
“Wickham, shut up! Do not tempt me to act as I should have years ago. Do not force me to remove that grin from your face! You have the insolence to threaten us with a scandal? Would you spread gossip about her as you did with me? As a sign of gratitude for your godfather’s generosity and affection for his daughter? ”
“Brother, please…” Miss Darcy begged, looking desperately from one man to the other. “I am sure George would not…”
“He would, my dear! And he will!” Darcy replied, so angrily that the girl took a step back. “He would do anything for his personal gain or interest, regardless of who might be hurt!”
“George?” the girl turned to him, trembling with distress.
“Georgiana, we made a plan together, and we should respect it. If we do, all will be well.” He tried to soften his voice for her sake but failed, and the menacing implications were not missed. “If not, I shall be hurt, and I cannot be held responsible for my actions!”
With Miss Darcy almost out of strength, with Darcy barely controlling his hot fury, and with Wickham wearing another self-confident grin, Elizabeth interjected coldly, “I am afraid this is all a big misunderstanding, and I would be happy to clarify it, if you will allow me? My uncle Gardiner had some business here in the North, and Mr Darcy was so kind as to assist him. Miss Darcy and I accompanied them, as neither of us had seen this part of the country, and we both wanted to strengthen our friendship after our recent acquaintance at Pemberley. On our journey, we unexpectedly met Mr Wickham, who is known to all of us and who is probably looking for a new commission here in the North—”
Her unexpected words seemed to make no sense and the confusion was universal.
“What?” Wickham interrupted, but Elizabeth continued with equal calmness.
“Yes…I am reasonably sure that the events of the last few days have provided you with enough money to purchase a new commission, and we wish you good luck with your endeavour. In the meantime, my uncle has concluded his affairs, so tomorrow we will all return to Pemberley. All four of us! Until then, Miss Darcy and I shall bid you goodbye and return to our inn, as we are very tired. John and Tom will, of course, escort us. You gentlemen may stay longer and conclude your conversation.”
As everyone in the room started to understand Elizabeth’s story’s larger meaning, they each contemplated the outcome, so when she finished speaking, silence enveloped the room for a few minutes.
“You have lost your mind, Miss Bennet! Nobody will believe such a fabrication! You cannot avoid the scandal this way!”
Darcy was ready to react to the offence by force, but Elizabeth continued.
“Indeed? You plan then to contradict me and tell people another story? What would that be? That you planned to elope with Miss Darcy, a young heiress of sixteen years of age who has been like a little sister to you, after you have already tried to elope twice before, with other young ladies, whose fathers were close to shooting you?”
Silent, seethingly angry but powerless, seeing his carefully laid plans crumble, defeated with his own weapons, Wickham’s face expressed a mixture of feelings, with fear more prominent now among them.
With tears rolling down her face, Miss Darcy looked at Wickham without him returning the glance. Then the girl turned to Darcy, whispering, “Brother, are you certain I can change my mind? Can I return home?”
His expression softened and brightened in an instant. “I am not just certain, my dear. It is the answer to all my prayers and hopes.”
The girl nodded, stood tall, then gathered her strength to bid her goodbye, as though she was leaving a drawing room after a call.
“Miss Bennet is right. I find I am very tired. I would rather return with her to the inn. After all, tomorrow we shall travel back home.”
Elizabeth gently took the girl’s hand. It was cold and weak and trembled slightly, but Elizabeth supported and guided her out the room. In the hall, Mr Gardiner, Tom, and John had been watching silently. After they exited, Mr Gardiner stepped inside.
Before the door closed behind him, Elizabeth caught a glimpse of Darcy’s gaze full of emotion following her. Gratitude, admiration, and some other feelings made his stare even darker and deeper — yet so warm and tender.