Chapter 1.9 #2
“I am sure it cannot be more improper — nor more unpleasant — than the time you spent with Darcy,” he said.
“Perhaps; except that my encounter with Mr. Darcy was forced by circumstances beyond our control. May I be of some help to you?”
“Yes. We must clarify our last conversation. I am not sure what Darcy told you, but I wish to know I can trust your secrecy. I hope no nasty rumours will be spread among my colleagues or the people of Meryton, to hurt my reputation and my career.”
Elizabeth felt the ire growing inside her.
“Excuse me? Are you accusing me of spreading rumours about you? Are you not the one who readily shared your past dealings with Mr. Darcy and spread rumours about him?”
“The situation is different…”
“How is that? I understand you worry about some details that might threaten your reputation, but you did not seem concerned about your claims hurting Mr. Darcy’s reputation or the name of your late godfather!”
“I must laugh now, Miss Bennet! Your sudden interest in Darcy and his name is so opposite to your opinion of him only days ago. Or perhaps you planned to compromise him and force him to marry you — as some people in Meryton suspect!”
“How dare you! Do you have no common sense, no shame? Your insolence is very different from what you let everybody believe about you, and I cannot laugh about it! I shall not waste a single moment with you!”
Breathless with anger, trembling with barely repressed fury, she turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm and forcibly stopped her.
“We have not finished our discussion yet and you will listen to me!”
“Unhand me immediately!”
“I will, as soon as I have finished! There are things you are not aware of, Miss Bennet! Did Darcy tell you about my relationship with his sister? That might be of interest to many, I am sure.”
“He did not! But you told me you had not seen Miss Darcy in many years and that she had grown up to be very proud and arrogant! Was that another gross lie too? What sort of relationship could you possibly have with your godfather’s daughter, who is still a child?”
“You complain about my lies, but you were very eager and pleased to listen to them! If we had met privately a few days ago, I am sure you would have enjoyed my company exceedingly!”
“You have much more impertinence than honour, Mr. Wickham, and I am ashamed of myself for calling you a friend!” she shouted, spitefully.
“Just so you know, Mr. Darcy told me little, except for suggesting that I ask you for evidence of your claims. It was you who revealed your true character and disclosed your own lies and deceptions, which proves that your insolence is greater than your wit! Now leave me; I hope to not see you again anytime soon!”
She tried to pull her arm from his grip but he held her even more tightly, grabbing her other arm too.
Fighting to escape from him, she pushed him forcefully, demanding that he release her.
Finally, she freed one of her arms and pushed him again, but in doing so, her foot slipped and she fell down.
Since he was still holding her tightly, he fell with her and they rolled together down through the woods towards the stream.
At the edge of it, she managed to grab a branch to stop herself falling.
She screamed for help, although she knew there was no one around to hear her.
As Wickham tried to rise from the ground, a booming voice fell like thunder, shaking their surroundings.
“Wickham, move away from her if you want to live!”
With amazement, barely supporting herself to not fall into the stream, Elizabeth saw Darcy hurrying down the hill. He was by her side within moments and lifted her, placing her next to a large tree.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, and she whispered that she was not, still trembling.
Then he turned to Wickham, who was still trying to stand up and to get away.
His feet betrayed him and he kept slipping back down until Darcy grabbed his coat and hauled him up.
While she tried to support herself, Elizabeth watched the two men; she barely noticed Darcy’s fist flying, but she saw Wickham fall to the ground.
“Thomas, come down,” Darcy shouted, and a man appeared and moved towards them.
“Help me tie up this sorry excuse for a man and carry him up to the main road. Then go and fetch Colonel Forster but stop at Longbourn first. Ask Mr. Bennet in complete discretion to come here with the carriage and take Miss Bennet home. Tell him not to worry, she is unharmed but has suffered a small accident.”
The servant nodded. Elizabeth watched the entire scene mesmerised, holding the tree tightly.
Wickham was slowly recovering and mumbled something, while his hands were tied behind his back with Darcy’s neck cloth.
Then he was almost carried to the main road and tied up again with the sleeves of his own coat.
After the servant left, Darcy returned to Elizabeth.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Come, let us go up to the road,” he whispered. She took hold of his arm, stepping hesitantly. At the main road, she withdrew from him, glaring at Wickham.
“Darcy, have you lost your mind? Why are you doing this to me? You have no right to do this! I have done nothing wrong, it was a mere accident! I did not hurt her! I only wished to talk to her and we fell! I was just as hurt as she was and we almost died, both of us!”
Darcy ignored him completely, turning his back on him and focusing all his attention on Elizabeth.
“Miss Bennet, are you harmed? Did he hurt you?” he asked again in a low voice.
“No…” she whispered. “Probably for once in his life he is telling the truth. He did not hurt me, but he grabbed me and refused to let me leave. That is how we fell…”
Darcy glared at Wickham, who averted his eyes.
“You should go inside the cottage until your father arrives; I will light the fire for you.”
“No, there is no need. I think I can walk home by myself. But, Mr. Darcy, why were you here?”
“Since the weather was fine, I came with Thomas to fetch my dirty clothes. I intended to send him on to Longbourn with yours. We were in the cottage when we heard voices and I saw you. I feared you were hurt…”
“I came for my clothes too,” she confessed. “Mr. Wickham surprised me here; he came to convince me to keep the secret about him. A secret I do not even know! I was such a fool…”
“Do not worry about him now. You cannot possibly go home alone, we will wait for your father; considering the circumstances, he must know what happened.”
She nodded, then he took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders, despite her opposition.
“Darcy, this is ridiculous. How long will you keep me here?” Wickham shouted.
“Until the colonel and Mr. Bennet arrive. They will decide what to do with you,” Darcy finally favoured him with an answer.
“Do with me?” Wickham laughed jeeringly. “What is there to decide? Mr. Bennet can force me to marry Miss Bennet if he considers I have ruined her reputation. Worse things could certainly happen!”
Darcy took a deep breath to steady his composure.
“I doubt marriage is what you should expect, Wickham. I will tell Colonel Forster all he needs to know about you, so he knows who he is keeping in his regiment. And then, if Mr. Bennet does not request otherwise, I will accuse you of assaulting Miss Bennet and throw you into prison.”
Wickham was stunned and silent, looking at Darcy incredulously, then his laughter sounded again.
“How will you do that, since you know that it is not true? Surely you will not lie in front of a judge. Even Miss Bennet confirmed I told the truth.”
Darcy rubbed his jaw. “I do not know what the truth is, Wickham. I can testify, in all honesty, what I witnessed: you falling with Miss Bennet and her screaming for help. That would be sufficient proof to keep you in prison for at least a month.”
Wickham’s mouth opened in disbelief and the first signs of fright and despair appeared on his face.
“You must be joking, Darcy! You cannot do that!”
“I assure you, I am more serious than I have been in a long time,” he replied calmly.
“But why? I have done nothing wrong!”
“Why? For all your deception and lies. For your slander against me, for taking advantage of my father’s kindness, for your attempt to elope with Georgiana — yes, I trust Miss Bennet enough to admit that.
And mostly because you are a nuisance and I have had enough of you.
You have long deserved punishment and the time for it has arrived. ”
“If you do that, I will tell everyone about Georgiana! I will ruin her reputation and your name forever! And I will tell everyone that Miss Bennet asked me to come here, for a private meeting in the cottage! Everybody knows her partiality towards me!”
Elizabeth gasped with indignation and attempted to refute the accusations but Darcy stepped towards Wickham and, standing in front of him, tall and menacing, he spoke with a frightening calmness.
“Yes, you could say all that; it would be your word against mine. And you have just proved to me why you deserve to be thrown in prison: you are not even clever enough to understand that your only chance and your entire life depends on my disposition. You should beg Miss Bennet’s forgiveness, as well as her father’s.
You should mind your words — even your breath — in my presence, hoping and praying that I will take pity on you and drop the charges against you sooner rather than later.
You should remember that last summer I told you my patience was at an end — and now it is time for you to bear the consequences! ”
“But…but…this is nothing but revenge!” Wickham cried.
A smile appeared on Darcy’s lips as he answered.
“Of course it is. And I am quite enjoying it.”
As a silent and dumbfounded witness to the scene, mesmerised, Elizabeth watched this new side of both men, astonished by the secrets unfolding in front of her.
Wickham had attempted to elope with Miss Darcy? How could that have happened? And Darcy trusted her so much as to confess such a painful happenstance?
Sitting on the ground, tied to the tree, torn between anger and fear, insolence and humbleness, Wickham looked the very image of a dishonourable man.
Next to him, standing, Darcy looked frightening even to Elizabeth, proving what he had once told her — that his character was resentful at times and that his good opinion once lost, was lost forever.
Then Darcy turned to her; her gaze met and locked with his and the smile returned to his lips.
With equal amazement, she noticed dimples appearing in his cheeks and a glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes.