Vol 1, Chapter 14
The morning that the four Bennets - the parents and their two youngest children - were to return to Longbourn, Bennet and his wife asked the two eldest daughters to meet them in the sitting room attached to their suite.
“Your father and I want to share some information with you, a few items actually. Lizzy, you remember I said although it was not an excuse for Mr. Darcy’s behaviour, that there may have been pressures we were not aware of?” Priscilla asked.
“I remember, Mama, and I was trying to let it go, but he tried to interfere with Jane’s courtship,” Elizabeth returned irritably.
“When I met with Lord Matlock yesterday, he shared the following with me and authorised me to inform you, so long as you are able to promise you will repeat what I am about to tell you to no one,” Bennet said, satisfied when both swore they would not repeat what they were told to any living soul.
Bennet proceeded to tell them what had been related to him about Wickham’s interactions with Darcy and his attempt at Ramsgate.
Neither parent was surprised when their compassionate daughters quietly cried for the pain Georgiana Darcy had experienced at Wickham’s hand, though they had not met the young lady.
“I did not trust that man, but I never imagined him so bad!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“That is one of the additional things we needed to share with you. He will never be able to hurt Miss Darcy or anyone else ever again,” Priscilla assured her outraged daughters. “Andrew and Richard had him thrown into Marshalsea. His stay there will be a lifetime in duration.”
“How would any of us have reacted, given everything Mr. Darcy has been through? No, Lizzy,” Bennet said when his second daughter attempted to speak.
“It of course does not excuse his being rude or the improper pride he exhibited. It does, however, allow us to understand what led to that behaviour. His uncle says the same, that as a gentleman he should have behaved better,” Bennet stated.
“All we are asking of you is if or when Mr. Darcy apologises, that you will be open to hearing him, Lizzy. Your father tells me the Earl related that in the meeting with his nephew, before the Darcys’ departure for Derbyshire, he saw understanding and acknowledgement of wrongdoing from Mr. Darcy.
Evidently, the man was genuinely contrite.
He began to examine his own behaviour with a critical eye.
“Lizzy, your father and I expect from you the same as we do any of our children, and that is that you keep an open mind next time you are in company with the man. Do not forget, he knows not the truth of our situation. If he approaches us beforehand to make his contrition known, that will be very telling. It would mean he is more like Andrew and less like his Aunt Catherine,” Priscilla added, directing her comment the younger of the two.
“How I react when I next see him, I do not know, but this I can promise you all. I will keep an open mind, and if he is genuine in his contrition? Who knows, we may even become indifferent acquaintances,” Elizabeth smiled.
“That is all we ask of you, Elizabeth,” her father affirmed.
“It is good that the neighbourhood is rid of that terrible man, Mr. Wickham,” Jane opined. “So much evil wrapped up in one man.”
It was not long after that the four Bennets took their leave of the family; it would not be a long separation as they would all be together at Broadhurst in ten days.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“What does Richard’s letter tell?” Georgiana Darcy asked her brother.
Brother and sister, along with Georgiana’s companion, were in Pemberley’s music room, where Georgiana had been entertaining her brother, when the missive was delivered.
“He has done what I should have after Ramsgate,” Darcy informed his sister without dismissing her companion, as Mrs. Annesley was fully aware of what had occurred the past summer.
“What do you mean, William?” Georgiana asked.
“Wickham will never be able to harm another, for Richard and Andrew have had him thrown into Marshalsea. You remember I told you he was a member of the Derbyshire Militia quartered in Meryton near the Bennets’ home and the one Bingley used to lease?” Darcy reminded his sister.
“Yes, but please tell me he has not hurt another, especially not one of the Miss Bennets?” Georgiana responded with concern.
“No Gigi, he was not able to hurt anyone in the area. Evidently, he told his lies about both of us to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and she did not believe a word of it. When the families met in London, Mr. Bennet told our family that Wickham was in Meryton and all about his attempts to ply his normal trade, which were roundly rebuffed. It is another mark against my character, Gigi. I cared more about keeping our private information private than I did the protection of the innocents from that wastrel,” Darcy berated himself.
“He was not able to harm anyone, you said? I would love to meet Miss Elizabeth, as she was not taken in by him at all. If only I had been so discerning.” As happened still, though more rarely, Georgiana became maudlin as she remembered how she had been fooled by Wickham.
“Gigi, you were but fifteen at the time, and I wrongheadedly thought I was protecting your sensibilities by not telling you the truth about him. Miss Elizabeth is five years older than you were and did not remember him fondly from her childhood. If anyone should feel guilt it is me. Out of a warped sense of duty to father, I never told him what his godson had become, and because of it, I cleaned up after the man for far too long,” a melancholy Darcy relayed.
“When I was at my lowest, did not all of you tell me there was naught I could do to change the past, William?” Georgiana asked, not surprised when Darcy nodded.
“I suggest you take your own advice; learn from your mistakes and look to the future. Remember what Mrs. Annesley told me—if we do not learn from our errors, we are doomed to repeat them,” Georgiana told her brother firmly.
“I am in awe of how wise and strong you are, baby sister,” Darcy smiled for the first time since the conversation began.
“William, may I accompany you to Rosings this Easter?” Georgiana asked changing the subject.
“Gigi, are you sure you want to face the dragon?” His sister had never been willing to accompany him and Richard before as she was terrified of their aunt who she called the old dragon.
“Yes I am, William; I desire to see Anne again. It has been far too long, and I cannot hide from Aunt Catherine all of my life. If you can face your demons, I can face the dragon,” Georgiana claimed encouragingly.
Darcy was pleased with the maturity and poise his sister displayed. Richard would be at Rosings park as well, so Gigi would have both her guardians to protect her if needs be.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Did I not tell you to betroth yourself to the oldest of the Bennet daughters?” Lady Catherine demanded in her imperious manner once Collins had proudly reported that he had obeyed her by returning a betrothed man.
“Their father refused me permission to approach any of my fair cousins, your beneficence,” Collins bowed low for the fourth time since being admitted to the great lady’s presence.
“Well, in that case, I suppose I can forgive you for your not following my orders to the letter, but do not let it happen again. You say that this Miss Lucas is a demure lady? Good. When you return from your wedding in January, I will begin to instruct her on how to run your household as it should be,” Lady Catherine dictated.
“She will only benefit from you most gracious condescension.” Collins bowed again.
“You say you met my Anne’s betrothed in Hertfordshire?” Lady Catherine inquired.
“I did, your Ladyship.” Collins did not dare repeat her nephew’s assertion that he was not betrothed to Miss Anne de Bourgh. “I humbly request a sennight away from my duties after Twelfth Night for my wedding.”
“You may have your time. Here is a draft of your sermon for this Sunday, it is on the distinction of rank.” Lady Catherine handed the page to a footman to pass to her simpering parson, who she then dismissed after inviting him to dinner some evenings later.
Collins felt the compliment of an invitation to Rosings keenly.
He had wondered why it seemed no one from the neighbourhood visited his patroness or that she did not make visits to her neighbours, but never asked the great lady about her reasoning about the situation, knowing she would not appreciate him questioning her about a subject unless she introduced it herself.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Miss Bingley was most displeased. Three times she had attempted to gain access to Darcy House to relay her intelligence about the Bennets, and each time she had been turned away by the butler, who told her that the family was not home.
Yes, the knocker was down, but that had never stopped Miss Bingley before.
After her latest rebuff at Mr. Darcy’s home, she and her sister had visited their brother at his town house.
“Charles, would you believe that Mr. Darcy’s butler keeps claiming that he is not home for me to visit my dear friend, Georgiana?
” Miss Bingley whined. It had taken a few days of whining and manipulation for her and her sister to get Charles to allow them back into his house, to visit at least, and she was certain he would address this for her.
“Caroline, are you truly that delusional? Do you not remember what I told you about Mr. Darcy, and his warning about using Miss Darcy’s familiar name?” Bingley asked.
“I am sure he did not mean any of that, Charles; he was in a bad mood being close to the Bennets and that insipid neighbourhood. I did us a favour by ensuring we never have to return so Miss Bennet cannot trap you in her tentacles,” Miss Bingley stated, her nose elevated as she relayed her superior opinion.