21. 21 November 1811
DARCY
As Darcy and Richard rode to Haye-Park, Richard began to ask questions. This was not unexpected, but Darcy felt fairly impatient with his cousin for taking Darcy’s attention away from the current crisis.
Richard started out by saying, “I know from speaking with Miss Elizabeth that she is the daughter of a gentleman. However, I suppose that there is little dowry and basically no connexions.”
“Correct.”
“Assuming that you will be able to squash this rumour, will you consider returning to London for a short time, allowing that time to heal the rough patch?
“Go to London without Miss Elizabeth? Definitely not.”
“And you are ready to declare Miss Elizabeth to be your one and only, your everything, forever and ever? No need to meet the three ladies my mother spent a month identifying as worthy candidates to take your mother’s place?”
“I am without a doubt ready to declare Elizabeth my everything, now and forever. For me, it will be Elizabeth, or I will not marry.”
Richard nodded, apparently expecting Darcy’s decisiveness—although he might call it stubbornness.
The two men reached the main road the stable master had mentioned and turned right, knowing that they were close to Haye-Park. The relatively smooth terrain meant that they could allow their mounts their head.
The estate of Haye-Park looked prosperous, and the manor house was between Longbourn and Netherfield Park in size. At the door, Darcy presented his card and asked for the younger William Goulding. They were shown into a small parlour.
Mr Goulding came to the room a few minutes later, looking as if he had hurried to wash up a bit. His look of surprise changed to a look of trepidation as he saw Richard behind Darcy.
Richard was not only imposing physically, he was doubly intimidating in his Army uniform.
“Mr Darcy?” Mr Goulding said, making the greeting into an enquiry.
“Good afternoon. May I introduce my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam?”
“I am very pleased to meet you, Colonel.”
“Richard, this is Mr William Goulding.”
The niceties, including the imperative question about the road, were truncated as Darcy said, “I feel I know you well enough for you to call me Darcy.”
Goulding returned the sentiment, and Darcy went on to say, “This is unfortunately not a social call. Have you heard that there are rumours flying about Meryton?”
The younger man’s head jerked a bit; whatever Goulding was expecting, it surely was not this. “No. Rumours about…?”
“About you and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. According to the gossip, you and she have had private assignations, trysts if you will, during which Miss Elizabeth granted you all manner of liberties.”
Goulding’s face paled, but two spots of red remained. “I never—she never—we would never—” He floundered so much with his denials, Darcy supposed he might look guilty to one who did not already know the rumours were without foundation.
With a soothing voice, Darcy said, “I am certainly not accusing you and Miss Elizabeth; I know that the rumours are not true. However, they have been scandalous enough to be passed around. I need not tell you that, even though the gossip is false, it is damaging to your reputation but potentially devastating to Miss Elizabeth’s. ”
“Of course I will marry her!” Goulding said.
“I have already made my offer,” Darcy said, “but Miss Elizabeth clearly said that, as she has not done anything wrong, she wishes her name to be cleared in full rather than the solution being a forced marriage.”
“It would not be so forced. Not on my side.”
Darcy heard his cousin’s disdainful huff, and he hurried to say, “Believe me, Goulding, from my perspective, if I were to marry Miss Elizabeth this moment, it would not feel forced to me. However, as I said, an immediate wedding is not the best solution for Miss Elizabeth. She wishes to at least attempt to refute the rumours.”
“I understand. Should I…uh…prepare to go to Meryton?”
“Thank you, yes, I believe that is warranted. I will arrange to meet with my valet, who has been attempting to discover the source of the rumours, and the three of us can plan our next steps after hearing what he has to say.”
“I will meet you at the stables in less than a quarter hour. Do you need to send a note to your valet?” As he asked, Goulding strode to a small desk and got out a paper, pen, and bottle of ink. Then he hurried from the room.
Darcy decided that he must at least attempt to personally talk to Lady Lucas, as Elizabeth’s mother had directed, and so he wrote a brief note asking his valet to meet him at Lucas Lodge or to send word of any new intelligence about the gossip.
Soon the three men were cantering down the road towards Lucas Lodge.
Darcy enjoyed riding and often felt as if he could leave his worries behind, but he was fully aware that what he had left behind, this time, was the love of his life, his much younger sister, his often-judgmental uncle and aunt, and a host family that was certain to be avidly curious about what could cause him to neglect his family during this unplanned visit.
Still, Darcy had also left behind clear instructions meant to safeguard Elizabeth and Georgiana, and he was on a mission set for him by Elizabeth.
Picturing her once again in Netherfield’s kitchen, recovering from running away from her unreasonable father, bright-eyed and muddied from her exertions—determination rose in him, fiercer than ever. They would vindicate her.
Crocker came in person to meet the men. He gave a brief report, starting with the most important finding: “It is likely that the rumours started within this household.”
Richard asked, “How many in the household?”
“Nine. Sir William was knighted for addressing the King while he was mayor of Meryton….”
Darcy listened as Crocker ran down the list of family members. Sir William was reportedly a kindly and jovial man—someone who actually seemed to quite like Miss Elizabeth. He was very fond of gossip, but Crocker judged him unlikely as the source of the gossip.
Lady Lucas, on the other hand, was not only well known as a rumour monger, but was said to be discontented and envious. Miss Charlotte Lucas was a good friend of Miss Elizabeth’s but could recently have become envious that Miss Elizabeth had two suitors and her none. The oldest son, Mr John Lucas—
—During this part of Crocker’s report, which he stated came from multiple sources, Darcy’s ears perked up. “John Lucas is a year older than Elizabeth, and about a year ago, he was so infatuated with her that he proposed publicly, while they danced together at one of Meryton’s assemblies.”
“He proposed to her on the dance floor?” Richard asked.
“Yes. None of my sources seemed to think any less of Miss Elizabeth that she refused him, nor even how she refused him, but three of the people who reported the incident to me thought that he or his family members might have been quite insulted. One person speculated that someone might have held a grudge.”
“How did she refuse him?” Darcy asked.
“She did not think he was serious, since they were both so young and they were dancing. She laughed, thinking it was a joke, and she teased him—reportedly, she teased him ‘in the nicest way.’ As a matter of fact, multiple people pointed out that one thing that makes Elizabeth popular in the community is that she is both humble and good humoured.”
That certainly squared with what Darcy had seen. He shot a smile to Richard and said, “Of course she laughed. That is so…Elizabeth.”
The valet continued his list of Lucas family members.
Darcy summed up, “I feel confident to say that, if the rumours started with one of the Lucas family members, it was Lady Lucas, Miss Lucas, or Mr John Lucas. Does that agree with your best guesses?”
His eyes flicked from Crocker, who nodded decisively; to Goulding, who nodded much more tentatively, and finally to Richard. The latter said, index finger upraised, “As long as we remember that remote possibilities sometimes occur, I agree that these three seem most likely.”
Crocker addressed Darcy: “By the way, sir, I thought you should know that Mr Bennet was spotted coming towards Netherfield on horseback, and the servants followed your orders. The two maids, the companion, your sister, and Miss Elizabeth were all removed to the Nicholls house in High Cross by way of your carriage, with Miss Elizabeth lying down and obscured by the rugs. Mr Bennet was not belligerent, but although he seemed disbelieving and exceedingly displeased when he was told that neither Miss Elizabeth nor you were there, he left without fuss.”
Darcy rubbed his face with both hands. My God, he needed hours of time alone with Elizabeth, just to catch up on all that she had endured as well as to tell her all of what he had experienced.
Thanking Crocker for his report, Darcy knocked on the door of Lucas Lodge. Because Goulding knew Sir William, Darcy indicated that he should give his card. “Mr Goulding, Mr Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam to see Sir William,” the younger man said.
They were taken to the master’s study, and they found that one of his sons was in the room as well. Goulding made the introductions, and the son proved to be John Lucas.
Sir William was exactly as he had been described: friendly, interested in people and news about people, and eager to interact.
“Capital, capital!” he exclaimed when he learnt that Darcy and Richard were staying at Netherfield Park.
The man literally bounced where he stood, and Darcy wondered if the reason he seemed excited was merely meeting a colonel in the Regulars and a gentleman in such fine clothing.
Sir William sat down again behind his desk and invited the others to do the same with a wave of his arm.
Mr Lucas hurried to bring a chair that had been in the corner so that all three guests had a seat, and then he stood behind his father.
“What can I do for you fine gentlemen?” Sir William asked.