Chapter 10 #2
At length the time for farewells came. Mr Collins expressed his regrets at their departure, but he looked rather relieved to return to his usual habits and his unrestrained adoration of his noble patroness.
Charlotte appeared genuinely sad; living alone with Mr Collins might provide her with some comfort but certainly not much joy.
The journey to London occupied the better part of a day.
The roads were tolerable for the season, and conversation among the travellers was light enough to pass the hours without strain.
Elizabeth’s thoughts, however, were already ahead of the carriage.
She pictured Gracechurch Street, Jane’s welcome, Mrs Gardiner’s calm good sense, and — though she would not quite admit it — the possibility that she might soon see Mr Darcy.
At Bromley, Sir William’s carriage with two servants waited to convey Maria to Meryton directly, and Mr Gardiner’s equipage met Elizabeth.
She arrived in Gracechurch Street in the early evening; the familiar brick front of the Gardiners’ house looked particularly welcoming after the formal grandeur of Rosings.
Jane came running down the steps the moment the carriage stopped, and the sisters embraced with all the warmth of a separation that had felt longer than it was.
“Lizzy! At last! I have so much to tell you. Mr Bingley will join us soon. He is eager to see you!”
Mrs Gardiner appeared behind her, smiling with quiet satisfaction. “Welcome, my dear. You look well, though a little thoughtful. Come in. There is tea waiting and news that will not keep.”
Inside the comfortable parlour, with the fire burning cheerfully and the familiar furniture around her, Elizabeth felt the last of Kent’s formality slip away.
Mr Gardiner joined them presently, and after the first flurry of greetings and enquiries after her health and the journey, Mrs Gardiner drew her chair a little closer.
“We have received a most unexpected invitation,” she said, her eyes bright with restrained amusement. “Mr Darcy has written to invite us all to dine at his house in Grosvenor Street the day after tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know…Jane mentioned the dinner in her letter,” Elizabeth replied, her cheeks burning and her pulse quickening. “Uncle, do you have any news about Mr King? Have you spoken to him in person?”
“In fact, I do have news,” Mr Gardiner replied.
“Mr King applied to me for assistance in finding a solicitor in London they could trust — and they can afford, I assume. Mr King hoped to prevent his niece from marrying Wickham. That endeavour was unsuccessful, as Wickham posted an announcement in the newspaper about his engagement to Mary. It was an unusual step to take but cunning. He planned things carefully — I have to grant him that.”
“So, they are in London?”
“Yes, and to be married by licence in a few weeks. An even bigger problem is that the man has too many debts to count and demands to be paid before the wedding. Can you imagine the insolence? It appears this is Wickham’s habit — to accumulate debts and then find a way, one that is always dishonourable and never lawful, to pay them.
Fortunately for Mr King, Mr Darcy took it upon himself to purchase most of those debts. ”
“Mr Darcy?” Elizabeth cried in disbelief. “Why would he do such a thing?”
“Mr King and I asked the same. He spoke of his past dealings with Wickham and his sense of responsibility for not having exposed the man’s character earlier, thereby preventing more honourable and innocent people from being deceived.
Mr Darcy also mentioned to me that he wishes to own Wickham’s debts so he can control the man.
I am not quite sure what he means as that scoundrel is not easy to control. ”
Elizabeth sat in stunned silence, her mind racing back to the time she had spent with Mr Wickham in Meryton.
How easily she had swallowed every word of the officer’s smooth, tragic tale, mistaking his handsome countenance and open grievances for undeniable truth.
To realize now that while he was charming the entire neighbourhood with stories of Mr Darcy’s cruelty, he was secretly accumulating mountains of dishonourable debt — only to be rescued from ruin by the very man he had vilified — filled her with a sickening sense of her own na?vety.
“I cannot believe Mr Wickham is such a horrible man,” Elizabeth whispered. “And that I was such a simpleton as to believe him so readily.”
“I cannot argue with any part of your statement, Lizzy,” Mr Gardiner replied. “It is good that you have no dowry and therefore cannot tempt such a scoundrel.”
“You may laugh as much as you like, Uncle. I certainly deserve your mockery,” Elizabeth uttered.
Elizabeth spent the rest of the day trying to engage in conversation with her family, but her thoughts were far away, with Mr Darcy. The more she discovered about him, the more puzzled she became, and the more she thought of their reunion, the more disquieted she felt.
Mr Bingley joined them for dinner, and he immediately asked Elizabeth to call him brother, which she did, together with an affectionate embrace. While joining the party in their mutual joy, Elizabeth remained preoccupied and unsettled that evening and the following day.
***
On the appointed evening, the Gardiner carriage conveyed them to Grosvenor Street, where Elizabeth arrived with her heart pounding and her breathing irregular. It was a pleasant spring evening, yet she could not decide whether she was too warm or too cold.
A footman received them at the door, then Mr Darcy, Miss Darcy, and Mr Bingley all appeared to welcome them. Elizabeth’s eyes immediately fell on Mr Darcy, locking with his dark and impossible-to-read stare. Then he smiled — a barely perceptible twist of his lips.
They walked together in silence towards the drawing-room.
While they were looking for seats, Miss Darcy surprised them with a request.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, may I request a few moments of your time in the library? There is something I wish to discuss with you.”
“Of course,” Jane answered affectionately. Miss Darcy smiled but appeared to be somewhat troubled and uncomfortable.
“Let us go, then. My brother will join us, too, but I trust Mr Bingley will properly entertain Mr and Mrs Gardiner.”