Chapter Fifteen #3
That Georgiana had purposely set out to destroy his happiness still pained him. That she appeared to have succeeded hurt even more.
Darcy arrived at Pemberley just before dinner some four days later. He had not notified the staff of his arrival, so preoccupied his thoughts and so precipitous his actions. He entered his home and was met by Mrs. Reynolds in the foyer.
“You are home, sir,” the lady said with relief. “We have been at sixes and sevens these past five days.”
“Is something amiss?” Darcy asked in concern.
“Only that Miss Georgiana arrived unexpectedly with a strange man that she calls her husband,” Mrs. Reynolds answered. “I could not deny them entrance. I sent an express to you in London.”
“It is likely that I passed the messenger on the road,” Darcy groaned. “Where is my sister now?”
“She and Mr. Jones are in the music room, waiting for dinner to be served.”
“Tell Cook to hold the meal,” Mr. Darcy ordered. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones shall not be staying. Do not inform them of my arrival. I shall notify them myself.”
Mrs. Reynolds’s eyebrows shot up and she searched his face intently. Darcy met her gaze, the look on his face showing his displeasure.
Mrs. Reynolds nodded and departed.
Darcy quickly climbed the stairs to his room and made himself presentable, instruction his valet to be ready for his call. Appearing every inch as Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, he made his way to the music room.
He paused outside the door. Georgiana played within, her voice and another, deeper voice muffled by the music. Suddenly enraged, Darcy threw the double doors to the room open violently. They banged against the walls before swinging slowly back toward him.
He strode in the room, a thunderous expression on his face. Georgiana was standing next to the pianoforte, a vaguely familiar man beside her, his hand on the small of her back.
“Brother!” Georgiana cried, turning on the bench. “You are finally here. I had quite despaired of you when we arrived, only to learn you were yet in London. What possibly could have delayed you?”
Darcy turned to the footmen standing by the walls. “Leave us,” he barked. They scrambled for the doors, pulling them closed as the exited the room.
“Mr. Darcy,” the man said, approaching him with his hand extended. “What a pleasure to see you again. My dear wife has regaled me with so many stories—”
“I will thank you to wait until I address you before approaching me,” Darcy said coldly.
“Fitzwilliam!” Georgiana cried. “How can you be so cruel to my husband? To your new brother?”
“I will acknowledge the connection I have to this scoundrel as the husband of my sister,” Darcy said, “but never will I condescend to call him a brother.”
“So that is how you mean to go on?” Mr. Jones sneered.
“Well, there is no escaping the connection now. I had hoped to make a go of it with you, despite you being the means of very nearly destroying the happiness of two of the most deserving people in the world. I see now that such a hope was futile. We shall make the arrangements for the transfer of Georgiana’s dowry and be gone, then. ”
“I think not,” Darcy said simply.
“You cannot withhold what does not belong to you,” Mr. Jones insisted. “I have studied the law. I shall sue you if you try.”
“You may have studied the law,” Darcy said snidely, “but you clearly do not know the parameters regarding the release of my sister’s dowry.”
Mr. Jones froze, his gaze fixed on Darcy’s face. “What do you mean?” he said quietly. His tone was low and sounded dangerous.
“I have brought from London all of the legal documents surrounding Georgiana’s inheritance,” Darcy said.
“They clearly state that unless Georgiana has the consent of both her guardians, her dowry is not to be released until she is five and twenty. At that time, the interest shall be paid quarterly. The principle is inaccessible.”
Mr. Jones turned slowly to Georgiana. “Did you know?” he asked, his voice flat.
Georgiana stammered her denial. “You told me he only said you would never see a penny of my dowry. I knew he was dissembling,” she said.
She turned to Darcy with pleading in her eyes. “You and Cousin Fitzwilliam could grant your approval,” she begged. “Please. Can you not see how much I love him?”
“Oh, I suppose we could,” Darcy said. “It would make no difference. The documents clearly specify prior approval to the nuptials, and that you did not have. Disguise of every sort is my abhorrence; I will not lie and say that you had it.”
“Please, Brother!” Georgiana cried. “Our situation will be very bad if you do not. Tobias has the care of two younger sisters. His income cannot support three ladies!”
“I expect to see these documents immediately,” Tobias said suddenly. He had been rather quiet as Darcy had spoken with his sister.
Darcy rang the bell. Billings, his valet, appeared a few minutes later, carrying the pouch filled with papers. Darcy opened the bundle, pulling out the correct document. He placed it on the piano in front of Mr. Jones, who leaned over and began reading.
The man’s face turned redder and redder as he perused the document.
When he finished, he rounded on Georgiana.
“You little fool!” he cried. “You have ruined me. I could have had Miss Burns and her ten thousand with no waiting period. You led me on, dangling your ‘superior dowry’ before me like a carrot. I shall end up in the poor house! Had I the funds, I would divorce you post haste.”
“Enough!” Darcy cried. He looked over at his sister. She was pale, her mouth hanging open and tears streaming down her cheeks. The look of disbelief on her face might have been comical had Darcy been in a humorous state of mind.
“You said you loved me,” Georgiana whimpered. “You wrote me such lovely letters, begging me to wait for you.” Her voice grew louder and firmer as she continued speaking.
“You declared that I was worth waiting for, that you would marry me with or without my brother’s approval.
You told me you would care for me and our children forever!
I ruined you? You have ruined me! Quite thoroughly, I might add.
Not only have I destroyed my place in society for your so-called love, but I have condemned myself to years of poverty.
I believed you! I loved you, though clearly you did not love me in return! ”
Georgiana stood up from the bench and turned her pleading eyes to her brother. “Fitz, you can fix this!” she cried. “Let us apply for an annulment.”
“You cannot honestly expect me to believe that this marriage has yet to be solemnized,” Darcy balked.
“We can say it has not,” Georgiana cried. “You would not condemn your nearest relation to such a fate, surely. My very happiness is at stake.”
“And this is what you have to say? Do you think that I rejoice in the inferiority of the circumstances you now find yourself in?” Darcy said sadly.
“You expect me to debase myself, to throw away my honor to free you from the consequences of your own actions? I will not. How could I when you have set out to destroy my own joy?”
Georgiana gaped silently at him as he shuffled the papers back into a pile and replaced them in the case.
“I will have answers from you, before you depart, Georgiana,” he said firmly. “I have in my possession a most curious letter from George Wickham, detailing your… efforts in Meryton and Kent. Do you wish to refute these tales?”
Georgiana’s countenance changed almost instantly. Gone was the pale face and the tears and in its place was a cold, proud visage.
“I have no wish to deny any of it,” she said haughtily. “In fact, I rejoice in my success. The Bennets are beneath us in every way; how could I stand aside and allow you to court and marry one of them when you had denied me my own happiness?
The resentment in her voice increased as she continued her vitriolic diatribe.
“My hatred of you was first raised in Ramsgate. The knowledge that none other than George Wickham, for whom I had such fond childhood memories, had alerted you to my intentions further fueled it. I knew from that moment that I must exact my revenge on him - and on you - though I knew not how.”
Georgiana’s lip curled in disgust. “Imagine how intrigued I was,” she said, “when you began to write of a Miss Elizabeth Bennet last fall. I was indignant, you see, for you were showing such obvious interest in a country miss with no greater standing than my own, dear Tobias Jones. I suppose I would have been mollified had you chosen not to pursue her. But then Uncle Matlock gave his blessing and you insisted we be off to Hertfordshire as soon as possible. What a degradation, to be subjected to such uncouth and vulgar people!”
Darcy could feel his expression growing stonier as his sister spoke, but Georgiana was far from done.
“I soon saw the opportunity I desired,” she boasted, “for both you and Mr. Wickham were there in that wretched place. I learned from Kitty Bennet of Mr. Wickham’s suggestions for improvement that he had provided her sisters, and I resolved to do what I could to halt his efforts.
She was eager to tell all, you see, for the changes in Miss Lydia grieved her.
Using this knowledge, I set out to undermine Mr. Wickham’s influence on the Bennet sisters.
I spoke with Miss Mary about Fordyce’s Sermons, implying that our uncle the archbishop greatly esteemed the outdated rubbish.
My hope was to engender mistrust in George, whom I surmised had turned her away from that religious quack’s drivel.
I was enormously pleased to see the fruits of my efforts before we departed for London. ”
Georgiana was visibly agitated now, pacing, and waving her hands. Her husband stood in silence as she ranted on.
“And when I learned that Miss Elizabeth was at Rosings, I knew my chance to revenge myself on you had arrived,” she nearly screeched.
“With Mrs. Annesley away, it was simple to convince you to take me with you on your yearly journey so that I might enact my plan. I told Miss Bennet of your disapproval of Mr. Bingley’s bride.
She was, naturally, very distraught. I am pleased to have been the one who enlightened her as to your true sentiments and I dearly wish you shall suffer the same unhappiness that I have these many months! ”
Now silent, her chest heaving in anger, Georgiana stood with her fists clenched at her sides and glaring daggers at him. After a moment’s pause, he spoke.
“Mrs. Reynolds has arranged for you trunks to be packed,” he said softly. “Your possessions should be loaded on your carriage by now. It will convey you into Lambton. You are no longer welcome at Pemberley.”
Mr. Jones was running his hands through his hair, muttering darkly to himself.
He looked up, shooting a venomous look at Darcy before grabbing Georgiana roughly by the arm and pulling her from the room.
He watched them go, his heart hurting as Georgiana wept bitterly, her husband berating her.
Georgiana paused at the door and turned to her brother again.
His sister tried once more to garner his sympathy, to work on him to assist her.
“Please, Fitzwilliam,” she begged, the anger and vitriol gone from her countenance, replaced by a pleading look that had moved Darcy to compassion many times in the past. “We shall be very badly off if you do not assist us! For you love for me, I beg of you!”
Darcy stared at her coldly and replied, “Perhaps had you shown some remorse, some contrition for your actions, I might have been moved upon to assist you, but your own words and bitterness have condemned you. I wish you the very best in the life you have chosen.”
Georgiana’s expression immediately shifted back to one filled with hate and anger. “I sincerely hope that you shall be as miserable as me,” she said. “And that Miss Bennet cannot forgive you for the wrongs she believes you committed.”
“You had best hope, for your sake, that it is not so,” Darcy said quietly, “for I shall never see you again if it is.”
Georgiana huffed and allowed her husband to resume dragging her out the door.
He watched them go with feigned indifference. When they were out of sight and he could no longer hear their footsteps, a drained Darcy picked up the pouch and rang for Mrs. Reynolds.
“See that Mr. and Mrs. Jones are escorted from the house and the property,” he said. “I shall take a tray in my room. Tomorrow, I shall relate the sorry tale to you.”
Mrs. Reynolds nodded, and Darcy left the music room, climbing the servants’ stairs to avoid his sister and her husband. Mrs. Reynolds delivered his tray herself, informing him that the Joneses had left Pemberley. A footman had followed at a distance, confirming their removal from Pemberley’s lands.
Darcy dismissed his housekeeper and valet and dined in silence, pondering everything he had learned that evening.
Georgiana’s words had confirmed George’s suppositions, of course.
Darcy retrieved the letter and read it again before setting it aside, too tired and worn to respond properly that night.
Now that he had answers, he could write to George, telling him everything. Or…
Or he could make for Longbourn as soon as possible. He would tell Elizabeth everything before begging her for her forgiveness and her hand.
His decision made, he retired directly and did not stir until morning.