“Bring His Lordship’s man to the study immediately. After you have done that, prepare for our departure to Brighton, and we shall be moving with all possible speed.”
Returning to Elizabeth, he found her standing in front of the fireplace staring into the fire, and although she was no longer crying, the pain she was feeling was clearly visible on her face.
“Please come and sit down. I want to tell you of my plans,” and with her hands between his, he began, “First, I am reasonably confident we have some time. Because Wickham intends a seduction and not an elopement, he will be unable to return to his regiment. Thus, he must plan his every move to avoid risk of discovery. I have sent for His Lordship’s man, who is an expert horseman, and he will ride to Brighton with a letter from me alerting the colonel as to Wickham’s intentions.”
“But it is the middle of the night.”
“Please remember he is Lord Fitzwilliam’s man, and he is used to being summoned at such times and moving expeditiously.”
Lizzy nodded that she understood.
“Mercer and I will leave at first light and go straight through to Brighton, and I will act as a representative for your family until such time as your father can determine the course of action he wishes to pursue. I would ask that you write a letter to your father tonight, stating in the clearest possible terms that Lydia is in danger and that I can testify to that fact. You and the Gardiners will return to Longbourn as planned, but your letter will go by express rider.” He then took her hand and kissed it. “We must move quickly, Elizabeth, so please go write your letter, and I will do the same. Bring it to me as soon as you have finished.”
When Darcy opened the door to the study, Gregg was waiting for instructions, and he was already dressed ready to ride. After being informed of the particulars, he left to go to the stables, and Darcy thought that no matter what Antony was paying him, it was not enough.
Darcy sat down at the desk in the study to pen his letter to the colonel. He gave no particular examples of Wickham’s unscrupulous behavior, but instead asked the colonel to rely on his reputation as surety until he could talk to him in person. As soon as the ink had dried and he had sealed it, he handed it to Mercer to deliver to Gregg.
Darcy waited at the bottom of the stairs for Lizzy, and as she descended, she practically took them two at a time and was waving the letter in the air, trying to get the ink to dry faster.
“One of the grooms will take this into Lambton early tomorrow morning and hire an express rider. It will be placed in your father’s hands long before you arrive at Longbourn. By the time you get home, Mr. Bennet will have made his plans. I think that is all we can do tonight to assist Lydia, but I need to speak to you before I leave. Will you join me in the study?” And he gestured for her to go in ahead of him.
As soon as they were seated on the sofa, he began, “Before I leave for Brighton, I would like to share some things with you that may explain some of my actions. Allow me to begin by saying that only a male can inherit Pemberley. This stipulation means that I must have a son. However, because I was comfortable with the designated heir to Pemberley, I was in no hurry to marry. David Ashton is a good man, forty-five years of age, fond of Georgiana, and one who gave every indication of being a lifelong bachelor. However, shortly before the start of the season, he informed me that he was to marry a niece and ward of the Duke of Rutland, who owns property that abuts Pemberley. Consolidating our two estates has been a wish of the duke for as long as I can remember.
“As soon as I learned of the engagement, I knew I had to find a wife. If I have learned anything from Antony’s marriage, it was that the woman I married must, at the very least, be kind. It ranked higher in importance to me than beauty or accomplishments. So after reviewing all of my options, I settled on Miss Letitia Montford.
“I will admit that I was not the best suitor. After returning to London following the Netherfield ball, I realized that I was comparing everyone to you—and not just Miss Montford. No lady was as witty, intelligent, or pretty as you were. No one could make me smile or laugh the way you did,” and taking Lizzy’s hand, he said, “You have ruined me for every other woman.”
“If you are looking for an apology, you will have to look elsewhere,” Lizzy said, as she ran her fingers along the back of his hand.
“Even though I did not love Miss Montford, I continued with the courtship for fear she might be humiliated if I withdrew my attentions, and she had done nothing to deserve that. Fortunately, I have meddling relations who would not let me jump off that cliff. Richard, Georgiana, and Anne did things behind my back, including making arrangements for you to come to Pemberley, with me to follow. Another person who helped considerably was Miss Montford herself. I know you were surprised to find me at Pemberley, but I had been encouraged to come here by Miss Montford.”
“I do not understand. She wanted you to leave her?”
“Yes. She wished me to be anywhere but in London. I think I actually frightened her.”
“I can understand that.”
Darcy laughed out loud. “Even in the present circumstances, your wit does not desert you. But do not expect me to believe for one minute that you are afraid of me. You have had me on my heels since I sat across from you in the parlor at Longbourn.”
“If you have adopted a more humble posture because of me, Mr. Darcy, I am glad to have been of service.”
“Elizabeth, when the dust settles, I will have to ask myself why I am deliberately seeking the companionship of someone who will always get the better of me. But as to Letitia Montford, I do believe she would release me immediately, but I am unsure if her father would be willing to do the same. But I no longer care what Sir John thinks. I have decided that this courtship must end as Miss Montford would be perfectly miserable with me, and she could never make me happy. There is only one person who can do that, and I am looking at her.”
Taking his cue from the look in her eyes, he did what he had wanted to do ever since that afternoon at Longbourn, and he took her in his arms and he kissed her and kissed her again, and after parting her lips with his tongue, he felt the response of her warm lips tasting his. She moved her hands to his face and traced his lips with her fingers, and then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him again before resting her head on his chest. For many more minutes, they sat there quietly in each other’s embrace, but Darcy knew that there were so many things that needed to be done before he could leave in the morning. And so he stood and brought her to her feet and kissed her in one long kiss because he did not know when he would feel her lips again.
“I am to Brighton in the morning and then to London for that business of which we just spoke. But at the earliest possible moment, I will come to you, and I promise you, no more small steps. I plan to bridge the chasm that separates us in one giant leap of love.”
Darcy, dressed in his traveling clothes, was on his way to Antony’s room when Lord Fitzwilliam stepped out into the hallway.
“Sneaking out of your own house, Darcy? That is very odd.”
“Actually, I was coming to see you, but what are you doing up at this hour?”
“It should not surprise you that I am a light sleeper. Always listening for the door, you know.”
After Darcy explained what was going on in Brighton, and with Lord Fitzwilliam’s own daughters in the forefront of his mind, a look of disgust appeared on the earl’s face. “I despise that sort of behavior. A sixteen-year-old girl is a child. Say what you will about my affaires de coeur, the ladies are all over the age of twenty-five.”
Darcy disagreed with Antony’s view of what was honorable behavior, but it was no time for a discussion on morality.
“I have come to tell you that I was in need of Gregg’s service, and he is on his way to Brighton these past two hours. But I do not know if even so able a horseman as Gregg can get there in time to disrupt Wickham’s plan. After all, Brighton is two hundred miles away, and the man must rest.”
“
Do you know how Gregg came to be in my service?” Antony asked.
“From his size and his equestrian talents, I suspect he was a jockey at some point.”
“Exactement! He jockeyed for my father, and I was at the races at Canterbury the day he took a nasty spill. My dear pere put him to work in the stables until he recovered and was able to race again, but when he finally hung up his whip, I took him into my service as I was now Lord Fitzwilliam. Before Gregg, I never could keep a manservant. Not everyone likes surprises. Anyway, I needed someone who was a fast thinker as well as being fast on his feet and on a horse and while running down alleys. But as to the matter at hand, Gregg has raced from Cornwall to Perth and knows every highway and byway in the realm and every coaching inn where he can change horses quickly. Once he gets near to London, he will hire a hackney and that will allow him to sleep all the way to Brighton. Rest assured. He will get your message to Colonel Forster.”
“God only knows if all this rushing about will do any good. But that is out of my hands, and I must do what I can. Mercer and I are on our way to Brighton. I have left instructions with regards to Georgiana with Jackson, and any help Richard or you can provide would be appreciated. If my sister no longer wishes to stay at Pemberley, please see her back to London.”
“Of course. No worries on that or any other matter.”
“Antony, when this nasty business is concluded, I would like to talk to you about a whole host of things.”
“I know one of the things that has caught your attention is my attire. I am well aware that I am out of fashion, and you assume that it is because of money owed to my tailor. That is part of it. However, since the rise of Mr. Beau Brummel, every man in London looks exactly like every other man in London, and I do not like the idea of not standing out in a crowd. And as for having a ‘talk,’ we must first establish the definition of the word ‘talk,’ as your interpretation leans heavily towards ‘sermonizing’ while mine does not. But that is not what is important right now, so off you go and good luck!”
When Darcy arrived at the stables, Mercer had everything ready for their departure. They would travel with no luggage, so they might go farther and faster before having to change horses. The senior Belling and his son, Tom, were both capable drivers, and there wasn’t a conveyance that Mercer could not drive if necessary. But there were so many variables: the horses, the weather, the conditions of the roads, and on and on, but fortunately, his arrival was second in importance to Gregg’s.
As they drove out of the Pemberley estate, through Lambton, and on to the London road, he thought that the speech he had given Elizabeth about there being enough time to intervene before Wickham could put his plan into action was just that—a speech—for the purpose of bucking her up. Who could possibly say what a man would do who would exact his revenge through an innocent girl? But he was sure of one thing: If Wickham succeeded in seducing Lydia, he would track him down to the ends of the earth.
When Colonel Forster’s servant roused him from his bed at 1:00 in the morning, he told him that he better have a damn good reason for doing so. After reassuring Mrs. Forster that it was regimental business, she went back to sleep, and wearing his robe and night cap, he went downstairs to find out what fire was burning and where.
The man standing before him, encased in a thick layer of dirt, astounded him when he informed him that he had been traveling for a full day and had come from Derbyshire on behalf of Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, cousin of His Lordship, Earl Fitzwilliam.
Fumbling for his spectacles, he read the letter Gregg had presented to him, and with each sentence, his pallor grew paler until all color had drained from his face. He immediately went and knocked on the cook’s door and asked Mrs. Grant if she would go upstairs to make sure that Miss Lydia was in bed.
“I want you to look at her face—not at a bundle in the bed—to see if she is breathing.”
Mrs. Grant, whose knees creaked as loudly as the stairs, returned to report that Miss Lydia was sound asleep, and she had stood there for a full minute watching the rise and fall of her chest. After apologizing for disturbing her, the colonel bade her good night.
“Mr. Gregg, you have served Mr. Darcy well, and he has asked that I make sure you are fed and properly boarded,” and he instructed his servant, Walters, to see to the man’s needs. After doing so, Walters was to come to the colonel’s study as he was to deliver a message to Captain Wilcox, the officer in charge of the guard, for the purpose of finding Mr. Wickham.
The colonel had no doubt that Captain Wilcox would find the bastard, and once he had him, he would be confined to quarters with a guard posted at his door. In his note, Darcy had instructed the captain that no one was to say anything to Wickham. “I shall be doing all the talking in the morning,” the colonel mumbled.
There was nothing more to be done at such an hour, so the old campaigner took a blanket from the bedroom chest, placed a chair in front of Lydia’s door, and went to sleep dreaming of his life before he had married his nineteen-year-old bride.
Despite it being a very cold morning, as soon as the carriage turned down the drive to Longbourn, Jane came out onto the porch to meet the travelers. After an exchange of greetings, she got right to the heart of the matter. “The express rider came early this morning, and Papa is prepared to leave immediately and is relying on Uncle Gardiner for the use of his carriage as far as London.”
“Of course,” Uncle Gardiner said immediately, “but I shall go with him as he will be in need of a sympathetic ear. This matter must be weighing heavily upon him.”
Jane thanked her uncle for his not unexpected kindness.
“We are eager to hear whatever news you have from Pemberley,” Jane said to Lizzy.
“And I will be glad to share it, but why are we standing outside in the cold?”
“Because Mr. Collins is here,” Jane said in a voice that indicated this visit was just as welcome as the last. “He arrived in Hertfordshire four days ago in preparation for the wedding and had been staying with the Lucases. Although he claims that he is not a superstitious man, he thought it best not to see the bride the day before the wedding, so he has come this morning to Longbourn.”
“I thought you were not supposed to see the bride the day of the wedding?”
“Mama told him that, but he insisted he was right and she wrong. But never mind Mr. Collins, Papa is in the library waiting for you.”
When Lizzy went into the room where her father sought refuge from his family, she saw a man who had aged in her absence. She had no doubt he was blaming himself for their current circumstances, and she could provide no comfort on that subject because it was true.
“My dear, I am pleased to see you, but as you know, I must leave immediately. Do you have anything to share that might assist me in this unpleasant task?”
Lizzy explained that Gregg had left during the night and was to go straight through to Brighton, while Mr. Darcy was to follow in the carriage. “Mr. Darcy feels it important for him to be there to impress upon the colonel the seriousness of the situation as only he can provide information about Wickham’s past offenses.”
“So Mr. Darcy is certain that a seduction was planned?”
“He did not say it outright, but I suspect this feigned elopement would not be Wickham’s first.”
“Well, that settles it, and I am off. I leave you to care for your mother and, unfortunately, to amuse Mr. Collins.”
After seeing Uncle Gardiner and her father off on their journey, Lizzy went to look for her mother, fully expecting to find her in her room suffering from a case of nerves. Instead, she was in the front parlor speaking with Mr. Collins, and when Lizzy joined them, she immediately jumped up, kissed her daughter on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, “Mum’s the word.”
Despite the drama swirling all around her, Mrs. Bennet’s composure in dealing with a difficult guest confirmed what Jane and Lizzy already knew. Her attacks of “nerves” and the onset of the “flutters” were merely t
heatrics for the purpose of gaining attention from her family. This scene proved that she was quite capable of remaining calm, especially when the marriage prospects of her daughters might be in jeopardy.
During dinner, little was said by anyone other than Mr. Collins. Because Lizzy had spurned his attentions, most of the conversation was directed at her, and when he talked about Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her generosity in making the parsonage comfortable for his “beloved Charlotte,” Kitty let out a groan.
“Mr. Collins, why don’t you tell Lizzy and Aunt Gardiner all about your esteemed patroness,” Kitty said. “You would not wish to deny them your detailed descriptions of the fireplace at Rosings or the extensive gardens or its paths, and don’t leave out your own view of Rosings from your study or how you have mastered the proper amount of compliments to be paid and deference to be shown to Her Ladyship or how her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh, frequently passes the parsonage on her way to the village and how she drives her own phaeton and…”
If Lizzy had not kicked Kitty under the table, she would have continued. Mr. Collins could be exasperating, but he was their cousin, and one who held their future in his hands.
Kitty’s suggestion thwarted Lizzy’s plan to withdraw immediately after dinner, and she was forced to listen to Lady Catherine’s vicar praise everything his patroness said or did. It wasn’t until Mrs. Bennet pointed out that the groom-to-be had a very busy day in front of him that he retired.
As soon as Mr. Collins was out of the room, Mrs. Bennet collapsed into her chair. Fortunately, Aunt Gardiner offered to see her sister-in-law to bed. Lizzy gave her a look of such gratitude, and her aunt responded with a knowing smile.
“Lizzy, do you think Mr. Darcy’s efforts will succeed?” Jane asked as the sisters burrowed into their bed and snuggled together for warmth.
“I do not know, but I am hopeful because Mr. Wickham has no idea that anyone is aware of his plans. But enough about Lydia. Charlotte is to be married in the morning and you in two weeks’ time, but everyone is talking about Lydia.”
A Wife for Mr. Darcy Page 18
