From Admiration to Love: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Sophia King

  “He’ll come to no harm,” said Darcy. “He will wake in the morning with a painful headache, although he will not learn from it. And to answer your question, I know Mrs Younge because I remember her address when she started to work with me.” He gave a sardonic smile. “I thought I was doing good. Giving work to a lady from a poor background so she may have a chance to better herself. You’d think I’d learn from that experience that you cannot judge someone’s character by where they come from. It was arrogant of me to assume she’d be so grateful that she would prove a loyal servant.”

  A woman draped herself out of a window and called to Mr Darcy. He grimaced and pulled Elizabeth closer as she glared up at the woman in jealous outrage.

  “I should not have brought you here,” he muttered.

  “I can handle myself quite well, Mr Darcy. And Peter is not far behind.”

  Darcy glanced over their shoulder to where his coachman had stopped. He was a powerfully built man, and he knew that he would kill anyone who dared harm Elizabeth. Darcy had given him instructions to that affect.

  “Here we are,” he said, coming to a lodging house. Elizabeth looked up at the peeling paint and damp corners.

  “It’s not quite Gracechurch Street, is it?” she said lightly. She shot Darcy a mischievous look and he laughed.

  “Only you could make me smile in this situation, Elizabeth,” he said. He raised his cane to knock, when Elizabeth put her hand on his arm to stop him. She pointed down the street. Lydia and Wickham were walking away from them. Wickham glanced behind at them, and grabbed Lydia’s hand to pull her along.

  “Lydia,” Elizabeth called.

  Darcy looked at Peter and gestured for him to follow them. Hand in hand, Darcy and Elizabeth ran down the street, as Wickham grabbed Lydia’s hand and tried to pull her along with him. But Lydia had seen her sister and with a cry, she tried to pull away from Wickham to run back to her. Finally, she lashed out and smacked Wickham across the face. With a cry of surprise, he released her and she ran at once towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth released Darcy’s hand to catch her sister in an embrace.

  “Thank God,” she breathed. “Do you realise what you have done to us?”

  “I am so sorry, Lizzy,” sobbed Lydia into her sister’s shoulder. “I was an idiot. He told me he never intended to marry me. Then, he returned just now and said we should be married at once. As soon as I saw you, I knew it was just a ruse to get me away from you.”

  Wickham tried to push past Darcy to get to Lydia. “Lydia, it’s not true. You know I want to marry you.”

  He pushed extra hard at Darcy. Darcy pulled back and punched Wickham full in the face. Wickham staggered backwards, then lunged towards him. Elizabeth pulled a screaming Lydia out of harm’s way as the two men grappled and fought. Finally, Peter arrived and pulled Wickham away as he kicked and struggled. Looking between Darcy and Wickham, it was obvious to Elizabeth that Wickham had come out the worse from the fight.

  Darcy walked back towards Elizabeth and reached for her hand. “Let’s go back to your family,” he said.

  “Miss Elizabeth,” Wickham cried. “Do not go with him. You know what he is. You were always the one I loved.”

  The two sisters froze in horror. Then, Lydia pulled herself out of Elizabeth’s embrace before she could stop her. She marched up to Wickham who still stood in Peter’s grip. She pulled back her hand and smacked him across the face with a satisfying crack, then turned on her heel and walked back to her sister.

  “I am ready to return if you are,” she declared. Her head was held high, and she was the same bold Lydia, except with a little more sense than usual.

  As they returned to the carriage and Peter had released him, Wickham did not dare follow them. As the carriage pulled away, he had disappeared into the den of iniquity from which he had come.

  Chapter 32

  Mr Bennet and Mr Gardiner had returned by the time they arrived back at Gracechurch Street. They looked up anxiously when Elizabeth came into the room, and sighed with relief.

  “I thought I had lost you too,” scolded her father. “Where on earth were you? I told you to stay…Lydia!”

  He rose from his chair and walked towards his youngest daughter. She looked up at him fearfully, very unlike her usual boisterous self. He stared down at her, then pulled her roughly into his arms.

  “Foolish girl,” he chided as he rocked her side to side. She clung to him and let the tears flow. “I have been out of my mind. Why did you run off like that? I have not slept since I received your uncle’s letter.”

  “I am sorry, Father,” said Lydia, crying into his neck. “I was an idiot. I thought you would all be so happy and surprised if I returned a married woman.”

  Mr Bennet kissed her on the top of the head, then noticed Mr Darcy for the first time. He stared at him in astonishment.

  “Mr Darcy,” he said. “I did not expect to see you here. I had not thought to see you again since you left Meryton.”

  Darcy bowed his head.

  “It was Mr Darcy who helped me find Lydia, Father,” said Elizabeth. “He knew where to look.”

  Mr Bennet looked at him questioningly. Mr Darcy shrugged.

  “I have had dealings with Wickham before,” he said. “I knew where he was likely to be found.”

  “Well, I must thank you for my daughter, sir,” said Mr Bennet. He kept one arm around Lydia as he shook his hand. “I owe you a debt.”

  Darcy shook his head. “You owe me nothing. I knew what Wickham was and I kept silent as a result of my own pride. If I had spoken up, perhaps this would never have happened. The fault was mine. The remedy must be as well.”

  Mrs Gardiner stepped forward. “Lydia must be tired,” she said softly. “I will take her upstairs. Lizzy, why don’t you accompany us?”

  The three ladies went to Lydia’s room. Aunt Gardiner helped her niece change, as Elizabeth sat on the bed.

  “Lydia, I must ask you something delicate,” she said hesitantly. Lydia pulled her new chemise over her face and looked up at her aunt. She did not show a trace of embarrassment at such an embarrassing subject.

  “I think I know what you wish to ask,” she said. “And the answer is no. Nothing of that nature occurred. He hardly spent any time with me. Lord knows where he spent his nights.”

  Elizabeth and her aunt exchanged a look of relief. He had not interfered with Lydia in any way. She had not been ruined.

  “Then why on earth did he take you?” asked Elizabeth.

  “I think it had something to do with you, Lizzy,” she said. “He snuck into the ballroom the other night and saw you dance with Mr Darcy. He asked lots of questions about the two of you and whether you were likely to wed. He hated Mr Darcy and kept talking about getting what he was owed from him. I believe he felt if he took me and ruined my reputation, Darcy could not be with a woman from a disgraced family.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “What an awful man. I do hope you have no lingering feelings for him, Lydia?”

  Lydia laughed as she sat before the dressing mirror and started to pin her hair.

  “I should think not,” she said. “I had already turned against him when I saw he had no intention of marrying me. I felt such a fool. And that soon turned to hatred. By the time you came along, I could not bear the sight of him. I think it was in part my shouts, screams and flinging of books in his direction that kept him away from home so much. I wonder what will become of him?”

  “It is not our concern now,” said Elizabeth with relief. “We need never worry about that dreadful man again.” She smiled at her sister through the reflection in the mirror. “And dare we hope that this experience has made you realise there is more to a man than how dashing he is in uniform?”

  “Oh, it certainly has,” said Lydia with enthusiasm. She turned from the mirror to face her aunt and sister. “Did you notice how he looked when not in regimentals? Why he was nothing at all to the Wickham we knew in Meryton.”

  Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner e
xchanged resigned looks. It seemed Lydia had still learned to care for nothing but a man’s appearance. She laughed at their solemn faces.

  “How dull the two of you are,” she exclaimed. “I am joking. Yes, you are right, I am sorry to say. He might be dashing, but if he is not honest and kind, he will be no good as a partner.” She turned back to the mirror and gave them another grin through the glass. “I’m still not marrying a clergyman, though. I shall leave that to Mary.”

  Chapter 33

  Mr Darcy sat across from Mr Bennet and Mr Gardiner in awkward silence. Once he had told them all about their trip to Whitechapel and the ensuing skirmish, there was little else to say, and nothing he could say until he had received a definite answer from Elizabeth. He had a feeling she would not take too kindly to him asking her father for her hand in marriage before he asked her again and received her agreement.

  “I am sorry I was not there,” said Mr Bennet wistfully. “I wish I had been at home on time to accompany you.”

  “It was quite alright, sir. We managed.”

  “Oh, I’m not talking about you managing,” said Mr Bennet. “I’m talking about when you punched Wickham in his smug, self-satisfied face.” He sighed. “I should love to have seen that.”

  “As would I,” said Mr Gardiner with feeling.

  “I am glad my daughter is safe and sound, but I cannot help thinking we missed out on the fun part,” said Mr Bennet. The two older men continued discussing how enjoyable they would have found it. Darcy shook his head, somewhat torn between amusement and annoyance. Now that the relief of having Lydia home had passed, they were like two small boys.

  He looked up when Elizabeth came into the room. As always, his heart lifted at the sight of her. He could spend the rest of his life looking into those fine eyes and never grow tired of it. His desire for her was an ache. She stood in the doorway, unseen by her father and uncle, and their gazes locked on one another. She gave him a slow smile. He could not wait a moment longer. He needed to know if she would be his.

  He tilted his head towards the garden outside. Her smile grew and she nodded. She walked past her relatives and out onto the terrace. Darcy waited a moment and followed her.

  Elizabeth looked out over the wintery garden. She was too excited and nervous to feel the cold. What a change this day had brought about. When she awoke this morning, she had felt such perfect misery and hopelessness that she did not feel as if she, with all her natural resilience, could ever recover from it.

  And now, all was as it should be. Now, she waited patiently for the man she loved to come and ask her the question she was sure was coming.

  She heard the door open behind her and a moment later, he was by her side. He looked out over the garden without saying anything.

  “I wonder if Bingley has spoken to your sister yet?” he said finally. He looked down at her. “There is nothing to stand between them now. He did not take his sisters with him. I have no doubt they are engaged already.”

  “I hope so,” said Elizabeth. Her breath was like little puffs on the frosty air. “I should like to see them happily settled together.”

  She lay her hand on the fence, and he covered it with his own. Her heart pounded at his touch. He caressed her with his thumb.

  “Miss Bennet,” he said. “I cannot leave this house without gaining a definite answer from you. You know what my feelings are for you. You know I want to spend my life with you and never be parted from you again. I love you, and I wish to marry you. Please, you are too generous to trifle with me. Have I any hope of winning your heart?”

  “Mr Darcy,” said Elizabeth. She turned so they were facing one another. She smiled up at him. “I should tell you that that which you seek has been yours for some time now. And it always will be.”

  Darcy’s face lit up with joy. He drew her to him and bent his head to kiss her. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and returned it as enthusiastically as he did.

  They were interrupted by a shriek of laughter. Lydia had been about to come into the garden and she had been stopped by the sight of them together. She looked between both of them in delight., then ran back inside.

  Darcy smiled and touched Elizabeth’s face. He bent his head and rested his forehead against hers, then sighed with contentment.

  “I shall have to go to your father at once,” he said.” He smiled. “I do not think he could take the shock of two daughters being compromised in as many days.”