“Thank you, Lizzy,” Kitty hugged her. “I cannot wait to tell Maria Lucas tomorrow.”
As expected, Lydia Wickham came to Longbourn for the wedding rather than to send her congratulations.Thankfully, Mr.Wickham’s duties, as well as his recent debts in the area, kept him from joining his wife. Lydia flaunted her tales of military balls to Kitty, but Kitty had her own news of being invited to Pemberley, causing Lydia to sulk for a good portion of the evening. Darcy and Elizabeth kept her from giving Georgiana too much notice. Truthfully, Miss Darcy’s reserve reminded Lydia too much of her brother to interest Mrs.Wickham’s frivolous nature.
As the party drew near its close, Lydia cornered Darcy in the drawing room. “Mr. Darcy, you are a devious man.” Used to being the center of attention, she tried to flirt with him.
“I am afraid, Mrs. Wickham, I do not understand your implication.” He ignored her advances with his usual haughty manner.
“When you were in London, you should have told me you favored Lizzy. I made such a fool of myself talking about you and her. Lordy, I said she hated you—remember?”
“I recall your words, Mrs.Wickham.”
“It is odd—once my dear Wickham was a favorite of Lizzy’s—now I am married to Mr.Wickham, and you will marry our Lizzy.”
“I will marry Elizabeth,” is all the response he gave to her references to George Wickham.
“Oh, by the way, Mr. Darcy, my husband sends you his congratulations.” She slipped into his hand a letter addressed to Darcy, written in the distinctive script of George Wickham. He tried not to show the anxiety he felt at seeing it.
“Thank you, Mrs. Wickham.” Darcy slipped the message into his pocket to read later. Shortly, he excused himself on the pretense of borrowing a book from Mr. Bennet. Securing the book and stepping into the hallway, Darcy finally read the note in private.
19 October
Darcy,
News of your plans to marry Miss Elizabeth was both a surprise and a revelation. It appears you won the more sensible sister; she was once a favorite, but her lack of fortune decreased her worth for a man such as I. I preferred her conversation to anyone I met of late, but her exuberance will be lost to the solemnity of Pemberley. Oh, well, if that is the life Miss Elizabeth chooses, then she will just have to be happy with your wealth, will not she?
I wish I was aware of your real reason for saving Lydia’s reputation. I knew the story you offered did not make sense, but I could not quite make if right; maybe I was too desperate to see things clearly. I imagine now you would gladly pay the ten thousand pounds after all.
You won this battle, but the war is not yet complete.At least, we will once again be brothers.
GW
Darcy’s contempt at the audacity of such a note being sent shook his being. He literally shuddered with anger and disdain. Elizabeth, having missed his presence, came to find him. “What is it, Fitzwilliam?” she rushed to his side.
“A letter of congratulations from Mr.Wickham.” His was a cold laugh.
“Please, Fitzwilliam, do not let this man ruin our time. We all have evil in us, but we all have goodness too. If you let Mr. Wickham cloud these last days of courtship, you allow the evil in, and he wins. I love you so much I would give up my life for you. Let that goodness in instead. Give me the letter; Mr. Wickham’s well wishes will make good kindling for my bedroom fire.”
He slid the envelope into her hand. “Elizabeth, how I earned your love I do not know, but I am blessed as no man is.” He pulled her close to him to escape the darkness he just felt.
She held him there briefly before saying, “Come, Love, Georgiana may need us.” She interlaced her arm through his.“Only five more days,” she whispered.
If Darcy realized Elizabeth’s anger at her sister he may not have left her that evening, but he, Mr. Bingley, and Georgiana returned to Netherfield in due time. Once everyone was to bed, Elizabeth found Jane and Lydia in Lydia’s old bedroom. Jane made her “good nights” when Elizabeth entered. “I will see you in the morning, Lizzy,” Jane said as she exited the room.
“Good night, Jane,” Elizabeth kissed her briefly on the cheek in parting.
Coming to sit across from her youngest sister, Elizabeth first forced Lydia to give her undivided attention, and then Elizabeth spoke in a stern tone, “Lydia, I plan to say this to you only once.You are my sister, and I love you, but Mr.Wickham will never be my brother nor will he be Mr. Darcy’s brother. Mr. Wickham will never be welcomed at Pemberley. If he would be foolish enough to try to come there, it would not be Mr. Darcy’s wrath he should fear. It would be the wrath of Mrs. Darcy. I would have him shot as a trespasser.”
“Lizzy, that is foolish; you know nothing about shooting a gun.”
“I am sure, Lydia, Mr. Darcy would be happy to teach me how to handle a gun if he knew my purpose was to rid our estate of your husband.”
“Lizzy, that is not fair to my husband. How can you think so harshly of my dear Wickham?”
“If you only knew your dear Wickham.”
“Lizzy, I know you think me to be foolish, but I do know Mr. Wickham’s faults, but what can I do, I am his wife.”
Elizabeth pitied Lydia, but she would not let that cloud her resolve. “Then be his wife and not an instrument for plans of destruction. Lydia, you must grow up—you must as a wife be concerned with something more than balls and officers.”
“Lizzy, that is all I have. Jane is beautiful; you are smart; Mary is talented; Kitty is creative.What do I have besides my childish innocence—that is all the charm I have to offer?”
“Do not sell yourself as such, Lydia.You are a Bennet . . .”
“I am not valued as are you and Jane. I am sorry, Lizzy, but I have no head for reading or what makes women accomplished.”
“Lydia, Mr. Darcy did all he will do for you and Mr.Wickham. He paid Mr.Wickham’s debts, purchased for him a commission in Newcastle, and gave an additional two thousand pounds to Mama’s dowry for you.You must understand; Mr. Darcy will not bail out Mr. Wickham again just because you are my sister. I do not want you to suffer and end up in a place such as in which Mr. Darcy found you in London.”
“Lizzy, I cannot manage on what we have to live on!”
“Lydia, Jane and I will help when we can. I may be able to save something from my pin money, but I will not ask Mr. Darcy to help Mr.Wickham again.”
“I understand, Lizzy.” The girl was nearly in tears.
“You need to make your husband understand as well.Tell him what I said.”
“I will, Lizzy.”
“I do not want to hurt you, Lydia, but I will not have Fitzwilliam abused by Mr. Wickham again. You know me, Lydia. Tell Mr.Wickham this is my final word on the matter!”
“Yes, Lizzy, I will tell him.”
“Good night, Lydia.” Frustrated with her youngest sister, Elizabeth left the room and stormed to her own room. The fire consumed the congratulatory letter; it burned out quicker than did Elizabeth’s anger.
CHAPTER 19
“My mind was more agreeably engaged.”
“I say, Bingley, is that not your barouche headed toward Netherfield?” Darcy and his friend took a final tour of Bingley’s estate; down to four days before best friends married sisters in Meryton, they both tried to kill the hours before their wedding day by completing the land survey.
“Yes, Jane wanted to make one last walk through of Netherfield and note the renovations for each room before my sisters arrive tomorrow. Caroline and Louisa prefer Jane to choose from their ornate designs.” Bingley rose up in his saddle to get a better view of his intended. “Your Elizabeth is coming to spend the afternoon with Georgiana.”
Darcy too sat forward in the saddle. It seemed to be a lifetime ago he first saw Elizabeth Bennet walking along the roads surrounding Netherfield; her presence sent a surge through him then, as it did now.“Do you think you have seen enough of Netherfield’s lands for the day?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I believe
I have,” Bingley winked at his friend. “We should return to the house. Maybe we should enter through the servants’ entrance, freshen up, and then surprise the Miss Bennets.What say you, Darcy?”
“Bingley,” Darcy smiled,“your suggestion is most welcomed.” They spun their horses around and headed toward the rear of the house.
By the time Darcy came upon the open doorway of the drawing room, Elizabeth and Georgiana spent a pleasant three quarters hour together. They spoke of family, of music, and of Darcy. An outside observer might think they were sisters forever; a natural respect existed between the two. Their laughter drifted from the room, and Darcy found himself reluctant to enter the space and interfere with their kinship.
“Georgiana, may I ask you something?” Elizabeth looked up sheepishly.
“Anything, Elizabeth.”
“Something has bothered me for some time. When I first met your cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam he already knew so much about me. When I asked his source, he said you told him; yet, we never met.”
“That is simple, Elizabeth. My brother often spoke of you.”
“Really? What could he have said about me? Something devious, I am sure.”
“Fitzwilliam never mentioned a woman in his letters before. He related many of your conversations at Netherfield. I could not believe anyone spoke so to him. It peaked my interest. When I thought he was most distracted, I would ask about you.”
“My manners were abhorrent. His stories must have portrayed me as less than civilized.”
Darcy nearly laughed, but he stifled it wanting to hear more.
“Oh, no, Elizabeth. Fitzwilliam always said wonderful things about you. I wanted to meet you, and I hoped we could be friends.” At this Elizabeth reached out and took Georgiana’s hand in hers. “I was upset Mr. Bingley quit Netherfield. I wanted to come here and make your acquaintance; Fitzwilliam said he wanted that too.” Elizabeth squeezed her hand knowingly.
Then hesitatingly, Elizabeth changed the subject. “Georgiana, now you survived an evening with my family and their references to Mr. Wickham, may we revisit our conversation from the previous day?”
“What do you mean, Elizabeth?”
“With Mr. Wickham, did you believe yourself to feel regard, affection, or love?” Elizabeth was holding her gaze and looking at Georgiana seriously.
“I am not sure I understand, Elizabeth. I felt all three, of course.” The turn of this conversation made Darcy uncomfortable, but he tried to trust Elizabeth’s instincts.
“I am not an expert on love, Georgiana, but you are mistaken. If you held Mr. Wickham in regard, you would have felt foolish at your loss, but the romance would have been gone within six months. If you felt affection for him, you would again be foolish, but a year would resolve your loss. If I am correct, you felt one of these emotions rather than love.Am I not correct?”
“Elizabeth, I can see one of these definitions fitting my situation, but then what is love?”
“Real love, Georgiana, changes your life; your own needs no longer exist. If rejected, you never forget the person; as Fitzwilliam did, you might try to run away—you try to find solace some place else, but it cannot be.You might even choose another with whom to spend your life, but there is no love for it died and was replaced with regard or affection. I could not think of loving anyone but your brother; can you say the same thing about Mr.Wickham?”
“I cannot, Elizabeth. I feel nothing for the man. I only feel my own shame at being taken in by him.”
“Then may we move on? You are not the person you were then.The Darcys must learn to not be so hard on themselves.Your brother is learning that lesson; can you not also?”
“Elizabeth, you make things so logical and so simple. I am happy to be able to share my life with you. Maybe if you were here before, I would not have made such a fool of myself.”
“Georgiana, we all make fools of ourselves.Your brother and I are perfect examples, but what you have now is someone to whom to talk when you have questions. I may not always have the answers, but we will find our way together, and I will always be there to support you.”
Darcy could not believe how easily the two of them talked together; at last, Georgiana had a female to whom to turn for advice. He started to step into the room, but held for just a moment when Elizabeth stammered one last question.
“Do you believe Lady Catherine will ever forgive your brother for not choosing Anne? Family is so important to me; I hate being the cause of a family rift.”
“My aunt is stubborn, but she forgets Fitzwilliam is the head of the Darcy family now. Those Lady Catherine is able to influence will be easily forgotten.”
“But will Edward’s marriage to Anne create other problems for your brother?”
“If Fitzwilliam married Anne, our aunt could stay at Rosings because Fitzwilliam is rich enough not to need Anne’s fortune. When Edward marries Anne, Rosings becomes theirs, and my aunt will become Dowager de Bourgh and be relegated to a small country manor. She has more problems than your marrying my brother.”
“I cannot help but feel I destroyed your family, Georgiana.”
“That is nonsense, Elizabeth. My brother loves you.”
Darcy could hear no more; he stepped into the room. “My sister is correct, Madame, you have bewitched me body and soul.” He stopped only a few steps within the doorway. Both ladies jumped to their feet as if caught misbehaving; Darcy and Elizabeth locked eyes. She blushed deeply.
“You, Sir,” she began haltingly,“should not be eavesdropping.”
His eyes flashed with humor.“How else may I know when the two women I cherish most are conspiring against me?”
Elizabeth raised her chin as if to challenge him, but her bottom lip quivered telling him her words about women always conspiring against men had nothing to do with what she was really thinking.
“You do not intend on rejecting me again do you, Elizabeth? I am afraid my heart could not take it another time,” he taunted her.
Tears filled her eyes as she said,“My loving you can hurt you; I do not want you to ever regret loving me.”
The changes in her brother enchanted Georgiana. He openly professed his love for Elizabeth, not caring what others thought or saw. “Elizabeth, I will not give you up again. If necessary, I will carry you off and make you my wife over all your objections.You would not make me do something so uncharacteristic, would you?”
She knew he teased, but she rushed into his arms, burying her tears into his chest. Soothing her head, he said, “Shush, Elizabeth, we will have no more tears over Lady Catherine’s disapproval. Do you not think I suffered enough at your hand?” As he said this, he brought her palm to his lips and kissed it gently. “Georgiana,” he diverted his eyes to his sister briefly, “why do you not go to your room and retrieve the gift you brought for Elizabeth?” Georgiana curtsied and left quickly.
Elizabeth raised her chin, drinking in Darcy’s face with her eyes. “These hands, Sir,” she said at last,“will never give you pain again.” As she said this, she stroked his chin line and moved in closer.
He dropped his arms down to her waistline, pulling Elizabeth even nearer. Darcy’s gaze encompassed her features and settled upon her lips.The familiar lavender wafted over him. “Madame, in a few moments, I may forget I am a gentleman and you are a gentleman’s daughter.”
Elizabeth’s giggle was nearly a purr, silently revealing her undying love.“Ungentlemanly like behavior,” she teased,“will have to wait a few more days, but I would not object to a kiss to seal our promise to each other.”
His breath was ragged with anticipation; Darcy kissed her long and hard.“You see, my Dear, our love will go down in history,” he whispered.
“Will it now?” she whispered back, her lips only inches from his.
“Great loves are always remembered. We will be Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth.”
“Ooh, that is way too long. It does not roll easily off the tongue—Darcy and Elizabeth has more lilt to it.” She ni
bbled on his lower lip.
“So, it is agreed; our love will be of what makes great legend.” He turned his head burying it in her hair. “We will be as Romeo and Juliet or Othello and Desdemona.”
She turned her head back toward his face. “I hope we do not have to die for our love. May we not be more like Petruchio and Katherine or Benedick and Beatrice?”
Darcy laughed softly. Even in the middle of an embrace, she would challenge him. Life with Elizabeth Bennet would be anything but boring. “So, the lady prefers comedy to tragedy, does she not?” He kissed her lightly, brushing his lips over hers.
“Our relationship has been a comedy of errors at times.” She returned his kiss, as her fingers caressed the hair along the back of his neck. Her nearness captured Darcy; he bowed his head to hers once more and kissed her warmly.
Georgiana watched this scene from the doorway not wishing to disturb them. This is the type of love I want. It should be obvious to the world when a woman is in love. It should not be hidden.Thank God my brother kept me from making that mistake. How could I be deceived into thinking what Mr.Wickham offered me was love? What Fitzwilliam has with Elizabeth is real love. She cleared her voice to announce her presence; the lovers ceased the kiss, but they did not jump apart as one might expect upon being found in such an intimate embrace. They parted naturally, not ashamed of the affection they shared.
“Elizabeth,” Georgiana began,“my brother wanted you to have something special for the wedding.” She presented Elizabeth with a golden box tied with a ribbon.
“Fitzwilliam,” she beamed at him, “you should not have given me anything else; the lace for my wedding attire was enough.”
“This was my mother’s wish,” he said. “She left this in my father’s care; when he died, he gave it to me; it was to be a gift for my wife.”
“My brother asked me to take it to London; we agreed it needed to be reset for you. I hope you like the design; I chose it myself; I thought it was simple sophistication.” Georgiana looked on with anticipation.“Open it.”
Darcy's Passions Page 30
