Elizabeth looked around the courtroom, noticing that he wasn’t there. The entire Bennet family was there anxiously awaiting the outcome. Mrs. Bennet was certain that Wickham would carry the entire blame, both because she staunchly believed it to be true and because she felt if there was any truth to them being in love he would hold up his hands and admit to the charges and everything being his fault to protect Lydia’s honor. It was a level of chivalry attributed to a man entirely unworthy of it.
Wickham continued to hold firm to his statement that not only had nothing happened, but also that Lydia had informed him she was of age. When Lydia validated his pleas with her own statement saying the same thing, the court decided to dismiss the case, feeling it would be pointless to continue. Mr. Bennet was devastated, Lydia was in raptures, and Elizabeth was absolutely furious. How she wished that she’d already passed her exams; she could have stood up there and forced Lydia to admit the truth. From her questioning of her at home, it was obvious that Wickham knew full well she was only sixteen. Elizabeth was disgusted with him and herself. She now saw his easy charm for what it was—sleazy manipulation. She couldn’t believe she’d been so wrong about the man. It also forced her to consider that if she’d been so wrong about George, maybe she’d also been wrong in her assessment of Darcy. It was almost painful to think about. She pushed it aside, concentrating on what the judge was saying.
The court had lost its tense atmosphere now that the judgment had been made. People were gathering their things and preparing to leave. Wickham was stepping down from the stand with a huge grin on his face. When he glanced over at them and winked, her father’s face turned such a deep shade of red Elizabeth thought he might be about to have a coronary arrest.
Suddenly, the doors flew open and Elizabeth was surprised and confused to see Roger, her summer job boss, stride in. Darcy was walking purposefully by his side and they were followed by a handful of uniformed officers. Without glancing at anyone else in the courtroom, they made straight for George Wickham, who was still in the process of being escorted away by a court official.
“George Wickham. We have a warrant for your arrest.”
Wickham snorted. “My case has been dismissed. You can’t try me again for the same thing.”
“This is an entirely separate matter, Mr. Wickham,” one of the police officers said.
“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. What separate matter! This is ridiculous. I think I shall be consulting my lawyer on whether I have a case for harassment.”
“I’m arresting you on the grounds of embezzlement from the firm where you are currently employed. You have the right to remain…”
A gasp came from everyone in the courtroom who’d remained to watch this latest development. Wickham’s face turned into a mask of sheer panic as he was read his rights and handcuffed again. He turned pleading eyes to Darcy. “I could really use a good lawyer here.”
“George, I tried to warn you time and time again that this was how your life would turn out if you continued on the path you’d created for yourself. And I know what you did in Vegas, by the way. I have no intention of helping you. Enjoy prison.”
Elizabeth felt like cheering and barely managed to hold onto her decorum and keep the smile from her face.
Lydia let out a wail and burst into tears. “No! You can’t do that! We’re going to be married! I love him! Mom, do something!”
“Oh my, embezzlement! Well surely he is innocent, my dear. And you’re sure you were going to be married? Lydia, did he give you a ring?” Mrs. Bennet questioned her youngest child.
“He was going to officially ask me very soon. He is innocent! I will wait for him for as long as I have to!”
“I need one of my blood pressure pills.” Mrs. Bennet started hunting frantically in her purse. “Father, have you seen my pills, has anyone seen my pills?”
Mr. Bennet scowled at his youngest daughter.
Elizabeth gently tugged the purse from her mother’s clutching hands, located the pill bottle, removed one, and handed it to her. Mrs. Bennet grabbed it and dry swallowed it, giving her daughter a grateful smile. “Thank you, Lizzy dear.”
“Good grief, Lydia,” Mr. Bennet muttered. “As if he was going to marry you! Well, mark my words, I shall make sure you never see this scoundrel again!”
“This isn’t the time or place for any of this,” Elizabeth reminded them, nodding her head towards the other attendees and her two sisters. Lydia was hysterical and Kitty had her arms wrapped around her, trying to prevent her from running after George as they led him away. Mr. Bennet followed her gaze. “Yes, right. I see what you mean. Come on everybody. Time to go home. I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one day, maybe even a lifetime.”
Taking his wife’s arm, he began to lead them all towards the door. As they exited, Darcy was standing just outside. Elizabeth wasn’t sure if he was waiting for something or someone, but she grabbed the opportunity to stop and address him.
“Mr. Darcy. I know this had no bearing on today’s events and was not done in order to help either my family, or myself, but I would very much like to thank you for turning up at such an opportune moment today with Roger and the new charges. We were all quite devastated to hear that he would walk away from this unpunished. I will extend my thanks also to Roger at my earliest convenience, but please pass on the sentiment if you see him before I do.”
Darcy nodded in acknowledgement of her words, not wanting to reveal that his wanting to help for her sake had actually been as strong a motivation as his dislike of Wickham. Elizabeth continued. “I wasn’t aware you were working with Roger on his embezzlement problem.”
“You’d heard about it?”
“Through the grapevine yes, although I didn’t know who the guilty party would be. I had heard that George was one of the people under investigation.”
“Were you still hoping he was innocent?”
Elizabeth swallowed hard as Darcy’s eyes pierced hers. She had a feeling the question was much deeper than it appeared, that it was loaded with hidden layers. She answered carefully. “I believe my eyes were opened to the true nature of George Wickham some time ago. When I first heard about his possible involvement, I had neither expectation nor hope that he would be entirely innocent in the matter, although I couldn’t guess at his level of involvement.”
Elizabeth thought she saw a flash of relief and pleasure in those eyes, but she didn’t know him well enough to be certain. It certainly appeared as if it was the answer he wanted though.
“Goodbye, Mr. Darcy…and thank you.”
“It’s Will,” he reminded her.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“You both look absolutely stunning.”
Jane blushed. “Thank you, Charles. You look very handsome yourself.”
“Very glad you decided to come.” The low voice close to her ear made Elizabeth shiver and her knees tremble a little. She’d been so amused and pleased watching Charles and Jane together that she hadn’t even noticed Darcy’s approach. “I was worried you might change your mind at the last minute. You seemed rather tired after the hearing.”
“I admit to taking a long nap this afternoon. A buildup of stress and worry, I suppose. However, Mr. Darcy, I never make a decision until I’m certain, and once that decision is made I would not go back on my word. Especially when Jane was the one asking.”
“Then I’m very happy she asked. If you’re ready to be seated, I’ll enquire about our table.”
“Yes, please.”
Elizabeth watched him walk back to the bar and check if their table was ready, unable to help admiring the way his designer suit accentuated his undoubtedly masculine figure. What is wrong with you today! She didn’t have a clue but she knew she needed to get a hold of herself. Perhaps the stress of everything that had happened recently was addling her brain.
They were shown to a table, and after ordering the restaurant’s famous sweet tea, spent a few moments making small talk and
discussing the food on offer. The menu was one designed around the concept of fusion: traditional American fare, fresh local catches, all with a Mediterranean or Latin twist. There was so much that sounded good they couldn’t decide what to order. After checking for the second time whether they were ready, the waiter suggested rather than ordering separately, they request a wide selection of smaller plates that they could all share. It seemed the perfect solution. Elizabeth changed her mind on that particular conclusion twenty minutes later when she and Darcy both reached for a scallop from the same dish at the same time and their hands brushed.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
She snatched her hand away quickly, tucking it into her lap and trying to ignore what felt like a small tingle of static where they had touched. She was relieved when the conversation turned to what she’d expected it to be all along, the downfall of George Wickham. There wasn’t one of them who wouldn’t be glad to see him get his comeuppance and have him safely behind bars so he couldn’t prey on people for a very long time. They all agreed that he wouldn’t learn any lessons from his incarceration but hoped that his long sentence and criminal record would be enough for him to have less charm and appeal on his release.
The conversation had made Elizabeth feel entirely more comfortable with the situation. The cool, chilled, yet romantic setting and the fact that Charles and Jane were a couple had made this feel a bit too…intimate, for her liking, too much like a double date. When she’d accepted the invitation, she hadn’t imagined anything like this and she certainly hadn’t expected to be noticing Will. Sure, they’d had a few nice moments but there had been far more not so nice moments in their history book.
Once the meal was over, Charles summoned the server. Elizabeth assumed he was going to ask for the check but instead, he ordered a bottle of the finest champagne the restaurant had on the menu.
“Good idea, Charles. This is supposed to be a celebratory dinner after all,” Darcy replied quickly.
Elizabeth thought it was odd when the sommelier didn’t bring the bottle to the table to open in front of them. Instead, he brought four sparkling, bubbling flutes to the table on a silver tray, handing each one out with a great sense of ceremony and not inconsiderable flair.
Charles turned to face Jane. “The short time I’ve known you has not only confirmed those things I knew from the beginning, but has been a wonderful voyage of discovery into your sense of humor, your intelligence, your caring and considerate nature, and every other admirable quality one could hope to find in a woman.”
Elizabeth was grinning, already having an idea of where this was going. She glanced at Jane, who was blushing furiously, alternating between glancing up at Charles and staring down at the table.
“I want to thank you for coming into my life, for remaining in it, for having faith when I thought everything was lost. I love you, Jane Bennet!”
Overwhelmed by emotion, Jane’s throat went dry and she couldn’t manage to get a word out. She reached for her glass to buy a little time, tipping her glass delicately to her lips. When she righted it again, all four of them heard the clink of something hard against the crystal. She looked down in confusion, trying to peer through the bubbles. “Oh, there seems to be something in my drink…”
Jane’s voice trailed off, letting out a squeal of delight and surprise as she realized that what was at the bottom of the glass was a ring.
When she raised her head, Charles was in front of her on one knee. “Jane, I never want to be apart from you again. No matter how far I must physically travel, I either want you by my side, our hearts always to be bonded, and for us to be forever united. Jane Bennet, dearest, sweetest, beautiful Jane, will you marry me?”
“Oh yes, Charles, yes, I will.”
“Thank you, Jane. You’ve just made me the happiest man alive,” he said before kissing his fiancé.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to finish your drink before I can make it official by putting the ring on your finger. I’m sorry.”
“I think its fine,” Darcy said. “After all, it was delivered and accepted in front of a legal representative.”
He made them all laugh with his quip and the happy couple retook their seats to enjoy their drinks. In her anxiousness to see the ring properly and to have it on her finger, Jane found herself drinking much faster than she normally would. She giggled, feeling lightheaded.
Jane finished the last of her champagne, catching the ring as it slid up the glass. Still on one knee, Charles took the ring from her, sliding it onto her slender finger. She gasped as she saw it clearly for the first time. “Oh, it’s beautiful!”
“It’s a bit sticky,” Charles said with a sheepish smile. “Perhaps I didn’t think this through properly, but I’m glad it fits.”
“It was the most romantic proposal ever. It won’t take me seconds to rinse it off in the powder room. The ring is simply stunning. Oh, I feel dizzy all of a sudden!”
“I’m not sure if it’s because you’re overcome with love, or if it’s the speed with which you downed that drink,” Elizabeth said.
Will leaned closer to Elizabeth. “Not being able to hold your liquor seems to run in the family.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Look who’s talking.”
“Perhaps some fresh air and a walk will make me feel better,” Jane suggested.
“I’m all for that,” Charles agreed.
“Me too,” Darcy added. “I could do with walking off that meal. That’s the only thing I can fault this place on, so many good choices that you always end up overeating.”
Darcy discretely settled the check and the four of them took the short stroll to the boardwalk. Elizabeth and Darcy both hung back a few steps, giving Charles and Jane some privacy to talk.
“I take it you knew about the intended proposal?”
“I did. I also suggested to Charles that he would be better to wait for a moment when they were alone, but he insisted on it being today. He said he didn’t want to wait another second.”
“I love seeing her this happy; no one deserves it more. Whether his coming home had anything to do with what I said or not, thank you for arranging it.”
“It had everything to do with what you said. I took the time to consider your words carefully and everything became very clear to me. I realized I’d misjudged the situation and took immediate steps to rectify it.”
“It must take a lot to admit that, so I appreciate it.”
They fell into silence, Elizabeth thoughtful as they strolled. “You look concerned, is something the matter?”
“No…I…well, there was something on my mind,” he admitted.
“What is it?”
“Did you…read the emails I sent after…that terrible day when I acted deplorably towards you? As you must know, I tried to call you but apparently you blocked my number. So I resorted to emails.”
“I did not read them. I was very angry at the time and deleted them before even opening them. Later I kind of regretted it, but I had already emptied the recycle bin on my computer. We really don’t need to talk about it, though. It was a highly stressful situation and we both said things we regret…You do regret some things that you said, right?”
Will quickly responded, “Yes! Very much so! I felt like an absolute cad for the way I acted and the things I said. I begged for your forgiveness in the emails. Do you think you can ever forgive me?”
“I have forgiven you. I believe in cases such as these a good memory is unpardonable. Let’s not think about the past anymore.”
Will gave her a warm smile, “I’d like that.” After walking a few steps more he added, “Elizabeth, maybe…
“Oh Lizzy! You won’t believe what Charles suggested for our wedding!” Jane and Charles were laughing as they rejoined them. Much to Darcy’s disappointment, the four of them stayed together for the remainder of the evening.
Will went to sleep that night wondering if he’d have a second, or was it a third, chance with Elizabeth. Considering his
past track record, he knew he had to tread lightly, at least for the time being. She had said she’d forgiven him but that didn’t mean she wanted to take a chance on a relationship with him. He didn’t know if there was any reason to hope.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
On hearing the news that night, Elizabeth decided that overall, it was fair to say that her mom was in raptures over Jane’s engagement. “Oh, Jane!” said her mother. “You had me worried for a while there. Ever since you started trying to help the poor, I feared you would fall in love with one of them. But look at you; you will be the richest woman we know! I knew you could not be so beautiful for nothing!”
Not everyone in the family was as happy about the news as Mrs. Bennet. Lydia in particular was finding it all very hard to take.
“This is so not fair! This should be my wedding you’re planning. I was supposed to have been the first.”
It wasn’t the first time since that night she was caught in the motel that she’d mentioned her wedding that thankfully never happened. Mr. Bennet was beginning to lose patience with her moping and her sulkiness. “Perhaps if you’d been sensible and waited for a decent man like your others sisters then it could have been you, but no, you had to run off with the first scoundrel you encountered.”
Lydia stormed off to her room in yet another tantrum. With a sigh Lizzy followed her to her room, knocking before opening the door.
She found Lydia sprawled face down on her bed. “You okay?”
“No I am not! How could Jane be so selfish as to bring all this happiness into the household when I’m so miserable?”
Lizzy sat down on the bed beside her. “You know Jane doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body. Don’t you think it breaks her heart when she heard you say something mean about the wedding, or when you stormed off in a huff?”
“I do not huff! I just want to nurse my wounds in private, suffer my pain in solitude.”
Lizzy chuckled inwardly at the dramatic delivery. Lydia was the one who could have a career in acting, not Wickham.
Legally Darcy: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice Page 20
