F. Darcy
The colonel passed the letter back to Darcy, “That should get his attention,” he commented. “What will you do if he does not pay the bill?”
“I believe he will,” Darcy told him. “I do not believe Wickham is so desperate for handouts as he likes to make Lydia believe. If there is one thing I know about George Wickham, he always does his best to take care of himself.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam sighed, “Would you like me to deliver it personally? It would add more weight to the matter and show Wickham you mean business.”
Darcy sealed the letter shut, “Would you mind doing so?” he asked him. “I rather like the idea of rattling him, I must admit.”
“No, I have no other engagements, and I think being out for a time will do me some good,” he told him. “I have some things I need to consider.”
“Is everything all right, Richard?” Darcy asked somewhat concerned.
Richard shook his head, “Yes, yes, all is well,” he said. He was about to leave when he stopped, “Darcy, have you noticed the interest my brother has taken in Miss Bingley?”
Darcy leaned back in his chair, “Elizabeth has not been attempting to persuade you on that matter, has she?” he asked hoping that was not the case.
Richard shook his head, “No,” he told him. “In fact, you should know that Mrs. Darcy very decidedly offered little thought or opinion on the matter of my brother and Miss Bingley. She said she had given her word not to meddle and she was true to it,” he explained. “No, I have noticed his attentions to her myself, and it was Mrs. Bingley that made mention of how altered Miss Caroline Bingley has been of late.”
Darcy took in a deep breath, “I will share with you what I told Elizabeth,” he began to say. “I am hesitant to involve myself in these matters because neither your brother nor Miss Bingley has sought my advice and counsel. I am happy to say I have learned my lesson from my disastrous blunder of interfering in Bingley’s life. I very nearly lost Elizabeth and a good friend besides. I would caution you, Richard, speak to Owen directly concerning any misgiving’s you might have about his attentions towards Miss Bingley, but do not attempt to interfere otherwise. If he has feelings for her and desires to make them known to you as his brother, you may offer him your counsel, but leave room for him to reject it.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head, “You mistake me, cousin. I do not wish to bring about an end to his time spent with Miss Bingley,” he told him. “On the contrary, I have seen a remarkable change in Owen over the past weeks. He smiles and laughs in a manner that I have not seen since Emily was with us. Mrs. Bingley has said as much is true for Miss Bingley. She is much altered; in fact, both Mrs. Bingley and Mrs. Darcy expressed to me that they would describe Miss Bingley as agreeable when she is with my brother.”
Darcy shook his head, “Good heavens man, has my wife turned you into a matchmaker?” he laughed. “I would have thought you would have better sense than to involve yourself with such schemes.”
“I am not attempting to matchmake anyone,” Richard assured him. “However, I am seeing my brother live his life again. Owen has changed since knowing Miss Bingley. He has hope again and a care for life that I have not seen him have for some time. I suppose as his brother I would like to see him happy even if that means he is with someone like Miss Bingley,” he admitted.
Darcy took in a deep breath, “You are his brother, Richard. I would not expect you to feel otherwise. However, my advice still stands; speak to Owen directly. It is possible that he sees in Miss Bingley something that we do not. Who can say how matters of the heart truly work? Talk with him, and if after doing so you feel led, speak your mind. He has heard us both speak often enough of Miss Bingley to know what she is about. If he loves her and wishes to overlook those things, who are we to dissuade him?”
Richard nodded his head, “You are right, of course,” he said as he turned to leave. “I will talk with you again after I deliver this to Mr. Wickham.”
“Thank you, Richard,” Darcy said as his cousin left the room.
It was late by the time Elizabeth and Darcy retired for the evening. Darcy was just about to take off his robe and climb into bed when he noticed Elizabeth was sitting by the fire. “Elizabeth, is everything all right?” he asked her as he made his way over towards her.
She looked up from where she was sitting and nodded her head. “I am well,” she said softly. “However, I did have something I must speak to you about.”
Darcy sat down next to her on the chaise, “Of course, my darling. What is it?”
“Today while we were shopping at Higgins in Cheapside, I saw Mr. Wickham,” she told him.
Darcy gave a frustrated sigh and moved away from her just a little, “Are you certain that it was him?” he asked her. “Perhaps you were mistaken?”
Elizabeth shook her head, “Actually, it was Lydia who saw him first,” she explained what happened and how she saw Wickham with another woman. “William, you should have seen him standing there with that woman on his arm, telling her she should buy what she liked,” she said angered by the memory of it. “I wanted so very much to confront him and demand that he end his acquaintance with that woman at once. I wanted to demand that he go and be with Lydia!”
Darcy could see how angry she was. He narrowed his eyes just a little, “But you did not confront him, did you?” he asked her. He had only ever seen Elizabeth this angry once before, and that was when she found out about his involvement in ending the relationship between Jane and Charles.
Elizabeth stood up and began pacing in front of him. “No,” she admitted. “However, I very much wanted to,” she said. “I remembered what you said about the way gossip spreads and I did not want to cause poor Lydia any more hurt than she will already feel when she finds out. Oh, William, she will be so upset when Jane and I tell her.”
Darcy was quiet for a moment, then got up and took her hand in his. He guided her back to the sofa and calmly told her. “Elizabeth, I am sorry you found out about Mr. Wickham’s affair this way. Perhaps I could have spared you the distress you now feel if I had told you sooner of what I learned several days ago.”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow, “You knew Wickham was having an affair?” she asked him.
He nodded his head, “I suspected it, yes,” he told her.
“William, you must tell me, what it is you have learned?” she asked him.
Darcy sighed, “I had hoped to keep this from you,” he began to say. “I did not want you to find yourself in the position you are now in. I wanted to spare you that.”
“William, please, just tell me what it is you have learned about my sister and Mr. Wickham?” Elizabeth pleaded with him again.
Darcy hesitated briefly but then decided to tell her everything. “Some days ago, I learned of Mr. Wickham’s being here in town. It was relayed to me that he was keeping company with another woman. I believe you saw that woman with him today. I am very grieved that you have found out as you did, and I am astonished at Wickham’s reckless behavior. I should have thought since the lady in question is married herself, they would have been more discreet.”
Elizabeth looked at him in confusion, “William, you almost make it sound as if Wickham’s only failing is that he has been found out,” she accused him.
“Not at all,” he corrected her. “I am merely suggesting that since he has been so careless in his actions, he has been discovered. In keeping this information from you, I had hoped to protect you from the decision you are now faced with. I know this will be difficult for you, Elizabeth, but Lydia cannot find out,” he informed her. “You cannot tell her.”
“Why ever not!” Elizabeth demanded to know. “Why should we keep this from her? Does Wickham deserve our protection?”
Darcy shook his head, “He most certainly does not,” he assured her. “However, your sister does.”
“How would keeping this information from Lydia protect her?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
Darcy did
his best to remain patient. He knew Elizabeth was feeling offended for her sister’s sake, and rightly so, but he hoped she could be persuaded to see things more calmly. “Because my darling, it will do no good for her to know,” he explained. “It will only bring your sister heartache, and Wickham will continue on as he always has.”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow, “Surely you do not approve of his conduct?” she questioned him further.
Darcy walked over to her and took her hand in his, “Of course I do not,” he told her. “I find his treatment of your sister most repulsive. However, there is little that can be done. Wickham is the man he is. I do not expect he will change anytime soon. We can hope that after the child is born, he will perhaps have more care for his family, but I doubt that will be the case.”
“You believe Wickham is beyond all redemption, then?” Elizabeth said as she considered what he had said.
Darcy hesitated for a moment as he took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. “I will not say that. Much can happen in a man’s life to cause him to change, but in the end, it is up to him to do so. Wickham is a scoundrel of the worst kind. He is a rake, a liar, and a cheat, but we must remember that Lydia chose to run off with him.”
“Yes, because she was deceived by him, because she fell in love with him,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Lydia always expected that he would marry her.”
“And he has,” Darcy told her gently. He did not want to upset her further, so he chose his words carefully. “Wickham has given her his name, and by doing so, has given her respectability.”
“But he is her husband! Is she not deserving of more from him than the use of his name!?” she said indignantly.
Darcy could see she was getting upset. “Yes, Elizabeth,” he assured her. “She most certainly is deserving of much more than that. However, Wickham is not the sort of man to hold to such values; I am sorry to say. He is a selfish being who thinks only of himself,” he told her. “And lest we forget, Lydia shares some of those same character traits as he does. As I said, it was her decision to cast off all her friends and family and run away with him.”
Elizabeth felt herself becoming more irritated as they talked. “William, I find I am not as tired as I thought I was,” she said as she stood up and walked away from him. “I think I would like to go to the library and perhaps read for a while.”
Darcy knew she was agitated with him. “Elizabeth, I am sorry if I said anything to upset you, but I stand by it. There are men, very influential men, who marry and take on mistresses for one reason or another. I am not saying I support this in any way. As I said, I find the conduct repulsive and reprehensible. When I took my vows to be faithful to only you, that meant something to me. However, I believe you know well enough that there are others who do not share in my sense of what is right. I cannot force Wickham to be an honorable man. I can only hope and offer prayers that he one day will be. As for your sister, I do not believe her knowing that Wickham is having an affair will change things. True, she will know, but what will knowing do for her? It will do nothing but cause her grief.”
Elizabeth considered what he said, “I understand what you say, and the wisdom in it,” she began to say. “And yet, I cannot help but feel an injustice is being done…”
He nodded his head. “I understand,” he told her. “I hope you find some relief from the present distress you are feeling. As I said, I had hoped to spare you from the decision you are now faced with. I regret most keenly that I was not able to.”
Elizabeth did not say anything more. Instead, she went downstairs to the library to look for a book. She decided what she needed to do was take her mind off of things, and perhaps that would allow her to think more clearly and not so emotionally. She opened the door to the library and went inside. She thought she would be alone, but found she was not. “Jane,” she said her sister’s name. “Can you not sleep either?”
Jane shook her head. “I thought to come down to find a book to read. I see you thought to do the same,” she told her.
“Yes, although I doubt it will help very much,” Elizabeth said as she walked over and sat down. “Try as I may, I cannot seem to put Wickham from my mind.”
“Oh Lizzy, I feel the same way. I am still so distressed about what happened today. Do you think we were right not to tell Lydia that it really was Wickham she saw?”
Elizabeth sighed, “I do not know,” she admitted. “I spoke with William, he believes telling Lydia would only bring her sadness and heartache. He said that telling her would do very little to change Wickham’s conduct and in the end, would only bring despair to Lydia.”
Jane did not know what to think, “Lizzy, this is all so upsetting!” she told her. “I find myself not knowing what to do.”
“To hear Mr. Darcy talk of it, we should just resign ourselves to the fact that this is how Mr. Wickham is and accept it!” she said, revealing some of the irritation she was struggling with.
Jane creased her brow, “Lizzy, you are not angry with Mr. Darcy, are you?” she asked. “Surely you do not hold him responsible for any of this business with Wickham and Lydia?”
Elizabeth searched her feelings. In truth, she did not really know whom she was upset with. She knew Wickham was to blame for his behavior, but it did trouble her that William almost seemed to excuse it. “I cannot say,” she told her honestly. “William was very upset by Wickham’s actions, and he said as much to me,” she told her. “But he was very accepting of it as well.”
“How do you mean?” Jane asked her.
“Well, he spoke of how there were men in society who did take on mistresses and have affairs. He said Wickham’s actions were not so wholly uncommon,” she tried to explain delicately.
“Surely, he did not condone that kind of behavior; as a gentleman and a Christian, how could he?” Jane asked.
Elizabeth shook her head, “No Jane, you mistook my meaning. When I said Mr. Darcy was accepting of Wickham’s affair, I did not mean to say he was tolerant of it. Mr. Darcy did condemn Wickham’s conduct most vigorously, but there was a kind of apathy I had not expected from him. There was almost a kind of resolve that Wickham is who he is, and we can do little to change it.”
Jane moved over to Elizabeth and sat down on the sofa with her, “Lizzy, do you think Mr. Darcy is perhaps right in what he shared with you?” she asked him. “I only ask because when I spoke with Charles, he said the very same thing. He believes we should not tell Lydia the truth about Wickham’s affair.”
Elizabeth sighed heavily. She considered her feelings again. “Oh Jane, I think what has me truly upset is that I do think William is right. I believe there is little hope that Wickham will change and Lydia will forever be shackled to a man that does not love her,” she told her. “For my part, I feel so much regret at wishing Lydia would marry Wickham. I wonder now if coming home unmarried would have been better.”
Jane raised her brow in astonishment, “Lizzy, you cannot really think so!” she told her. “Especially now, knowing as we do that Lydia is with child. The marriage had to happen. You must still see it was for the best!” When Elizabeth did not respond, Jane pressed the matter further. “Lizzy, consider what would have become of Lydia had Mr. Darcy not intervened…”
“Yes, yes, I know that you are right!” Elizabeth said feeling frustrated. “But I cannot help but think of our poor sister living her life with such a man…”
“I know Mr. Wickham is a dreadful man, but Lydia had to marry him. You should not feel any remorse for the way things happened. Lydia did choose to run away with Mr. Wickham. There is no denying that.”
“Yes, but Jane, do you think if I had told Lydia the kind of man Mr. Wickham was, it would have had an effect on her?” she asked her. “Do you believe it would have changed anything?”
Jane considered what Elizabeth asked her. She thought about her younger sister’s wild behavior and conduct. After a few moments, she shook her head, “No, Lizzy, I do not,” she told her honestly. “Lydia was determi
ned to go to Brighton, and we both know what a flirt she is. I think she would have ended up exactly where she is regardless.”
Elizabeth took in a long-drawn breath and sighed deeply, “Tell me then, as the one who is always so optimistic and hopeful, do you believe Wickham can change?” she asked her.
Again Jane considered the question. “Lizzy, I do believe he can change, just as I believe Lydia and Mama can change,” she began to say. “However, I do not think he ever will…”
Elizabeth sighed, “Because he does not want to,” she finished her sister’s sentence for her.
“Yes,” Jane told her sadly. “And truly, Lizzy, Lydia does not want to change either. She is content as she is, or at least, she has said as much to us both. If we were to tell her of Wickham’s affair, she would not be grateful for knowing; she would be angry for having been told.”
Elizabeth nodded her head. “You are right,” she agreed. “What you have said makes perfect sense. William tried to tell me as much, but I was too upset to hear him. Oh, Jane, you are both right in saying Lydia must not be told the truth.”
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