by Louise, Kara
Mr. Bennet shot out of his chair, his face as white as his shirt. “What has happened?” he demanded. “Where is my daughter?”
Mr. Forster raised his hands. “She is all right. She is upstairs.” He looked to his wife. “Would you please bring her down?”
Mr. Bennet was visibly shaken as he slowly sat down. “Please tell me what has happened!”
“Your daughter was involved in a rather unfortunate incident with one of my officers which resulted in criminal activity and arrest.”
Mr. Bennet bolted out of his chair again. “What? I cannot believe this of Lydia!”
Elizabeth widened her eyes and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She could not bring herself to look at David, who, she was certain, was just as shocked and appalled as she and her father were.
“Apparently she was asked to participate in a scheme to rescue someone they believed to be in the wrong hands. As it turned out, it was a prisoner being transported to London to face criminal charges.”
“No!” Elizabeth cried out, burying her face in her hands. “How could she do such a thing?”
Mr. Bennet was unable to move or formulate one thought. Finally, he asked, “Was my daughter caught and arrested?”
Mr. Forster nodded. “Yes, she was.”
“Yet, she is free?” Mr. Bennet asked.
“Yes. It was determined she was acting out of ignorance and a foolish desire to please Mr. Wickham.”
“Mr. Wickham!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Oh, poor, stupid Lydia!”
“She was released yesterday. No charges will be brought against her. I am convinced she has had her share of punishment, as she had to spend several days in gaol while it was sorted out.”
Elizabeth could sit still no longer. She stood up and walked to the window and looked out. She could not trust herself to say anything, as angry as she was. Yet it was anger directed at herself, as she had chosen not to divulge Wickham’s true character to her family several months ago when she had come to know of it.
The sounds of footsteps drew everyone’s attention. Lydia walked in, rather sheepishly, at first, but when she saw her father, she ran to him and threw her arms about him.
“Oh, Papa, it has been most upsetting! I can’t wait to get home and away from here. Such a misunderstanding!”
“We shall talk about this later, Lydia. Are your things packed?”
Lydia nodded. “Yes, I’m ready. Oh, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you… to see you all!” She suddenly looked at David. “La! Who is this?”
“Lydia, this is my cousin’s son, David Adams.” Mr. Bennet turned to David with a look of resignation. “David, may I introduce you to my youngest daughter, Lydia!”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and smiled at David as he cordially and most civilly greeted Lydia. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I have enjoyed getting to know your father and sister.”
Lydia’s belongings were brought down, and Mr. Bennet turned to the couple. “We shall trespass on your hospitality no longer. I regret that my daughter caused you such consternation, and I hope that Wickham will receive the punishment he deserves!”
“I am certain he will,” Mr. Forster said. “If not from the court system, then from me!” He shook his head in disgust. “I will not tolerate such lawless conduct!” Mr. Forster’s chest heaved. “Please know how grieved we are that this happened while your daughter was our guest.”
Mr. Bennet only nodded. His brows were tightly knit together and a frown etched his face. “Come, we must take our leave.”
They walked out quickly and silently, each feeling the mortification of Lydia’s actions. Elizabeth could not imagine a more dire circumstance than what they had just discovered. She could only imagine what David now thought of her family.
They boarded the carriage, and Lydia’s belongings were secured with the others. As they drove away, there was a deafening silence in the carriage. Lydia played with a strand of her hair, repeatedly twisting it around her finger. Mr. Bennet stared out the window, his fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. David read a book, but he did not seem to be making any progress, as Elizabeth had not seen him turning a single page.
Elizabeth leaned back against the seat and stared out the window, glancing only occasionally at the others. She was pained that her father seemed unwilling to confront Lydia, although it might have been because of David’s presence. She was humiliated that David had to witness this and was fairly certain he would think long and hard about what his relationship to the Bennets would be in the future. If news of this circulated, it would bring disgrace to their whole family.
When Lydia began humming a merry tune, Elizabeth could keep her frustration to herself no longer.
“Lydia, have you no shame? Do you not realize that what you did was terribly wrong?”
Lydia looked up in surprise. “Did Colonel Forster not tell you?” She pounded her hands into her lap. “We thought we were helping someone! How was I to know that the person was in trouble with the law?” She shook her head. “It’s the fault of those men that put George up to it!”
“George!” Elizabeth said in disgust. “Are you on such intimate terms with him that you call him by his first name?”
Lydia shrugged her shoulders. “And why not? I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Elizabeth let out a huff and turned her face away.
“You have greatly disappointed me, Lydia,” Mr. Bennet said. “You should have known better. You could have been killed! It was very foolish and very dangerous!”
Lydia cocked her head back and forth. “Well, it wasn’t really all that dangerous.” She let out a chuckle. “It turns out the man in the carriage was not the man we were supposed to free. It’s a good thing, too, because we later found out the man we were after was a pirate! Can you imagine that?”
“A pirate!” Elizabeth said, her face turning white. “Whatever do you mean?”
Lydia’s eyes grew wide. “Calm down, Lizzy! I told you we didn’t know he was a pirate. But we found out that it wasn’t really him…in the carriage… I think his name was Lockerby… but it was someone else dressed up to look like him!”
Elizabeth felt the world about her begin to swim. Her cheeks grew hot, and her heart pounded wildly. A very real pain grew in her stomach as she comprehended what Lydia was saying.
“Mr. Darcy!” her father and David exclaimed at the same time.
Lydia responded with a look of astonishment. She shook her head, “No, I said Lockerby. He was…”
“It’s Lockerly,” Mr. Bennet said tersely. “And you can count yourself lucky, indeed, that it was not him you encountered.”
Lydia twisted her head. “How do you know who he is, and what does this have to do with Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth slowly shook her head and felt her eyes well with tears. She knew what this meant. Now Mr. Darcy was acquainted with her sister’s injudicious actions. She felt as though she might get physically sick.
Mr. Bennet’s jaw tightened, and he pointed his finger at Lydia. “Young lady! You have no idea what we suffered at the hands of Lockerly, and to think that you would have helped him escape has me…” Mr. Bennet’s whole being shook. “I am so upset I can barely think straight!”
Lydia drew back into her seat. It was not often that Mr. Bennet got angry, but when he did, one could readily see it in the redness of his face, the way his body shook, and the raised tone of his voice. This was one of those times.
She waited a few moments before asking her question again. “What does this have to do with Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth listened as David very calmly and patiently told her that it was likely Mr. Darcy in the carriage; that they had encountered him at sea when he had been impersonating Lockerly.
Lydia’s eyes widened. “Mr. Darcy was in the carriage?” She looked at David with incredulity. She then turned to her father. “The Mr. Darcy who was Mr. Bingley’s friend? That Mr. Darcy?”
“Yes, Lydia!” Elizabet
h replied harshly. “That Mr. Darcy!”
Neither Elizabeth nor her father seemed capable of explaining to Lydia about their encounter with Lockerly and how Mr. Darcy played a part in the whole affair, so David was the one who calmly told her of their adventure.
Lydia listened to all the particulars of the adventure, which – from the entranced look on her face – she most likely wished could have been hers. As they had agreed before, he omitted the part about Elizabeth being held captive by pirates on the small island.
Elizabeth knew that neither she nor her father would have been able to say more than a few words without their anger towards Lydia spilling out, so she was grateful that David was there to tell the story.
She could think of nothing save what Mr. Darcy must now think of her family. She could hardly breathe as she grasped that this would certainly preclude him from ever wishing to see her again.
*~*~*
The journey to London, with an overnight stay at an inn, progressed at a pace too slow for everyone’s comfort. Elizabeth could barely bring herself to speak to Lydia. Her father buried himself in the pages of a book, thereby separating himself from all his aggravations. David remained in polite, but stilted conversation with the young girl.
Lydia’s impertinent and inappropriate outbursts gradually tempered. Elizabeth glanced up at her occasionally and actually saw evidence of worry. She would bite her fingernails, which was odd because she was always so concerned about her appearance. At other times she would furrow her brows as if a thought distressed her. Elizabeth was not certain her sister was worried about herself and the gravity of her actions, but feared her sister’s concern was about Wickham. His fate would rest in the hands of the courts, and his sentence would likely be harsh.
She wondered whether Mr. Darcy was concerned at all for his childhood friend. Would he have been willing to step in and help his friend? Elizabeth’s eyes shot wide open. Could it be? She turned slowly to Lydia. Her youngest sister should have faced a judge and been sentenced for her part in breaking the law. But she had not.
Elizabeth felt her face flush as she considered that perhaps Mr. Darcy may have had some influence over the charges against Lydia being dropped. She looked at her father, David, and then back to her sister. She let out a shaky breath.
She suddenly felt an onslaught of tears threaten to spill out. The man that she had so callously refused to marry was certainly not the man she had thought he was. She turned her head away from the others, closed her eyes, and let the tears trail down her cheeks.
*~*~*
It was almost dusk when the carriage pulled up to the Gardiners’ home. Everyone was weary from the days of travel and looked forward to a decent meal and comfortable bed in which to sleep.
The Gardiners welcomed them all, and then heard about the storm and an abbreviated account of their pirating adventure. When everyone repaired to their rooms to ready themselves for dinner, Elizabeth remained behind and told them about Lydia, so it would not have to be done in front of everyone. The Gardiners were astonished that she would do such a thing, but were also quite perplexed about Mr. Darcy’s involvement in all of it. Elizabeth then explained how they encountered him at sea.
“It is odd, is it not, Lizzy? Everyone thought him so proud and above everyone else!” Mrs. Gardiner said. “Perhaps he is not as bad as you once thought him to be.”
Elizabeth shook her head, her brows knitted together. “No, Aunt. We were all wrong about him. I was especially wrong about him and have much to regret.”
Mrs. Gardiner patted her niece’s hand. “You need not be so hard on yourself, Lizzy. The man most likely never had the slightest idea how strong your dislike was.”
*~*~*
As they gathered for dinner that evening, Elizabeth felt a great deal of strength just being with her aunt. She was a lady for whom she had a great deal of respect, and she always appreciated and benefited from her reassuring words and sage advice.
As they ate, a letter was brought in and handed to Mr. Bennet.
As he took the letter, he said, “Ah, Mrs. Bennet must have known we arrived!” He laughed as he looked down at the missive. “But it is not anyone’s handwriting that I am familiar with! Such neatness and exactness! Who could it be from?”
They all watched him eagerly as he opened it. “Hmmm,” he said in a drawn out tone. “This is rather interesting!”
“What is it, Papa?” Elizabeth asked.
“It seems as though you, David, and I have been invited to Mr. Darcy’s town home tomorrow afternoon. Shall we accept?
Chapter 23
Darcy paced nervously in his study, watching the mantel clock that seemed to move at an unreasonably slow pace. He lifted his fingers to rub his chin and was surprised – as he had often been of late – to find it clean shaven. On the journey back to his town home, he had spent the night at an inn, where he had enjoyed a much-needed bath and employed the innkeeper to cut off his unruly long hair and give him a shave. He also had bought himself some new clothes so when he stepped into his house in London, the servants would not be shocked at his appearance. If he had arrived in his previous state, he doubted they would have even recognized him!
He had not felt as though he would be quite back to himself, however, until his valet tended to him. Stewart had been waiting when Darcy arrived and immediately had set forth to improve upon what the innkeeper had done to his hair and beard.
It was almost two o’clock, and he knew that at any minute his guests would arrive. He was anxious to tell them about the reward, but his excitement was tempered by what had happened with Lydia. He would not divulge knowledge of the situation unless he found they had become aware of it.
There was a light tap at the open door. He smiled, knowing that tap well.
“Come in, Georgiana.”
The young girl walked in and glanced at the clock. “They ought to be here soon.”
“Yes.”
A gentle smile tugged at her lips. “What are their names again?”
Darcy leaned casually against the wall, not wishing to give rise to any suspicions on Georgiana’s part. “Mr. Bennet, Mr. David Adams, and Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Georgiana pursed her lips and nodded her head. She walked over to her brother’s desk and picked up a pen, twirling it about in her fingers. “And they somehow were involved in this pirating adventure of yours.”
He nodded. “Very involved. One of the reasons I invited them today was because they are to receive a portion of the reward for finding some jewels Lockerly had hidden in the ship.”
“I am certain they will be very pleased.”
“I believe they shall be.”
Georgiana suddenly furrowed her brows and looked askance at her brother. She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out some paper. She looked down at it, and Darcy realized it was a letter.
“Would you mind if I asked you a question?” She smiled sweetly at him, and Darcy almost detected a slight quiver in her voice.
“Does it have to do with that letter?”
She nodded and took in a deep breath. “You wrote this letter to me last autumn while you were visiting Mr. Bingley at Netherfield.”
Darcy slowly nodded his head, not realizing his sister kept his correspondence. His heart began to race a little faster than it already was.
“In it, and in several other letters, you mention – quite often – a Miss Elizabeth Bennet.” She looked up with beseeching eyes. “Is this the same Elizabeth Bennet who is coming today?”
Darcy again nodded, wondering what all he had written about her.
“I do not have all your letters here, as some are at Pemberley. I believe there were others that were written this spring when you were in Kent, and she was there.” She unfolded the fine linen paper and looked down. “You say, ‘Miss Bennet is one of those fine ladies that one seldom meets, who is lively and intelligent and does not seem to care for all the trappings of the fine circles in society. She is a rare and
delightful find.’”
Darcy actually felt his cheeks warm as she read this. He wondered what he should tell his sister. As he contemplated this, she continued.
“While I do not have the letters written while you were in Kent, I do recollect you mentioning that you were about to ask for her hand. And yet, I heard no further mention of her. When you returned and seemed so distraught, I was so concerned for you that I forgot all about your letters. I do not think I would have ever suspected that she – or any lady, for that matter – would refuse you.” Uncertainty wrinkled her brow. “Tell me, Brother. Is that what happened?”
Darcy’s hands began to shake, and he clasped them tightly together. “Yes, but please, there is so much to tell; I do not have the time now. Please welcome her as a guest and say no more about it.”
“Oh, Brother, I am so sorry,” she walked to him and wrapped her arms about him, leaning her head against his chest. “Now I know why you were so downcast when you returned from Kent. Is there any hope for…?”
“Nothing can ever come of it,” he interjected. “She and her cousin, Mr. Adams, are likely to marry.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
Georgiana looked up at her brother, a twinkle in her eyes. “Shall I like her, do you think?”
Darcy tousled the young girl’s hair. “I think you shall like her very much.”
When he pulled away, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I need to meet with our guests privately, and then I shall come for you and make the introductions.”
Georgiana smiled and stood on her toes to reach up and give him a kiss on the cheek. “I shall be eagerly waiting.”
Darcy watched his sister walk away. His heart pounded thunderously, and he felt a real sense of grief that his sister would never know Elizabeth as the kind sister he knew she would have been to her.
He heard the sound of the bell and gave a tug on his coat. He took in a deep breath and walked out of his study to the parlour, where he would meet his guests.
On the way, he stopped in front of a hallway mirror and looked at his reflection. He was not interested in the fact that he had often been told that he was handsome, but he only hoped he would look presentable to Elizabeth. He reached up and touched the scab above his eye. The swelling and redness were gone, but he would likely have a scar. He hoped she would not be distressed by what she had done. If only he could tell her how it allowed him to think of her each time he looked upon it.
