In Want of a Wife: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Julia Middleton

  Elizabeth grabbed Georgiana’s hand. “Quickly,” she said. The clergyman made to come with them. “You stay there,” she snapped. “Unless you want the same to happen to you.”

  “I have nothing to do with them,” the clergyman protested. “Hughes insisted I owed him a favour. I wanted nothing to do with this.”

  “Then do what you want, as long as you don’t come with us,” said Elizabeth. The two girls heaved and pushed the heavy beam from the door. It swung open and Elizabeth took a moment to gulp in deep breaths of fresh air, before they began to run down the empty country road. In the distance, they could see the lights of Bath.

  “You still have the poker?” Georgiana gasped.

  “Of course,” panted Elizabeth. “Not sure how much use it would be if we’re attacked by ruffians, but…”

  A carriage trundled up the road towards them. The two ladies instinctively moved back into the shadows. Anyone visiting Hughes could not have good intentions. It was too dark to read anything that might be on the side of the carriage, and perhaps it was just as well. When it passed them and stopped at Hughes’ inn, Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. They had been right to avoid them. But beside her, she felt Georgiana stiffen.

  “Elizabeth…” she whispered. Her voice throbbed with joy, and before Elizabeth could stop her, she ran back towards the inn.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Darcy was frantic. The entire carriage journey there, all he could think about was that he would kill Wickham. He could not allow his sister to live with that man. What a life he would give her. Darcy could only pray he was not too late. Pray God they were not married.

  And Miss Bennet. What would Wickham do with her? Would he kill her? Sell her to a brothel? He would not put either past the man.

  “Can this carriage go any faster?” he snapped at Mr Crawford.

  “We’re going as fast as we can as it is, sir,” said the magistrate. “And look, we are almost there.”

  Darcy leaned out to see the outline of the tavern. He gripped his cane as the carriage drew to a stop. He had been filled with cold resolve the entire journey and now that they were there, he felt sick with dread for what they might find inside. He jumped from the carriage before it came to a complete stop, despite the magistrate’s protest.

  The door was open. He flung it aside and stopped short at the scene in front of him. Two men lay still on the floor. Hughes and Wickham. Darcy ran to Wickham and checked for a pulse. He was alive.

  “Georgiana,” he roared. “Elizabeth?” He ran upstairs and flung open the bedroom doors. There was no-one there. He thundered back down the stairs, frantic worry gnawing at him.

  “Where are they?” he demanded. The magistrate and his men were leaning over the bodies.

  “Someone gave these men a good, hard wallop,” said one. “Either your young ladies, or someone else.”

  “Then they might have escaped,” said Darcy. He made for the door and was about to call their names again when he almost crashed into two slender shapes. In the lantern light, he recognised the grimy faces of the two people he loved most in the world.

  “Georgie…Elizabeth,” he breathed. He pulled them both into his arms. He kissed Georgiana on the temple. He turned to Elizabeth and leaned towards her as if to kiss her, but caught himself at the last moment. It took some effort for him to master himself. His eyes burned with joy as he looked at them. “Are you hurt?” he demanded.

  “No, neither of us are hurt,” said Elizabeth. She was reluctant to move away. It felt so good to be in his arms, even if she was sharing those arms with Georgiana. She grinned impishly. “But they are,” she said, nodding towards the two men on the floor, who were starting to groan and move.

  The two ladies told Darcy and the magistrate everything that had happened. Darcy listened in amazement as they recounted how they had attacked Hughes and Wickham before running into the night.

  “I am so proud of you,” he said in awe. “Both of you.”

  The magistrate agreed. “You’re lucky, sir, to have two such ladies in your life.”

  Darcy and Elizabeth glanced at one another, then looked away with embarrassed smiles.

  “If that is all, Crawford, I will take them home,” said Darcy. “And thank you for your service tonight.”

  When they returned to Great Pulteney Street, Georgiana stopped her brother. “I am so sorry,” she said. “I wanted to tell you. Elizabeth told me I should, but I felt as if I was betraying him. But I had refused him, and was going to tell you tonight before he came.”

  Darcy kissed her forehead. “Wickham is a snake,” he said. “And he has fooled many people, most of them with far more experience of the world than you. But look how you handled it. I could not be prouder of you.”

  Georgiana beamed. “I shall go to bed,” she said. “I need to cuddle Jessie and get some sleep. Are you taking Elizabeth home?”

  “Yes. Her aunt will be frantic.”

  “I don’t think she will be too frantic,” said Elizabeth. “She knows I was to spend the day with you, so she will not be expecting me to return early.”

  After the girls embraced and Georgiana climbed the stairs to bed, Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “Does this mean you have some time before you go? If you are tired, I can take you home right away.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Funnily enough, I am not tired at all,” she said. And she did not look it. Her fine eyes sparkled with life and energy. The adventure had suited her.

  Darcy realised he was staring at her in open admiration. He cleared his throat. “Er…can I get you anything? A drink, perhaps?”

  Elizabeth agreed to a glass of wine. As he handed it to her, his hand brushed hers. Elizabeth noticed his were trembling slightly.

  “Are you alright?” she asked in concern. “I realise it must have been an enormous shock for you. I cannot begin to imagine how I would feel if Wickham had taken one of my younger sisters.” She flashed a mischievous smile. “And they are far more trying than Georgiana.”

  Darcy laughed as he loosened his cravat. He threw it to one side, and Elizabeth blushed at the sight of his throat, and the brief glimpse she could see of his chest. Darcy was oblivious. He paced the room in agitation.

  “Yes, it has been quite a night,” he said. “And I was devastated thinking something had happened to my sister. That I had failed to protect her. But it is not just that.” He finally stopped pacing and turned to Elizabeth. “When I thought I had lost you also, it was one of the worst moments of my life. I tortured myself with what they might do to you.”

  Elizabeth took another sip of wine to calm her nerves. She was far more anxious now than she had been at any other point during the evening. Her heart pounded. Mr Darcy came towards her and gently took the cup of wine from her hands. He took her hands in his. She noticed his own still trembled.

  “There has been something I have wished to say to you for some time now,” he said. “Indeed, I wished to say it last night.”

  “I am so sorry about last night,” said Elizabeth quickly. “I want to apologise. I should never have believed Wickham.”

  “It is alright,” said Darcy. “Wickham is quite the actor. He could make a fortune treading the boards if he weren’t destined for gaol. And I do sometimes come across as aloof and above my company.”

  “I realised almost as soon as I got home what an idiot I was,” she continued. “I could not believe I entertained his story, and spoke to you how I did.”

  “It’s forgotten,” said Darcy. “And we will say no more about it.” He looked down at their entwined hands. He caressed hers with his thumb, then forced himself to look at her. He took a deep breath. “I love you,” he said simply.

  Elizabeth gasped. His eyes looked into hers, searching for her response. Her mouth felt dry, and she felt too nervous to speak.

  “Miss Bennet, if you do not feel the same, please tell me so at once,” said Darcy. “And do not fear that I will hold any resentment and allow it to interfere with your
friendship with my sister…”

  “I love you,” said Elizabeth. Her voice sounded higher than normal, as she said the words she had never said to a man before. She hesitated, then cleared her throat and repeated the words again, stronger this time. “I love you.” She smiled up at him.

  Darcy stared at her, then swallowed, his eyes glistening with emotion. He took a step towards her, and released one of her hands to cup her chin and tilt it towards him. He kissed her, gently at first, then wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him as if he would never let her go. He finally released her and they unsteadily caught their breaths. Darcy smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “Will you marry me?” he asked. “Because I do not believe I could ever part from you again from this day forward.”

  What else could Elizabeth say, but yes? The young couple could scarcely contain their joy as they embraced one another again and again. An evening that had begun as a nightmare had changed to one of perfect happiness.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  One month later.

  Elizabeth and Darcy lay on the thick grass of Oakham Mount. It was the morning of their wedding and Elizabeth had desired they have their wedding breakfast out of doors,with their family and friends around them. Mr Bingley had insisted on arranging it, and an army of Netherfield servants sat at a discreet distance, having ensured all the guests were well supplied with champagne, cake and other delicacies. Lady Lacey sat on a rug with Mr and Mrs Bennet, alternating between teasing Mr Bennet about some mysterious and embarrassing childhood pranks, and trying to evade Mrs Bennet’s tearful thanks in helping her marry off a daughter. Elizabeth smiled as she watched her talking animatedly with her father. It had been a lucky day for her when Lady Lacey came to Longbourn. She would never have known the joy she felt now if it had not been for Lady Lacey’s whim to bring a young cousin to Bath.

  She lay back against Darcy’s chest, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. Across from them, Jane Bennet and Darcy’s closest friend, Mr Bingley sat in deep conversation, insensible to everyone else in the party. Bingley had met Jane when he finally arrived to stay at Netherfield, and had the good sense to fall in love with her at first sight.

  “I feel we will have another wedding soon,” said Darcy.

  “I hope so,” said Elizabeth. “They would make each other very happy, I think.”

  She felt Darcy smile. “As happy and you and I shall be?”

  “That would be impossible,” said Elizabeth. “Look at Jane. She smiles, but I laugh.”

  She turned in her husband’s arms and he took the opportunity to kiss her, something he could not stop himself from doing. Luckily, they were slightly hidden from view by the old tree Darcy was sitting against. The only two who could see them clearly were too oblivious to anyone but each other. Georgiana sat with Elizabeth’s family, being in turn both shocked and amused by the younger sisters antics. She had been overjoyed when Elizabeth and Darcy asked her to make her permanent home with them at Pemberley.

  Elizabeth gave herself over to her husband’s kiss entirely.

  “I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said, when he eventually released her. He brushed a stray curl from her face and kissed her again.

  “Nor can I,” breathed Elizabeth. She snuggled into his arms once again. As their hands entwined, the morning sun shone on their new wedding bands. She smiled at the sight. “It has already been settled between us that we are to be the happiest couple in the world.”