“Perhaps that is in our favour,” Lizzy murmured.
“Alas, no, my dear,” Mrs. Gardiner said, tears shining in her eyes. “What are we to do? It will become obvious in a matter of weeks. Perhaps it is better if she remains in London with me, but…”
“No, Aunt,” Lizzy said, shaking her head. “It would be extremely selfish to burden you with that. I feel bad enough already that I have caused you to come with me to places like this.”
“I don’t see why you should have to condescend to come here. That is the most terrible thing that I can see. But I suppose you would not have backed down no matter who suggested it.”
Elizabeth smiled for what felt like the first time in an age. “No, indeed,” she admitted. “Well, then. There is only one solution that I can think of. If we can no longer take her back to Longbourn, we must find Wickham and prevail on him to marry her at once.”
She opened the door and marched back inside. Lydia was a pitiful sight, packing her belongings into a tattered bag that appeared as if it belonged in a poorhouse.
“George took my trunk; said he needed to exchange it for food. He had a bad week this week but he promised he would make it up to me soon.”
“Where is he?” Lizzy tried to keep the pure hatred she felt for the man from her voice, but it was difficult.
Lydia’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell him I told you that.”
It was heart-breaking to see her spirited sister so broken down like this. Lizzy dwelt on all of the things she would like to do to Wickham, chief among them to have him dragged to the courthouse to atone for all his crimes. But that would hardly help her sister’s situation—or hers.
“I promise I won’t breathe a word of it. I simply want to speak to him.”
“His favourite gambling house is on the corner. He won’t be happy you’ve come, though.”
Well, I’m not happy that he tricked my sister into debasing herself, Lizzy thought. She said nothing as she left the room again, promising to return soon.
“Lizzy, I think we should let Edward and your father handle this,” Mrs. Gardiner said as they hurried along the street.
Lizzy turned and nodded, energy throbbing through her veins. She was no more enthused by the prospect than her aunt was. “You’re right,” she admitted. “But I fear they might vanish again if we do not strike right now.”
“But Lydia is miserable. She will hardly tell him.”
“We can assume a lot of things about my sister, but we cannot assume she’ll think logically. The girl is incapable of keeping a thing to herself. She’ll tell him alright, and he’ll flee. And I’ll tell you this, he’d be right to flee. I—”
Mrs. Gardiner’s cool hand on her arm calmed her down somewhat. “Please, Lizzy. I must insist… It is better if the gentlemen take care of this.”
“I know,” Lizzy whispered. “I don’t want to do this any more than you do. But I can’t help but worry that if go to find my father, Wickham will already have run by the time we get back.”
As they stood there, crowds of undesirables passed, most of them leering at the two women who were marked as different by their dress and demeanour. Lizzy was extremely grateful for the presence of the Gardiners’ footman. That he was practically a giant was only one of his positive traits. He was also disinclined to speak unless it was absolutely necessary, which made him perfect for this exercise which might normally have caused a spike in gossip amongst the servants of the city.
“I think you are right, Lizzy,” Mrs. Gardiner finally admitted. “Very well. Let us continue our descent. Surely we must soon reach the lowest pits of hell.”
As it turned out, the place wasn’t entirely unpleasant. The ceilings were high and it was based on the top floor of the building so it was somewhat lighter than the many similar establishments Lizzy had visited in the past several days.
The pleasantry ended with the masonry and aspect, however.
Wickham spotted them immediately. He was sitting at a table in the corner; playing at cards with a variety of characters Lizzy had no desire to meet. He stood and instructed a servant to watch his place before he walked to them.
Gone was the polite young man she had held in high esteem in Hertfordshire the year before. She barely recognised the stranger who stood before them now.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said with a sly smile. “What are you doing in a place like this? Did your carriage get lost?”
She shook her head, staring into his eyes with such disdain that she felt she must truly hate him, even though she had never before felt such an emotion. Not like this.
“May I speak to you for a moment?”
He nodded, seeming not at all alarmed by their arrival. He made no attempt to leave the crowded area, even though some of his companions had turned to stare.
“Privately,” Lizzy said, working hard to keep the desperation from her voice.
Chapter 22
Wickham threw his head back and howled with laughter when Lizzy had finished explaining the purpose of her visit. She watched him through narrowed eyes as he made no attempt to regain his composure. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.
“They’ve sent you to canvass me to marry? Goodness me, what is the world coming to. Where is your father? Did he send you? What a shocking breach of etiquette!”
She pursed her lips. “You speak to me about etiquette? How can you be so bold?”
He shrugged. “You must admit it is unusual to send a woman to do a man’s job.”
Elizabeth gritted her teeth. She stared at him, wondering how in the world she had ever found him charming. The man was a scoundrel! “What I find unusual is your decision to elope with my sister and your continued presence in London. When, may I ask, is the marriage to take place?”
He laughed and swiped his hand over his eyes. “I made no such promise. Your sister came with me of her own accord.”
“Nonsense!”
“It is true!”
Lizzy bit her lip. Was it possible? Could Lydia have been so foolish? “It doesn’t matter now what her intentions were. We are long past that. You have been staying together in London without a care in the world. What do you say to that?”
He shrugged. “There is no law against it.”
“No,” Lizzy snapped through gritted teeth. “There is not. But a young lady’s virtue is at stake.”
He threw his head back and rolled his eyes. “A young lady’s virtue? Why on earth should I give a jot about a young lady’s virtue?”
“Because, Mr. Wickham, you are the cause of her decline,” Mrs. Gardiner snapped.
Lizzy turned to look at her aunt, whom she had never heard sound so stern. If Wickham was shocked, he did not show it.
“Perhaps she is the cause of her own decline. And so what? I have had my own share of misfortune. You feigned sympathy, Miss Bennet, but you did not do one thing to intervene on my behalf?”
“Are you referring to your dislike of Mr. Darcy?” she hissed. “What on earth could I possibly have done to resolve that?” She did not add that she had her doubts about the truth of anything he had said: now was not the time to anger him.
“It is a lot more than mere dislike. The man ruined me. You made no attempt to shame him or otherwise reproach him. As always, Darcy walked away without as much as a dent to his reputation.”
“Speaking of reputations,” Lizzy said with a sigh. “Yours shall not be improved if it gets out that you ran away with a young girl and lived with her in squalor.”
He laughed again. “My reputation is in tatters as it is. What does it matter if another boring old lady speaks ill of me over her afternoon tea?”
“It matters to me,” Lizzy hissed, with such force that her aunt had to wrap her arm around Lizzy’s shoulder and urge her to calm down.
Wickham appeared to find this amusing in the extreme. “Oh, Miss Elizabeth. It has been a pleasure becoming reacquainted with you, but I must get back to my game. I fear my cards have been tampered with already and it is most import
ant that I win this hand.”
Lizzy rose with him and leant across the table. “You must marry her, Mr. Wickham. It is the only proper thing to do.”
He shook his head. “I am afraid that isn’t likely. Not unless she comes into an inheritance we previously did not know about.”
“I’m sure my parents will agree to pay for your transport to Scotland and the wedding.” She hated the idea of giving money to this odious man, but it was a far better prospect than the alternative.
“Goodness no,” he said, shaking his head at her suggestion. “Why should I do that when this city is teeming with heiresses? Why settle for poverty when there is real money to be had if I play my cards right.” He jerked his head towards the other room. “And on that note…”
Lizzy stared the door in stunned silence. She felt numb; utterly shocked. She was barely aware of her aunt pulling her into a tight embrace and stroking her hair.
“Come, Lizzy. Let us get out of this terrible place. You tried: others would have given up at the first sign of unpleasantness.”
“What good is that?” she whispered. “Who cares if I persevered when I have ultimately failed?” Her mind raced as she tried to work out what to do now. “But we shall not dwell on that. I shall remain here while you return and notify my father. With any luck, he has not yet departed. Tell him we have found them; that they were in Clerkenwell all along contrary to what he believed. If we can get him here in time then we—”
“No, Lizzy,” Mrs. Gardiner said, quite firmly. “I will not leave you here alone in this den of iniquity. Heavens knows what might happen to you. No, you must come with me. We are going home.”
“But Aunt! Don’t you see? It is our only chance. If we lose track of him, there is a good chance that Wickham will disappear again!”
“No, Lizzy. You are not seeing clearly. It is dangerous for you to remain here. It is dangerous as it is, even with my footman to protect us. But alone? I will not hear of it!”
Chapter 23
Fitzwilliam Darcy was just signing the papers when the door of his library opened and Miss Bingley sauntered in. His heart sank at the sight. The woman had become even more demanding of his time in recent days, as if the presence of Miss Bennet in London somehow threatened her position. If she only knew, Darcy thought.
The truth was, Darcy had decided to marry, but was unable to decide which of two prospects would be best. From a traditional viewpoint, it made sense to wed his cousin, Anne de Bourgh. That would unite the two estates and keep them from being split for another generation.
But things were different now from his father’s time. He knew it might be better served by marrying into a family with more useful connections. It also helped that Bingley was his friend: that would surely neutralise some of the more unpleasant aspects of marrying Miss Bingley.
His heart was sick at the thought of marrying either of them, of course, but he refused to listen to it. After all, hadn’t his feelings driven him to make his humiliating proposal to Elizabeth Bennet?
“Good afternoon, Miss Bingley,” he said, wondering how he might stand to marry a woman whom he all but detested.
“Darcy,” she said, forgoing any pleasantries and hurrying to the chair in front of his desk. Her eyes sparkled with happiness and she looked almost radiant.
His heart sank even further. Had she somehow learnt of his plans? Good Lord, he thought. I don’t know if I can tolerate a minute of this, let alone a lifetime. He looked down at his desk and mused on the matter once again. At least she would be a good companion for Georgiana, who was rather quiet for a girl of her age. Miss de Bourgh did not seem to have much of a personality at all, good, bad or indifferent.
When he didn’t respond, Miss Bingley took it upon herself to break the silence. Whatever was on her mind, it had whipped her into a frenzy the likes of which he had never seen.
“Darcy, you will not believe this! I have just come from Lady Temperley’s. Miss Levine was there too, and Lady Temperley told us the most horrid story she heard from her lady’s maid who heard from the butcher. His boy was in Clerkenwell yesterday, and the whole area was abuzz with talk of a confrontation that happened in a gambling house there. A gambling house! This is capital!”
Darcy frowned and shook his head. “Aren’t confrontations almost a commonplace occurrence in such establishments? I cannot think why such a thing would interest young ladies.”
“No, you don’t understand!” she cried, almost squealing with excitement. “This was not two drunkards! They did not know the identity of the lady, but it was very clear that one of the parties was a lady. A lady! A young lady with brown hair. And who else could it be but Miss Eliza, whom we know for a fact is in town seeking out that reprobate sister of hers.”
“That is preposterous,” Darcy snapped. “How can you sit here and say such things? You have no way of knowing Miss Bennet was the lady in question.”
“Oh but I do,” Caroline said, leaning forward. Her eyes sparkled with glee. “You see, the gentleman—if one is to call him that—is a Mr. Wickham. The boy was sure of that because he has become quite notorious in the area as a gambler and a fraud. Well, Lady Temperley was intrigued but did not know what to make of this. After all, I am sure such men are ten a penny. She almost seemed apologetic when she told us the tale to pass the time, but it struck something in me! I remembered a Mr. Wickham sauntering around in Meryton as if he were too good for the place, and who else was he on friendly terms with than those Bennet girls! Mr. Darcy, can you believe it? Oh, it is the most amusing thing I have ever heard. And I was reluctant to call on Lady Temperley—even though she is married to a Lord she is frightfully boring. But I am glad I took the time to do so. I must go and write to—” she stopped and frowned. “Mr. Darcy? Are you ill? You have turned pale.”
He shook his head, rage pulsing through him like it had only done on one occasion in the past. It was worse now, if that was possible. The very thought of that man was one thing, but to think that he had cause Darcy’s dear Elizabeth such pain and suffering. The worst thing was Darcy knew Wickham. He alone knew that Miss Bennet’s crusade was all but hopeless. The man had no moral character that could be appealed to.
“Miss Bingley, I have grown weary of your ceaseless tendency to gossip.”
“But Darcy,” she whispered, her face an exaggerated picture of hurt. “I only came here to tell you because we know both of them. I thought you’d be interested to hear what you escaped. Certainly, I always thought she had designs on you, but she was too clever to show that in the usual way. And moreover—”
“Leave me be, Miss Bingley. There is a matter I must attend to with my solicitor.”
Chapter 24
“All is lost,” Elizabeth Bennet whispered, looking at her father and uncle in dismay.
She had felt a renewed sense of hope earlier when they hurried back to Cheapside and found that Mr. Bennet was still in residence. He’d been about to leave but had cast those plans aside at his daughter’s urging. He had set out for Clerkenwell at once, accompanied by Mr. Gardiner, who had generously promised to help with any arrangements necessary to ensure a marriage.
Lizzy and her aunt had waited patiently for hours. Lizzy felt guilty at the likely imposition on her uncle, but relieved at the thought that the problem might yet be resolved.
After several hours, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner had returned. Lizzy and her aunt did not even attempt to pretend they could wait to hear the outcome of the intervention. As soon as they heard the front door opening, they hurried from the drawing-room and raced through the house to meet the gentlemen.
It was clear from the first sight of them that the outcome was not positive.
“Come, let us go to the drawing-room,” Mr. Bennet said, setting his jaw. They moved quickly, with Mr. Gardiner slamming the door closed just as Elizabeth’s back foot passed over the threshold.
“What happened?”
Elizabeth’s stomach churned with dread. They had to have convince
d him; they simply had to. What she had learnt earlier that day made the whole situation ten times worse, and she had yet to convey that news to her father. She had hoped she would never need to know; that the child would be born legitimate. But now…
“They weren’t there,” Mr. Gardiner said with a sigh, shaking his head and looking most unhappy. “Apparently they were seen fleeing from the place earlier. Without paying their bill, I might add. They must have gone straight after you two left.”
“You were right, Lizzy.”
Lizzy looked at her aunt. “Not that it matters now. There was really no sign of them? Did they leave an address?”
Her uncle sighed and looked at the ceiling. “No. I asked the proprietor and asked around at a number of establishments nearby. Apparently, Wickham was running out of friends there anyway, so it was probably only a matter of time before they moved on.”
Mr. Bennet did not speak a word. He stood there sombrely, staring at the picture above the mantle.
Lizzy, on the other hand, found she needed to speak aloud lest the horror of it consume her. “That is to be her life, then? Resting her head in a different slum for a few weeks and then fleeing to another place when her husband—bah, not even her husband! She does not even have that claim to legitimacy!—runs up gambling debts that place them both in danger.”
“There, there, Lizzy,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “Come and sit down. You have been through a terrible strain in the past several days. I can tell you now: I am worried about you.”
Lizzy did as she was instructed and cupped her hands in her lap. “I suppose there is nothing left for us to do now but return to Longbourn. What are we to do? Can we keep searching?”
Mr. Bennet shook his head. “I have been hunting for them for weeks. You were the first of us to succeed in tracking him down.” He sighed and took a seat, looking nothing like his usual light-hearted self. “Lizzy, I know this is difficult and not a situation that a young lady might normally expect to find herself in, but it is important. What exactly did he say to you?”
Mr Darcy to the Rescue: A Pride and Prejudice Regency Variation Page 8
