Chapter 13

Darcy turned to Mr. Bennet, his face transformed into the expressionless mask he often wore in society. "Is there anything I might do to convince you of my devotion to your daughter and gain your permission for us to wed sooner? Or to win your blessing and consent? I know it will pain Elizabeth to marry without either."

"I doubt you will marry my daughter. You will grow bored and forget her," Bennet stated baldly. "You are no longer welcome at Longbourn and may not contact my daughter again. You may not pass her any notes or messages, and if I find you are using your friend for that purpose, I will expel him from Longbourn as well."

"I will not grow bored, and I will marry no other," Darcy persisted, resisting the temptation to show the affront he felt. "Will you tell her of your decree, or will you attempt to persuade her I have deserted her when I leave the area? What will you do about Wickham's assault on her in your own home? How will you ensure no further harm comes to her after what has happened today?"

"None of that is your concern, young man," Bennet said coldly. "What happens to my daughter is of little consequence to you until October, and that is only if you bother to return. What does it matter what I tell her of your leaving the area? She does not care for you!"

Elizabeth burst into the room, having not shut the door fully to listen. "I do care for him!" she cried. "I love him. Why are you so insistent that I not marry him? I do not understand." Elizabeth was in tears, and Darcy reached out to draw her into his arms once again.

"You want to marry him?" Bennet demanded, moving from behind his desk to pull her away from him. "You refused your cousin a few months ago when he proposed. How did you come to agree to marry this disagreeable man? He will just take what he wants from you and leave you high in the belly with his brat."

"What have I done to make you think I am as dishonourable as you suggest? How can you believe your daughter is capable of surrendering herself to me or any man in such a way?" Darcy demanded.

"I know your type, sir. You think you can have anything you want because you are so wealthy, but you cannot have my daughter," Bennet roared.

"What might I do to convince you of my worthiness?" Darcy asked, trying to remain reasonable.

"Leave Hertfordshire and never return."

"I cannot do that. If you insist, I will leave Longbourn today, but I will return with a licence in hand on Elizabeth's birthday. We will marry that same day—that is, if you are agreeable, Elizabeth."

"I would marry you today if I could do so without my father's consent," Elizabeth said, her chin high as she defied her father. "I hate the thought of you going away for months, but if we must be parted so we might marry on the seventh of October, then so be it."

Her eyes shone with love for him, and forgetting her father was in the room, Darcy took her hand. "I will be here on the morning of the seventh, love, licence in hand, unless I hear from you or your father sooner."

Bennet stood and once again ordered Darcy out of his home. Ignoring him, Elizabeth kept hold of Darcy's hand and escorted him to the front door, where, in sight of her father, she kissed him full on the lips before telling him goodbye. She whispered that he should meet her at the bookstore later that afternoon.

After Darcy left,Elizabeth ignored her father's attempts to speak to her and walked directly into the drawing room. She let Mr. Bingley know his friend had returned to Netherfield before sitting and joining them. Her father sent Mrs. Hill twice to request her presence in his study, but she ignored both summons, retiring to her room after Bingley left.

After luncheon, Kitty and Lydia decided to go to Meryton to find out what happened to Mr. Wickham. No one in the drawing room had heard the commotion in the hall, and Bingley had kept his word and not mentioned what happened. They only knew Wickham had excused himself from their company and never returned. Elizabeth and Jane accompanied them so that Elizabeth could meet with Darcy unbeknownst to everyone else.

Darcy was waiting for Elizabeth in the bookstore when she and Jane arrived. Jane remained with her as a chaperone while they spoke in the corner, where a small sitting area was arranged.

"Tell me, Elizabeth, how you knew to perform that move on Wickham," Darcy asked, curious. "My cousin was rather impressed at how quickly you acted, and I confess that I was no less so."

Elizabeth grinned. "I think it will be of no surprise to you that I often played with the boys in the neighbourhood. When I was ten or eleven I was playing cricket with several of them. Robert Lucas, Charlotte's brother, was the batsman, and I lobbed the ball to him. It hit him in the fall of his breeches. I was rather surprised when he fell over, howling in pain. When I approached to offer my assistance, I tried to determine what was wrong with him, but could find no obvious evidence of injury. He kept putting me off, telling me he needed to catch his breath, and the other boys were not very useful in providing an explanation."

She laughed. "Having only sisters, I had no idea the pain that hitting a man there would cause and Robert was unwilling to explain matters to me. At that point, the game was over, as none of the other boys were willing to let me bowl any more, despite my being better than any of them. Eventually, I convinced Robert to explain what had happened, and we were both bright red by the time he had finished. Despite my age, I knew enough to realise this was something that was not typically discussed between boys and girls.

"However, since Robert was something of an older brother to me as well, he did explain that if I were ever in a position to need to get away from a man who was attempting to … importune me, lifting my knee between his legs, hard, would incapacitate him at least long enough so I could get away. Obviously, I have never had to put this into practice until now, but it was a lesson I never forgot." She shrugged, and Darcy barked a laugh.

"I do not believe I have encountered Mr. Lucas, but if I do, I will be sure to thank him for teaching you this. Yes, it is a rather sensitive spot on a man's anatomy, and the mention of it is enough to cause most men to experience discomfort. I assure you, it is an unpleasant sensation, but I am pleased that you used it to good effect yesterday."

Elizabeth grinned wickedly at Darcy, but her attention soon shifted. "I know you said Mr. Wickham was in the stocks, but tell me, will he be prosecuted for his actions? Will my reputation be in danger as a result of his attempt to assault me?"

"Colonel Forster agreed to keep the matter silent and allow him to be prosecuted through the military courts for conduct unbecoming. Once he is stripped of his rank and dismissed, he will be conveyed to London and debtors' prison or the docks for transportation. If he is transported, he will never return to England. I will go to London on Monday to help arrange for his punishment. I do not want to be parted from you, but for the moment, I see little else I can do," Darcy said. "Do you think you will still be able to get away each morning until I depart?"

She nodded willingly. She also didn't want to be parted from him and would defy her father's decree in secret.

Too soon, it was time to separate, and Elizabeth slipped him a note before whispering that she looked forward to seeing him again in the morning.