Chapter 9

"B ut how?" he finally managed to reply. "I looked carefully and there was nobody around."

"I came from down the hill. You could not see me from the trees. I am so very sorry, Mr Darcy! I should not have stayed and listened. I do not know what prompted me to act so horribly. But please know that I shall not tell anyone what I heard. Not even my sister Jane or my father!"

The less he said and the paler he became, the more mortified, the more guilty she felt.

"And…may I ask what you heard?"

"I heard about the elopement…and about his requesting money from you. I know you have no reason to trust my word, but I promise that I shall never reveal a word of what I heard."

"I do trust you, Miss Bennet," he said, much to her astonishment. "I do not doubt your promise, and please know it is for the benefit of my sister."

"Of course. I hope Miss Darcy is well now?"

"She is…as well as can be expected."

"Thank the Lord. And you, sir?" she enquired, and he cast a quick look at her.

"I accept my share of the blame for the situation, as I was careless. I allowed Georgiana to go to Ramsgate with her companion, Mrs Younge, a woman who had been in our family for three years but did not deserve our trust. She proved to be a close friend to Wickham, and she allowed — encouraged — him to court my sister."

"How horrible!"

"Indeed. My sister is only fifteen, and she has the kindest, most trusting heart. She would never think ill of anybody. It was a perfect plan for Wickham to take her dowry and his revenge on me. And he assumed it would be easy to accomplish."

He paused and breathed deeply before continuing.

"Georgiana grew up with Wickham. He knew our father loved him, and she certainly felt much affection for him. It was easy for him to twist her feelings and to convince her she was romantically attached to him — and to elope."

"Dreadful man!"

"Fortunately, I visited my sister a day before the elopement — a coincidence for which I shall forever be grateful. Georgiana — a strong character with a gentle soul — could not bear to upset me, and she confessed the entire plan."

"What a brave and remarkable gesture! This proves her accomplishments, indeed."

"It does. I was stunned, angry, and proud of her at the same time. You can imagine what measures I took against Wickham. I barely controlled my rage, and I prayed to never see him again. My resentment was stronger than my reason."

"Nobody would blame you for that, Mr Darcy! Such a horrible man must suffer the most severe punishment!"

"I should have retaliated long before against his disloyal actions, but I could not forget how much my father cared for him, supported him, and wished him to have a good life. I foolishly hoped that perhaps my father was right, that I had judged him too harshly, that Wickham would regain his honour. There is still time for that — he is only twenty-five — but there is certainly no will. I do not trust his new career as an officer. Discipline and loyalty are not traits of his character."

"The more I hear of his behaviour, the angrier I become, though I barely know him. He has already become a favourite of my friend Charlotte Lucas, her family, my sisters, and many other people in Meryton. I pray he will not harm anyone."

"I shall watch him carefully."

"Yes, but you will leave soon. And considering what I hear, Mr Wickham could hurt innocent people in ways that they will suffer from their entire lives."

"Then…do you suggest I should expose him?"

"I cannot suggest anything as I am too troubled to trust my judgment. I am sure you know what the best course of action is. However, if you do not mind, I shall keep an eye on him too, sir. I shall never reveal to any living soul what I know about your sister. I already promised that. However, if this man tries to hurt anyone I know, I shall have enough to say about his character."

She felt breathless with anger, and a little smile appeared in the corners of his lips.

"Do not refrain from doing as you find appropriate, Miss Bennet. However, please know that I do not intend to leave Hertfordshire forever, as I have reasons to feel attached to it. Nor shall I allow Wickham the liberty to cause more harm."

"I am glad to hear that, Mr Darcy," she answered, feeling her cheeks warm. What sort of attachment could he have to Hertfordshire? Probably Mr Bingley and perhaps her father's friendship with his uncle.

"We are almost home. Would you like to come in?"

"No, thank you," he responded. "My uncle and Bingley do not even know I am gone."

"Oh… Then good day, Mr Darcy. And I apologise for my indiscretion again."

"Please do not apologise ever again. It was a coincidence, and it might have been for the best. I am somehow relieved that I have a trustworthy person to discuss this hurtful subject with. The only other person who knows is my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, as he is Georgiana's other guardian, and I had to inform him."

"I am glad you consider me a trustworthy person, Mr Darcy. Please know you may speak to me at any time and be assured of my complete secrecy."

"Thank you, Miss Bennet. I am very pleased to hear that."

He bowed, then jumped into the saddle and left, leaving Elizabeth staring after him.

Only when she was alone did the tumult of conflicted feelings invade her. Mr Darcy's response to her intrusion was nothing like she had expected. Instead of being angry, upset, or reprimanding, he had shown friendliness and kindness and granted her his confidence. None of those she would have expected a week ago, and the more time she spent with him, the less they were strangers to each other, the more puzzled she was concerning his character, his thoughts, and his plans.

∞∞∞

"My dear cousin Elizabeth, where have you been?" Mr Collins asked her the moment she entered. "Oh dear, your clothes are so dirty! Your appearance gave me a fright!"

"I went for a walk, and I slipped," she answered.

"I told you, Mr Collins," Mrs Bennet replied. "This is her habit. She has always done that, ever since she was a child. She has no regard for her clothes or for my nerves!"

"But if this is the case, something must be done. I am sure Lady Catherine de Bourgh would not approve."

"Do not worry about that, Mr Collins. I shall speak to her immediately."

"Please do so, Mrs Bennet. I shall need to see an improvement before I can speak further."

Already in a perturbed state of mind caused by the eventful morning, Elizabeth's anger quickly overcame her prudence and patience.

"Excuse me? Talk to me? I am sorry to inform you, but I have no intention of changing my habits because it displeases a stranger with no connection to me," she replied, taking off her bonnet and coat. "We may ask Lord Matlock's opinion, since he is Lady Catherine's brother, and see what he has to say. Regardless, I would not change my habits even if he suggested it."

Mr Collins was stunned into silence at such a statement, and he looked at Mrs Bennet, apparently lost.

"I am afraid, Mrs Bennet, that such an answer is a powerful inducement for me to reconsider my choices. I cannot continue to show my affection to someone who disregards it and shows constant disrespect of Lady Catherine's requests!"

"Mr Collins, I am afraid you are confused, sir. I am not sure what affection you have shown and to whom, but I remember Lord Matlock's words when he suggested Lady Catherine's name should be mentioned less frequently. Now please excuse me. I must change."

Mr Collins looked like he was suffocating, and Elizabeth turned to leave. She expected her mother's appalled cry, which came immediately.

"Lizzy, have you lost your mind? How dare you speak to Mr Collins in such a manner? Where are you going? Lizzy!"

"I am going to change, Mama. If you like, I shall return so you can shout at me when I am more properly attired."

She hurried to her room, with Jane following her.

"What happened, Lizzy? Are you hurt?"

"Not at all, my dear. I went for a walk. My clothes are dirty, and I must change. Mr Collins is displeased by my habit, and he claimed Lady Catherine would disapprove of me, so he has decided to take his affection somewhere else. I must assume that, until now, he had been showing his affection for me, and I failed to notice it."

Jane laughed while helping her remove her dress.

"Dear Lizzy, you are daring and sometimes wild. That is why I love and envy you."

"You cannot envy me, Jane, as you are perfect as you are," Elizabeth answered, smiling at her sister.

An hour later, her mother called her downstairs. She knew there was no escape from a long rebuke, so she obediently sat and let her mother have her say.

"Lizzy, do you realise that your behaviour has pushed Mr Collins away, and he might not propose to you? Do you realise what an opportunity you have lost? What shall I do with you? You never listen to anything. You may never find a husband and certainly not one better than Mr Collins! Mr Collins may end up marrying someone else, and she will become the mistress of Longbourn, and you will end up a spinster! You had better pray that he is not too upset, and you must behave when he returns! He left to go to Meryton. Do you know that?"

"Mama, allow me to answer you as best I can. I am glad Mr Collins has gone to Meryton. He needed some exercise. I doubt he intended to propose to me, unless he is a complete simpleton. How can he speak of affection with me laughing at him? What affection? I barely know him, and he certainly does not know me at all. I would rather end up a spinster and starve to death than marry a man for whom I have so little respect, no consideration, and no regard!"

"How can you say that? Headstrong, obstinate girl! Do you not understand you will ruin your life? I shall go and talk to your father immediately and ask him to teach you some common sense!"

"What are these cries, Mrs Bennet?" Mr Bennet enquired from the doorway. "Who is lacking common sense, and why can I not find a little peace in my own library? I might move to Netherfield — that house is bigger and the library far from the noise."

"You may well joke, Mr Bennet, but the situation is very serious! Lizzy has been exceedingly rude to Mr Collins, and he is most upset and offended! He left for Meryton, and he said he might reconsider his attachment to Lizzy! Do you realise what this means?"

"Wait a second, madam. What attachment? Reconsider what? What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about Mr Collins, who intended to propose to Lizzy and now might change his mind! You must demand she behave properly and apologise to Mr Collins!"

"Mrs Bennet, if Lizzy has not learnt common sense and proper behaviour by the age of twenty, it is unlikely she will acquire this important knowledge in the short time before Mr Collins returns. You must accept the disappointment that Mr Collins will not be Lizzy's husband, despite your apparent partiality to him."

"Oh, Mr Bennet, how can you joke about something so tragic?" Mrs Bennet cried, attempting to sob. "You do not care about our daughters' futures! Lizzy is your favourite, and that is why she is so careless! But wait until you die, and then you will both see what happens!"

"My dear, I console myself with the thought that when I am dead, I shall not see anything. I cannot force Lizzy to do anything against her will, just as I cannot with any of our daughters. If I could, Lydia would not be out at parties with officers at fifteen years old. If it makes you feel better, I shall ask Lord Matlock to find employment for Lizzy if she remains a spinster and homeless. Would that please you?"

"Please me? Not at all! I am hurt by your lack of compassion for my poor nerves and my torment!"

"I truly apologise if I hurt you, madam. I would gladly do anything to comfort you, as long as it does not involve Lizzy and Mr Collins. Now please forgive me, I shall return to the library. By the by, I wish to inform you that Lord Matlock accepted your invitation to dinner tomorrow evening. He will come with Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy."

"What? They are coming to dinner tomorrow? Why did you not say something earlier, Mr Bennet? I have so much to do! Hill! John! I must send him to Meryton for some purchases! We must have at least some fish and some beef!"

"My dear, I beg you to calm yourself. There is no need for such special preparations. It should be a pleasant dinner among friends."

"Friends? Lord Matlock and Mr Darcy — the most fastidious and proud man I ever met? He finally agrees to dance with Lizzy, and now you want me to serve him an inferior dinner?"

"Madam, you are the mistress — do as you want. I have nothing else to say," Mr Bennet said, shrugging and smiling at Elizabeth, then leaving the room.

Mrs Bennet was so agitated that she forgot the upset with Mr Collins. The rest of the afternoon was spent with plans for the next day's small party and the illustrious guests' favourite dishes.

Mr Collins returned and went to his room until dinner; he looked offended and ill-tempered, but the news about Lord Matlock and Mr Darcy dining at Longbourn slightly improved his disposition.