Page 7

The small, dark room smelt like cheap cigars and brandy. From outside it, voices and laughter — vulgar, loud, and probably drunk — seeped into the sordid chamber. All three men — Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Wickham — were facing each other, and Mrs Younge waited a short distance away.

“Darcy, I cannot understand why you summoned me here. And why do you care about my debts? Last July, you asked me to never come near you or Georgiana again. I have not broken that agreement. I have no debts to you, and the rest of my business is not your business, so to speak. We have nothing to discuss.”

“Your miserable affairs are mine too because I have been forced to pay out on your behalf. You have not approached Georgiana again, but you did spread all sorts of miserable lies in Meryton.”

“You cannot blame me because the people of Meryton did not like you, Darcy! Regardless of what I told them about you, by the time I arrived there, everybody hated you already,” Wickham said with a leer. “You cannot deny that people have always liked me more than you. Even your father.”

The insolent grin and the mention of his father pushed Darcy over the edge. His fist connected with Wickham’s face before he even realised what was happening. He heard the cry and the sound of Wickham hitting the floor, turning over a small table and chairs as he fell.

From the ground, Wickham gazed up at him in disbelief. “What the hell did you do that for? Have you lost your mind?”

“Quite the opposite, Wickham,” the colonel interjected. “Darcy finally understands there is only one way to treat you. He should have done that a long time ago.”

“But why? What have I done?” Wickham asked, trying to stand up and rubbing his chin.

“What have you done?” the colonel bellowed. “If I had known beforehand how you two plotted to deceive Georgiana, I would have shot you in the knees. Twice! Both of you. And then watched you cry and try to crawl away.”

“Colonel Fitzwilliam, I assure you—” Mrs Younge mumbled in a whining voice.

“You assure me of what? With what money did you buy this building? With Darcy’s money, I am sure! He trusted you with Georgiana’s well-being, and you almost had her ruined. Do not dare to open your mouth to me ever again. You are lucky that Darcy is a man of honour. If it were up to me, you would have both been dead long ago.”

“Richard, do not waste your time with these low-life creatures. Wickham, here is my offer to you. You will leave England and never return. I have purchased you a ticket to New South Wales. I shall include a reasonable cabin during the journey and two thousand pounds for your expenses once you get there, so you can begin a new life. If you want to waste it on cards, that is your choice — you will end up starving or be killed. I shall take care of all the business regarding your resignation from the militia, and I shall pay your creditors.”

“Pay them? Why would you pay them if I am to leave the country?”

“Why would I pay your debts? Because you owe these people! You cheated all those honest men! You were my father’s godson, and I cannot allow your lack of honour to besmirch my father’s name by association. Do you know how many creditors you have? Do you know how many young girls you seduced and how many of them you left with child?”

“This is an exaggeration, Darcy. You cannot expect me to remember every shop girl that warmed my bed or every idiot I played cards with!”

“You are so disgusting, Wickham, that I feel nauseous just listening to you. I have had enough of this. My offer is open until tomorrow evening, when a few of my men will come to convey you to the ship. On the deck, someone else will be waiting for you and will hand you the money and the ticket and wait to ensure you have left.”

“This is absurd! You cannot force me to leave the country!”

“Indeed, I cannot. The decision is yours. If you choose otherwise, beginning the day after tomorrow, you will be hunted, confined, and thrown in prison until your debts are paid, which might take forever.”

“But how can you expect me to leave all of a sudden? Alone. What if I want to bring a friend?”

“Surely you would not dare to try to extort more money from me, would you? After all, I could follow my cousin’s suggestion instead.”

“It is not about extortion! But you have to be reasonable, Darcy!”

“ I have to be reasonable? Are you out of your mind?” Darcy roared. “I purchased you a second-class cabin, which is more than you deserve! I should have let you sleep on the deck! If you wish to take a friend, you can pay for them from the amount you will be given. And no, I shall not allow you to take a female friend with you, as I expect you to seduce her, maybe have a child with her, then abandon her as soon as you arrive at your destination.”

“What if I want to take a male friend? I am not sure who would want to go…but to be alone in a savage country…”

“What do you want, Wickham? A chaperon? A governess to hold your hand? You expect me to provide you with company?” Darcy asked sarcastically.

“What if I want to go with him?” Mrs Younge suddenly, surprisingly, enquired.

“You? Why would you want to leave? What about this business of yours?”

“Business is not going well. And there are certain circumstances that I would rather not face any longer. There is not much for me in London. I could not find any other employment without recommendations. Nobody will ever hire me for any respectable job.”

“And neither should they!” Darcy exclaimed. “You cannot be trusted around respectable people any more than Wickham!”

“That is why I want to leave. I could pack my luggage by tomorrow.”

“Well,” Darcy replied after a brief hesitation, “if you two wish to share the cabin, I could not care less. As a sign of ultimate benevolence, if you both appear at the ship tomorrow night, my man will purchase another ticket for you and will give you three hundred pounds for expenses. I would rather pay the money and be sure neither of you will be a burden to me any longer.”

“Upon my word, that is the most generous gift, which they do not deserve. It would be cheaper if you just threw Wickham in debtors’ prison and had him transported if he did not pay his debts. It would not cost you a penny,” the colonel interjected.

“I could, but the idea of having to deal with that pathetic excuse for a man for months is repugnant. I would rather pay to get this annoyance out of my life. To remove his accomplice too would be a special bonus.”

Darcy looked at the two people who had caused such distress in his life and spoke.

“Tomorrow evening. My last offer. Take it or suffer the consequences.”

With that, Darcy and the colonel left and hurried to their carriage, which immediately began to move. A mere glance about was enough to explain why Mrs Younge wanted to leave too; that sort of business, in that sort of place, with those sorts of people could only go bad. Darcy took off his gloves and rubbed the back of his hand.

“I hope his face hurts more than my fist,” he said.

“I am certain it does. Darcy, I hope you are aware that Wickham might disappear.”

“I doubt it. I hired a few men to watch him. If he attempts to run, he will be held. Then he will be sent directly to prison.”

“Good. I see you have considered all this thoroughly,” the colonel said.

“I have. I was deeply affected by the story of Janey and her child. It could have been Georgiana, you know.”

“I do know, Darcy. It crossed my mind too.”

“Of all his deceptions, the seduction of young, innocent girls is the worst, as it ruins their lives. I have heard he is now pursuing a Miss Mary King from Meryton, who has recently inherited ten thousand pounds. He was right, you know — people always fall for his lies, always like him, always trust him. I cannot imagine why. Even my father trusted him so much that he would not heed my warnings.”

“I cannot tell you why. To me, that man is nothing. You were probably right to waste some money and get rid of him immediately. I cannot even imagine how much you will have to pay his creditors.”

“The total will probably be close to ten thousand pounds,” Darcy said, and the colonel gasped in shock.

“Ten thousand pounds? That is at least ten times more than his pathetic life is worth.”

“Probably, but my sanity, my peace of mind — and that of some people who are very dear to me — is worth much more. It is all decided.”

The carriage continued onwards, entering more familiar streets.

“Darcy, there is something I must ask. That friend you said you saved from an imprudent marriage — the one I mentioned to Miss Elizabeth — was it Bingley? Was it him and Miss Bennet?”

“Yes,” Darcy answered briefly.

“Dear Lord, what a stupid fool I have been! Of course Miss Elizabeth understood the truth immediately. I should apologise to her…and to you!”

“Richard, please never mention this story again. Miss Elizabeth and I have clarified the situation. She knows what I did, and she knows I am trying to remedy my errors. There is nothing more for you to add.”

“Then I have to say — I cannot understand what objections you had to Miss Bennet. She is an exceptional beauty and a gentleman’s daughter. Indeed, she is more than Bingley could hope for, even though he has money. Besides, you seem to be on friendly terms with the family, including with Miss Elizabeth. What was the problem?”

“The problem was my stupid arrogance,” Darcy replied briefly.

“Ah…” the colonel said. “About that, I need no more details. Shall we meet tomorrow night, at Bingley’s?”

“Yes, as we planned. Hopefully by then we shall have news about Wickham too.”

***

Despite Bingley’s initial resolution, his sisters and brother-in-law attended the dinner party. When Darcy entered, they were talking to Jane Bennet. Unlike other times, neither of the Bingley sisters attempted to catch his attention, but both greeted Georgiana cordially.

The dinner table was arranged according to the master’s preference, so that on Bingley’s right was Miss Bennet and on his left Mr Gardiner. Darcy sat somewhere in the middle, opposite Elizabeth and close enough for a little bit of conversation. Georgiana was next to him, then Mrs Annesley and Mrs Gardiner; the colonel sat between Elizabeth and Miss Bingley.

Darcy’s attention was mostly on Elizabeth, and several times his eyes caught hers. She was certainly not indifferent to him, but the nature of her interest was unclear. She was talking to the colonel, and for a moment, Darcy felt the bite of jealousy, as unreasonable as such a feeling was.

He picked up his glass and sipped from it, barely suppressing a moan; his hand was still hurting, even worse than the previous day. He rubbed it to relieve the pain and noticed Elizabeth’s intense stare. She was looking at his hand with a little frown and an enquiring expression on her face. He attempted a smile, but her frown increased, then her eyebrow arched in a challenging, silent question.

“It is nothing. Just an unpleasant, annoying accident,” he explained, hoping nobody else would notice.

“I hope it is more annoying than painful,” she replied, her smile matching his.

“It is, I assure you,” he replied.

The first course was about to be served when Bingley requested everyone’s attention.

“Thank you all for being here. I am happy to be surrounded by family and friends. Before we enjoy our dinner, I wish to make an important announcement. I shall be brief and direct. Miss Jane Bennet has accepted my proposal of marriage, and we shall wed as soon as her father gives his blessing.”

Darcy immediately glanced at Elizabeth, and her serene expression proved she already knew. She smiled, then inclined her head slightly in a gesture of thanks.

Bingley took Miss Bennet’s hand and brought it to his lips, while the sound of a fork dropping onto a plate broke the silence.

“You are engaged? How? When did that happen? Why was it so sudden?” Miss Bingley asked, her face red, her breathing irregular.

“I proposed a few days ago, when we walked in the park,” Bingley answered with perfect composure. “It is not sudden at all. I should have proposed in November, had I not been a fool. And I should certainly have proposed sooner if you, Caroline, had not concealed Jane’s presence in town from me,” he continued, his voice growing loud and harsh.

Miss Bingley seemed tempted to reply, then suddenly she stood up and spoke.

“Please excuse me. I have a sudden headache and have lost my appetite. Please proceed without me.” Then she left the table and the room. Mrs Hurst remained for another moment, then excused herself too and followed her sister. Mr Hurst asked for another drink and began to eat as if nothing had happened.

From around the table, congratulations were offered, joyful and genuine.

“Congratulations, Bingley, you are truly a fortunate man,” Darcy said. “I wish nothing more than to see you as happy as you deserve — and now I am sure you will be. Miss Bennet, please accept my best wishes. All those who know and appreciate Bingley will admit that he could not find anyone more perfectly suited to him.”

“Thank you, Mr Darcy. Please know I am as grateful as Mr Bingley for your help in reuniting us. We both know we owe our present felicity to your involvement.”

“Not at all, I assure you, Miss Bennet. I have done little, and it is not worth mentioning. Let us speak of nothing else but your happy engagement,” Darcy said. He glanced at Elizabeth again, and his eyes met hers and locked briefly, while the tumult of joyful voices increased around them. The rest of the evening progressed in the same way. When dinner was almost over, a servant entered and slipped Darcy a note. He took it, looked at it briefly, then put it in his pocket. Once again, he noticed Elizabeth’s curious gaze on him.

“Good news, Darcy?” Colonel Fitzwilliam enquired.

“Yes,” he answered. “Indeed, this evening is filled with good news — I could not hope for anything better.” The discussion ended there as everyone left the table and moved to the drawing room. There was no separation, as the gentlemen preferred to remain with the ladies. The conversation was animated, and Darcy was happy to see Georgiana in the midst of it.

While he enjoyed his brandy, observing his companions, Darcy was astonished to see Elizabeth walking towards him.

“May I join you?” she asked, and, bewildered, he moved a little, inviting her to sit.

For a moment, there was only silence, as if she wished to say something but did not dare.

“I wish to thank you…” she began. “And to apologise.”

“Please do not,” he answered. “It is not needed, and I do not deserve either. Let us not mention any of it again. It is an evening of good news only.”

They were talking in low voices so they would not be overheard. Luckily, everyone was too busy with the happy couple to observe them.

“Did you receive more good news, other than that of the happy engagement?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes. An urgent and distressing matter that has long needed concluding has finally been resolved.”

“About Mr Wickham?” she whispered. “Was he the one responsible for the family you took into your care?”

“You are very perceptive, Miss Elizabeth. Yes, about him.”

“He is a man with no scruples and no morals. He deserves to be punished.”

“We must not worry about him any longer. He has accepted an advantageous offer to move abroad. He will likely not return to England soon, if ever.”

Elizabeth looked at him intently until he gazed at her, and their eyes met again.

“An evening with only good news, indeed, Mr Darcy,” she said. Then she returned to her sister and Georgiana, while Darcy remained in place, enjoying his drink and the view: his sister and Elizabeth, close to each other, sharing smiles, engaged in conversation about the theatre and walking in the park.

At that very moment, he clearly understood his desires in regard to Elizabeth: despite their past, despite the dreadful failed proposal, despite her calling him the last man in the world, despite her refusal, he wanted her. Only her! He was ready to make any effort, to try the impossible, to pursue her for as long as necessary. He knew that she was worth any endeavour — that she was worth waiting for.