Page 40 of A Rational Man (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

M r. Darcy was utterly delighted to be home.

Here, surely, he would be free of his memories of a mahogany-haired, cocoa-eyed enchantress.

She had haunted his thoughts and dreams throughout his journey from Meryton to London and London to Pemberley, but here, here in his own little kingdom, it was certain that the everyday concerns of the estate and his sister would now occupy his thoughts.

Thus, he was rather perturbed when Georgiana, a week after his homecoming, accosted him at breakfast. “What is wrong, Brother?”

“Wrong? Why, nothing at all, Georgiana!”

She shook her blond head decisively. “No, I know you too well to believe that. Something is wrong, and you simply do not wish to discuss it.”

He deflected, asking why she thought something was amiss, and she promptly replied, “You are absent-minded, Brother. I had to call your name three times yesterday afternoon before you heard me. You sigh rather frequently, which you never did in the past. And I often see you staring into the distance, as if imagining something or someone. Deny it if you dare, but I shall simply ask Mrs. Annesley to weigh in on this, as she has noticed the same thing.”

Mr. Darcy wished that he could simply rise from the table and walk away, but he could not behave so to his sister. Instead, he said, “I am simply wondering how Bingley is getting on with his courtship; you recall I told you of Miss Bennet.”

“I do recall, and no, that is not it. It would be easy enough to find out anything you wished about your friend, merely by sending him a letter! Come, Brother; if you do not tell me, then I shall summon Dr. Wilcox and have him examine you.”

Mr. Darcy sighed deeply.

“There! You are doing it again. Brother, I cannot bear to see you so. Please tell me what ails you.” And here Georgiana, who had been dealing with her stubborn brother her entire life, managed to squeeze out a tear and let it run down her cheek.

As she expected, Mr. Darcy was immediately remorseful for having caused his sister such distress. “Oh, Georgiana! Please, dearest, do not weep!” He rose and gave her his handkerchief.

She applied it to her eyes and choked out, “Then please, please confide in me!”

“Very well.” Mr. Darcy began to sigh again, but caught himself. “I met someone in Meryton. I must forget her, and I shall, but I have not yet succeeded in doing so.”

Georgiana’s tears vanished as quickly as they had arrived. “Oh! Oh, my! Tell me about her! What is her name? Is she beautiful? Of course, she must be beautiful! When may I meet her?”

“Georgiana, no. She is not suitable.”

His sister’s mouth formed an astonished “o” of surprise. “Unsuitable? But how?”

“She has no dowry and no connections.”

Georgiana digested this news in silence for a moment, and then asked, “But is she a gentlewoman?”

“She is; her father owns a small estate, and I understand that the family has occupied it for over two centuries.”

“Have we not enough money as it is? Do we need more?”

Mr. Darcy then recounted the same mathematics that he had explained to Richard in the coach, to which his sister immediately replied, “Oh! Well, if that is all the trouble, you may reduce my dowry from thirty thousand pounds to twenty thousand. Would that not help? If Miss Elizabeth had a dowry of ten thousand, would that make her eligible? Or fifteen thousand? I would be happy to help!”

Mr. Darcy could not, of course, take money from his sister, but he was deeply impressed by her willingness to assist him, and he expressed his approbation warmly.

She was undeterred by his compliments. “Brother, I think you quite wrong. You might not need so much; perhaps you will only have one child, or even none. All this worry about the future that has not yet come!”

Mr. Darcy was forcibly reminded of a quote from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations , to wit: ‘Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.’ But he shook his head.

“I will participate in the coming Season, and I have no doubt that I shall meet a young lady who will join Miss Elizabeth’s amiable qualities with a substantial dowry and desirable connections. ”

Georgiana shook her head, but she could see that there was no point in arguing further, so she simply rose, kissed him on the cheek, and left the room.

***

That afternoon, a letter arrived from Mr. Darcy’s attorney in London.

Dear Mr. Darcy,

I am delighted to be able to inform you that great progress has been made vis-à-vis Mr. Wickham’s imprisonment for debt.

As of this morning, Mr. Wickham was taken from the spunging house to Fleet Prison, where he will reside until his total debts of one thousand pounds, fourteen shillings and five pence are paid.

As it is unlikely that anyone will pay this amount for him, we can reasonably expect him to be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

I await any further instructions on the matter.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Joseph Coltrane

Imprisoned for life… that phrase was rather ominous, was it not?

Mr. Darcy shuddered, but then he recalled his conversation with Miss Elizabeth.

Putting Wickham in prison was the rational choice.

As Spinoza put it, ‘When a man is prey to his emotions, he is not his own master.’ Mr. Darcy would be his own master, come what may.

But the vision of George Wickham in prison, with scraps for food, a thin blanket for bedding, and lice in his hair, continued to disturb him. Finally, with a sigh, he wrote back to his attorney.

Mr. Coltrane,

I received your letter regarding Mr. Wickham, and I thank you for this welcome news. Please arrange payment with Fleet Prison so that Mr. Wickham is given better housing and food. I wish the man off the streets of London, but I do not wish to torture him.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

There; that was a little better.