Page 9 of A Tale of Two Suitors

Dawn had not yet broken when Elizabeth began to dress.

She knew it was too early, but she could not lie in bed any longer.

Mr Ash opened one eye and looked at her but refused to move.

Elizabeth closed the door slowly and stepped carefully down the stairs so as not to wake anyone.

The last thing she wanted was to have to give explanations for her plans.

She left the house in relative darkness; a heavy mist made it hard to see even inches away, but she knew the path even in the dark.

She walked carefully so as not to fall. It would not do to present herself to Mr Darcy covered in dirt.

What could she tell him? What did he want to tell her, since he had been the one to suggest the morning meeting?

She would certainly reveal her suspicions about Mr Wickham; the rest, she had better not presume, nor set any expectations.

With little light yet to guide her way, she let out a fearful cry when she suddenly happened upon the outline of a man, much sooner than she expected.

“Miss Bennet, I am very sorry that I scared you.”

“Mr Darcy! I was going to my usual place. I expected we would meet there.”

“We should have. I left my horse there but moved closer to the house because of this mist. Would you care to take my arm?”

“Yes, thank you,” she answered, relieved that he could not see her hot cheeks. “Mr Darcy, there is an urgent matter we should discuss before going further. I believe…I suspect Mr Wickham was the one who stole Mr Ash…Milo…and tried to drown him.”

“May I ask how you reached such a conclusion?” he answered in a strangely calm voice.

“I spoke to Mr Wickham a few times while you were away. And he visited us twice… Mr Ash attacked him each time. Then Mr Bingley mentioned your sister had a similar cat, and Mr Wickham replied that it was a darker colour and not so wild.”

“Very perceptive of you. You are right, of course.”

“I am right? Are you sure?”

“Yes…I have the confirmation from the person who plotted with him. A Mrs Younge, my sister’s old companion. A woman who proved to me I can be a terrible judge of character.”

“Oh…”

“The discussion with you brought back some details that I had since forgotten. After I left Netherfield, I went directly to search for Mrs Younge. She first denied it, but she had no other choice but to tell me the truth. She was the one who caught Milo and handed him to Wickham.”

“But why? How is that possible? Is the woman out of her mind?”

“For revenge… Not hers, but Wickham’s. She was only a weak tool in his hands.

It was shortly after Wickham came to me demanding I should give him the living, and I refused.

When I give you all the details, I hope you will not accuse me of unfair treatment.

You see, Miss Bennet, George Wickham was the son of a worthy and loyal man who had managed Pemberley successfully and honestly for many years.

My father held him in high esteem and showed his appreciation by taking his son under his wing… ”

Mr Darcy continued to speak in a low voice.

Elizabeth listened with amazement. Mr Wickham’s lack of honour, his deceptive nature, his insolence in demanding money and then returning to demand even more cause her to feel nauseous.

Even with Mr Darcy’s warning, she had never imagined Mr Wickham might possess such a dreadful character, and she realised she might have fallen into his trap of deception too.

“At that time, I had not yet forbidden him from seeing Georgiana, as she grew up with him and considered him a friend. He visited her occasionally. He knew I had purchased Milo for my sister to comfort her after our father’s death.

He knew she loved him dearly. So because I refused his demands, he chose this evil vengeance.

I never suspected it at the time because my dealings with Wickham were in London and Georgiana was at Ramsgate.

I never imagined he might concoct such an evil plan for no other reason than to cause me and my sister more suffering.

His revenge was on me, and he did not care who might be harmed in the process. ”

“I cannot believe it…how can it be…?”

“However, I am afraid the tale grows worse, and I must trust in your complete discretion, Miss Bennet. This past summer, Wickham crossed paths with my sister again, once more in Ramsgate and also with Mrs Younge’s assistance.

He insinuated himself with Georgiana and convinced her to elope with him…

If he had succeeded, his revenge would have been complete indeed.

Fortunately, I arrived just one day prior to the elopement, and she confessed everything to me.

You may imagine that I took every measure to ensure Wickham could never come near my family again.

Now, the only means of revenge at his disposal is to spread falsehoods about me and deceive innocent people for whatever advantage he might gain. ”

They had long reached their destination and were standing, facing each other. In utter astonishment, she struggled to speak, observing his grieved countenance. She slowly reached out her hand and, with a boldness that mortified her, gently stroked his face for an instant.

“I am very sorry,” she whispered. “What will you do now about that horrible man?”

“You remember when I said I still hoped one day Wickham would improve himself? The fact that he stole a cat and cruelly condemned it to death revealed the real danger beneath his vices. He hurt Georgiana once, then he tried to ruin her. He might be capable of worse if the opportunity arises.”

“I agree. So what is to be done?”

“Mrs Younge was set to leave the country when I spoke to her. Wickham will be arrested later today and thrown into debtors’ prison.

Afterwards, he will be expelled from the country too.

I shall not take the risk of allowing him to plot freely against my family.

I should have done this a long time ago. ”

“Perhaps, but your heart was better than his, and your character so noble that you gave him more chances. Now he deserves nothing more.”

“Yes. It will all be over by tomorrow. You should return to Longbourn now, Miss Bennet. It is very cold. I shall call on your father later, with Bingley. This time nothing will interfere, I assure you.”

“I shall look forward to your visit with pleasure, sir. And so will my father.”

“I brought him more books.”

“He will be delighted. Mr Darcy, I forgot to ask, what did Miss Darcy say about Milo?”

“She doubted me…then she cried. Then she laughed. I have not seen her laugh in a very long time.”

Elizabeth smiled, though her eyes were filled with tears.

“My sister will come to Netherfield as soon as Wickham is removed from Meryton. She greatly anticipates meeting you — and seeing Milo, of course.”

“That is wonderful. I am eager to make her acquaintance.”

“Miss Bennet, there is another matter of great importance that I wish to speak to you about. I pray you will forgive me if you find it inappropriate.”

“After everything we have talked about, I wonder what could possibly be inappropriate,” Elizabeth said, laughing through her tears.

“I received a strange letter from my aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”

“Oh?”

“She wrote to express her disapproval about the outrageous report that I was your suitor,” he said, watching her attentively, a mischievous twist to the corner of his lips.

Elizabeth forgot to breathe, and a wave of heat exposed her mortification.

“Mr Darcy, I am so very sorry… Dear Lord, what shame! It must have been my ridiculous cousin Mr Collins. Lydia made a joke about it — a silly, poor joke — and the witless Mr Collins must have passed it on to Lady Catherine. I apologise deeply…”

“There is no need to apologise…quite the opposite,” he said, the smile widening on his face. She felt lost as to his meaning.

“You will have to be clearer, sir, as my mind is not as sharp as I would like it to be.”

“I assumed it had been a mistake — my aunt has a tendency to be wrong more often than she admits. At that time, I was not your suitor, but if you have no objections, I would like to be. Very much so.”

She held her breath, hoping he could not hear her heart hammering. Did he really say that?

“I have no objections, Mr Darcy,” she eventually managed to reply.

“Thank you. Now, as your suitor I must insist you return home immediately. I would not want you to catch a cold. And Miss Bennet?”

“Yes?”

“I hope you will remember to save me a set at the ball.”

“As a suitor, I believe you are entitled to choose which one you prefer, Mr Darcy,” she said with a raise of her brow, her heart now soaring as she returned home. She turned to look back at him a few times, but due to the mist, he quickly disappeared from her sight.

Elizabeth said not a word to her family; what could be said?

And how could she, when not even she could yet believe what had happened.

Mr Darcy wished to court her, which had seemed inconceivable a few weeks ago.

Just as inconceivable as the possibility that the cat she had found was the one Miss Darcy had lost. So many twists of fate that had completely changed her life in such a short while.

Since the gentlemen were expected to call much later in the day, Elizabeth and her sisters went into Meryton to make some small purchases.

An hour later, they were about to return home when they were stopped by Mr Denny and Mr Wickham.

The latter smiled and bowed to her with a familiarity that was not entirely proper.

His face still bore the marks of Mr Ash—Milo’s claws, but he was all smiles, so Elizabeth presumed he had not yet heard about Mr Darcy’s return.

As much as she tried to control her anger, Elizabeth failed. So she addressed him in a low voice, looking straight into his eyes.

“Mr Wickham, I am glad we met. I wished to inform you that I can no longer honour my promise to dance with you at the ball.”

“Really? May I ask why not, Miss Elizabeth?”

“Because a cat killer belongs in prison, not in a ballroom, and perhaps not even the prison is enough.”

He appeared so shocked that he paled and stepped away, then turned and left without another word. Elizabeth just smiled, watching him depart in haste. It was still too little for what that scoundrel deserved, but the worst was yet to come for him.

That very evening, while dining with Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy, the Bennet family received the astonishing news that Mr Wickham had been removed from the regiment and arrested.

***

The arrest of Mr Wickham was one of the most shocking events Meryton had seen in a long time, and later on, the details of his deceptions, debts, and depravations shocked the people who, only a little while ago, had adored him.

However, other more pleasant events engaged people’s attention; one of them was Mr Bingley’s ball and the official announcement of his engagement, the details of which everybody had discovered a long time ago.

The second was the arrival of Miss Georgiana Darcy with her companion and her cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Not long after, the Gardiners arrived too and were invited to stay at Netherfield in greater comfort.

Soon after, a story began to circulate that Miss Elizabeth’s cat was once lost by Miss Darcy — a story that many people doubted.

It was proved true when Miss Darcy was reunited with her beloved pet, and the young lady spent most of her time at Longbourn, with Elizabeth and the adored animal, which nobody accused of being wild any longer.

The cat was presumed to also be the reason why Mr Darcy — who never danced when he could avoid it — danced two sets at the ball with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whom he had once called merely tolerable.

However, the greatest of all events, which nobody could have imagined or believed two months ago, happened the day after the ball.

The news of it was first heard at Longbourn, where Mrs Bennet truly fainted for the first time in her life, and soon spread around Meryton: Mr Darcy had proposed to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and they were engaged.

That event was debated for many months, long after the happy couple married.

There was no explanation for Mr Darcy’s sudden change of heart except for the influence of that cat, who it was said must possess some strange powers.

A cat that had escaped from one lady to be found by another, only to be reunited with its first owner again two years and many miles later.

But the most important character in the story did not care for the rumours in the slightest.

Mr Ash — Milo — travelled from Longbourn to London immediately after the wedding, with Mr and Mrs Darcy as well as Miss Darcy. He finally found rest, peace, and comfort, splitting his time between Georgiana’s and Elizabeth’s laps.

However, once in London, from the Darcys’ wedding night and for many nights following, Milo slept only in Georgiana’s room.

During the day, Mr Ash — or Milo, as he was also often called — had the liberty to go anywhere in the house, but at night, the door of Elizabeth’s apartment closed to him.

He mewed his opposition at times, but he was generally content to sleep on Georgiana’s bed and live in her chamber whenever he wished.

After all, what more could a cat want than two mistresses to love him heartily and dearly and to comply with his every wish?

THE END