Page 5 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
“Please tell me about your sister Lydia,” Lady Amelia requested as the Gardiners and Elizabeth enjoyed a small nuncheon in a room adjacent to the conservatory.
The connecting wall to the greenhouse was made of glass, which Elizabeth found quite distracting.
The plants and flowers were lovely enough, but the butterflies, with their gossamer wings and effortless flight, were glorious.
With difficulty, Elizabeth tore her gaze away from a diaphanous insect fluttering nearby and looked bravely into her hostess’s eyes.
“My sister Lydia is sixteen years old, tall for her age, and handsome. She is also volatile, brash, flirtatious, and extremely foolish. Sadly, she has been given over to the reckless pursuit of officers since last autumn, when a militia regiment settled in our home town of Meryton. Here in Brighton, with an entire camp full of soldiers and without even the oversight of her elder sisters, I have no doubt she is running quite amok.”
Her hostess took a bite of cucumber sandwich, her expression interested but not condemning, and Elizabeth felt herself relax a little. It had taken great courage to admit her youngest sister’s failings, but Lady Amelia was a kind woman and Darcy trusted her.
It was odd to realize that Darcy’s trust meant a great deal. The master of Pemberley was definitely growing in her own estimation if his faith gave Elizabeth the confidence to reveal her family’s deficiencies.
“I presume,” Lady Amelia asked carefully, “based on the situation, that your parents are rather neglectful?”
Elizabeth blew out a slow breath and nodded unhappily. “I fear so. I do not know what Mr. Darcy has told you of our situation...”
“Very little, I assure you. He told me that your sister was in danger from Mr. George Wickham, who is quite the rogue, and that you are sufficiently concerned that you chose to come to Brighton to check on her instead of traveling north to Derbyshire.”
“Yes. I intercepted a letter from Lydia to Kitty, my next youngest sister, and Lydia claims that she and Wickham are in love and are planning to elope to Gretna Greene. I showed the letter to my father, who refused to take it seriously. His view is that Wickham would never marry a girl as poor as my sister, and thus the love affair is entirely in Lydia’s head. ”
“But you are concerned that Wickham might run off with Lydia and ruin her?” Lady Amelia inquired.
Again, Elizabeth could only be grateful for her hostess’s calm tone.
“I am. It seems dreadful to think that my sister could be so wanting in delicacy and virtue to consent to such a thing, but she is very young, and badly taught. My mother encourages her in her coquettish conduct and my father has chosen to laugh at my younger sisters’ behavior rather than rein them in.
It is a hard thing for me to admit, but I was also deceived by Mr. Wickham. He is exceptionally charming.”
“Be at ease, Miss Bennet,” Lady Amelia said in a soothing tone.
“You are certainly not the only young woman in England to have her head turned by a pleasing man like Wickham, nor are you the only one with an indifferent father. I met Wickham but once, some ten years ago when my family visited Pemberley, and even then he had remarkable charm. Some men, and women, for that matter, are gifted with a strange magnetism; when they use it for good, they are a blessing to others. When they are selfish or cruel, they do great mischief.”
“I thought very well of him myself,” Elizabeth admitted with downcast eyes. “I listened to his tale of woe regarding Mr. Darcy with a remarkable lack of insight. I am ashamed of myself.”
“The important thing, dear Lizzy, is to learn from such an experience,” Mrs. Gardiner interposed, speaking for the first time. “Lady Amelia, we are hoping that Lydia will consent to remove from Colonel Forster’s house, but we would not care to impose on you further.”
“I wish to be imposed upon, Mrs. Gardiner! By all means, if you can convince the youngest Miss Bennet to remove here, I would be delighted. Do you believe she will be interested or will her attraction to Wickham tempt her to stay with the Forsters?”
Elizabeth sighed and said, “I have no doubt she will refuse to come with us, and we have no authority to make her. She is a little afraid of my aunt and uncle and finds my harping on propriety to be irritating. No, as much as I would like her here in safety, it will not be easy.”
Lady Amelia smiled reassuringly. “My dear Miss Bennet, do not distress yourself. I am quite confident that we can find a way to protect your sister from her own foolishness. Indeed, I suspect that a subtle approach might bring exactly the result we desire.”
The door to the sitting room opened and the butler stepped in with Darcy at his heels.
Elizabeth found herself on her feet in a moment, her breath quick, her face pink with discomfort.
She had dreaded this moment when she would lay eyes on the man who had asked for her hand in marriage.
It was painful and humiliating given that her accusations at the time of his offer had been almost entirely without merit.
Darcy looked ruffled as well, but he managed a courteous bow to the company and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Gardiner, Miss Bennet, Lady Amelia. Mr. Gardiner, would you be kind enough to introduce me to your wife?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Gardiner said with a sympathetic glance at his obviously embarrassed niece. “ My wife, Mrs. Gardiner. My dear, this is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”
Darcy bowed and Madeline Gardiner curtsied, and the lady smiled cheerfully at her new acquaintance. “Mr. Darcy, it is an honor to meet you at last. I spent the eight years before my marriage in Lambton near Pemberley, and have very fond memories of my years in Derbyshire.”
The gentleman, who was struggling to maintain his equanimity in the face of Miss Bennet, who was still so beautiful, so vibrant, so alive, latched onto these words with the enthusiasm of a drowning man. “I have been to Lambton so many times, madam! It is a delightful little town.”
“Please, let us all sit down,” Lady Amelia suggested, elegantly steering her guests into various seats.
When all were in their appropriate places, Darcy was next to Mrs. Gardiner, who happily engaged him in conversation about Derbyshire, and Elizabeth was next to Lady Amelia.
Elizabeth could feel that her color was heightened, but her breathing had, at least, calmed down.
“You need not worry, Miss Bennet,” Lady Amelia said in an amused tone. “Darcy will not bite you.”
“It is very awkward,” Elizabeth insisted, her eyes downcast.
“I suppose it is,” the lady said, “but you will grow accustomed in time to one another. But come, let us change the subject to something less controversial. Have you ever been to the sea before?”
“I have not,” Elizabeth said enthusiastically. “You have a remarkable view of the sea, Lady Amelia, and the sight is absolutely breathtaking.”
“We will visit the beach together soon,” her hostess promised. “I have walked the pebbly shore of Brighton many times, but it never grows old.”
“Do you think we will have time for such things, given that we must intervene in my sister’s life?”
“Oh yes. Indeed, my dear Miss Bennet, I have an idea about the best way to manage the situation with Miss Lydia. Sometimes, a frontal approach is not the ideal mode of attack.”
“I suppose that is true enough. Now do you mind if I ask you about your conservatory, madam? I have never seen anything like your butterflies.”
The lady’s face lit up as if she had swallowed a star.
“I daresay you will have trouble silencing me! My butterflies are quite my favorite topic in the world. I grew up in the country, you see, and have long been fascinated not just with the beauty of butterflies, but with their life cycle. Indeed, my heroine is Lady Eleanor Glanville, a British naturalist of some renown who died a hundred years ago. She named the Glanville Fritillary…”
/
Dinner was complete and the ladies had departed for the drawing room, leaving Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Darcy to their port.
The latter felt strangely exhausted, and it was no great mental feat to attribute his fatigue to Miss Bennet.
Their interactions had been courteous, and over dinner she had been provoked to laugh twice.
His mind still rung with those musical peals, and he realized that he was as in love with her today as he ever had been.
“Mr. Darcy,” Gardiner said, “may I ask whether you have further thoughts on how to manage George Wickham?”
This sobered Darcy immediately and he turned his attention on the tradesman.
“I spoke to Lady Amelia’s solicitor today, and he assured me that he will have one of his underlings begin seeking out Wickham’s debts and buying them up.
I will pay for a writ for debt on the man, though surreptitiously, of course. ”
“Nonsense, sir,” Gardiner declared, shaking his head. “I will pay for the writ; this is a family matter, and you have already helped us immensely by introducing us to Lady Amelia, who has welcomed us with charm and kindness. I insist on providing the monies for the writ. ”
Darcy opened his mouth in protest, then closed it when his companion lifted a quelling finger. “Come, Mr. Darcy, if our positions were reversed, would you be willing for me to pay to save your niece?”
The gentleman heaved a reluctant sigh and admitted, “I would not, of course. Very well, you will pay the solicitor for his services. I may well disburse some of my own funds in other matters; do keep in mind that we both will sleep far easier when Wickham is dealt with in a firm manner.”
“Of course. I suppose it will take some time to collect Wickham’s debts, if there are any.”
“There are, of course,” Darcy asserted. “Wickham always leaves debts wherever he goes and he has been in Brighton for some weeks. All the same, you are correct; it will take at least a week, possibly more, to find the specific shopkeepers who have extended him credit, buy them up, and prepare the writ which will allow his arrest for indebtedness. In the meantime, we must keep Miss Lydia safe. We will arrange for men to watch Wickham until his arrest, but it is not trivial to keep a close eye on one lieutenant among a sea of red coats.”
“I believe that Lady Amelia has some ideas on how best to manage the protection of my niece,” Mr. Gardiner said, “and based on my limited knowledge of the lady, I have no doubt that her plans are excellent ones.”