Page 7 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam of the Regulars guided his horse down a cobbled street and through the open gate of the stable yard behind the Hartford mansion. He pulled his steed to a halt and gazed down at the familiar gentleman waiting for him.
“Darcy!” Richard Fitzwilliam exclaimed as he swung down from his horse and handed the reins to an eager stable boy. “This is a surprise! Are you riding out somewhere? I had hoped to speak with you as soon as possible.”
“I am not leaving,” Darcy said, and lapsed into silence.
He waited for the boy to lead away his cousin’s horse and then grasped his cousin’s arm, leading him out of the Hartford stable yard, down a side path, and into a walled yard behind the mansion.
They sat on a wooden bench situated under a spreading elm tree.
“I wanted to talk to you privately,” he explained, letting go of Richard’s arm and turning to face him squarely. “The situation is rather volatile and I would not wish you to rush into battle, so to speak, without adequate information. Thank you for coming so promptly, by the way.”
Richard’s expression was cheerful, but his eyes were watchful. “I assure you, Darcy, that your mention of Wickham was enough to make me eager to ask for leave from my general. The wretch is here in Brighton?”
“He is,” Darcy admitted. “He joined a militia regiment last autumn, which was formerly stationed in Meryton in Hertfordshire. Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s family dwells in Longbourn near Meryton, and thus Miss Elizabeth has been acquainted with Wickham for many months.”
Now Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam looked appalled. “Is she ... friendly with the man?”
“She was, but now she is not. We argued over Wickham back in Kent when I ... I ... made her an offer of marriage.”
The military man started, his mouth gaping in shock. “What did you say?” he demanded weakly.
“I asked Miss Bennet to marry me,” Darcy repeated rather miserably.
Richard shook his head hard as if to loosen cobwebs and then asked patiently, “When are you to be married?”
“We are not,” his cousin responded with a tragic grimace. “She refused me.”
“Because of Wickham? You cannot be serious! She is a sensible young woman, and you are one of the most eligible men in the kingdom! ”
“She is not sensible, do you not see?” Darcy responded passionately.
“That is why I wish to marry her! She is determined to marry a man she can honor and respect and love, and I am not that man! She was furious over my supposed treatment of Wickham, yes, but she also had harsh but valid words over my conduct toward her and her family, and she was furious at my interference in Charles Bingley’s pursuit of her elder sister, Miss Jane Bennet. ”
The colonel paled noticeably and took a horrified step backwards. “Bingley thought he was in love with Miss Bennet’s sister? It was she of whom you referred when you said you had saved your friend from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage?”
“Yes,” Darcy admitted gloomily. “Somehow Miss Bennet learned of my interference...”
“I told her myself,” Colonel Fitzwilliam declared with the mien of a man facing a firing squad.
“I am so very sorry, Darcy; I came upon her during a ramble on the day before we left Rosings and we fell into conversation. The topic of Bingley came up, and I told her of your intervention in his affairs. I had no idea I was speaking of her sister.”
Darcy sighed miserably. “That explains both her headache that evening which prevented her from attending dinner at Rosings, and a portion of her outrage at me. I daresay I could not have chosen a worse time to make my offer. At any rate, we quarreled and I left in turmoil; that night, I wrote a letter explaining my actions, and she accepted, at least, that I was not at fault in my dealings with Wickham.”
The colonel’s jaw clenched and he shook his head. “That was risky, to give a letter to Miss Bennet. I presume you did not speak of Georgiana’s folly?”
“I did. I had to make it clear what kind of man Wickham truly is. You need not fear; Miss Bennet is entirely trustworthy. Indeed, I have reason to be additionally grateful for the letter, because it helped Miss Bennet better understand the situation here in Brighton.”
“Which is?”
“Miss Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet sisters, is currently the guest of Colonel Forster, commander of the militia regiment in which Wickham serves, and his very young wife. Miss Bennet intercepted a letter from Miss Lydia to Miss Kitty, the second youngest sister, in which Miss Lydia said she plans to elope with Wickham because naturally, the foolish child believes herself to be in love with the rogue. Miss Elizabeth took fright since she knows Wickham to be a vile seducer, and she and her uncle and aunt rushed to London, where her uncle consulted me, and now we are all in Brighton to protect the girl from herself, and to deal once and for all with Wickham. ”
The colonel sat back on the bench and digested this thoughtfully before turning to look back at Darcy. “What of their father, Mr. Bennet? Why is he not here?”
Darcy scowled and said, “I fear Mr. Bennet is a very lax father, and far more inclined to focus on his own comfort than on the safety and well-being of his daughters. Miss Bennet tried to alert him to the danger, but apparently her father insisted that Wickham would not bother to marry a penniless gentleman’s daughter, and he refused to stir himself.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, uncle and aunt to the Bennet daughters, are a more diligent and honorable couple.
Mrs. Gardiner grew up in Lambton, as it happens.
I like and admire them very much, and also confess to shame at my own attitude toward Miss Bennet’s relations and connections.
Mr. Gardiner is a tradesman, but is far more a gentleman than many a true gentleman. ”
Richard nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed, and said, “If I understand the situation, you wish to protect Miss Lydia Bennet from running off with Wickham?”
“Yes, and I intend to put Wickham away for good by buying up his debts and casting him into Marshalsea or King’s Bench.
However, the scoundrel has a sixth sense for when his creditors are closing in.
He may well attempt to flee and Miss Lydia might be foolish enough to run away with him.
He will, of course, have no compunction about promising marriage without any intentions of following through. ”
“Is the man being watched?” Richard demanded, rising to his feet with clenched fists and agitation in his bearing.
“He is,” Darcy promised. “Lady Amelia’s solicitor provided the names of several reliable men. I do not believe Wickham will slip through our grasp.”
Richard Fitzwilliam, second son of an earl, bared his teeth in a thoroughly feral manner and said, “I look forward to dealing with the miscreant as he deserves, Cousin. Now, what can I do to help?”
/
George Wickham glanced around Mrs. Forster’s sitting room, his gaze settling briefly on a mother-of-pearl snuff box placed next to a set of fine ceramic figurines on the mantle.
A delicately carved epergne sat on a nearby table, with an exquisite painting of a pineapple fastened to the wall above it.
The decorations in the room were an odd assortment, with their only area of commonality being that they were valuable.
Colonel Forster was the second son of a wealthy gentleman and his wife, young Mrs. Forster, had brought a handsome dowry into her marriage.
It was entirely unfair that so many in Wickham’s orbit had far more ready money than he did .
“I do hope that we will see you at the assembly at the Castile Inn tonight?” Captain Denny asked Mrs. Forster, distracting Wickham from his dark musings.
Mrs. Forster colored a little and shook her head. “I fear not, Captain. Colonel Forster and Miss Bennet and I are invited to a dinner at the home of Lady Amelia Hartford this evening. However, I am certain we will attend the next assembly at the Old Ship in a few days.”
“I hope you will enjoy your dinner, though I will miss dancing with you, my dear Miss Bennet,” Wickham murmured to Lydia, who was sitting cozily at his side on the couch.
He turned his practiced smile on the girl as his eyes flicked down her womanly form.
He was, he thought, quite close to convincing the girl to part with her virtue, a most worthwhile, if not particularly difficult, accomplishment.
Miss Lydia was a hardened flirt, in sharp contrast to her eldest sisters back in Hertfordshire.
Lydia wrinkled her pert nose and said, “I hope we are not terribly bored, but Harriet insists that we must go. Ah well, I will enjoy hearing the latest gossip from home from Lizzy.”
“Miss Elizabeth is in Brighton?” Wickham inquired in surprise. “I had no idea she intended to join you here!”
“Well, neither did I. She appeared quite suddenly yesterday with a Lady Amelia Hartford, who must be quite wealthy, as she was wearing a very fine gown of blue satin! Lady Amelia is apparently a friend of my aunt and uncle Gardiner, because they are here in Brighton as well, and are staying with the lady.”
“Please give Miss Elizabeth my regards,” Wickham requested.
Lydia turned a coquettish pout on the handsome military gentleman. “Well, I am not sure I should, dear Wickham. I do not forget how you used to spend a remarkable amount of time with my dull older sister.”
Once again, Wickham surreptitiously inspected the girl’s comely form. “I assure you, Miss Lydia, that no one could pull me away from your tantalizing presence for long.”
/
“Gabriel!” Lady Amelia cried out, leaping to her feet at the sight of her second son.
He advanced into his mother’s favorite sitting room and gave her a half embrace with his lone arm. “Good afternoon, Mother. I hope you are well?”
“I am very well indeed, my dear. Thank you for coming so quickly. But come, I must introduce you to my guest. Miss Bennet, my second son, Mr. Gabriel Hartford. Gabriel, Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire. She and her aunt and uncle are staying with me along with Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.”
Gabriel turned to the girl who was standing quietly at his mother’s side and bowed, as she in turn curtsied.
She was a handsome young woman, Miss Bennet, with a lovely complexion, glossy dark hair, and truly lovely brown eyes.
He appreciated that she kept her eyes calmly on his face instead of staring awkwardly at the empty left sleeve of his coat.
“Miss Bennet, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I am honored to meet you, sir. Lady Amelia has been telling me of your interest in bees, which I find quite as fascinating as her own passion for butterflies.”
Gabriel considered the gentlewoman curiously; he was well born and, thanks to an inheritance from his mother’s aunt, moderately wealthy, which tended to attract young ladies of little fortune.
On the other hand, he had lost his left arm in battle, and that tended to discourage particularly attractive women from pursuing him.
He wondered if Miss Bennet was merely flattering him, or whether she was truly interested in insects.
If the latter, she was a most remarkable woman.
“I think many people consider our interests to be eccentric rather than remarkable,” he commented.
Elizabeth, at a gesture from Lady Amelia, took a seat near the bow window, out of which sparkled the ocean as far as the eye could see. Gabriel, in turn, lowered himself onto a nearby couch.
“I do not pretend to know much about such things,” the girl admitted with a charming smile, “and I would agree that your passions are unusual, but that does not make them in any way unacceptable. Indeed, while I do not mean to denigrate your mother’s butterflies, I would suggest that bees are far more practical, are they not?
Butterflies are beautiful, but bees provide honey, which is one of my favorite treats in the entire world. ”
His face relaxed and he shot an amused glance at his mother. “There, you see, Mother? Miss Bennet agrees with me!”
Elizabeth cast an uncertain look at her hostess, who chuckled.
“Gabriel and I have a long standing disagreement about my butterflies. He contends that my beauties are largely useless since they do not provide anything except their loveliness. I, in turn, point out that bees are prone to stinging on occasion, sometimes without warning.”
“They rarely sting if approached properly,” the gentleman insisted. “If one is foolish enough to wave one’s arms around and shout and scream, then of course the bees will sting. One can hardly blame them for that!”
“All the same, Mr. Hartford, I think that Lady Amelia’s neighbors are pleased that she has devoted her attention to butterflies instead of stinging insects. Perhaps beekeeping is better suited for the wide open spaces.”
“That is true enough, Miss Bennet. In addition, I am convinced that butterflies do have their role in God’s natural order. I believe…”
The door to the sitting room opened again and he broke off, then rose to his feet at the sight of his old acquaintance, Mr. Darcy, in company with a red coated stranger.
“Darcy,” he said, bowing slightly. “It is good to see you again.”
“Hartford,” Darcy replied, “It is wonderful to see you looking so well. Please, may I introduce my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam of the Regulars?”
The former and current military men exchanged bows and then Fitzwilliam turned to Elizabeth and bowed to her as well. “Miss Bennet, it is wonderful to see you again.”
She smiled a little tremulously, her eyes shifting from Darcy to the colonel and then back again. “I am most grateful to both you and Mr. Darcy for your willingness to assist us here in Brighton. I am … overwhelmed to have such good friends. ”
Bemused, Gabriel glanced at his mother, who took a step forward and said, “Let us sit down and have tea. It is time for a council of war.”