Page 9 of Drawn to Love

To Elizabeth, the next two days were as beautiful as a dream. Her heart was more and more clear in regard to her feelings for Mr. Darcy, and his intentions towards her were more and more obvious. He did not say much, but his attention could not be misjudged.

He spent most of his time with Mr. Gardiner, and Elizabeth with her aunt.

Except for dinner and breakfast, she and Mr. Darcy met again twice in the library.

It was somehow a habit for her to read there in the afternoon, and he happened upon her there — seemingly by chance.

She remembered the day at Netherfield when she and Mr. Darcy had been a full half an hour together in the library and not exchanged a single word.

How was it possible that she had missed noticing his preference for her?

Mr. Darcy mentioned on various occasions that his sister would have liked to meet Elizabeth and the Gardiners, and he even asked Mr. Gardiner if they could prolong their stay in Derbyshire for another week.

But as much as everybody would enjoy such a prospect, it was impossible.

However, since they had already been at Pemberley for four days, and Mrs. Gardiner’s leg was not yet completely healed, Mr. Darcy proposed, and the Gardiners agreed, that as there was no point in moving to the inn for another three or four days, they should remain at Pemberley until the end of their holiday.

Elizabeth received the news with joy and nervousness.

Although her wisdom demanded her to be prudent and dismiss any unreasonable expectations, her heart allowed her to dream of a renewed proposal before she left.

Whilst the first proposal had been shocking, enraging, dreadful, and offensive, a new one was the only thing she wished for in the world, from the only man who was perfectly suited to her. And she to him.

In less than a week at Pemberley, she had been offered the chance to see him in a new light, to admire his qualities reflected in all sorts of small actions, small gestures, barely noticeable but full of meaning.

She had been given the chance to see his generosity and care for others — and his love and consideration for her.

From the little she had learnt, she knew she was not prepared — and perhaps not worthy either — to be the mistress of Pemberley.

But she was certain she would do everything in her power to improve herself and to work hard to fulfil such a responsibility.

And she would do everything in her power to be sure that Mr. Darcy would be happy with her.

If he were to propose again, she would accept for nothing but the best of reasons, and his ardent love would not remain unrequited.

“Lizzy dear,” Mrs. Gardiner said, “even if this leg pains me until the end of our stay, I absolutely want to take a tour of Pemberley in the phaeton. Your uncle told me Mr. Darcy offered it to you, but you refused it.”

“I did not refuse it, Aunt, I merely declined the offer for the present. I could not enjoy such a ride without you.”

“How lovely of you! We shall enjoy it together, then. So, my dear, what do you think of Mr. Darcy now? I hope you do not have any misunderstandings remaining between you.”

“No, Aunt, not at all.”

“Your uncle is absolutely enchanted with him!”

“I imagined as much. Mr. Darcy seems to enjoy Uncle’s company too.”

“Would you say it is possible that they will meet again in the future? Will there be further occasions, Lizzy?”

“I hope so, Aunt. I imagine you wish to know more, but there is truly nothing more to know for now. I enjoy Mr. Darcy’s generosity, and we are rather friendly towards each other — just as you and Uncle could see. That is all.”

“Very well, my dear. I shall not insist.”

They continued to talk for a while, had some tea, then Mrs. Gardiner was ready to sleep. She laughed, claiming she was tired of so much rest.

They were startled when Mr. Gardiner burst into the room, clearly distressed, red-faced, breathless, his neckcloth loose. He held two letters, which he handed to Elizabeth.

“Here. Two letters from Jane. They just arrived today. I am afraid they do not contain good tidings, as I also received one from my brother Bennet. I have the most disturbing news to share.”

“For heaven’s sake, my dear, what happened? The children?” Mrs. Gardiner cried.

“The children are perfectly well. Our children, at least. Lizzy dear, Lydia has eloped. She left Brighton with that scoundrel Wickham. They apparently departed for Gretna Green with the intention of marrying. My brother Bennet is with Colonel Forster in London, and he writes that they traced them to town but no farther. Bennet asked for my immediate assistance.”

Mr. Gardiner spoke in haste, hardly making any sense. Mrs. Gardiner stared at him, her eyes wide with horror.

Elizabeth’s mind tried to understand but somehow refused. Surely it could not be possible. Lydia had eloped? Countless questions spun in her mind as she tried to imagine scenarios, each worse than the other.

“Apparently, Lydia left the colonel’s wife a letter. She said she had been in love with Wickham for a long time, and she was happy to leave with him.” Mr. Gardiner rolled his eyes in apparent vexation.

Elizabeth heard her uncle and aunt talking, but she could not gather herself to speak.

“We must leave immediately,” Mr. Gardiner continued. “Let us pray that things are not as bad as they seem now.”

“Things will certainly be worse than they seem now,” Elizabeth finally said. “Mr. Wickham will never marry Lydia. We should be fortunate if we find her and save her from a tragic fate. For this, we may pray, but we must remember that our family is at fault!”

“Lizzy, I understand you are upset—” Mr. Gardiner interjected.

“You and Papa said she was too poor to tempt anyone,” Elizabeth uttered in a voice so cold that it scared herself. “Mama always let Lydia do what she pleased. Papa always makes sport of everything, and you do not take the trouble to censure them, even when you know they are wrong.”

Her uncle and aunt looked at her, incredulous at her scolding.

“Lizzy dear—”

“That is the truth, Uncle. Let us not pretend ignorance. Lydia was allowed to have her way simply to keep the peace at Longbourn. Now there will be peace, as our family will be ruined forever. Nobody will want to be associated with us from now on. Lydia will be miserable whether she marries Mr. Wickham or not, and we all shall be shunned forever. It will be peace indeed,” she said, unable to prevent her tears from falling.

“Let us not fear the worst, my dear. I shall ask Mr. Darcy to send a servant to inform your cousins that we must return to London immediately. We shall pack our luggage, and you, my dear, will have to bear the journey despite your injury.”

“Do not worry about me,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “We must leave today!”

“Uncle, please, do not tell Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth begged, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Mr. Darcy knows, Lizzy. I opened the letter in the carriage as we were returning from the inn. He said he had some urgent business to attend to — I wonder where he is now…”

Elizabeth suspected where he was. He was far away from them.

As kind and generous as he was, the notion that Lydia was now so closely and so shamefully connected to Mr. Wickham must be dreadful for Mr. Darcy — and understandably so.

He must distance himself from such a scandal; that was beyond doubt.

“I shall pack my luggage. I shall be ready in half an hour, then I shall come to help you, Aunt,” Elizabeth said, ready to leave the chamber.

However, just as she reached the door, she was almost knocked down by Mr. Darcy, who entered unceremoniously.

She actually stumbled, and he grabbed her, so for an instant, she was in his arms — in his embrace, where she would never be again.

“Forgive me, sir, I am going to my room. We shall leave immediately — we have not an instant to lose,” she whispered, trying to conceal her tears.

His hands were still holding her, and he gently pushed her back towards the bed.

“Miss Bennet, please sit for a moment. I have come to talk to Mr. Gardiner, and I am happy that you are all here, so we can agree together.”

She sat, and so did Mr. Gardiner, then Mr. Darcy.

“In such situations, urgency is of the utmost importance. I just sent one of my trusted men to Gretna Green, in case the runaways go there, but I doubt they will. Wickham has no money for travelling long distances, and I assume neither has Miss Lydia. So, I suspect they are hiding in London.”

He spoke with agitation, while Elizabeth watched him in shock.

“I know some of the places where Wickham used to go, so it should be easy to track them. But we must make haste. Mrs. Gardiner cannot travel at the speed we require, so we must find another solution.”

Elizabeth noticed that he said ‘we’, and she did not dare to ask why.

“I propose that Mr. Gardiner and I leave immediately — in half an hour. We may sleep only one night and travel the rest of the time. Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Bennet may leave Pemberley tomorrow morning, in my carriage. Two of my men, my valet, and a maid will join you, to keep you safe and assist you on the road. You cannot travel during the night, so you will spend two nights at inns. My valet will take care of the accommodations. I understand your children are at Longbourn, so you will go there and hopefully wait for news from Mr. Bennet or Mr. Gardiner.”

He ended the speech, waiting for their approval, but none of them said a word. Elizabeth felt her hands and lips trembling, and she gulped down the lump in her throat.

“You will go with my uncle?” she finally asked. “But why?”

“Why?” Mr. Darcy repeated, puzzled.

“There will be a scandal, regardless of the outcome. You must not be involved in it,” Elizabeth replied.

“I beg to differ, Miss Bennet. I must be involved in it, as it is my responsibility. I should have exposed Wickham long ago for who he was. If I had, Miss Lydia would not be in such peril today. The mistake was mine, and so must the remedy be.”

“Mr. Darcy, Lizzy is right — we do not want to—” Mr. Gardiner interjected.

“Mr. Gardiner, Miss Bennet,” Mr. Darcy interrupted rather harshly, “please understand that I shall go and look for Wickham under any circumstances. I am determined to leave for London immediately, no matter what. My decision is final. The only question is whether you find my plan appropriate and wish to join me, or whether you would rather do something else? I think we all agree that there is no time to waste.”

The three looked at each other, and Elizabeth ceased to fight her tears.

“Your plan is perfect, Mr. Darcy, and we are grateful for it,” Mrs. Gardiner said, expressing their acceptance, while Mr. Gardiner only nodded.

Elizabeth said nothing, only kept her eyes to the ground. She did not dare speculate what had induced his decision or what would happen next.

Following Mr. Darcy’s plan, the two gentlemen left half an hour later in Mr. Gardiner’s carriage.

With the help of the maids, Elizabeth and her aunt finished their packing and spent the rest of the day talking.

Mrs. Gardiner tried to comfort her, but Elizabeth’s tears knew no end.

She feared the worst for Lydia, who was still a child and equally unwise.

Whether Wickham married her or not, she would be ruined and unhappy.

Then she thought of Jane and Mr. Bingley; such a scandal would certainly influence his decision to return to Netherfield.

As for her and Mr. Darcy, she did not even dare consider what their future might be.

Elizabeth finally returned to her chamber. It would be her last night there, so she stood on the balcony for a while, to enjoy the view she might never see again.

When she was finally ready to climb into bed, she noticed a package on her pillow. She opened it and found another drawing — another likeness partially sketched — and a note.

This one is unfinished. I started it on your first day at Pemberley, and I hope to finish it when we meet again. Until then, please do not allow tears to shadow your sparkling eyes.F Darcy.

Elizabeth looked at the note as if she could not believe it, then read it again, then kissed the paper through tearful laughter — a mix of sadness and joy, sorrow and hopes.