Page 17 of Expectations (Obstinate, Headstrong Girl #7)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A SURPRISING APPROACH
E lizabeth stared at Mr Darcy in some astonishment. It is not simply the surprising news of Mr Wickham’s sordid attempt at making away with his young sister, but the fact that he would reveal it to someone like me.
Could he be telling the truth about the cause of his break with Bingley?
He had even insisted that he had urged Bingley to marry Jane!
Why lie at this late date? Not that he had explained his reasons for promoting the match, not at all, much less the reasons for his break with his former friend.
However, she had motive enough to distrust Charles Bingley, and to believe he had managed to bring down Mr Darcy’s wrath upon himself without any interference from the Bennets.
“I was very much mistaken in Mr Wickham’s character.
I will not mourn him, if I ever did.” In her own loneliness, she had, occasionally, indulged in a few girlish dreams of him once upon a time, but he had disappeared not long after Jane’s wedding.
She had not thought of him, truthfully, in many years before seeing Mr Darcy again.
“My own father never saw through his deceits. It was not easily done.”
Mr Darcy’s smile had faded, probably due to the unpleasant topic at hand.
He still had not responded to her request that he take Cassandra.
He, evidently, had shared some real conversation with her little niece; she had noticed Cassandra was fond of him, but perhaps he did not feel the same.
She must convince him to change his mind.
Oh, the irony of her pleading with him, of all people, to take Cassandra away from her!
However, she must be realistic. Several years ago, he had behaved badly, but he was not, obviously, a bad man.
Cassandra liked him. He had prevented disaster from falling upon them—the children could have been hurt or killed had that fire spread, and Netherfield might have burnt to the ground.
Only his diligence, his refusal to stop searching, had saved them.
By unspoken consent, they began walking again. She was taking her usual path to Oakham Mount, a gradual but continuous climb to an overlook of the entire valley. The sight usually brought her peace, but she feared that peace was an emotion which might be a long while in returning.
“You asked why my father would give Cassandra to Mrs Plumpton; I say it is because of sorrow and resentment—the two least sensible motives for deciding anything at all. No one was happier at my sister’s wedding than he.
He was convinced, I think, that Bingley would launch each of his remaining daughters into the waiting arms of suitable bridegrooms, futures assured, all at very little trouble to himself.
Instead, he discovered that his eldest daughter was married to a flibbertigibbet who seldom bothered to think of his own family, much less his father-in-law’s. ”
“That would be a bitter blow.”
“Yes. I stepped into the breach, to help Jane with their children and be a support to her. Papa did not stop me, but he resented the need for it and blames my spinsterhood upon that decision.”
He gave her a long look at this statement, which she could not understand.
With a small shrug, she kept explaining.
“Jane attempted to bring Kitty out a few years ago. Bingley’s sisters not only refused to help, but actively undermined her—and Bingley refused to stop them.
He would not trouble himself to get in the middle of it.
And then…then Jane was dead, all because her husband must win a phaeton race against one of his foolish friends for a foolish prize of twenty guineas and did not even bother to set his wife down safely before it was begun.
Papa cares about Tommy and Cassandra, I know, but he has allowed his hatred of all the other Bingleys collectively to overpower his affections for his grandchildren.
He believes the Bennets of Longbourn have sacrificed more than enough for the Bingleys of Nowhere in Particular. ”
“And you? Do you hate Bingley as well?” There was a peculiar intensity to Mr Darcy’s expression, as if the answer were important to him—although she could not understand why it would be.
She shrugged again. “I could, I suppose, if I allowed myself. But hatred is a useless emotion which would never touch the man responsible—he is dead and gone. I hate that his carelessness killed my sister, certainly, but will not punish myself by dwelling upon ‘if onlys’. Still, Bingley was not so much a villain, in my opinion, as a weak man, who allowed the currents of his feelings to take him wherever they led without ever once trying to resist.”
They had reached the summit, and Elizabeth looked out upon the familiar sight. It was beautiful, even beneath the grey of a November sky; had she not felt so empty, so desolate, she might have appreciated the view.
He did not comment upon her opinions of Bingley, as if it had not mattered to him, after all. Also, she had yet to convince him to take both children; all she had done thus far was remind him of the weaknesses of their nearest relations. I must do better.
“From the very beginning, I could see that Cassandra and Tommy were special. They have always been two bright rays of sunlight within an often-gloomy landscape. They are intelligent, sweet-natured, sensible, and well behaved.”
“Unless, of course, they object to one’s demands.” He gave a half-smile, though, as if to soften the criticism.
She hesitated, trying to think of how to explain.
“Running away was childish and hurtful, but they have been made to understand how awful could have been the consequences. They are only six years old, and in the last year, they have lost both their parents and their home. The idea of being separated was shocking to them in the extreme. When I learnt of your plans, I, too, was shocked into inexcusable behaviour. I believe I called you a monster, when in actuality you have offered Tommy a life I could never hope to provide him. I acted selfishly, and there is no justification for my rudeness. I hope somehow you can forgive it.”
Mr Darcy looked at her, raising a brow. “I believe, in my eagerness to provide that new life for him, I failed to consider what he would be leaving behind, and the effect it would have upon you and his sister. That is more than enough excuse.”
He was being kind. She must press him now.
“Jane returned home to Netherfield to host the Plumpton family a few months before her death. She was so anxious to impress Mrs Plumpton, for everything to be perfect—it was the first time in ever so long that an invitation had been accepted, you understand. They have a son, Walter, who is two years younger than Tommy and Cassandra. He is…he was wild. Undisciplined. His nurse—he has gone through a few, I understand, in his short life—was not allowed to regulate him in any meaningful fashion. Every time one of the children held a toy he wanted—which happened to be any toy they held—he would run to them, grab the toy away, and scream in their faces, ‘Share! Share! Share!’ They tried to be kind and patient with him, but finally Cassandra had enough, and would not surrender her plaything. He scratched and bit her, drew blood.”
She shuddered at the memory. “Thankfully, we had Mrs Tilson then—she was simply wonderful. She separated Walter from Cassandra, gave him to know that he could not behave like an animal in her nursery, put him to bed, lectured his nurse on restraining and containing him, and restored peace. That evening, Mrs Plumpton complained to Jane that ‘dear Walter’ had been treated poorly by ‘the crude servant’ and recommended that she discharge Tilson immediately, without reference.”
“That seems cruel, hasty, and excessive in the extreme,” he observed. “What was your sister’s response to her suggestion?”
The old anger flared, even after all this time.
“Jane’s answer was to apologise profusely and offer to dismiss a fine woman who had been helping raise her own children for years, without even investigating!
Of course, I objected to this version of events, and even offered proof that it had not happened that way at all. ”
Mr Darcy did not exactly frown, but a furrow appeared in his brow. “Did Mrs Plumpton retract her notions, once she understood Cassandra was the one ill-treated?”
Elizabeth laughed, albeit bitterly. “No. She was insulted, abusing me, Cassandra, and Jane, all of us equally. She and her family departed the next morning. I thought it good riddance, but Jane kept trying to make amends.”
Neither had Jane ever forgiven Elizabeth for her actions regarding the incident, but she shoved that thought away.
“It is not an ideal situation for Cassandra, especially if Mrs Plumpton holds a grudge,” acknowledged Mr Darcy, “and it seems as though she might be the sort who would.”
Elizabeth felt her shoulders slumping. “Mrs Plumpton knows you are taking Tommy. My father wrote and told her. She immediately offered to take Cassandra. I believe she hopes to use the twins’ connexion to ingratiate herself with you.
I do not think Cassandra will have a moment’s peace with ‘dear Walter’ in the nursery, even if, for the sake of your good opinion, his mother keeps her safe, physically. ”
She took one of his hands in both of hers, and said, beseechingly, “Surely you can see, sir, how difficult is the situation. I have no choice but to plead for a renewal of that offer to take Cassandra into your home. Please, please, I beg you.”
He gazed at their joined hands for a long moment before meeting her eyes.
“You have one other option,” he said at last. “You could marry me, and we could raise the children…together.”