Page 18 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Alexander Wickham’s Room

The Pig in the Poke Pub and Inn

The knock on the door was firm, and Alexander, who was reading the Acts of the Apostles, rose to his feet, walked over to the door, and opened it cautiously.

“Mr. Darcy!” he said with relief. “Do come in! I was afraid that perhaps you were George, here to harangue me more.”

Darcy stepped into the room and shut it behind him, and now Alexander noted that his patron’s expression was even more grave than usual.

“Is something wrong?” the younger Wickham asked uneasily.

“Yes,” his visitor said baldly. “Lydia Bennet has run away with your elder brother to Gretna Green.”

Alexander gasped and took a step back. “No!”

“I fear so,” Darcy said grimly. “Or perhaps I should say that Miss Lydia’s letter claims that they were going to Gretna Green, but I confess to being doubtful. She has no dowry, and George has always intended to wed a rich woman. I fear that he intends to use her and discard her, which would be catastrophic for Miss Lydia and the rest of her family.”

“Give me a moment to think, please,” Alexander requested, and at Darcy’s nod, he walked over to the fire and spent a few minutes in contemplation and prayer.

Then he turned around and said, “I believe it likely that George does intend to wed Miss Lydia, but only after certain assurances from Mr. Bennet. Given that, I have some ideas of how to mitigate this disaster for the Bennets.”

“Please tell me.”

Alexander proceeded to explain.

***

Milton stables

Meryton

One Hour Later

“Are you for London, Lieutenant?”

Alexander adjusted his newly acquired red coat and nodded to Mr. Milton, the blacksmith who also rented out horses.

“I am,” he replied, swinging himself up on the bay horse. “I will return in a few days.”

“Very good,” Milton said and turned to give orders to one of his sons, who was busily mucking out the stables.

Alexander touched the horse with his heels, and the bay obediently walked out of the stable, down an alley, and then, directed by the reins and spurs, turned left and trotted toward the edge of town. Alexander, spying several red-coated officers, waved as he passed them by. At the outskirts of Meryton, he came to a halt as Darcy, riding his own black stallion, approached him from the south.

“Thank you for acquiring the militia uniform,” Alexander said quietly.

“You are welcome, though it was not at all difficult. Colonel Forster is eager to mitigate your brother’s infamous behavior as much as possible. How should we do this?”

“Look rigid and angry,” Alexander replied. “In about ten seconds, I will lean forward and wave my fist at you. George is always waving his hands around when he is angry.”

“That is true enough,” Darcy said, dramatically furrowing his brow and leaning forward.

“When we are done pretending to quarrel, I will head for London and then turn north as soon as I can find an appropriate road. I will try to catch up with you and the Bennet carriage as quickly as possible, but this horse is not nearly as swift as Phoenix.”

“Feel free to change out your horse whenever you need to, and I will pay for it.”

“Thank you, sir,” Alexander replied, leaning forward with clenched fists. “Now I am going to trot away rapidly, and do not forget to look angry and fearsome when you ride through town.”

“Very well, I will see you soon,” Darcy answered, and Alexander pulled his horse’s head left slightly, and then urged it into a fast trot as if he were running away from the master of Pemberley.

***

The Great North Road

An Hour later

The jolt and sway of the Bennet carriage across the rutted dirt road did nothing to settle Elizabeth's whirling thoughts. She had felt discombobulated and ill ever since Kitty had crashed into the sitting room, shouting that Lydia had run away with Lieutenant Wickham. The ensuing hour had been one of confusion, with much screaming and wailing while the gentlemen conferred. Then Mr. Darcy had departed, and Mr. Bennet had explained to them all that he intended to personally go after the pair, and Elizabeth was to travel with him.

Jane, pale with sorrow, had promised her fiancé that she would call off the engagement immediately. Bingley, kind man that he is, had insisted at once that she would do no such thing and assured her of his continued love and devotion, along with the hope that the family’s reputation would not be damaged by this dreadful event.

The elder three girls had all exchanged looks at these optimistic words. It was inevitable that the servants would overhear, if they had not already. They were all loyal to the Bennet family but not so loyal as to outweigh the temptation to share this juicy bit of gossip. The Bennets were ruined indeed, not least because of the volume of their matriarch’s wailing.

The only way to mitigate the scandal was to induce George Wickham to marry Lydia. Her poor, stupid sister! The lieutenant would be a terrible husband to her, but it remained the best possible scenario for not only Lydia herself but the entire family.

In very short order, Elizabeth had packed a small bag of garments, and now she was in the family carriage with her father, which was far better than being trapped back at Longbourn. They had left their home in shambles, with Mrs. Bennet taking to her bed with hartshorn and water and many heartbroken wails, and Kitty sobbing inconsolably in her own room. At least Jane had Charles Bingley to comfort her, with Mary acting as chaperone. After all, Charles had said firmly, their wedding was but a few days away, and they needed to finish all the preparations. Elizabeth was mournful at the thought of missing Jane’s wedding, but if she could assist her father with Lydia, she would do so gladly.

“This is my fault,” Mr. Bennet said gloomily, speaking for the first time in more than half an hour.

Elizabeth turned to her father with sympathetic irritation. “You must not be too severe upon yourself.”

“You may well warn me against such an evil. Human nature is so prone to fall into it! No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. Your sister has been running wild for many months, and I hid in my library instead of dealing with it directly.”

Elizabeth could not honestly argue with this and, in this moment of intense anxiety, could not even find any comforting words to succor her father.

“What do you intend to do if we succeed in catching up with them?” she asked quietly.

Bennet rubbed his forehead and leaned back against the squabs. “If Wickham genuinely means to marry Lydia, then I will give them my blessing; it is too late for anything else. Mr. Darcy thinks it unlikely that his old adversary truly means to marry your youngest sister, though. The reprobate has long desired a wealthy bride, and Lydia has nothing.”

“Perhaps the lieutenant believes that Lydia is the heiress of Longbourn?” Elizabeth asked tentatively.

Bennet groaned and said, “That is what Darcy supposes, that Wickham has some reason to imagine she is the heiress. She is not, by the way; you are.”

“I am?” Elizabeth said in surprise. “Surely not!”

“But of course! You are the most sensible of all your sisters, and the only reason I decided against Jane is that she is too trusting of others. You have an acerbic quality which enables you to analyze the behavior of others and, when necessary, find them wanting.”

Elizabeth sighed and said, “I did not display such wisdom when I first met Lieutenant Wickham. I believed his lies about Mr. Darcy, and I had no idea that he was sufficiently ignoble as to run away with Lydia.”

“I am guilty of not thinking about it at all,” Bennet said mournfully. “I assumed that in spite of my lack of oversight, your youngest sisters would remain unsullied regardless of the presence of a great many handsome officers. I am indeed a great fool.”

Elizabeth did not feel up to responding to this, so the pair lapsed into unhappy silence.

***

Study

Netherfield Hall

Charles Bingley glared at his sisters’ silk-clad backs as they preceded him into the study. He stepped in after them and swung the door shut as Caroline and Louisa turned to face him. It was apparent that he had a fight on his hands. Louisa wore an expression of polished outrage, while Caroline was turning dangerously red with temper.

Preemptive weariness settled onto Bingley’s shoulders; he had no real desire to fight with his sisters on top of an already fraught day. It had come as a deep shock to hear of Miss Lydia’s flight, and of course, he had bent all his efforts to comforting his dear Jane. But then, it was for Jane’s sake that he must be bold and steadfast. He was not, by nature, an assertive man, and for much of his life, he had found it easier to give in to his sisters’ demands than to resist them.

Now it was essential that he change. His sisters would not be kind to Jane, and it was his duty – and his pleasure – to protect her. And that meant taking his sisters in hand at last.

“Charles, you cannot seriously intend to wed Jane now!” Miss Bingley screeched. “Miss Lydia Bennet is ruined, and her family with her. You must break off the engagement and…”

“No,” Charles Bingley replied, taking a menacing step closer. “No, I will not. I love Jane with all my heart, and she is the perfect bride for me. I will not break the engagement.”

Caroline froze with her mouth open slightly, and for a brief, hopeful moment, Charles wondered if she might just accept his proclamation.

Seconds later, that hope died a swift death.

“You most certainly will! ” Caroline ranted. “If you marry Jane Bennet then my own hopes of a good marriage will be entirely at an end! Mr. Darcy will never marry a woman who is connected to a solicitor’s granddaughter who ran away with a militia officer, and I am destined to be the mistress of Pemberley.”

“Indeed, Brother,” Louisa said in a minatory tone, “it would be unfair to both of us to wed Miss Bennet. There are so many charming, well-bred heiresses in London…”

Bingley grimaced and straightened his back. Without a doubt, he had a battle ahead of him, but he would prevail. He loved Jane Bennet far too much to abandon her in her time of need. Or ever, for that matter. She was the most wonderful woman he had ever met and entirely unlike his shrewish, demanding sisters.

***

The Frog and the Toad Inn

Biggleswade

Bedfordshire

Several Hours Later

Alexander Wickham pulled his weary horse to a halt, swung down, and looked around for a stable boy, only to start in surprise at the familiar sight of his patron, who was standing in the corner of the stable yard, speaking with an older grizzled man dressed in homespun.

“Darcy!” Alexander called out, and the man turned and gestured toward him. “Wickham! Come here, please!”

Alexander hurried over in some confusion. Surely Darcy, riding a far better horse than his own, should be further ahead of him?

Confusion gave way to understanding as he observed Phoenix standing a few feet inside the stable with one foot slightly lifted.

“He is lame?” Alexander asked.

Darcy nodded. “He threw a shoe, fortunately only a mile from here, but I had to walk that distance. I was just asking Simkins here to take good care of Phoenix until I return or send one of my men to bring him home.”

“Course I will, sir,” the man said, lifting his hand to tug his forelock. “T’will be my pleasure to look after such a fine bit of horseflesh, and I will have Mr. Gaston, the blacksmith, shoe him for you.”

“Thank you,” Darcy said with a sigh, and then turned to look skyward. Alexander did so as well and matched his patron sigh for sigh. It was one of the shortest days of the year, and the sun was setting.

“We might as well spend the night here,” Darcy said unhappily. “We are unlikely to ride much farther without being caught out of doors.”

“Indeed,” his companion said, and turned to stare down the road going north. It would be dangerous to continue on into the darkness. Moreover, it was too late to save Lydia Bennet’s reputation. She had already been alone with an unmarried man for many hours, and based on Mrs. Bennet’s screaming, all of Meryton probably knew that by now.