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It did not take long for the events of the day to be explained to the Fitzwilliam brothers, who were livid by the end of the retelling.

“He is lucky that he did not offend Marie,” the Viscount bit out as he looked at his betrothed with such love even the married women in the room blushed, “and if he had insulted Jane, Richard would have run him through! Insulting you or anyone else is inexcusable, Lizzy, and on behalf of my family you have my sincere apologies for my cousin’s ungentlemanly behaviour.

” He took his future sister’s hand and bestowed a kiss on her glove.

“Neither you nor Richard are responsible for your cousin,” interjected the Duke. “Can we forget this for the rest of the evening and enjoy the company of pleasant people?” No one was confused; the Duke had not suggested; it was an order and there were none that would dare gainsay him.

Richard approached his beloved Jane to request the next set, thinking how he could not wait to propose to her on the morrow, and she of course accepted while giving him her shy smiles that radiated love for this man in regimentals.

Before they joined the line, she turned to Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. “If you are not otherwise engaged, you should call on us at Longbourn on the morrow. Shall we say at two in the afternoon?”

Louisa Hurst answered on behalf of both, “We have no prior engagements; we will be happy to join you on the morrow. Thank you for the gracious invitation Lady Jane.”

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

On their return to Netherfield, three irate and upset men found the object of their anger sitting in the library drowning his sorrows in brandy.

Darcy looked up, and after a moment to focus his eyes, he believed his guilt was making him hallucinate his Fitzwilliam cousins standing next to a very out of character unhappy Bingley.

As soon as Cousin Andrew spoke, he winced because he knew it was not an hallucination.

“William, how could you! Have you taken leave of your senses? What were you thinking?” Lord Hilldale fired off questions in rapid succession.

“I-I am afraid I was not thinking clearly. Worries for Georgie were on my mind and…” he got no further, as the cousin that was more brother than cousin cut him off.

“No matter your worry, how dare you behave the way you did to a sister of the lady I am courting, that I plan to propose to in the morning! You are only alive now as they do not hold your complete lack of manners and proper behaviour against us !”

Darcy dropped his head in shame, “Why did you not tell me, Richard?”

“I tried to, but you have been in your own world for the last three months since Ramsgate,” Richard reminded him. Bingley looked on in confusion and was about to leave as the family obviously needed to have a private conversation when Darcy shook his head.

“I have been so intent on hiding my private actions and ducking the grasping women that hounded me that I lost the ability to see the difference between those who are like the former and not. Close the door please Bingley.” Darcy’s shoulders dropped in dejection.

Bingley complied and then Darcy looked to his cousin and his sister’s co-guardian who gave him a nod to proceed.

“Have you heard me talk about George Wickham before?”

“I have. He is the one that was meant for the Kympton living?” Bingley verified his memory was correct and Darcy and his cousins nodded. “He is the debaucher, despoiler of maidens, gamester and the one that leaves debts and ruined girls in his wake?”

“That is Wickham. Two years ago, when the living became vacant, he had the temerity to write me a letter claiming ‘his legacy’ as he put it.

He claimed that his situation was desperate and that he was now willing to take orders and claim what was meant for him.

He had received a one-thousand-pound legacy from my honourable departed father in addition to what I paid him.

How he wasted four thousand in such a short time I know not, but I do believe that he was desperate, knowing his profligate ways.

“I refused him, reminding him that he had signed a legal document renouncing any and all claim to the living. He wrote a very abusive missive in return where he swore revenge for me ‘stealing’ what was his. I heard not from him for more than one and a half years until he inserted himself into my life three months ago. You remember Georgiana’s first companion, Mrs. Younge?

” Darcy swallowed dryly; relieved Bingley nodded.

“She requested that she be allowed to take my sister to Ramsgate so she could take in the sea air while continuing her lessons.

We have a house there and I could see no harm.

“Thither went Mr. Wickham as well, by design. I did not check Mrs. Younge’s characters, which we later found out were falsified.

She had a prior relationship with the bastard and was one of his paramours.

Wickham imposed on my sister and convinced her that he loved her and she him and got a fifteen-year-old impressionable girl, my sister , to agree to an elopement.

His aim was her fortune of thirty thousand and to exact his revenge on me.

“By pure luck, I decided to surprise Georgie and arrived at my house in Ramsgate two days before the intended elopement. When Mrs. Younge opened the door and saw me, she looked like she would be ill, so I was immediately suspicious. I walked into the drawing room and there was the blackguard holding my baby sister’s ungloved hands.

His reaction on seeing me was like his co-conspirator, but he soon recovered and informed me that he was engaged to my sister and that they were to marry.

For a second Georgie radiated happiness, until she saw the look of pure fury on my countenance.

“I coldly asked the dastard who had given him permission to marry my underage sister and how he intended to support her.

He gleefully ignored the first question, telling me that her dowry was more than enough for them.

I wiped the smirk off his face when I informed him that I had convinced my father to add a clause that stated that without permission from her guardian or guardians, not one penny of her dowry would be released.

At this Wickham denigrated my sister and myself, then ran out in anger.

“In my arrogant foolishness, I stopped Richard going after the wastrel, caring not that he was free to roam and hurt others. I only thought of my own family and not for the possible suffering of others. Even my dear mother told me I was wrong, but as you know, I always think that I have the right of it. Well, I thought that way before tonight.” Darcy completed the recitation, and Bingley stood silent as he gaped at him.

“I understand that you are still worried about Georgie, William, but how does that give you licence to not behave as a gentleman should?” Andrew demanded.

“In hindsight, I know that regardless of who they were I should not have behaved as I did. Both Bingley and his sister Caroline tried to tell me who the principal members of the community were, but I refused to listen. I remembered parts of a conversation with Aunt Catherine and her vicar, Mr. Collins, and I assumed and would not hear what others were telling me.”

“What did you assume?” Richard asked his cousin whose sufferings increased with the discussion rather than decrease.

“Collins is the beneficiary of an entail of a distant cousin’s estate named Longriver in Herefordshire, and the family is named Bennet.

Until tonight, and only after I returned from my abject humiliation, did I accurately remember the estate and shire names.

I thought them too far below me for any consideration or condescension from me.

” Darcy admitted, the shame he was feeling easy for the others to see.

“I have heard about that family as well cousin, they are Benet not Bennet! Mayhap you should have listened better,” Richard admonished his cousin.

“Even had that all been true, you had no cause to treat my neighbours thusly!” Bingley accused, his ire rising again.

“I will not dispute that. Lady Elizabeth has the right of it. I acted like an arrogant arse. I had selfish disdain for the feelings of others, and my behaviour was not that of a gentleman.” He then explained the other understandings he had come to here in his moment of humiliated clarity.

“I am so used to my income and wealth being discussed that I imagined the same was occurring here, where in truth there was nary a whisper about me and my wealth. What arrogance I have!” All three were silent for a minute, none ever thought they would see the day when the ‘great Fitzwilliam Darcy’ would admit fault even berate himself.

They had never seen the proud man so humbled in his life.

“What are you going to do about it?” His cousin Richard asked with no trace of anger left in his voice.

“I will present myself to the Duke in the morning, explain myself, and beg forgiveness. There is nought else that I can do.” Darcy replied quietly.

The three men agreed with Darcy, and well knew that all but one of the family would be open to forgive him, if not right away.

They equally knew that one lady would not.

To earn her forgiveness would be very hard.

They advised him to explain, but to not try to excuse his bad behaviour, as there was no excuse for it.