Page 32 of Obligation and Redemption
Bingley had agreed to join Darcy on his visit to Longbourn; he was easily persuaded, as he had been looking for another excuse to call on the family.
While Darcy was away, Bingley had been in the company of the Bennets on three separate occasions and was becoming decidedly attached to the lovely Miss Bennet.
They set out shortly after breakfast, riding through Meryton as they directed their path to the Longbourn estate.
On their way, they spotted the Bennet ladies across the road speaking with a group of men in regimentals.
Bingley led them to the gathering and after alighting, bowed gracefully with special attention to Miss Bennet.
Darcy was halfway through dismounting when he became aware of the identity of the person speaking with Miss Elizabeth.
What is he doing here? As his mind searched for possible reasons for his appearance in Meryton, he recalled himself and made a cursory bow to Elizabeth.
Wickham had a brief look of confusion when Elizabeth decided to attempt to break the awkward silence.
“Mr. Darcy, I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Wickham.”
“I am,” he answered, curtly, then turning to look at her, he continued, “Miss Elizabeth, allow me to escort you to Longbourn.”
“But, sir, we just arrived. Will you not join us?” she said, not noticing Mr. Wickham’s uneasiness.
Darcy reached down to take hold of her hand and placed it on his arm. “I believe your home is this way.” He began walking, and she had no choice but to follow. Darcy then momentarily turned back. “Miss Bennet, would you be so kind as to join us?”
Bingley then jumped in, “Miss Bennet, allow me to escort you.” He was pleased with this opportunity to walk with her, not noticing the tension that had settled into the group.
“Lizzy!” cried Lydia, “ we are not leaving yet. You can have Mr. Darcy all to yourself, for we have officers enough to escort us home.” Then she turned to Mr. Wickham and put her arm through his.
After Elizabeth and Darcy had left, Wickham smirked.
This was going to be easier than he thought.
When arriving to Meryton, his new friends had told him about the local inhabitants, focusing on the ladies of the county who had the most to offer by way of society and beauty.
The scandal that limited association with the Bennet family was the topic of much conversation, but what piqued Wickham’s interest most was the mention of Mr. Darcy.
At first he thought that he could not be the same Darcy with whom he had been so closely associated, but then the estate of Pemberley had been mentioned, as well as his wealth, and he knew there could not be two such men.
He determined then to meet the woman who was soon to be Mrs. Darcy.
His curiosity concerning Elizabeth drove him initially; however, after meeting her, he decided that wreaking havoc on the marriage would be a more worthwhile and entertaining endeavour.
Wickham had a healthy fear of Darcy, for he was a powerful man, but he knew that Darcy would never do anything to him that might bring disrepute to the family name, which left Wickham safe from physical harm.
Wickham had almost succeeded the previous summer in wooing away Miss Darcy from her vacation home, if not for Darcy’s inopportune arrival; Darcy would not want that getting out, which gave Wickham some bit of power over the man’s possible avenues of retaliation.
If he could draw Elizabeth away, perhaps he would be able to extract a payoff for silence to avoid embarrassing the family, and if not, the tangible motivation of making Darcy a cuckold was too much to resist. He turned his attention to the young girl beside him, “Miss Lydia, your sister is very fortunate in being Mr. Darcy’s choice of wife.
You and your family must be well pleased with the match. ”
“Mama is, but I am not sure anyone else in the family cares, for he is such a serious, ill-tempered man. I have only been in his company a few times, but he always looks down his nose at me. Lizzy has shown no fondness for him, and I do not think she would have accepted his offer if she were not obligated.”
“I know she does not care for some of his actions, but surely she sees the pecuniary benefits of being married to Mr. Darcy as being worth the small tedium of his company. He can be rather loathsome, but really, she will not have to reside with him unless she wishes, for he has more than one estate and a house in town. Many great men live separate lives from their wives, marrying to secure a substantial dowry and to conceive an heir. After she has done her job, she may do as she pleases. Darcy will not cause her harm like some men.” Lydia looked up at him puzzled.
“I am sure your sister has her head about her and will find peace with the match. I do hope that she does not forget her friends once she becomes a woman of fashion,” Wickham said with a charming smile.
“Lizzy will do as she pleases, to be sure; she always has.”
“I do hope that she is able to continue on in that manner. It would pain me to know that she must change to satisfy Darcy’s view of how a wife should behave.
You will keep me informed, will you not?
I would dearly appreciate your sharing with me your sister’s success at conforming to his ways.
I think too highly of her not to worry.”
“You are so gallant to be thinking of Lizzy, but why do we not find something more fun to speak of? Will you be attending the ball that Mr. Bingley is hosting in honour of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy? It is to be held next Monday, you know.”
“If an invitation is extended to me, I would be happy to attend.”
“Consider yourself invited then.”
ELIZABETH’S PACE REFLECTED the irritation in her breast. She had released Darcy’s arm as soon as they had departed from the group.
How dare he embarrass me in such a public manner?
And poor Mr. Wickham, cut so rudely in front of his friends.
Her sense of justice propelled her forward in agitation, leaving Jane and Bingley lagging far behind.
Mr. Darcy was similarly disturbed as his thoughts wandered to the possible reasons for finding Wickham in the company of Miss Elizabeth.
Could they be working in conjunction with one another, entrapping me in order to gain financial advantage?
This will not do . In the shock of the moment, Darcy had barely noticed Wickham’s wearing a redcoat, but upon further reflection, wondered how that had come to pass.
Surely Wickham did not join the regiment without hopes of furthering his financial situation.
Could he have known I was here and joined the local troops in order to communicate with Miss Elizabeth?
Finally, after ruminating over the possibilities, Darcy stopped and looked at Elizabeth.
“I do not know how long Mr. Wickham has been an acquaintance of yours or how he has imposed himself upon you, but know this: if I find that you have had any further contact with him before we are married, I will call off the engagement, leaving you and your family to deal with the consequences.”
Elizabeth stopped when Mr. Darcy spoke and lifting her chin defiantly said, “Mr. Darcy, I realise that you and Mr. Wickham have your differences, but surely you do not expect me to be your pawn as a means to hurt him more.” She knew that she should just agree, but her sense of justice made her temporarily forget her prudence.
Unused to being questioned, Darcy’s ire grew.
After a few calming breaths he continued, “I demand that you agree to this now, or I will consider our betrothal at an end. Miss Elizabeth, I suggest you consider the repercussions to your family and yourself of such an action before determining your response.”
Elizabeth looked away, trying desperately to control her indignant feelings.
She considered whether marriage to this man was worth the suffering her family would be certain to experience.
If it were just she, the answer would be evident, and she considered giving an immediate response in the negative; however, luckily for her, she spied Jane and Mr. Bingley happily walking around a turn in the road towards them, thereby making her decision much clearer.
She looked him straight in the eye and said, “Mr. Darcy, I will agree to your terms for my family’s sake.
I would not have my family suffer for the position in which you have placed me.
” At that, she turned again towards Longbourn, not looking to see if Mr. Darcy were following .
As Longbourn was a couple of miles from Meryton, there was still some small distance to traverse to arrive there.
To lighten her mood, Elizabeth decided to tease him to see how he might handle such an action.
“I see that you enjoy arranging business just as you please, sir. You like to have your own way very well, do you not, Mr. Darcy?”
After a few moments, he responded slowly and deliberately, “I have many people under my care. My decisions affect the livelihood of my servants, tenants, and family as well as their futures. I can assure you that I make no demands lightly and feel no need to explain my motives. I do not apologise for doing so in this case, for either you know Mr. Wickham’s duplicity and are in consortium with him, or you do not and would be better served in ignorance.
” Mr. Darcy was under the conviction that an innocent lady was best left to the direction of those with more understanding and knowledge of the world.
“Mr. Darcy, if not finding the pleasure in the power of choice, you obviously at least have the means to direct things as you will. I wonder at your not being married by now, for the sake of having somebody at your disposal. But I suppose in marrying me you will be able to enjoy a lasting convenience of that kind.”
“I do not always find satisfaction in the administration of my duties or in overseeing others. There are instances that I would gladly forego, if not for the need of satisfying my conscience. Miss Bennet, I have faults, but I hope they are not in neglecting the needs of others when I could be of some benefit.”
“You think highly of your ability at directing others. Could it be that perhaps, the persons you regulate might know better than you their best course?”
“In this situation, no.”
Silence reigned during the balance of the walk to Longbourn.
Darcy had intended to take time to present the ring to Miss Elizabeth today, but upon further reflection, he decided to wait to see how Wickham’s presence in Meryton would affect his engagement.
Knowing that Elizabeth could be in league with Wickham made him concerned that by giving the ring to her, he would be giving Wickham an opportunity to gain possession of it and once again take advantage of him.
Upon arriving at Longbourn and handing over his horse to the stable hand, Mr. Darcy was led by Elizabeth to her father’s study, while she herself went to her room.
She needed a moment to cool off as she waited for Jane and Mr. Bingley to arrive.
Once she saw them from her window, slowly ambling down the drive towards the house, she went to the drawing room to act as chaperone.
If one good thing came out of this match, she hoped it would be a union with Mr. Bingley.
Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy met with Mr. Bennet to review the settlement papers and finalise any unresolved issues.
Knowing that Miss Elizabeth’s actions in regard to Wickham could have a long-lasting negative impact on the Bennets’ future, he felt obligated to share with the man about his past dealings with Wickham, without giving away details that Darcy felt were not in his own best interest to share.
He also hoped to learn from Miss Elizabeth’s father if she had had any previous dealings with the man, hoping to discover if he had cause to fear an alliance between the two.
Mr. Bennet eased his mind somewhat by responding that he had never before in his life either seen nor heard of Mr. Wickham and doubted that his daughter had, based on their shared conversations and her usual candour with him.
This apparently was the first week of their acquaintance.
Darcy hoped that he had intervened soon enough to stifle any plots Wickham may have planned by using Miss Elizabeth.
He related to Mr. Bennet the ultimatum given to his daughter regarding Wickham and received the response that he had hoped for, that Mr. Bennet would make certain that Elizabeth does not have any contact with Wickham, either on her own or through her sisters.
Later, when her father reiterated to Elizabeth Darcy’s requirement regarding Wickham, she was upset to realise that she could not send an apology by way of one of her sisters for having to leave so abruptly.
How am I to disregard such a deserving and amiable man?
Will I always be required to display Darcy’s arrogance and rude precepts to those considered unworthy of his benevolence?
She determined not to dwell on the negative but to hope for the future. Perhaps after their marriage had taken place, she could in some way alleviate Mr. Wickham’s plight and with kind direction of her own, encourage Mr. Darcy to renew his old friendship while softening his conscience.