Page 47 of Obligation and Redemption

Mr. Collins answered in as few words as he was capable that he had seen them on the balcony.

Mr. Darcy recalled that he had seen Wickham coming in from outside and cursed himself for not walking out to see if Wickham had been alone.

Darcy had not seen Elizabeth for over thirty minutes leading up to her introduction to Fitzwilliam.

He had to determine if Elizabeth were in possession of a letter from Wickham.

Darcy would not abide being married to a woman who could not obey him on a point so crucial as this.

Her family would have to suffer for her treachery, if what Mr. Collins was saying were true.

Darcy told Mr. Collins that his services were no longer necessary, but if he needed further disclosure, he would seek him out.

Mr. Collins departed, secure in the knowledge that he had gained immeasurable favour from his patroness.

Shortly, Elizabeth and Colonel Fitzwilliam ended their set and joined Darcy as he stood by the refreshment table.

Darcy had been watching them, hoping somehow that her manner would help elucidate Elizabeth’s character.

Fitzwilliam was just complimenting her on her graceful execution of the dance as they walked up.

“Thank you, sir,” Elizabeth said with a heartfelt smile upon her face.

“Dancing with a partner such as yourself enhances my own performance.”

“Miss Bennet, would you like some refreshment?” asked Colonel Fitzwilliam .

“I thank you, yes.” However, it was Mr. Darcy who performed the honours of procuring her a glass of punch just before requesting that she join him in the library so that they might have a few moments of privacy before she left.

“Fitzwilliam, we will return momentarily. You do not mind my taking your dance partner away do you?” After an affirmation that he indeed did not mind as he had already promised the next dance to another, Darcy offered his arm to his intended and led her out of the room.

They walked without speaking down the hallway and into the library.

Elizabeth looked around and noticed that the room was sorely lacking in books.

She laughed to herself thinking that this is just what she would have suspected from Mr. Bingley.

The fireplace held the only light, but the blaze was large, thus keeping the room comfortable in the November chill.

They stopped before the fire and Darcy motioned for her to have a seat on the sofa.

She did as he desired and waited expectantly to see what he might have to say.

After a few moments of waiting for him to speak, she impatiently said, “Mr. Darcy, you wished to speak with me?”

He had been considering Mr. Collins’s speech and what he would say to obtain the information he desired without causing offence should the unusual man have led him astray.

“Yes, forgive me; I was considering my words. Are we both, Miss Elizabeth, in agreement that should you accept communication from Mr. Wickham, the wedding would be called off.”

“I agree that those were your terms, and I have upheld your request.”

“Where were you during the time between supper and the introduction of my cousin?”

“Of what are you accusing me, sir?”

“I am merely wanting to know your whereabouts. I have no recollection of seeing you and am asking that you account for your time while Mr. Wickham was here.”

Elizabeth knew of her innocence but was angry at his officious demands. “I was in the ladies’ refreshing room with my sister. You can ask Miss Bingley to confirm what I say, for she was with Jane when I sought her to come with me and then joined us later.”

“Miss Elizabeth, please empty your reticule, so that I can see the contents.”

Elizabeth wanted to deny him access to her personal belongings, but it was best to give him full and unyielding access in order to prove her innocence, rather than attempt to deny him, thereby increasing his doubts.

“Mr. Darcy, do you remain standing to intimidate me with your height? If you sit down, I will give it to you, so you may open it yourself.”

Darcy had chosen to remain standing in order to produce just such an effect to which she alluded, but seeing that she was without disguise, he sat, and after being handed the bag, he opened it to search its contents.

Not finding anything of interest other than a shoe rose that Elizabeth explained had fallen off during her dance with Mr. Collins, he handed it back to her.

“Did Mr. Wickham give you a letter this evening?”

How could he know? She considered her response then decided to tell him all that she knew and hope for the best, so after a deep breath, Elizabeth began, “As you well know, earlier this evening after supper, I saw Mr. Wickham while in your company. When you walked away, I was asked to dance with Mr. Lucas, our neighbour. After the set, I was talking with his sister when Mr. Wickham motioned for me to meet him at the balcony. Instead of following his lead, I looked away.”

Elizabeth could tell that Mr. Darcy was battling to maintain his usual control as she continued her narrative of the events leading up to finding a letter in her possession earlier in the evening.

While in the ladies’ room, Elizabeth had begun to consider the improper situation in which she had placed herself.

Due to the brimming tears that had begun to make their appearance, Elizabeth had withdrawn a handkerchief from her reticule, and as she did, a folded piece of parchment had fallen out of her small bag.

Elizabeth had not noticed it until Jane reached down to pick it up and hand it to her.

They had both observed at the same time that it was a letter with Elizabeth’s name written in a strong but elegant hand.

“Jane had inquired if you had penned it, sir – that perhaps it was a sign of your growing affection.” Nonplussed, his brows knit together, causing her to smile despite her predicament.

She continued, “Without breaking the seal, I tossed the parchment into the fire. I was uncertain as to who may have written the letter, but based on the strong hand, suspected it to be from a man. Rather than open it to find out, I destroyed it.” Elizabeth could not accept a correspondence, for if she did, then Mr. Darcy would be justified in ending the betrothal.

A woman engaged to another could not by any moral standard accept a note from another man.

“I never accepted the letter and have no way of knowing who wrote it. Nor do I know how it got into my reticule which has been in my possession since leaving Longbourn.”

“Your story does not make sense, Miss Bennet. You had to have known it was in there. Perhaps you did not want your sister to know of your treachery – that you would do something to endanger your family?”

“Why would I risk my family’s future in that way?

I admit to enjoying the man’s company, but to jeopardise my sisters’ prospects for so selfish a motive is unfathomable.

” Elizabeth took a deep, steadying breath as she considered not mentioning a second letter that she had also found since Mr. Darcy did not seem to have knowledge of it but thought better of keeping any secrets from him and disclosed the rest of the events.

“We then planned to go to Papa to tell him what had occurred. If I could not find him, I thought to join you. But when I opened the reticule to place the handkerchief within, I was dismayed to find another folded piece of parchment, this one with the seal opened. That’s when Miss Bingley entered with the pretence of asking about me, but Jane was able to get Miss Bingley to leave the room with her.

As soon as the door was closed, I took out the second letter.

As the seal had been broken, it would have been easy to glance at the words to confirm its author, and my curiosity almost won out, but I know what is right, Mr. Darcy, so I walked over to the fireplace and dropped it in.

” She recalled how she had watched the edges curl as the flames consumed it, along with its secrets.

“Jane had planned to look for my father but told me when I joined her a few moments later that she was unable to find him – that they had left for home. So that is when I joined you and Colonel Fitzwilliam. You can ask Jane or Miss Bingley if you wish, and they can verify their parts of my account.”

Some minutes went by while Darcy stood and paced before her.

He was reviewing her story in his mind and trying to find any holes that might prove her to be misrepresenting the truth.

Mr. Collins had approached him and declared that he had actually seen an assignation, but could the strange man be trusted?

What motive might he have to lie? Did he hope for a chance with Miss Elizabeth despite having formed an attachment to her plain sister?

He had already claimed to be in the service of Darcy’s own aunt; might he have a misplaced sense of obligation – to attempt to intercede in the stability of his own relations to find a means to gratify his patroness? “Your cousin, why would he lie?”

“Sir, it is beyond me to enter into the mind and motivations of a stupid man. Perhaps he has some understanding with your aunt and seeks to free you of your duty to me and my family. Although an imprudent choice that could only hurt himself in the long run, I doubt not that his blind devotion could teach him to ignore reason.”

Darcy could not reject that assertion. “You did not read any of the letters?”

“I did not. You seem to think they are from Mr. Wickham. I certainly cannot confirm or deny the possibility. However, I can say that he has always behaved honourably with respect to me and our betrothal, so I have no reason to suspect that the letters were written in his hand. After your account, I rather suspect Mr. Collins as the author.”

“Miss Elizabeth, you have known Mr. Wickham no more than a fortnight. You cannot comprehend his character in so short a time.”

“So you believe that a person’s character cannot be sketched so readily?”

“In this case, yes I do.”

“Do you distinguish then between one who seems moral but is in actuality corrupt from those who seem corrupt only be found virtuous? Should you not give equal credence to both possibilities?”

“I hope that I always judge in a manner that seeks justice in such cases.”

“Then I have now found two things in which we are of like mind.” He gazed at her countenance, hoping for some sign that she might fall into the latter category. “Jane can likely be found with Mr. Bingley, I should think.”

“If you will excuse me, I will seek her out.” He left the room to find Miss Bennet. When he returned with Jane, her eyes were wide with concern.

Elizabeth looked upon her sister with tenderness and said, “Jane, Mr. Darcy would like an accounting of my time from supper until now. Tell him everything that you know. Hold nothing back, for I did not.” Jane’s gaze passed from her sister to Mr. Darcy, and she began from the point when Elizabeth had come to her until she told Elizabeth that their father was no longer in attendance.

This confirmed to Darcy Elizabeth’s story, and so he chose not to involve Miss Bingley, who would take great delight in being privy to more talk of scandal .

Elizabeth and Darcy returned to the ball as it was coming to a close.

The last dance was called and the carriages began arriving at the front of the estate.

The gathering ended much earlier than was usual due to the early morning for all of the principle members of the wedding party and their guests.

Darcy was relieved for the evening to finally be over. Tomorrow he would marry and leave this God-forsaken town. He wished his cousin goodnight then retired to his room, doors locked.

By the time Elizabeth entered Longbourn, those in the first carriage were already gone to bed, so Elizabeth was unable yet again to speak with her aunt.

It would have to wait until morning. She climbed the stairs considering how little faith her betrothed had in her integrity – that he would require another’s account in order to trust her own.

Before their union had even taken place, their relationship already lacked the foundation for a healthy marriage.

Wickham would soon discover that his attempts at stopping the wedding had failed, but he would not give up his ambitions for cashing in on Darcy’s predicament as long as he could keep Lady Catherine hopeful and desperate for his success.

Perhaps he would be able to fleece even more money from the rich and meddlesome termagant if he played his cards right.

She would certainly not be the first harpy to fall prey to Wickham’s deceptive charms.