Page 16

CHAPTER 16

Revelations

T he day after the assembly, Darcy rose early and rode to Longbourn to meet with Bennet.

He did not waste time in recounting both the incident involving Georgiana that summer and his meeting with his uncle only a few weeks earlier.

“My cousin and I thought that Georgiana would benefit from a few months at the seaside this summer after a difficult spring in London,” Darcy began.

“Both Richard and I interviewed the companion, who had been recommended to us by his father, Lord Matlock, who he said had been recommended to him by a friend. I should have suspected him then, but there was so much else going on, and while I have had my problems with my uncle, I believed he would have had my sister’s best interests at heart. Now, however, it would appear that I may have been wrong.”

Darcy paused for a moment and thought about what he now knew and what he and his cousin had discussed after speaking with the earl.

“Mrs. Younge was not who we thought she was. Instead of protecting my sister as she ought to have done, she encouraged my sister to meet with a much older man, a former friend of mine, named George Wickham. Georgiana did not know he was no longer my friend and had not been for some time due to his depraved behaviour. Regardless, Wickham persuaded my sister that they were in love, and he attempted to convince her to elope with him. Fortunately, I arrived in time to put an end to the scheme before any real damage could be done, but my sister was heartbroken.”

Again, Darcy paused, running his fingers through his hair as he considered his next words.

“I have since learnt that Mrs. Younge and Wickham were lovers. Initially, I believed their plan had been to abscond with Georgiana for her thirty thousand pounds, but after our last meeting, Richard and I believe the earl was behind the plot. We think he intended to use this to blackmail me into marrying as he wishes, using my sister’s reputation as leverage over me.”

“What will you do?” Bennet asked, his hands steepled in front of him as he considered the younger man.

He had seen how Darcy reacted to his second daughter and wondered if that was not behind some of his troubles.

“I do not know,” Darcy admitted after a moment.

“My…my father and I spoke after we visited here; did he ever speak to you about it?”

Watching Bennet shake his head, Darcy sighed and continued.

“We spoke of marriage and the kind of woman I should one day take as my bride. I had been out in society a little at that point but had not been impressed by any of the young ladies I had met. Little has changed since then, as most young ladies I meet appear vapid and entirely unappealing.”

Pausing again, Darcy shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Your description of your daughter on that visit intrigued me. I liked the idea of a well-read, intelligent wife who could be a partner to me, and I said as much to my father. His reply surprised me, for I expected him to encourage me to wed someone who brought wealth and connections to the match. Instead, he told me to seek a lady whom I could fall in love with, as he had done. ”

Huffing out a reluctant laugh, Darcy shook his head slightly.

“In truth, he told me that, given what we knew of her, Miss Elizabeth would make an ideal bride for me one day. However, we were both too young at the time to even consider such a thing—and, at that point, I had not even met the young lady.”

His smile faded.

Straightening in his chair, Darcy met Bennet’s gaze directly, his tone becoming more serious.

“I will admit to you now that she intrigues me,” he said quietly.

“But I am uncertain what I ought to do, given my uncle’s threats.”

There was a pause.

Bennet, steepling his fingers thoughtfully, considered his companion for a long moment.

“What if,” Bennet said at last, his tone deliberate, “there were a contract—signed by your father and myself—formally binding you and Elizabeth in marriage? If such a document existed, it would take precedence over any arrangement your uncle might attempt to impose. He could do nothing to prevent the marriage in that case.”

Darcy froze.

For a heartbeat, he could only stare at Bennet, the suggestion landing in his mind with the force of a blow.

His mind raced, struggling to absorb it all.

A contract. Signed by his father.

A shield against his uncle’s interference.

Relief stirred in him—swift, almost dizzying.

It was an elegant solution, far better than any he had dared imagine at this point.

He could marry Elizabeth, a lady who, even if he had not quite fallen in love with yet, he certainly felt as though he could.

At the very least, he respected her and enjoyed her company, which was more than he could say about the girl his uncle proposed he marry.

But, just as quickly, concern followed.

His brows drew together, and he leant back slightly, as if to put space between himself and the enormity of what was proposed.

“And the earl?” he said finally, voice low and rough.

“If he cannot prevent the match, he will almost certainly seek to destroy it— through scandal if he must. He will threaten to reveal—or invent—disgraceful stories about Georgiana. He will demand that I find a way to void the contract, either by bribing you—or by ruining your family if you refuse.”

Darcy’s hands had curled into fists on his knees.

He forced himself to unclench them, breathing out slowly through his nose.

He looked back at Bennet, searching his face for any sign of hesitation.

“How are we to protect Miss Elizabeth—and your family—from the consequences of his anger?” he asked, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.

“And how are we to shield Georgiana, if he chooses to speak of what may—or may not—have happened at Ramsgate?”

“Take a breath, Darcy, and calm yourself,” Bennet said, leaning closer and placing a steadying hand on the young man’s shoulder.

His voice was low but firm.

“Nothing must be decided this instant. But yes—your father secretly sent me a marriage contract before his death.”

Darcy stiffened, but Bennet pressed on, his tone measured.

“It contains an addendum,” he explained, “that would render it void should either you or Elizabeth object. Your father, even then, feared the earl might attempt to exert his influence and force you into a marriage against your wishes. He also made mention of Lady Catherine’s ambitions towards her daughter, but he was more worried about what the earl might attempt.”

Bennet leant back in his chair, studying Darcy carefully as he continued.

“As you know, he wished for us to maintain our correspondence after his death. If I developed any concerns regarding your potential marriage, I was to inform you of the contract. Otherwise—” he allowed a faint, wry smile “—I was to keep it secret. He thought that having a formal contract in place had the potential to protect you if it became necessary.”

Darcy let out a slow breath, his hands tightening briefly where they rested on his knees.

For a moment, he stared at the floor as if hoping it might offer answers.

When he spoke, his voice was low, edged with something almost like hurt.

“Why would he not tell me of this himself? Before he died?” he asked quietly.

“He intended it to be revealed only if necessary,” Bennet said.

“Had you and Elizabeth met and decided for yourselves to marry, it would not have mattered. The same would have been true if you had met another lady and chosen to marry her instead. The decision of when—or if—to disclose the contract was left to my discretion.

“In this case,” he continued, “I believed it might serve to your benefit. As I said, there is no obligation on your part to marry my daughter, and I cannot even guarantee that she would wish to marry you. But if your uncle proves difficult, the knowledge may make your path easier.”

Attempting to lighten the moment, Bennet said with a wry smile, “Still, the two of you danced twice last evening and have already spent several hours together. I think she must like you at least a little.”

He gave a short chuckle at his own jest, though it fell flat; his companion seemed not to hear it at all.

For a long moment, Darcy said nothing.

He sat very still; his gaze fixed on the space between his tightly clasped hands.

The idea that such a contract had existed for years unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

That his father had kept it a secret, hoping to shield him from a future threat he had scarcely imagined at the time, unsettled him even more.

He could not decide which troubled him more: the secrecy, or the sense that his father had predicted his attraction to Elizabeth .

However, he also felt relief.

It was a strange, welcome feeling, born not of obligation, but of possibility.

The knowledge that his father approved of the match was liberating.

If what Bennet said was true, then the path ahead, difficult as it might be, was not entirely closed to him.

There were still options he could pursue and, what was more, the most significant option was Elizabeth, the first woman he had ever encountered who had fascinated him.

He looked up. “Might I see the document?” he asked.

Bennet inclined his head in agreement.

“Of course.”

Before either man could say more, the door opened unexpectedly.