Page 20 of Suddenly Married

Lydia was on her way to the barn to encounter Mr. Wickham.

They had been secretly meeting for several days.

Lydia was sad and did not know how to bear her pain.

Mr. Wickham's words of love made her forget her sorrow, so when he proposed that they elope and marry in Gretna Green, she found it an exciting notion—an opportunity to leave her home and forget everything.

However, the previous evening had made her change her mind.

After a long while, smiles had returned to her household thanks to Mr. Clark.

Her mother had sat at the table with them, and despite all her physical ailments, she had managed to be as she was before her apoplexy.

Lydia reflected and realised she did not wish to be apart from her mother and sisters.

She wanted to remain with them and be of help.

She thought much of Elizabeth, knowing that her sister had left everything behind so they would not be in want.

Elizabeth's husband would surely criticise them if she acted improperly, and such conduct might cause her sister difficulty with him.

That was why she came to the barn—to explain to Mr. Wickham that there was no need to elope, that they could become engaged like Jane and Mr. Clark, and marry in a beautiful wedding.

Mr. Clark was excellent, kind, and apparently wealthy.

He could assist her dear Wickham in finding suitable employment.

She was happy and eager to share the good news with him.

When she reached the barn, she felt somewhat uneasy upon finding it empty.

She had always been a little claustrophobic.

"My dear Lydia, I am here. You cannot imagine how happy I am to see you, my love.

I have everything ready; we can depart at once.

I cannot wait for you to be my wife." "Mr. Wickham, I want to tell you that I have changed my mind…

" Lydia explained to Wickham what had occurred at home in recent days and why she thought it unwise to elope.

She suggested that they might become engaged and marry later.

Wickham did not take this well and attempted first to persuade her with tender words, professing his love.

When that failed, he resorted to force, trying to compromise her so that she would be obliged to marry him.

"Wickham, please, let me go; you are hurting me.

" "If you will not come with me the easy way, then you shall come the hard way.

" Lydia was terrified and began to cry. That angered Mr. Wickham, and he pulled her more roughly.

Kitty had noticed Lydia's nervousness and suspected her sister was up to something.

When she saw her rise so early, she decided to follow her.

Hearing Lydia's cries, she knew something was amiss and ran for help.

Lawrence had gone to breakfast with Jane and her family.

He needed to travel to London to arrange the details of their wedding.

Jane did not wish to marry at Longbourn, to avoid gossip, for she was still in mourning.

Thus, Mrs. Gardiner would oversee all matters related to the wedding, and the ceremony would take place in Cheapside.

At first, they would live with Lawrence's mother until they could find a home of their own.

Lawrence intended to have his solicitor search for a suitable residence.

They had been engaged only three days, and he already felt unwilling to leave her.

Indeed, he had prolonged his stay by nearly a week beyond his original plan.

Although it pained him to think of being apart from Jane for several days, he knew it was necessary, for he must obtain the marriage licence and settle his business affairs.

He had promised Jane that once they were married, they would spend an entire week by the sea to fulfil her dream of seeing it.

Mrs. Bennet had grown very fond of her new son-in-law.

She had always longed for a son, and seeing how affectionate Lawrence was towards her, she could not help but be moved.

Each day he visited Jane, he would go to Mrs. Bennet's room to converse with her.

"Mrs. Bennet, I have come to bid you farewell, but do not think you will be rid of me so easily.

I shall return in a few days," Lawrence said, kissing his future mother-in-law's hand.

"My dear Mr. Clark, we shall miss you greatly—especially my Jane.

My daughter is most fortunate that her future husband is so agreeable and handsome.

And you are as tall as my other son-in-law, but he is not nearly so friendly; he is far too severe.

" Mrs. Bennet rose from her chair to embrace Lawrence.

A few minutes later, Lawrence left the house for his carriage, accompanied by Jane.

"Miss Bennet, I shall miss you greatly. I hope the days pass quickly so we may be together again.

" Jane was deeply moved by the intensity of Lawrence's words and the tender way he kissed her hand.

"I shall miss you as well, Mr. Clark. We shall meet at my uncle Gardiner's house next week, so it will not be long until we see each other.

" As Lawrence was about to step into his carriage, Kitty appeared, running desperately for help.

"Jane, Lydia is in the barn… Come fast, she needs help!

" Kitty was crying and could not explain further.

Lawrence immediately ran towards the barn, with Jane and Kitty following behind.

When Lawrence arrived, he saw a man attempting to force Lydia, who was pleading to be released.

Lawrence sprang at the stranger, causing him to let her go.

At that moment, Jane and Kitty entered the barn, and Lydia ran to them in tears.

Part of her dress was torn, and her face was flushed, as if she had been struck.

Jane took her from the barn and held her tightly, assuring her that all was well.

After a brief struggle, Lawrence managed to subdue Wickham.

"You scoundrel, I shall call the magistrate and see you rot in gaol," Lawrence said in disgust. Mr. Wickham wiped the blood from his nose and replied cynically, "If you bring me before the magistrate, I shall tell anyone who will listen what Lydia and I have been doing these past days.

" "You are a—" Lawrence began, striking Wickham and knocking him to the ground.

Lawrence could scarcely believe the man's audacity, yet he had no choice but to let him go.

He could not risk Lydia's reputation or inflict further distress upon Mrs. Bennet and her daughters.

Jane and Kitty took Lydia home, while Mary kept Mrs. Bennet occupied so that she would not learn what had happened.

After weeping for several minutes, Lydia told her sisters of her plan to elope with Mr. Wickham, and how, when she changed her mind, he had tried to compromise her.

Fortunately, they had arrived in time to prevent disaster.

Lawrence went to speak with Mr. Phillips, and together they agreed it would be best to resolve the matter with Wickham in another way, to avoid scandal.

Lawrence had to leave but instructed one of his men to remain at Longbourn to ensure the safety of the family.

Three days later, George Wickham was imprisoned at Marshalsea for nearly three hundred pounds of unpaid debts.

With the assistance of his solicitor, Lawrence gathered sufficient claims to put the wretch behind bars for quite some time.

Mr. Wickham wrote many letters to his friend Darcy, requesting help, but Darcy never saw them; he had long ago given orders that any correspondence from that man should be destroyed.

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Elizabeth awoke suddenly, and it took her a moment to comprehend where she was.

When she became aware that someone was holding her possessively, she realised that all that had occurred the night before had not been a dream.

The previous night had been unlike the others; her husband had been so passionate that he could not cease kissing her.

She had felt cherished and special, and she had only wished for him to hold and kiss her even more.

She could not explain why she had behaved in such a manner, yet she felt ashamed and did not wish to look at her husband.

"Good morning, Mrs. Darcy. I hope you slept well.

I slept wonderfully, holding in my arms the woman I love.

" "I slept very well, thank you. But I am a little hungry," she replied with a shy smile.

He wished to remain in the room with Elizabeth all day, yet he had much work to do.

The previous night had been beautiful; his Elizabeth had shown him how much she loved him.

He did not know how he would endure being away from her during the day, for he had accumulated a great deal of work and needed to resolve more than one pressing matter.

But at least he had the consolation that in the evening they would be together, sharing their love.

"I think it is time we prepare for breakfast. Georgiana is waiting for us.

" Then, before retiring to his own room to dress, he approached Elizabeth and said, "I love you, Mrs. Darcy.

" He looked at her as though awaiting an answer, but Elizabeth only smiled and rose to summon her maid.

Mr. Darcy understood that Elizabeth was in mourning and still adjusting to her new life, and he did not wish to pressure her. He kissed her forehead and smiled.

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