Page 13 of The Duke of Derby (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

When Darcy and the duke arrived at Meryton, Darcy disembarked at the inn while the duke proceeded on to Longbourn to find out the current situation.

As they traveled, they had discussed their plans.

While the duke would check on his family and gather what information he could, Darcy would check in with Colonel Forster.

They would meet again in the evening to discuss their plans based on what they learned.

“Mr. Darcy,” said the colonel as Darcy walked into his office. “It certainly is a surprise to see you. How can I help you?”

“I am traveling with Mr. Bennet, hoping to help him with his situation,” said Darcy. “Perhaps you could give me an update on Wickham’s location.”

Colonel Forster eyed Darcy skeptically. “I suppose you sensed that Wickham has fallen, and you wish to finish him off. Wickham told everyone how much you hate him, you know. Perhaps you would be better off just letting Mr. Bennet take care of this. No need to kick a man when he’s down, you know.”

Darcy felt a pang of disappointment. Before Wickham’s arrival in Meryton, he had gotten along reasonably well with the colonel. Now, however, it seemed as though Colonel Forster despised him.

“That man has run off with an innocent gentleman’s daughter,” hissed Darcy vehemently but quietly.

He did not wish anyone to overhear him from outside the room.

“Yet, you are still defending him. What more could I do to him that he has not already done to himself? If Mr. Bennet does not see him shipped to Australia, I will be shocked.”

“Bennet?” scoffed Colonel Forster. “That man would never lift a finger to do anything other than read a book. To be honest, I am surprised that he interrupted his trip to come back here. Miss Lydia is long gone, and nothing can be done to save her. Wickham will not marry her, and Mr. Bennet does not have the means to force him to.”

Darcy barked a short, cold laugh. “Mr. Bennet is more powerful than you guess,” he said, “but that is not my story to tell. Now, will you please tell me what has been done to track down Wickham?”

“I suppose it matters little either way,” said the colonel.

“My men searched the north road for fifty miles, asking at every inn along the way, and they haven’t been seen.

I sent a second group to start looking southward just this morning, but they haven’t returned yet. I don’t expect them before sundown.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” said Darcy, and he left the room. He did not want to advertise his presence too much in the small town, so he simply made his way back to the inn. There was nothing to do but wait, so he settled in with a book.

After dinner, just after sunset, Duke Derby arrived at Darcy’s room at the inn. “Well, it seems certain that they have made for London instead of Scotland,” said the duke as soon as he was seated.

“Yes,” replied Darcy. “I spoke with Colonel Forster earlier this afternoon. There has been no sign of them on the north road. Though I haven’t heard whether the men who searched south have returned, I cannot imagine Wickham doing anything else. How is your family?”

“My wife is enjoying her attack of nerves and has taken to her bed, ordering Mary and the servants about from there,” said Duke Derby.

“Kitty, I believe, is the one who has taken it the hardest, though. She seems somehow torn between the suffering she sees in her sister and mother and the romantic ideals she shared with Lydia. Do you know, when I first arrived home, Kitty asked me why everyone was so upset when all Lydia had done was to follow her heart?”

Darcy remembered clearly all that Georgiana had told him when she almost ran away with Wickham last summer. He said, “I can well believe it. Young ladies have little of worth to occupy their minds and attention other than romance and marriage.”

Duke Derby sighed. “I suppose you’re right,” he said.

“I could have, should have, done more to help my daughters understand the world better. I have failed them as a father. But even though it is very late in the game, all is not lost just yet. We shall leave first thing tomorrow morning and search all of London until we find them.”

“May I offer my home as a base to work from?” asked Darcy. “I understand you have a house in town, but I am not certain if it is currently occupied. Besides, if you take up residence there, the whole country will know who you are within days.”

“I was planning to stay with my brother, Gardiner, but I believe your offer is the better choice,” said His Grace. “I would not wish to drag him into this unless absolutely necessary.”

“I am happy to be of assistance,” said Darcy.

The duke gave him a piercing look and said, “I bet you are. I have noticed how you look at my daughter, you know, and I’ve seen how she looks at you.

I imagine you are eager to help simply to get into Elizabeth’s good graces.

My family thinks I pay little attention to them, but I am able to see a few things.

Tell me, what happened when she was in Kent?

When she left Hertfordshire, she still despised you heartily, but when I took her to Derbyshire, she had much more respect for you. ”

“I am glad to hear it, though somewhat surprised,” said Darcy. “I did not particularly cover myself in glory in either place.”

Duke Derby seemed to be waiting for him to continue, but Darcy said nothing else.

“Are you planning to propose?” asked the duke.

“No,” said Darcy honestly. With Lady Elizabeth’s new status, she was too far above him. He could not possibly propose to her again. “Though I am curious if you would approve if I did.”

The duke looked at him with a great deal of humor in his eyes. “You are not in love with her enough to propose, yet you want my blessing should you change your mind, is that it?” he said.

Darcy made no reply, and the duke sighed.

“I used to be very much of my eldest daughters’ opinion about marriage,” he said.

“Though I did not put much emphasis on love, I was adamant that they find a man they could respect and look up to.

Status and wealth had little to do with it other than my desire that they be comfortable in life.

In that respect, you would be very good for Elizabeth.

“Now, however, I have to think about reputations and status, which despite my antipathy toward both could play a large role in their future happiness. I do not yet know how I will be received among the other Lords, whether my family will be treated as a new creation or as an established lineage. I also don’t know enough about how much status and wealth truly affect anyone.

So, for now I believe the answer would be no.

However, that could change as I gain more understanding. ”

Darcy was honored that a duke would show such weakness in front of him. He decided to be bold and said, “May I speak frankly, Your Grace?”

The duke waved away Darcy’s concern. “Of course, of course,” he said. “I would be lost if you had not been willing to speak frankly these past ten days or more. Speak your mind.”

“I did ask Lady Elizabeth to marry me while in Kent,” he said, “but my timing was bad, as was everything else about my proposal. I happened to ask the day after she received your letter, and she was clearly distressed. Fortunately, if you wish to look at it a certain way, my proposal was so bad it caused her to break out in hysterical laughter, which seemed to calm her down.”

The duke chuckled at Darcy’s admission, but he said nothing.

“You asked me if I intended to propose, and I spoke honestly,” said Darcy, “but that is not because I don’t love her.

I love her now more than the first time I proposed.

Even so, it is as you said. I do not know if I could make her happy in her new position in life.

Without that knowledge, I cannot in good conscience offer for her no matter how much I might wish to. ”

Duke Derby watched Darcy for a few minutes before saying, “In the end, I believe it will be up to her. I would never gainsay her something she is absolutely certain will make her happy. I suspect you might be right to back away for a time, though. She will not be able to determine anything until the whole family has made its debut in society.”

“Do you know when that will be?” asked Darcy.

“Assuming we can get this situation with Lydia under control quickly, I plan to take my family to Lockwood for a few weeks then to Manchester for the rest of the summer. There, we will be able to outfit all of us in suitable clothing without raising too much in the way of rumors. Then, we will go to London in the autumn, likely arriving mid to late September. That is when we shall make our presence generally known. By that point, we should have had enough time to learn how to act the part of a duke and his family.”

“I see,” said Darcy. “It sounds like a good plan. I look forward to reading of your society splash in the newspapers.”

“To be honest, I was hoping you could assist us with that,” said the duke. “You could arrange a few introductions to the right people.”

“I could, but I don’t see the need for it,” said Darcy. “As a duke, you are well within your rights to introduce yourself to anyone you like, except, perhaps the Prince Regent or his brothers.”

“That’s just it,” said Duke Derby. “I don’t know who I would like. If I am not mistaken, there are some real rotters among my new peers, and I would not wish for them to be the first new acquaintances I make.”

“If that is what you wish, I can help you,” said Darcy, “though I don’t have any acquaintances higher than an earl.”

“That will do well enough,” said the duke. “Now, let us return to the present and deal with my wayward daughter. I will take my leave, but I will return for you at eight in the morning.”

His Grace shook Darcy’s hand and departed, leaving Darcy with many new ideas to mull over.

~~~~~

Three days later, Darcy and the duke arrived at a dilapidated and dirty apartment building. It looked as if was no longer standing completely straight, and Darcy wondered how long it would remain intact.

As he emerged from the carriage, he glanced back over his shoulder at the three footmen hopping down from the box and from the back of the carriage.

“I still do not believe we should have brought so many with us,” said Darcy.

“Wickham knows that you do not have that many servants. When he sees them he will think he can convince you to give him money.”

“He can think whatever he wants,” said Duke Derby. “I do not trust that man to remain civil when he is backed into a corner, and I would rather not see either myself or my daughter hurt when he tries to break free.”

They found the couple in a one-room flat. There was no kitchen, and the room was an absolute disaster. The bed was clearly visible and very disheveled. The two wooden chairs that sat by the window were badly scratched and looked as if they would collapse if anything heavier than a cat sat on them.

“Papa!” cried Lydia. Darcy expected the young lady to show remorse or embarrassment at being found in such a way, but surprisingly, she was delighted. “Have you come to discuss the marriage contract with my dear Wicky?”

Wickham scowled at this nickname, but he said nothing. He was eying each of the five men who were now taking up almost all the space in his apartment.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am here for,” said the duke. “Now, since this is a matter for men to discuss, perhaps you could go wait in the carriage. There is a maid there to keep you company, and one of these footmen will escort you.”

“Yes, Papa,” said Miss Lydia, or rather Lady Lydia. She turned to kiss Wickham on the cheek, which he just barely allowed, then she exited the room with one of the footmen.

“I will not marry her,” said Wickham.

“Yes, you will,” said the duke.

Wickham eyed the footmen. They were not dressed in the uniforms that Darcy used, and Darcy was certain Wickham knew that. He could practically see the calculation going through Wickham’s head.

“Fine,” said Wickham. “I’ll take the stupid chit off your hands for ten thousand pounds.”

Darcy almost laughed out loud. He and Duke Derby had discussed extensively what should be done for the couple, both to help Lady Lydia lead a comfortable and safe life, and to maintain the duke’s new position.

They had already agreed that the duke would settle ten thousand pounds on his daughter as well as purchase a commission in the regulars for Wickham.

Wickham did not know it, but though he clearly thought he was asking the impossible, compared to the fifty-thousand-pound dowries that would be settled on his other daughters, this was a pittance.

“Done,” said the duke. “Now, if you would like to get that into writing, you will need to accompany us to a solicitor. Darcy has graciously referred me to his solicitor, a man you might be familiar with.”

“Wait,” said Wickham. “I meant to ask for twenty thousand pounds.”

“Don’t get greedy, young man,” said the duke, a hard edge entering his voice that Darcy had never heard before, never even imagined could be there. “I will purchase you an ensigncy in the regulars, but I will not increase my daughter’s dowry.”

Wickham opened his mouth to speak, but the duke quickly added, “If you press for anything more, these negotiations will stop immediately, and you will be transported to Australia on the next prison ship.”

“You can’t do that!” said Wickham. “I have committed no crime.”

“Oh?” asked the duke. “Is it not a crime to run up debts you have no intention of paying? That is tantamount to stealing, especially when it is clear from the beginning that you intended to defraud every shopkeeper in Meryton. But even if that is not serious enough to have you transported, I believe the word of the Duke of Derby will be enough to see it done.”

“You can’t possibly know the Duke of Derby,” said Wickham. “You are bluffing. Even so, I will take your offer of ten thousand pounds and a commission. You are most generous, sir.”

“The correct form of address would be Your Grace,” said the duke.

Darcy saw Wickham’s eyes bug out, and his mouth opened though no words came forth. After a moment, Wickham closed his mouth and looked to Darcy for confirmation. Darcy nodded. Even now, Wickham knew that Darcy would never lie about something like this.

Wickham swallowed hard and seemed frightened for the first time. “You have been most gracious, Your Grace.”

They all then proceeded to go down to the carriage. With two additional passengers, the carriage was too heavy for the horses to move swiftly. So, the duke gave a couple of his footmen enough coin to hire a cab to get home.