Page 13 of The Next Mrs Bennet

D arcy controlled his ire until his sister was in her bedchamber. As soon as he heard the door close, he turned his anger on his cousin. “My study! Now!” he barked.

Richard gave his cousin an insouciant look and shrugged his shoulders. He watched as Fitz marched into the study and stood holding the door open. There was no missing how his cousin’s anger was building due to the fact he had not been obeyed instantly and without question. When he was ready, Richard entered the room.

Not being a man who believed in violence as a way to settle arguments or problems, Darcy had to stop himself from planting a facer into Richard’s smug face. No matter how much fury he was feeling and displeasure he was showing on his face, his cousin looked unperturbed. As he felt his control slip, Darcy stopped himself because he knew if he crossed that line, he may not be able to uncross it. He pushed the door closed with enough force to cause it to slam, and not even that seemed to disturb Richard’s equanimity.

“How dare you return Giana here without my permission? Where is Mrs Younge? Did you go to Ramsgate and dismiss her to get back at me for employing her without consulting you?” Darcy thundered. With each word he spoke and still seeing no reaction from Richard, he closed the distance between them. He froze inches away from Richard’s face when he saw a look on his cousin’s countenance, which told him he was in danger. He stepped back and increased the distance between them.

“Are you done being petulant? When you are, I will tell you what happened, and, if you allow your damned improper pride to be put aside, I am sure you will agree that what I did had to be done,” Richard barked back.

“There is nothing you can say to justify your blatant disrespect of my wishes!” Darcy insisted.

“You arrogant horse’s arse! Unlike you, I did call on Lady Jersey to verify the characters that woman gave you. The countess never wrote it, nor did she have anyone write it on her behalf, you great lummox! Not only did you not examine her characters, but you knew not what her true name was! It is, in fact, Miss Younge! She was sacked on suspicion of theft after working for the De Melvilles briefly—a matter of days, not years as she claimed in the forged character—and not as a companion!” Richard said with a hard edge in his voice. He did not miss how each word landed like a hammer blow on his cousin. He could not stop now; he needed Fitz to put his arrogant pretentions aside once and for all. “Oh, but she was not alone in her scheme. No, she was in league with Wickham!

“Your arrogance and inactions placed our ward in imminent danger! What price has your pride very nearly cost now, Fitz? You opened the door wide and then left the field open for the fox to enter the henhouse!

“Minutes after you departed Ramsgate, Wicky and Miss Younge began to work on Giana to convince her your good friend was in love with her, and she with him. They also attempted to tell her that you would have been well pleased for her to marry the cad. Had I not arrived when I did, the bastard would have been on the way to Gretna with her! Because our ward refused to elope, he intended to kidnap her, with the aid of his paramour, the woman you blindly employed to be Giana’s companion. The same woman you were so sure was a perfect companion for your sister.”

Darcy’s knees went weak. He felt like he wanted to cast up his accounts. He took a few steps backward and collapsed onto the settee which was between the two floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the square. He placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and began to rock back and forth as the ramifications of what Richard reported washed over him. “What have I done? What have I done?” he repeated. His cousin had called him an arrogant horse’s arse. He had wanted to rail against Richard at first. More than that, he desired to prove his rectitude and make Richard beg his pardon. Now he thought the moniker was an understatement regarding his contemptuous treatment of Richard when he had raised legitimate concerns about Mrs, no, Miss Younge. And the only one who needed to apologise was himself. “Does this mean Giana is ruined all because of me?”

“No, she is not. I arrived before they were able to execute the planned kidnapping of our ward…” Richard gave his cousin an in-depth report ending with Miss Younge’s punishment and the death of George Wickham.

“Are you sure his blood is not on your hands?” Darcy enquired once he had assimilated all that Richard had related to him.

“Even had it been, no one will ever find his body. However, no, I did not lay a hand on him which caused his death; he made a bad choice, just like he did for the whole of his worthless life. It was not my fault that the acoustics of the place to which I took him made it impossible for him to tell which side the sea was and which side was the land. I turned him away from the cliff edge, and it was his decision not to trust the direction I pointed him. Other than a blindfold, he was unencumbered. He turned and ran; it was only a yard or two to the edge of the land. His wrong decision caused him to fall more than a hundred feet to the rocks below. He will never bedevil any innocents ever again. More importantly, he will not be able to attempt to blackmail you in return for not attempting to ruin Giana.”

“I should have verified all of her characters,” Darcy mumbled. He still held his head in his hands as he hunched forward, with his elbows on his knees. “My mistakes could have sentenced Giana to a terrible life. The fact we would not have released her dowry to him is neither here nor there.”

“Yes, you erred, and yes, it could have cost our Giana very dearly.” Richard paused as he allowed time for his words to sink in. “I will say this once only, and then I will act if needed. If you ever allow your improper pride to even come close to placing Giana in jeopardy again, I will go to Father, and he will assist me in having you removed as a guardian. This is not a threat; it is a promise, Fitz. Do you understand?”

Without looking up at his cousin, Darcy nodded. “I swear, I will be better,” he managed.

“You had better be,” Richard growled. “Fitz, look at me.” His cousin lifted his eyes which were moist. “You need to begin by speaking to Giana. It will help her recovery if you too own your culpability in what happened. She knows she has a part as well, and it is important that you do not attempt to minimise that. She will learn from this. And Fitz…”

“Yes?” Darcy wondered.

“I will be relating all of this to Mother and Father, and when he returns, Andy as well. The time for secrets among the family is long past.”

“It is no less than I expected. If, no when, they too censure me, I will deserve it fully. Who should feel the culpability if not me? Had I paid heed to you before I allowed the woman to be alone with Giana, none of this would have occurred.”

“If you are expecting me to disagree with you, I will not.”

“No, Richard, that is not my aim. I have much to assess about my behaviour and attitudes, and I know it will not be the work of an instant. I am also sure I will err along the way, even repeat some of my bad behaviours, but I will endeavour not to do so.” Darcy paused as he cogitated. “I thank God you had the foresight, which was sorely lacking in my decisions. For Giana and myself, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“As far as a true companion for Giana goes, I will ask Mother for recommendations, and then we will together evaluate the choices, and we will verify every single character. Only once we agree will we select one.”

Even had Darcy been of a mind to object, which he was not, he would not have said a word in opposition.

Darcy knew that had Richard decided to go to Uncle Reggie and initiate proceedings to remove him as one of Giana’s guardians, his uncle would not have opposed his son.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

“What does the report say regarding this Mr Bingley who has applied to rent Netherfield Park?” Tommy asked one afternoon when the family met in the drawing room to spend some time together.

“Your mother and I have not made a final decision yet,” Bennet reported.

“Why Papa? Is the man deficient?” Ellie, who had turned thirteen in January past, asked.

“He seems to be an honourable man, but he has a tendency to fall in love with alacrity, and then when he loses interest, he falls out of love just as fast. Your Papa and I do not want such a man to meddle with the emotions of girls in the neighbourhood,” Becca explained. “He has a younger sister, Miss Caroline Bingley, who is an inveterate fortune hunter and social climber. From what we see here, even though she is the daughter of a tradesman, she looks down her nose at most who are in fact above her, and is a rather nasty woman. Mr Bingley has proven to be rather capricious and shies away from confrontation, which means he will not correct his sister.”

“If she finds out your grandfather and grandmother are a duke and duchess, and Will a marquess, she will fawn all over you and attempt to ingratiate herself with us to improve her connections,” Bennet added.

“Not the ideal family,” Beth observed.

“They are not, Mother,” Becca agreed. “You all remember hearing about Fitzwilliam Darcy, who you have never met?” Her six children nodded. “According to the investigator, he and Mr Bingley have been good friends for many years. If we grant his friend the lease, there is a chance we will finally get to meet him here as he is pledged to assist Mr Bingley with learning estate management.” Becca looked at Jane. “You, Jane dear, will be a target for Mr Bingley’s ardour. His angels, as he calls them, all have physical attributes like yours.”

“So not only is he capricious but shallow as well?” Henry shook his head.

The twins had turned twenty in March, and Henry had graduated from Cambridge in April. Like his father before him, he was an undefeated chess champion at the university.

“Do not disallow him the lease on my account,” Jane insisted. “I am confident in my love for Andrew; I know that he is on his way back to me. Besides, I am not so weak as to not be able to fend off a determined man. Also, since you employed John, Brian, and the other men, no undesirables will approach us.”

With two daughters out, and Mary to join them soon enough, Bennet knew he needed men to guard them. Their connections and reputed dowries—even though the true amount was not known—were too attractive to desperate men. Hence, in consultation with Devonshire, Matlock, Hartington, and Richard, mostly the latter, Bennet had employed former soldiers as footmen-guards before Easter past. Ten men met the criterion they had decided was needed, and they were led by two enormous men, John Biggs—very aptly named—and Brian Johns, both former sergeants in the Royal Dragoons. Anyone who suspected the big men were slow because of their size would be in for a rude and, more to the point, painful, awakening if they attempted anything untoward with any of the Bennet siblings.

“What Jane said is true,” Elizabeth added, “and it seems the Bingleys will provide us with a certain level of entertainment, and you well know how much I love to laugh.”

Becca and Bennet looked at one another and communicated silently as they had begun to do more than two and twenty years past, even before they married. “I will inform Phillips that he may accept Mr Bingley as a tenant. If they are too bad, there are enough clauses in the lease that will allow them to be evicted,” Bennet announced.

“If Mr Darcy joins Mr Bingley, I hope he will bring Georgiana Darcy with him. It has been eleven or twelve years since we saw her, but she was an extremely sweet girl,” Lizzy remembered. “I think she is a little younger than Tommy.”

“Speaking of our scamp of a brother, can you believe he will begin his final year at Eton in September?” Jane shook her head.

Tommy had turned sixteen in February, and he was taller than any of his siblings. Even though Henry was more than a head taller than his twin, his younger brother was at least three inches taller. Not only was the younger Bennet son tall, but his shoulders had begun to broaden, and for the last six months, he had passed his older brother in feats of strength. Henry did not resent that his younger brother was taller and stronger than himself. As long as he was taller than Lizzy, he was happy.

“Jane, do you really want to call one who towers over you a scamp?” Tommy jested.

“Is everyone joining Tommy and me when we go for a ride once the temperature cools somewhat?” Henry asked his sisters. All four indicated they would be joining their brothers.

“Mrs Phillips and Master Frank,” Hill announced.

“It is good to see you and little Frank, Charlotte,” Becca welcomed. “Where is Betty Sarah?”

Charlotte curtsied while her son gave an almost credible bow. She had delivered two children since marrying Phillips. Their son, Frank the younger, was six, and their daughter was three. Anyone seeing Frank and Charlotte Phillips together could not imagine him being stuck with Hattie Gardiner as his wife. It was little wonder Miss Gardiner remained a spinster.

“My daughter is at Lucas Lodge being entertained by her grandparents, aunt, and uncles. Little Frank insisted on accompanying me, so he could see your horses, if you will permit him,” Charlotte stated.

“Tommy and I will take him to tour the stables,” Henry volunteered, and Tommy nodded his agreement.

Her son looked at her with a beseeching look. “Yes, Franky, you may go with Henry and Tommy. You will listen to them, will you not?” A delighted young lad nodded emphatically. Charlotte smiled when her son held out his hand, and Henry took it without hesitation. With her son having his wish granted, Charlotte sat down near Jane and Lizzy. Soon the three friends were speaking of nothing and everything.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

“I am so sorry, Fitz; I should never have agreed to marry Mr Wickham,” Giana stated tearfully when her brother had come to see her.

“You have the right of it, Sweetling,” Darcy responded tenderly. “However, the fault all lies with me. Had I done what I should have, what Richard urged me to do even after I mistakenly employed Miss Younge, you would have never been in the position you were to err the way you did.” Darcy paused as he hugged his sister to himself. He shuddered at the thought of how close he had come to losing her. Something he had come to realise was that self-loathing and recriminations would not change anything which had occurred. If he indulged himself in self-pity, it more likely than not would stop him from being the brother and guardian his sister needed and deserved. Yes, he had to learn from the past, but he had to move forward and not wallow.

He looked into his sister’s eyes so she would see the truth of what he needed to say. Darcy proceeded even though Giana had dropped her eyes to the floor. “Richard told me how you refused to fall for that man’s attempts to urge you to elope. That showed a strength of spirit in the face of the blatant manipulation the two miscreants were attempting to use on you. It also demonstrates that you have a good grasp of right and wrong. I know you attempted to write to me, but Miss Younge waylaid your missives.” Darcy lifted his sister’s chin. “I want you to know how proud I am of you.”

“How can you be proud of me, Fitz?” Giana enquired.

“For all the reasons I listed. I reiterate, had I not failed you, you would have never been in that position. Also, it was my decision to try to keep you innocent and ignorant of Wickham’s character. So, you see, there are many things for which I need to atone.”

Understanding that Fitz was not angry with her, but rather proud, Giana’s countenance lit up. Then she remembered something Richard had told her on the journey back to London. “I know that Miss Younge is being transported rather than hung for theft. Also, I am aware that George Wickham met his end. Richard said he did not kill him; is that true? I am only worried for Richard, not that the man is no more.”

“No, Richard did not cause the libertine’s death. He went the wrong way without any help from our cousin, and that was how he met his death. Giana,” Darcy waited until she looked directly at him, “never think that anything you did led to his death. It was his own decisions which ended his life.”

Giana felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. She could now move forward without feeling guilty about what had occurred in Ramsgate.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Not long after Richard shared the Ramsgate affair with his parents, Lord and Lady Matlock made the walk across the green to Darcy House. Seeing that their nephew was truly contrite and determined to improve his character, they did not berate him—too much.

“William, let me reiterate something Richard told you earlier,” Lord Matlock stated sternly. “If your arrogance and stubbornness ever wilfully puts my niece in harm’s way another time, I will use all of my influence to have you stripped of your guardianship. That being said, your aunt and I believe that you are sincere in your desire to change.”

Lady Elaine nodded her agreement. “I will have names of potential companions for Giana to you two boys before we depart London,” she promised.

Darcy knew he had been incredibly lucky to escape his aunt’s and uncle’s censure relatively unscathed. It made him even more determined to mend his ways. If only he had not committed to join Bingley in Hertfordshire.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Charles Bingley was well pleased when he received the note from Mr Phillips inviting him to come sign the lease, for which he had been approved.

He decided to ride to Meryton and not bother Darcy. Mr Phillips urged Bingley to read every word in the contract, but Bingley was too keen to sign. He would be able to move in soon after Michaelmas on the first day in October.