Page 18 of To Go Against Her Heart (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

The next morning, Elizabeth sat in her favorite spot in Oakham Mount, looking at the sunrise.

She was vexed to live in the same house as Mr. Collins and hoped he would leave Hertfordshire after the ball.

As the sun rose, brightening the horizon with its brilliant glow, she fought hard to forget the memory of meeting Darcy in the same place weeks ago.

From Jane, she understood that Mr. Bingley had been much troubled by the revelation regarding Wickham and had promised to lay the matter before Darcy.

I wonder what he plans to do. Would he have written to Mr. Darcy?

Just as her thoughts consumed her, she heard the sound of a rider, and Elizabeth immediately panicked. Her heart raced, as she mustered the courage to turn around and see who it was, although her instinct knew better.

The sight of Darcy riding up the mount shocked her.

She struggled to compose herself as he dismounted from his horse and approached her with swift strides.

As unexpected as his arrival was, Elizabeth found a strange sense of happiness in seeing him after several weeks and could not understand her own feelings.

She stood looking at him with a sense of disbelief.

They said nothing to each other for several moments, trying to gauge each other’s sentiments. Elizabeth could not mistake the emotion in his eyes; a look of contentment and joy radiated in every feature on his face.

“Good morning, Miss Elizabeth!” he finally said.

“Good morning, sir,” she said, unable to hold his gaze.

“I was hoping to find you here,” he said, witnessing the surprise on her face.

“I reached Netherfield last evening after I received an express from my friend. I need not elaborate on why I am here as you must be well aware of the reason.”

Elizabeth had never imagined that he would understand her involvement in the matter.

“I…I should leave,” she said, not wanting to discuss the subject, but Darcy stood blocking her way.

“Won’t you allow me to thank you?”

Elizabeth stared at him in silence.

“If not for your intervention, I would have never been aware of what Mr. Wickham has been up to here. Please allow me to thank you for your genuine concern in this regard.”

“Mr. Darcy, you are under no obligation to thank me. I merely did what I deemed necessary, and my sister felt the same way.”

“I understand you heard his story first.”

“I did.”

“And you did not believe him?”

“No, I did not.”

“Considering your opinion of me, I would have assumed the opposite,” he said, watching her gasp in shock.

“Trust me, if you had, I would not have held it against you, considering how I behaved when we initially met,” he declared.

“Sir, you do not have to contemplate about what made me doubt his narration. I have no intention of explaining why I chose not to believe him. But if you are here, I understand the matter is of some serious nature, and I hope you can do what is necessary to clear your name,” she said and hurried away from him.

To her distress, Darcy followed her, his horse trotting beside him.

“Do you not wish to hear my side of the story?” he asked.

“No!” she lied, trying to conceal her curiosity.

Unfortunately for her, Darcy had become accustomed to reading her thoughts better than his previous experiences.

He quickly stepped forward and stood in front of her.

They were midway on their descent from the mount, and trees surrounded the spot where they stood.

“Mr. Darcy, please allow me to leave,” Elizabeth cried.

“I only require a few moments of your time. If you assume I hurried here to clear my name, then you are wrong. You must understand that your actions will also have a bigger impact on society for your friends and acquaintances. As painful as it is for me to relive this, I am indebted to relate my side of the story Mr. Wickham has so cleverly concealed from the world.”

Elizabeth nodded in silence. Darcy motioned her to sit on the log nearby, and he sat on the other end. Though he sat at a good distance from her, Elizabeth could sense the stiffness in his body.

“The particulars I am to relate to now have been weighing on me for the past year. I have not shared this with anyone so far, and when I think about it, I stand guilty, and it has been a grave mistake. But whatever I did was to protect my beloved sister, who has been equally pained by acts of the man whom my father raised as his own son.”

He went on to relate his association with Wickham from childhood.

Darcy explained the trust he had earned with his late father and how easily he deceived him about his original character.

He explained how Wickham had rejected the living at Kympton and the manner in which he was compensated for it.

Elizabeth listened to him without interruption, and when he related details about the incident in Ramsgate, she was horrified beyond measure.

“Good Heavens!” she cried.

While Darcy related the how the affair had impacted his relationship with his sister, Elizabeth was moved with pity and compassion for him.

“Only my cousin, Richard, is aware of this, as we share guardianship of my sister. I should have known better; Mr. Wickham can never change or be trusted. If another woman gets harmed by him, I can never forgive myself.”

“But…but if you reveal this, your sister’s reputation would be tarnished. I have sisters of the same age as yours, and I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for you to bear her suffering.”

“I can only hope Colonel Forster believes me and safeguards her name. I must do this,” he declared with pain.

“I am sincerely sorry and can hardly conceive what Miss Darcy suffered. I give you my word of secrecy in this matter, and I will speak to no one of it, not even to Jane. You may trust me,” she said, gazing into his eyes.

There is no one in the world I can trust better, Elizabeth, Darcy thought.

“Is she well?” Elizabeth asked him.

“My sister?”

“Yes.”

“She is well, but the innocent girl who brightened my life has vanished forever. If I had been more diligent, this would have never happened.”

“Please do not blame yourself. If at all someone is to be blamed, it is Mr. Wickham. I cannot believe his vile schemes in the past, attempting to hurt someone as young as your sister, and now, to have the courage to slander you. I knew you were incapable of anything he accused you of, Mr. Darcy. I cannot tell you how concerned I was when I heard his story. I can never think ill of…” She stopped abruptly and realized that she had admitted her true feelings to him despite all resolve.

Elizabeth noticed his smile and understood that he was already aware of the same.

“I am to meet Colonel Forster in a few hours, and I hope to resolve the matter as discreetly as possible. Honestly, I rode here with the hope of finding you,” he said. He watched her beautiful eyes widen, and her cheeks turned red as she blushed.

Elizabeth, however, immediately stood.

“I must be on my way,” she declared.

“Might I see you safely back to Longbourn?” he asked, knowing her response before she spoke.

“That will not be necessary, I am well aware of my way. I hope you have a pleasant day,” she said, patting Darcy’s horse before hurrying down the path.

Darcy stood rooted to the spot until her slender form disappeared and heaved a sigh.

You do care about me, but you are afraid to admit it.

***

A few hours later, Colonel Forster sat with Darcy and Mr. Bingley in the study, not understanding Mr. Bingley’s urgent request to meet him at Netherfield.

“It is indeed wonderful to finally meet you, Mr. Darcy,” he said, noticing the seriousness on Darcy’s face.

“It is good to meet you. I only wish the circumstances were different,” Darcy said.

“I apologize for asking you to meet us here, but we decided it would be better to have this conversation in Netherfield,” Mr. Bingley added.

Darcy quickly related his association with Wickham and how the latter had betrayed his trust. However painful it proved, he confided to Colonel Forster of his schemes with Georgiana and how narrowly the young girl had escaped from being ruined for life.

“I stand before you today guilty of having concealed his character from the world to protect my sister’s reputation.

He gave me his word that he would amend his ways, yet trusting him was a grievous error.

Pray do not misunderstand my purpose; it is not merely to vindicate myself, but to prevent him from bringing ruin upon another woman.

If he is deliberately circulating falsehoods about me, despite my leniency with him in the past, it can only be with the intent to deceive yet another. ”

Colonel Forster looked at him in horror.

“Miss Darcy was fifteen, you said?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Darcy said with pain.

“Mr. Wickham has been cautious when spreading this story. He has never brought it up to me, and I understand why; I would have immediately scrutinized the truth in his tale. And yes, he has been a favorite among all the young women in society.”

“I hope you can take the necessary action against him,” Mr. Bingley said.

“If needed, my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, can corroborate my story,” Darcy said.

“That should not be required, sir. But I do need your help in this matter,” he requested.

***

The same afternoon, Wickham was surprised to be summoned to Colonel Forster’s house.

He understood that none of the other officers were summoned in attendance.

He reached the house a little worried about what the matter could be, as he had carefully avoided the Colonel’s scrutiny during his time in the regiment.

“Mrs. Forster, good afternoon. It is a pleasure to see you again; we missed your company at the party last evening,” he said to the Colonel’s wife.

“I had a bit of a headache, Mr. Wickham, but I am certain it was an enjoyable evening,” the Colonel’s wife said, and she was fond of him.

The servant led Wickham into the parlor where Colonel Forster was seated.

“Good afternoon, young man. I hope you were not diverted from something important because of my request to see you here.”

“Not at all, sir. I am at your service,” Wickham replied with confidence.

“A report of an alarming nature has reached my ears; I learned from Sir William that Mr. Bingley’s friend, Mr. Darcy, has wronged you in many ways.

Is that true? I understand you gave him an account of Mr. Darcy’s misdeeds some days ago.

It troubles me that you chose not to bring the matter to my attention.

Surely you are aware that the welfare of my officers is my highest concern. ”

“Sir, I did not…” Wickham stammered, caught off guard by the topic of discussion.

“Do not hesitate. I am intent on exposing the man to his own circle in town. You very well know that I have several connections there. If at all he cheated you of your living in Derbyshire, then he must pay for his offences.”

“Yes, yes, he did. But I have forgiven Mr. Darcy as I respected his late father to a great extent. I never cared for money, sir. All I wanted in life was an honest living, and I have earned it now. I am honored by the regard you have for my well-being. Please trust me; I do not want to cause any shame to the Darcy family,” he declared with confidence and pride.

“I did not know you had to face such adversity in your past, especially from someone so well respected in society. The late Mr. Darcy raised you?” the Colonel asked with sympathy.

“Yes, sir. He raised me as his son, and I loved and respected the man. But his son deserves none of my respect. He used his status and wealth to ruin my life and has always been jealous of me. I have suffered to a great extent because of him,” he said, seeing the concern on the Colonel’s face.

I never knew it would be so easy to fool this man.

“That is why we must expose him to the world. For all I know, his uncle is the Earl of Matlock, and he cannot be left in ignorance about his nephew’s actions. I can easily bring the man to his senses; he must compensate you for the living you lost.”

“That is not required, even if he has behaved in unpardonable ways, I have always strived to live up to the expectations set by his father for me. I can never let the Darcy name be ruined.”

“Is that so? Then why did you take the liberty of tarnishing his image with every acquaintance in Meryton?”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Do not lie, Wickham. I know the entire truth. You cannot fool me like the others,” he yelled. Instantly, the door opened, and Darcy walked in with rage.

Wickham stared in disbelief at the sight of Darcy, whose face betrayed nothing but fury.

He had gotten away unscathed from many of his misdeeds, yet now he realized that his schemes were brought to an end.

From the look on the Colonel’s face, he feared he would not be spared, and for the first time in his life, he regretted having lied to someone.