Page 49 of To Go Against Her Heart (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

“He will not, Jane, and I would be a fool not to acknowledge it. But it is too late to amend my mistakes, and I do not wish to dwell upon what might change were I to confess my engagement to him. The moment has passed, and I cannot undo what I said, nor do I wish to entertain the thought that, despite all my deliberate actions to hurt him, he might still regard me with the same esteem.”

Jane tried to convince her sister that if she were to meet him again, everything could be resolved.

But Elizabeth was adamant against entertaining such a thought.

Feeling helpless, Jane wondered whether Mr. Bingley might, in some way, assist in bringing about a union between his most trusted friend and Elizabeth.

The same day, Charlotte called on Elizabeth, and Jane excused herself, leaving the two friends alone. As the conversation circled around Darcy, Charlotte suspected something was amiss.

“You wrote to me about the ball you were invited to by Lady Matlock. How was the evening? I am certain you met most of his acquaintances,” she enquired.

“I had a pleasant time, I assure you!” Elizabeth replied.

“Are you concealing something from me?” Charlotte asked with suspicion.

“No, why would I?”

“Because I know you, Lizzy. Something is amiss, and if I am not mistaken, it concerns Mr. Darcy. From your letters, I gathered that you gave him leave to call on you, and, quite honestly, you seemed to take great pleasure in your time spent with his sister.”

“I did, and Miss Darcy is an amiable young woman.”

“And her brother?”

“What is it you wish to know? I suggest you ask me openly.”

“I have no qualms in asking you this openly, though I do wonder whether you will answer me with sincerity. Did Mr. Darcy declare his attachment to you?” she asked, and Elizabeth remained silent.

She did not wish to lie to her dearest friend, yet she was equally reluctant to discuss a subject that might provoke an outburst from Charlotte, mirroring the one with Jane the previous night.

“Your silence, Lizzy, speaks more plainly than words. I know not what passed between you and Mr. Darcy, but your eyes are brimming with guilt. For once, I wish you would set aside your fears and trust the man you love,” she said, much to Elizabeth’s astonishment.

***

It had been a week since Elizabeth’s departure from town, and Georgiana observed that her brother was in one of his darkest moods. He appeared withdrawn and informed her of his intention to depart for Derbyshire after Mr. Bingley’s wedding.

Georgiana was confused as she did not understand what had caused the separation between her brother and Elizabeth.

As for Darcy, he was unable to recognize the man he had become after his last conversation with her.

He felt lifeless, a kind of eerie silence engulfing him, for he had no answer as to why she had rejected him based on such utter falsehood.

I know that she loves me, but why did she try so hard to make me believe otherwise? How did she not trust me to protect her from the past?

He questioned himself again and again until his own thoughts tired him.

He replayed in his mind the horror he had witnessed in Elizabeth’s eyes when she was discovered with Mr. Harrington, and he had heard enough to comprehend that Mr. Harrington regarded her as nothing more than an object that had slipped from his grasp.

But Darcy was firm in his resolve; he would not let the rogue escape with nothing more than the warning given that night.

He wanted to ensure that the man would never again cross paths with Elizabeth, nor have the chance to do her harm.

When he looked at Georgiana, he perceived that, despite all the assurances he had given her about Wickham, she remained tormented by the prospect of him reappearing in her life.

In truth, Captain Forster and Darcy had kept a close watch upon Wickham in town through their various sources; and, a month past, the man in question had fled the country, unable to endure a life in town devoid of connections, money, and a proper employment due to his reputation.

Darcy now realized that Elizabeth might be tormented by the same fear as his sister and wanted to protect her.

With much contemplation, he decided to seek Richard’s help in the matter.

“Good Lord! Why did you allow him to get away that evening? You ought to have exposed him at the ball,” Richard exclaimed upon hearing his cousin recount the events of that night; yet Darcy refrained from mentioning Elizabeth’s past acquaintance with the man.

“You must trust me, Richard; it is not so simple as you suppose. I am unable to confide certain particulars of the matter, yet I assure you, Mr. Harrington is wholly unfit to move in society. Irrespective of my warning, I fear he may yet attempt to harm Miss Elizabeth, and I am not disposed to permit it.”

“What do you wish to do?”

“I want to meet him,” he said, and Richard immediately recognized the urgency in Darcy’s tone.

***

Late one evening, Mr. Harrington sat in one of the clubs he frequented, extremely dejected by what had transpired in the past week.

He cursed himself for letting his guard down in a moment of fury and breaking the mask he wore before his wife.

No matter how often Mrs. Harrington pressed him later, he refused to reveal any details about his past, fearing the consequences such a confession might bring.

He had apologized to his wife several times for his shameful disclosure, yet she was unwilling to forgive him.

Mr. Harrington wondered what he could do to avenge his mistake, and in truth, he now felt deeply worried about his future and cursed himself for letting his desire for Elizabeth lead him to lose his way so recklessly.

He emptied another cup as he sat with his friends, and then, suddenly, he saw Richard approach him, catching him off guard.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam, I never knew you frequented this club,” he exclaimed as Richard sat down beside him.

“Well, what a coincidence—I did not expect to see you here as well. Has Mr. Kingston accompanied you this evening?”

“No! He is away on business,” Mr. Harrington replied.

“Will you accompany me for a moment? There is a matter I wish to discuss with you,” he said, leading Mr. Harrington into a private chamber.

The moment he entered the room, Mr. Harrington was struck with shock to find Darcy seated within, and at once he felt trapped.

“I suggest you sit down and listen to what my cousin has to say,” Richard said, closing the door behind him as he departed.

As he obeyed Richard’s command and took his seat, Darcy clenched his fists, unable to endure the sight of the man who was the cause of Elizabeth’s past misery and was also ruining her future happiness with him.

The bruise on Mr. Harrington’s face had still not faded, and Darcy knew he had to use every bit of his self-control to avoid granting him the same treatment again.

“In this conversation, I forbid you to mention her name, and should you dare forget it at any point, I may have to remind you recklessly. Do you understand?” he asked, his eyes blazing with anger. To this, Mr. Harrington nodded weakly.

“Do not mistake my presence tonight as an intent to discuss what transpired at the ball. I have observed you long enough to doubt your character, and your vile intentions that evening did not prove me wrong. A man such as yourself who married for wealth, devoid of integrity or principle, is capable of many things, and I know men like you well. Should you dare to use your past association with her to tarnish her character or attempt to harm her in any way, believe me, I will ruin the life you so easily built by marrying into the Kingston family. Do not doubt that I will expose you to the world, and you know full well what Lord Matlock can do to cast you out of the society you so proudly roam. If even a feeble thought about her crosses your mind, remind yourself that you place yourself in grave danger. This is no ordinary warning, but a threat. The colonel knows who you are, and we are watching your every move. I shall not spare your life should you entertain any thought of causing trouble,” he threatened, and Mr. Harrington assumed that Elizabeth had confided in him about their engagement.

“I assure you; I have no intention to cause trouble…I have too much at stake already. That evening, I was tempted…”

“Enough!” Darcy exclaimed, rising and leaning forward toward Mr. Harrington.

“You will not entertain a single thought of her, and henceforth, I shall not suffer your presence in my aunt’s house.

You may be a man of impure thoughts, Mr. Harrington, but I trust your greed to live will surpass everything else,” he said and left the room before things got out of hand.