“Denny speaks true, Colonel,” Captain Carter, the adjutant, confirmed. “I saw it on the lieutenant’s person before Wickham joined us.” He looked at the colonel in the uniform of the regulars. “My goodness, are you not Colonel Fitzwilliam?”
“Indeed, I am, Captain. Do we know one another?” Fitzwilliam enquired.
“I was trained by you when I was at the Dragoons training grounds. I was a second lieutenant. I suffered an accident in which my leg was broken severely, so I was not allowed to remain in the Regulars,” Carter related.
“We need to retire to my office so we can sort out what happened here,” Forster demanded.
An hour later, a chagrined Forster agreed that Jackson was free to go and had only acted to stop an escaping man. He now understood why his men had been denied any more credit.
Darcy became rather popular when he pledged to make all the merchants whole and also any men who loaned money to Wickham. He was not willing tocover the late dissipated man’s debts of honour. When it was stated unequivocally that the body would not be allowed to be buried in Meryton’s cemetery, Darcy decided that he would convey the body back to Derbyshire so Wickham would be laid to rest next to his parents. Given it was spring, he needed to depart as soon as the mortal remains were placed in a coffin.
He charged Fitzwilliam to make his farewells and pass his regrets to the Bennet sisters for his need to depart right away. After the interment of the seducer’s remains in Derbyshire, Darcy intended to travel to London so he could deal with Miss Bingley once and for all.
Chapter 10
When Colonel Fitzwilliam told the two eldest Bennets that Mr Darcy had left to convey the body back to Derbyshire for burial as a final nod to his late father’s preference for his godson, Elizabeth had been sure that part of his reason for the precipitous departure had been his disgust with Lydia’s probable actions.
It did not change her burgeoning feelings for the man because she understood why he could not connect himself with a family who would be so disgraced.
Elizabeth believed it was no less than she deserved after the cruel way she had rejected him in Hunsford. Why should she not feel the pain of his loss now? Even though they had forgiven one another, and she had begun to think he could possibly be one of the best men she had ever met, it was only right that it was her turn to suffer in this way.
Rather than speak to Jane, which Elizabeth felt would have been selfish with everything going on at that moment, she kept her thoughts to herself. She washed her face and stiffened her spine; it was time to confront Kitty and Lydia. Elizabeth needed to hide her hurt from her family.
She plastered a smile on her face and joined Jane and Colonel Fitzwilliam in the drawing room. Elizabeth was unsurprised to see her mother present.
After hearing that the son of an earl, even a second son, was calling at her house, Fanny had quickly forgotten her pique aimed at Jane and, of course, Elizabeth, who had causedJane to speak to her in that fashion.
Fanny was seated in her favourite chair, staring at the tall man in his regimentals. Kitty and Lydia were also staring, but their heads were together as they whispered one to the other, interspersed with giggles. Mary was in a corner, Fordyce’s Sermons in her hand, and as would be expected, Bennet was closeted in his study, ignoring his family.
“Have you been in battle?” Lydia asked as she batted her eyelashes at him.
“As I am in the regular army and not a pretend soldier like many in the militia, yes, I have ridden into battle more times than I care to remember,” Fitzwilliam returned. He noticed the last of the Bennet sisters enter the room. “Are you well, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Of course, she is well, but she is nothing to my Jane or even better, my Lydia who is pretty and lively,” Fanny cooed.
“Madam, I recently turned thirty. Why would you think I would want to look at a child who should never have been allowed out of the schoolroom?” Fitzwilliam responded.
Mother and youngest daughter looked outraged.
“I will be the first of my sisters to marry!” Lydia screeched. “I am not a child!” To make her point Lydia stamped her foot.
“And who, pray tell, will marry a silly little flirt?” Jane asked.
“Mr Wickham, of course. He made me swear I would keep our engagement secret until that awful Mr Darcy pays him the money he is owed. Then we will marry!” Lydia crowed triumphantly. “I have succeeded where all my older sisters have failed. It is all because I listened to Mama when she taught me how to catch a man.”
“My daughter married, and to such a handsome man,”Fanny gushed.
“Lizzy, will you have Papa join us? He needs to hear this news,” Jane requested.
“Yes, of course, I will; I too think he must hear this.” Elizabeth left the room.
Hearing a knock on his study door, Bennet called out, “Enter.” His eyebrows rose when he saw Lizzy walk in, and she looked deadly serious. “Lizzy, what is it? Is one of your sisters hurt?”
“It is with regards to my sisters, Sir. If you never do anything for me again, please come with me to the drawing room without further explanation.”
Knowing that Lizzy would never say what she had unless it was something very serious, Bennet stood and, with growing trepidation, followed his second daughter to the mentioned room.
“Colonel, may I introduce my father to you?” Elizabeth requested on her return to the drawing room. He nodded to her. Elizabeth made the introduction.
