“He went away almost immediately. I did not see him again until a year later, only to learn that he had squandered the whole of it. In fact, Mr Wickham had come back only to demand more. He stated he wanted to study the law. But I did not believe him. Had Mr Wickham truly intended to study the law, three thousand pounds would have been an ample provision.” Mr Darcy hesitated, his eyes filled with such pain that Elizabeth wished she could reach out and offer some semblance of comfort. But their engagement was no more than a technicality. It would be foolish to attempt it. “I refused him. He left in a rage, and we did not see him again for several years.”
Elizabeth shook her head in disgust. “After such intemperate greed and ingratitude, I can only imagine that his absence was a relief.”
Mr Darcy shrugged slightly. “As I said, we heard nothing from him, until there was a very painful incident last year.” He hesitated again, and Elizabeth felt she could do nothing but sit on the edge of her seat, waiting in suspense. Her stomach roiled with every possible horrible scenario.
Yet nothing could have prepared her for the truth.
“He attempted to elope with my sister, Georgiana, when she was just sixteen. There was not the slightest chance that his affection was sincere, for he waited until he could see her away from her family, with only a hired companion to watch over her…a hired companion who, I later learned, had forged all her references and was a confederate of Wickham himself. He intended to have Georgiana’s dowry, and he was willing to ruin an innocent girl who fondly remembered him from her childhood to do it. If I had not happened to surprise Georgiana with a visit on the eve of the intended elopement, it would have succeeded.”
Elizabeth felt faint with horror. How Mr Wickham could have treated Miss Darcy so deplorably, and still had the gall to show his face in the country, was beyond her. “I cannot believe it,” she breathed.
“It is all true,” Mr Darcy said. “I have tried to shield my sister from anyone knowing of the scandal — or what would have been a scandal and surely would have meant the ruination of her good name. She is a very innocent girl, Miss Elizabeth, and had acted in the purest trust and confidence. This incident has all but taken the life out of her. She used to be so full of spirit and joy, and now she is a shell of her former self.”
“I am so sorry, Mr Darcy. I did not mean to say I did not believe your side of the story, only that I cannot bring myself to terms with Mr Wickham treating your sister in such a way. The man ought to be strung up by his toes!”
Mr Darcy smiled rather grimly. “Believe me, I wanted to. Then again, the whole matter would have had to have been aired publicly, and I could not bring myself to do that to Georgiana. It was essential to her reputation and future happiness that the matter be kept as quiet as possible. I hope you will not judge Georgiana too harshly. She was only sixteen at the time, so trusting of humanity. This experience has taught her the hard way that one cannot always trust what one sees on the outside. That is why I said earlier that charm is deceiving.”
“I would never judge Miss Darcy for something that was not her doing. She was deceived, just as you said.” Indeed, judgement towards Miss Darcy had been far from Elizabeth’s thoughts, which were consumed with anger that Mr Wickham had almost succeeded in ruining Miss Darcy’s life, and that he was still on the loose to do so to other unsuspecting women. Indeed, if she had not ended up engaged to Mr Darcy, she herself might have fallen prey to his charms. Elizabeth could not claim to have seen through Mr Wickham’s façade — at least, not at first.
“Thank you for saying so. I should very much like to introduce you to Georgiana on day,” Mr Darcy said. “She needs a female friend who would be a beneficial influence on her — perhaps assist her in leaving behind the sorrow that oppresses her.”
“She took it very hard then, as can only be imagined?” Elizabeth asked softly. And to have no mother with which to speak of such things. Surely, Georgiana would not have confided everything to her brother. There were some things that only a woman could understand.
Mr Darcy nodded solemnly. “She was crushed. For weeks after I brought her home, she barely left her bed, let alone the comfort and safety of her room. The doctors were so worried that they wanted to bleed her, but I would not allow it.” He shook his head at the memories no doubt filling his mind. “Foolish as it was, my sister loved Mr Wickham with her whole soul. There might have been a happier end to this story, if only Mr Wickham’s heart were genuine. If he had truly loved Georgiana, she might have been the making of him. Perhaps she could have helped him remember the lad he had been all those years ago. I know I paint a grim picture of him, but we were friends, once. When we were boys, there was much good to be said of him. I believe his father’s death changed him.”
“Of course. It is rare that children start out as depraved as they grow up to be.”
Mr Darcy sighed again and changed the subject. “At any rate, I hope you and Georgiana will become close once we are married. She badly needs a friend.”
Elizabeth raised a brow. It was uncertain whether the wedding would go forward, though it was hardly the time to point that out. If it did, she would be glad to take Miss Darcy under her wing and help bring her out of her misery, if she could. “I would be deeply honoured to meet your sister. From what you have told me, I am sure we would be fast friends.”
Mr Darcy’s face brightened a bit. “I am sure of it. Georgiana is shy at first, but when she gets to know people, she has a warm and caring heart.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Will she come to Meryton soon? I am sure she misses you terribly.”
“Yes, she will travel here for the wedding — if there is to be a wedding,” he said softly.
Elizabeth took up her teacup and sipped for a moment. The steaming tea travelled down her throat and brought warmth back to her bones. She had not realised how chilled she had grown since they had been sitting in the parlour. Even with the fire burning, the cold seeped in through the glass windowpanes. She scooted closer to the fire, and Mr Darcy did the same. “That is the question, isn’t it? What are we going to do, Mr Darcy? If we cannot prove our innocence, I suppose we shall have to go through with the wedding.”
To her surprise, the idea was becoming less and less appalling to her. The more she got to know Mr Darcy, the more she came to admire his character, his intelligence. Once, it had been her most fervent belief that he was not a man of good temper or warm heart, but deeper knowledge had shown her it could not be so. It was not a man of bad temper who had so readily forgiven her for their misunderstanding over Mr Wickham, and so readily apologised for his part in it. It was not a cold-hearted man who spoke so warmly and lovingly of his little sister. Perhaps it would not be so bad after all to be Mrs Darcy.
“I will not leave you unprotected. I promised you that from the very beginning, and I am a man of my word, Miss Elizabeth.” Mr Darcy pinned her with his piercing gaze, and she felt the swirl of butterflies when he did not look away. “Even if this is not the kind of marriage either of us had pictured.”
Elizabeth let out a long breath. “No. Indeed, it is not.”
“I suppose I am not the sort of man you wanted to end up with,” Mr Darcy said. His voice was surprisingly gentle. “What had you imagined?”
The very great intimacy of the question caught Elizabeth off guard. She blinked, setting aside her cup. “I am not sure. I suppose I always dreamed of a husband with whom I could share my innermost thoughts without judgement. Someone I could count on as a true friend. After all, marriage is for life. One’s partner should be someone they share a friendship with, not only a household and children. I always wanted to know that I could share an openness with my future husband.”
“I agree.” Mr Darcy said with a slight smile.
“And what of you? I suppose you always dreamed of a blonde beauty?”
“Why do you say that?” Mr Darcy asked.
“No reason,” Elizabeth said. “I suppose I have always seen men falling over themselves for the fairer beauties, rather than the dark and mysterious. But perhaps it is only my limited experience, having seen little of the world.”
Mr Darcy sighed, thinking for a moment. “I do not think I have any great preference for the colour of a wife’s hair. The specifics of a woman’s appearance have never been as important to me as someone who showed genuine intelligence. After all, beauty fades, but the mind — the soul of a person — that is what will last. Though, if I am being honest, I must say I have always preferred dark eyes to light ones.”
