Darcy said, “Before you leave, answer me one thing. Wickham threatened to force himself upon my sister. Did he force you that summer?”
She shook her head. “No. He did not need to. I sought his attention. I was a silly and naive girl in those days, but I learned a hard lesson. Be certain that I will never show my face here again. Now that you are happily married, I see there is nothing left for me here.”
She turned a petulant face toward Elizabeth, ran her eyes down her form, then addressed Darcy again. “Swear to me that you will bring Wickham to justice. I could not bear to be threatened again.”
“To ensure the safety of my wife and sister, I have every intention of having him transported to Australia for his debts,” Darcy replied.
Miss Ashbrook turned to Georgiana. “I am sorry that you were entangled in this. He forced me to bring him here.”
Georgiana frowned. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You could have written to your father so that he and my brother might have devised a counterplan, but instead, your actions brought our family very near to ruin and sorrow. I will not take my leave of you nor wish you well, for you had no such intentions toward me, and it is only by Providence that neither Elizabeth nor I was injured in any permanent way.”
With that, the young girl turned her back and walked away.
Darcy spoke then. “Come, darling, we are done here. Georgiana has said all that needs to be said.” He turned, set Elizabeth’s arm within his, and together they walked toward the house.
Miss Ashbrook remained on her horse until the Darcys disappeared from view. She looked upon the manor and the estate with regret. This place could have been her home, and that man could have been her husband. His heart had once been bound up in her, but now it belonged to another. But it was all water under the bridge now. She turned her mount toward home and rode away.
Chapter 46: Mary and James Lewis are Wed
Mary heard a light rap upon her door. She stepped near it and asked, “Who is it?”
“It is Ruthie. Mr. Lewis has asked for you again.”
Mary sniffed. “Tell him I still have the headache and will not be coming down today.”
“Yes, miss.”
Mary heard a faint sound at the threshold and looked down to see that the maid had slipped a sealed letter under the door. She bent to pick it up, her heart racing when she saw her name written in a heavy, masculine hand.
Trembling, she moved to the desk and sat down, broke the seal, and wondered whether anything he had written could make a difference. Her eyes fell at once to the signature.James Lewiswas written in bold script at the bottom of the short note. She drew a breath and began to read.
Miss Mary,
I sincerely beg that you will forgive me for my reckless outburst yesterday. I had no intention of hurting your sister. In truth, I did not think at all. I was so concerned for my own sister and for what I believed to be an ill-fated marriage, and the ruin of her happiness, that I lost all sense of propriety.
I see now that I ought to have spoken with Richard in private and learned the truth from him. I am especially sorry that I made baseless accusations against Mr. Darcy and brought such distress upon your sister.
I throw myself upon your mercy and ask that you will extend an act of grace on my behalf. I am not worthy of your forgiveness, yet perhaps, out of the goodness of your heart, you will choose not to dwell upon my faults and will allow me to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.
I want you to be happy and will do all in my power to make you so. My life will be desolate without you. Please come down so that we may speak of our future. You may tell me what you expect of a husband, and I will do all in my power to fulfill your expectations.
Sincerely,
James Lewis
Mary sat for a long time at the little desk. After three readings, she paused to consider her feelings for him. She had not known him long, but she found him pleasing in every respect. He was a quiet man, but he was decisive, and he liked to ask her questions, and when he listened to her replies, his dark eyes were fixed on her, catching every word. She found him surprisingly open when she asked about himself, his home, and his mother. She had already imagined their children running across the park of his beautiful estate. She had imagined being in his arms and receiving his kisses. She had spent many hours lying in her bed before falling asleep, dreaming of her future as his wife.
But his outburst and accusations the day before had been disturbing and frightening. Would he speak to her in that samemanner once they were married? She remained in her room the rest of the morning, thinking of the enigma that was Mr. Lewis, at times so pleasant and often teasing, amused. But he had been angry and loud twice in her presence. Her thoughts went back to their first encounter, then to yesterday's incident.
Her reverie ended when she heard a rap at the door. Jane entered, her brow furrowed.
Mary rose. “What is it, Jane?”
“Elizabeth and Georgiana were just attacked,” Jane said. She told Mary all she knew.
“How is Lizzy?”
“She is in bed. Mr. Darcy is sitting with her. I am afraid the incident has shaken her, though neither she nor Georgiana was injured in any lasting way. Mr. Darcy is leaving in a few minutes to deliver the attacker to the debtor's prison in London. From there, the man will be transported to Australia. But I came to see how you are doing. Lizzy sent me to you, saying you were present yesterday when Mr. Lewis made some grave accusations against the Colonel and Mr. Darcy. I know nothing of the incident, but she asked me to find out if you are well.”
