“How dare he question our Lizzy’s word!” Kitty added indignantly.
“This is most concerning.” Sir William Lucas stood to his full height, puffing importantly. “My dear Mr. Wickham, surely there has been some misunderstanding?”
“I wish it were so,” Wickham replied gravely. “But his letter is quite explicit. He denies making any declaration of affection and suggests Miss Elizabeth imagined the entire encounter.”
“Why does he deny it?” Captain Denny demanded. “What gentleman would lie about proposing to someone?”
“A gentleman who regrets his moment of weakness,” Wickham said, his tone filled with gentle sympathy. “Perhaps Mr. Darcy realized the social consequences of his declaration and chose to protect his reputation.”
“Protect his reputation by destroying mine,” Elizabeth said bitterly.
“This is outrageous,” Sir William blustered. “Mr. Darcy’s family has always been respected in these parts. Surely there must be some explanation.”
“The explanation is simple,” Elizabeth interrupted, her fury finally breaking free. “Mr. Darcy is a lying, cowardly blackguard who would rather attack my credibility than acknowledge his own behavior.”
“Lizzy!” Jane gasped at her sister’s uncharacteristic vehemence.
“I will not be gentle! That man insulted me, insulted our family, and now he insults my intelligence by claiming it never happened!” Elizabeth’s voice carried clearly through the room. “He told me I was beneath his station, that loving me was against his better judgment, that accepting me would require him to overlook numerous disadvantages. And now he claims I imagined it all!”
“The despicable wretch!” Mrs. Phillips declared. “To speak so of our dear Lizzy and then deny it.”
“Someone must hold him accountable,” Lydia said fiercely. “He cannot be allowed to treat our sister so shamefully.”
“What recourse do we have?” Mrs. Bennet wailed. “His word against Lizzy’s—who will believe a country nobody over the master of Pemberley?”
“But what if someone saw him? Another witness?” Kitty interjected. “Elizabeth, for sure, there might have been a maid or a butler around.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Darcy chanced upon me when all had gone out,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Gentlemen of questionable characters often operate in shadows,” Mary pronounced sanctimoniously. “Scripture warns us that evil deeds shun the light.”
“But most certainly, Charlotte, as mistress of Hunsford and wife of a parson, would have made provision for proper chaperonage.” Mrs. Bennet seized on this immediately. “Lizzy, you may not have been aware, but… oh, Mrs. Lucas, you must write to Charlotte at once. She must know what occurred during Lizzy’s visit. If Mr. Darcy called at the parsonage, Charlotte would surely have been aware.”
Elizabeth wanted to sink through the floor. Her private humiliation was becoming a public spectacle, and there seemed to be no way to stop the avalanche Wickham had set in motion.
“I am certain Charlotte will confirm everything,” Mrs. Lucas said uncertainly. “Though if she were away from the house…”
“Away or not, servants see everything,” Mrs. Phillips declared. “If Mr. Darcy called, someone would have witnessed it.”
“Unless,” Mary said with her usual pompous air, “he came under cover of darkness for nefarious purposes.”
“Mary!” Jane exclaimed, horrified.
“Maria!” Mrs. Lucas belatedly remembered her daughter, who had been traveling with Elizabeth. “Child, get your head out of that piece of needlework and come over. You accompaniedElizabeth to Hunsford, did you not? Did you observe any particular attention from Mr. Darcy toward Miss Elizabeth?”
All eyes turned to Maria Lucas, a plain, straightforward girl of nineteen, who blinked at the sudden scrutiny.
“Well, yes,” she said, her voice carrying in the sudden hush. “Mr. Darcy called at the parsonage quite frequently during our stay. Often he came alone, while Mr. Collins was out tending to parish matters.”
“And on the day of the proposal?” Mrs. Phillips prompted.
Maria’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I believe Charlotte and I had gone to the village on an errand for Mr. Collins. When we returned, Elizabeth seemed very distressed, though she would not say why. And Mr. Darcy, who had been expected at dinner that evening, sent a note declining the invitation.”
“There!” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed triumphantly. “Proof that Mr. Darcy was indeed at the parsonage alone with Lizzy, just as she claimed. And his subsequent absence confirms something significant occurred between them.”
“Miss Maria’s testimony is most valuable,” Wickham observed smoothly. “It directly contradicts Mr. Darcy’s claim that he never sought Miss Elizabeth out unchaperoned.”
Elizabeth felt a rush of relief at this unexpected support. Maria’s simple testimony, while not confirming the proposal itself, at least verified that Darcy had indeed sought her out alone, directly contradicting his claim that no such private encounter had occurred.
