How was he to put into words that their actions had at the time seemed perfectly natural, more than an appropriate expression of love and devotion, and unequivocally necessary?My choices with Elizabeth could lead to Wickham’s lies being accepted as truth.The greater blame for the whole affair, of course, fell to Wickham’s unprincipled behaviour, but he had to accept his own role in finding himself in this lamentable situation. He could feel the eyes of his cousin piercing his back, and the uncomfortable attention compelled Darcy to turn to meet Fitzwilliam’s incredulous stare.
“You are suggesting something that is only possible—not an absolute certainty.”
“I am almost ashamed of you,” he cried. He shook his head before he resumed speaking. “I am not surprised at the notion of a man being tempted by his betrothed. I am not a fool,” Fitzwilliam spoke in a calmer voice. “What I am amazed at isyoubeing enticed. I cannot comprehend the notion of the very proper and fastidious Fitzwilliam Darcy seducing his wife-to-be. You are not the sort of man to keep mistresses and engage in careless dalliances. Darcy, you could count all the women you have been with on one hand!”
Including Elizabeth, the number is definitely less than that. And I was equally seduced by her.He suppressed a smile but said nothing.
“Well, that does explain some of your motives.” Fitzwilliam fell back into his chair. “But it does not change the fact that tomorrow morning you have an appointment at dawn with George Wickham, and he wants to kill you. We spoke only briefly before he had a note sent to the man he chose to be his second, a Mr Kenneth. You and Wickham will have no interaction but what the commonest civility requires. I have already seen Mr Kenneth, a sycophant hoping to hang on Wickham’s wealthy sleeve. He will not attempt to avoid a meeting. Neither he nor Wickham has any interest in resolving this before shots are fired.”
“I have no reservations about defending my honour and that of the Bennets. I enter this with a clear conscience, and I am determined to remedy this evil.”
“Wickham’s second and I have selected the location of your engagement and the firing distance, as well as the number of shots. You will both fire one shot at the same time, and you will fire weapons immediately upon raising your arms, without taking aim. Neither of you are expert marksmen, and I will not give Wickham further opportunity to do you grave harm. In any event, I have employed a surgeon for the occasion, although I dearly hope he is not needed.”
“I imagined there might be trouble engaging a surgeon willing to agree to be present at an illegal duel.”
“A doctor was at Wickham’s home this morning, tending to the invalid wife.” They both shook their heads in sympathy for poor Mrs Wickham. “The woman suffers from severe rheumatic fever that has made her nearly unable to walk. On that account, she is tended by this doctor who, either from his own overhearing or from that of the servants, knew of your challenge. His name is Lockwood, and upon my leaving, he offered his assistance. I told him the time and place, and he will be ready to render his services.”
Darcy considered the virtue in his pursuit of Wickham. Wickham did not regret any of his vicious actions: not for amassing gambling debts in the thousands, not for fooling Georgiana into believing she was in love, not for seducing Lydia, and not for defaming his and Elizabeth’s reputations. This was an honourable way to settle a problem that had no other solution.
He was not left to ruminate for long before Fitzwilliam spoke after pouring them both a glass of brandy. “Is Elizabeth Bennet worth the potential loss of your respectability and the strain of your familial connexions? Is she worth dying to defend?”
How could his cousin ask him such a question? “You are the one who told me Elizabeth had a sense of joy that would be to my credit and not to allow the expectations of others to detract from the happiness she would give me. I had already formed a serious design beforeyouendorsed it.” Darcy slammed his glass down and rose. “How could you imply she is not worth defending? Her independent character is kept within the bounds of decorum. She does not put herself forward inappropriately, and you may fall in line behind Wickham if you suggest she deserves his slander.” His voice lost its usual calm. “So, yes, her charm and intelligence and beauty and everything I love about Elizabeth Bennet are worth my challenging George Wickham to account for his malicious misconduct!”
Darcy stood with his hands clenched at his sides. While he regulated his breathing, he realised that, although Fitzwilliam was staring at him in wide-eyed surprise, there was a smile tugging at his lips.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Forgive me, Darcy, but I have never seen you rant and storm. If I ever thought to see you in such a state, I certainly never imaged overwhelming love for a woman would be its cause!”
Darcy realised all that he professed and looked away in embarrassment, hoping the heat he felt in his cheeks was not visible.
“There are harsh punishments for duelling. Should you kill Wickham, you may have to immediately flee to the Continent or to Scotland with no time to return to Hertfordshire. If you are tried for murder, you could be hanged.”
“We both know that is unlikely even if I do kill him, which is not my intent. Respect for proper conduct is felt by everybody, and I may be absolved should he be mortally injured. This is an affair of honour—at least it is for me. I only hope that Elizabeth will still have me after all is said and done. She will not look kindly on my engaging in a duel.”
“If she will still have you? Miss Bennet is not a fool. She would never refuse you.”
Darcy did not feel it necessary to mention a previous outcome when he discovered that his suit might not be acceptable to any lady whom he chose to honour with a proposal. Instead, he asked his cousin about the likelihood of the duel remaining a private matter.
“There is no way to prevent this from getting abroad!” said his cousin, laughing. “Do not visit the Pump Room today; everyone in Bath is talking of it. Of course, there will be no one on the field tomorrow morning who ought not be there, but do not fool yourself into believing that no one knows that the scheming new husband of the pitiable former Miss Hareton has run afoul of Mr Darcy of Pemberley.”
“Seduction, elopement, illegitimacy, scandal, duels: these are the improprieties the gossipingtonseizes upon.” He hated gossip, he hated this despicable place, he hated George Wickham, and he hated being forced into a position to defend his honour.
“I must acquire two decent pistols for you before tomorrow morning. I think there is a fellow in the Market Place who sells capital guns. Too bad there is no time to teach you how to use one.”
“I resent that. Simply because I am not a marksman does not mean that I cannot fire a weapon.”
“This is not the same as grouse shooting with your dogs! Duelling pistols have a hair-trigger as part of the flint-lock. Let us hope you do not shoot yourself before your duel.”
“Your confidence in me touches my heart,” he said drily. “Have you anything else to propose for my success on the morrow?”
“Promise me that you will not touch the pistols before I hand them to you on the field in the morning. I will inspect them, I will load them, and all you need to do is stand exactly where I say and shoot in the direction I tell you.”
“I thank you for taking prodigious care of me,” he muttered.
When Fitzwilliam rose to leave, Darcy called out after him to wait. “I am indeed sincerely and forever grateful for your aid.” They shook hands, and Fitzwilliam left.
Darcy reflected on the ordeal he would face tomorrow. He would have preferred to have influenced Wickham another way: encouraging a sense of duty in him, convincing him that he would make his life miserable if he did not acquiesce, or bribing him with a substantial amount of money. But Darcy would face Wickham with the same unyielding determination he had faced every challenge in his—until now—well-ordered existence.
He wondered whether Elizabeth might be grateful for his heroic attention to duty and honour, but he could understand full well her anger at placing himself in the position of Wickham aiming a pistol at him.
