Cold moved through him like ice water. He remembered that name. Mrs Ahearn had mentioned it in passing, identifying the women as members of the Sempill family, known for having a scheming grandmother inclined towards scrupulous marital measures.
“From the look on your face, it is clear that you recognise it. The name meant nothing to me initially when I first examined the correspondence. But upon reading the contents and making certain inquiries...” She pressed the missive into his reluctant hand. “Perhaps you ought to judge for yourself.”
Against every inclination, Darcy unfolded the pages. The script was feminine and unfamiliar. He skimmed the opening pleasantries before catching on phrases that set his mind whirling.
My sweet Elizabeth,
How wonderful to receive your letter! I confess I had feared our old friendship entirely severed after so long. Your kindness in writing, despite everything that has transpired, means more than I can adequately express...
Nausea rose in his throat, but he knew he had to finish the letter.
Congratulations are certainly in order regarding your marriage to Mr Darcy. I think I extended such in our previous correspondence, but I truly must tell you how delighted I am for you. Your mother must be pleased also, given the implications.
He seems an excellent match, far better suited to you than he ever would have been to me, regardless of our original hopes. I am relieved matters resolved as they did. You were always destined for something greater than the schemes desperation forced upon us...
The words blurred. His mind raced through implications, possibilities, and explanations that might make this mean something other than what it appeared to mean. But the phrases lingered, impossibly damning.Our original hopes.The schemes desperation forced upon us.There was the clear suggestion of coordination, likely proof of Elizabeth’s involvement in the very plots against which she had supposedly rescued him.
I understand your position does not allow you to financially assist as of right now, but in due course, I would be grateful for anything that can be spared…
He could not continue reading. The words were already burning themselves into his memory. His aunt’s voice seemed to come from a great distance, filtered through the roaring in his ears. “You see? She has been corresponding with these people and offering them assistance. The entire scheme—your supposed rescue, the hasty engagement, everything else—was orchestrated from the beginning. You have been deceived, Fitzwilliam, by a woman who clearly works in concert with fortune hunters to entrap wealthy men. I would not be surprised to learn that her family’s also involved in this.”
“That is…” He barely recognised the voice that came out. He cleared his throat and tried again with marginally more success. “You cannot know with certainty that the Bennets are involved in this.”
“Can I not? Mrs Bennet’s comments at dinner this evening, what was that if not admission of coordinated strategy? I take no pleasure in this revelation. Nor do I derive satisfaction from being proven correct about your wife’s unsuitability. But you must face the truth. Her entire rescue was theatre designed to position her as your saviour, thereby obligating you to herthrough gratitude and honour. A brilliant strategy, actually, far more sophisticated than simple compromise.”
Darcy stared down at the pages, unable to look away. Elizabeth had written to these people, maintaining secret correspondence and promising them help from his own coffers most likely. These weren’t just any women. These were individuals who had attempted to trap him into unwanted matrimony, without regard for his own involvement.
What possible explanation could justify such contact? What reason could she have for corresponding with his attempted entrappers except...
The obvious answer loomed before him, unavoidable however much he wished to deny it. She had played her role in an elaborate scheme that had succeeded beyond anything simple compromise could have achieved, because instead of trapping him into marriage with a stranger, she had secured the position herself whilst appearing to be his rescuer rather than another hunter.
“I know this is difficult to accept, but you must protect yourself and the dignity of your position. An annulment might still be possible if the marriage has not been…if you have not...”
“Enough.” His utterance was sharp enough to make his aunt pause mid-sentence. “Leave me. I need... I need to think.”
“Of course. Take whatever time you require.” She paused at the door. “But Fitzwilliam, do not allow sentiment to blind you to reality. Whatever feelings you may have developed for this woman, they were built on deception. Remember that when you confront her.”
The door closed behind her, leaving Darcy alone with the wreckage of everything he had allowed himself to believe.
He sank into the nearest chair, forcing himself to read the correspondence again. He searched desperately for alternative interpretations, anything that might make this mean something other than total betrayal.
Yet the words remained stubbornly damning. Elizabeth had let him fall hopelessly in love with her while scheming in secret.
Did she truly care for him?
And how long did she intend to maintain the pretence, appearing to be affectionate while laughing privately at how thoroughly she had deceived him into believing their union was a genuine partnership?
The fire burned low in the grate, casting shadows that seemed to mock his earlier contentment. He stared into it, the letter still clutched in his grasp like an accusation he could not release.
As he sat alone in the study, he wondered if anything between them had ever been real at all.
Chapter Twenty-four
Elizabeth
Elizabeth blinked against morning brightness, disoriented, her mind struggling to piece together fragmented recollections from the previous evening. After a lengthy conversation with her sisters, she had returned to the bedchamber, where she stayed awake reading by candlelight until exhaustion claimed her.
She’d waited up for him after leaving her sisters to their rest but eventually, fatigue had overpowered her and she’d decided to wait for him in bed.
