He stiffened, “I do not wish to redeem myself madam, all I want is to explain. After that you are free to think of me as you will.”
“I am free now.” She retorted, her face mottled with anger.
“Of course you are, but you do not have all the facts.”
“Facts? What facts? You decided that my sister was a fortune hunter. You were the principal if not the only means of dividing them from each other. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there. Your callous actions exposed Mr Bingley to the censure of the world for caprice and instability and Jane to its derision, disappointed hopes and a broken heart.You involved them both in misery of the acutest kind, then you boasted to your cousin about your perverse success.”
Darcy flinched and stopped walking.
Elizabeth snatched her hand from his arm and rubbed her forehead again, “Excuse me, Mr Darcy; I must return to the house for I have a headache.”
“Miss Bennet...” Darcy tried to gently hold her back. “Please do me the honour of listening to what I have to say, madam.”
She turned on her heel and ran leaving Darcy alone and feeling completely defeated.
Chapter 6
Richard found his cousin drinking heavily in the library, his speech starting to slur.
“Darcy, what the hell... what are you doing?”
“What do you think I am doing Richard? I am enjoying the best brandy money can buy.” He waved the bottle at this cousin. “I think you should have some before I drink the whole lot.” He smiled and refilled his glass.
Richard walked to the desk, snatched the bottle from his cousin’s hand and tossed the glass with its full contents into the fire.
“What are you doing?” Darcy cried, “How could you throw away my drink like that? Who died and made you my master?”
“I am not your master but I am your best friend and I will not let you kill yourself because of a piece of skirt.”
“She is not a piece of skirt... She is the whole bloody thing... the whole skirt Richard. She is wonderful and I lo... I love her.”
“Yes I know, you have told me so already. The question is; does she deserve you and is she worth killing yourself for?”
“Yes oh yes she does, she is... she is... she is so angry with me Richard.” Darcy laid his head on the desk pathetically. “I cannot tell her what I need to say because she will not listen... she was almost screaming at me, like you accused her of doing the other day, like... like... a fishwife.” Darcy chuckled drunkenly. “She is actually very beautiful when she is angry, is she not?”
“Very well Darcy let us go to your bedchamber and get you into a bath, shall we? I think when you sleep this off you will feel better.”
“I do not... I don’t want to sleep, I want to drink... did you know that dear Aunt Catherine has a whole pallet of smuggled Napoleon Brandy?”
“No I did not,” Richard said putting his arm under Darcy’s shoulder and lifting him up on his feet. “You can show me her stash tomorrow. Now let us go.”
“Nooo, Richard, you must stay here with me and finish that bottle... where did you put it?” Darcy looked around confused.
“Darcy you are very heavy, I cannot carry you. Can you walk properly please?”
“Of course... of course I can, I am not drunk.”
“Yes my good fellow you are miserably drunk and also too tall for me to support you properly. You must walk by yourself.”
“In that case, I shall stay here... and sleep... after I finish that bottle.” Darcy sat heavily again in the chair and laid his head once again upon the table. “It is nice here... I want to die here. Please Richard let me die, I am broken-hearted.”
“Oh do not speak nonsense Darcy, nobody is going to die, least of all, you.”
“I want to die... if she does not forgiiiive meeee... I want to diiiie.”
“Oh you are a real pain, did you know that?” Richard walked to the bell pull and rang for assistance, realising he would not be able to take Darcy to his bedchamber without help.
The butler appeared almost immediately, “Oh Mr Gibbs, could you get Daniels to come and help me move his master to his bedroom, please?”
