Page 182 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“Besides, as they have already been gone overnight, it is likely marriage is the only honourable course for Lydia,” Mr Bennet whispered.

“Elizabeth, what do you suggest?” Lord Alveston asked, and all eyes turned to her. Her cheeks burned with ire.

“Lydia is young and thoughtless. She does not know her heart yet. She is infatuated but cannot be truly in love. As for him, he will never be a decent husband to her. He will not even be able to provide for her, and I suspect they both have debts.”

“I have sent an express to Darcy. If he is in town, he might be of some help to us,” Bingley said.

“Mr Darcy has always been a help to us. He shared with me his suspicions about Wickham a month ago. And last week he wrote to me, about some rumours he heard that Lydia and Wickham had met on several occasions. But I did not heed his warning, and now I am paying for my disregard with my daughter’s future and my family’s tranquillity,” Mr Bennet said wearily.

“What help do you expect from Mr Darcy?” Lady Kendal asked Bingley.

“I am not certain, but he might suggest a course of action as he has known Wickham all his life.”

“Do you fear Wickham might only compromise Lydia and not marry her?” Lord Alveston questioned.

“That would have been a reasonable assumption until a year ago,” Elizabeth answered with deep embarrassment. “But now, I fear he sees her as a way to assure himself an easy living. He must presume that having two sisters married well, Lydia will be well taken care of.”

“My dear, if he agrees to be a good husband to Lydia, we could take care of them both,” Lady Kendal offered generously. “We do have the means to assure them a decent living. We have several properties where they might reside. He can find something to turn into a career, and we shall support him.”

“I doubt Mr Wickham would be interested in a career. He has been given many opportunities to make a respectable living, but instead he chose a life of easy gains and dissipation. He is likely deep in debt and unable to support himself since he left the militia a year ago. And Lydia was easy prey to him. But I will surely not use the family’s fortune to indulge George Wickham!” Elizabeth declared severely.

“So, what do you think is the best choice, Lizzy?” her father asked.

She abandoned her severe tone. “I am not sure, Papa. What matters to me is to know Lydia is safe and her actions are of her own will. If she has decided to marry him, I doubt we shall be able to change her mind. You should find them and speak to them both. I cannot think further.”

“We should leave then,” Mr Gardiner concluded. “Your aunt Gardiner and the children have moved in with Jane, to keep her company. It will take us days to reach Gretna Green and return. You should proceed with your travelling plans and return to London. We shall all meet in town as soon as we resolve this distressing situation.”

The three departed, Mr Bennet casting a remorseful glance at Elizabeth. She noticed it but had no strength to put him at ease.

Elizabeth was so troubled and upset that she barely heard her husband and grandmother’s attempts to comfort her. She felt guilty that her family could draw these two gentle and flawless people into such a scandal. She was angry that selfish Lydia had repaid Lady Kendal’s generosity in such a thoughtless manner. She apologised to them repeatedly and was rewarded with their kind understanding. But her torment, as well as her fury, increased with every passing hour.

Once again, George Wickham had infected their lives, despite Darcy’s magnanimous efforts to protect them.

There was nothing left to do but pray for Lydia to be unharmed and for Lady Elizabeth Alveston to have a chance to speak to George Wickham directly!

∞∞∞

At the end of August, Elizabeth and her relatives returned to their own homes. Waiting for her husband and her youngest daughter, Mrs Bennet refused to return to Longbourn alone and remained in town at the Alveston residence.

Mr Bennet, Mr Gardiner, and Mr Bingley wasted a week on the road, chasing the fugitives north. They did meet Mr Darcy on the way, as he travelled towards Pemberley, but there was not much help he could offer. By the time they found Lydia and Wickham, the two had wedded and were on their way south to London.

As part of his obvious plan to marry Lydia, Wickham had not kept the elopement a secret. His friends were all aware of it, and the reports quickly spread amongst the ton. The new Lady Alveston’s sister eloping with a former militia officer was delicious fodder for the gossips for several days. Later in September, with total disregard for the distress of others, Mr and Mrs Wickham returned to town as guests of the Gardiners in Cheapside.

Mrs Bennet was in raptures, calling the wedding of her youngest daughter the happiest of news—forgetting the scandalous circumstances that caused it—and immediately made plans to return to Longbourn with the report of three daughters married.

Mr Bennet found the strength to speak to Elizabeth and to share all the details of the painful journey with her. “Wickham is the most impertinent man I have ever met, Lizzy. I was so ashamed to see Darcy—he is truly a remarkable fellow,” Mr Bennet declared, while Elizabeth blushed, warmed by the mere mention of the man.

“What did he do, Papa? Wickham, I mean. Besides eloping in the middle of the night with a young girl, like a thief.”

“His behaviour is outrageous. He has declared he has debts of over five thousand pounds and that he will not be able to share a comfortable life with his new wife until he is relieved of those. Can you imagine?”

Elizabeth was stunned and appalled. “He expects his debts to be paid? Of course he does. By whom?”

“I do not know. He seemed to presume Mr Darcy would do something for him. For some strange reason, Darcy feels responsible for the scoundrel. He was tempted to purchase his debts. He said this way he would have Wickham in his power. But I strongly opposed the idea! Despite their past, Wickham is now my son-in-law. If he must be someone’s responsibility, he should be mine.”

Elizabeth felt ill, staring at her father in disbelief. “Mr Darcy wished to purchase Wickham’s debts? Dear Lord, I am so happy you opposed it, Papa! Mr Darcy has already wasted too much money and too much time on that poor excuse for a man! Why would he keep doing so? It is not his duty!”

She spoke to her father but to herself too, her heart melting at this new proof of Darcy’s kindness. Instead of being offended that they had ignored his warning, he had offered his support in finding the fugitives. And his intention to purchase Wickham’s debts was certainly a new attempt at controlling the man who had become a plague on their lives.