Page 167 of Bitterness of Spirit & The Painting

Elizabeth startled, looking at her aunt in wonder.

“Darcy suggested it and Mrs Gardiner agreed,” Bingley explained. “He said that there are other guests at Crawford Cottage while at Mrs Clarke’s it is only the two of us. We do not want to cause any more trouble than necessary.”

“But I do not want to leave! I want to marry Wickham! I know he will come for me,” she repeated until the carriage arrived at their destination.

During the next hour, Mrs Clarke—their new host—showed perfect discretion and efficiency. Several rooms were free and clean, but Elizabeth chose one on the top floor, with a heavy door that was easy to lock.

Luckily, Lydia and Kitty fell asleep as easily as they used to at home. Jane struggled for a while, until she was overcome by tiredness too. But Elizabeth remained awake, staring through the window, listening in vain for the sound of a carriage or horse.

Hours passed and the night was still. Eventually, with her head leaning against the window, she kept slipping into a place between dreams and reality and startled when an unusual sound broke through the stillness. She could hear a horse’s hooves. They stopped and she knew it must be Darcy. She slowly unlocked the door, exited and locked it again, leaving the key just outside. Then she tiptoed down the stairs in the strange house, trying to find the front door. She was still wearing her day clothes, only a few rebel locks had escaped from their pins.

She waited for a moment but nobody entered, so she decided to go out and see if he was there.

“Miss Elizabeth?” On a chair in the corner sat Stevens, watching the door.

“I would like to go out, Stevens.”

“The master has arrived, miss. I spoke to him through the window. He said he was going swimming and would return shortly. You cannot go out at this hour, the master would not approve.”

“He would, I promise you. Stevens, I need to go out. Please.”

Reluctantly, the servant opened the door and she hurried through the unknown garden towards the beach.

She knew it was foolish, but she had to speak to him before she returned home and she knew there would be no other opportunity. When she approached the shore, he was already in the water. His coat and waistcoat, as well as his shoes, were lying on the beach, while he cut through the water with long, steady strokes. When he saw her standing there, he immediately returned.

His wet clothes were sticking to his body and she gulped, trying not to look at him below the neck.

“Miss Bennet? What are you doing here? I asked Stevens to lock the door and watch it! Why are you not asleep?”

“I begged Stevens to let me out,” she whispered. “I wished to speak to you.”

He was now close enough that she could smell the saltiness of the sea on his body.

“And could you not wait until tomorrow?” he asked, with a smile that she did not remember seeing before.

“Tomorrow we will leave…We return to Longbourn.”

“Yes, I know,” he answered with a calmness that contrasted with her inner torment.

“I wished to tell you that I am very sorry to have caused you even more distress. I should have been more careful with Lydia.”

“No, I should have settled the matter with Wickham long ago. It is my fault entirely. But as you told me a few nights ago, what is done is in the past now. We should be grateful nothing worse happened. Your sister would have been miserable even if he married her.”

“Yes, I know that. And where is he now?”

“Wickham? He is still with the colonel—he took on the responsibility of finding him a new commission somewhere in the north.”

“But…Charles said Wickham had many debts. How can he leave so easily? And how will he pay for his commission?”

“As I said, all is settled,” he repeated.

“Have you paid for him? Again? Please tell me?”

“I have. But this time, I will purchase all his debts and he will owe me. He will be obliged by legal documents to play by certain rules. And I will be able to throw him in the debtors’ prison whenever I please if he breaks them.”

“I am sure you will not do that. What a hateful man! If only I could speak to him and shame him to his face!”

He smiled at her anger.