His Uncle's Favorite (59 page)

The door opened, and Miles entered, handing a note to his master; the next moment he disappeared, closing the door in silence.

“I must leave now,” the earl said suddenly, rising from his seat.

“Uncle, let us talk to clear this misunderstanding,” Darcy said gently.

“I cannot talk now; I must leave. I have something to do. I must go,” the earl repeated and hurried away. Darcy tried to follow him, but the colonel’s voice stopped him.

“Darcy, let him leave.”

“Robert, you had no right to judge the earl as you did, nor to hurt him so. His care for you has always been beyond reproach, though you know very well that it was not easy for him. I cannot believe you truly doubt his love for you or that you are jealous of his affection for Wickham.”

“I do not doubt his love for us, and perhaps you are right; I undeservedly hurt him. And I was a complete idiot to tell him about Selina and Georgiana in such a careless way; forgive me. But I could not hold back my anger. It is best that he left; I cannot possibly talk to him now.”

When the hour was reasonable enough for a visit to the solicitor’s office, Darcy and Robert Fitzwilliam still had not succeeded in finding a reasonable explanation for the extraordinary argument. The consequences of the colonel’s lack of sleep and the early morning brandy had almost vanished—after two cups of coffee and a repeated refreshing of his face with cold water—so he could reasonably see the errors in his conduct of the discussion with his father. Neither he nor Darcy could believe that what they had suspected for a long time—that Wickham was the earl’s son—proved to be wrong. However, neither of them had the smallest doubt that the earl told them the truth.

Miles was sent to bring the list of Wickham’s debts; a quick calculation showed that the amount was as large as the colonel feared. It was then discussed what kind of living Wickham could be provided, assuming Lydia was determined to marry him.

With news to share, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam went to meet Mr. Bennet. It was already noon, and Darcy considered whether he should see Elizabeth and Georgiana. Besides being slightly worried for them, he had not spoken to Elizabeth at all that day, and he missed her. He also remembered that he promised Elizabeth she would have the chance to speak to Lydia before any final decision was made, and he intended to keep his promise.

They arrived at Mrs. Gardiner’s house and asked to see Mr. Bennet. Before the servant had time to make the announcement, a din of voices startled the silence of the house; without hesitation, they headed to the library where they found the most astonishing gathering: Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Gardiner, Lord Matlock and Miss Lydia Bennet in the midst of a most animated and not quite civilised debate.

“Papa, you cannot forbid me to marry Wickham, no matter what you say! I love him dearly, and I wish for nothing but to marry him! I care for nothing but him!”

“Miss Lydia, be reasonable; surely you can see that we want what is best for you.”

“Oh, I do not wish to talk to you anymore, Lord Matlock! I will not let myself be deceived again! You tricked me to come with you, and you promised to take me to see George. Just wait until I tell him you lied to me! George said you are his friend and said you will help us, but it looks like you lied to him, too. You are mean and dishonest!”

Mr. Bennet took a step forward and slapped Lydia with such force that her cheeks reddened instantly. She looked at her father in shock; never in her life had she been punished by her father; he never even raised his voice to them. The angry expression on his face made her step back in disbelief.

“One single disrespectful word to Lord Matlock and I will send you away with no hesitation. I will easily find a place across the sea to have you locked up for the next five years—without revealing your location to anyone. You must see I am not joking, girl. I shall not even demand that you apologise to the earl, as not even your excuses are worth hearing. Now—you wish to marry Wickham? Be it as you like. You will write me a note this very moment, asking my permission to marry him. That way, every time you complain about how unhappy you are with no means to support yourselves, I will remind you of this note. You are very young, it is true, and your reckless behaviour is entirely my fault; I shall not deny that. This is why I am willing to take you home and bear the shame of your elopement if only to protect you from a lifetime of suffering. But if you refuse to see reason and reject any advice coming from me, as well as from your aunt and from the man who generously took the trouble of finding you, then you deserve no concern and no care. Write me the note, and marry Wickham.”

As Mr. Bennet spoke, his voice turned more cold and severe; his attempt to conceal his anger, disappointment, and self-reproach defeated his strength. He needed to sit; only then did he notice Darcy and the colonel entering the room.

“Lord Matlock, I beg your forgiveness, I do not mean to upset you or Papa, but you cannot convince me to leave Wickham! Papa, I want to marry him; I love him so much, and he makes me so happy! Please, Papa! You cannot send me away or lock me up only because I want to marry the man I love. Lizzy and Jane are marrying two wealthy men, but I am sure they do not love their betrotheds half as much I love my Wickham. Please, Papa,” Lydia pleaded in an entirely different voice, which Mr. Bennet easily recognised. It was what she always did when she wished to have her way—first ask, then demand, then beg and cry. And she always succeeded. Mrs. Gardiner took her arm.

“Lydia, let us go upstairs and find you something to change into. We will discuss more of this later. Excuse us, gentlemen,” Mrs. Gardiner said with a glance at the earl.

They left the room, and Mr. Bennet covered his face with trembling hands.

“She is right; I cannot lock her away to forbid her marrying him. What should I do?”

“She seems determined to have him,” the earl said. “She seems even to be in love with him. We can keep her away from him by force if you wish, but…I believe none of us would dare to offer you any advice in such a delicate situation. The decision must belong to you, Mr. Bennet, and we will do what needs to be done to accomplish it.”

“She is not sixteen yet,” Mr. Bennet said in a pained, low voice. “I never took proper care of her before, so I am lost as to what is best to be done now. I do not know… I would like to speak to Madeleine…and to Elizabeth, too.”

“I believe that is best,” Darcy intervened. “Since Miss Lydia is here, we have no reason to rush a meeting with Wickham. Elizabeth is with my sister; I have not spoken to either of them today, but I will bring her to speak to you.”

“Very well; we must decide what is best, not only for Lydia but for our entire family. I thank you, gentlemen. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done. I would have been lost without your help.”

“Unfortunately, it seems there is not much we can do either, sir; we will see you again later and do what you have decided” said the earl, while all three of them left the house.

“May I ask where you found the girl?” the colonel asked once they were out on the street.

“There are few places George could afford to leave her. Except for Mrs. Younge, there is another house where he usually stays. The…lady who owns the house is a close friend of his. I had met her before, so she did not hesitate to allow Miss Lydia to come with me.”

“So fortunate that you have such a close knowledge of Wickham’s favourite friends and haunts,” the colonel replied with sharp mockery.

“You helped us solve a very delicate situation, Uncle; we thank you for that.” Darcy gave his cousin a reproachful glare.

“Yes, well… Unfortunately, it looks like there is little that can be done; Miss Lydia has made her decision. However, there is something that troubles me, Robert. Please explain what you meant about George seducing Selina and Georgiana. I know he has been ungrateful and disrespectful to you, Darcy, but I fear there is more—”

“There is much more, Uncle, and I would rather not speak of that, but since Robert already mentioned it—I believe we may trust your secrecy. It is important, however, that this matter remain between us.”

“Do not doubt my secrecy, Darcy; perhaps I have not proved myself trustworthy when it comes to George, but you must know I would never betray your confidence.”

“Very well then—we shall relate the facts to you as soon as we arrive home. Perhaps it is time to discuss everything openly before something else occurs.”

“I could not agree more. That is precisely why there is something else I need to ask you—both of you. While Miss Elizabeth speaks to her father and her aunt, I would like to talk to you two—and Thomas and Selina. I believe it is time to openly discuss George.”

“Uncle, this is not something to be done in haste—or in the heat of a difficult moment.”

“Father, I have had enough talk of Wickham!”

“Please, Darcy…Robert; let us not argue. I shall be home, waiting for you. Please…”

The younger gentlemen reluctantly agreed to meet later at Matlock’s house, and they were ready to depart when the sudden appearance of a Darcy carriage surprised them exceedingly. Nervous and worried, Georgiana and Elizabeth greeted the gentlemen.

Darcy immediately informed them that Miss Lydia was in the house, news received with great relief. He then told them that Mr. Bennet wished to speak to Elizabeth and suggested that Georgiana should return home. His proposal was readily accepted, so Darcy helped Elizabeth into the house then left with his sister.

Lord Matlock and his son returned home together without saying a word to each other during the journey. Once there, the colonel retired to his rooms while the earl wrote a short note to his daughter.

***

An hour later, inside the Matlock library, the earl, pale and silent after Darcy related to him the unknown details of Wickham’s behaviour, glanced with worry at the four young people who waited uneasily.

“Papa, please sit,” Selina said gently, inviting her father near her. He forced a smile while he gently kissed his daughter’s hand and started his confession without meeting their eyes.

“I never imagined I would have to carry out this discussion with my own children, to bear the shame of your judging me, perhaps even hating me and most likely never forgiving me. I have kept this story in deep secrecy, not to protect my pride but to protect you and to protect me from losing your affection, which is the most important thing in the world to me.”

“Papa,” Selina said, tearfully, “you shall never lose our affection!”

“My confession is a delicate family matter, but I invited Darcy too—first, because he is as close to me as you are and, second, because my actions affected him directly and painfully. But in order to go further, there are some things that need to be clarified, though you may know some of them. Our family, though one of the oldest in England, was sometimes more successful in preserving its good name and social place than in securing the pecuniary resources required to sustain a luxurious life. My grandfather and my father refused even to consider entering into any kind of business, limiting the fortune of the Matlock family to what God gave us through our several estates. After a few years of unfavourable weather, this proved insufficient for the estates’ needs, and it was not long before the family found itself in the shameful position of being forced to either sell some of its properties or bear relative poverty.”

He paused a moment, breathing deeply before he continued.

“As you may imagine, as the eldest and the only son in the family, it was expected of me to save the family. Once I finished my studies, I diligently involved myself in seeking a way to improve Matlock’s situation. In the meantime, however, my parents found an easier and more immediate means of settling things, arranging for me and for my sisters—Catherine and Anne—the most advantageous marriages our name and social status could buy. You might disapprove of the way I judge my parents, but it is difficult to conceal my feelings. By the time I was twenty, I knew I would marry Harriet, whose dowry was more than fifty thousand pounds. I knew little about her except that her family was an old and respectable one with a remarkable fortune that had improved miraculously during the past ten years. She was a few years older than me, beautiful and accomplished, as I was told.”

He stopped again and took a glass of wine while pacing the room. He quickly glanced at his companions then returned his eyes to the window.

“The summer before my wedding, I was in Bath with some friends when I first met Julia, the daughter of an attorney who also owned a shop. I was almost one and twenty; she was almost seventeen. Suffice to say, she was a most charming creature, full of joy, witty and playful; her blonde hair and blue eyes easily stole my heart. But, as I knew I should be married soon, I did everything to enjoy her company in a proper way during long walks and sparkling discussions. I confessed to her that I was engaged, and she said she was aware, even if I were not, that she would not have been a proper choice for a future earl.”

The earl paused again as speaking became too difficult; Darcy left his chair and went to pour himself a glass of wine while moving into a farther corner.

“We separated with affection and regret as I had to return home. I promised I would write to her, but she said it was not proper to do so. However, she said she would always be pleased to see me again if I ever happened to be in Bath. Needless to say, I returned to my duty with a heavy heart. For many days and nights, I could think of nothing else but her. Forgive me, my children; I am certain this is hard for you to understand, but I feel I need to explain to you how things turned out as they did…”