His Uncle's Favorite (62 page)

“I am glad you understood my intentions so easily,” the earl said.

“Of course we understood; it was quite obvious—as it is obvious that you are not well!”

“No, I am not well, Robert. In truth, I have not been so unwell in a very long time; since we spoke yesterday, I have spent not a moment without blaming myself and—”

“Father, I am truly sorry for upsetting you so; I know I have been unfair.”

“No, Son, please do not apologise; it was my duty as a father to see that my favouring George did not affect you all—and I failed. Your well-deserved outburst opened my eyes; and now I ask again—what should we do with him?”

“Do you believe Wickham will change, Father?”

“Not at all. Unless something truly dramatic occurs to him, George will never change. He will find a way to convince us of his good intentions and promise us again that he will change. But he will not. And to be honest, I could not allow him to fall without lending him a hand. I cannot leave him in debtors’ prison. I know I am weak, but at least I admit the truth.”

“So you or Darcy will pay his debts, and you will allow him to marry Miss Lydia.”

“Cousin, it was a truly joyous moment to see Uncle tormenting Wickham. But, to be honest, Wickham was correct: this marriage does not depend on Uncle’s will—or mine.”

“And George will easily understand that as soon as he considers the entire situation. He is no fool. I believe he will be more worried about having his debts paid and a living offered to him than about the marriage itself.”

“I agree, Uncle. We must speak to Mr. Bennet; hopefully, he and Elizabeth had more success in changing Miss Lydia’s mind. In any case, I had already arranged for a special licence to enable a quick marriage. Also, I will see to his debts, and we must consider an adequate commission for him. At this point, I can think of nothing to suit him.”

“Darcy, give me the list of George’s creditors. George is my responsibility; please allow me to fulfil it without further arguments. As for a living, if the marriage takes place, I believe the best arrangement will be to purchase him a commission in another regiment somewhere in the North. I shall speak to my friend, the general.”

“It will be an important sum,” Darcy said, handing the earl the list, as he understood he had no other choice. “It will very likely be nearly ten thousand pounds.”

“I appreciate your concern, Darcy, but Matlock’s pecuniary situation has significantly improved, especially during the years I worked with Edward Gardiner. Besides, I truly depend on your excellent estate management skills to help me recover that sum shortly,” the earl said, smiling bitterly.

***

The moment they arrived in Gracechurch Street, all three were invited into the library where Mr. Bennet seemed to be even more distressed and angry than he was earlier; he could do nothing to convince Lydia against marrying Wickham. He apologised for the dreadful situation that affected them all so greatly—until the earl interrupted him. Calmly, Lord Matlock informed Mr. Bennet of their decision regarding Wickham since the marriage seemed likely.

As they spoke, Elizabeth entered the library, glancing with worry from one man to another. She greeted the colonel, then the earl—who embraced her affectionately—then moved towards Darcy, who took her hands and tenderly put his arm around her shoulders.

“You seemed troubled,” she whispered, holding his gaze.

“I am very well now that I see you again.” He smiled, placing a kiss on her hands.

“Perhaps you two wish to speak in private; do not allow us to disturb you,” the earl said with obvious mockery. Elizabeth’s face turned red.

“Since you mention it—yes I would like to speak to Elizabeth privately with Mr. Bennet’s permission. The music room would suffice, I believe,” Darcy answered in earnest. The others stared at him, uncertain whether he were serious or not.

“The music room would be fine,” said Mr. Bennet, and without hesitation, Darcy took Elizabeth’s arm and left the library.

He closed the door of the music room and finally looked at Elizabeth, whose eyes were darkened in concern. He put his arms around her and crushed her against his chest, as though he thought she might escape. She first remained still in his embrace, obviously surprised, then she allowed her hands to glide around his waist and tightened herself to him until there was only one heart beat and one breath sound.

“Will you not tell me what troubles you so?” she whispered when the silence became unbearable. He allowed some distance between them then took her hand, and they sat together on the settee. He just looked at her, his fingers gently caressing her face, then kissed her forehead, cheeks, and temples. When he stopped, he looked at her again.

She cupped his face with her small hands, her eyes sparkling with tears.

“You must tell me what pains you so, my love.”

He turned his head so that his lips could reach her palm. He then embraced her again, and another long silence followed. She ceased asking, resting her head on his chest and listening carefully to his heart, beating wilder than usual.

“It pains me to think how close I came to never knowing love, happiness and passion. It pains me to realise how different my life would be now. When I left Netherfield in November, I willingly ran away from the most frightening feeling I have ever known—from you—and I was certain my duty demanded it. My heart breaks to know you might have been only a memory.”

His face was as pale, lifeless, and troubled as it was that horrible day in January. Her heart ached, and her own pain left her breathless. She cupped his face again, but as he was much taller, his face was still too far from hers, so she daringly struggled to her knees on the couch, so she could hold his eyes. He smiled at this childish gesture and unexpectedly pulled her onto his lap. Then he tightly embraced her once more. “You are my joy, Elizabeth,” he whispered.

“And you are my life, William. I have had the same frightening thoughts so many times. Now that I am so close to my happiness, I often worry about how close I came never to know the strength of such feelings. But we should not worry any longer! You must learn some of my philosophy: think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure,” she said, caressing his handsome face.

He smiled. “You are very wise, Miss Bennet. I shall diligently learn any philosophy you will teach me. And you are perfectly right—we should not worry any longer.”

They spent the next moments in a tender embrace, silently comforting each other. Elizabeth did not dare to inquire further, though she suspected something quite dramatic must have occurred to trouble him so; he seemed unwilling to share more details, and she respected his decision. After some time, he gently placed her back on the couch.

“Speaking of troubling situations—I understand Miss Lydia is determined to marry Wickham.”

Elizabeth blushed. “Unfortunately, she is. We could not convince her otherwise. I…my aunt and I suspect that they already…you know…”

“Yes, I suspect that, too. We spoke to Wickham earlier; the earl was exceedingly harsh with him. He finally seems to understand the extent of Wickham’s wild behaviour, and he was very upset to be deceived and betrayed for such a long time.”

“I feel sorry for the earl’s pain, but I am glad he eventually realised the whole truth. But…what shall we do now?”

“We discussed all the details. I must confess that the earl insisted on taking upon himself all Wickham’s expenses. I would have gladly borne it, but there was no room to argue with my uncle. He said Wickham is his responsibility.”

“Oh dear, what a shame. Because of Lydia’s reckless behaviour, the earl must—”

“My love, please believe me that your sister’s situation is not the only reason for the earl’s involvement. You must not trouble yourself. Wickham will have his debts paid, and he will receive a new commission in the North. They will likely marry in a few days and leave immediately. I wish them to be far away before our wedding. I hope you and your father approve these—”

“Thank you, my love,” she whispered.

“Now we must return; I would not force your father to come after us,” Darcy said laughing. “And… I cannot hope for you to sleep at our house again.”

“No indeed.” She laughed, blushing. “I must be here to help my aunt take care of Lydia, Besides, I do not believe my father would approve in any case.”

“Sad news, indeed.” He sighed, quite serious. “Fortunately, before long I will not need anyone’s permission for you to sleep in my house.” He stole a kiss from her moist lips.

Their return to the library was received with meaningful smiles and sharp glances. Elizabeth declared she would retire, but before doing so, she placed a gentle kiss on the earl’s cheek. He looked at her in surprise as she thanked him with a smile and left.

“We sent for Wickham,” the colonel said. “He will be here shortly.”

“Excellent; if this marriage must take place, it is better to do it sooner rather than later,” said Mr. Bennet.

“When everything is settled with Wickham, I shall send a letter to Longbourn. Elizabeth and I will stay in town for the wedding.”“Excellent arrangement. If all goes well, we will have no reason to delay our own wedding,” Darcy said only a moment before Wickham was announced.

“Mr. Bennet, Lord Matlock, such an honour to see you again,” the newly arrived said.

“Be quiet, George, and listen to me carefully. We wish to know whether you have given your situation proper consideration. Are you decided to marry Miss Lydia Bennet?”

“Indeed I am, sir!”

“Do you remember what we discussed earlier?”

“I do remember every single word, your lordship.”

“Very well. You will marry as you wish. Now—here is the list of your debts. I took it from Darcy, and I will pay it. You are now in my complete debt, George. You shall never bother Darcy again under any circumstance. Am I clear enough so far?”

“Very clear, sir. And I thank you deeply for your kindness—”

“Darcy arranged for a special licence; you will be married in a few days. You will receive a commission in a northern regiment and leave immediately after the wedding. I expect you to prove your intention of changing your habits immediately. I shall keep an eye on you every moment, George. Do not disappoint me again. I expect you to comply with your duties and take care of your wife.”

“I will, your lordship. I shall not disappoint you. I—”

“Oh, George, I am so happy to see you again,” cried Lydia, bursting into the library. “Your uncle made me leave with him; I wished to wait for you, but he said you sent for me! And they tried to convince me not to marry you, and Lizzy was so mean to me. She said I will not be happy with you, but I imagine she is just jealous.”

“Lydia!” exclaimed Elizabeth, mortified.

“Oh, it is true, Lizzy; you are jealous. Everybody knows George was your favourite! Oh, I am so happy to see you, my love!” She almost threw herself onto Wickham’s neck while the others looked at each other in deep embarrassment.

“These will be very long days—very long indeed,” Mr. Bennet said, and nobody attempted to contradict him.

***

Two days later, life in Gracechurch Street was neither easy nor comfortable. Lydia’s behaviour did not change in the slightest; she remained just as careless, and nothing interested her except her “dear Wickham.”

Since the wedding was a certainty, Mr. Wickham dined in Gracechurch Street every evening. Consequently, neither Darcy nor his sister accepted a dinner invitation.

Lord Matlock came the next day at Mrs. Gardiner’s special invitation. He found her alone in the drawing room, her expression preoccupied and slightly flushed.

“Lord Matlock, I could not allow another day to pass without thanking you for your unexampled kindness to my poor niece. Ever since Elizabeth told me, I have been most anxious to acknowledge to you how gratefully I feel it.”

“Mrs. Gardiner, I am exceedingly sorry that you have been informed about these particulars. To be honest, I asked for Mr. Bennet’s confidence, but it seems I forgot to tell Darcy. Please do not speak of gratitude; I did nothing more than what was my duty. I would not want this situation to make you uneasy.”

“It does give me uneasiness as it makes Elizabeth uneasy. We cannot but feel sorry that Lydia’s behaviour cost you and Mr. Darcy such exorbitant expense—”

“Mrs. Gardiner!” the earl interrupted her, stepping closer and gently taking her hand. She averted her eyes but did not withdraw her hand. “Mrs. Gardiner, this situation is settled. Let us speak of it no more. I thank you for your kind words, though they are unnecessary. Now, is Mr. Bennet home, I hope? Oh, and I almost forgot, Selina said she will call later; she wished to introduce my niece Anne to you.”

“I… Yes, my brother Bennet is in the library. I look forward to seeing Selina and Miss de Bourgh,” she said, a warm smile on her face.

”Excellent; I want to take him to the club. Darcy and my sons will join us.”

“He will be pleased, I am sure. And I was wondering…if you are not otherwise engaged, we would be honoured to have you as our guest for dinner tonight.”

“No, I am not otherwise engaged—thank you. I shall see you again later, then.”

“Excellent,” she said, and the earl laughed, as his words sounded quite strange coming from her.