Darcy wasted no time. “Mr. Bennet, it is late, and I have much to discuss with you. If it is agreeable to you, I would like to call on you tomorrow morning to discuss the current situation. I have some ideas as to how I may be able to locate your daughter Lydia, but I would like first to become current on all the information you may have regarding her elopement and Wickham's situation. We need to discuss as well the arrangements you will authorize me to make for her once I have settled matters with Wickham.”
Mr. Bennet was exhausted from long days and nights of anxiety and self-recrimination, and was coming to a point of despair on the matter. Darcy's brash assumptions irritated him, and his ability to disguise his feelings was rapidly slipping. “So, Mr. Darcy, you propose to walk in, find Wickham and Lydia, make all the arrangements and solve all the problems. Do I have that correctly, or have I missed some points on your agenda?”
I should have asked Mr. Gardiner to join us, thought Darcy as his anger rose. I should have known that we would be at odds in a matter of minutes.. Struggling to keep his ire in check, he said in a cold tone, “You have it correctly. I had thought you would prefer to be consulted; if that is not the case, it will be simpler all around for me to proceed unilaterally on this matter.”
“You are very confident of yourself, Mr. Darcy.” Mr. Bennet's manner matched Darcy's for coolness.
Darcy knew that his ability to control his anger was reaching its limits. “I am confident that I stand the best chance of discovering Wickham and bringing matters to a satisfactory conclusion. Perhaps your daughter or Mr. Gardiner can apprise you of my plans in a manner that interests you more. I shall be in contact when I have information for you, then. Good evening, Mr. Bennet.” He swept out of the room.
Finding Elizabeth without, hoping for an opportunity to bid him farewell, he took her by both hands. “My love, you will have to teach me patience,” he said regretfully. “I fear that your father could make a saint curse, and I am no saint.”
“Why, what is the matter?” she asked with concern, unable to see any grounds for a disagreement.
“He is not interested in my assistance. It seems that he thinks that I am brash and overconfident.”
Elizabeth touched his cheek. “Oh, William. I am so sorry.”
Darcy sighed. “It is of no matter. I will proceed on my investigations, and perhaps he will find results more convincing than words. In any event, I hope to be able to call tomorrow, but if I am unable to, I will send word.”
“I will be thinking of you,” she said softly, conscious of how much she would miss him, after becoming accustomed to spending much of her days with him.
He raised her hands to his lips. “My dearest love, you will be in my thoughts every moment.” Their eyes locked, speaking volumes, until Darcy saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.
Mr. Bennet stood in the doorway. “I have spoken with my brother Gardiner, and he suggests that I may have been overhasty in spurning your assistance, Mr. Darcy,” he said in a voice which bespoke his dislike of the situation.
Elizabeth looked up at Darcy anxiously, hoping he would accept this overture. He tightened his grip on her hand briefly, then said levelly, “If there is assistance I can offer, it is yours.”
“Perhaps, as you suggested, we could meet tomorrow to share what we know.”
Darcy bowed. “I shall be here, sir.” He turned to Elizabeth, and said, “Until tomorrow, then.” He dearly wished to be back at Pemberley, where he could speak to her more freely.
Her gratitude for his patience showed in her eyes. “Good night, William,” she said softly.
He took his leave, and Elizabeth turned to her father. “You look very tired. I am sorry for what you must have endured here,” she said sympathetically.
He grimaced. “Say nothing of that. Who should suffer but myself? It has been my own doing, and I ought to feel it.”
“You must not be too severe upon yourself,” replied Elizabeth.
“You may well warn me against such an evil. Human nature is so prone to fall into it! No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough.”
“You at least need not be alone in this any longer,” she said.
His mouth quirked in a smile. “I confess I am glad to have you here, Lizzy, even if you did bring yon young pup with you.” He motioned with his head toward the front door.
Elizabeth, who had been growing to prefer Darcy's sense of playfulness to her father's sardonic humour, sighed with exasperation.
Darcy was grateful when the carriage finally pulled up in front of his townhouse. After helping Georgiana out, he strode into the house, where he was met by a flustered Philips. “Mr. Darcy!” he exclaimed. “We were not expecting you, sir.”
“I apologize for failing to send notice, Philips; we left Pemberley rather unexpectedly.” Darcy handed over his hat and coat.
“I will have your rooms prepared immediately, sir. Would you like some refreshment?”
“Yes, if Cook could put something together, I am sure we would all appreciate it.”
“Right away, sir. And, Mr. Darcy, I should mention that Colonel Fitzwilliam has been staying here; I hope that is not a problem, sir.”
“Not in the least.” Darcy wondered what would have brought his cousin to town again so shortly after his last visit, as the gentleman himself appeared in the hallway to check on the commotion.
“Darcy!” Colonel Fitzwilliam exclaimed. “What brings you here?” He kissed Georgiana's cheek warmly.
“A matter of business,” said Darcy briefly.
“And dare I ask how the lovely Miss Bennet is?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked with a knowing smile.
Darcy slapped his gloves against his cousin's arm. “Lovelier than ever, and not long to bear the name of Bennet,” he said good-humouredly.
The colonel raised his eyebrows. “That was quick work, Darcy. I take it the difficulties were overrated?”
“Not at all,” Darcy responded with a satisfied smile. “I was merely very convincing.”
“Is that so? Do I take it then that pistols at dawn are off?”
Darcy looked pleased. “Yes; I have decided to wait until you challenge me instead - then I can choose rapiers and spoil your pretty looks for you, cousin. Now, may I sit down in my own house, or are you planning an inquisition before you let us past the door?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam bowed elaborately and gestured them past him. Georgiana, after the long ride, wanted nothing so much as the opportunity to refresh herself, and proceeded to her rooms, while the gentlemen retired to the sitting room. Once they were settled, Darcy asked, “So, what are you doing here, Fitzwilliam?”
“Apart from drinking your port? Well, you know that I went back up to Newcastle, and no sooner had I arrived than his lordship sent me straight back here to indulge the Major General again, and then we repeated the whole cycle one more time, after which I told his Lordship that I thought it would be far more efficient for me to remain in London while he sent me instructions by post, rather than keeping the instructions in Newcastle and sending me back and forth by post. So, since you were away, and planning to shoot me at dawn as well, I imposed upon my dear brother and stayed with him for two days, after which I thought it unlikely that I would survive long enough for you to shoot me, so I decamped and threw myself on the mercy of Philips, who took pity upon me and took me in. He has not allowed me to drink too much of your port, though, more's the pity.”
“Fitzwilliam, you are welcome to every last drop of my port, and the rest of the wine cellar as well,” Darcy said meaningfully.
Colonel Fitzwilliam inclined his head. “Always happy to be of service. Now, what is this business that brings you post-haste to London and away from your lovely fiancée?”
Darcy grimaced. “Well, fortunately for my sanity, Elizabeth is only as far as Cheapside, but less fortunately, I have another problem with George Wickham.
”
“Wickham? That blackguard - what has he done now? If he has so much as looked at Georgiana....” The colonel's mien was threatening.
“No, this has nothing to do with her. He is trying the same trick again, though, but this time he has run off with Elizabeth's youngest sister. They are hiding here in town somewhere.” Darcy drained his glass. “I need to find him and make him marry her.”
“Is that all? No dragons to slay?”
“Believe me, Fitzwilliam, I would rather go up against a dragon any day. But, as it happens, it is Wickham, not a dragon, that is upsetting Elizabeth, so I go after Wickham.”
“How difficult do you think it will be?”
“It will be very expensive. I doubt it will be difficult. Wickham has always known how to state his price,” said Darcy sardonically.
“I take it he knows of your engagement.”
“It appears so. I cannot imagine any other reason he would be interested in Lydia; the Bennets have no money, and she is hardly a prize in other ways. No, he is after me, I have no doubts.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam helped himself to another glass of port. “Well, then, what do we do first?”
“We?”
“Of course. You cannot think I intend to let you have all the excitement of dealing with Wickham yourself, do you? I still have a few things to say to him about the matter of Georgiana.” Colonel Fitzwilliam had no intention of letting Wickham take advantage of Darcy as he had in the past; the man was too skilled at playing on Darcy's feelings.
“He is not worth pistols at dawn, Fitzwilliam,” said Darcy.
“Obviously not, and even if he were, I would never challenge him, since he would be certain to find some way to cheat.”
Darcy laughed. “I appreciate the offer, but I believe that I will be able to manage him myself.”
“I think it is only fair to warn you that I intend to be stubborn about this,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said amiably.
“And to think that I once believed that I had some measure of control over my life! Well, I am not about to face you over a bottle of port again, so if it matters so much to you, you are welcome to join me - perhaps you can keep me from violence.”
“Darcy!” he said with surprise. “You are becoming surprisingly reasonable. If this is the effect of Miss Bennet, I must say that she will be a fine addition to the family.”
“She has taught me a few hard lessons,” said Darcy, “but she is worth every one of them.”
The meeting with Mr. Bennet the next morning started on a harmonious note, in part because the main participants had each resolved to make an effort to restrain their tempers, and in part because the presence of Mr. Gardiner and Colonel Fitzwilliam diffused the tension. Darcy had also managed to steal a few minutes to talk to Elizabeth beforehand, which relieved his distress over her absence while at the same time frustrating him with the limitations on their contact and conversation in this new setting.
Mr. Bennet revealed as much of the history of the elopement as was known to him, as well as the efforts which had been made to discover Wickham and Lydia, before asking Darcy for his ideas on how they might be located. After Darcy had detailed the connections whom he planned to contact in an effort to find Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam presented the question of import to him. “Mr. Bennet, is it certain that Wickham was aware of your daughter's engagement to Mr. Darcy?”
Mr. Bennet, like Elizabeth, had not particularly considered this connection until it was mentioned, and took a moment to reflect on it. “Lydia certainly knew of it; we had received a letter - a note, really - earlier from her mentioning it.” He decided that it would be impolitic to mention that Lydia had been making sport of it at the time.
“So we must assume that Wickham knows as well,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “The question then arises as to his motivation, which I believe that we should address before anyone actually speaks with him.”
“His motivation?” asked Mr. Bennet skeptically, having not considered any possibility beyond that which any scoundrel would see in an available young woman.
“Yes, I would like to know whether he is looking for money or revenge,” the colonel said. “It would affect our negotiating position.”
“His primary motivation is always money,” said Darcy tiredly. “Revenge is usually incidental, although it may have a higher priority this time, as I gather he was rather attached to Elizabeth at one time. He would not take kindly to her choosing me over him.”
Mr. Bennet raised an eyebrow. The idea had not crossed his mind that Wickham's prior relationship with Darcy was involved, and it cast somewhat of a new light on Darcy's interest in the matter.
Colonel Fitzwilliam drummed his fingers. “Darcy, what will the effect of this affair be on your marriage plans?”
Darcy, displeased by the implication of his cousin's words, especially in front of Mr. Bennet, said shortly, “None whatsoever, as I believe you know.”
“You mentioned last night that your wedding would have to be delayed until this situation was resolved.”
“I would think so,” interjected Mr. Bennet. “We have already postponed Jane's wedding.”
“So,” the colonel said thoughtfully, “Wickham essentially has the power to delay your wedding indefinitely if he refuses to negotiate. We have a potential stalemate on our hands.”
At his words, Darcy dropped his head into his hands. This was not a possibility he had considered, but it was well within the range of Wickham's fertile imagination. The despondency he felt at the idea of having to wait raised an absolute sense of fury with Wickham. He pushed the feelings away. “That raises his price from expensive to exorbitant. So be it,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.
Mr. Bennet looked closely at Darcy. It was beginning to come clear to him that Darcy had greater depths than he had initially thought.
“There would seem to be one other possibility,” said Mr. Gardiner slowly.
“And what would that be?” Darcy asked, unable to hide his sense of hopelessness as well as he might have wished.
“You could marry Lizzy immediately. That would obviate the hold he has, I would think,” Mr. Gardiner said.
“Now that idea has possibilities!” said Colonel Fitzwilliam, sounding pleased. “Darcy, what think you of it?”
Darcy's face became a closed mask. “It is a possibility, I suppose.”
His apparent disinterest in the idea raised fears in Mr. Bennet as to the true effect of Lydia's behaviour on Darcy's intentions. “You have some objection to the idea, Mr. Darcy?” he said silkily. If Darcy were to do anything to hurt Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet was not going to be answerable for his behaviour.
Colonel Fitzwilliam's laugh rang out, breaking the tension of the moment. “You clearly do not know my cousin, sir. That is the look which says that he is fighting overwhelming temptation. I strongly suspect that he would like nothing better than to marry your daughter immediately.” Darcy gave him a hostile stare, but did not argue the point.
The corners of Mr. Bennet's mouth began to twitch. Perhaps Darcy had some potential for providing amusement after all. “Well,” he said mildly, “perhaps it will not be necessary. We can always reconsider the idea as the need arises.”
“I would disagree,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Unless we act upon it now, I think we should put the idea aside completely. It would not be a good idea to let Wickham see that he has that level of impact on Darcy's behaviour.”
“And would he not know that if we rushed them to the altar now?” asked Mr. Gardiner.
“No, not necessarily. Marriage on the spur of the moment is the sort of thing that would not surprise anyone who knew Darcy well, and Wickham is certainly well acquainted with his impulsive side.” At Colonel Fitzwilliam's words, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner exchanged glances; 'impulsive' and 'Darcy' were not concepts that either tended to associate together.
Darcy rolled his eyes. “Fitzwilliam, about the port and the pistols at dawn - I take it all back,” he said i
n a quietly dangerous voice, earning a broad smile from his cousin.
“Well, perhaps I should inquire, then, as to what your objections are to the idea of immediate marriage, Mr. Darcy,” said Mr. Gardiner.
Darcy looked up toward the ceiling. “I do not believe that it is the sort of wedding that Elizabeth has in mind, sir.”
“Is that your only objection?”
Darcy considered the matter. “Yes,” he said briefly.