Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (71 page)

Silence fell over the room.  Elizabeth willed someone to speak and at last took charge.  “Could you please tell your brother your reason for entertaining Mr. Wickham and accepting his advances?”  Georgiana looked at her then seeing Darcy’s tension, knew that there was no escaping answering Elizabeth’s request.

“I do not know why, Fitzwilliam.  It just happened.”  She barely whispered.  “It seemed so romantic and I thought you would be happy I married your friend.  He seemed to want me so much . . .”

Good God!  How could I have failed so badly?
  Darcy fought hard not to pound his fist against the window frame.

Susan looked to Georgiana.  “You thought that eloping would please your brother?”

“It was a selfless act, then.  And of course never writing to your brother to tell him you were well was part of that plan for pleasing him?”  Elizabeth said coldly and stared unflinchingly at her new sister who dropped her gaze to her hands.

“George said that we would surprise him one day, but that couples on their honeymoon do not communicate with their families.”  She looked between her brother’s back and Susan.  “I had no reason to disbelieve him.”

Elizabeth expressed the thoughts Darcy was screaming in his head.  “Even the most feebleminded girl would know at some point that she was being lied to, particularly as her circumstances were becoming worse.  A short note to your brother would have had him at your side in days!  Did nothing tell you that Mr. Wickham was dishonest?  I met Mr. Wickham, he attempted to seduce me, and failing that he attempted to vilify your brother to my father and stop our wedding.  Is this the act of a friend?”

“It is if he thought you were not good enough for Fitzwilliam.” 

“Pardon me?”  Elizabeth stared as the subject was suddenly changed.

“Why?”  Georgiana looked at her accusingly.  “Why did you marry him?  Because he is rich?  Are you the best that he could find?”  Darcy spun away from the window and went right to Elizabeth’s side, but she put her hand on his arm to stop him from speaking.

“As you have mentioned already this morning, undoubtedly there is a very fine woman of your circle who would have seemingly been ideal for him.  But your brother chose me for other reasons that are not your business.”  She looked up at him, seeing he was straining to let loose his fury.  “Most of your relatives thought that I was attracted to his wealth, some minds have been changed, and hopefully one day they will all believe that I married Fitzwilliam because I love him.” 

“And I love Elizabeth.”  He said clearly.  “And Sister, may I remind you that it is I who did the proposing.  If you doubt my choice for Mistress of Pemberley, than you have no faith in me in any matter.”  Georgiana’s eyes dropped.  “I suggest that you think clearly before speaking about my wife again.  I will not tolerate disrespect.” 

“Yes, Brother.” 

Elizabeth squeezed his hand hard and looked up to him, willing him to breathe.  They held each other’s eyes, and she spoke quietly.  “Thank you, Fitzwilliam.”

“I apologize, Elizabeth.  You do not deserve to have your devotion questioned in your own home.  I expect everyone to treat you with the regard accorded to your position.”

“I think that emotions are running high for all of us.” 

Darcy’s head shook.  “Was it not you who told me that she is no longer a child, but a woman?”

“Stop talking about me as if I was not here!”  Georgiana cried. 

Once more the centre of attention, she dropped her eyes again to her lap.  Darcy nodded.  “Absolutely, I will speak to you.  You will know how your actions have decided all of our futures.”  Drawing himself up, he touched his wife’s shoulder. “Because of your pregnancy, I married Elizabeth, for that I am grateful.”  Georgiana looked up in surprise.  “After she and I appear in London for the beginning of the Season, the three of us will travel to Sommerwald where we will remain until you deliver and recover.  Elizabeth and I will take the child home to Pemberley and have agreed that we will take it in as the abandoned child of a friend, and hope that one day he will choose to accept our name as his own.  The result of this is to save your future.  Elizabeth will be his mother, and you will be his aunt.”

Elizabeth spoke gently, “I promise you, I will love him no less than a child I bore myself, but this is the only way to save you.  Believe me, we struggled to find a solution, the other options were impossible for so many different reasons.”

“I refuse to abandon an innocent child of our blood.”  Darcy said quietly and moved around to take a seat by Elizabeth, and leaned forward to Georgiana.  “Once you are well and we are home again, you will receive a new companion, a very carefully vetted one, who will help you to complete your education.  In time, you will be presented to court and will go on with your life, marrying one day a man who I will approve, and we will never make mention of this sad chapter again.”  Darcy finished his speech and studied his sister’s growing dismay.

“But . . .” She looked to her aunt and back to him.  “I do not understand.  I know that it was wrong to run away, everything that I did was wrong . . . but all of the rest of this, these . . . plans you have . . . You rescued me from where we were, but . . . I am married.”

Darcy shook his head slowly.  “No, Georgiana.  You are not.  You were never in Scotland.  Why do you think he never came to me and asked for your dowry?  How else could you possibly have wound up living penniless in that filthy hole?  Why else would he discourage you from contacting your family with the news of your marriage?  Why do you think he has stayed away all of these months since you came home?”  Disgusted, he stood and walked away to slump against the window.

“It was a lie?”  Georgiana whispered.  “I . . . I . . .” Her hands went to her mouth and she looked at her aunt in horror.  “My husband did not abandon me, I had no husband!  I . . . Oh no!  But I loved him!  He said that he loved me!  He . . . he took me to his bed!  We lived as man and wife!”  Starting to shake she cried, “What have I done!”  She looked down to her stomach and clutched it, rocking back and forth and crying, “Go away!”   Elizabeth and Susan went to her side and tried to comfort her.  She pushed Elizabeth away and sobbed.  “How you must hate me!” 

Darcy turned from the window, and seeing Elizabeth looking towards him, he swallowed down his anger and came to kneel in front of her, taking her into his arms.  “Shhhhhh.  He is a master of manipulation.  He took in our father; it would be no large task to fool a naive girl left vulnerable by a companion who was his partner in this deceit.  I just wish I knew why he would wish to harm you.  Attacking me I can understand, but why you, my dear sister?  Shhhh.”  He looked to Elizabeth as he listened to Georgiana hiccup and sob, and had no idea what to do.

“I am not married.”  She clutched him tight around his neck

“No, dear.  I am sorry that I could not find out sooner, we hoped to locate him and get absolute confirmation.”

“You have not spoken to him?” 

“I do not even know where he is, but he has no claim on you.”  Darcy let go and wiped her eyes, looking seriously at her.  “But he can try to claim the child.  Not that I ever could suspect him of wanting to be a father or taking any such thing seriously, it is important that nobody learn of this pregnancy, not a servant, not a friend, not the Matlocks, not Aunt Catherine.  We must keep this to ourselves, to protect the child you carry from his father, to protect you and the family from blackmail and shame, and to give you a chance at living the life our parents hoped you would have.”

Georgiana stared down at his hands holding hers.  “I am not married.” 

“You remain Georgiana Darcy.  I prayed for this to be the truth, which is why I refused to let any announcement be made.” 

Elizabeth moved beside him and he looked up when she touched his shoulder.  “Perhaps Susan and I should leave the two of you alone.”  She looked at Georgiana sobbing into her handkerchief and back to him.  “There are probably things to be said that are very private.” 

Darcy looked at his sister, then stood and taking Elizabeth’s hand, walked with her to the door of the great room while Susan hugged Georgiana.  They watched them while he spoke quietly.  “Was our approach wrong?   Why can I not learn how to speak?”

“I thought it was harsh, but the situation is harsh.  There is no way to just pat her on the head and say everything is going to be fine.  You needed to express the disappointment and hurt to her personally just once or it would eat you alive.  I think that if you did not, she would have walked on eggshells her whole life waiting for it to come out one day.   And she had to learn the truth.  You were correct not to put it in a letter.”

“Was I?”  He looked down to the floor.

“Yes, now you can comfort her in person.  A letter would have left her with an explanation, but nothing else.  No questions could be answered; there would just be silence and regret, and when you met again, the embarrassment would have kept you both from being honest, dancing around it forever.”  She watched Georgiana.  “Her reaction is encouraging; she is not laughing it off.  I hope that it is sincere.” 

Darcy looked at her seriously.   “You do not think that she is taking advantage of my,” he stopped, thinking of his promise of the pianoforte,  “past behaviour towards her.”

“I do not know her any better than she knows me, I will trust your instincts.”  He entwined their fingers, and rubbed his thumb over her ring.  “I am so proud of you.” 

“I hated this.” 

“I know; so did I, but do you feel better?”  She watched him considering the question and nodded as he straightened and lifted his chin.  A different light was coming to his eyes.  “You do, the helplessness is gone.” 

“In some respects it is . . . But, I am not satisfied with her answers and I am not convinced that she appreciates what she has done.  I know that I am not through expressing my disappointment.  This situation is . . . too great, too . . . the impact on so many lives cannot be swept away in one conversation, not when the true consequence of it is not yet born.”  Elizabeth nodded.  “Does that make sense?  I . . . I have been dreading and anticipating this day for so long.”  He looked down to their hands and her fingers caressing his ring.  “I dreaded never having the opportunity to have the conversation at all.”  Drawing a deep breath, he felt the grip of her hands and looked up to her.   “What are you thinking?  Tell me.” 

“I love you.”  His lips lifted a little and she tried to match his smile.  “I am scared, too.” 

“Elizabeth . . .” He whispered, and lifting her hands to his lips, turned to look at his sister who had stopped sobbing.  “She knows her place now, I think.  She knows that this remains her home and that she is not about to be sent away to Wickham. It is a start.”  He looked back to Elizabeth.  “You are not leaving, love.  You are my wife.  If there is any woman who belongs in this home it is you.”  Their gazes locked, Darcy read all of the emotion within her eyes and he drew himself up.  “We are a family, and we will face this as one.” 

Chapter 23

“A
nd . . . this lease for the cottage in Ramsgate?”  Barnes withdrew a paper from his ledger.

“Ramsgate?”  Darcy started and looked up from the rent figures he was studying.

“Yes sir, the owner is giving you the opportunity of first refusal for the next Season?   Mrs. Darcy might enjoy visiting?” 

Darcy took the paper and stared at the lease, and dropped it quickly.  “No . . .   No, I did not find Ramsgate as pleasant as I thought it would be.”

 “I always wondered if it lived up to the talk.”  Barnes smiled, not noticing Darcy’s inattention.  Taking the paper, he wrote himself a note over the top and put it on the bottom of his pile.  “Now let me just check these figures for you . . .” 

May 1811

“Ramsgate!  Are you out of your senses, Darcy?”

 “Of course not, Uncle!  It is most fashionable!  I certainly heard enough about it from Bingley’s sisters when they were visiting Pemberley this spring and if anyone has their ears open to what is desired . . .”

“And what they cannot afford to have . . .”  Richard smirked.

“You listened to those daughters of tradesmen?”  Judge Darcy fumed.  “What of Bath?  Why not there if you are determined to banish her from home?”

“Uncle, no!  It is not banishment . . .”

“You are not travelling with her.  She is being sent away!”  

“It would be a punishment to visit Bath!”  Richard laughed, “Bath is no longer the exclusive resort it once was.  It is for fat gouty old men in their sedan chairs and tired grandmothers and their gossip!  Young girls do not visit Bath, they go to the seaside!  Ramsgate, Margate, those are the places to see and be seen!  Ask my mother, she will tell you.”

“Ramsgate is far more respectable.”  Darcy added.

Nodding, Richard pointed at him, “Precisely.  Besides, her school friends will likely appear there with their companions.  You have spoken to their families, have you not, Darcy?”  Seeing his nod, he looked to the judge, “There!  It is time, I think, to get this girl out of her shelter and preparing for the future.”

“She is fifteen!  You are pushing her along far too fast.”

“Uncle . . .” Sighing, Darcy sank down into a chair as he watched his uncle pace angrily.  “A summer by the sea is not putting her out.  She will have her companion . . .”

Judge Darcy spun and spoke accusingly, “And she will be out of your way!”

Darcy looked to Richard who nodded, urging him to speak.  “Uncle, I am seven and twenty, I am finally confident in my place at Pemberley.”  He added resignedly, “It is time that I look for a wife.”  

“And you are not getting any younger!”  Richard snorted.

“You are one to talk.”  Darcy snapped. “I must secure the estate with an heir.”

“Ha!  I have no estate to secure, I have no home either!  But I would think this is a delightful assignment, Cousin.  I fail to understand why you seem to regard it as a trip to the gallows.  All of these heiresses are itching to have at you; at last you are signalling your readiness.”  He rubbed his hands together.  “Leave Bingley at home, I will accompany you and show you how it is done!”