“Did he give a reason for his actions?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, he said that he has known Wickham since he was a boy on the Pemberley estate and knew him to be capable of the most immoral behavior. He felt that if he had made known Wickham’s character, this could never have happened. Although it would have been a relief to take the weight of all that guilt off my shoulders and to have put it on his, I could not do it. It was my dereliction of duty as a father that was the true cause of all this unhappiness.
“Mr. Darcy remained in town for another two days and offered the services of his solicitor, but when I tried to thank him, he was embarrassed and said I owed him nothing. The man is an absolute cipher—as stoic a fellow as I have ever met.”
“What will happen to Wickham?” Jane asked.
“According to Colonel Forster, because of Mr. Darcy’s intervention, from a military point of view, Wickham has not actually done anything wrong, so he will not be brought up on charges. Other than withholding his last month’s pay and being forced out of the militia, the only thing Colonel Forster can do is leave him to his fellow officers. Because Wickham owes debts of honor to so many of them, he will be lucky to get out of Brighton alive. Additionally, the colonel sent an aide around to the shops and public houses to find out how much Wickham owed them. His debts are significant, and the colonel is confident he will end up spending some time in debtors’ prison unless some benefactor comes forward, an unlikely scenario.”
Turning his full attention to Lizzy, Mr. Bennet continued, “I believe the family owes you a debt of gratitude, my dear.” Lizzy’s heart started racing at the thought of what Mr. Darcy might have shared. “Mr. Darcy said that because you have been such a good friend to his sister, he felt obligated to do all he could to prevent Wickham from succeeding.”
“Is that the only reason he gave?”
“Yes, what other reason could there be?”
“I can’t think of any,” and Lizzy felt her eyes filling up with tears.
Her father came over and hugged her. “I know why you are crying. But no harm has been done, and in a week or two, I will have forgiven Lydia, as well as myself. And all will be as it was.”
Lizzy nodded, “Yes, all will be as it was.”
Despite her grief, Lydia’s appetite remained unaffected, and Mrs. Hill received word that a tray should be prepared for her and brought up to her room. When Lizzy saw how her sister’s inexcusable actions were being rewarded, instead of punished, she went to her room and shut the door. She did not want to speak to anyone—not even Jane.
When Jane checked on her an hour later, she found Lizzy sitting in the window seat reading a novel. Jane knew that her sister could be brought low by events, but she always got up, dusted herself off, and moved forward.
“While you were sleeping, an express rider came from London with a letter for you.” Because the expensive stationery had a D stamped into the seal, there was no doubt that the letter was from Mr. Darcy.
After taking the post from Jane, Lizzy sat with it on her lap unopened. “If this is another letter from F. Darcy, I think I shall scream,” and she broke through the seal.
When Lizzy had finished the letter, she started crying in big heartfelt sobs, and tears poured down her face. Jane had to think that Mr. Darcy had changed his mind, and his courtship with Miss Montford would go forward. But when Jane read the contents of the letter, she realized that Lizzy was crying as a means of releasing all the emotions she had kept in check for so long. Mr. Darcy had declared in simple, but elegant, language that he loved her, and because of that, everything that lay hidden had burst out into the open. Her tears flowed in happiness and relief. When she had composed herself, Lizzy read aloud the closing lines of Mr. Darcy’s letter:
The hours go slowly, but soon I shall be in Hertfordshire. Once we are together, it will require an act of God to separate us.
Love, Will
“Jane, he loves me, and there is nothing to keep him from me.” After wiping her tears, she continued, “We are not anticipating any volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, are we?”
Jane smiled at her sister. “No, Lizzy, there will be no acts of God to keep Mr. Darcy from you, and since Gaius and Lucius are in Scotland, there will be no local calamities, either.”
Chapter 48
John Lucas came by early in the afternoon to say that the wedding of Charlotte and Mr. Collins would take place in the village church on Friday at 10:00.
“I hope Charlotte knows what she is doing,” he said in a voice that showed how unhappy he was with his sister’s choice of husband. “Mr. Collins is driving everyone at Lucas Lodge to distraction. He is always going on about something that is of no interest to anyone but himself. At least I can get up and leave, but Charlotte can’t. And once she gets to Kent, she will not have any place to hide to get away from him.”
“Charlotte will be fine,” Jane reassured him. “Since Mr. Collins rarely requires a response, she may choose to ignore him if she is so inclined.”
“I hope you are right because, excuse me for being so blunt, he is a pompous arse,” and he took his leave.
John Lucas’s departure was quickly followed by the arrival of Tom Smart, one of Mr. Bingley’s servants at Netherfield. “Miss Bennet, I’ve come to tell you that Mr. Bingley’s back, so I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more of you at Netherfield ”
“Most definitely,” she said, and she could not suppress a smile. “How do things go with Mr. Collins and Mrs. Crenshaw?”
“I never seen anything like it. Mr. Collins will say something about Lady Catherine, which will cause Mrs. Crenshaw to remember something what Lady So and So said, and so it goes. And when Mr. Collins ain’t talking, he’s humming. It is irritating, but it does give us fair warning that he’s coming, and we make ourselves scarce.”
Before leaving, Tom asked if he might say hello to Mrs. Hill in the kitchen, and the sisters exchanged glances, knowing that the person he really wanted to say hello to was Betsy, their kitchen maid.
After he left, Lizzy said, “Love is in the air. Tom and Betsy, Mr. Collins and Charlotte, Mr. Bingley and you.”
“And Lizzy and Mr. Darcy,” Jane said, completing the list. After reading Mr. Bingley’s note and tucking it in her pocket, she told Lizzy that they had been invited to dine at Netherfield Park. “Mr. Bingley is to send his carriage at 3:00. I think I shall put on one of my better frocks. Will you do the same?”
“There is no need for that. Once Mr. Bingley sets eyes on you, he will not see anyone else. It will be as if I am not there at all.”
“Well, let us dress up anyway.”
“Whatever you say, as I am in a most agreeable mood.”
As soon as Bingley and the Darcys entered the foyer of Netherfield Park, the now voluminous Mrs. Crenshaw attempted to embrace her brother. Also there to greet the party from London was Athena. Although the little imp made a perfect curtsey and welcomed Miss Darcy to Netherfield Park, Georgiana would trust her only as far as she could throw her.
When Charles informed his sister that Jane and Elizabeth would be dining with them, Mrs. Crenshaw could barely contain her enthusiasm.
“Oh, that is such good news, brother. Mr. Collins has gone to Lucas Lodge to visit Miss Lucas, who has completely recovered from her illness. I must confess I am glad that he will not be at table with us. He talks a good deal and rarely gives the other party a chance to say anything, but he is a pleasant man and, for the most part, has been good company.”