“You need a bed, and I… I have the only spare one on the ship. Obviously it would not do for you to share my room with me as we are not married.”
Elizabeth almost laughed that he seemed to be struggling to articulate something, and she was more curious about hearing him than serious about considering it, whatever it was. She did not say anything, but patiently waited.
“I suggest we have the captain marry us and then there would be no problem with you sleeping in my room… on that bed. It would be strictly a marriage on paper, not a… I would not… it would, of course, be strictly platonic.”
Now Elizabeth did laugh, however weakly. “Mr. Darcy, you are certainly a man of unexpected surprises. If you will excuse me now, sir, I would like to be left alone.”
“Miss Bennet, walking up and down these stairs will be even more dangerous for you now that your ankle has gone out. You are ill and are not sleeping well, which makes you more prone to getting seriously ill down there. Heavens! You are not even sleeping in a bed!”
“Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth’s head felt light and she wondered whether she could even express her arguments in an intelligible way. “I appreciate your concern, but what would induce you to make such an offer? What is in it for you, if I dare ask?”
Darcy leaned toward her. “I am tired of being harassed and pursued by the women on this ship. There are times I prefer solitude, and while, granted, most people leave me alone, there is a desperate group of women on this ship who will not. My getting married will bring an end to their disturbing me.”
Elizabeth shook her head, trying desperately to clear the thoughts that were now so foggy. “You want to marry me, so that these ladies, who are solely interested in securing a husband, securing you as a husband, will stop bothering you?”
“That is a correct assessment.” Elizabeth was stunned at how matter-of-factly he spoke.
“Mr. Darcy, I find this a highly foolish idea. What is to become of our marriage after the voyage? A marriage ceremony performed by a sea captain is as valid as one done by a clergyman.”
“I will have it annulled once I return to England.”
At this, Elizabeth was speechless. At her look of shock, Darcy continued. “There will be no problem in annulling it, as the marriage will never be consummated.”
Elizabeth looked down, blushing, as Darcy added, “I am sorry to have to speak frankly, but I want you to be assured, in advance, of what my intentions are… and what they are not.”
“Mr. Darcy, you may think you have an admirable idea that will solve your problems as well as mine, but there is one obstacle you have not considered.”
“What is that?”
“Captain Wendell! My father directly asked him if I could be put under his protection! He will never allow it!”
Darcy leaned in toward Elizabeth and tightly gripped his hands together, asking, “And if he does agree?”
Elizabeth was tiring more and more by the minute, and it was a strain for her to have to argue her point. “He will not, Mr. Darcy. I think we should leave it at that.”
“Miss Bennet, if he agrees to perform the ceremony, will you agree to it?”
Elizabeth struggled to look up at him. She could not make any rhyme or reason of Mr. Darcy’s proposal, nor come up with any argument against it. Finally, in great fatigue and weariness of mind she answered, “Mr. Darcy, if the captain is willing to do such a thing as this, then yes, I will agree.” She turned her attention back to the cup of tea and bread in front of her. “But I assure you, he will not!”
Darcy did not respond, but simply stood up. “Miss Bennet, if you would be so kind as to wait for me here until I return. I am going to speak with the captain immediately!”
Chapter 7
Darcy hurriedly departed to seek out the captain, whilst Elizabeth sat quietly with her hands wrapped around the small tin cup that was holding her hot tea and providing warmth and steadiness to her hands. She felt weaker by the moment and knew she required nourishment to aid in her recuperation from the fever, and needed to stay off her foot to aid in her ankle’s improvement. At the moment, eating was cast aside as her hazy mind struggled to ponder Darcy’s proposal.
She could not entertain any serious notions about it, as she was convinced the captain would refuse. As she pondered the extent of Darcy’s wealth, however, she wondered if the captain would be prone to taking a bribe. Elizabeth shook her head. Darcy would have no reason to bribe the captain to perform a wedding ceremony to a common lady as herself.
If the captain said no— when he said no—Darcy would have to accept it. She would express her appreciation for his concern for her welfare, but would assure him she would manage as well as she could with the rest of the passengers in steerage.
She slowly sipped the tea and began taking small bites of the hardened bread that she softened by dipping in the steaming liquid. Although it was not truly palatable, it was sustenance. She forced herself to partake of it, thinking that if she had a clearer mind at the moment, she would be able to make better sense of what Darcy had just put forward. But try as she might, she could not!
She was torn whether to remain up here savouring the fresh air or to ask for some assistance getting back down to steerage. She knew Darcy would soon be returning from seeing the captain. For some reason she felt anxious about what news he would bring. In the state she was in, she had difficulty discerning whether she was troubled more that the captain might agree to marry them than she was that he might refuse. But neither did she look forward to returning to steerage as yet, so she determined to remain where she was and deal with Mr. Darcy when he came back.
If truth be told, at the moment and under the present circumstances, Darcy’s proposal actually began to sound quite appealing to her. She was surprised to find herself now rationally and practically viewing it as having some merit and see the benefit in it. He reassured her it would be strictly platonic, and she would no longer have to sleep on the floor or breathe in the stale and stifling air in steerage anymore. She would be in a better state to help those who were faring worse than she. She would actually be in a nice, clean, quiet cabin. Most importantly, he would later have the marriage annulled, and no one ever need know. No one.
The alternative was not very appealing. Elizabeth had found each successive day and night in steerage more difficult. Now that she had taken ill herself, she knew it would likely be a lengthy illness without fresh air or sleep.
Elizabeth shook her head. No, she must be feeling the effects of the fever. All the other steerage passengers had to endure the same thing as she! She was not a weak, spoiled little girl who could not endure a little discomfort. No, it was not a good idea, she tried to tell herself, not at all!
***
When Darcy went in search of the captain, his determined strides surprised even him. That he was pursuing such an uncommonly foolish path was highly out of character for him. For every action he took there was usually a methodical line of reasoning behind it. This time was a rare exception.
Each step he took away from Elizabeth was a constant reminder to him of the vast difference in their standing in society. If his family, particularly his aunt, were ever to discover that he had done such a foolish thing, that he had even considered such a thing as to marry a woman like her, his aunt would not hesitate to renounce him and cast him out of the family.
Is this really something I should be even considering? A man of my means and status… He was distracted by his line of argument, reasoning, and questioning when he found himself face-to-face with another Miss whatever. He could not recall her name and had no desire to.