“Mr. Darcy, such a pleasant day it is. Would you not agree?”
This is why I am doing it! The women assaulting him day in and day out when all he wanted was to be left alone. They would never learn that he was in no humour on this voyage to entertain thoughts of reciprocating their interest.
“It is a very nice day, and as such, I unfortunately must take my leave and discuss something with the captain!”
He quickly strode off, leaving Miss whatever disappointed and at a loss for words.
He thought of Elizabeth. She seemed to have a gift for knowing when to speak and when to be silent around him. He felt as comfortable in their silence as deeply as he felt invigorated by their intelligent dialogue. For these other women, any pause in the conversation prompted them to fill it up with nonsense and idle chat, none of which was satisfying to him in the least.
Darcy made his way to the captain’s cabin and paused. He thought back to the woman he met two years ago in the carriage—the woman he was fairly certain was Elizabeth. Could it be that the real reason he asked Miss Bennet to marry him was because he did not want her to get away again? Darcy closed his eyes and rolled his head back. I cannot think like that! This is solely for her benefit now, and I cannot allow myself to dwell on any future possibilities, because there can never be any!
Darcy knocked sharply on the captain’s door, hoping he would find him there. A wave of nervousness began to roil up inside of him.
“Come,” a voice from inside called out.
Darcy slowly opened the door and peered in, finding the captain entering some notations in his log book. When he saw that it was Darcy, he pursed his lips together as if fighting off the urge to make some comment.
“Good day, Captain. Do you have a moment?”
“For you, Darcy, of course. Come in.”
Darcy walked in and the captain waved for him to sit down. Darcy obliged, but never really settled into the chair, constantly adjusting himself in it and nervously tapping his fingers on the armrest.
It was apparent to the captain that Darcy was obviously distressed or nervous about something. “What is it now?” Wendell asked, folding his hands firmly in front of him on the desk.
“I have a small favour to ask of you, Wendell.”
“Is the food not to your liking? Are you beginning to tire of the hardtack bread and dried meat? Are they not up to your expectations? Or perhaps you would prefer a more varied array of entertainments onboard?”
Darcy looked down at his hands that he now gripped together and held firmly in his lap. “No, sir. It is a rather odd, personal request.”
“Pray, continue.”
Darcy took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then slowly let it out. “I would like you to perform a marriage ceremony.”
The captain’s eyes widened, then immediately narrowed. “Between who?”
Darcy leaned forward and spoke with forced decisiveness. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet and myself, sir.”
The captain remained gravely silent, gathering his thoughts and wondering what had prompted this man to make such a preposterous request. Finally he stood; his towering presence over the seated Darcy intended to make an impression.
“Darcy, I have only been approached with this particular request but a few times. I have presided over a couple of weddings in my years as captain. But being as how Miss Bennet was especially put under my protection by her father, it is very unlikely that I will agree to it.”
“Captain Wendell, are you refusing me?”
“Are you asking me as a passenger or as the owner of this ship?”
Darcy placed his hands on the armrest and pushed himself up, now looking directly in the captain’s eyes. “I am asking you to trust me, to vouch for my character, have confidence in my reasons behind this, and agree to marry us.”
The captain’s brow furrowed. “I have known you for many years, Darcy. I have always thought highly of your character. This is foolish; your family would disown you for marrying a woman from her class, and besides, I can hardly believe that she would agree. She barely knows you, and from what I have seen of her, she is not the type to latch onto a man solely based on his wealth.”
The captain watched Darcy’s face as he asked, “What exactly has prompted you to such an inclination as to marry Miss Bennet? Do you find yourself suddenly longing for a woman’s company?”
“On the contrary, Captain. This marriage is strictly to allow her the opportunity to get out of steerage and the propriety to sleep in the extra bed in my room so she may regain her health back. You must have heard yourself how she has been helping out passengers down in steerage who have taken ill themselves… to the point of endangering her own health. She gave up her bed, has now become ill herself, and just now she turned her ankle. Taking those stairs up and down will only aggravate it. She cannot remain down there, and this is the only solution! You, yourself, said there was no other bed available.”
The captain firmly placed his hands behind his back, tilted his head down, and began pacing around the room. “And Darcy, what is in this for you?” His question sounded grave.
“Captain, I swear upon my dead father’s grave that I have no ulterior motive. I give you my word that I will not lay a hand on her. You know, sir, that I do not give my word unless I am willing to keep it. She gets the chance to improve her situation while onboard this ship, and I…”
The captain looked up. “And you?”
Darcy felt somewhat sheepish now, but confided to the captain, “Being married will bring a stop to all the ladies on this ship who have been plaguing me with their unwanted attention!”
The captain forced a laugh, feeling very little humour in the situation. “Your dilemma is heavy indeed. And what is to happen after the voyage, Darcy? Are you determined to go through life married to a woman you do not love, whom you have vowed you will never touch?”
“My plan is to have it annulled once I return to England.”
The captain stopped pacing and turned to look at Darcy. “Are you now?” He rubbed his chin vigorously as he wondered whether this was truly an act of compassion on his part. “And what do you really know of Miss Bennet? How do you know she will not come after you for your money once she is legally married to you, even attempt to stop the annulment?”
Darcy looked at the captain. “I do not believe she would.”
“Neither do I,” admitted the captain. “But I still do not like this. I assume you have spoken to her on this subject?”
“Yes, I have.”
“And she is willing to marry you solely for propriety’s sake so that she can avail herself of the empty bed in your cabin only to have this holy union later annulled?”
“Yes, she is willing if you agree to perform the ceremony.” His hand clenched in reaction to this minor stretching of the truth a bit, something he disliked doing immensely.
“Again, Darcy, I ask, is this request of yours being made as a passenger or as the owner of this ship? As the man whose ultimate authority I am under?”
“Whichever it takes to get you to agree.”
The captain went back to his desk and sat down. “When do you wish to have this ceremony performed?”
Darcy let out a breath as he realized the captain was leaning toward agreeing, however sceptical of it he was. “As soon as possible. What do I need to do?”
The captain opened his desk drawer and pulled out some papers. “Fill these out. You both need to sign them, and then bring them to me when you return with Miss Bennet. We can begin as soon as you like.”
Darcy grabbed the papers. “Thank you, Captain. She is waiting in the dining area. I shall return with her promptly.”
The captain only nodded, as he could scarcely believe what had just transpired in his cabin, let alone understand it. He wondered what had ever prompted him to agree to perform such a ceremony, and what had ever gotten into the Master of Pemberley even to conceive of such a course of action!