The vehement strength of her opposition greatly alarmed Darcy, but he could not, in all honesty, say he was surprised by it. He looked from Elizabeth to his father-in-law before saying, “Mr. Bennet, I must agree with my wife. From the very first moment he arrived in Meryton, Wickham singled out Elizabeth for the sole purpose of revenging himself upon me for an assortment of imagined wrongdoings he feels he has suffered at my hands. He has chosen to prey on Lydia for similar reasons. If you do succeed in forcing a marriage between them, which will undoubtedly cost a very large sum of money, in any case, he will see to it that her existence is one of misery and degradation. If I may offer a suggestion, I feel our best course of action here is to wait and see if there are any consequences. God willing, there will be none to speak of, and in turn, I would be willing to contribute several thousand pounds to enhance Lydia’s dowry, as well as those of Katherine and Mary. I also believe all three girls would benefit greatly from enrollment in a reputable school for young women I happen to know of in London. Katherine would be able to study art with a master; Mary, music; and in Lydia’s case, I believe having such an opportunity would bring about maturity, restraint, and a healthy measure of decorum, which she is currently lacking. Of course, Elizabeth and I would be willing to finance the tuition for all three girls.”
Mr. Bennet closed his eyes and steepled his fingers as he sat behind his desk. He hardly knew how to respond to his son-in-law’s generous offer. Indeed, it appeared Darcy was willing to step in and take charge of an unsavory situation he had allowed to become so out of hand. He had been remiss in his duty as a father in many ways, but never more so than now, with Lydia. If they were lucky, they might escape a scandal, seeing that it was Elizabeth who had come upon her youngest sister in an amorous embrace with Wickham and not one of their neighbors or, God forbid, another officer of the militia. The elder gentleman took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. Perhaps all might yet be well, but for how long? While Mary had devoted much of her time to reading and practicing her music, Kitty and Lydia’s existences were ones of dissipation and idleness. No, Darcy was correct. Both girls were in dire need of discipline and guidance, and this, Mr. Bennet was well aware, they had not received, nor were they ever likely to receive, at home.
He sighed and ran his hands over his face. “I thank you for your very kind, very generous offer to my family, Darcy.”
Darcy inclined his head. “Your family is also my family, sir. Elizabeth’s sisters are now my own, and therefore, they are entitled to my protection just as much as she is. I take my responsibility to the members of my family very seriously, Mr. Bennet.”
“Yes, and it speaks well of you, Son. I hope, however, you will not be unduly offended if I defer my acceptance or declination of your kind offer for a day or two. I would appreciate some time to fully consider the matter and all its implications.”
Elizabeth gawked at him. “But Papa, how can you not accept Fitzwilliam’s offer? Cannot you see that it is in everyone’s best interest? Such an opportunity can only lead to advantages my sisters will never have available to them otherwise. Would you have them remain always at Longbourn, idle and ignorant?”
Before her father could respond, however, Darcy said, “Mr. Bennet, take all the time you require. We will be remaining in Hertfordshire until we can be certain of Wickham’s whereabouts. God willing, Colonel Forster and his men will be able to locate him within the next few days, and of course, we will be better able to decide on a course of action then.” He turned toward his wife and squeezed her hand. “Come, Elizabeth. I believe your father might appreciate having his library to himself. Perhaps we can take a turn in the garden before luncheon is served?” And with that, he led a very perplexed, not to mention irritated Elizabeth out into the hall.
They retrieved their coats in silence and left the house to walk in one of the gardens. “Fitzwilliam, I hardly understand why my father would need to think over such a generous offer. Would it not be to the advantage of our entire family? He must be well aware he could never afford to do so much for them. He has not your income or your influence in society.” Elizabeth folded her arms.
“Yes,” Darcy answered, “he is, Elizabeth. He is well aware of the differences in our financial situations, and it is a matter of some delicacy. How do you think you would feel if you were in his position? Your father is very upset over Lydia’s outrageous behavior, and he must, undoubtedly, be laying a healthy portion of the blame for her failings on his own shoulders. Please do not be too hard on him, my love. Just be patient, and give him the time he requires. In essence, I have offered to assume responsibility for all your sisters, as though he has not done an adequate job. It was not my intention to cause your father any further pain or humiliation, and most definitely not to imply that he has not been a good father to you, but I fear that is precisely what my making such an offer may have accomplished. That is not something to be taken lightly. I hope he will understand that I meant him no disrespect. I only wish to help redirect your sisters to a more propitious path.”
Elizabeth stopped and turned to face him. “I am sure he understands that you wish only to help us. You are truly the best man I know, Fitzwilliam, and I love you all the more because you possess such selfless goodness.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in to give him a kiss. “I only hope my father will see fit to accept your offer, for all of our sakes.”
Darcy hugged her closer. “Your father is an intelligent, sensible man, Elizabeth. He knows what is best for his family.” Then smiling, he said, “He allowed you to marry me, did he not?”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, but that hardly signifies! As much as I love my father and do not wish to occasion him any pain or disappointment, I would have married you without his consent, in any case. We would have been forced to wait only until next year, when I would have become of age. I love you that much, Fitzwilliam. Indeed, after knowing you, my dearest, I am certain no other man could ever make me happy.”
Darcy rested his forehead against hers. “Elizabeth, you cannot know what it means to have you for my wife. Waking every morning with you in my arms is happiness like none I have ever known. I thank God every day that I have you to love me.” He kissed her then, with great feeling, and they remained thus engaged until Bingley’s arrival called them back into the house.
Chapter 27
On the day Charlotte Lucas became Charlotte Collins, it came as no surprise to the inhabitants of Longbourn that Mrs. Bennet declared herself unequal to the task of feigning a pleasure she could not feel. Indeed, the knowledge that Charlotte, and not one of her own daughters, would usurp her place as mistress of that estate after the death of her husband brought her no comfort. To make matters infinitely worse, it had recently been brought to her attention that Lydia, who was by far her favorite child, had been discovered in a compromising position with George Wickham. Normally, this would not have been the cause of much agitation and distress to Mrs. Bennet, for she would have looked upon the prospect of having another daughter married as nothing short of a fortuitous act of providence; however, the unhappy reality that the prospective bridegroom had seemingly fled the area without so much as a hint of his whereabouts, left her in high dudgeon and with a fit of nerves that amazed even her husband.