Elizabeth thought, and felt a ribbon of heat rise through her.
The next day, Mr. Darcy came to discuss his reward.
He did indeed make it his business to know those with whom he was dealing. He came to call upon Elizabeth when her father and uncle were away, consulting with their lawyers.
Lydia was still upstairs in her bedroom, but Elizabeth and her aunt received Mr. Darcy, his sister and her companion. After a few pleasantries, he managed to draw her to sit aside from the others. In a low voice, he confided, “I have come to discuss my reward.”
Elizabeth looked at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. “Well?”
“I want…to spend some time with you.”
“Spend some time?” she repeated softly. “What do you mean?”
“I shall explain to Bingley that I was wrong about Miss Bennet when he returns to London, next week. With luck, he will not be too angry with me, and will invite my sister and I to journey to Hertfordshire for a few weeks. I plan to do so, after Wickham and his wife leave the vicinity.”
“You would do that? Speak to Mr. Bingley about Jane?”
“I always try to correct what I have made wrong. And I imagine, by now, that you have heard from your uncle about my invitation to them – and to you – to pass time at Pemberley in the summer?”
“Yes, for three weeks.”
“After your visit to Pemberley, you could return the favour and invite my sister and I to Longbourn for Christmas.”
“You want to stay with my family during Christmas?”
“Well, perhaps a happy event will have happened before then and I can stay in Netherfield. If not, I will be happy to stay in Longbourn.”
“What...what exactly will we do when we...spend some time together?”
“I intend to make my ardent admiration more thoroughly known to you,” Mr. Darcy leaned forward and murmured, and Elizabeth could feel his breath hot against the bare skin of her neck.
“Nothing immoral, remember,” Elizabeth cautioned breathlessly.
“Everything will be designed for your pleasure.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened, and a retort rose to her lips. She saw Mr. Darcy turn his head and dart a glance at those on the opposite side of the room. Assured that no one was watching them, he took her hand, raised it to his lips, kissed the inside of her wrist, then allowed the tip of his tongue to caress the soft flesh there before biting it lightly.
For Elizabeth, it felt as if a thunderbolt had coursed through her body. Her intended retort was lost as she held her breath, determined not to make a sound that might alert the others in the room to the liberty he took.
Mr. Darcy gave her a devilish smile, straightened, and signaled for his sister and her companion to prepare to take their leave, Thereby neatly avoiding any response that Elizabeth might have been tempted to express.
Chapter Two
“Father! Father! It’s Lydia!” Elizabeth cried out as she rushed down to the morning room.
“My dear, whatever is the matter?' Mr. Bennet replied. He had awakened early and was breaking his fast alone at the Gardiner’s townhouse. The Gardiners themselves had gone out. Lydia’s wedding was scheduled for two days hence. Mr. Bennet longed to finish the whole sorry business and return to his beloved library at Longbourn as soon as humanly possible.
“Father, Lydia has run away with Mr. Wickham again.”
“Again? Whatever do you mean by that?”
“She left a letter. She states that Mr. Wickham does not like the commission in the North that Uncle Gardiner purchased for him. She says that they will marry and move to Bath instead; and that she will be in contact with us after she settled down.”
“The worthless young man! He is after more money, I am certain. I shall…” Mr. Bennet rose from his seat, appearing ready to breathe fire at Wickham, if necessary. A moment later, however, he clutched his chest, and collapsed onto the chair again.
“Father!” Elizabeth cried out.
Mr. Darcy received news of Wickham’s disappearance early in the morning, and came to the Gardiner’s townhouse with the hope of gaining a private meeting with its owner. Instead, he found Mr. Bennet collapsed in the morning room. The distressing news of his youngest daughter disappearing again had put such a strain on Mr. Bennet’s heart that, although he was still breathing, he was unconscious.
Mr. Darcy assessed the situation and immediately took charge. He picked up the sick man and called out to a servant to direct him to Mr. Bennet’s bedroom. He further instructed the servant to fetch his own private doctor.
Throughout the entire incident, Elizabeth could only stand by, watching Darcy’s solicitous actions through tear-blurred eyes. He was gentle and decisive with her father, and polite to every one, even the servants.
Mr. Gardiner returned to a house of unhappy chaos. Mr. Darcy gained his immediate attention for a private meeting and they shut themselves up in the study for the better part of half an hour. Before the gentleman left, however, Elizabeth was able to corner Mr. Darcy in private at the hallway landing.
“Sir, I must thank you for your quick action in sending for the doctor. You may have saved my father’s life.”
He did not say anything but nodded his head, looking grave.
“What are we to do now?”
“Wickham left me a note. I shall take care of the matter.”
“What does he want now?”
“I shall take care of it. You are not to worry.”
“I insist! This concerns my family.”
With a sigh, Mr. Darcy yielded. “He has demanded a further five thousand pounds and a townhouse in Stoke Newington. He says he will contact me once I settle the terms with his lawyer. He has given me five days to arrange it.”
“Another five thousand pounds? Dear Heaven, what greed! How could Lydia be so stupid! What does he threaten to do if we cannot comply?”
“I shall speak to my steward. You must not distress yourself.”
“But you cannot provide for him endlessly. The scoundrel! We must find them, and force him to marry Lydia. If we sent them off to one of the colonies, perhaps that would help us to forget all about them, so that Mr. Wickham could never trouble us again.” Anger grew in Elizabeth’s chest.
“The innkeeper where Wickham stayed overheard him stating that he did not intend to leave for Bath.”
“But where, then, would they go?”
“I know Mrs. Younge has a sister in a fishing village not far from Dover and Wickham had been there before. I shall investigate that area.”
“Might Uncle Edward go with you?”
'I believe your uncle has other more pressing obligations to fulfill, do you not agree? He must inform your mother about your father’s condition, and speak with his steward in your father's absence.”
“Then…may I go with you?”
“Absolutely not. It is not an area fit for a gentlewoman.”
