Page 32 of Darcy's Guarded Heart
Mr Darcy scoffed. “Did he tell you that he had a living assigned to him which I rescinded? That is what he recounted to Georgiana. That is what he told several others. It is not the truth. He rejected my father’s generosity. I must confess that when he stated he did not desire the living and would prefer financial remuneration instead, I was grateful. I did not wish him near Pemberley for the rest of my life, nor for Georgiana’s. I gladly granted him the funds, but I was always aware he may return—and he did, asking for more.”
“I declined, yet I knew that would not be the end of it. I understood he would certainly have ulterior motives, and he did. He took residence in Lambton, the town near Pemberley, and sought visits with Georgiana. I could not very well forbid it, as she had always viewed him as a sort of cousin.”
He paused before continuing, “In due course, I grew concerned regarding the amount of time he spent with Georgiana. I took her away for a while to stay with my aunt at Rosings Park. While there, I received a letter from his godmother, Mrs Younge, a former employee of ours who had left earlier in the year. She informed me that Wickham’s plan was to lure Georgiana into believing herself moon eyed over him and then whisk her away to Gretna Green to forever tie himself to my fortune.”
“I see,” she admitted. “Some time ago, when he first arrived in Meryton, he spent substantial time with my younger sisters, particularly Lydia who has a fondness for officers. Thomas advised our father against it, having heard certain disquieting things regarding Mr Wickham, which prompted my father to prevent my sisters from associating with him too frequently. I was foolish and continued my friendship with him, believing him to be genuine. Then he diverted his attention to a young lady in town who had come into her fortune and I saw less of him.”
Mr Darcy raised his eyebrows, then lowered them with a shrug. “That is George Wickham. He easily charms others. And not solely young ladies.”
She was unsure of his meaning but did not wish to press further.
“I have grown wise to him now,” Elizabeth said, “but Georgiana still appears fond of him if her words are anything to go by.”
“She is, as I never confided the truth. In her letter, Mrs Younge detailed several incidents in which Wickham had been involved—illegal schemes, debts accrued, matters of that nature.Things I could have used to warn Georgiana away from him, and then he vanished. I dread that had he lingered any longer, he may have wormed his way into Georgiana’s affections, but she was merely young then. She is still only seventeen now.”
Elizabeth gasped. “I do not wish to think of what might have happened had we not been warned. And I am even more thankful that Thomas had his doubts about Mr Wickham before he could harm my family.”
“I must say, as am I. I would not have liked to have seen harm come to you and yours, Miss Elizabeth,” he said. She glanced down at him and recalled all the unsavoury tales Mr Wickham had recounted regarding Mr Darcy and realised they were nothing but fabrications.
At least if what Mr Darcy had said was true, and frankly, she had no reason to doubt him; much of his account aligned with what she had already gleaned about Mr Wickham. She had continued to engage Mr Wickham, wanting to believe that somewhere within, he was a decent man. But he was not. She could not explain why she believed Mr Darcy, but she did.
As they walked on, her thoughts turned to the things Thomas had said about him. That Mr Darcy, had been raised a certain way to believe certain things. Perhaps some of his haughtiness could be excused by his upbringing. And perhaps he was capable of change, of seeing the error of his ways. Could it be that in due course he might find he was wrong about his assessments of the Bennets and Meryton in general?
For, weren’t Jane and Thomas correct in their assertion that a man who was of noble character like Mr Bingley would not be friends with a man who was inherently contrary and unpleasant?
No, for the man she was with now was wholly pleasant yet troubled. Having become a guardian to a small child while having lost his parents at a young age had to have been hard, especially with a man like Mr Wickham thrown into it all.
“Mr Darcy,” she started. “Perhaps it would be beneficial to tell your sister the truth about Mr Wickham. She might not be so quick to seek his company if she knew.”
He looked up, a softness in his eyes. “I have pondered this many a time before, Miss Elizabeth. But the truth is I do not want to tarnish what little memories she has left of her childhood that were good. She was so young when our mother died she hardly remembers her, and our father—many of the memories she has contain Wickham. I do not want to rob her of those.”
Elizabeth’s heart ached for him then and she found herself full of empathy for the first time because she understood then the burden he carried for the sake of his sister. It did not mean his prior actions or his haughty opinions were to be excused, but she realised now there was another side to him—a side she had refused to truly see before.
She wished to continue their conversation but alas, she saw then that was not to be for up ahead, was their group—and it had grown exponentially in numbers.
She spotted her younger sisters along with Charlotte Lucas and her mother, as well as some of the younger Lucas children.
“There they are,” she said and nodded ahead. And when she looked down at Mr Darcy, she saw his visage had once again hardened and whatever progress they had made in bringingdown his walls had been halted in light of another social gathering he was clearly not ready to participate in.
Chapter Sixteen
Darcy
“Who are those children?” he enquired upon seeing the crowd ahead. He had not been prepared to socialise to such a degree and the sight of the gathering made him feel rather uncomfortable. It was one thing to go out riding with people he knew. Indeed, he had even enjoyed the conversation with Miss Elizabeth for the last half hour or so since finding her in distress.
He’d looked forward to continuing the conversation, in fact, but that was now cut short.
“The little boy with the blond hair is Peter Lucas, and the other is Harold their cousin. And there is my dear friend Charlotte,” she said, pointing ahead. “Oh, and it seems they have laid out a picnic. I now lament the large breakfast I ate this morning,” she remarked.
Darcy returned her smile, not due to any anticipation of the assembly they were about to join, but rather because Elizabeth appeared to be in better spirits. He had found himself concerned for her more than he had expected, yet he felt grateful that she displayed signs of recovery.
“Do you wish to join them?” he asked, “or would you prefer to venture into town for your ankle to be attended to?”
She glanced down at her foot, then at the gathering, and Darcy discerned immediately what her decision would be. She longed to be amongst the others. She was a social being, unlikehim. Tentatively, she moved her foot back and forth, grimacing slightly, yet not as painfully as before.
“I believe I shall be quite all right, provided I might sit. If you would be so kind as to assist me down when we get there?”
“Of course I will,” he replied, conscious not to let any apprehension colour his tone. “And then I will look for your horse.”
