Page 9 of Compromise & Consequence
“I am aware of that fact, but if you stand, the gown will tear further.”
She frantically tried to loosen the lace, but it would not let go. Frustrated, she held his button firm and ripped through the laceedging. They could both now stand, and once they did, her gown gaped slightly.
“Do not think this ruse you and Wickham tried to cook up will work.”
“I have not the slightest idea of what you are talking about, but if you would please walk in front of me, I can stay hidden. I will remove at once to the lady’s retiring room. All I ask is that you find Jane and have her attend me there.”
They had almost made it to the door when Miss Bingley made an appearance with Aunt Frances hot on her heels. Elizabeth was sure, in hindsight, Miss Bingley wished she had not said a word, but her hatred for the country chit was so great, so defined, all she saw was a chance to embarrass her in front of friends and family.
“Miss Eliza Bennet. Howdidyou get that tear in the bodice of your gown?”
Mr. Darcy cursed.
Elizabeth sighed.
***
For Darcy and the Bennet family, the ball came to an abrupt halt. Mr. Bennet called for the carriage and then told Darcy he expected to see him first thing in the morning at Longbourn. With his jaw flexing in anger, he nodded in the affirmative.
Miss Bingley, now fully cognizant of what she’d started, tried to mitigate her words by saying, ‘It is only a small tear. Why you can barely see the top of her chemisette.’ Of course, no one listened, Darcy thought angrily. This was the best morsel of gossip this backwater town had had to chew on in years. By the time everyone exited Netherfield Park later that night, rumors had circulated and grown until it was widely reported he had accosted Miss Elizabeth in the garden, and her motherhad found the two of them barely clothed in the gazebo. They all expected the arrival of a Mister or Miss Darcy by the end of August next year.
As far as Darcy was concerned, that wasnotgoing to happen. Ever.
Prior to Miss Elizabeth turning around to face him, he had spied a red-coated officer slinking behind the bushes in the garden. Because she had openly admitted to meeting George Wickham, his thoughts had naturally flown in the direction of her being part of yet another elaborate scheme to extort money from him.
Given that Wickham’s compromise of Darcy’s sister Georgiana failed, he had obviously become craftier and enlisted the aid of a gullible woman who would, after marrying the heir to Pemberley, gladly dip into her pin money and send it to him. Darcy might, as a gentleman of honor, be obliged to marry her, but it would be a cold day in Hades before any more of his money found its way into the pocket of that reprobate. Once married, every purchase made by Mrs. Darcy would be carefully scrutinized, and her pin money would be negligible.
He pushed through all the people gawking and murmuring and started for his room.
“Darcy!”
Bingley called out and caught up to him at the foot of the stairs. Close behind him was Miss Bennet, her eyes wide with surprise or anguish, he could not tell.
“What has happened? Rumors are swirling that you and Miss Elizabeth were compromised.”
“It was an elaborate trap.”
“What? How?”
“Wickham,” was all he would say in a low voice, and glared atMiss Bennet over Bingley’s shoulder. “I dare not say more. I will not return to the ball. Give your sister my regrets.”
With that, he mounted the stairs to the second floor and his bedchamber, barking orders to his valet to start packing. They would leave for London as soon as he spoke with Bennet. He penned a note to his cousin Richard and asked his valet to have an express rider take it to London as soon as possible on the morrow. He then went to bed and tried to sleep.
How could he have gotten caught? After more than six years of side-stepping desperate mothers and their tenacious daughters, he had been snagged in the wilds of Hertfordshire by a woman who was quite possibly Wickham’s latest paramour. Wickham had a tendency to know his accomplices intimately. Good old George always mixed business with pleasure. It was how he’d coerced Georgiana’s last companion.
Mrs. Younge had been Wickham’s lover for more than a year before they cooked up a scheme for her to take the job as his sister’s companion. From there, it had been easy to suggest they go to Ramsgate for holidays and for Wickham to appear and deceive his innocent sister into thinking he had always loved her and now that she was so grown up, he couldn’t wait to marry her.
Darcy would always remain thankful Georgiana had written, hinting she had some news and he would be so happy for her. Sensing something was not right, he and Richard had left for Ramsgate the very next morning and arrived two days before the planned elopement. Richard wanted to run Wickham through with a sword, and now Darcy wished fervently he’d let him.
Unable to sleep, he slid out of bed and brought out some paper. If he couldn’t get any rest, he would begin the preliminaries of the marriage settlement. Bennet would know fairly soon his daughter was not going to profit from this sham of a marriage.
The sun was low on the horizon when he finished transcribing the last article on Bennet’s copy. Darcy sanded the document, then leaned back in the chair and read it over. A grim smile twisted his normally handsome face. The settlement was so vile, Miss Elizabeth might just beg off marrying him, and suffer the shame of being thought immoral. An outcome that would suit him even better. His valet came into the room, and soon Darcy was dressed and downstairs to break his fast. Surprisingly, Charles joined him.
“You are up early, Bingley. I thought for sure you would stay in bed until past noon.”
“I knew you would be up early, and wanted to apologize for what happened last night.”
“This is not your fault. Lay the blame where it belongs. Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
