The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy (22 page)

The search for Lydia began as soon as Mercer hand-delivered Darcy’s note to George Bingley at his London office. Methodically, Bingley’s men went to work. They eliminated those sections of London where the arrival of a gentleman and a lady would bring too much notice. They then concentrated on the areas of town where someone who was short of funds, but who gave the impression of having money, might find a room. It was known that Wickham had left Brighton wearing his uniform, so that narrowed it further. A week later, one of Bingley’s men was interviewing a certain Mrs. Epping who ran a boardinghouse with her husband, and for five pounds, she was willing to answer all questions asked of her.

“I knew someone would come looking for her,” Mrs. Epping began. “And I’m glad you did. I am so sick of listening to those two argue. Him saying he wants what he wants, but her saying he ain’t getting it until he give her her wedding clothes. I never heard no one talk about one thing as much as that girl talks about her wedding clothes. It got so I couldn’t stand it no more, and I sent her across the way for two days to stay with my sister. But then she had enough and sent her back.”

“Then it is your opinion that the couple did not consummate their relationship,” Mr. Rhys asked Mrs. Epping.

“Well, I don’t know about that. What I do know is that the two of them didn’t have sex. That’s what all them arguments was about.”

“But they shared a room?”

“And I made up their room most nearly every day until they stopped paying for it. I can tell you the man was sleeping on a blanket on the floor, and the princess was sleeping in the bed. And if that ain’t proof enough, Mrs. Royale, which is what she calls herself, spelled with an ‘e’ she says to me, come down one night ’cause Mr. Royale got drunk. He had got it in his head that he was going to have his way, and she run away from him after knocking him down. I can tell you that girl gives as good as she gets. That’s when she told me they weren’t married. No surprise there. And the reason why they was hiding out was because she was the daughter of a lord, whose name she couldn’t mention, who wouldn’t let them get married. She now wants to be known as Miss Augusta, like one of the royal princesses, even though I know her name is Lydia ’cause I heard it shouted often enough. That girl can tell some tall tales.”

“How did they pay for the room?”

“With sovereigns to start, and then he give me a clasp from his cloak. I can get a nice price for it, so I told him that would take them to the end of the week. But I was almost hoping they couldn’t pay so they would leave. I was getting complaints from the other lodgers.”

“Have they had any visitors?”

“No, he ain’t been out that door. He comes down every morning to read the newspaper after Mr. Epping finishes with it, but since he drinks wine all day long, he falls asleep right after their evening meal. While he’s snoring away, Miss Augusta comes down and talks to me. She says he’s got a friend who’s bringing him the money to buy her wedding clothes. And I asks her why he don’t go and get the money himself, and she says it’s complicated. His father is an important man what lives in Derbyshire, and since the money has to come so far, that’s what’s taking so long.”

Mr. Rhys gave Mrs. Epping another five pounds and an address and told her to send a messenger if there was any change in the routine of Mr. and Mrs. Royale.

***

While Mrs. Epping was talking to Mr. Rhys, Wickham was staring at a sleeping Lydia and counting the hours until he would be rid of her. Just another day or two, and it would be safe to leave the lodging house.

Before they even left Brighton, Lieutenant Fuller had followed through on his threat to go directly to Captain Wilcox because of Wickham’s insistence on taking a sixteen-year-old girl with him. Fuller knew it would be Wilcox who would feel the brunt of Colonel Forster’s wrath because it was he who had recommended Wickham for his wife’s card parties. Wilcox would have his liver if he ever got his hands on him.

But a colonel in the militia has limited resources, and a search could not go on indefinitely. Colonel Forster would have to accept that the couple had disappeared into the recesses of the largest city in Christendom and could remain hidden indefinitely, and since the Bennets certainly didn’t have the wherewithal to conduct a search, Wickham would be able to leave without fear of discovery. But in the meantime, he would have to endure the little brat’s company. It was hard to believe it was little more than two weeks since they had left Brighton. It seemed like months.

By the time Wickham and Lydia had changed from the chaise to the hackney in Clapham, he was ready to roll his handkerchief into a ball and stuff it in her mouth. Her incessant chatter would have been annoying enough, but all she cared to talk about were her wedding clothes and where they would set up housekeeping. He knew her to be gullible, but it was turning out she was stupid as well. She believed everything he told her, and she took his lies and built castles in the air with them.

Once they arrived at the Epping lodging house, he was ready to claim his reward for all the frustrating clandestine meetings they had had under the pier. But when he pressed her, she turned on him, telling him he would not get her in bed until she knew for a fact that they were to be married. The only way he could prove that would happen was to buy her the goddamned wedding clothes, and so the standoff began.

He wrote a letter to every person he knew asking for money, explaining his bride was ill, and he needed help with the doctor bills. But he had heard from no one. All he had left was some jewelry he had taken from his paramour. He was trying to figure out what his next step would be when Mr. Rhys arrived at his door. A woman, who identified herself as Mrs. George Bingley, insisted Lydia come with her. Once a hysterical Lydia was reassured that the lady was acting on behalf of the Bennet family and that she and Wickham would be reunited, she agreed to go to the Bingley home in Cheapside. Wickham, who was sandwiched between two strong men, was told by Mr. Rhys to leave the lodging house as quietly as possible, and once out onto the street, he was thrown into a waiting hackney. Not knowing where he was going or what would happen to him, Wickham was terrified. But when he emerged from the carriage, he saw George Bingley’s name painted above the door of a warehouse, and he was reassured. If the Bingleys were involved, it was likely Darcy was as well, and from his own personal experience, he knew that Darcy was willing to pay good money to get rid of a bad penny.

At first light, Darcy went to the stables where his carriage was waiting. He realized he was leaving his sister to make the best of a bad situation, but with Anne and Richard there, he was confident she could deal with any problems that might arise. The three cousins agreed to meet before everyone came down to breakfast, and as they huddled in the study, they discussed how best to proceed.

“As the mistress of Pemberley, I feel I must apologize to Miss Bingley for the remarks Antony made last night,” Georgiana began. “What he said was so offensive, I absolutely cringed. There’s no excuse, not even for an earl.”

“I agree,” Richard said. “Only my brother could make Caroline Bingley a sympathetic character, but leave her to me. I shall do my best to divert her attention as well as the Hursts’.

“Even with that, Caroline remains our biggest problem,” Anne said, “but one can hope that with Will gone for who knows how long, she will want to cut short her visit. As for Antony, I shall talk to him.”

It was agreed that Georgiana would speak to Charles while they were out riding. “I suspect he already knows something is amiss. The atmosphere in the drawing room last night was hardly convivial, and with Will pacing the floor, it was obvious his thoughts were elsewhere.”

***

At breakfast, Richard did not give Caroline any time to dwell on Darcy’s absence. “Because of the rain, I understand you were denied a picnic, so I have arranged for one today. It will be in the gardens, so we need not even get into a carriage.” Although the Hursts were included, the colonel had made it seem as if it was a personal invitation, and Caroline quickly forgot about Mr. Darcy’s departure.

Georgiana was aware that Mr. Bingley knew nothing about her connection to George Wickham. In order for Charles to understand the gravity of the situation confronting Lydia and the Bennet family, she needed to acquaint him with what had happened in Ramsgate. Because of those events, Georgiana knew that Wickham’s elopement with Lydia was no romance, and for reasons she could not fathom, he was willing to destroy the reputation of a sixteen-year-old girl.

“When Darcy and I encountered Wickham in Meryton,” Charles said, “it was obvious they disliked each other, but for understandable reasons, your brother chose not to share the details of their history. You tell me that my brother, George, is presently looking for Lydia. Well, I can assure you that he will find her. He has what he calls his ‘eyes’ throughout London, and England for that matter.

“Under the circumstances, I feel my sisters and I should leave Pemberley,” Charles continued. “I only learned last night that Caroline and Louisa had received an invitation to go to Scarborough to visit friends, and it should be a simple matter to leave a few days earlier. As for me, before returning to London, I shall stop in Hertfordshire to offer my services to the Bennet family. However, I would be less than truthful if I did not tell you I have selfish reasons for calling at Longbourn. I am in love with Miss Jane Bennet, and it is my intention to make her an offer of marriage.”

“My brother has told me of your interest in Miss Bennet, and I am very happy for you. I am sure it will be a source of joy to a family sorely lacking in it. May I be the first to offer my congratulations?”

“I would accept them gladly, but I am unsure of how my offer will be received. Miss Bennet has reason to be angry with me. But she is a kind person, and I have hope I shall be forgiven.”

“Mr. Bingley, I have a picnic to arrange for this afternoon, and our cook, Mrs. Bradshaw, will want as much time to prepare as possible, so I must return to the house.” Before turning her horse toward Pemberley, Georgiana added, “I am very glad you will not hold Lydia’s behavior against Miss Bennet. She is innocent of all blame and should not suffer because of her sister’s indiscretions.” She only hoped her brother would agree with that statement.

***

Anne sent Jackson to talk to Lord Fitzwilliam’s man, and after waiting thirty minutes, Gregg appeared, but only to say that Lord Fitzwilliam would not be dining at all today as he had a terrific headache.

“I did not ask him to dine. Gregg, tell your master he should be prepared to receive his cousin in one half hour.”

When Anne went into Lord Fitzwilliam’s apartment, she found him with a wet cloth over his eyes. She believed him when he said he had a pounding headache. Except for a glass or two of diluted port, he had little to drink since his arrival, and he was experiencing the unpleasant side effects of a quick withdrawal from alcohol.

Pointing to a letter on the table, he said, “I have already dictated a letter of apology to Miss Bingley. I find her incredibly irritating, but I was rude to a guest of my host. Fortunately, Darcy did not hear or he would have shown me the door.”

“She is still here. Would you not want to tell her in person?”

“I can’t, Anne. I truly can’t. My nerves are stretched to the breaking point. I am greatly in need of a glass of wine, but I will not have it. Seeing Georgiana reminded me that I have two daughters who will come out into society in a few short years. I do not want to embarrass them. So I will remain at Pemberley until I am sober, and, hopefully, that will become a permanent condition.”

“I want you to come to Rosings with me.” Silence. “You haven’t been to Rosings in years.”

“There is a reason for that. Your mother lives there.”

“You will not see as much of her as you think. She retires early. You get up late. If you took up riding again, you would be out of doors for most of the day. Besides, everyone is leaving, and you will not want to stay here by yourself.”

“Everyone is leaving? Surely my behavior was not so objectionable that the guests are running for the nearest exit.”

“Will had to return to London and left at dawn. Georgiana needs to prepare for her debut, and, frankly, I am tired and in need of a rest.” Anne was in need of more than a rest. She was exhausted, and Mrs. Jenkinson was urging her to return to Rosings, especially since her mistress was taking drafts of laudanum to help her sleep.

“I actually would prefer to be in Kent,” Antony said after thinking it over for a few moments. “My daughters are with my mother in Ashford, and I could go visit them.”

Through all of this, Antony kept the cloth across his eyes, but Anne lifted it, so she might kiss his forehead, and her cousin took her hand and gently squeezed it. He loved this fragile woman more than he could say.

“You tell me Darcy is already gone? Damn! I had a message for him. An old friend of his from his time in France, the former Christina Caxton, is in London and wanted to visit with him.”

“Where is she staying?”

“With Mrs. Conway. Apparently, the late Mr. Caxton was a supporter of Whig causes, and since Darcy is of a like mind, I am sure that is how they met.”

“I do not know Mrs. Caxton, and at the moment, he has a lot to think about. But I shall break my journey in London, and I shall tell him. Visiting with an old friend might be exactly what he needs.”

The picnic went much better than expected largely due to the presence of Colonel Fitzwilliam and the absence of Lord Fitzwilliam. Richard was so successful in diverting Caroline’s attention that Georgiana was beginning to wonder if there was more to it than just amusing a difficult guest. He had recently discussed with Will the possibility of selling his commission. But the only way he could leave the army was if he found a rich wife, and Caroline Bingley was very rich.

With Richard and Caroline engrossed in conversation, she turned her attention to the Hursts. But as soon as they had finished their lunch, Mr. Hurst found a comfortable spot under a tree and quickly fell asleep. As this was nothing out of the norm, Mrs. Hurst joined Caroline in conversing with the colonel. Compared to her calculating sister, Louisa was the most uncomplicated woman Georgiana had ever met.

Because Anne had decided to stay at the house to humor Antony, Charles and Georgiana found themselves looking to each other for company. With so much on their minds, neither had much to say.

Georgiana was thinking about how much her life had changed simply because she had reached her eighteenth birthday. Before leaving London, she had received a letter from Mrs. Reynolds with her recommendations as to which room each guest would use. Upon her arrival at Pemberley, she had to meet with Mrs. Bradshaw to go over the menus. A wise person never challenged Cook as she had been at Pemberley for more than twenty years and ran her own little fiefdom belowstairs. All these consultations were mere formalities because the servants were more capable than she in running the house, but they would not proceed without the master’s or mistress’s consent. But Georgiana did not want to discuss replacing linen with Mrs. Reynolds nor menus with Mrs. Bradshaw. She wanted to share with someone the excitement she was feeling about her upcoming debut and her dreams for the future as she had done with Elizabeth Bennet.

Following their ride to the Peak, Georgiana had shared with Elizabeth that she was penning a novel. Unlike her brother, Lizzy did not frown, but showed real interest in her story.

“The novel is about Pompeii at the time Mt. Vesuvius erupted. I have changed it a good deal since I started. Actually, I change it all the time. Thoughts keep popping into my head, and then I go in a new direction. Anyway, it is about two lovers who are kept apart because of their different places in society. Just when it seems as if they have surmounted all obstacles in their path, another woman enters the picture who is determined to keep them apart because she wants the man for herself, although he does not love her, which is evident to everyone
except
her. It is just at that time the volcano erupts, with its rivers of lava and suffocating gases, and ash and people running about willy-nilly. Amidst this chaos, the lovers must find each other. At first, I thought I should have the woman who interferes in their romance overtaken by the lava flow, but that seemed a bit harsh, even though she is not likable at all.”

Lizzy could hardly imagine who she was talking about. Although Georgiana was only three years younger than she, the difference in their ages seemed greater, probably because the daughters of society’s elite tended to live sheltered existences until they married. If Georgiana was typical of her class, she would have been coddled by nurses before being turned over to governesses and tutors and piano and dance masters, all in preparation for that first season where, it was hoped, she would find a husband from among the aristocracy or landed gentry. But there was something different about Georgiana. She had a bit of the rebel in her.

“Has anyone read your writings?” Lizzy had asked.

“Oh, no! Will does not approve of women writing novels because he says it degrades them, but I see nothing degrading in it. Frances Burney was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Charlotte, and Maria Edgeworth’s novels all have a moral to share. But I am not without hope as he is the first to admit that society is undergoing great changes. I just hope it undergoes them fast enough for them to benefit me.” Elizabeth had encouraged her to keep writing and asked if she might read it when she had finished the first draft.

“I would be honored if you would read my humble manuscript.”

Georgiana liked Elizabeth for many reasons, but she particularly admired how feisty she was. She had been greatly surprised when Elizabeth had talked back to Will at the stables. She had never seen anyone argue with her brother, and from their exchange, it was apparent that was not the first time they had engaged in an animated discussion. And from watching the two of them standing on the promontory, she was quite sure that his love was no longer unrequited. But now there was this horrible business with Lydia Bennet, and she was unsure what Will would do because it involved George Wickham. But there was no time to dwell on anything other than her obligations as mistress of Pemberley, and so she had to think about supper and that evening’s entertainment and not about Caroline Bingley fleeing for her life in a burning Pompeii.

***

When Anne went into Lord Fitzwilliam’s apartment, he was sitting in the same chair but without the cloth across his eyes, and he had color back in his cheeks.

“Gregg, why don’t you go to the kitchen and have some lunch,” Anne suggested. “I wish to speak to Lord Fitzwilliam.”

“Whatever it is, I did not do it, Anne. I have not been out of the room. Have I, Gregg?”

“No, Milord. You have been here since Miss de Bourgh’s last visit.”

“I have even been nice to you, Gregg, haven’t I?”

“Exceptionally so, Milord.”

“No need for sarcasm, Gregg, but do go and have something to eat.”

After his servant left, Anne said, “You do know that man is worth his weight in gold.”

“Which is about what I owe him in wages. I have encouraged him to find another position, but he tells me he enjoys the excitement and unpredictability of serving me.”

Looking around the room, Anne could see that she had interrupted Gregg’s packing her cousin’s clothes. “Antony, are you leaving Pemberley?”

“Yes. I am returning to town in the morning.”

“But I thought it was not safe for you to be in London because Mr. Lynton had challenged you to a duel.”

“Well, he is such a hothead that I am sure someone else has offended him in the interim. The reason I left town so abruptly was I feared he would actually come looking for me with a pistol and not wait for me to respond to his challenge. And if he calls me out again, I shall not fight. I do not mind being called a coward. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I will not let Mr. Lynton shoot me.”

“But you also said you were going to stay here until you had recovered.”

“Until I was sober, which I am. I have not been this sober since… I cannot remember that far back. But I have received a letter from my mother telling me she has found a buyer for the manor house, so I must return to London.”

“You are going to sell Briarwood, and your mother approves?” Anne asked in disbelief. Briarwood had been in the Fitzwilliam family for two hundred years. Its first incarnation was as a modest summerhouse built to escape the heat of London, but it had been expanded to its present size of one hundred plus rooms. No family, other than the Fizwilliams, had ever lived there.

“It was my mother who suggested it. We cannot live together, as she is an unrepentant scold. But we do like each other, and she knows of all I have done to maintain the estate. It is older, but not as beautiful as Rosings, and I cannot afford it.”

“But your father left you so much money.”

“He also left me with crumbling cottages, drains that do not drain, and a leaking roof. I have sold all our properties in Ireland and three hundred acres of parkland, and as I am sure you have heard, many of the paintings and antiquities. I was even forced to sell Grandmother Fitzwilliam’s portrait, but because it is a Reynolds, I was advanced a good price. I am sure Darcy will buy it back, as he always does the right thing, which is why I mentioned it to him.”

“Without explanation, I might add, which made you look very bad.”

“Why should I bother to explain? I will never win Fitzwilliam Darcy’s approval. I have wasted a good deal of money, and our cousin will not forgive me. Besides, the last time I was at Briarwood was nearly a year ago when Eleanor threatened to set
my
dogs on me if I came back. Now, that wasn’t right. She should get her own dogs.”

“Do you know who the purchaser is?”

“It would have to be someone like the Bingleys, who are drowning in money, as they are the only ones with the financial resources to make the necessary repairs.”

“But Richard knows nothing of this.”

“I know. But I did not want to give him the mistaken impression that he would have enough money to marry a woman who does not have a fortune of her own, such as Miss Pennington, the daughter of our solicitor.” Looking out the window, he could see his brother walking arm-in-arm with Caroline Bingley in the gardens. If Richard married her, he would be paying a high price for financial independence, but it could very well happen.

“This is all beside the point, Anne. I am returning to London, and you are going with me. You have circles under your eyes, and you are pale. You are the smartest person, male or female, in our family, and whatever you have got up to here at Pemberley, I am sure you have succeeded. Now, it is time for you to go back to Rosings.”

“It is out of the question as I cannot leave Georgiana. When she returns to London, that is when I shall return.”

“I am sorry, my dear, but I must insist, as Mrs. Jenkinson came to me last night to tell me you are taking laudanum, which you do not do at Rosings.”

“On occasion, I do take it at Rosings to suppress my coughing. I have taken it here because I do not want to cough in front of the Bingleys, as it can go on and on.”

“All the more reason to return to Rosings. Richard told me last night that he must return to his regiment, so, if necessary, I will leave Gregg here to see Georgiana back to town. I suspect the Bingleys will want to leave because Darcy is gone. Even if all remained, you need not stay as Jackson manages the servants as well as any colonel commanding a regiment. So you see, my dear cousin, you need not worry. We leave our young cousin and friends in good hands.”

***

Anne returned to her room to find Mrs. Jenkinson busy packing, so busy that she would not make eye contact with her mistress. Anne could never be angry with her companion, but she did not like it when others made decisions for her, which happened all too often with her mother at Rosings, and which Antony had just done. But there was something else that was bothering her, and when she realized what it was, she quickly returned to her cousin’s room.

“Antony, how do you know that Mrs. Caxton is staying with Mrs. Conway? Mrs. Conway is an important person in the Whig opposition, and you are a Tory. I would think your paths would rarely cross, if at all.”

“You are correct. I have never met Mrs. Conway. It was Mrs. Caxton herself who told me. Apparently, she knew our cousin from his time in France and remembered that his cousin was an earl. She sent a note asking if she could visit as she was trying to communicate with Darcy.”

“And you received a stranger without a letter of introduction?”

“Yes, and very glad that I did. She is an enchanting creature—quite beautiful with a lovely neck, and I imagine very long legs, my greatest weakness. She declared herself to be an old friend of Darcy’s, and I treated her as such. I did not speculate on their friendship, but if I had engaged in such an activity, I could easily have imagined them as being very, very close friends while in France, which makes her staying with Mrs. Conway quite interesting.”

“Antony, Will knows that you shared personal information about him with
The Insider
, and he was very angry. Please promise me you will never do that again.” The thought of two of Will’s romantic interests living together under the same roof would sell out the magazine as he was considered to be one of London’s most eligible bachelors.

“I can promise that quite easily, as it was more trouble than it was worth. But I was being pressed by my tailor, pun intended, and in need of ready cash. And I would like to correct the record. It is true I am guilty of telling the man from
The Insider
that Darcy was shortly to become engaged to Miss Montford, but my source was her brother, who assured me that the only thing left to do was to sign the marriage contract. However, I was not the source for the item about Darcy leaving Mrs. Conway’s house in the early hours of the morning. I am sure he was seen by the man from
The Insider
. You know he does hang about in the shadows hoping for a story. On more than one occasion, he has hailed a cab for me.”

“Maybe it would be best if we did not tell Will about Mrs. Caxton at the present time,” Anne suggested. “He does have an awful lot on his mind.”

“My lips are sealed, but since Mrs. Caxton knows so few people in London, I thought I might befriend her.” Anne frowned. “Do not concern yourself, my dear cousin, I am not at the moment inclined to take a mistress, especially one with no money. But I must admit, if money was not a consideration, I would be sending her flowers upon my arrival in London.”