Chapter 13: Before the wedding
Wickham had reached the residence of Mrs Younge on the night of the Netherfield ball. She was a distant relative of his. They had not seen each other since the incident in Ramsgate.
"You have not thought of me all these months. What brings you here now, George?"
"My dear, Helen, I have always thought about you." He said, trying to kiss her. Mrs Younge moved away.
"No, Wickham, none of that. I have been tricked by you before. You said you would marry me once we got the money. But you left me to deal with Mr Darcy all by myself. Do you know how close I was from being handed over to the authorities?"
"But he did not. I knew that he would not take any serious action. Common now, it is never too late to make plans and amends. I shall be back in an hour; I need to visit my friends."
He hoped to get some money by gambling and visited one of the taverns. He won a good amount and drank away to celebrate his victory. He was never a man of control. By midnight, he was completely unstable. To his shock, he fell down the stairs and broke his leg. He cursed his luck.
Mrs Younge was annoyed when his friends brought him back injured.
"Wickham, I have to go to work in the morning. You cannot stay here; I do not have the time or energy to take care of you."
Wickham gave her some money and assured her that she would get much more when he got better. All his plans in Hertfordshire were ruined. He did not know what to do. Good riddance, nothing seems to go according to my wishes these days. He grumbled in his bed, unable to bear the pain.
Darcy visited his uncle's house as soon as he reached London.
He was surprised to find only Richard in the house.
"Hey Darcy, have you arrived just now? I thought you planned to be here two days ago. Mother and father left for Scotland yesterday to visit their friends. They plan to stay for a month or so. Why do you look as if you have seen a ghost?"
Darcy sank into the chair silently.
"Richard, I am getting married."
"What? I mean. All of a sudden. To whom?"
"To Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Hertfordshire."
"Darcy, you are not a man of surprises. Is there something wrong?"
Darcy quickly explained the details of the events at Netherfield.
Richard listened intently. "So, you tell me you thought better of her until the compromise?"
"Yes, Yes, I did. I was a fool."
"Darcy, from what you relate, I feel she is a victim as much as you are."
"I do not want to discuss this again. She will be Mrs Darcy. I came here to get the blessings of my aunt and uncle."
"We can write to them. They can be back in time for the wedding. Won't you have to bring Georgiana and Emma?"
"I do not plan to."
"What about Lady Katherine? She will not take the news lightly."
"I do not plan on informing her. I severed ties with her long ago."
"She will come to know Darcy, and she will give you headaches."
"At this point, she is the least of my problems. I am worried about Emma and Georgiana. How am I to expect an unknown woman to bond with them?"
"You may not have all the answers. Most marriages do not. You will figure it out. I am eager to meet the future Mrs Darcy. At least, it is not Miss Bingley." Darcy could not argue with the truth in his cousin's words.
After a week, Mr Gardiner met Darcy once more at the Darcy house.
He looked at the marriage settlement and found that Darcy had been very generous. Darcy expected her uncle to thank him for the generous settlement. But he just nodded his head and said nothing.
"Mr Bingley said you were willing to contribute to the cottage they plan to rent. I have told him that it is not necessary. I will take care of my sister's family."
"But Bingley and I would like to do our part. He was more inclined towards getting Longbourn back for the Bennets."
"I do not think Mr Collins would be reasonable with his demands."
"Mr Collins? Mr Collins of Kent? The parson?" Darcy asked in surprise.
"Yes, do you know him?"
"I do. I met Mr Collins when I visited Rosing's a couple of years ago. Lady Katherine is my aunt, my mother's sister."
"Oh! This is information, indeed."
"I cannot see why he would be adamant if we offer him a good value for the property."
"We can try. But he has never been reasonable in anything. Elizabeth, in particular, does not want your contribution towards her family. You may understand why."
Darcy did not reply. He tried his best to keep the conversation away from her.
"My family will leave for Hertfordshire in a couple of days. We hope you can be there sooner than a day before the wedding."
"I do not have any idea of changing my plans. I plan to leave for London along with Miss Elizabeth on the same day of my wedding. Please inform her about my plans."
"And how long do you expect to stay in London after that?"
"A week. We will be leaving to Pemberley after a brief stay here."
Mr Gardiner left the Darcy house, hoping that he had made the best decision for his niece.
He wrote to Elizabeth to inform her about her future husband's plans. Elizabeth had spent days anticipating a decision from Darcy to stop the wedding.
But her uncle's letter confirmed the opposite. She wondered whether he had read her letter at all.
Mr Bingley visited Longbourn almost every day to see Jane. Elizabeth saw the pure happiness and love the couple displayed.
I can never expect such felicity. Wonder what his thoughts are about our future. He may see me as the woman who trapped him, and nothing else.
She sighed. She wanted to spend the little time she had left in Longbourn cherishing the memories she had with her father.
Whether her family would leave Longbourn or move to a new house was still under question.
She begged her mother to refuse any help from her future husband.
"Oh! What now, Lizzy? If he wants to make our lives better, why should we stop him?"
"But Mamma, he thinks I am mercenary. This will only provide proof for his claims."
"Oh! He must have spoken out of anger. Mr Bingley plans to write to Mr Collins. I hope he can seal the deal for us."
Elizabeth hated how her mother's actions proved everything Darcy had accused her of plotting.
I cannot fathom how I am going to live in his house. I wonder how his sister will receive me? Will she accept me if she knows the nature of this marriage?
Thousands of questions raced her mind. Mr Gardiner's family came to Longbourn a week before the wedding. Elizabeth loved her aunt dearly, and Mrs Gardiner was almost like a friend to her.
"Lizzy, have you been sleeping well? Your eyes look so tired"
"I do not know. I try to sleep; I lay awake for many hours. It is not only due to the situation of my marriage. I have been this way since papa left us."
"You need to look at the future, dear. No matter how grim it may look now, I have hope."
"I do not want to raise hope or expectations on this marriage. I do not know a thing about him except that he hates our society. He resents me more than the former."
"Lizzy, he doesn't know about you. He will surely come to appreciate your good sense and character. Unfortunately, many marriages do not start with love, but the journey is long. A good understanding will bring about affection and regard."
Days passed. The Gardiner's had brought a lot of gifts for the brides. Elizabeth and Jane got new clothes befitting their new station in life.
"These are grand, aunt. You have been very generous towards us. Will I be expected to alter everything about me?"
"Not everything, Lizzy. Your position as Mrs Darcy may require you to change certain things. You will adapt very well."
Elizabeth was paranoid about her future. She did not want Jane to feel guilty about her happy situation, so she tried her best to keep her feelings hidden.
A few days before the wedding, she visited Mr Roland's shop and bid him goodbye.
"I thank you wholeheartedly for your help, Mr Roland. It proved as a wonderful source of employment for my grieving mind."
"You are most welcome, Miss Lizzy. You are truly a wonderful baker. We will miss your cakes. I wish you all happiness in your marriage."
"Happiness?" A very unrealistic word indeed.
She walked around her favourite paths. She did not know whether she would be back in Hertfordshire ever.
She reached the top of Oakham Mount and remembered her meeting with Darcy. How easily I avoided conversing with him that day? Ironically, I never knew that I would be tied to him for my whole life.
Meanwhile, at Netherfield, Miss Bingley was livid with anger. That night, she had stood in anticipation for the door to open, but all she heard was commotion inside the ballroom after some time. She was shocked when she saw people gathered around Darcy and Elizabeth.
She heard whispers about a compromise. This cannot happen. No! How did he end up with her?
She saw Darcy leave to the library. She listened keenly to the conversation between Jane and Elizabeth.
"Lizzy, who are you searching for?" Jane asked.
"There was a lady who yelled about the compromise after we fell. Jane, something is not right here. I need to find her."
Miss Bingley understood how her maid had messed up her whole plan. I will kill her if I find her.
She was relieved when they could not find the maid anywhere. I cannot risk her getting caught now.
She stood outside the library door and eavesdropped the conversation inside.
She was shocked to hear Darcy's offer of marriage. Oh! No! Just as I thought, he is planning to save her reputation. It should be me, not her. What am I to do?
"Caroline, I cannot believe this. That girl compromised Mr Darcy. What an immoral family. We cannot allow Charles to be associated with such a disgraceful family." Mrs Hurst said, spotting her sister outside the library.
"What do you mean, Louisa?"
"Oh, where on earth did you go? I searched for you everywhere. Charles proposed to Jane Bennet. They are engaged."
"What? What nonsense is this? We cannot allow it."
I need to persuade Charles against marrying Miss Bennet. If I can stop one marriage, I can prevent the other.
Both the sisters tried vehemently to reason with their brother. But Mr Bingley was stubborn. He loved Jane and was not going to succumb to pressure from his family.
Miss Bingley recalled the events of the ball again and again. She could not understand how Darcy had ended up on the opposite side of the ballroom. Her peppermint oil had only injured her brother-in-law.
She had tried to persuade Darcy from his decision. But he cut her off.
I will no longer be the mistress of anything after my brother's marriage. Just a week ago, she was certain of becoming the mistress of Pemberley, now her position in Netherfield was lost, as well.
Her rage towards Elizabeth built up every day. I will never forgive her for taking Pemberley away from me. I will not let her be happy. She will have to pay for this. She said to herself in vengeance.
I will make you pay one day, Elizabeth!