*This story is copyright protected.
At half past four, Mr Darcy's arrival was announced, and he was greeted by Mr Gardiner in the entryway. Mr Gardiner was a fashionable sort of fellow with a pleasant face, who looked to be nearing his forties. Although he was in trade, he was dressed as fine as most gentlemen of the ton.After they had introduced themselves and shook hands, Mr Gardiner said that it would be best to discuss these matters in privacy, they headed directly to his study. As he was following Mr Gardiner down the narrow corridor, he came face-to-face with Elizabeth exiting a room to his left. Seeing her now, fully in control without the haze of alcohol dulling his senses, she was even more beautiful. The green of her day dress complementing her slightly sun-kissed skin and the dark curls framing her face. He bowed stiffly as Mr Gardiner was still standing rather close to him. If he had extended his bow further, he would have appeared to be leering down her cleavage. Elizabeth initially froze momentarily but quickly recovered herself and gave an awkward but still elegant curtsey.
"Mr Darcy," she whispered.
"Miss Bennet," replied he, as she gathered her courage to look up at him. The look of warm concern in his eyes, sent a shiver up Elizabeth's spine, and she quickly turned her head away to dispel the odd reaction to him she couldn't quite understand. He frowned as she excused herself without looking toward him again.
"Do not worry, our Lizzy has been with her father as he suffered a heart attack in the early hours of this morning, and I believe she is not quite herself." said Mr Gardiner cutting through his reverie.
"I am sorry to hear it, Sir. I hope he makes a quick recovery." said Mr Darcy as he was turning back towards Mr Gardiner.
Mr Gardiner shook his head and his shoulders seemed somewhat heavy before he offered a small smile and said, "Shall we?" with that Mr Gardiner gestured to the door ahead of them at the end of the hallway.
Once they were in the privacy of Mr Gardiner's small study, Darcy accepted the brandy, offered and took a seat before he began the difficult task of addressing this conversation without giving away to the how he learned of this situation...
"I thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am at a loss with how to say this delicately, but I find in such situations as this, it is best to be direct." He paused assessing Mr Gardiner, before continuing, "It has come to my attention, that a Mr George Wickham has eloped with a young lady who is believed to be your niece, Miss Lydia Bennet. Is this true sir?" He asked in case there had been any changes in the matter since his meeting with Miss Elizabeth.
"I must ask, how you have come to know of this situation?" asked Mr Gardiner.
"I have had my own dealings with Mr Wickham and always kept note of his whereabouts. I must offer my sincerest apologies for keeping his true nature hidden whilst I was in Hertfordshire. I believed at the time, that since he had taken a position in the militia, he was trying to better himself and had changed his ways. I thought to keep myself away from him and let bygones be bygones. I also cannot deny that I was acting in the best interests of my family and can now see how the selfishness of my actions must be atoned for."
"I see, although Mr Darcy, I feel you take too much upon yourself."
"You must allow me to offer my assistance in this matter, Sir. I shall not be able to rest, unless I can be of assistance. If my excellent father were still here, he would insist upon being given the opportunity to help. I have allowed Mr Wickham's behaviour to go unchecked for too long, as I was only too happy to ignore his nature as long as it did not affect myself or my family."
"If that is the case, why should you wish to help in this instance? Nor does this situation have any impact on you or your family, Mr Darcy." asked Mr Gardiner.
"No, but I am acquainted with the Bennet's, as is a good friend of mine, Mr Bingley. We spent many an enjoyable time with them when we were staying in Hertfordshire. And, I would like to be of some assistance to you if I can."
"Very well, I would be most appreciative to accept any assistance you can offer, Mr Darcy."
"That is good news, Mr Gardiner, I have had my men searching Wickham's favourite haunts here in London, and we believe we have located him at a boarding house in North London."
"Well, that was very quickly done!" said Mr Gardiner sitting back in his chair, his surprise evident.
"It helps that Mr Wickham has few friends left that he hasn't tried to cheat and steal from. This narrowed our search considerably." he stated. "I must ask, if you are positive Lydia and Wickham intended to marry?" Darcy asked awkwardly.
"Yes Mr Darcy, she had left a note to Mrs Forster which stated that she and Wickham were to be married as soon as possible and the next time they would see each other she would have to address her as Mrs Wickham. Why do you ask?" asked Mr Gardiner, worry creasing his brow.
"I am just trying to consider the situation as thoroughly as possible so as to know how to act when we confront them."
"Mr Darcy, you say you know the gentleman in question quite well. There is one thing that doesn't make sense to me, and I shall be direct with you. Why would Mr Wickham attach himself to Lydia? She has no dowry or connections. This leads me to hope that perhaps he does have true feelings for her."
"We could be happily surprised that that is the truth of the matter. Although, if we are both being open in this discussion, I am afraid from what I know of his character, it is more likely that Wickham knows that my old friend Mr Bingley had shown a regard towards the eldest Miss Bennet. I worry that he hopes to extort money out of him in order to avoid a scandal that might stop him from being able to court her."
Seeing the worry increase in Mr Gardiner's expression, Darcy added.
"Do not worry, if Mr Wickham has a remnant of wit, he should avoid upsetting me. I shall do everything in my power to persuade him to do the honourable thing. But, you should take into account the conditions Miss Lydia has been made to live in these past few days, she may no longer wish to marry Mr Wickham, and what provisions should be made if this be the case."
Mr Gardiner nodded. "Lydia will always have a home here or at Longbourn if that should be the case."
"I am glad to hear it." replied Mr Darcy then adding. "Sir, I know this is difficult to think of, especially due to Mr Bennet's current condition, but there may be the added complication that Miss Lydia might be pregnant."
"I believe it best if we take this one step at a time. Let us focus on getting Lydia home safe and sound this evening, then we will know the severity of the situation after having spoken with my niece." Mr Gardiner said gravely.
"I understand, Mr Gardiner."
They continued to discuss the particulars of Darcy's plan for the best part of an hour before they emerged from Mr Gardiner's study. They gave instructions for Mr Darcy's carriage to be readied and went to inform the ladies the good news that they had located Lydia.
Elizabeth and her aunt sat in the drawing room in silence. Her Aunt was embroidering some handkerchiefs, and Elizabeth sat with an open book on her lap without comprehending a word of it. He had kept his word and had come here. She had truly believed he would renege on his promise and perhaps send a note about a 'prior engagement he had forgotten about...' But no, Mr Darcy was here, in Cheapside! He had come in all his state and lowered himself to come to the part of London people of his society wouldn't be caught dead in.
Instead of feeling pleased, she could not stop feeling that the only reason he would want to help them would be to appease his own guilt at treating his childhood friend so abominably ill, against his father's wishes! Elizabeth was convinced this was the true reason he was currently sitting in her Uncle's study giving him a few pointers in where they could look for Mr Wickham and Lydia. He was probably itching to leave as soon as humanly possible.
She had not expected him to have stayed here for over an hour! In truth, she had not known what to expect from him, but she was saddened to see that the gentleman from this morning had been completely erased and back was the imposing and flawlessly turned-out man she had despised in Hertfordshire. He was clean shaven and immaculately dressed in his black velvet jacket, navy and silver pinstripe waistcoat and that stupid pocket watch tucked away in his breast pocket, with his superfine snowy white shirt and cravat, with black breeches and brown topped hessian boots. She found the more she thought of him, the more she saw Mr Darcy as two men; the one whom she could almost imagine forming a friendship with, rugged, sitting relaxed with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his hair ruffled handsomely. The other one dressed in his finery, not a hair out of place standing tall and intimidating but still handsome.
How different things might have been if he were as kind as he were handsome. It seemed such a waste. I wonder how his face would change were he to smile. She did not believe he had ever truly smiled in front her. Did he even know how? Better still, what if he were to laugh? He did have a pleasant, silken baritone quality to his voice - STOP IT ELIZABETH!she berated herself silently her gaze shifting to look out the window opposite her.
Just then, Mr Gardiner entered with Mr Darcy stopping her mid-thought. He seemed to dwarf the room with his impressive height as his steady gaze took in the space. No doubt comparing it to the grandeur of his homes, thought Elizabeth, looking at him through narrowed eyes; however, when his gaze fell on her as she stood, Elizabeth lost her nerve and looked away, staring resolutely at the floor, blushing at the chaotic thoughts and emotions she could not decipher.
"Ah, here you are. It was so quiet I was unsure if you had both decided to take a walk in the park. May I introduce you to my wife, Mrs Madeleine Gardiner." said Mr Gardiner coming to stand beside his wife.
"Mrs Gardiner, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance. You have a very handsome home." said Mr Darcy in a friendly manner. Mrs Gardiner was a very genteel looking woman. Very elegant and dressed in a pleasing fashion, which meant that they would have no issue attending any of the events of the London season. But why would that matter now? Elizabeth will not even look at you. thought Darcy distractedly.
"Mr Darcy, I thank you very much. It is an honour to make your acquaintance, Mr Darcy." said Mrs Gardiner, as curtsied graciously, a small blush colouring her cheeks. She knew her house could be nothing compared to Mr Darcy's, but nevertheless, the compliment was an honour and gave her great pleasure.
"And, of course, you are already acquainted with my niece, Miss Elizabeth." said Mr Gardiner.
Mr Darcy simply nodded as Elizabeth looked up, but fixed her gaze somewhere over his shoulder.
"Shall I call for some refreshments?" offered Mrs Gardiner looking to her husband.
"No, my dear, we will be heading out momentarily. Mr Darcy has located Mr Wickham and has his carriage awaiting our departure. I wanted to appraise, you of this bit of good news and to tell you not to wait up, as I am not sure how long we shall be."
Elizabeth's head snapped up to face her Uncle. "You have found Lydia? Already?" she asked, unable to hide the incredulous expression on her face. "You are both going to retrieve her together?"
"Yes, my dear. We shall leave now and hopefully resolve this situation to a satisfactory conclusion." He said gravely.
"But Uncle, please do not leave me here. I believe I can be of help to you with Lydia. Please let me come with you, I cannot bear to be idle at a time like this!"
"Lizzy, calm yourself, please. This is not an area of town it would be appropriate for me to take a young lady to." As he spoke, Mr Darcy turned away and walked to look out of the window to create some distance, feeling as though he was intruding on a private moment.
"What do you mean? Could Lydia be in danger? Uncle, I truly believe I could be of assistance. I know she will want me to be there for her," She looked to her Aunt for some support.
"Edward, I will not push this, if you have judged this situation to be better left in the hands of you and Mr Darcy... but I believe Lizzy may have a point, that we could be of help and support to Lydia. As you say, we do not know what conditions she has been subjected to these past few days." She gently looking up at her husband.
"Dearest, I know you both wish to help, but I believe that we have taken all of this into account before deciding how best to proceed. We shall be back before you know it and all of this worry will be in the past." he said with an air of finality.
Elizabeth tried to protest further, but her Aunt laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "Lizzy, I know that you wish to help, but we would only be in the way, and the gentlemen may not be able to speak as plainly as needed in order to get this business settled. We will be much better off making sure the room is ready for Lydia and to look after Mr Bennet until their return"
"Very well, Aunt." Conceded Elizabeth quietly. "Uncle, please be careful." She said looking to her Uncle and offering Mr Darcy a weak smile. Mr Darcy, however, failed to notice as he chose that moment to give a small bow to the room before exiting the parlour. He donned his hat and coat and walked out to the waiting carriage to allow Mr Gardiner a minute with his family before he took his leave. Her uncle gave her aunt a comforting kiss on the cheek and patted Elizabeth on the back, before joining Mr Darcy. As Elizabeth watched her uncle leaving from the window, she caught Mr Darcy looking at her with a slight frown obscuring his features, before he abruptly looked away.
Elizabeth's thoughts the rest of that afternoon were yet again of Mr Darcy. This time, however, it was less to do with his good looks and more to do with what he had uncovered about Lydia and Mr Wickham. Why had he not slipped her a note or left one with one of the footmen? She had even asked if a letter arrived for her and checked her room but to no avail. The insufferable man had chosen to leave her in the dark! Was this all a game to him? What additional proof did he need in order for her to convey that she would want to be informed as to the whereabouts of her youngest sister? Did he truly care so little and have so little respect for her wellbeing? For goodness sake, even when he was helping, he could infuriate her!
Mr Darcy had decided to use one of his smaller, less conspicuous carriages that he owned. He didn't wanted to draw too much attention or alert Mr Wickham of their presence, before they intercepted him with Lydia, when they arrived at Mrs Younge's boarding house. Once they were both seated within the carriage, he turned to speak with Mr Gardiner.
"Sir, I have also to mention that I have asked my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for his assistance in this matter. He has been instrumental in past dealings between our family and Mr Wickham. We shall be stopping shortly to collect him first, if that is agreeable."
"I cannot pretend, Mr Darcy, that I would have preferred not including another person in my family's affairs." Said Mr Gardiner, giving Darcy a stern look. "That being said, you have helped us greatly, and I see no problem if you can assure me, he will not breathe a word of this to another soul?"
"I can promise you, sir, that he will take this with him to the grave." said Darcy, sincerely placing his right hand over his heart. "My apologies for not telling you in advance, Mr Gardiner."
"Good. Let us be off then! I am anxious to get my niece reunited with her family and see that she is well." Darcy nodded and knocked on the roof of the carriage to signal their readiness to depart.
They sat in silent contemplation of what they might find when they locate Wickham and Lydia. A half hour later, they collected the Colonel and were on their way to the boarding house. After making the necessary introductions, Darcy wasted no time in informing the Colonel of the delicacy of the situation, purely to put Mr Gardiner at ease.
"Honestly! That scoundrel has more luck than the Irish!" exclaimed the Colonel, after they had discussed the situation and the possible strategies with which to deal with Wickham.
The carriage made its way through London at a steady pace with Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Gardiner chatting the whole way, though Darcy could see Mr Gardiner was talking due to his anxious state and the Colonel doing so to put the poor man at ease. Meanwhile, Darcy scarcely heard a word of what was being said. His fingers on his right hand tapping his knee, showing his impatience.
"All will be well, cousin; all will be well in the end." said the Colonel reassuringly. Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam did not know why Darcy had wished to help this family. He had been shocked indeed to receive the urgent missive from his cousin, this morning, imploring him to meet him and the gentleman, Mr Gardiner, at five o'clock this afternoon outside of Finsbury Park and to be collected by an unmarked carriage, to help with the most grievous situation.
He had rushed to Darcy House, within a quarter hour and nearly fainted upon finding his cousin for the first time in many months seated in his study cleanly shaven, dressed immaculately with not a hint of a hangover. After being apprised of the situation, he had noted that his cousin had failed to elaborate on how he had come to know of this matter and though he had not pushed for answers, worried it might cause his cousin to withdraw back into himself. He sure to get to the bottom of this once this was all over.
"We are here." said Darcy, breaking through his reverie. He looked out the carriage window to see that, they had reached the cesspits of London. The smog in this part of the city felt much thicker, and the streets were teaming with drunken louts inebriated on the streets, pick pockets, orphans as well as those less reputable sorts of 'ladies'.
When Colonel Fitzwilliam, alighted the carriage he made his way directly over to one of the lieutenants of his regiment. After his speaking with Darcy he had sent a handful of his met to accompany Taylor and Wilson, whilst keep a watch on Mrs Younge's residence. He had instructed his men to station themselves to surround the area, increasing their chances of locating them. The Colonel had then taken care of a few errands, before meeting at Finsbury Park at the designated time.
By a stroke of luck, they had heard a woman, they assumed to be Miss Lydia, calling Wickham's name from within, confirming that Wickham was indeed hiding in Mrs Younge's boarding house.
"Lieutenant Simpson," Said the Colonel by way of greeting the young man.
"Colonel Fitzwilliam," He saluted. Then looked over his shoulder as Darcy and Mr Gardiner drew closer joined halfway by Mr Taylor and Mr Wilson who had been keeping watch with the Colonel's men in case they were needed.
"Which building is it?" asked the Colonel, gesturing to the buildings broadly.
"That one with the blue door across the street, Sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." all of them taking pausing to look at the smaller building sandwiched between two larger buildings across the street. Most of the tiles had fallen loose from the roof and the paint was peeling from the door and window frames. As they stood contemplating the building, a lady, who looked to be in her late forties and who was scantily dressed moved to stand by the door. She was suggestively swaying her hips and lifting the hem of her skirt, which was torn in places, eyeing them with a keen interest, whilst trying to still her shivers from the cold air.
"Oh 'ello you foine gentl'man. An' a solger too!" she smiled a nearly toothless grin and licked her lips suggestively. "Promise I won' bite... much." she finished with a cackle and a wink. Mr Gardiner swore under his breath.
"Do you belong to this establishment?" Colonel Fitzwilliam asked gesturing to the building behind her.
"Wots it worth to ya?" when they didn't respond, she crossed her arms about her shoulders and began to rub her arms in an effort to warm them. "I dunno who own dis' place but I never see people comin' an' goin' so I don' s'pose it's like where I work." she said holding out her palm as Mr Gardiner released a heavy breath in relief.
"Here, please invest in something warmer before you catch a chill and have a decent warm meal tonight." said Darcy in quieter tones so as not to cause a scene. He placed some coins into her grubby outstretched hand, before indicating with his head that she should leave.
"Fank you sir, much obliged," she said scurrying off and biting one of the coins with one of the few teeth she had before tucking them within her generous cleavage.
After she had disappeared down an alleyway, Darcy nodded to Taylor who wasted no time in banging loudly upon the door.
