Chapter 7

As Darcy and Elizabeth's discussion of literature tappered off due to Elizabeth's increasing fatigue, Darcy urged her to rest. He had reluctantly moved back to his side of the coach, across from Elizabeth after she had woken earlier and scooted out of his arms and towards the corner, embarrassed. He, in an effort to put her at ease, removed to the cross seat, as was proper. His estate they were headed to was small, similar in size to Longbourn. The house boasted only a handful of chambers in addition to the master's chamber. The master's was undoubtedly the most comfortable. Darcy grimly realized he would be shocking his housekeeper when he requested Elizabeth be put in the master's and himself in a guest room, but he wanted her to have the most comfortable space available. If his housekeeper knew that he would much rather sleep in a chair outside her door then even one of the guest bedrooms she would be even more scandalized. The knowledge that to do so would likely make Elizabeth uneasy was all that kept him from planning on spending his night thusly.

...

After his housekeeper disappeared to carry out his instructions, Elizabeth frowned and said, "I cannot cause you to be regulated to a guest chamber in your own house, Mr. Darcy. I will be quite comfortable in a guest chamber, there is no need for you to give up the master's chamber."

Grasping her hands gently in his, Darcy said, "It is seldom used as I come here infrequently, but it is the most comfortable in the house and I insist you take it. I will not be gainsayed on this. You have had an exhausting day." Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You will sleep best there and I will sleep best knowing that you are comfortable."

Elizabeth, her hands clasped in his, closed her eyes in exhaustion, feeling unequal to arguing with him. They flew back open though when the familiar voice of Charles Bingley exclaimed, "Darcy! Miss Elizabeth!"

Turning together towards the voice, slipping her hands from Darcy's,"Mr. Bingley," exclaimed Elizabeth in shock as Darcy in equal surprise exclaimed, "Bingley!" The quickness with which she had turned in surprise cause the tired Elizabeth to overset her balance, but Darcy quickly caught her arm and steadied her.

"Miss Elizabeth, are you okay?" Bingley said, hurrying forward in concern.

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Mr. Bingley," Elizabeth said still surprised to see him so unexpectedly. Darcy kept his hold on Elizabeth's arm, gently supporting her.

"I did not expect to see you here, Darcy. Are you not visiting your aunt?" Bingley chattered. "I hope you do not mind that I sought refugee here." Bingley looked around, searching for more members of their party in vain. He felt uncomfortable demanding to know what Darcy was doing alone with the favorite sister of his angel, but was about to do so anyways when Darcy spoke.

"I do not mind at all. Miss Elizabeth and myself have also been forced to seek refuge here after an unfortunate happenstance in Kent."

Bingley did not wish to make Elizabeth uncomfortable by requesting a further explanation from Darcy, nor did he wish to discomfort her with his explanation to Darcy for his presence. His friend he knew would be sympathetic and understanding, but it was not a conversation he wanted to hold near the delicate ears of a lady. Consequently he engaged them both in inconsequential small talk, noting that Darcy hovered protectively over Elizabeth. As Bingley watched the tender way his friend released Elizabeth into the care of his housekeeper, he was hit with the sudden realization that his friend was in love with the lady. This added a whole new layer of discomfort for Bingley. He was aware that Elizabeth had been hostile to Darcy in Hertfordshire, having eventually heard through gossip of the same insult to her he had heard his friend utter with his own ears at the assembly, he understood her hostility. Bingley genuinely liked Elizabeth and thought she was a wonderful person, but his friend had saved him from countless ladies that did not truly love him. He could do no less then to caution his own friend against a loveless union. He would finally be able to return the favor of Darcy's care of him by assisting his friend. Knowing the heartbreak his friend, who he had never seen show favor to a lady, let alone the love he exhibited with Elizabeth, would feel, Bingley felt genuine sympathy for Darcy.

As Elizabeth's figure disappeared with his housekeeper, Darcy turned to his friend and said, "So what brings you here, Bingley? You mentioned seeking refugee."

"Yes. I had escorted Caroline to a house party two hours away and overhead an unfortunate conversation. But why is Miss Elizabeth here? Alone with you," Bingley said his tone tinged faintly with accusation. "She looks completely done in."

"I will explain what I can to you, but I assure you my intentions are honorable. First I would like to hear your own explanation. Not here though. I suggest we adjourn to the study, it is small but private," Darcy said briskly leading the way.

Once settled into comfortable chairs, a drink in hand, Darcy encouraged Bingley to begin. "As I said before, I escorted Caroline to a house party a few hours from here," Bingley said. "A friend of her's. I had the luck to overhear and unfortunate conversation between my sister and her friend. I am sorry to say it involves you as well, Darcy. I swear to you though, having heard what I did, I would never insist that you do the honorable thing and marry my sister, no matter what the circumstances. She has shown herself to be no lady with her words."

"You had best tell me everything," Darcy said grimly.

"Well I chanced to overhear the two discussing their plans for a compromise. My sister offered her aid in her friend securing me, in exchange for her friend's aide in ensuring you did the honorable thing after my sister seduced you," Bingley said uncomfortably.

"She what? How? Why?" Darcy asked in alarm.

"She er was quite vocal about how she intended to go about seducing you. After her friend was married to me she intended you to be our guest overnight where she would slip into your chamber while you were sleeping unaware and proceeded to use her mouth on your well, so she could seduce you. She knew it was important that you be asleep when she started so that as she put it, your natural honor could not interfere with your body's desires. I am truly sorry, Darcy. She was quite explicit in her suggestions for her friend to achieve a compromise of me as well through similar means. I am uncertain if she knew what she was speaking of from experiance practicing with another man, which is a possibility I guess, but I believe her knowledge was from receiving instruction from a harlot familiar with you on how to go about it based on the way she spoke. I was at first entirely to stunned to move and she began to go into detail about how she had finally learned your preferences from well, I am sure you cam imagine where. And well I guess I should apologize not only for her intentions toward you but for how she willfully violated your privacy on such an intimate subject. Once the shock of hearing my sister speaking like a common whore offering instruction to her friend had subsided, well I packed a saddle bag with a few things and high tailed it here without alerting anyone. I did not know what to do, but knew it would be folly to stick around for a moment longer then necessary."

Darcy stared unbelievabling at Bingley. He did not doubt his friend's story but was in shock. He paid a premium price for his pleasure as well as his privacy at the high class brothel he had previously frequented a few times a month when in town and in the years since he had been going there, never had his privacy been violated. He could admit to being fastidious enough while there to usually enjoy his entertainment in the same order, regardless of the woman servicing him for the few hours he was there at a time. For one of the prostitutes at the madame's house to violate his contract for privacy was unthinkable to him.

Since his visits were no more then once a week and he considered himself to have good stamina, he always enjoyed starting with watching his paramour bob her head around his manhood as it became engorged until his balls tightened and he released into her mouth while he stood naked over her kneeling form. Because Darcy was paying for his pleasure, not theirs, he never concerned himself with his companion finding satisfaction. When he was within the warm femine folds of a willing female's body he wore the requisite french letter, but within one's mouth, it was not necessary and he enjoyed feeling sensations on his manhood the french letter muted. He was careful to never hurt a woman but had considered their pleasure inconsequential and irrelevant, even as he was aware that they often found pleasure while he was thrusting into them as he sought his next release. For that he would leasuirely stroke himself on the bed while he watched his whore for the evening touch herself. He did not feel compelled to exert himself to give the woman servicing him pleasure since he was paying for her, but enjoyed watching her stroke and fondle herself. He studied the way each woman did so in an almost detached clinical way and had learned quite a bit about how to stimulate a woman if necessary. Once he was stimulated enough from watching this and her attentions to his manhood, he would push her hands out of the way, slip on his french letter and mount her in a traditional position pumping into her body until he came. After that he would pour himself a drink and have what he considered a recovery period during which he expected the woman to use her body, hands and mouth to entertian and stimulate him again. Once ready he would then take her in a new position varying which one each visit. Sometimes from behind, other times he enjoyed thrusting upward into her riding St. George, and sometimes he would stand while she lay spread on the bed as he worked his member in and out of her, watching himself push into her body. He would enjoy this service a time, or perhaps two if he was feeling particularly randy, and then he would clean himself off, redress himself, leaving the fall on his breeches open and find realse a final time in the woman's mouth. This allowed him to fasten his breeches without any mess and he enjoyed receiving a final orgasim, his one for the road as he thought of it. He would leave a generous tip and be on his way.

To know that anyone, especially the sister of a friend that he had always shown civility to, knew these details about him made him feel ill. The fact that it was Miss Bingley and she evidently desired the position of his wife more then he realized concerned him. He remembered the way she had treated Elizabeth in the autumn and the thought of her, in her spite, deliberately sharing these details with Elizabeth made him nauseas. Even in his earliest fantasies about Elizabeth he had never contemplated using her the same way he used the women at the brothel. He had dreamed about worshipping her body and seeking her pleasure, in addition to his, something he had never even contemplated before. The details of his evenings at a brothel though would disgust Elizabeth and ruin the fragile trust he had begun to build with her today after her experience being assulted.

He had never considered that his visits were anything other then ordinary, another amusement like the theater that was avliable to him in London. The thought of how she might view his previous treatment of the whores he sought pleasure from horrified him. He would never degrade her the way he used them, but after what she learned about men's darker natures from the men in the post coach, she would not know that. He wanted to worship her and treat her with tender care. He had never been a rake but he had also deemed the pursuit of his base needs inside a brothel to be his due. His position in society had made him believe that he deserved to have his needs catered too. He had even previously been proud of how rather then keep a misstress or indulge with widows, like other men in his circle, he had been discrete and proper about it. He had congratulated himself with the belief that the way he went about satisfying his needs was honorable, especially compared to others of his class.

"I never realized she would consider going so far in her pursuit of you, Darcy," he was dimly aware of Bingley saying. "But now tell me, what is Miss Elizabeth doing here with you?"

Darcy forced his thoughts from dwelling on the situation of Miss Bingley and one of the women from the brothel's violation of his privacy so he could consider what information he should share with Bingley.

…

Elizabeth surpressed a chuckle at the scandalous gossip the chatty housekeeper was relaying to her. According to Mrs. Wiffle, Darcy was a paragon it seemed. The elderly housekeeper also seemed to give no thought to the fact that much of what she relayed was unsuitable for a young lady's ears. She went on to say how after forcibly termainating the last tennet's lease becuase he had attempted to triffle with one of the young maids, Darcy had decided to no longer rent out the property. Mrs. Wifffle boasted of how Darcy had come down himself to deal with the issue when she notified his steward of it. According to her she had even heard Darcy colorfully threaten the gentleman in question, informing him that women that desired to be in that particular line of service had a place to work and maids in service in his households were not in that line of work and he would not allow anyone that lived at, or even visited, one of his properties to make that mistake without sever repercussions.

The housekeeper had already regaled Elizabeth with how Darcy had gently suggested more then once that if she wished she could retire and he would provide an adequate pension. The housekeeper refused all these ovetures and so Darcy had hired her great-niece as an under housekeeper, similar to the position he claimed of an underbutler, to assist her. She was grateful he had done so, since working for Darcy was preferable then working elsewhere and it allowed her to stay active since she believed ideal hands to be the devil's playground, without over doing it or being forced to seek a less demanding position that would be a step down in her profession. The woman proudly had proclaimed that she intended to work until she was dead and that she knew Darcy would never force her into retirement.

With a final goodnight as she insisted on tucking Elizabeth into the bed, like a child, the woman bustled out the door amd Elizabeth finally allowed the giggle she had been holding in to escape.

…

"It naturally goes to say that what I tell you, I expect to be kept in confidence," Darcy said gravely to Bingley as he prepared to aquiant him with Lady Catherine's actions. He did not intend to tell Bingley what he had averted happening on the post coach.

"Of course Darcy," Bingley agreed.

"Eliz- Miss Elizabeth was visiting her cousins in Kent when I arrived for my annual visit to Rosings Park. This morning Lady Catherine took it upon herself to visit the parsonage and demand Miss Elizabeth promise never to enter into an engagement with me," Darcy said.

"Well I cannot imagine Miss Elizabeth had any problems agreeing to that," Bingley said. "She is not the type to engage herself to a man she cannot stand. But that does not explain how you came to be traveling alone with her."Seeing his friend's hard look. Bingley had said, "Come now Darcy, you insulted her before being introduced when you refused to dance with her at the assembly. Surley you have not forgotten. I had thought it was gracious of you to not rebuke her for her hostility towards you at Netherfield when you two argued. Of course she attempted to take her loathing out of your hide in such a charming manner that I wasn't surprised you allowed it. I think she might have loathed you for calling her merely tolerable more then you loathed the society to be found in Hertfordshire, " Bingley said with a chuckle. Then remembering the scene in the hallway and his realization that Darcy loved Elizabeth his laughter stopped abruptly. "I say, I am sorry Darcy. I should not have said that. I well," Bingley said trailing off.

"It is fine, Bingley," Darcy said with a wave of his hand, glancing down at his other hand holding his drink he noticed it was shaking. Darcy was horriffied to find out that not only had Elizabeth's dislike of him been more long standing then he realized and not soley based on Wickham's lies and his own departure, but that he was the man she had referenced earlier. He had not hurt her when he left Hertfordshire, she had likely rejoined in it. Just like she had likeky thought nothing of seeing him give attention to Miss Bingley. To know the one he loved and adored more then any other had always held him in disdain was painful. He would have a longer road ahead of him then he had realized to gain her affections, he did not need to regain them, he needed to gain them in the first place. His behavior in Hertfordshire was still terrible, but it was evidently even worse then he had perhaps realized before. Elizabeth did not see him as a suitor that blew hot and cold and was inconsistent prior to abandoning her, she did not see him as a suitor at all, but rather an advesary.

"I will admit that Miss Elizabeth, was much more kindly disposed towards you tonight then ever before," Bingley said in an attempt to console his friend.

Darcy pushing aside his pain and shame said, "Well as you guessed, she gave my aunt the promise she requested. But not before Lady Catherine insulted her. Lady Catherine though deemed Elizabeth's word not enough and had her coachman assist in kidnapping her from the parsonage, where they then made a public spectacle of placing her drugged onto the first post coach out, all alone."

"Good lord, her reputation is ruined. She will be considered ruined goods," Bingley exclaimed in disgust.

"I intend to rectify that by providing her with the Darcy name," Darcy said flatly. "She is not ruined goods," he added vehemently.

"Of course I do not think so, Darcy. Miss Elizabeth is a wonderful girl, but well others will censure her. Besides how can you marry Miss Elizabeth if she gave her word to not engage herself to you? I cannot see one such as her going back on her word, not even in this case. Perhaps exspecially in this case."

"I have not proposed to her. I am taking her to Scotland and once there, I intend to inform her of my intentions to make her my wife. If that is acceptable to her, we will be married without any engagement."

Bingley stared wide eyed at Darcy. Hesitantly he said, "Darcy, after traveling alone with you for days, she will have no choice but to agree. I must council you against such an action. I suspect you love her."

"I do. Most dearly," Darcy said swallowing.

"You have always insisted on saving me from a loveless union. I must now do the same for you. Surely there is another solution to salvage Miss Elizabeth's reputation then forcing you to marry a lady that does not love you. Perhaps another gentleman could be induced to marry her."

"No," Darcy said loudly slamming his glass down and rising. "Never. And I would not be forced. I love her enough for the both of us. I will care for and protect her."

Bingley blinked in surprise at the emotion on his usually austere friend's face. Carefully he said, "Furthermore, Miss Elizabeth is too clever to merely allow you to whisk her off to Scotland with no explanation. There is something you have not told me."

Pacing the room in front of Bingley, Darcy said nothing as he sorted through the events of the day. Bingley studied his friend's face and was surprised to see the emotions that filtered acrossed it unchecked. Finally Bingley said, "I suspect whatever is troubling you it would be best to speak of, rather then allow it to fester. I assure you of my discretion and that nothing you have to relate will effect my good opinion of Miss Elizabeth or yourself."

Wearliy, running a hand through his hair, Darcy sat down and began to speak. "I set out after the post coach once I knew which one she had been placed on. I caught up to it shortly after it's first stop. I had learned that she was perhaps in dangerous circumstances. After that stop, she was alone in the coach with two inebriated men. Men that the innkeeper warned me of where her ticket was purchased and that the couple that had been present for the previous leg disapproved off. The coach had been slowing down when I caught it. My horse had barely stopped when I dismounted and yanked open the coach door. A man was holding Elizabeth captive and her bodice was torn. Another had his hands on my Elizabeth. I have never felt so angry and terrified in my life. I grabbed the man and tossed him from the coach. He was to drunk and likely to surprised to protest. Elizabeth in an attempt to escape tumbled out the coach door and into my arms. Once she was in them I could think of nothing other then to protect her and to never let her go. The men were drunk enough that I was able to dispatch the other with a single swift punch. He had told me that there was enough of her to around and offered me a go at her. Like she was nothing. My Elizabeth. They wanted to force themselves on her, and assumed I would be game to as well. She is so special, how could any wish to defile her in such away? To hurt her and not care?" Darcy said as tears leaked from his eyes, unable to hold them in any longer. "It is wrong of me to take her to Scotland without her consent. but I know of no other way to protect her always. We will have whatever type of marriage she deems acceptable. Even if she chooses to stay apart from me."

Bingley took a deep breath and said softly, "My God, Darcy." Then standing up he crossed to his friend's chair and resting his hand on his shoulder said, "You arrived in time. They did not violate Miss Elizabeth because of you. I can understand why you cannot bear to not have her as your wife after this. It is the only way you can ensure her protection within the bounds of propriety. I had noticed Elizabeth's softened manner towards you. Your rescue of her has probably helped to chage the way she views you. I do believe that there is hope that she may come to love you. You are not wrong to take her to Scotland. She needs your name for the sake of her reputation and your compassion for what she experienced. Her sister once told me that Miss Elizabeth was not made for melancholy, she will get over her experience. Tell me what I can do to assist you in this."