Elizabeth Darcy had not stood long in the entrance hall of her new home in London before she was ushered off to her quarters to freshen herself. She had been introduced to a number of servants during the small amount of time in the foyer including Mrs Jenkins, the housekeeper. She seemed to be a rather uptight woman who wore her hair in a tight bun at the base of her head, she uttered very few words to her new mistress but instead stood and talked to Mr Darcy in whispers. To Elizabeth, she was far too stern for liking, Mrs Hill at Longborne was a much more impressive woman at housekeeping and communicating.
The other staff however, including her own private maids seemed perfect, they were polite and relaxed in their surroundings, making Elizabeth feel slightly less nervous. This lack of nerves did not last long however, for a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked at it quizzically for a moment before looking up into the dark eyes of Mr Darcy.
"Mrs Jenkins informs me that dinner shall be served in one hour. Would you like to retire to your room to change?" Elizabeth swallowed slightly before responding to his question.
"Yes, that would be good indeed." Darcy nodded before he offered his arm to her. Elizabeth yet again, contemplated on her disgust of touching the man before gently taking his arm.
As Mr Darcy led her through the London townhouse Elizabeth was silent, she could think of nothing to say to such a man who had ruined her chances of happiness. Yet to Elizabeth's relief he soon came to a halt at a door and turned to it slightly.
"These will be your chambers, I hope that you shall find them satisfactory." He opened the door for her and she walked in, looking amazingly around the expensive furnished room.
The green and cream theme that ran through her rooms was just to Elizabeth's liking. Yet, as Elizabeth's face lit with excitement there was only one man at the door who witnessed it, his eyes holding just as much love as hers did. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's love was for the room and Darcy's was for the woman herself. But she is never to know it, I will not surrender and inform her of my feelings, no matter how strong they are!
It was at this that Elizabeth's eyes met his as she turned to look at the door. There was silence for a moment as they both stood and gazed into each other's eyes both not knowing what the other was thinking.
"The rooms are highly satisfactory, I thank you for them."
"You need not thank me, it is after all, my Mother's good taste in furnishings which is accepted by yourself." Darcy replied.
"This is your Mother's room?" She asked in slight shock.
"Yes. I remembered it as a child as the most beautiful room and yet when I turned Master, I could not bare to change it. So, it is exactly the same as it was when she died, nothing has been moved and nothing replaced. You can however, change anything you wish, it is your room now." Elizabeth was quite saddened by the fact that he could not release his sadness for his Mother's death nor change her decorations.
"I would not change anything!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I think the room is adorable, you did well not to change it." He nodded his head to her.
"I thank you. I shall leave you now, ring for your maids when you desire them." Elizabeth nodded to him but as the door closed behind him she could do nothing but sigh in relief.
Elizabeth spent some minutes examining her room, it was after all much more luxurious than her room at Longborne. Her smile would not fade as she looked at the beautiful décor and immaculate furnishings. This smile however, did fade when her eyes met with an old wooden door that stood to the left side of her bed. She had been told by her Mother and Aunt where that door would lead, but she confessed to herself that it was wholly unexpected to find. As she inspected the door carefully she came to understand that it carried no lock and therefore, had no way of keeping the Master out of where he promised not to venture.
Dinner was a very silent affair with Darcy sat contemplating on Elizabeth and her beauty while Elizabeth sat and thought of the door without a lock. Could she really hold him to his word?
It was when dinner was over that Darcy relaxed back into his chair and stared at Elizabeth.
"I have something to show you." He said to her as he stood.
"What is that Mr Darcy?" She asked.
"Please…" He said as he held his hand out to the door. "Indulge me." She sighed slightly at his request before standing and walking out of the door that he now held open for her.
He led her in silence through the dimly lit house until they arrived at a door which he silently opened. He held his hand out for her to enter but when she did not move he walked in and impatiently waited for her to enter. When she did finally enter he saw the exquisite smile that overcame her composure. As she looked around the large room she could do nothing but stare in amazement of such beauty.
"What do you think of this room Mrs Darcy?" He asked in no more than a whisper. She laughed slightly.
"I believe that it shall be my favourite room." She said as she trailed her hand along the many volumes that lined the shelves in the library.
"My Father had great taste in literature, I am sure that you will find ample enjoyment here."
"I am sure that I will Mr Darcy." At this he picked a large book from the table near the fire and sat casually, opening it at a random page.
As he did this, Elizabeth looked happily through the vast amount of books, hoping to find one that she desired.
"I was surprised not to see Mr Wickham during our engagement, did he venture to town, do you know?" Elizabeth asked in a slightly irritated manner as she picked up a book. She head Darcy sigh slightly.
"That is one name, Mrs Darcy which is not to be uttered in this house." Elizabeth turned to him quickly, perhaps in slight anger.
"Is that because of your dealings with him? Anybody can see his misfortunes and yet you treat them with contempt and ridicule!" Darcy slammed his book closed quickly, staring up at his wife.
"There is so much that you do not understand Mrs Darcy. There is so much past occurrences that you are unaware of!"
"I know enough! You have reduced him to his present state of poverty! But most importantly Mr Darcy, you have withheld the advantages, which you must know to have been designed for him!"
"Will you allow me to explain Madam?"
"Very well Mr Darcy." He nodded his thanks.
"I wish to inform you of this without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself but my character requires it to be heard. You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice."
"Very well, please inform me of what you wish me to know." Elizabeth added.
"With respect to the accusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family. Of what he has particularly accused me, I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity. Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates; and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his god-son, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. My father supported him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge; -- most important assistance, as his own father, always poor from the extravagance of his wife, would have been unable to give him a gentleman's education. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manners were always engaging; he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping the church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many, many years since I first began to think of him in a very different manner. The vicious propensities -- the want of principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which Mr. Darcy could not have. Here again I shall give you pain -- to what degree you only can tell. But whatever may be the sentiments which Mr. Wickham has created, a suspicion of their nature shall not prevent me from unfolding his real character."
"I came to understand his character, but now I am believing myself wrong, please continue." Elizabeth said as she sat in the chair opposite him in interest.
"It adds even another motive. My excellent father died about five years ago; and his attachment to Mr. Wickham was to the last so steady, that in his will he particularly recommended it to me to promote his advancement in the best manner that his profession might allow, and, if he took orders, desired that a valuable family living might be his as soon as it became vacant. He had some intention of studying the law, and I must be aware that the interest of one thousand pounds would be a very insufficient support therein. I rather wished than believed him to be sincere. I knew that Mr. Wickham ought not to be a clergyman. The business was therefore soon settled. He resigned all claim to assistance in the church, were it possible that he could ever be in a situation to receive it, and accepted in return three thousand pounds. All connection between us seemed now dissolved.. Being now free from all restraint, his life was a life of idleness and dissipation. For about three years I heard little of him; but he then applied to me for more money. You will hardly blame me for refusing to comply with this entreaty, or for resisting every repetition of it. His resentment was in proportion to the distress of his circumstances -- and he was doubtless as violent in his abuse of me to others, as in his reproaches to myself."
"Mr Wickham applied to you for more money?" Elizabeth exclaimed in shock.
"Yes. After this period, every appearance of acquaintance was dropt. How he lived I know not. But last summer he was again most painfully obtruded on my notice. I must now mention a circumstance which I would wish to forget myself, and which no obligation less than the present should induce me to unfold to any human being. Having said thus much, I feel no doubt of your secrecy. My sister, who is more than ten years my junior, was left to the guardianship of my mother's nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and myself. About a year ago, she was taken from school and taken to Ramsgate; and thither also went Mr. Wickham, undoubtedly by design; for there proved to have been a prior acquaintance between him and Mrs. Younge, in whose character we were most unhappily deceived; and by her connivance and aid he so far recommended himself to Georgiana, whose affectionate heart retained a strong impression of his kindness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself in love, and to consent to an elopement. She was then but fifteen. I joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement; and then Georgiana, unable to support the idea of grieving and offending a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me. You may imagine what I felt and how I acted. Regard for my sister's credit and feelings prevented any public exposure, but I wrote to Mr. Wickham, who left the place immediately, and Mrs. Younge was of course removed from her charge. Mr. Wickham's chief object was unquestionably my sister's fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds; but I cannot help supposing that the hope of revenging himself on me was a strong inducement. His revenge would have been complete indeed.
"My goodness!" Elizabeth said as she sat back in her chair staring at the man in front of her. "Do you speak truth?"
"This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr. Wickham. I know not in what manner, under what form of falsehood, he has imposed on you; but his success is not, perhaps, to be wondered at. Ignorant as you previously were of every thing concerning either, detection could not be in your power, and suspicion certainly not in your inclination. You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you before. But I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. For the truth of every thing I have just related, I can appeal more particularly to the testimony of Colonel Fitzwilliam, who from our near relationship and constant intimacy, and still more as one of the executors of my father's will, has been unavoidably acquainted with every particular of these transactions. If your abhorrence of me should make my assertions valueless, you cannot be prevented by the same cause from confiding in my cousin; and that there may be the possibility of consulting him."
"I am unsure of what to say to such information." Elizabeth said as she stared into the eyes of her husband.
"Then perhaps you should remain silent." Elizabeth sighed slightly.
"Mary King is his new target is she not?" She asked him. Darcy nodded slightly.
"Fortunately Miss King's Uncle came and removed her."
"So Mary King is safe." Darcy nodded again. "Oh, Mr Darcy, I can do nothing but apologise for my actions. Even though my strong sense of character never allows me to apologise. However, I feel that I have wholly been in the wrong when I said such things of your relationship with that man."
"You need not apologise, Mr Wickham imposed falsehood on you, for that I can easily forgive you for wounding my pride." She smiled slightly before she stood.
"Thank you for informing me of such valuable and confidential information, you can be assured of my secrecy." He nodded slightly and watched as her handsome figure floated from the room.
But would she ever see past his pride and understand that there is a gentleman inside who cares so dearly for her despite their past?
A/N: Wow! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, your feelings on this story are really inspiring! I'm sorry this chapter is so long but it was necessary. I hope that you enjoyed it but please remember to review if you read, thanks!