Over the journey, Elizabeth took turns travelling with the Darcys and the Gardiners. Conversation never strayed for long from speculation about Lydia's situation, and various plans for finding her and saving her reputation.
None of it came close to what they found on arrival in London.
Both carriages pulled up to the Gardiners' house in Gracechurch Street, expecting to find Mr Bennet in residence and make some plans for the next day's search before the Darcys repaired to Darcy House in Mayfair. They arrived almost in tandem, and the passengers alighted at the same time, stretched their weary limbs, and the Gardiners led the way to the front door, which was opened by their butler before they knocked – their arrival had clearly been eagerly awaited.
Mr Bennet was indeed in residence, but he was not alone. When they entered the parlour, they found the Bennet patriarch, his youngest daughter, Lieutenant Wickham, Captain Denny and an unknown young woman, all arrayed (except for Wickham, who looked pensive) with every appearance of good humour.
Elizabeth rushed to her sister's side. "Lydia," she cried in relief, "you are well?"
"Of course, Lizzy," she replied, somewhat smugly, "I am very well indeed." She turned to the man sitting uncomfortably beside her, saying, "You remember Lieutenant Wickham and Captain Denny, of course. May I introduce you to my good friend, Mrs Cecelia Charlton. Cecelia, this is my sister, Miss Elizabeth and my Uncle and Aunt, Mr and Mrs Gardiner." Turning back to a bemused Elizabeth, she added, as though this explained everything, "Mrs Charlton is Captain Denny's sister, you see."
"Indeed," Elizabeth curtseyed politely to the Captain and his sister, and nodded shortly to Wickham, before stepping forward from where she had stopped in the doorway, enabling the rest of her party to enter the room. "Mr Darcy, Miss Darcy, may I present Captain Denny of the _shire Militia and his sister, Mrs Charlton. Captain Denny, Mrs Charlton, this is Mr Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire and his sister, Miss Darcy. Miss Darcy, this is my father, Mr Bennet and my youngest sister, Miss Lydia." Polite nods were exchanged. Elizabeth pointedly did not introduce Wickham, and neither he nor the Darcys acknowledged the presence of the other, although Wickham's eyes widened in obvious surprise.
Introductions, however unexpected, now complete, Elizabeth turned to her father. "Perhaps you should tell us what has happened, Papa?"
Mr Bennet had risen and was waiting for the formal introductions to conclude before taking his favourite daughter into a welcoming hug. "It is very good of you to cut your holiday short in order to join us in London, Lizzy. And," looking up to the other new arrivals, "you as well, Gardiner, Maggie. And while I admit I am surprise to find you here, Mr Darcy and Miss Darcy, you are most welcome. Please, take a seat everyone and we will tell you all."
There was a minute or two of bustling activity, as it was necessary to bring in two extra chairs from the hallway to provide a seat for everyone, but at last the party was settled, in various aspects of curiosity and anxiety. That Georgiana was dismayed to find herself so suddenly in the presence of George Wickham was evident to those who knew her well, although she valiantly tried to mask her feelings. Darcy and Elizabeth were both anxious for her, and exchanged a speaking glance before settling in seats on either side of Georgiana, ready to protect her from the need to take an active part in the conversation. Darcy itched to haul Wickham outside where he could give him the drubbing he deserved, but would not allow that man to drive him to violence. Instead, he sat stiffly in his seat, one juddering leg revealing his nervous tension. Elizabeth, wanting to reassure her beloved and his sister but unable to extend them more than common courtesy in public, was consumed with curiosity as to what had brought this particular collection of souls together in her Uncle's front parlour.
She was surprised that, instead of providing an explanation himself, Mr Bennet deferred to his youngest daughter. "Lydia, my dear," he began, "It is your story to tell."
Lydia, who had been bouncing with impatience, and showed not one jot of contrition for her actions, was happy to oblige. With shining eyes and cheerful countenance, she recounted a remarkable series of events:
"Oh, Lizzy, you will never guess! I had such a wonderful time in Brighton. You would not believe the balls and parties! I was ever so popular and danced every dance. I told you I would be the first of my sisters to marry, and so I shall. I had no less than four proposals, Lizzy. Four! And now I am to marry the very best of men. It is everything wonderful. But I shall tell you everything.
"I had not been in Brighton long before I realised that there was really only one gentleman in the Regiment who I truly admired. Luckily for me, he liked me, too. Of course, we could not say anything until he had an opportunity to speak to my father, and that could not happen until he had leave, but it was settled between us that we would become engaged just as soon as possible, and that we are to be the happiest people on earth. My dear Mr Denny is a gentleman, and wanted to do everything properly."
At this point in the narrative, Lydia broke off to exchange an affectionate glance with the officer in question, giving her audience a moment to recover from the surprise that it was Denny and not Wickham she was engaged to. Elizabeth could not help but say, "But we heard that you had eloped with Lieutenant Wickham?"
Lydia laughed merrily. "Oh, you should not believe everything you hear, Lizzy. That was just a little misunderstanding. Wickham wanted to elope – he pressed his point most enthusiastically – but I am not a fool. Even if my heart were not already engaged to another, I would never elope. It might sound romantic in the novels, but in real life, it would be absurd. Why would I consider marriage to a man who would not approach my father for his consent? Why would I give up the chance for a grand ceremony in front of all my friends? Why would I risk bringing disgrace upon myself or my sisters? Why on earth would I want to marry without a proper settlement signed to protect my and my children? And why would I want to travel from one end of the country to the other, alone with a single gentleman impulsive enough to suggest elopement, in the hope that when we got to the other end he would still want to marry me? No. Captain Denny had taught me how a true gentleman acts. A gentleman does not propose to run away with his beloved, to separate her from her family and all her friends, or to run the risk of ruining her reputation should anything happen to him before the ceremony. I hope I know better than to elope with anyone, let alone with Wickham."
"Then what happened?" asked Elizabeth, sneaking a glance at Georgiana, who had pinked slightly and was staring fixedly at her hands, but was otherwise composed.
"Be patient. I will tell you the whole story," replied Lydia, obviously relishing being the centre of attention. "Two days after Denny and I had reached an understanding – it was still secret at this point, you understand – Colonel Forster threw a ball. Of course, I wore my very best gown and danced the first with my dear Denny, but it was a grand affair, and I danced with many of the officers. Between dances, I was chatting with a group that included Lieutenant Wickham, and mentioned that you were gone to Derbyshire on holiday, Lizzy, and what a lark it would be if you were to bump into Mr Darcy there, for you clearly did not think so badly of him now as you once did. Wickham requested the next set, after which he led me out onto a balcony to get some fresh air. I knew his reputation with the ladies, so was sure to keep in good sight of the other couples who had likewise come outside. He tried to lead me further into the garden, but I was adamant that I would stay in view of the ballroom in case the next set began.
"It was then that he turned all his famous charm on me. He was very impressive – all smiles and delicate compliments – I suppose he practices them, just like cousin Collins – and then he told me his life depended on my returning his love, that he could not bear to be apart from me a moment longer than was absolutely necessary, and begged me to leave that very night with him for Scotland. It was everything I could do not to laugh in his face. I answered as though I was flattered, prevaricated, said I needed time to consider his suit, and told him he would have his answer before the ball was over. He was not happy – I think he is used to his victims being flattered by his attentions into immediate compliance, and obviously the more time a girl took to think about such a proposal, the more holes she would see in it – but apparently the prize was worth the wait, so he agreed to give me time to consider my answer.
"I consulted Mr Denny about what to do, and together we devised a plan. I stepped outside again, and leant against a wall under a window, where I could hear but not be seen. My Denny approached Wickham and brought him to the window for a confidential chat. 'You seem to be getting on very well with Miss Lydia,' he said. Wickham must have seen something of the admiration Denny had for me, for he answered most compassionately. 'Denny," he said, his voice dripping with false sympathy, "the chit is not for you. She has no fortune, no connections, nothing that can compensate you for her vapidity. Do you not remember what an embarrassment her mother is? All she ever does is giggle and flirt. You deserve something better, my friend.' You can imagine that I was tempted to storm back into the room and give him a piece of my mind. But we had a sweeter revenge in mind, and so I waited. Denny asked what Wickham planned, then, if he thought so little of me. Wickham explained quite openly that he planned to ruin me – his words were not so polite, but I will not repeat them. Denny had to resist the urge to call the cad out, but he is a gentleman, and managed to restrain himself to play his part. He pressed Wickham for further details, and that man over there told him everything. He depended on their friendship and revealed his plans.
"It wasn't even about me. It was about you, Lizzy, or more precisely, about Mr Darcy. Wickham thought that Mr Darcy admired you. Not that he would ever offer for you, of course, but still, he would suffer if Wickham could hurt the object of his affections. You were out of his reach, but if he managed to steal my virtue and ruin my reputation, all my sisters would be ruined along with me. He thought it a jolly fine plan, since he could hurt Mr Darcy and have some – "fun", he called it – with me before abandoning me at some staging post on the road north."
There were gasps of shock from around the room, and all eyes turned to the ashen face of George Wickham. He had not previously understood that his scheme had been exploded from the outset. To hear his clever machinations recounted with such dismissive scorn by a young lady he had thought a mere pawn in his game, to realise a man he had thought his confederate was actually his enemy, brought home the full reality of his situation. Until now, he had harboured some hope that he could salvage something from the mess that his 'elopement' with Lydia Bennet had become. Now it was clear that he was the one who had been played. He squirmed in his seat, looking for an opportunity to escape, but he was seated as far as possible from the only doorway, with several people between him and it who would doubtless enjoy the chance to impede his exit.
Lydia continued, warming to her tale and enjoying having the undivided attention of the whole room. "I was insulted, to be sure, but hardly surprised. Wickham had quite the reputation among the ladies attached to the regiment. Several had been importuned by him, and others had lost servants to his predations. He was everything charming when he wooed them, but quite heartless when he left them. His inconstancy and selfish disregard for the feelings of others were well known among the ladies. That he should act so cruelly towards me was just what I had expected. Denny and I had decided to teach him a lesson, which required us to keep our countenance in the face of such perfidy.
"Before the evening was over, Denny had made arrangements with his sister and I had told Mr Wickham that I would travel north with him. I did not say I would marry him, nor specify how far north we might go, nor even that we would travel alone, but he was happy enough to hear what he wanted in my words. We agreed to meet outside Colonel Forster's house at four of the clock, so that we could be off at first light. Imagine his surprise to find me waiting with his friend Denny and that gentleman's sister. I explained that of course I would need a travelling companion, and my dear friend Cecily Carlton had agreed to accompany us. Her brother would attend us so that Mrs Carlton had protection for her return journey. I was sure, I said, that given Wickham's violent love for me, he could have no objections to maintaining propriety for the sake of my reputation. He looked a little sour, but soon recovered his manners and agreed most charmingly to the additions to our party.
"We set off, then, to London. It was no surprise that as we approached the city, Wickham revealed a small matter of business he needed to settle before he would be free to travel further north. Why pay to take such a large party further north when he could achieve his ends as well in London as elsewhere? He suggested we take rooms in a boarding house run by a friend of his, but I insisted on coming to Gracechurch Street instead. My Aunt and Uncle were away, it was true, but I was certain they would not want us to spend money on renting rooms when there would be ample space in their house we could use without cost. The reminder of their absence was sufficient to persuade Wickham to save his blunt, and abuse their hospitality instead. I do not know what circles he usually moves in, but it beggars belief to think that loving relatives would lend their assistance to the ruination of a niece in such a way, but Lieutenant Wickham seemed to think nothing of it, and here we came.
"Before we left Brighton, I had sent an express to our father, asking him to come to London urgently, to meet me at Gracechurch Street. Unbeknownst to me, Wickham had also sent an express, purporting to be from Colonel Forster announcing our elopement. He even went so far as to include a note supposedly from me, gushing about the prospect of becoming Mrs Wickham! Our father received Wickham's missive, and rushed to London to be of whatever use he could to his daughter, before my letter even reached Longbourn. Thus, when we arrived, although the owners of the house were indeed absent, the father of the young lady in question was already in residence." Lydia giggled. "You can imagine the look on Wickham's face when he saw my father waiting for him!"
Mr Bennet chose this moment to relate his share of the story. "It was a sight to behold, I assure you. I have never seen a young man that particular shade of green before! But he is an impressive specimen: he recovered as smoothly as the best courtier. Before I knew it, he was making love to me, assuring me of his undying affection for my youngest daughter and promising that his intentions were only the most pure. He even spoke to me 'man-to-man' to express the violence of his emotions and seek my understanding for his impatience to secure Lydia's hand. I don't know what sort of fool he took me for, that I might wink at the ruination of my own daughter, but he certainly had the gall to try!"
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