Chapter 9
Monday, December 9, 1811
Two rather large men were stationed outside the kitchen door that morning when Elizabeth peeked outside. They introduced themselves as the guards hired by Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam and gave Elizabeth the correct information to identify themselves. With that assurance, Elizabeth set out on her walk with both men accompanying her and soon reached the summit of Oakham Mount, where Darcy and Fitzwilliam waited.
"Good morning, gentlemen," she greeted them as she approached timidly. As much as she would have liked to approach Darcy as she had Saturday morning, she held back due to so many others watching.
It was apparent Darcy felt similarly. "Good morning, Elizabeth," he replied, looking equally unsure of himself.
Fitzwilliam merely grinned. "I think my greeting is superfluous, so I will stand over here, with my back to the both of you as I speak to your guards. Just pretend we are not even here." He winked at his cousin, causing Darcy's cheeks to flush. Although not directed at her, Elizabeth noted the wink and blushed at the implication of the colonel's words, and she slowed her approach toward Mr Darcy.
After a moment, his whispered "Elizabeth" broke the spell, and they both took the necessary steps to embrace the other. Their kiss was brief and far more chaste than those on Saturday's meeting, as both were keenly aware of the men standing nearby.
"How are you, dearest?" he asked after several moments. He released her, although they still stood closer than might have been appropriate otherwise.
"I am well. My father was forced to tell my family about Colonel Forsters's warning. Mama took to her bed, and my father retreated to his study. My sisters and I spent the day in my room, talking over matters and enjoying the company. We have not done that in many years, and where I might have been inclined to believe otherwise, I think Kitty and Lydia might be able to be improved with a little attention paid to them. Like my father, I was inclined to view them as silly and avoid them. However, yesterday has shown me that I was wrong."
Darcy smiled gently at Elizabeth. "I have noticed you no longer refer to your father as 'Papa'."
She sighed heavily. "I cannot view him in the same way as before. Not after I realised he was willing to circumvent any chance at happiness for me by forcing me to stay always at Longbourn. He will not even attempt to get to know you; he has accused you of being the worst sort of cad who only wants to take advantage of me yet has allowed my sisters to flirt with every officer they encounter. I have been somewhat valued as a companion to him, but more so because I took over his role as the manager of the estate, enabling him more time to spend with his books."
He pulled her back into his arms. "I am sorry, Elizabeth. As you know, my relationship with my father was injured by his preference for Wickham, and he often took his side over mine. They are different situations, but I understand your disappointment now that you recognise his true nature."
Elizabeth shivered as the wind picked up around them and snuggled deeper into his chest. Darcy chuckled slightly and opened his coat, bringing it around to cover Elizabeth as he held her more tightly to himself. "I love you, Will," she whispered.
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "As I love you, Elizabeth. Now, what else did you and your sisters discuss yesterday."
Her voice was slightly muffled. "Lydia suggests we all travel to Pemberley, and you and I can marry from there. She thought one of my uncles could be persuaded to accompany us as chaperones until the banns could be wed. There, you can protect us until Mr. Wickham is caught." She paused and laughed. "She suggested we escape the house before dawn and meet your carriages in Meryton, which was a bit much, though I confess that I did like her plan, however improbable it might be."
She felt his chest move as he chuckled. "It might not be. I wonder what Phillips would say if I suggested it, and then your other uncle might arrive as early as this afternoon. Will you be surprised to learn we dined with the Phillipses yesterday evening?"
"I adore my uncle, but Aunt Phillips is much like Mama. I hope it was a pleasant meal."
"It was; Bingley spoke mostly to your aunt while your uncle kept Fitzwilliam and me well occupied. He also suggested taking you girls away from Hertfordshire, so he may be willing to travel to Derbyshire."
He felt Elizabeth burrow deeper into him and smiled. "Have I mentioned that my Aunt Gardiner is from that area of the country? She grew up in a town called Lambton. Do you know it?"
Elizabeth released him when she felt him pull away. She looked up at him and saw him smile broadly. "Then she will certainly want to accompany her nieces to Pemberley for Christmas, as it is merely five miles from Lambton."
She returned his grin. "Truly?" At his nod, she continued. "Then that will be a good reason for us all to go. Perhaps if my aunt and uncle offered to convey us to Lambton without mentioning Pemberley, my father would not even bother to protest. We can make it seem as though this trip has nothing to do with you. Once we are there, he will not stir himself to come and get us."
Her face transformed into pleased surprise. "You mean to convey us all to your home, sir? All five Bennet daughters, with or without their parents' permission?"
"You just gave a very valid reason for you to travel north."
"Yes, but it was in jest. Even should my uncles suggest it to my father, I cannot imagine him seriously allowing us to go, regardless of the destination. If he agreed, my mother would protest."
"Your mother only needs to know that Bingley is to go, and she will send Jane after him. She may protest your youngest sister's departure, but based on what I have seen, whatever Miss Lydia desires, she receives. So if Miss Lydia wants to go, your mother will allow her."
"How do we keep Mama from wanting to go? We cannot leave any of my sisters here, and surely my mother is safe from Mr. Wickham."
Darcy seemed to consider this. "She will want one of her daughters to remain with her, will she not? Do you think her sister could be persuaded to stay with her? We must convince her that the five of you leaving while she and Mr Bennet remain is the best option."
Colonel Fitzwilliam approached. "I could not help but overhear your conversation," he began as he stood beside the couple. "I believe Colonel Forster might be able to help with this. When we spoke on Saturday, he suggested removing the Bennet girls from the area since Mr Bennet did not seem to take their care seriously. If he played on Mrs Bennet's fears for her daughters, he might convince Mr Bennet to give in and allow their uncles to remove them to a place of safety."
"It is worth a try," Darcy stated while Elizabeth nodded. "Is there anything else we should know? How soon can you girls be prepared to depart?"
Elizabeth explained they could leave in the morning as long as appropriate permission was obtained. The gentlemen would meet with both of Elizabeth's uncles once Mr. Gardiner arrived, and the five of them would consult with Colonel Forster if they believed it necessary. Once plans were made, both Darcy and Fitzwilliam would allow Bennet's brothers to be the ones to persuade the man to do what was right.
Accompanied by the guards once again, Elizabeth made her way back to Longbourn. A noise in the brush caused one of the men to veer off the path a little to investigate, but he returned before he went too far since his orders to protect Elizabeth were weightier than the ones to capture the fugitive. He would not leave his charge unprotected, but he would notify others of what he had observed to allow them to investigate.
After Elizabeth was safely ensconced in the house, one stood guard outside the kitchen door while the other made his way around to the front of the house to inform the members of the militia who waited outside. These trained former soldiers had been unimpressed by the men playing at soldiering, so not only did they alert the militia, they sent one of the stable boys to Colonel Fitzwilliam to inform him what they had seen.
Colonel Fitzwilliam read the brief note and was pleased with the men he had brought to Meryton to protect the Bennet ladies. Two or three additional men would arrive that afternoon, and he would send for as many more as might be required to track the reprobate down. Since he had escaped from the gaol as a militia member, he was now a deserter and, combined with his other crimes, would likely be hanged, if not outright shot, when he attempted to run from the men tracking him down.
That afternoon, he shared what the men had discovered — the militia had found nothing, but his former soldiers found evidence of where Wickham had slept the night before. Wickham, known for his inclination toward laziness and taking the easy path, had taken little pain to conceal his presence. In a seemingly reckless display of confidence, he had not bothered to do anything to mask his presence, and there were clear indications he intended to return. That tendency toward laziness also meant Wickham rarely thought much beyond immediate gratification, so he was not thinking about getting caught.
Mr. Gardiner had arrived as expected and was waiting for them at the Phillips' house when Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived. After being introduced to the gentlemen, they sat down and discussed the situation, including Bennet's refusal to allow Elizabeth and Darcy to marry, discussing the stated and the unstated reasons. Gardiner shared that the funds Elizabeth had managed to save had grown to nearly ten thousand pounds, partly due to the additional deposits made by both Phillips and Gardiner. They agreed to support Elizabeth's efforts by adding small amounts as they could over the past four years.
"Honestly, both of us were so pleased to be able to do something to provide for the girls since my brother could not be bothered. We were both willing to make some small sacrifices to add to what Elizabeth was doing. The funds Phillips sent me were also slightly larger than he told Elizabeth about, just in case any of the other girls found out about it, or worse, in case my sister learned of them," Gardiner said.
"I confess to deceiving Elizabeth about some of the amounts received from the tenants and the costs of items she had me pay. I also siphoned a bit from the household accounts when I could, thinking it would not hurt my sister to cut back in some areas. It was high-handed of us, but since Bennet refused to do anything, we took what steps we could. I was just pleased that Elizabeth realised there was a need to set money aside and did all I could to aid her," Phillips added.
Darcy nodded his agreement with the steps they had taken. "Had you not, Mrs Bennet would have expected you to assist her; this way, you have, in essence, forced Mr Bennet to do as he ought to have done all along."
"So, gentlemen, how do we circumvent Mr Bennet, get Darcy married to Miss Elizabeth, and protect them all from possible ruin at the hands of Wickham?" the colonel asked, wanting to get the meeting back on track.
"My wife would be delighted to escort the ladies to Pemberley. She spent several years in the village of Lambton and has been begging me to return. She might have preferred not to go during the winter, but I do not doubt she will be delighted to be a guest at Pemberley," Gardiner said enthusedly.
"I would say any of Elizabeth's family is welcome, though I doubt her father will be as welcome as the rest of you. She and I discussed this morning that her youngest sisters would improve with a little attention. They will be welcome to stay with us as long as they like after the wedding," Darcy offered graciously.
"You two stay out of sight but begin to make the arrangements to leave in two days. I need to send my carriage back to collect my wife and bring her here, and then we can leave the next day," Gardiner stated.
Darcy raised a hand to stop the men from rising. "Forgive me, but I may have a better solution. I can send an express to my townhouse in London, and a carriage can be prepared to bring your wife here first thing in the morning. We can leave Hertfordshire as soon as the horses are rested."
With this plan in place, Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Phillips rose to depart to meet with their brother and force him to do what was right for all of his daughters. They knew they had a trump card to play that would force Bennet to do as they demanded.
Darcy remained behind to write and send several letters, most by express, arranging for accommodations along the way. A rider was hired to convey two letters south to London, while a second went north to deliver letters to the inns that would house their party as they travelled to Pemberley. This rider carried additional letters to be delivered to the housekeeper at Pemberley informing her of the large party of guests she could expect as soon as may be and a letter to Georgiana informing her of what had transpired in the last fortnight.
Author's Note: I know that Mrs Bennet has been silent so far. That may or may not last.