Many thanks to my wonderful beta-reader Nan P. (nanciellen)
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Darcy had been in London for almost a month, and had already turned down several invitations from different acquaintances; he was in no mood to attend parties, and he had little desire to see his fiancée.
He didn't know how he would live with a woman who, besides being a liar, had absolutely nothing in common with her. After the debacle with his future father-in-law, he listed one by one his interactions with Lady Victoria trying to understand why he had decided to court her and then become engaged to her. He remembered that after Georgiana's incident with Wickham, his uncle had been pressuring him - more than ever - to get married and produce an heir.
He was painfully aware that when he returned from Hertfordshire, he wanted to forget Elizabeth Bennet at all costs, so he became willing to meet other ladies of the Ton. Furthermore, he remembered all the dinners when Lady Victoria was seated next to him and how she tried to talk with him about poetry, Shakespeare's plays and other subjects she knew were of interest to him; he also remembered all the times that he attended balls and, out of courtesy - and the insistence of Lady Matlock - he felt forced to ask her to dance. He remembered the rumours and gossip published in the social pages of the London newspapers about their supposed courtship and engagement.
Since he believed they had several things in common, he began to court her. However, as time passed by, he reached the painful realization that she was not at all interested in any of those topics; she had just been pretending; it had been a ruse to catch his attention.
He also realized now that the decision to court her was greatly influenced by Lord and Lady Matlock, the gossip of high society, and his desire to forget about a young lady who against his will had completely conquered his mind and heart.
Then, when he had decided to end the courtship, the incident at Lady Matlock's ball, and the subsequent gossip sealed his fate. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do, he had to continue with his life and resign himself to his fate. He couldn't blame her; it was not her fault; it was an accident.
In the last month, Bingley had tried to contact him three times, and it was about time he met his friend. He did not want to visit him at his house, since he would surely have to tolerate the company of Bingley's insufferable sister. After thinking about it for a while, he decided that the best option was to meet at White's.
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Both gentlemen arrived at almost the same time, and they sat down with a bottle of brandy to talk. On more than one occasion, Bingley tried to talk about Hertfordshire and Miss Bennet, but Darcy promptly changed the subject of the conversation. Finally, Bingley desisted, and they continued talking about other topics.
They were in the middle of a discussion about some new patents for steam engines when an acquaintance, whom Darcy did not like at all, came to their table with an unwelcome invitation.
"Darcy, it's been a while since I have seen you in London. Congratulations on your engagement. Lady Victoria is a very beautiful woman."
Darcy just nodded, he greeted Lord Caterfield briefly, and continued his conversation with Bingley.
Lord Caterfield - due to an incident with a young woman years before - detested Darcy. To annoy him added, "Since in a few days your bachelor days will be over, I want to invite you to Madame Bodeaux's to celebrate your engagement. A couple of virgin women are going up for auction today. I have two tickets for the auction. Lord Williams canceled at the last minute because his wife arrived unexpectedly. What do you say, Darcy?"
"An auction of virgin women in a brothel. Is it legal?" asked a stunned Bingley.
Lord Caterfield sneered at Bingley and simply replied, "Well, this type of auction is only open to exclusive clients of the London elite." Turning to Darcy, he added, "The last time I attended one of these auctions, the women were exquisite. I bet almost £200, but it was worth it. For a couple of weeks, I had one of them exclusively. As you can imagine, that girl is now an experienced whore. From what little we spoke, she had recently been orphaned, she had no money and no other way to support herself."
Darcy was disgusted by the conversation and the company, so he brusquely told Lord Caterfield that he was not interested in that auction, and he had other commitments that day.
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Several days later, Richard visited him to discuss some issues regarding Georgiana's education and his wedding. They decided that Georgiana wouldn't travel to London since Darcy would go directly to Pemberley after his wedding. Subsequently, Darcy told Richard about the meeting and Lord Caterfield's disgusting invitation.
Richard, who had much more experience with women, as well as with people from different social circles in the Kingdom, simply commented, "I don't understand why you are so surprised Darcy. Women in our society have very few options and opportunities when they have no money and no one to protect them. So many employers abuse their maids and even governesses. If an employee complains or refuses her employer's advances, she simply loses her job, and if she doesn't have financial means, she starves or has to turn to prostitution. Those who are luckier marry men who can give them a good future, others have to work as maids or cooks, and some others manage to be a mistress of some rich gentleman. There are some gentlemen who treat their mistress well and others who are abusive."
Darcy knew what his cousin said was true, it was a reality that, in his position as a wealthy gentleman, he preferred to ignore; in the city there were plenty of poor people and in the lower neighbourhoods, some women were willing to sell themselves for their next meal rather than starve.