Memory: Volume 3, How Far We Have Come, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) (15 page)

“At Hurst’s townhouse.”

“And her address?”  He said tiredly. 

“Tavistock Square.”  Bingley offered.

“Bloomsbury.”  Darcy sighed.  “Practically next to the school.”  He walked to the window and stared out across the street to the welcoming green of Hyde Park, and fought his desire to start walking and return to their bench.  Suddenly their stroll of the morning seemed like a fond memory. 

“Darcy?” 

Glancing behind him he saw the miniatures on his desk, and focussed on Georgiana, remembering how he and Elizabeth feared that she might have been starting down a wrong path that they had caught just in time.  Perhaps this girl Jessica was the same.  His eyes turned to Elizabeth’s image.  “When my wife returns, Bingley, we will go.  I will not do this without her.”

Chapter 5

D
arcy kissed Elizabeth’s hand and held it tightly.  The couple leaned into each other as the carriage travelled the short distance to the Hurst home.  Elizabeth wished to speak to Jessica before they continued on to Tavistock Square.  “Miss Simkins was fortunate to attract your brother’s eye.  At least he gave her shelter.”

“Yes.”  Bingley nodded.  “I cannot fault him for offering her employment, he had no hand in her ruin, although I believe that his . . .” He looked down at his hands.  “Never mind.” 

“He may have entertained uglier intentions.”  Elizabeth murmured.

“You know of such things?”  Darcy said quietly.

“With servants?  With husbands?  Of course.”  She looked at their entwined hands and smiled sadly.  “A whole world of conversation opens when one is a married woman.  Some subjects are less appealing than others.”

“I would hope that we can eliminate those particular acquaintances from your visiting.”  Darcy said stiffly.

“I cannot close my eyes to what happens in so many homes, dear.  We are unique in so many ways.”  She smiled softly and he brushed her fingers with his thumb.  “This is not your responsibility, Fitzwilliam, but I cannot help but think that this may easily have been our family.”

“That disturbing thought has been in my mind since Bingley brought this to our doorstep.  That is why I have agreed to be involved now.” 

“I think that you cannot help yourself but to try and be of aid.”  Elizabeth touched his face and he kissed her fingers again before tucking her hand under his arm. 

“You think too well of me.”  He murmured. 

“Think what you like, dear.”  She smiled and looked past his bowed head to see Bingley watching them.  “And you are very good as well, Mr. Bingley.  You knew the right course and acted on it.”  He nodded his thanks and seeing that they were approaching his brother’s home, sat up a little. 

“There seems to be a visitor.” 

“Papa!”  Elizabeth cried when she saw her father staring up at the townhouse apprehensively.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Darcy opened the door before the footman had a chance to perform his duty.  “Mr. Bennet!”  He called as he stepped out and turned to offer his hand to Elizabeth.  She climbed down and walked up to her clearly relieved father. 

“What brings you here of all places?”  She asked and kissed his cheek.  “Does this have something to do with Miss Simkins?”

“You know?”  He said with surprise and then spotting Bingley, he nodded.  “Of course Mr. Bingley, you would go to the Darcys after you learned of the connection, slight as it is, to our family.”  He looked at Darcy.  “You are again proving your tolerance for those who do not deserve it, sir.”

“Perhaps we should continue this conversation indoors.”  Darcy suggested and looked at Bingley.  He jumped and led the way inside, asking the man at the door to alert his brother and sister of their guests, and led them into a drawing room upstairs. When the introductions had been completed and everyone was seated, Elizabeth turned to her father.

“We have all read your letter to Mr. Robinson.”

“I just came from that address.  I was told that Miss Simkins had been removed from there to your home.”  He bowed his head towards the Hursts.  “It was a great surprise to me, but as I had come this far, I decided to continue, just to be sure that . . . that I need not do anything else.”  He noted Elizabeth’s surprise and looked to his hands.  “Yes, Daughter, I feel your shock that anything would move me from my comfortable chair, I imagine that reading my letter to Mr. Robinson was enough to cause you apoplexy.”

“Perhaps not that much shock, Papa.”  Elizabeth said gently.

“You are too kind.”  He glanced at her then saw Darcy’s steady gaze.  “Lydia returned home and was bearing this letter.”  He handed it to Darcy who read it, his face becoming grimmer with each new sentence.  “Yes, it is horrific.  Lydia shared it with Jane, who brought it to us.  We . . . It was clearly a cry for rescue, although Lydia only saw it as a warning.  I am afraid that she does not quite understand my sudden journey here for a girl who is not my own, particularly now when she understands how I and her mother failed her, failed all of you girls.”  He looked at Elizabeth then stood and began to pace.  “As you know, I, with Lucas’ aid, wrote to Jessica’s family, the school, and to Robinson, but . . . I realized that even if the girl’s father did learn of her location, he may no longer be inclined to take her back or help her.  I thought that I could . . . I do not know, but the thought occurred to me that this could easily have been Lydia’s fate.”  He turned to face the room full of people.  “I am all too aware of how close she came to following this girl out of the window.  She would have gone; I am sure of it.  That is a testament to my failure.”

“Do you hope to regain Lydia’s respect by helping her friend?”  Elizabeth asked.

“I never had her respect, dear.”  He smiled sadly.  “But I have been trying to do better.  Call it another step to redemption.”

Darcy handed Elizabeth the letter and warned her.  “It is ugly, love.”  She nodded and began to read.  Expecting tears, Darcy had his handkerchief ready.  He was not prepared for fury. 

“Stupid!”  Elizabeth declared.  Her whole body shook.  “Stupid, stupid girl!  Yes, she cries out for help now, now that she feels the consequences of her actions, but how many people tried to help her?  Even her parents, who indulged her whims and follies, had the sense to at least put her in a school that might help.  And what does she do?  She thumbs her nose at them all, actively courts her ruin by flaunting herself before these men, and nearly drags our sister down with her!”  Elizabeth stood and began to pace. 

“Lizzy, you are unkind.”  Mr. Bennet chastised her.

“Papa, by her own admission she did not truly feel regret until she had been cast out from the boarding house.  It was not until she stood before her father’s house and realized that she was ruined and unfit to enter that she finally felt the weight of her shame.” 

“But she has awakened to it, can you feel no compassion?”  Darcy asked.

“Of course I feel compassion, Fitzwilliam!  If I did not I would not feel anger towards her!”  Elizabeth stared at him.  “I am aware of her age and of her regret, but I cannot excuse knowingly performing unacceptable behaviour that would ruin herself and her family.  A girl of her station knows her responsibilities; it was her choice to ignore them.” 

“I agree with you.”  Louisa nodded.  “Girls are raised to be modest and obedient.  Her virtue is her most precious possession and is what she is judged by until the day she marries.  This is a failure of her parents and her self control.”

“Where is she?” 

Louisa stood and went to the doorway.  “I have her in a guest room.  She is terrified of returning home.”

“Terrified?”  Elizabeth shook her head.  “Good, it seems that it is time that this girl felt something other than selfishness.”  She swept away with Louisa, leaving the men staring at each other. 

“It seems that the women are less tolerant than the men.”  Hurst observed.  “They know better than we the demands placed upon their behaviour.”

“Elizabeth’s fury is a testament to her upbringing.”  Darcy glanced at Mr. Bennet who shook his head in disagreement.

“Not by our hands.  The Gardiners are her teachers.”  He muttered.

 Nodding his acknowledgement, Darcy could not help but allow a smile to cross his lips, and then a quiet laugh.  “I think that I can be assured that no daughter of ours will ever be in danger of disappointing us.”

“I do not believe I have ever seen Mrs. Darcy in such a state of anger.”  Bingley stared at the empty doorway.  “It is an awesome sight.”

“Not one you would wish to entertain?”  Hurst sat back and relaxed.

“Certainly not one I would care to experience often, particularly if it was directed at me.”  He glanced at Darcy who merely smiled.  “You disagree, I take it?”

“I do.”  Darcy said softly.  “However, it is clear that my wife feels that this girl brought on her misfortune on her own, and therefore must face the consequences.  I have no doubt that when she reappears, it will be with Miss Simkins in tow, and fully prepared to face her family.  If her family is unwelcoming, we should have a plan of options prepared.”

“I was going to offer allowing Miss Simkins to come to Longbourn.”  Mr. Bennet said quietly.

“That is generous, considering your acknowledgement that she nearly took Miss Lydia with her down this path of ruin.”

“I thought it . . .would be a good example for Lydia.”

“It is kind of you, sir.  But this is the Simkins family’s responsibility.  We are merely delivering her home.  I think that we are better having clear suggestions ready for her father, who will either be elated or furious with her return.”  Darcy closed his eyes.  “If they have no convenient relative to send her to visit, I suggest finding her a respectable husband.”

Mr. Bennet looked at Bingley, who balked.  “Not me!”

“Relax, Bingley.”  Darcy smiled.  “I was thinking of a tenant of de Bourgh’s I met.  His wife died last year and he has enough staff to look after their child, but he would be better off with a wife.  Of course there is Mr. Collins.” 

“The vulture at my door.”  Mr. Bennet snorted.

“He is a gentleman’s son with a decent position, with her dowry they could be comfortable.”  Darcy saw Mr. Bennet’s sigh.  “Unless you have hopes for him with Lydia or Kitty someday.”

“I have hopes that he will meet a swarm of bees.”  Mr. Bennet said darkly and waved his hand.  “Forgive me.” 

“I understand.”  Darcy glanced at the clock.  “It is growing late for a call.  What do you say to delivering a note to Mr. Simkins, inviting him here, neutral ground?”

“That is a fair idea.”  Hurst walked over to a writing desk and settled in.  “What should I say?”

“Dear Mr. Simkins . . .”  Bingley began.

“Come and get your daughter.”  Hurst murmured, as his quill scratched the paper.

“We are not her keepers, but we feel compassion for her plight.”  Darcy said softly.

“Your failure has been thwarted, now come and prove yourself.”  Mr. Bennet spoke to his hands. 

Signing the note, Hurst looked it over and enclosing the letter from Jessica to Lydia, sealed it, then called for a footman to deliver it immediately and asked that Mrs. Hurst be made aware that one more guest would be coming.  He sat back with his fingers entwined over his belly.  “My brother was surprisingly cooperative.”

“I think that he was shamed.”  Bingley nodded.  “He was certainly defensive when I questioned him.  What he does outside of the home I do not care to know, but to see that girl’s behaviour, I could not stand by and allow it to go on.”

“No.”  Hurst sighed.  “There are certainly a plethora of locations where he can satisfy his proclivities.  Plenty of girls come to town to work as maids and end up in the trade, but they should be safe from the master if they are working for the household.”

“I was in Haymarket once and was approached by a child who could have been no more than thirteen.”  Darcy said quietly.  “It disturbed me greatly, especially as she was hardly alone.  Everywhere we looked there was some woman or child offering herself.”

“What were you doing there?”

“It was after Fitzwilliam came home and he was feeling well enough to kick up his heels.  He took me to places I’d never been.  Neither of us did more than drink, and that was enough to make me wish for home.”  He looked up at the ceiling.

“You do not have to go far to find a prostitute, Caroline has remarked that she would never walk Hyde Park for fear of being called one.  She will only enter on horseback.”  Bingley glanced at Darcy, who rolled his eyes. 

“What sort of mother do you expect Caroline to be?”  Hurst asked his brother.

“I suspect she will be everything that our mother was.  Cold, demanding, and absent.”  He looked down at his hands.  “I feel for young Wallace.”

“Louisa will look out for him, Bingley.  As will we.”  Hurst smiled and sitting up, rubbed his hands together.  “Well, I suspect that the ladies will be occupied preparing the girl for her reunion.  Shall I suggest a round or two of whist, gentlemen?”

Darcy groaned and the others laughed.  “I abhor cards.”

“Come on Darcy.”  Bingley smiled and urged him to a table.  “It will not kill you.”

ELIZABETH STOOD BEHIND DARCY, rubbing his shoulders and watching his cards.  “Are you certain that you wish to play that?”  She asked when his finger paused over one.  “I would not.”

“Really?”  He turned his head to see her innocent smile.  “I disagree.”  Plucking the selection from his hand, he placed it on the table.  The collected men groaned and Darcy smiled slightly when she kissed his cheek.  “Apology accepted.”

“What apology?”

“You recognized my superior play.”

“I stopped you from taking
that
card.”  She pointed to his hand.  “That is where you paused first.”

“Pausing is not playing.  It is thinking.”

“I see.”  She smiled and kissed his ear.  “Think whatever you like, Mr. Darcy.  We both know that you chose your card out of defiance.” 

“I miss you, Lizzy.”  Mr. Bennet said quietly and looked back at his hand.