Pirates and Prejudice (3 page)

Darcy let out a
sigh. “Just make sure no one hangs me while you are gone.”

“You have my
word!” Foster said with a laugh.

“Good! And
Foster?”

“Yes?”

“May I please
have something to eat?”

*~*~*

Throughout the
day, men came by the cell and peered in, making spiteful and disparaging
remarks. With each accusation, Darcy felt awash with contempt – at them and
himself. He was only able to remain silent against his tormentors because he
knew who he was. He was at least thankful that after a good night’s sleep and
meal, his head was much clearer than it had been in quite some time.

As he considered
Foster’s proposition, he thought how this would truly be the only way to
prevent news of his being thrown in gaol from being bandied about London and
amongst his friends and family.

He raked his
fingers through his hair and shuddered as he wondered what had become of him!
He was Fitzwilliam Darcy, after all – meticulous, proper, esteemed… He had
always considered himself fully capable of handling any situation. Yet he had
been completely powerless in securing the hand of the one woman he truly loved
and then in conquering the hopelessness and despair that had been wrought in
him because of that.

He sat up erect
and considered how this obligation might help take his mind off Elizabeth
Bennet. That day she had refused his offer of marriage, he stormed out greatly
incensed at her.  But throughout the night, as he had recollected the
words she had lashed out at him and then penned the letter to her, he had
realized she had not spoken flippantly or even without basis.

Her
misunderstanding of George Wickham’s character was not her fault, and he could
readily see how that scoundrel had deceived her about
both
their
characters. He had grown up with George Wickham, but that young man had become
a thorn in his flesh. And yet it was her accusation that he had unduly
interfered with his friend Charles Bingley and her sister Jane that made him
realize how wrong he had been.

He thought back
to the words he had spoken that night and put his hand over his mouth, closing
his eyes. How could he have been so presumptuous in stating to her – in an
offer of marriage – that her family was unsuitable and so far beneath him? He
let out a groan as he realized he was now more upset with himself for his
behaviour than he was with Elizabeth for refusing him.

Yes, he would
agree to impersonate this infamous pirate Lockerly despite abhorring all manner
of disguise. But once all was behind him, or perhaps as he was in the midst of
it, he would make every effort to address those traits she had claimed were so
offensive to her. He vowed to improve his person, even though he would likely
never see her again.

Chapter 3

Longbourn

Elizabeth Bennet linked an arm through Jane’s, and the
two sisters walked down the stairs. The sun greeted them warmly, a welcome
reprieve from the dreary cold and rain that had plagued them over the past
month. Elizabeth reached up on the tip of her toes to touch a dust-filled ray
of sunlight with her free hand. She wiggled her fingers, sending the tiny motes
whirling, and causing both sisters to laugh.

As they took the
remaining steps downward, Elizabeth looked at Jane and smiled. It was good to
see her laugh again.

The improvement
of the weather this morning seemed to have improved both girls’ dispositions.
Several months ago, Jane’s joy had been shattered after a futile attempt to see
Mr. Bingley during her stay in London. She had visited with his sisters, and
they had returned the courtesy with a call to her at her aunt’s home near
Cheapside, but their brother had never made an effort to see her.

Elizabeth was
concerned. She and she alone knew the truth about why Mr. Bingley had not
visited Jane. It had been Mr. Darcy’s influence that had tempered Mr. Bingley’s
affections for her, and the conspiracy – of sorts – between him and Miss
Bingley not to divulge Jane’s presence in town to him.

Since then she
had made every effort to help keep Jane’s mind off Mr. Bingley, encouraging her
in any way she could. But Elizabeth was facing an inner battle of her own. She
found herself repeatedly going over Mr. Darcy’s words in his unexpected offer
of marriage and futilely tried to recall the words she had angrily lashed back
at him in her refusal.

The letter Mr.
Darcy had written to her addressed several of the accusations she had made
against him. Sometimes in the quiet of the night, alone in her room, she would
pull out the letter to read it again. It did not give her much comfort; in
fact, it often produced a myriad of conflicting feelings: anger, regret,
despair, and even an unwelcomed sense of honour at the thought of being singled
out by such a man. If only she could put Mr. Darcy’s proposal out of her mind
as easily as she had the one made by Mr. Collins.

At the mere
thought of their cousin, she shuddered.

“Are you unwell,
Lizzy?” Jane asked with a quick glance.

They reached the
bottom of the stairs, and Elizabeth stopped. She bit her lip and wondered
whether she should tell Jane the truth. Jane knew about Mr. Darcy’s proposal
and how her sister had refused him, while no one else in her family had that
knowledge. Her mother would be displeased beyond measure if she knew Elizabeth
had turned down a man of such great fortune. But Elizabeth had never told Jane
that Mr. Darcy had been partly responsible for keeping Mr. Bingley from seeing
her by not divulging to him her presence in town.

“I am well,
Jane,” she answered reassuringly. She let out a more light-hearted sigh. “I am
merely contemplating my trip with the Gardiners to the Lake District.”

“And you shall
have a wonderful time! I enjoyed it immensely when they took me!”

Jane and
Elizabeth came into the dining room, finding both their parents there. The
sunny morning had not had a positive effect on their mother, however, as she
greeted them with, “Oh, my head is pounding so!”

“Good morning,
Mama. Good morning, Papa!” Elizabeth walked around and gave her mother and
father kisses, followed by Jane doing the same. The two eldest Bennet daughters
sat down at the table.

“It is a
beautiful day,” Elizabeth said. “I hope it is not too terribly muddy out. I
long for a good walk!”

Her father
smiled; however, he did not seem as cheerful as he normally did in the morning.
“I daresay, Elizabeth, that you will take a walk today whether it is muddy outside
or not! You are the adventurous one, are you not?” He did not wait for an
answer, but picked up some letters that were folded up next to his plate.

Elizabeth
recollected the day she had walked through the mud to visit a sick Jane at
Netherfield and made no response. She glanced at Jane, who was looking down
into her cup as she poured herself some tea. She knew Jane was thinking about
it, as well.

Wishing to
change the subject, Elizabeth motioned to the letters. “And what news have you,
Papa? Anything important?”

“Yes, but
prepare yourself for some bad news.”

“Bad news?” both
sisters asked.

Mrs. Bennet was
quite agitated. “Why must letters always contain such vexing news? I despise
getting a letter! People have no compassion for my nerves!”

“What is it,
Papa?” Elizabeth asked, her brows narrowing in concern.

“One is a letter
from my sister. Viola, as you know, lives with her family on St. Mary’s in the
Isles of Scilly. It has been many years since we have seen them. And the other
is a letter from the Gardiners.”

“Our Aunt
Gardiner has written?” Elizabeth’s face lit up. “What has she to say? Does she
mention our trip to the Lake District?”

“I cannot wait
to see her children again!” Jane interjected. “I so enjoyed them when I was in
London.”

“But you said
there was bad news! Tell us, Father!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“Well, Lizzy,”
her father said. “I shall leave it to you to read.”

He handed the
letter to Elizabeth, and she began to read it aloud.

Fondest
greetings to all my family,

I hope you are
all well. I know that we have been planning with much anticipation a trip to
the Lake District with Elizabeth, but something has arisen, and we are now not
able to go. We had hoped that perhaps a shorter trip to Derbyshire would be
possible, but now, that is also out of the question. We are so disappointed,
but know that the greatest disappointment must be felt by Elizabeth (and our
children, as well, who were so looking forward to seeing Jane again). We
promise to make an effort to go next summer. We shall count down the days! I
hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us.

M. Gardiner

Elizabeth took
in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I
am
disappointed, but I know
if it were at all possible, they would have made the effort.”

“Oh, Elizabeth,”
Jane said as she reached out and touched her sister’s hand. “I know you were so
looking forward to it! I feel terrible that I have talked so much lately about
my trip with them two years ago. Pray, forgive me.”

Elizabeth put
her other hand on top of Jane’s. “Dearest Jane, please do not fret. There will
be another opportunity for me to go with them.”

Mrs. Bennet
waved a handkerchief through the air. “Upon my word! Something else will come
up if you make other plans, and they shall likely all come to nothing!”

Elizabeth let
out a long sigh and looked at her father. “And the other letter? Does it
contain bad news as well?”

“Yes, but I have
something to ask of you two after you have read it, especially in light of the
Gardiners’ letter.” He handed it to Elizabeth with a sombre look.

Elizabeth began
reading the letter.

My dearest
brother,

I do hope this
finds you and your family well. I am not quite sure how to tell you this other
than to just come out and say it. I am very ill and become weaker by the day. The
doctor is not certain how much longer I have and has given no hope for a cure.
I long to see you again and would make the journey to Hertfordshire in a
heartbeat, if I could, but that is not possible.

Elizabeth looked
up at her father.
“I am so sorry to hear this, Father.”

“I cannot bear
to even think about this!” Mrs. Bennet uttered. “Poor Viola, and then it will
be your father’s time to go, and then those Collinses will have us out of our
home!”

Elizabeth turned
to her mother. “Please, Mama, have some consideration for Father.”

“This whole
dreadful affair has me…”

“I see no
occasion for this type of prattle, Mrs. Bennet!” her husband declared
impatiently.

Jane paled and
her eyes glistened with tears. “Oh, Papa, how sad it would be to never see her
again. I remember when they last visited us. Their daughter Melanie was about
eleven. She was the same age as Elizabeth.”

Her father
nodded. “She mentions the two of you. Read on, Lizzy.”

I know the
family was never pleased when I took that sea bathing excursion to the Isles
and ended up meeting and marrying Henry, but trust me, I have truly been happy
here. Brother, I do not know if this is asking too much, but would there be a
possibility for you to make a journey to see us before I am too feeble to enjoy
the visit? You are certainly welcome to come alone or with any or all of your
family. Our daughter, Melanie, has the fondest memories of both Elizabeth and
Jane, and she has asked particularly if they might be able to come, as well.
While she is bearing up tolerably, it would do her good to have her cousins
here to cheer her up. Please consider this, my dear brother, for otherwise, I
know I shall never see you again.

I promise you
that I will not allow this to be a sombre visit. St. Mary’s, our island, is a
beautiful place with rocky outcroppings, sandy beaches, and rolling hills that
are laden with heather. I trust that you will find pleasant weather (apart from
an occasional storm) and a nice secluded place to sit and read. The ladies in your
family would all find it much to their liking.

If you choose to
come, we have found the most economical way to travel is to book passage on any
of the merchant ships that carry passengers, either out of London or more
southern ports. Please respond with your answer as soon as possible. 

All my love,
Viola

Elizabeth
lowered her hand slowly. “What are you thinking of doing, Papa”

“He is going to
get himself killed; that is what he is going to do!” cried Mrs. Bennet.

Mr. Bennet
slowly shook his head. “Now, now, Mrs. Bennet, I am going to do no such thing!
Lizzy, Jane, I am very much inclined to visit her. She is my only sister, and I
now regret never having taken the time to travel to the Isles. Your mother and
I were just discussing the possibility of the two of you joining me. With the
Phillipses living nearby and the younger girls to help your mother, I think a
few weeks without us would not be too burdensome.”

“Not too
burdensome!” Mrs. Bennet cried. “I can well imagine what calamities might
befall us while you are all away!” She waved a handkerchief nervously. “And I
dare not think what might happen to Mr. Bennet and you two girls on a voyage
across the sea!”

Elizabeth gently
placed her hand over her mother’s and turned to her father. “Oh, Father! How I
would love to make the journey with you.” She looked at Jane, hoping she would
eagerly accept, as well, despite her proclivity for becoming sick on a boat.
She was certain doing something like this would be a diverting way to help Jane
take her mind off Mr. Bingley.

Jane began
shaking her head. “Oh, I cannot fathom it. When the Gardiners took me sailing
on Windermere Lake for merely an hour, I was dreadfully ill. And it was calm
waters!”

“But, Jane,
perhaps you would not get sick this time.”

“I would not wish
to take such a chance. But certainly you two must go, especially since the
Gardiners had to cancel their trip with you.”

“Yes, but… oh
Papa, can we afford something like this?”

“We had
bountiful crops this year, and I think it is very feasible. I intend to inquire
about the merchant ships to find out what the fares would be. I cannot bear to
think I may not see my sister again.”

Elizabeth
brought the letter to her heart and let out a sigh. “As difficult as it will be
to see Aunt Viola so ill, I think I would enjoy it very much. Earlier you said
I was adventurous. You knew I would agree to go, did you not?”

Mr. Bennet
nodded. “I did indeed!”

Elizabeth turned
to her mother and squeezed her hand. “And do you truly mind if we go, Mama?”

Mrs. Bennet
shook her head. “I suppose there is nothing to say to convince him to do
otherwise. If he wants to risk his life and that of his daughter at the hands
of marauding pirates or becoming shipwrecked during a storm, what am I to say
about it?”

Elizabeth smiled
and patted her mother’s hand. “I am so pleased you understand!”

Later that very
day, an invitation arrived that created a stir amongst the ladies, specifically
Lydia, Kitty, and Mrs. Bennet. Lydia was ecstatic that she was invited to join
Mrs. Forster and her husband’s regiment when they departed for Brighton. Mrs.
Forster had singled Lydia out as her particular friend, and Lydia would not
rest until her parents agreed to let her go. Kitty felt it extremely unfair
that she was not invited, while Mrs. Bennet envied her youngest daughter for
the honour of such an invitation.