The Darcys of Pemberley (24 page)

“There. You see? You have your answer,” Darcy
concluded. “Your nightmare is nothing so extraordinary after all,
nothing more than what can be very reasonably accounted for. Now,
you must put it out of your head and think of more pleasant
things.”

Elizabeth endeavored to do so, with modest
success. From time to time, however, the recollection of some part
or other of the dream came unbidden to her mind with enough force
to make her shudder. No matter how sincerely she tried, Elizabeth
could not completely cast off her original conviction that it had
been no ordinary dream but a harbinger of some evil tide, a
foreshadowing of trouble ahead.

Home Again

Despite Elizabeth’s foreboding, no calamity,
great or small, befell the three occupants of the carriage on the
remainder of their journey. They spent the night at a favorite inn
and traversed the remaining miles the next day in uncompromised
safety, if not in total comfort of body and soul. The first sight
of Pemberley in the fading light of day cheered them considerably.
Still, Elizabeth did not feel completely easy until at last she set
her feet upon solid ground at the doors of the house itself. Only
then did she put aside the trepidation that had been her constant
companion since the nightmare first interrupted her repose.

Darcy requested a cold supper be brought
posthaste, yet he could scarcely persuade his wife, weary as she
was, to partake of a few bites before retreating upstairs to the
solace of their bedchamber. There Elizabeth shortly lapsed into a
deep, undisturbed sleep. Unlike the night before, she did not lay
awake dreading another visitation by unpleasant apparitions. The
nightmare’s power had waned along with the strength of its
recollection.

By the time Elizabeth arose next morning,
Darcy had long since quit their room. She dressed without hurry and
came downstairs, hungry and desirous of discovering the whereabouts
of her husband and sister. She found the former in the library with
Mr. Adams and the latter in the breakfast room. As she knew her
presence would not be wanted in the library, she chose the company
of her sister.

“Good morning, Kitty,” she said. “Are you
finding everything you need?”

“Good morning. I should say so! Nothing can
compare to the food here at Pemberley. I always look forward to it.
Have some of the ham, Lizzy. It is excellent!”

Elizabeth laughed at her enthusiasm. “Your
secret is out, Kitty. Apparently, it is the pleasure of our
sideboard rather than our company that brings you here so
often.”

“Oh, no. The food is only one of
many
advantages,” Kitty corrected. “Lizzy, when may we visit
Heatheridge? I do so want to see Jane and the babies again. And
Lydia too, of course.”

“Yes, I feel the same, except I really cannot
bear the thought of traveling again so soon. Perhaps you might go
on your own, as early as tomorrow if you like. I would be happy to
order a carriage and send a maid and a footman with you.”

“But surely you and Mr. Darcy will want to
come as well. You cannot mind the little distance when there are
such friends to be met. Let us all go tomorrow, the three of
us.”

“My dear sister, your proposal has no chance
of succeeding, I assure you. In a few days, I may be persuaded, but
at this moment I have no inclination to leave Pemberley, even for
Heatheridge. When you have a home of your own, you will understand
how good it is to return to it after being away. As for Mr. Darcy,
I warrant you will find him just as reluctant to leave as I am,
especially for a place where he is likely to encounter Mr.
Wickham.”

“Oh dear, I had forgotten about that. I
suppose it would be awkward.”

“Awkward and most unpleasant, at least on Mr.
Darcy’s side. I cannot speak for Mr. Wickham. He apparently suffers
no shame over his past conduct, so it might not distress him in the
least. At any rate, whilst the Wickhams are in residence, it will
be difficult for me and impossible for Mr. Darcy to go to
Heatheridge. We must hope they do not intend to stay much longer.
In the meantime,
you
may go, or perhaps, when I send word to
Jane that we are come back, the Bingleys will decide to visit here
instead.”

Whether for the excellent food or other
considerations, Kitty did not desert Pemberley immediately after
all. Darcy and Elizabeth resumed their regular routines, and their
first few days at home passed quietly.

Other than being easily fatigued, Elizabeth
continued in good health and spirits. She was at the pleasant but
fleeting stage of being joyously sensible of the child she carried
without yet suffering much discomfort from its growing demands on
her own constitution. It was a continual fascination to her to
monitor the infant’s movements and imagine what the future would be
like once their son or daughter was born.

About a week after their return from London,
the Darcys received a very welcome call from Ruth and Mr. Sanditon.
The friends greeted each other with great cordiality after their
substantial separation. Then, a lesser acquaintance was
renewed.

“I imagine that you both remember my younger
sister,” said Elizabeth.

“Yes, of course,” answered Mr. Sanditon. “How
nice to see you again, Miss Bennet. How long will you be staying on
this visit?”

“I have no definite plans. Happily, I am free
to divide my time between home, Pemberley, and Heatheridge as I
like.”

“How agreeable for you, Miss Bennet, to have
such an accommodating family,” said Ruth. “I have been so fortunate
as to enjoy the hospitality of kind relations as well,” she said
with a nod to Mr. Sanditon.

“I assure you, madam, I am the one benefited.
See all the new friends I have acquired through your coming,” he
said indicating the Darcys. “I only wish we had the others back
amongst us as well. Darcy, I was disappointed to hear that Mrs.
Collins and your sister did not return with you. It is such a loss
to our local society to have them still away in London. When can we
expect them home?” he asked with a casualness that belied his very
material interest in the question.

Only Elizabeth knew his particular reason for
so much regretting the delayed return of the ladies after which he
inquired. She marked how quickly he had come to the point, and
pitied him.

“I really cannot hazard a guess,” Darcy
replied. “I can only tell you that Georgiana has not yet got her
fill of town. She begged leave to remain, and Mrs. Collins was good
enough to stay on with her so that we could come away. But I agree
with you; I shall be glad when they are both restored to us.”

Mr. Sanditon pressed the issue of the ladies
left behind in London only one degree further, inquiring after and
receiving assurances of their health. Over tea, the conversation
moved on to other topics: Mr. Sanditon’s daughters, the progress of
a drainage project at Reddclift, and an account of which relations
and friends were expected to visit the area in coming months.

Just two days later, Jane and Mr. Bingley
came calling, the two infants and their nurse in tow. Elizabeth
half expected Lydia to accompany them as well, but she had stayed
at home feeling poorly, according to Jane. Shortly after their
arrival, Mr. Darcy, with apologies, excused himself to keep an
appointment with one of his tenants. Mr. Bingley eagerly accepted
the invitation to accompany him, and the two old friends soon rode
off together.

The ladies were thus left to entertain
themselves, or rather to be entertained by little Charles and
Frances. Jane’s report had indeed been correct; the infants were so
considerably changed that at first sight Elizabeth would not have
known them. Within the space of five minutes, however, they were
all on the most familiar terms again. Kitty and Elizabeth fussed
over their niece and nephew in turn, the sharing made simple by
there being precisely the same number of children to be held as
there were aunts eager to hold them.

Ultimately, the nurse put an end to it,
announcing that it was high time her charges had their naps. No
protests could dissuade the woman from her duty, and she bundled
the babies off to a quiet room, where she stayed to watch over
them.

“Mrs. Grayling is such a treasure,” said
Jane. “I should be certain to spoil the twins completely, but she
will not condone coddling. She is so wise about what is best for
the children. We are fortunate to have found her.”

“It sounds like a most agreeable
arrangement,” said Elizabeth. “What about your house guests, Jane?
Do you get along as well with
them
after these six
weeks?”

Jane hesitated, a pained expression creasing
her face. “Well,” she began apologetically, “I do love my sister
and brother dearly, although these days we are not on such happy
terms, I think. Not that they have done anything so very bad. The
trouble is they seem a little too comfortably settled with us, and
apparently have no plans to quit Heatheridge any time soon. In
fact, Mr. Wickham has made a point of mentioning that he has no
immediate prospects now that he is out of the army and, therefore,
no reasonable hope of affording a decent place to live. We begin to
worry that they will never leave! Even Mr. Bingley has begun to
lose patience; he has gone so far as to consider giving them a
hint. Yet I do not know where they would go in any case.”

“They cannot possibly stop here,” Elizabeth
reminded her.

“No, of course not. I would never ask that,
Lizzy.”

“I wish I had a home of my own,” said Kitty,
wistfully. “Then they could come to me and stay as long as they
liked. What fun Lydia and I would have! It would be just like the
old days.”

“A very nice sentiment, my dear,” said
Elizabeth. “Yet, were it possible to put it to the test, I suspect
you would be disappointed. You and your sister have both changed in
the last two years. You are not so similar as you once were.”

“You mustn’t be downcast, Kitty,” said Jane.
“You have other friends and other things to look forward to
now.”

“As you speak of other friends, Jane, I
should tell you we are expecting a visit from Miss Bingley and the
Hursts here at Pemberley in about a fortnight,” Elizabeth
announced, putting a cheerful front on the thing for Jane’s sake.
“They would rather have come to you, I daresay, but they accepted
Mr. Darcy’s invitation instead because you already have house
guests. Still, you will no doubt see them a great deal while they
are in the neighborhood. Miss Bingley is especially eager to meet
her niece and nephew.”

After the Bingleys had gone, Darcy and
Elizabeth retreated to the settee on the porch adjacent to the
saloon, to take the evening air and review events of the day. The
shade thrown down by the trees on the lawn grew ever longer as they
talked, Elizabeth relating Jane’s concerns about the Wickhams’
protracted stay at Heatheridge only to learn that the gentlemen had
a very similar conversation on their ride.

“What is to be done about them?” puzzled
Elizabeth. “They cannot be allowed to impose upon the Bingleys
forever. Yet I can think of no remedy, no way to compel them to
behave like responsible adults if they themselves are disinterested
in doing so.”

Darcy looked grim. “I fear there is no easy
solution. The situation must be dealt with, however … and
soon.”

Hoping to ease his serious mood, Elizabeth
said lightly, “What a bad bargain you made when you married me, Mr.
Darcy, acquiring such odious relations. I am sure you have often
been sorry for it,” she declared, fully expecting her husband to
protest against such a statement, to deny there was any truth to
it. To her surprise and mortification, he did not.

Darcy held his wife tightly to himself and
kissed her forehead, but could not bring himself to reply. Being
related to such a man as Wickham was no joke to him.

The Wickhams

The Wickhams’ unsettled situation weighed
heavily on many minds. By virtue of the immediate proximity of the
problem, the Bingleys’ need for a solution was perhaps most
pressing, but the Darcys felt the burden nonetheless. Their
histories were too intertwined, the current connection too binding,
to be dismissed. And past events draped an ominous shadow over the
present state of affairs.

As the son of the former steward of the
estate, Mr. Wickham had grown up at Pemberley and known Mr. Darcy
from boyhood. He developed into a handsome young man with charm,
pleasing manners, and ready conversation – attributes which served
him well in the absence of other virtues, and referred him to
society better than his station would have otherwise permitted. By
such means, George Wickham had ingratiated himself with old Mr.
Darcy, and, for his trouble, received a gentleman’s education and
the recommendation for a valuable family living. Had his nature and
inclination allowed, Mr. Wickham could have secured his future by
making the church his profession, as his generous patron intended
to the last.

Wickham, however, denounced any interest in
the church, and demanded a financial settlement instead – money
which was soon squandered away. When the younger Mr. Darcy refused
his request to have the living reinstated, Mr. Wickham plotted to
take revenge and capture a fortune by eloping with Miss Georgiana,
who was then but fifteen years of age. His scheme, which very
nearly succeeded, was an evil for which he could never be
forgiven.

To all this, Wickham added the crimes of
slander and running off with Lydia Bennet. Their marriage – which
took place belatedly – went a long way toward restoring the
Bennets’ good name, but failed to reform the basic nature of either
of the principal parties. Their lives were constantly mismanaged,
and their future looked precarious at best. Despite repeated
efforts by the family to assist the couple, Mr. Wickham persisted
in seeing himself as ill-used and laying the blame for all his
misfortunes at Mr. Darcy’s feet.