Unforgiving Temper (32 page)

Ignoring Richard's entreating look, Darcy
left his unwelcome companion standing in the anteroom and entered
Mr. Wray's office. The governor, a man of some years, with graying
hair and a rotund figure, rose from his desk and came forward a
little too eagerly to meet Darcy.

“Mr. Darcy, please come in. I am pleased
to meet you. Pleased, indeed! It is an honor to have a man of your
position and place in society show an interest in our humble
endeavors. May I introduce you to Mrs. Gilman, our head
matron?”

“How do you do, madam.”

“Very well, thank you, Mr. Darcy,” the
tall, thin woman replied crisply in spite of the governor's
meaningful look. “Mr. Wray tells me you are here to inquire after
one of our girls.”

“Yes, I am,” Darcy began. “I would like –
”

“Before you go any further, I must tell you
there is a strict policy of no contact or communication between the
girls and anyone outside her ward – not even servants or
apprentices – without a leave first had and signed by either the
president or two members of the committee of governors.”

Darcy shifted impatiently at the woman's
evident sense of self-importance. “Very well, what needs to be
done?”

“Under normal circumstances, it could be
accomplished in very little time, once you have established your
connection to the lady in question. However, those circumstances
would be at our regular meeting of the committee, which is the
first Thursday of every month. That is when they review the
petitions for new girls. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Darcy,
that was Thursday last and the president, as well as most of the
governors – except for Mr. Wray here – has already left. They will
not reconvene until next month.”

Darcy was stunned. Next month! He could not
wait that long. He worked to contain the exasperation at having
endured public speculation and a very contrived sermon only to be
disappointed now. Bitter frustration drove him to his feet, but
common sense kept his voice calm and even.

“Look, I understand the need to protect these
young ladies from the outside world, but it is very important that
I speak with someone in particular. I am sent by her family who
wish for her return.” He looked from one to the other with a
meaningful pause that would not be mistaken. “Surely there is
something
that can be done; an exception under the
circumstances?”

Darcy had not been mistaken in his appraisal
of the situation. The portly governor and head matron exchanged a
significant look.

“Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Wray gave him a toothy
grin. “You seem to be a man accustomed to action. We do not wish to
disappoint you. I believe there may be a way in which we can
help.”

“I would be most happy to hear it,” Darcy
replied.

“Ahem…well, we do have instances where
certain exceptions are made for an elite assembly of our
patrons.”

“I see,” Darcy smiled tightly. “And how
elite
are these patrons? I assume they are highly valued for
their contributions.”

“Oh, yes, to be sure,” Mr. Wray smiled in
anticipation. “It varies, of course, depending upon the situation
of the patron, but they are often as generous as, say, one hundred
pounds.”

There was not the slightest change in Darcy's
expression, causing Mr. Wray to wish he had named a larger sum.

“I trust you will accept my draft, Mr.
Wray?”

“To be sure, Mr. Darcy; most happily!
While you are fulfilling your generous contribution, I shall have
Mr. Pratt retrieve the required information. What is the name of
the young lady to whom you wish to speak?”

“Her name is Elizabeth Bennet.”

Mr. Wray lowered a pudgy hand onto the bell
sitting on the corner of his desk, summoning the clerk from the
anteroom. Immediately, the young man was at the door, holding his
hands nervously in front of his chest.

“Mr. Pratt,” the governor said, “be so good
as to fetch the records for Elizabeth Bennet.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Wray; and the date?”

Mr. Wray raised a bushy eyebrow at Darcy.

“I believe she arrived sometime the middle of
June,” Darcy reported.

“Very good, sir. I shall only be a
moment.”

The young man then ducked back through the
door, muttering Elizabeth's name to himself. In a surprisingly
short time, he reappeared and whispered softly into Mr. Wray's ear,
to which the portly gentleman responded with his own whisper to
Mrs. Gilman. Darcy watched with growing concern as the clerk and
matron left together. An even shorter time lapsed before Mrs.
Gilman stepped back into the room with a frown and gave Mr. Wray a
slight shake of her head.

“Well, sir,” the older man turned
apprehensively toward Darcy, “it appears we have a bit of a
problem.”

“What is it? Has something happened? Is she
well?” Darcy asked anxiously.

“That I cannot say, Mr. Darcy. The young
woman for whom you are searching is not here.”

“Not here? Do you mean she has left?”

“No, sir. I mean we have no record of her
ever having been at Magdalen House at all.”

* * * *

Richard peered at Darcy from across the room,
trying to make out his cousin's pensive mood. Not a single word had
been uttered during their return from the excursion to Magdalen
House, not even when they entered Darcy's study and shut the
door.

“Are you going to tell me what the devil is
going on?”

“Hmm?”

“And what has Miss Elizabeth Bennet to
do with Magdalen House?”

Darcy's head jerked up at her name. “What do
you mean?”

“Only that I overheard the clerk say her name
as he was searching through his records. Darcy, what is all this
about?”

“I am not ready to discuss the matter,
Richard.”

“That much is obvious, but I think you had
better. Mother will be on one of her crusades when word gets back
to her where we were today. I cannot be of any help if you will not
tell me anything.”

“There is nothing to tell. I will manage Lady
Eleanor
if
news of our visit reaches her.”

“Oh, it will, I have no doubt. Lord Matlock's
son and nephew taking a peek at the fair Magdalens? A nice bit of
gossip for the ton. And you know how protective mother is of the
family reputation. One of the few traits she shares with Aunt
Catherine, I am afraid.” Richard stared at the toe of his polished
boot, mentally appreciating his mother's refined approach to things
compared to that of Lady Catherine, when a sudden thought shot
through him. “Say, Darcy, does this business have anything to do
with our visit to Rosings last spring?”

Darcy silently cursed his cousin's shrewd
reasoning abilities and tried to dismiss the subject with an
evasive reply. “I cannot imagine why you think it should.”

“Well, Miss Bennet was there at the same
time,” Richard persisted, “and you did meet on several occasions as
she was walking the grounds. You said so yourself. Hmm, now that I
think about it, you were quite out of sorts the day we left – and
still are as far as I can tell. Yes, I believe it is beginning to
make sense!”

“It is not what you think!” Darcy
snapped.

“Oh, no? Magdalen House? What should I think?
Please, enlighten me, cousin.”

“Richard, it is a very long and complicated
story.”

Settling into one of the leather armchairs,
Richard raised his brows stubbornly. “I have all day.”

“I am asking you to let it go. This day has
been difficult enough for me already.”

“That may be, but from the looks of it, I
would say you have got yourself in pretty deep. It should not be
too bad, though. Luckily, Miss Bennet is not known in our
circles and we can quash most of the rumors easily enough. Mother
will have to be told, of course; but she can arrange for you to
attend an engagement or two in town. With a little effort on your
part, it will only amount to a few hushed whispers and be forgotten
in no time. I am certain mother can…what?” he asked when he saw
Darcy's incredulous stare.

“Do you really think me so cruel…so heartless
as to even consider such a scheme, if I
had been
the cause
of her distress? But the family need not worry on
my
account. I tell you unequivocally, there was no impropriety.”

“Oh, really? Then what was the purpose of
your little outing this afternoon? I know you too well, cousin, and
I think we have few secrets between us. Miss Bennet, whose
company I believe you enjoyed on several occasions, was a
refreshingly delightful diversion during our visit to Rosings this
year. It was a bit unusual for you, I admit, but she was very
charming and I quite understand if you may have had a lapse in
judgment.”

“Richard, I have done nothing to compromise
Miss Bennet. Do you hear me? Nothing!”

“If that is true, then
why
Magdalen
House?”

Darcy slumped into the chair next to Richard.
“I do not have all the details. I was hoping to know more after my
visit today, but they knew nothing of her. All I know at present is
that she
has
been compromised by someone we both know very
well – George Wickham.”

“The devil you say! I knew we should have
taken care of him last summer when we had the chance.”

“Yes, but we did not. And I did nothing to
prevent him from preying on other innocents. Now Miss Bennet
is paying the price and I must do something.”

“What are you saying?” Richard sat up in
sudden concern.

“I am saying that I must do what I can to
make it right. That is, if I can find her. She seems to have
vanished.”

“Vanished? All the better for you if she is
not around. Darcy, you cannot blame yourself for Wickham's
actions…or hers. It is not your business.”

“But it is. I told you it was complicated,”
Darcy kept his eyes focused on Richard as he spoke. “I have a
personal interest in Miss Bennet, very personal. If I am
successful in finding her, I intend to offer her marriage.”

Richard stared at him in utter dismay. “Are
you mad? Even if the present circumstances did not make it
impossible, think of what you are saying! She has – or had – little
but her charms to recommend her, and now even that is gone!”

“There was a time I would have agreed with
you. In fact, I struggled for some months with her family, her
connections, and her situation in general.” Darcy paused, Richard's
obvious confusion bringing a cheerless smile to his lips. “Yes, she
was, in my opinion, decidedly beneath my own very favorable
position. And, in my arrogance and conceit, I thought I was quite
above her; but I have since come to a better understanding of her
character and I now find it is I who would be the fortunate one if
she were to accept me.”

“Of course she would accept you, if you are
foolish enough to offer!” Richard snorted derisively. “There is not
a woman in all of England who would not, particularly a woman of
her
station.”

“You are wrong on that count. It pains me to
say it, but I am afraid she already has.”

“What?” Richard stared, trying to follow the
conversation. “She already
has
what?”

“Refused me. That night at Rosings when you
stopped me on the stairs, I had just returned from Hunsford Cottage
where I asked her to marry me, and she refused.”

“Refused you?! Impossible! How could she…what
were her reasons?”

“Where shall I start?” Darcy stared dolefully
into his hands. “If you will recall her comments at the piano-forte
condemning my actions in Hertfordshire, you will see my behavior
had decided her long before she ever got to Rosings, and rightfully
so. I was proud and disagreeable – quite arrogant, actually – when
we first met. In my defense, I will say that it was too soon after
Georgiana's near-disaster for me to affect any pleasure at an
assembly; but that was not the only fault counted against me. She
had discovered my part in separating Bingley from her sister, the
knowledge of which severely diminished her already low opinion of
my character. And last of all, there was Wickham. He saw an
opportunity to capitalize on his lies and shocking tales of abuse
at my hands, and I had given her no reason to think them untrue. He
manipulated her compassionate nature to gain her sympathy. I all
but pushed her into his arms.”

“Even so,” Richard argued, “her natural
inclinations for kindness and consideration, which I have observed
first hand, tells me she was an easy target for someone like
Wickham. You cannot blame yourself for that.”

“Yes, I can. I said nothing of Wickham's
reputation while I was in Hertfordshire. It was only after her
rejection that I wrote a letter revealing the truth. I wanted to
vindicate myself by exposing his true character. Perhaps I should
not have, but I went so far as to relate his attempt on
Georgiana.”

“Darcy, was that wise?”

“I think you know she would never harm
Georgiana. I wanted her to comprehend the grave danger of his
company; but I fear it was too late.”

“It is unfortunate, and Wickham is a plague,
to be sure; but you cannot possibly think to damage your own
reputation and standing by some misguided notion of honor. You must
consider your obligations here. If Miss Bennet had money of
her own or the proper connections, that would be one thing, but she
does not. More importantly, I cannot believe you would marry
without
some
kind of affection. To marry someone who would
only take you for your money is exactly what you have been avoiding
for years. And from what you have just told me, she does not even
like you. Take her under your protection and provide a comfortable
living for her, if you must; but do not
marry
her. You
cannot condemn yourself to such a miserable life!”

Darcy's face reflected the turmoil of his
mind. “A miserable life? I would agree with you except for one
thing – I love her, Richard. I have for some time. Why do you think
I offered in Kent?”