Unforgiving Temper (9 page)

“Lizzy, my dear! What do you think? We have
all survived the madness of last night's dinner party and it looks
as if your sister is in a fair way of recapturing her young
man.”

“Yes, it seems very likely; but, if I may,
sir, I have another matter I wish to speak of.”

“Of course, my dear. What is it? You look a
little troubled.”

“I am, very much.” Elizabeth's resolve
waivered for an instant and then rallied in an ardent rush. “I am
sorry to be so direct, Father, but you cannot be unaware of Lydia's
reckless behavior.”

“I will admit she is very silly, but no more
than most girls her age; although I will say you and Jane were an
exception,” he smiled tenderly.

“You must see that if you do not take the
trouble to check her wild behavior, it will end in shame for the
whole family. Last night's exhibition at Lucas Lodge is proof
enough. Did you not see what a determined flirt she made of herself
with all the officers?” Elizabeth was careful not to single out
Wickham.

“Come now, Lizzy. She does no real harm. I am
convinced she will not be satisfied until she has made herself
ridiculous; and it would be better for her to do so now, when her
age allows for some indulgence. Take heart, my dear; her follies
will fade and be forgotten soon enough.”

“I am sorry, sir, but there are some things
that will not fade, and I must tell you she has already done more
damage than can be forgot.” Elizabeth stopped, her courage wavering
once again at the pain she was about to inflict. Taking a deep
breath, she began. “I have just received a most disturbing letter.
It was written in Lydia's own hand and expresses her affection for
a gentleman in such unspeakable terms that, if made public, would
bring disgrace and ruin to us all.”

Drawing the first letter out, she placed it
on the desk in front of her father, being careful to keep the
second one in its place. It would come later.

Mr. Bennet's amused smile faded into a
curious frown as he took up the letter. Anxiously she watched as
each line passing beneath his eyes engendered an even greater
degree of passionate abhorrence until he finally threw the letter
onto the desk in disgust.

“This is outrageous! That a daughter of mine
would write such a letter is unbelievable! It is a revolting piece
of nonsense and I should like to meet the man who has encouraged
this!” he cried, his face flushing to an alarming shade of crimson
as he leaned back in his chair. Elizabeth started at his high color
and trembling hands.

“Father, you look very ill! Please calm
yourself!” she exclaimed and reached out for the decanter sitting
near his desk. “Let me get you a glass of wine and we can discuss
this with some degree of reason.”

“Reason? There is no reason in someone taking
advantage of an ignorant young girl!” His indignation brought him
to his feet with such violence that he was obliged to steady
himself before peering intently over the desk. “What do you know of
this, Lizzy?”

“No more than you,” she lied smoothly. “And,
as you can see, the name has been torn off, leaving us no clue as
to who this man is.”

“He shall not be nameless for long. I will
speak to Lydia and get to the bottom of this immediately! He will
be found out and made to marry her or give me satisfaction.”

“No, Father. That is not sound! You must know
you cannot fight him. It is strictly prohibited; and even if you
managed to arrange it and prevail, you would only be trading one
scandal for another. Worse than that, if you should not prevail…oh,
Father, I could not bear to lose you! The entail of Longbourn would
be nothing to losing you!”

Her words gave him pause, and seeing the
truth of them reflected in his face, she pressed on.

“Lydia has been ill-used, indeed; but I fear
it gets worse. There is a deeper purpose to her seduction, sir, and
that is blackmail.” Elizabeth drew forth the second letter and
somberly placed it on the desk next to the first.

She had practiced diligently to create the
fictitious letter in a hand that would not betray her as its
author. It was the only way to hide the true source of Lydia's own
shameful letter and still win her father's approval – something she
needed if she was to accept Wickham's proposal and carry out her
plan.

“Lydia's letter was enclosed in this letter.
You may read it, but I will tell you it does not contain anything
that would lead us to discover who sent it. I do not think it would
help to know the blackmailer's identity in any case as he threatens
to expose her if he is found out. However, it does say that Lydia
has written several more letters just as appalling and scandalous
as this one.” Elizabeth paused to gauge the effect of her words,
searching her father's face. “We both know that Lydia is incapable
of keeping a secret – and she thinks herself in love. I fear any
attempt to force her confidence would push her further into his
power. Most certainly, the letters would become public knowledge
and then our family's reputation would be ruined regardless of the
outcome.”

Mr. Bennet took up the second letter,
but didn't have the heart to do more than skim the page as
Elizabeth went on, carefully broaching what she knew would be the
greatest obstacle in her plan.

“There is one more thing. If we are to
retrieve all the letters, he requires my cooperation in another
matter. I am to accept a position in the north as companion to a
young lady - a ward, I believe. It does not specify, but I cannot
believe it would be for very long.”

“A companion? In the north? No! Absolutely
not! I will not hear of it. I'll not give way to blackmail and
sacrifice you, Lizzy; not to save Lydia from her foolishness! We
will find another way.”

“Father, there is no other way. I must go, at
least for the time being. Do you not see that it is more than
Lydia's reputation at stake here? What of Jane? The slightest hint
of scandal could ruin forever her chances of happiness with
Mr. Bingley. I cannot let that happen again!”

“But why would someone want you to go into
service? I cannot imagine such a thing!”

“I do not know why nor do I know who would
ask it; but I intend to find out, and the only way to do that is to
accept the terms.”

Mr. Bennet dropped into his chair. “You
are telling me you would sacrifice your own reputation for the sake
of your sisters'? Not you, Lizzy! It is too much to ask.”

The grief in her father's eyes was almost
more than she could bear, but Elizabeth stood her ground. She could
see the beginnings of capitulation, and was grateful now for this
weakness in his character.

“Being a companion is a respectable position,
Father; though I would not freely choose to do so on my own. And,
no one need know exactly where I have gone. The position is certain
to be too great a distance for anyone to discover me, and I shall
be back as soon as the letters are recovered. You will, of course,
need to prevent Lydia from writing any more. In the end, I think no
one shall be any the wiser.”

“Lydia will not write another word, you may
depend upon it. But, Lizzy, how do you propose to keep this
colossal secret from the rest of the family – from your mother?”
Mr. Bennet gave her a knowing look.

Elizabeth's departure would indeed cause
unavoidable excitement. The insistence on knowing every detail of
her situation and Mrs. Bennet's inability to keep those
details private was a significant problem. But it was a difficulty
Elizabeth had already considered and she gave a ready answer.

“We shall invent a distant relative who is in
need of a traveling companion. Perhaps a rich relation of your
cousin's widow? A sister-in-law. Given the disagreement between the
families, Mama would feel an obligation for me to accept, but would
not wish to know her better.”

Mr. Bennet sat in silence. Elizabeth's
heart ached at the sight of him, weighed down with disappointment
at Lydia, and even more so with his own inability to change the
consequences of her actions. He was fighting a losing battle, but
his heart would not let go so easily and he gave her a look that
spoke of his desperate hope she could be persuaded against this
madness. She returned his gaze with an unyielding expression that
told him otherwise.

“And what of letters?” he offered, grasping
at the only excuse he could think of. “For you to not write would
instantly raise suspicion; and for anyone to write from Longbourn
would require a knowledge of your travels. In short order your
little charade would come to an end.”

Elizabeth frowned thoughtfully. She had not
considered this impediment. Letters could be passed through her
father once she was situated, but she could not send the directions
directly to Longbourn and risk her mother finding the letter. After
a few minutes of deliberation, she gave him an exultant smile.

“Mrs. Pennwyth!”

“Mrs. Pennwyth?” her father stared. “Old
Pennwyth's widow that lives in Granley Cottage?”

“Yes! Do you not see? As Mr. Pennwyth was
such a faithful employee and your steward for more than 20 years,
she is just the one! She is a dear old woman who can certainly be
trusted to keep our secret. I am confident she will aid us. And
since she is pensioned by Longbourn, it would not be out of the
ordinary for you to visit and see to her needs. It is perfect! As
soon as I am settled, I shall write to you in care of Granley
Cottage.”

“I do not like this, Lizzy; not one bit. You
cannot ask me to send you out into the world unprotected, without
the slightest idea of where you are going!”

“I am not unprotected, Father; I have you! I
can always send an express and I know you would come at a moment's
notice. For whatever reason, it seems vastly important to this
person that I take this position, so I cannot think any harm would
come to me. In the worst case, I shall have money enough to turn
back at any time, if need be. So you see, it is not as desperate as
you would imagine.”

She felt his thoughtful gaze as he studied
her for some time. She was no longer the child he wished her to be,
but a woman, fiercely independent in thought and deed.

With a deep, heart-wrenching sigh, he finally
nodded his head. “As you have so aptly pointed out, the welfare and
respectability of our entire family is threatened; and in truth, I
can think of no other way to save it. As much as I do not want to
let you go, I do not think I have a choice.”

Elizabeth welcomed his arm around her
shoulder and his gentle kiss on her forehead. “It will all come
right, Father. Do not worry.”

She gave an affectionate pat to his arm and
turned to leave, the encouraging smile she had displayed fading as
she went.
I am sorry to deceive you, dear Papá, but I had no
choice. Our family's reputation must be saved and the risk of a
duel with Wickham is out of the question!
thought Elizabeth
sadly as she emerged from the library. The alarming effect produced
by just one of Lydia's letters was proof that she could not involve
him any further. It was enough that she had persuaded him to her
scheme for a precipitous departure from Longbourn; but thankfully,
once she was on her way, he would no longer be at risk. It would be
up to her to save the family's reputation.

She was not looking forward to the
uncertainty that lay ahead, but it seemed the best path to follow
if she was to beat Wickham at his own game. There was a valuable
ally to be had in the north and she intended to use it.

They must have great wealth, else I doubt
Mr. Wickham would put himself to so much trouble. Perhaps he
intends to try his hand at seduction again and mistreat this girl
as he did Georgiana Darcy – hoping for an elopement or even
blackmail against the family! In any case, I am certain he plans to
separate them from their money by some foul trickery. He means to
use me as he once used Mrs. Younge – but he is in for a great
surprise!

As soon as she could, she would discover
Wickham's plan and obtain proof sufficient to expose his misdeeds.
When she saved the unsuspecting family from scandal and disgrace,
their gratitude would almost certainly be turned into an
advantageous alliance against Wickham, one that would save her
family.
And, if they are as rich and powerful as I expect, they
will easily be able to crush him as he deserves!

* * * *

Wickham's eyes flashed with victory as he
watched Elizabeth approach his position in the private garden to
the east of Longbourn's main grounds. The lift of her chin and set
of her countenance told him she would accept his proposal, however
unwilling she may be.

He had planned well, for she had no choice
but to acquiesce or allow Lydia to bring her whole family down.
Mr. Bingley's return to the neighborhood had been an
unexpected but favorable turn of events. Most advantageous, in
fact, for Elizabeth, as well as anyone who looked upon the doting
couple, could see the hopes of the previous November would soon be
realized. Disgrace to the family now would dash those hopes, and he
knew enough of Elizabeth to expect she would do anything in her
power to secure her favorite sister's happiness.

Wickham stepped forward eagerly as she
reached him, restraining the satisfied grin playing at his mouth.
“Miss Elizabeth, do I take it from your coming that you find
the terms of the proposal agreeable?”

“Agreeable, sir?” she replied tightly. “Your
proposal is anything but agreeable! However, as I am sure you are
well aware, I have little choice in the matter but to accept.”

“Indeed!” he agreed condescendingly. “It is a
simple thing, really; however, I must caution you on your lively
expression of thought. It is imperative that you execute your
duties with all civility and the utmost deference to your
employer.”

Elizabeth bristled at his admonition. “You
may be assured I shall be the very model of civility.”