A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (17 page)

Darcy
and his cousins were aware of what a terrible swordsman Lord Matlock was. He
was not allowed in any of the fencing halls and no person at his club in London
would consent to practice with him. However, he looked fierce holding the sword
firmly in his left hand. Lord Matlock was right-handed.

“Gentlemen,
might I remind you that we shall get to the bottom of this without further
threats or arguments.” Forgetting he had the weapon in his hand, he reached his
left hand over to pat Elizabeth’s hand still tucked in his right arm. He almost
removed the tip of his own nose. Wisely, deciding to hand the sword back to his
son, Lord Matlock realized the only person’s attention he had gotten was his
own. He continued, “Miss Elizabeth, we were talking about that original letter.
Do you recall the contents that you read just a fortnight past?”

Suddenly,
it occurred to Elizabeth that she had nothing to fear from her father. With the
betrothal of Charlotte Lucas to Mr. Collins, her father could no longer use
whatever legal authority he might possess to force her to accept the parson as
a husband. As to the shares, she cared not for wealth. In her heart, she was
aware that even a large dowry could not make up for the damage to her
reputation for being cast out of her home. She still carried the Bennet name,
which was now mired in the ruin and neglect of Longbourn. Mr. Darcy, who she
knew was the only man that she could ever love, would never offer for her.
There was no future there. And Elizabeth valued the freedoms she had been
allowed by the Gardiners. But, could she return to Longbourn until she gained
her majority? No. That would not happen.

“The
letter was dated November 11, 1806. My father wrote that as of that date he no
longer had a daughter, Elizabeth Anne Bennet, and that he cared not what her
future was or even if she had a future. It was addressed
to whom it may
concern
and he closed it with his signature.”

“Mr.
Bennet,” Darcy was aghast that a father could treat a child in such a manner.
“You do not deserve such a woman as a daughter.” His disgust was apparent. He
looked at the man and saw a red flush cover his face. It could only be shame
and embarrassment at being found out for misrepresenting what he had written.

“You,
young man,” Mr. Bennet regained his composure and again directed his anger at
Darcy. “You need to remove yourself from this situation and this room. This is
my daughter and those are my shares. The only way Elizabeth can gain control is
to have reached one and twenty or to be married, at which time the shares are
owned by her husband. She is not in her majority and she does not have a
husband, so they are
mine!”

“Mr.
Philips, what do you say to this?” Lord Matlock asked.

“There
appears to be a great disparity between what I have been told by both my
brother-in-law and my niece. I shall need to read the original letter written
five years ago for myself. Typically, in situations where custody or
guardianship is questioned, the courts generally rule in favor of the father,
unless there is a husband involved. If there were a husband to Elizabeth, there
would be no question of custodial care. However, since Elizabeth is unwed, I
fully expect that a judge would assign any authority to her father, which would
include any assets she may have in her possession.”

Elizabeth
was angry and weary. Weary of the argument. Weary of being the center of attention.
Weary of having good men exposed to such an unpalatable family discussion.
“Please …“

Mr.
Darcy interrupted her. “Then we shall marry.”

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

A
hush fell over the room. Colonel Fitzwilliam recovered first. “Ah, Darce, would
you repeat that? I do not believe that I heard you correctly.” The Colonel, who
had clearly heard his cousin, was delighted, but refused to show such emotions
to this crowd. He would not have minded pursuing Miss Elizabeth himself, but
his position as second son and his income from his regiment did not permit
taking a wife without a substantial dowry. Now that she might have wealth at
her disposal, it changed the attractiveness of her situation dramatically. However,
Darcy was closer than his own brother and he read his cousin’s affections
clearly. He would not interfere on his own behalf, but he would never promise
not to interfere to help his pitiable, socially inept cousin.

“If
your daughter is agreeable, Georgiana, Miss Elizabeth, and I
will
return
to London tomorrow where I
will
apply for a special license and we
will
marry as soon as it is granted and a marriage settlement can be signed.”

To
say that Elizabeth was stunned would be a vast understatement.
What could he
possibly mean by this
?

Her
father was quick to reply. “You will NOT! I would never give permission to a
man who stole the birthright from another and saw to this same man’s death. You
will not marry my daughter! Those stock certificates will be mine! What do you
need of more wealth, Mr. Darcy? You are greedy beyond belief. I, who have every
right to this money am the only person in this room who is deserving of it.
This will never make up for the loss that Elizabeth caused me, but it will help
with a future that was left unsecured by my son’s death. You, sir, deserve
NOTHING!”

Lord
Matlock and his two sons came to Darcy’s defense, trying to explain his past
history with George Wickham. It was to no avail. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Hurst watched
in amazement as events were starting to unfold rapidly. Mr. Hurst chuckled to
himself at how this conversation would impact his sister-in-law. It certainly
would not be her heart that would break from Darcy wanting to marry another; it
would be her unfulfilled, insufferable desire to be Mistress of Pemberley and
accepted into the first circles that would distress her. A grand firework
explosion would be nothing compared to what would come.

Into
this melee, Mr. Bennet commanded, “Elizabeth Anne, pack your bags. We are
returning to Longbourn.”

Elizabeth
stood, appalled at this display. It reminded her of stallions pushing and
shoving against one another, seeking control of the mares. In this case, she
was the only mare in the room. She looked at her father and wondered that she
ever thought she knew him. Pride in her ability to determine a person’s
character had blinded her to his true nature. Like a flame going out on a
candle, all hope and affection died at that moment. Then she looked at Mr.
Darcy. His offer of marriage was a shock. What could his motive possibly be?
Was her father correct in his accusation? Was it the money? It was convenient
that he offered only after he heard of the stock certificates with the
Honorable East India Company. Even though Elizabeth was not familiar with her
uncle’s business matters, she knew from reading the newspapers that those
stocks were for a company that was a power in the global import and export
market. Would that be such a temptation to him that he was willing to overlook that
she was far below him in class distinction? Her heart ached to the point that
tears started streaming down her cheeks. Her father and the gentlemen were so
intent on winning their point that they failed to notice her distress. She may
not have the wisdom of the world, but she knew one thing for certain. She would
not be returning to Longbourn. With a heartfelt cry of distress, she left the library;
running up the stairs to her room.

Good
manners demanded the women in the drawing room not acknowledge the shouts of
the men, even though many of the words could be clearly heard. They also heard
Elizabeth’s outcry. Yet, Georgiana could not help but react. She quickly moved
to the doorway, where she watched Elizabeth run from the library. Georgiana
could not fail to notice Elizabeth’s distress. She tried to stop her to inquire
if there could be any assistance provided to her dear friend, but Elizabeth
passed her by, going into her room and firmly closing the door.

Georgiana
turned back to find that Mr. Bingley’s sisters were filled with glee at the
outcome for Elizabeth. Their self-satisfied, smug grins were out of place,
jarring the young girl to feelings of such dislike that she turned from them
toward her Aunt Elaine, falling into her open arms. “What is the meaning of
this?” She said through her tears.

“I
believe, dear girl, that your brother proposed marriage to Miss Elizabeth; very
poorly done I must say.” Lady Matlock shook her head in frustration at her
nephew, as she tried to be of comfort to her niece. The girl’s world had turned
upside down the past two weeks and Elizabeth was her friend; two reasons for
Georgiana to be upset. The nasty attitudes of Miss Bingley and her sister, Mrs.
Hurst, were an affront to decency. Lady Matlock was grateful that Lady
Catherine was not witness to this whole afternoon’s display. That would truly
be unbearable. In a low tone, so the Bingley sisters could not hear, she told
her niece, “Georgie, please keep your chin up, dear. I have reason to believe
that your brother and Miss Elizabeth are very much in love with each other,
though neither one knows that of the other. Your brother is used to taking
control and making decisions without consulting anyone else. I do believe that
Miss Elizabeth has been allowed freedoms that most young ladies are not and it
undoubtedly does not sit well with her that he made the decision to marry
without asking her first. She might see it as high-handed, when it really was
an expression of his deep feelings for her. It has been said that love is blind
and I do believe that you and I have been first-hand witnesses to that very
truth.” She hugged her niece again, being reminded of how truly young and
protected this girl had been. “Dry your eyes, now, and we will see how these
events unfold.”

Elizabeth’s
departure left the men stunned. It had been a day for that, it seemed. Finally,
Mr. Bennet told Mr. Bingley that he and his brother-in-law would wait in the
hallway for Elizabeth to return downstairs with her valise and case. They left
the room.

“Darcy,”
his uncle exclaimed to get the young man’s attention. “I believe that you may
have been a bit premature, son. Did you even think to discuss this with Miss
Elizabeth before you blurted out your intentions for everyone to hear? That was
a very upset young lady that ran out of this room. I am thinking that you had
best think of how you are going to make this right.”

Darcy’s
eldest cousin, Henry, mumbled that he was glad that he was not in Darcy’s shoes
and the other men in the room tacitly agreed.

“What
else am I to do, Uncle? Please tell me, because I am without experience in
dealing with the fairer sex, except for my sister, and look how poorly I did
with that. I was completely unaware of George’s intent until it was almost too
late. I have shared with you my feelings for Miss Elizabeth and would be proud
and happy to call her my wife.” He sat in a vacant chair and hung his head,
frustrated with himself at his actions. It had become his persona to remain
calm and unaffected, though firm, during confrontation and he usually took the
time to think before he spoke or made a decision. Hearing Mr. Bennet’s
accusations and demands of Elizabeth enraged him, inciting him to act like a
male lion protecting his pride. How dare a father abuse a child so, especially
a child as lovely and kind as Elizabeth. It was unfathomable. “Please, Uncle,
what am I to do?”

“Darcy,
I imagine that the best way to start is to allow her time to process all that
has happened today. I do believe that she is inclined toward you, but she has
been independent, Darcy, and has been permitted to decide her own way. If the
situation with the shares is accurate, you may have a much larger problem than
her anger and confusion at your plans. She will attract a broader candidate for
her hand as there are many, even in the first circles, who need to marry a
woman with a large dowry. You had best proceed with caution.”

“My
cousin, the innocent lamb, in amongst wolves.”

“Shut
up, Richard. You are not helping.” At his father’s stern reprimand, the Colonel
sat and watched Darcy. “What we do know for sure is that your Aunt Catherine is
planning to hurry to London on the morrow to try to get you married to Anne.
You are planning to take Miss Elizabeth to town for the same purpose. I imagine
that her father will also be hurrying to London to contact this Mr. Gardiner to
get possession of that letter he wrote five years ago. It would not surprise me
if the solicitor, Mr. Philips, accompanied him to try to protect the family’s
perceived rights. Since you are going to leave, we will also be traveling to
Matlock House. That will leave just the Bingley family to have peace and quiet
at last. It appears that there will be a mass exodus heading south. We had best
prepare for travel. I shall inform your Aunt Elaine.”

Mr.
Bingley spoke up. “We, too, shall be leaving Netherfield Park. Estate
ownership, or at least the leasing of a country estate, in an area where I am
completely unknown to my neighbors has lost its appeal. I am grateful for
introductions to some wonderful people, but I think I have much more to learn
about life before I make this attempt again to be a landed gentleman. To London
we shall go as well. Hurst, shall we head to town tomorrow?”

“Aye,
we shall.” Mr. Hurst replied. “Let us inform the ladies.” Mr. Bingley, Mr.
Hurst, and Lord Matlock left for the drawing room to do just that, leaving
Darcy and his cousins in the library.

“How
can I make this right?” Darcy wondered aloud. At hearing snickers from both of his
cousins, Henry and Richard, he shook his head in frustration. “Good heavens,
why am I asking you two. You have both only ever used a woman for sport.
Neither of you have any clue what to do with a reputable lady. I am going to
have Parker start packing and pray solemnly that something comes to me before
the night is through. Good day to you both.” With that, he stood and exited the
room, leaving the other two men speechless.

Mr.
Bennet noted the activity, the comings and goings from one room to another, but
paid it no heed. He impatiently awaited Elizabeth.

When
Miss Bingley heard her brother’s instructions to pack for London and ordered
the house closed indefinitely, she was at first delighted, happy to leave these
country bumpkins. Then reality set in and she realized that her time to coerce
Mr. Darcy into proposing was drawing to an end. Desperate times called for
desperate measures. She determined that tonight was the night. She would put
him in a position where it would appear that he had compromised her and she
would be an engaged woman by the morning. Rubbing her hands together, she hid
her feelings of pleasure at the outcome by an expression of boredom and busied
herself with the tasks at hand. By tomorrow it would be done.

Elizabeth
was unaware of the downstairs activities and plans. She had asked Sarah to
allow no one entrance when she first came into the room.  She then dismissed
the maid after first begging her not to disturb her until morning. She truly
felt unwell and wished to be alone.

She
had endured much in her lifetime: joys, pain, rejection, kindness, generosity
and love. This pushing and pulling between her father and Mr. Darcy was
untenable; evoking new feelings that unsettled her, making her stomach flutter
and her heartbeat increase. Never had she felt so confused. Yes, she had
developed deep feelings for Mr. Darcy, but she had never considered that he
might have feelings for her in return. Elizabeth knew that he had been
pleasant, congenial, and friendly to her during this stay and seemed to trust
her. However, the timing of his statement that they would marry raised too many
questions in her mind. And her father’s demands were unpalatable and
unacceptable. She needed to get away to think; to decide what she really wanted
for her future. Elizabeth suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do.

Walking
across the room to her desk, she penned a short note to Mr. Bingley.

Dear Mr. Bingley,

Please accept my deepest, most sincere apologies for my abrupt
departure and for not taking proper leave of you and your family. You have been
a wonderful host. I feel that my need for freedom to determine the most
advantageous decision for my future has necessitated my leaving right away. I
have long desired to travel to the Americas. This would provide ample time to
plot my course and allow these unresolved issues to be decided by the courts,
should that be the means my father pursues.