“I do,” he said simply.
“I worry that even should my uncles suggest such a journey to my father, he will not allow us to go, regardless of the destination. Mama would surely protest.”
“Your mother only needs to know that Bingley is going, and she will send Jane after him. She may protest your youngest sister’s departure, but based on what I have seen, Miss Lydia gets whatever she desires and your mother will allow her.”
“How do we keep Mama from wanting to go? We cannot leave any of my sisters here, but surely Mama is safe from Mr. Wickham.”
Darcy seemed to consider this. “She will someone to remain with her, will she not? Do you think her sister could be persuaded to stay with her for a time? We must convince her that the five of you leaving while she and Mr. Bennet remain is the best option.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam approached. “I could not help but overhear your conversation,” he began as he stood beside the couple. “I believe Colonel Forster might be able to help with this. When we spoke a few days ago, he suggested removing the Bennet girls from the area since Mr. Bennet did not seem to take their care seriously. We might be able to use Mrs. Bennet’s fears for her daughters to convince Mr. Bennet to allow their uncles to remove them to a place of safety.”
“It is worth a try,” Darcy stated while Elizabeth nodded. “Is there anything else we should know? How soon can you be prepared to depart?”
Elizabeth explained they could leave in the morning if appropriate permission were obtained. Once Mr. Gardiner arrived, the gentlemen would meet with both of Elizabeth’s uncles, and the five of them would consult with Colonel Forster if they believed it necessary. When the plans were made, both Darcy and Fitzwilliam would allow her uncles to persuade her father to do what was right.
The guards accompaniedElizabeth back to Longbourn, and later reported to Fitzwilliam in a note that he shared with Darcy that they heard a noise in the brush as they returned to the house. Two or three additional guards would arrive that afternoon, and Fitzwilliam would send for as many more as might be required to track the reprobate down.
Darcy had also alerted the militia of the possibility of Wickham haunting the grounds around Longbourn. Since Wickham had escaped from the gaol as a militia member, he was now a deserter and, combined with his other crimes, would likely be hanged, if not outright shot, when he attempted to run from the men tracking him down. The militia’s investigation of the area found evidence of where someone—most likely Wickham—had slept the night before. In a seemingly reckless display of confidence, he had not bothered to do anything to mask his presence, and there were clear indications he intended to return.
That afternoon, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived at the Phillipses’ house to discover Mr. Gardiner waiting for them. After introducing Mr. Gardiner to the colonel, they sat to discuss the situation, including Bennet’s refusal to allow Elizabeth and Darcy to marry. Mr. Gardiner shared that the funds Elizabeth and her grandmother had managed to save had grown to more than twelve thousand pounds, including the additional deposits made by both uncles.
“Honestly, both of us were so pleased to be able to do something to provide for the girls since my brother could not be bothered.We were both willing to make some small sacrifices to add to what Elizabeth was doing. The funds Phillips sent were also slightly larger than he told Elizabeth about, just in case any of the other girls found out about it, or worse, in case my sister learned of them,” Mr. Gardiner said.
“I confess to deceiving Elizabeth about some of the amounts received from the tenants and the costs of items she had me pay. I also siphoned some from the household accounts when I could, thinking it would not hurt my sister to cut back in some areas. It was high-handed of us, but since Bennet refused to do anything, we took what steps we could,” Mr. Phillips added.
Darcy nodded his agreement. “Had you not, Mrs. Bennet would have expected you to assist her. This way, you have, in essence, forced Mr. Bennet to do as he ought to have done all along.”
“So, gentlemen, how do we circumvent Mr. Bennet, get Darcy married to Miss Elizabeth, and protect them all from possible ruin at the hands of Wickham?” the colonel asked, wanting to get the meeting back on track.
“My wife spent several years in the village of Lambton and has been begging to return. I do not doubt she will be delighted to escort them to Pemberley,” Mr. Gardiner replied enthusiastically.
“I would say any of Elizabeth’s family is welcome, though I doubt her father will be as welcome as the rest of you. She and I discussed early this morning that her youngest sisters would benefit with a little attention. They will be welcome to stay with us as long as they like after the wedding,” Darcy offered.
“Both of you should remain out of sight from Longbourn, but start preparing to depart in two days. I must dispatch mycarriage to retrieve my wife and family and bring them here. We can depart the day after, on Thursday,” Mr. Gardiner instructed.
Darcy raised a hand to stop the men from rising. “Forgive me, but I may have a better solution. I can send an express to my townhouse in London, and a carriage can be prepared to bring your wife here first thing in the morning. We can leave Hertfordshire as soon as the horses are rested.”
With this plan in place, Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Phillips rose to depart to meet with their brother and force him to do what was right for all his daughters.
Darcy returned to Netherfield to write and send several letters, most by express, arranging for accommodations along the way north. A rider was hired to convey two letters south to London, while a second went north to deliver letters to the inns that would house their party as they travelled to Pemberley. This rider carried additional letters to be delivered to the housekeeper at Pemberley informing her of the large party of guests she could expect as soon as may be and another letter to Georgiana informing her of what had transpired in the last fortnight and that she could expect to meet her future sister sooner rather than later.
Chapter Twenty-One
After briefly speaking with her uncles in the foyer at Longbourn, Elizabeth escorted them into her father’s study. She accompanied them when they barged in, not speaking, allowing her uncles to lead. It was apparent that her father was unhappy with this intrusion, the discontent on his face palpable He appeared visibly perturbed by the invasion and looked up from his book with a frown at them all.
“When did you arrive from London, Gardiner? And why are you here?” her father asked, scowling at both his brothers and his second daughter for interrupting his solitude.
“Phillips sent me a message about what has been going on. For the last several years, you have allowed Lizzy to run the estate while you sat in your study and read books. Before that, you could barely bother to take an interest and allowed the estate to be managed by your steward and your mother. Now, you are attempting to deny her an opportunity to marry extraordinarily well, and for what, so you can continue to rely on her running the estate. You have been indolent and neglectful, but this is unconscionable,” Uncle Gardiner scolded him.
“That rude and disdainful man only wants to toy with my daughter. He will not marry her. You were here, Phillips, when he was here in the autumn. You heard him say my daughter was merely tolerable.” he snorted.
“What manner of foolishness is this?” Uncle Gardiner asked. “The kind of man you suggest he is would not have spoken to you of his intentions. He would have met with her in secret and attempted to steal her virtue privately, not engage himself to her in a public manner. Mr. Darcy is well known in society as an upstanding sort of man. Had you bothered to investigate the matter, I could have told you what I knew of his reputation. There are others who could vouch for him.”
Uncle Phillips interjected, “You allow your youngest daughters to flirt with any man they come across, but you deny a respectable man who seeks her hand in an honourable way. How is he any different than Bingley? Will you deny his suit as well?”
“It is different with Jane. Jane will do well on the arm of a wealthy man. No man wants a woman like Lizzy except perhaps to warm his bed for a time. I have educated her well beyond what a woman is expected to know, ensuring no man will want her. That Darcy fellow can only want to take what he can from her and will leave her ruined,” her father said, sounding remarkably like Lydia when in a snit.
Elizabeth listened to her father speak of her so dismissively and wondered if he realised she was still in the room. Her heart, already raw from his previous treatment of her, seemed to harden as she listened to his words.
