Page 10 of Painted with Love

Chapter 4

Darcy sipped from his drink, looking at the sealed letter. He had been hesitant to write it, but in the end, he had steeled his resolve. It needed to be sent.

He was still bewildered by everything that had occurred in the last three days. He had left Kent heavy-hearted, angry, resentful, and amazed that he had impulsively proposed to Elizabeth Bennet, and shocked that she had rejected him with a harshness that nobody had ever spoken to him with before. She had castigated him for separating Bingley from Jane Bennet and scolded him for his cruelty to Wickham. He had explained his side of the story in the letter he had given her the following day, but as difficult as it was to accept, he had to admit that some of her accusations were just.

What bothered him the most were his actions in regard to Bingley. He had convinced his friend that Miss Bennet did not return his affection, then agreed with Bingley’s sisters to conceal her presence in London. Even if Jane Bennet had been the worst sort of woman from the worst sort of family, and even though he believed he had acted in his friend’s best interest, lying to Bingley was reprehensible, and plotting with Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst was embarrassing. In an attempt to make amends, Darcy had decided to reveal the truth to his friend as soon as he arrived in town, but Bingley’s absence had delayed the confession.

As clear and painful as his memories were, Darcy had not expected to see Miss Elizabeth Bennet again, or at least not so soon. He had imagined that, if it had happened, such an encounter would have surely been by mere coincidence and awkward for both of them.

But before Bingley’s return, that coincidence had taken place in a way Darcy could never have imagined. A gentleman had knocked on his door, introducing himself as Elizabeth’s uncle and delivering a letter from her. Darcy had opened it hesitantly, fearfully, only to find a piece of paper that would save him from great distress.

He still wondered how the watch had ended up in Wickham’s hands. The miniatures had been painted by Georgiana; of that, there was no doubt, and she had admitted as much herself. His sister’s turmoil the moment he had told her about the pawnshop had been heart-breaking, and she had barely left her room since. He had tried to comfort her but did not dare impose his presence upon her. He needed to know who had stolen the watch — was it the scoundrel himself or that Younge woman? It made little difference, but his anger needed release upon one or other of the miscreants.

There was a knock on the door, and his butler entered and announced Colonel Fitzwilliam’s arrival, so Darcy had to put away his musings for the present.

“Darcy, I came as soon as I received your note. What is so urgent and important? What happened?”

“Thank you for coming, Cousin. It is an important and urgent matter, but it is mostly resolved now. I would not have troubled you, but, as Georgiana’s guardian, you cannot remain ignorant of it.”

“Georgiana visited my mother two days ago, and all seemed well. What happened?” he repeated.

“Take a seat, and I shall pour you a drink. Even though it is very early, you will need it.”

“This sounds scary. I know you disapprove of the habit of early drinking.”

“Not scary but serious. I am not even sure how to begin. A few days ago, in a pawnshop near Cheapside, someone noticed a few miniatures painted by Georgiana, as well as my grandfather Darcy’s watch. They had been pawned by George Wickham.”

“What?”

“Yes. He left them there, received cash in return, and promised to retrieve them in two weeks. That was about two months ago. The pawnbroker was ready sell the watch for profit if he did not receive his money back soon.”

“This is madness! So you did not know he had the watch?”

“No. You can imagine my surprise when I received the news. I immediately went there and retrieved the objects. But what troubles me even more is that Georgiana did not mention the missing watch to me until I asked about it.”

“Wait, wait, slow down a bit, Darcy. What pawnshop? And who saw the watch? Who could have recognised it and informed you?”

“Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

“Miss Bennet? But how? When? Where is she? How could she know?”

“Miss Bennet is in London, visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, who live in Gracechurch Street. It was a mere coincidence that she saw Wickham’s portrait, painted by Georgiana. She enquired about it, and the owner, a Mr Backer, told her that the miniatures belonged with the watch and that the man who had left it had never returned. Miss Bennet asked to examine the objects, read the inscription, and made the connection.”

“But how could she know about Wickham? I do not understand.”

“Wickham told her his story, with all those pitiful complaints about the living left to him by his godfather. She accused me of unfair treatment, so I had to reveal part of the truth, including Wickham’s inclination for depravity and deception.”

“But, Darcy, how come I was unaware of you having such a discussion with Miss Bennet?”

“It was not something I was proud of. But since Miss Bennet had been warned, she made the connection when she saw the objects, then took it upon herself to inform me. Fortunately, I was able to correct the situation in only a few hours.”

Darcy bore the colonel’s curious scrutiny until the latter stood and began to pace the room, thoughtful, sipping from his glass.

“This is all so strange. So Georgiana gave Wickham the watch? And she said nothing to you?”

“Her exact words were, ‘it was not a gift for him to keep’. She seemed more hurt and tormented than appalled about the theft. What can you understand from that?”

“So he stole it? If he did, he should go to prison directly!”