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“I want nothing but to be with him!” Lydia declared.
Everyone else in the room looked equally distressed. Their ordeal was far from over, at least for them, while Lydia appeared to have found a happiness they could not share.
“Very well. We shall speak of this later. Let us go upstairs and find you something to change into, and I shall ask for some food. Excuse us, gentlemen,” Mrs Gardiner said.
“She is not even sixteen,” Mr Bennet whispered.
“Papa…” Elizabeth sat beside him and gently took his hand. “May I ask where you found them?”
“Mr Darcy found them, my dear. They were staying at a house kept by a certain Mrs Younge,” Mr Gardiner answered.
“How fortunate that Mr Darcy knew so much about Wickham’s acquaintances.”
“Indeed, Lizzy. I do not know whether we could have found them ourselves.”
“And…what will happen now?”
“Now? We are discussing the bribe Wickham demands for marrying Lydia,” Mr Bennet replied bitterly. “He has told us what he wants, and we must see what we can afford.”
Elizabeth looked at him in horror. “Papa, what are you saying?”
His resignation left her in no doubt that he meant it.
“It is the truth, Lizzy. At first, he pretended to be satisfied with nothing but Lydia’s share of the money settled upon your mother and her children. Then he mentioned that he would need another means of supporting himself, another commission somewhere. His gaming debts obliged him to leave Brighton. I suspect the whole sum may exceed five thousand pounds.”
“Five thousand? For heaven’s sake, how could we find so much money?” Elizabeth asked, looking at her uncle in disbelief.
“Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that we shall need a special licence if they are to marry without delay. That is all I can afford at present,” her father added, his voice barely audible.
“Come, brother, do not despair. We shall find a way,” Mr Gardiner said. “We are family, and we shall help one another.”
“Certainly not. I shall not allow you to spend such a sum to purchase my daughter’s misery, even if you had it,” Mr Bennet replied.
“Let us wait until tomorrow, when we can examine the list of creditors and decide what to do.”
Elizabeth could see that her uncle remained troubled. Their circumstances seemed hopeless, but Lydia’s voice drifted down from upstairs, carefree and happy.
“I shall go to my room now,” Mr Bennet said. He suddenly looked older, his shoulders bent as he rose. Mrs Gardiner returned to say that Lydia had eaten, was taking a bath, and would sleep for a while.
Mr Bennet nodded and withdrew without another word.
“What are we to do?” Elizabeth whispered, looking sorrowfully at her uncle and aunt.
“Everything we can, my dear,” her uncle replied, exchanging a concerned glance with his wife.
∞∞∞
Despite their relief at seeing Lydia unharmed, the day proved a torment in Gracechurch Street. They saw no reasonable solution to their difficulties, yet Lydia kept declaring how happy she was to marry the man she loved.
Another restless night passed, and morning brought no relief. Lydia slept late, undisturbed by the concerns that troubled everyone else.
The gentlemen discussed what they should do and finally agreed to wait for a letter from Darcy before meeting Wickham again to settle the terms.
By the end of breakfast, their patience was already wearing thin. Several hours passed before Bingley appeared, much to Elizabeth’s disappointment, for he came alone.
“Mr Bennet, I have a letter for you from Darcy,” Bingley began, looking unusually nervous. “I brought it myself because I also wished to speak to you privately, whenever it is convenient.”
“Privately? With me?” Mr Bennet replied, trying to open the letter. “Good heavens, I hope nothing else has happened.”
