Page 56 of To Love And To Cherish
He turned to Elizabeth. "Are you truly interested in ancient Roman artifacts?"
She smiled and replied in Italian,"Sì, amo studiare la storia, romana o altrimenti."
He watched her mouth intently and grinned. "Miss Elizabeth, you are not very discriminating. Nothing is more fascinating than ancient Roman life and culture."
Then, turning to Lord Dewsberry but still speaking to Elizabeth, he said, "I hoped to impress upon him how important this work is. If he speaks to our father, perhaps I will be permitted to stay."
Miss Trent folded her arms. "I thought we had come to some understanding about the benefits of traveling to Italy. You could study the collections firsthand, perhaps even hire yourself out as a laborer in an excavation in Pompeii or Herculaneum."
Mr. Ludwig grew thoughtful. “Perhaps that is a possibility,” he said slowly. “I might find my way into such work. Yes, I think I shall try."
From that day forward, Mr. Ludwig applied himself to Italian with new vigor. Within a fortnight, he declared himself ready to remove to Italy and finish his studies there.
With their pupil now eager to pursue his own future, Miss Trent, Elizabeth, and Mary King were able to bring forward their journey to Scotland by several weeks.
Elizabeth received her first letter from her father the morning before their departure. She excused herself and carried it upstairs to read in private.
My DearLizzy,
Mary’s wedding was a sweet occasion. Her Mr. William Bennet has cleaned up very nicely. He had a new wardrobe made while staying at Longbourn. Though our tailor is humble, his work is of good quality, and the well-fitting clothing, Brutus haircut, and side-whiskers suit your cousin very well. He and Mary make a fine couple, and I daresay she is very happy.
Mary has spoken to me of Mr. Darcy’s intervention, how he turned both your mother’s and young William’s attentions toward her and away from you. Mr. Darcy himself explained the part he played in persuading Mr. Bingley to act. If not for his influence, I daresay Bingley would still be pacing the edges of the matrimonial question well into next year. It is plain to me, however, that Mr. Darcy moved not solely for their sakes, but for yours. He confessed as much, saying he had no choice but to act swiftly or face the full force of your displeasure. For this, and for your quiet management of the entire affair, I thank you most sincerely.
Elizabeth read her father’s words once more, her eyes lingering on the passage that detailed Mr. Darcy’s involvement. He had acted. And with very good effect. For Mary, for Jane, and for her. He had turned her mother’s ambition away from herself and toward a more suitable match for William Collins. He had urged Bingley to make his proposal at last. And he had done it, her father said, because he fearedherdispleasure.
She folded the letter and held it in her lap, a slow warmth blossoming in her chest. So, he had acted. And he had done so with discernment, delicacy, and an unspoken wish to make amends.
He did this for me.The thought rang gently but firmly through her mind.He told Papa so.
A quiet smile touched her lips.Well, now we are even,she thought.He has made amends for his insults. And I do forgive him.
She looked toward the window, where a pale northern sun filtered through the trees. The resentment that had rankled in her heart was gone, lifted like mist at dawn. In its place was a calm sense of gratitude. He had done what she could not, and now her dear Jane was married to the man she loved. Her mother, satisfied at last that Longbourn was secured through Mary’s marriage, might leave Lydia in peace to find her own way.
And I?Elizabeth drew a breath and released it slowly.I may go forward, not bound by resentment, not burdened by worry for my sisters. I am free. Free to meet my own future with peace and contentment.
She turned the folded letter in her hands, her thumb tracing the edge absentmindedly. In her heart stirred the faintest echo of something unspoken, some quiet wish she dared not name aloud, for there were still moments, too many, if she were honest, when her thoughts returned to Mr. Darcy. Not the proud man of the Meryton assembly, but the one who had acted so decisively on her behalf. The one who had observed, understood, and intervened with kindness, with resolve, and without any thought of acclaim.
Had he truly done it only to earn her forgiveness? Or was there a deeper feeling he had left unsaid?
She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed herself to imagine what might have been, if only the world were more generous, and rank and fortune did not separate hearts. But she was no heiress, no titled lady. And Mr. Darcy, by every measure of society, must marry a woman whose name and wealth matched his own.
No,she told herself gently.He has done what honor demanded. I am grateful, but I shall wish for nothing more.
And yet, even as she turned her thoughts toward Scotland and the fresh purpose that awaited her there, the memory of his eyes, so dark and searching, remained with her still.
Chapter 30: Screams in the Night
Reeves shook Mr. Darcy awake before dawn, his hand firm upon his master’s shoulder.
Darcy stirred and blinked into the candlelight. “What is it, Reeves?”
“Sir, Ruthie says Miss Darcy has awakened again, screaming. She has need of you.”
Darcy sat up at once, drawing on his banyan and slippers. Within moments, he was at his sister’s bedside. Georgiana lay trembling beneath a quilt, her eyes wide with lingering fear. He took her hand in his, cradling it gently.
“Nightmares of Wickham, Georgie?”
She nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, William. I swear, I do not think of him in daylight, but at night, he comes again. Both times, both attempts, they tangle together. I am always running in the dark, always just out of reach. And then,” She broke off, shuddering. “I always awaken just before he succeeds.”
