Page 31 of Leave Her Wild
“Mr. Hurst, come in, sir.” Darcy stopped upon the steps rather than returning to his study. He asked, “Hurst, has something happened to Bingley?” Darcy would never forgive himself if Mr. Wickham had attempted to “rob” Bingley or worse.
“No, sir,” Hurst said as he swayed in place. “Have not talked to Charles today.”
“Come in, sir,” Thacker encouraged the man who was brother-in-marriage to Charles Bingley.
“I see,” Darcy responded, though he wondered what could bring the man to Darcy’s door. Assuredly, Hurst and Darcy had periodically been in each other’s company, though since Miss Bingley had set her sights on Darcy, their time together had been less so. “Then join me in my study. I assume your business requires privacy. I just asked Thacker to bring me a small meal and tea. Might you care to join me?”
Though he had not asked Thacker for a meal, Darcy knew Hurst required one. The man smelled of too much alcohol, especially as the day was still quite young.
“Sounds good, but might I have coffee instead of the tea?” Hurst asked.
“Absolutely. Come along, Hurst.” Darcy adjusted his step so as not to leave the man behind. Once they were settled in the chairs before an empty hearth, Darcy asked, “How might I be of service, Hurst?”
“Do not rightly know how best to proceed now that I am here,” Hurst began. He started to rise, but Darcy motioned him to remain. “Bingley would be furious if he knew I was here. So would be Louisa and Caroline.”
“Just say what you mean to say. I promise not to speak of this matter to any of the Bingleys. It will be our secret.”
Hurst swallowed hard. “Suppose I have no choice. I’ve made a cake of myself already.” A heavy sigh followed. “I will just say it outright and be done with it: I do not believe you are aware, but Bingley is in love with your Miss Bennet.”
“In love with my betrothed?” Darcy asked in dumbfounded astonishment, but, instantly, he knew Hurst’s words to be true. Bingley’s standoffishness of late finally made sense.
“I fear so. But Charles cannot say this, for his honor knows what your friendship has done for him and his family. My family also,” Hurst explained.
Darcy said, “I have already proposed and been accepted by the lady. If I chose to call off now, my actions would destroy Miss Bennet’s future. Even Bingley, if he wishes to continue to steer his family into the gentry class, could not propose to the lady if I abandoned her. Miss Bennet, and likewise her family, would know ruin. The only means out of the marriage would be if thelady called it off, and, even then, gossip could easily surround both of us.”
Mr. Hurst started to respond, but Darcy waved the suggestion off.
“The Bennets have already had one sister who married below their place in society. The girl’s evident desire to be the first to marry had her creating a cooked-up affair that has cast shade on the whole family. Miss Bennet means to restore her family through our marriage. Even if she, too, loved Bingley,” which Darcy could now view as a possibility, “an end to our contract would cast more ‘social mud’ about her family’s reputation. If the lady wished to be released, I would honor her request, but I cannot, in good conscience, move against her. Doing so would do her more harm than good.”
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“William!” his sister called as she rushed across the foyer to launch herself into his waiting arms. Darcy inhaled the scent of her and sighed. He had adored Georgiana Darcy from her first breath. The midwife had handed Georgiana off to Darcy while his father had rushed into Lady Anne’s quarters, fearful for his wife’s life. Darcy’s mother had suffered greatly, not only with Georgiana’s birth, but from several miscarriages between Darcy’s birth and that of his sister.
His mother had not passed from delivering Georgiana. In fact, she had lived for another two years, but Lady Anne’s health had never been the same. Neither had been the true “love” between his parents. Lady Anne blamed herself for not producing a “spare” for Pemberley’s legacy, and George Darcy had blamed his “lust” for stealing away Lady Anne’s years. Like his wife, George Darcy also had never been the same. He became a man who feared love. Darcy had always promised himself he would be a better version of his father, but he held no expectations Miss Bennet would add to his life. All he couldhope to know was a son to whom he could relay his vision for Pemberley and life in general.
Darcy had stood witness to it all, and, through those years, he had protected Georgiana. He had come close to failing her once, but he would never fail her again. “How is my favorite sister?” he asked as he set her from him.
“I am your only sister,” she responded with a grin.
“Then you must assuredly be my favorite,” he told her as he claimed her hand. “Was your journey pleasant?”
“I would say so, would you not, Mrs. Annesley?” his sister addressed her companion.
“Good roads, sir. The turnpikes from Bath are superior to England’s country roads, which shake a person right out of his or her seat.”
Finding Mrs. Annesley had been a godsend after the disaster with Mrs. Younge’s and Mr. Wickham’s failed attempt to convince Georgiana to elope with the man.
“Your quarters are prepared, Miss Darcy,” Thacker told them. “Yours also, Mrs. Annesley.”
“Then we should freshen our things,” Georgiana announced. She rose on her toes to kiss Darcy’s cheek. “I am excited to learn more of your Miss Bennet. At last, I shall have a sister. I pray she makes you happy, William. You are too hard on yourself. You require someone who cares for you and not the Darcy fortune.”
“In England, marriage is often as much a contract as it is a matter of the heart,” he cautioned.
“Do not say your proposal was more ‘contract’ than affection,” his sister said in dismay.
“I only said often both were involved,” he remarked. “And at different times one or the other is prevalent.” Yet, Darcy knew affection was not part of his bargain with Miss Bennet and, likely, never would be.
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