Page 30 of To Go Against Her Heart
“Mr. Darcy, you are under no obligation to thank me. I merely did what I deemed necessary, and my sister felt the same way.”
“I understand you heard his story first.”
“I did.”
“And you did not believe him?”
“No, I did not.”
“Considering your opinion of me, I would have assumed the opposite,” he said, watching her gasp in shock.
“Trust me, if you had, I would not have held it against you, considering how I behaved when we initially met,” he declared.
“Sir, you do not have to contemplate about what made me doubt his narration. I have no intention of explaining why I chose not to believe him. But if you are here, I understand the matter is of some serious nature, and I hope you can do what is necessary to clear your name,” she said and hurried away from him. To her distress, Darcy followed her, his horse trotting beside him.
“Do you not wish to hear my side of the story?” he asked.
“No!” she lied, trying to conceal her curiosity. Unfortunately for her, Darcy had become accustomed to reading her thoughts better than his previous experiences. He quickly stepped forward and stood in front of her. They were midway on their descent from the mount, and trees surrounded the spot where they stood.
“Mr. Darcy, please allow me to leave,” Elizabeth cried.
“I only require a few moments of your time. If you assume I hurried here to clear my name, then you are wrong. You must understand that your actions will also have a bigger impact on society for your friends and acquaintances. As painful as it is for me to relive this, I am indebted to relate my side of the story Mr. Wickham has so cleverly concealed from the world.”
Elizabeth nodded in silence. Darcy motioned her to sit on the log nearby, and he sat on the other end. Though he sat at a good distance from her, Elizabeth could sense the stiffness in his body.
“The particulars I am to relate to now have been weighing on me for the past year. I have not shared this with anyone so far, and when I think about it, I stand guilty, and it has been a grave mistake. But whatever I did was to protect my beloved sister, who has been equally pained by acts of the man whom my father raised as his own son.”
He went on to relate his association with Wickham from childhood. Darcy explained the trust he had earned with his late father and how easily he deceived him about his original character. He explained how Wickham had rejected the living at Kympton and the manner in which he was compensated for it. Elizabeth listened to him without interruption, and when he related details about the incident in Ramsgate, she was horrified beyond measure.
“Good Heavens!” she cried.
While Darcy related the how the affair had impacted his relationship with his sister, Elizabeth was moved with pity and compassion for him.
“Only my cousin, Richard, is aware of this, as we share guardianship of my sister. I should have known better; Mr. Wickham can never change or be trusted. If another woman gets harmed by him, I can never forgive myself.”
“But…but if you reveal this, your sister’s reputation would be tarnished. I have sisters of the same age as yours, and I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for you to bear her suffering.”
“I can only hope Colonel Forster believes me and safeguards her name. I must do this,” he declared with pain.
“I am sincerely sorry and can hardly conceive what Miss Darcy suffered. I give you my word of secrecy in this matter, and I will speak to no one of it, not even to Jane. You may trust me,” she said, gazing into his eyes.
There is no one in the world I can trust better, Elizabeth,Darcy thought.
“Is she well?” Elizabeth asked him.
“My sister?”
“Yes.”
“She is well, but the innocent girl who brightened my life has vanished forever. If I had been more diligent, this would have never happened.”
“Please do not blame yourself. If at all someone is to be blamed, it is Mr. Wickham. I cannot believe his vile schemes in the past, attempting to hurt someone as young as your sister, and now, to have the courage to slander you. I knew you were incapable of anything he accused you of, Mr. Darcy. I cannot tell you how concerned I was when I heard his story. I can never think ill of…” She stopped abruptly and realized that she had admitted her true feelings to him despite all resolve. Elizabethnoticed his smile and understood that he was already aware of the same.
“I am to meet Colonel Forster in a few hours, and I hope to resolve the matter as discreetly as possible. Honestly, I rode here with the hope of finding you,” he said. He watched her beautiful eyes widen, and her cheeks turned red as she blushed.
Elizabeth, however, immediately stood.
“I must be on my way,” she declared.
