Page 79 of To Go Against Her Heart
“You must trust me, Richard; it is not so simple as you suppose. I am unable to confide certain particulars of the matter, yet I assure you, Mr. Harrington is wholly unfit to move in society. Irrespective of my warning, I fear he may yet attempt to harm Miss Elizabeth, and I am not disposed to permit it.”
“What do you wish to do?”
“I want to meet him,” he said, and Richard immediately recognized the urgency in Darcy’s tone.
***
Late one evening, Mr. Harrington sat in one of the clubs he frequented, extremely dejected by what had transpired in the past week. He cursed himself for letting his guard down in a moment of fury and breaking the mask he wore before his wife. No matter how often Mrs. Harrington pressed him later, he refused to reveal any details about his past, fearing the consequences such a confession might bring. He had apologized to his wife several times for his shameful disclosure, yet she was unwilling to forgive him. Mr. Harrington wondered what he could do to avenge his mistake, and in truth, he now felt deeply worried about his future and cursed himself for letting his desire for Elizabeth lead him to lose his way so recklessly.
He emptied another cup as he sat with his friends, and then, suddenly, he saw Richard approach him, catching him off guard.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, I never knew you frequented this club,” he exclaimed as Richard sat down beside him.
“Well, what a coincidence—I did not expect to see you here as well. Has Mr. Kingston accompanied you this evening?”
“No! He is away on business,” Mr. Harrington replied.
“Will you accompany me for a moment? There is a matter I wish to discuss with you,” he said, leading Mr. Harrington into a private chamber.
The moment he entered the room, Mr. Harrington was struck with shock to find Darcy seated within, and at once he felt trapped.
“I suggest you sit down and listen to what my cousin has to say,” Richard said, closing the door behind him as he departed.
As he obeyed Richard’s command and took his seat, Darcy clenched his fists, unable to endure the sight of the man who was the cause of Elizabeth’s past misery and was also ruining her future happiness with him. The bruise on Mr. Harrington’s face had still not faded, and Darcy knew he had to use every bit of his self-control to avoid granting him the same treatment again.
“In this conversation, I forbid you to mention her name, and should you dare forget it at any point, I may have to remind you recklessly. Do you understand?” he asked, his eyes blazing with anger. To this, Mr. Harrington nodded weakly.
“Do not mistake my presence tonight as an intent to discuss what transpired at the ball. I have observed you long enough to doubt your character, and your vile intentions that evening did not prove me wrong. A man such as yourself who married for wealth, devoid of integrity or principle, is capable of many things, and I know men like you well. Should you dare to use your past association with her to tarnish her character or attempt to harm her in any way, believe me, I will ruin the life you so easily built by marrying into the Kingston family. Do not doubt that I will expose you to the world, and you know full well what Lord Matlock can do to cast you out of the society you so proudly roam. If even a feeble thought about her crosses your mind, remind yourself that you place yourself in grave danger. This is no ordinary warning, but a threat. The colonel knows who you are, and we are watching your every move. I shall not spare your life should you entertain any thought of causing trouble,” he threatened, and Mr. Harrington assumed that Elizabeth had confided in him about their engagement.
“I assure you; I have no intention to cause trouble…I have too much at stake already. That evening, I was tempted…”
“Enough!” Darcy exclaimed, rising and leaning forward toward Mr. Harrington. “You will not entertain a single thought of her, and henceforth, I shall not suffer your presence in my aunt’s house. You may be a man of impure thoughts, Mr. Harrington, but I trust your greed to live will surpass everything else,” he said and left the room before things got out ofhand.
Chapter 32
Aweek later, Miss Bingley and the Hursts arrived at Netherfield, and though she endeavored to underplay her sentiments, Miss Bingley could not conceal her rage and wondered how matters had so entirely slipped beyond her control. It disgusted her beyond measure to return to the very place where her worst fears—of finding herself connected with the Bennet family had transpired; and now, to her mortification, Jane was to be her future sister, and the mistress of Netherfield. Her brother had treated her with the utmost contempt, even after her apology to Jane; that she was barely acquainted with any particulars of the wedding, or of the engagement party which was to take place in a few weeks, adding to her wrath. However, Mrs. Hurst’s sentiments were a stark contrast to those of her sister, as she was delighted with her brother’s marriage to Jane.
Once they arrived in Netherfield, Mr. Bingley declared that Mrs. Hurst was in charge of the engagement party and preparations for the wedding; he was particularly adamant that Miss Bingley did not interfere in matters. It was decided that, once they were married, the Hursts and Miss Bingley should remain in town, and the newlyweds were to settle in Netherfield. It was evident to Miss Bingley that he wished to remove her as far as possible from his life, and his treatment made her feel neglected entirely. Despite having humbled herself to offer the apology, to be treated with such spite enraged her.
That very day, she accompanied her sister and brother to Longbourn, and it was the first time they were seeing Jane after the engagement. As much as she detested it, she offeredher congratulations with all due sincerity, though her very skin crawled with disgust as she was forced to endure half an hour of Mrs. Bennet’s raptures concerning her daughter’s future status as the mistress of Netherfield. During the visit, Elizabeth observed Miss Bingley’s demeanor and was quite certain that beneath her polite exterior lay displeasure she took great pains to conceal.
I am certain she does not favor the match; she easily separated them once. Will she have the courage to try it again?Elizabeth wondered.
“You see, Mrs. Hurst, we have wealthy relations in town as well. My brother has pressed us to travel there, and he has prepared a list of boutiques for Jane’s trousseau. I was telling Mr. Bennet that we shall complete the entire shopping before the engagement party, as your brother is quite intent on fixing a wedding date no more than two weeks after the celebration.”
“That is indeed a good idea, and I would love to assist Jane with anything she might need,” Mrs. Hurst said and continued, “I am truly delighted for my brother to marry her, and I assure you she has made him the happiest man on earth.”
Upon hearing this, Elizabeth observed Miss Bingley restrain a breath of vexation.
***
“So, when are you traveling to Hertfordshire, Fitzwilliam?” Lady Matlock asked Darcy as they sat together on a quiet evening at her house.
“I presume it should be to attend Bingley’s wedding, though he has pressed me to attend the engagement party that is to take place in a couple of weeks. I have not decided as yet.”
“I assume, Georgiana, that you are eager to travel to meet Miss Elizabeth as well.”
“Yes, I am, and I have been corresponding with her; she writes to me promptly. I should dearly like toaccompany my brother to Hertfordshire,” Georgiana exclaimed with excitement, and Darcy felt worried to understand her expectations. As much as he knew that everything Elizabeth had uttered was a falsehood, he also understood that the sole reason she had rejected him was due to her inability to trust him as yet. He found it a painful thought to ponder as to why she did not trust him, if he believed her to be genuinely in love with him.
