Page 163 of Companions of Their Youth
Darcy blinked. “Sir? Did I… say something?”
Mr. Bennet raised his gaze slowly. His eyes were suspiciously bright. “I wonder,” he said hoarsely, “if you will still think that way at the end of our conversation.”
A cold knot twisted in Darcy’s stomach. “Are… are you withdrawing your approval of my marriage?”
Mr. Bennet let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “No, no. Nothing like that.” He sat back in his chair. “But there is something you must know. A secret known to only two others in the world. If I tell you, I must have your solemn word it will go no further.”
Darcy hesitated. “Is it something that might bring harm to others?”
“Not directly,” Mr. Bennet said slowly. “If it were made public, it could cause pain. But its quiet maintenance harms no one.”
A thousand possibilities raced through Darcy’s mind.Something criminal? Dishonorable?He looked into the man’s grave eyes—those same eyes that Elizabeth had inherited.
He took a steadying breath and said, “I must be honest. I should not wish to keep secrets from my wife—once she is mine. And especially not about her own family.”
“Then it is fortunate that she is one of the two who already know,” Mr. Bennet said with a faint, crooked smile.
Darcy blinked.Elizabeth knows… what?“And I presume the other is your wife?” he asked.
Mr. Bennet’s expression changed. “No.”
Darcy’s heart thudded once, but before he could speak, Mr. Bennet continued, “But before I tell you who the other is, I must ask again—will you keep my confidence?”
Darcy paused. “Yes. I am willing.”
Mr. Bennet gave a slow nod. “The other is my valet, Stephens. Whom you met the other night.”
Darcy furrowed his brow slightly.
“I trust him with my life,” Mr. Bennet said simply, “because heismy life.”
The words hit like a thunderclap. A hush fell between them.
And then, halting at first, and then with clarity, Mr. Bennet told his story. It was the tale of a boy who found himself watching other boys instead of girls when his voice changed… of quiet feelings grown over years of companionship and loyalty. Of shared faith and private vows. Of the rare moments they had claimed as theirs. Of loyalty to a friend, and abandonment of a pregnant girl. Of kindness and sacrifice. And then, finally, of Elizabeth discovering them that day, ten years ago, entirely by accident.
Darcy’s thoughts scattered—then scrambled to reassemble as he listened. This is what she feared. This is what she defended when we fought in the garden. Not her brother. Her father.
The weight of it—the trust, the risk—landed hard in his chest, causing his stomach to turn.
As Mr. Bennet spoke, memories from Darcy’s youth flickered through his mind.
The thick stone corridors at Pemberley, cold and echoing. The dormitories at school with their shared basins, thin blankets, and thick gossip. He remembered when his voice began to deepen and how suddenly the girls they passed on their walks became more interesting.
But there was more. The knowing glances between some of the older boys, the way they paired off. The rumors about what happened in the chapel vestry. What some of the masters tolerated—or worse, what they invited.
Words like molly were passed around in hushed tones, half-mocking, half-frightened. There were always boys—young, shy, new—who found themselves caught in the snare. Darcy had once seen one of them crying behind the gymnasium and had walked away, unsure what could be done that would not also ruin the boy forever.
It had repulsed him. Not the curiosity, but the whispers.
There had been overtures, but never from friends. Certainly never from anyone he respected.
And he had rejected them with such firm disgust—nearly violent, in one case—that word spread quickly:Darcy is not tobe messed with.He had thought it a shield. A proof of moral character.
And Wickham—
Darcy’s hands curled into fists against his knees.
Wickham had agreed with him in those early years. Had scoffed with him, had made sport of those they suspected. Soft-handed Tomlins, lace-loving Darnell, that blushing boy from Harrow who carried flowers in his Bible.
