Page 58 of The Widower of Pemberley

“With great pleasure,” his cousin said withsangfroidtinted by a thirst for blood.

“Denny will—” Wickham’s voice cracked. “Will you, ah, serve for me?”

Mr. Denny agreed, and the two seconds left with Wickham and the other officers.

A great silence fell.

Then Elizabeth suddenly ran to her father. “Papa, are you well? Are you?”

The gentleman’s legs were shaking, despite how he was supported by Bingley and Miss Bennet. Then the older man’s whole body started to tremble.

“Quickly,” Elizabeth said. “We must help him lie down.”

“My library,” Mr. Bennet said, stopping them from going to the drawing room. He pointed at the door with an unsteady arm.

Rather than arguing, Elizabeth took her blind sister’s place at her father’s side, and with Mr. Bingley’s help they quickly stepped Mr. Bennet into the library.

Darcy moved towards them, and he tried to put down Emily so that he could help, but the girl screeched, “No, no, no!” and clung onto him tighter.

The youngest two Bennet daughters turned to each other, then Miss Lydia giggled and said, “Will Mr. Darcy kill Lizzy too?”

Georgiana closed her eyes. She looked to be in pain.

And then Mrs. Bennet shrieked, “No, no! You cannot. You must marry my daughter before you can get yourself killed! You agreed to marry her! Oh, you will die. Mr. Bennet will die. And we shall all starve.”

“As a clergyman,” Mr. Collins said, “I can never approve of duelling—or bloodshed of any sort. Mr. Darcy, think of what your esteemed aunt would say if she advised you in thiscircumstance. But you must feel the disgrace of the awful character of your first wife. And it must speak to some deficiency in you as well. Are you certain, wholly certain, that the girl is yours? I shall write immediately to tell your aunt about all that I have learned.”

“You cannot!” Mrs. Bennet shouted at Darcy again. “You cannot fight him until you marry her! You promised. Do you hear me?”

“I do, madam. And you are right to be concerned upon this point,” Darcy replied. “The special licence and the settlement papers are in my saddlebags. I am quite prepared to marry your daughter this evening.”

This quieted Mrs. Bennet for half a minute. Then she exclaimed, “But there is so little time to prepare!”

Chapter Fifteen

Her father was pale and trembling. Elizabeth was scared.

Was it another attack?

It seemed like the world entire was more vivid.

Jane stood in the door to the library, her countenance pale, her hand against her mouth.

The colour on her father’s face started to improve quickly once he no longer had to keep himself upright. Elizabeth hurried to grab a glass of water from the side table, holding it up to help him drink.

He coughed and sputtered but then swallowed easily.

When he pushed the water away, Elizabeth pressed the glass to him again.

He shook his head. “Not another attack. Only tired.” He closed his eyes and let out a long slow breath. Then he smiled at Elizabeth a bit grimly. “Shocking scene. Still think well of your fellow?”

Mr. Bingley replied before Elizabeth could speak. “That woman! I am sure that it is a scurrilous lie. Darcy would never have killed her, even after he knew that she had, ah, well—”

“Cuckolded him?” Mr. Bennet asked with a smile in his voice.

“I cannot believe it! It all must be a mistake. But Wickham is a worthless fellow. Everyone who ever knew him knew that he was not trustworthy and that he generally lost money at cards. Too easy with the women though—not a surprise to me. Poor Mrs. Darcy. I still refuse to believe that anyone would do such a thing.”

“It is shocking,” Jane said softly. She cautiously walked over and found a chair to sit down in by patting around. “Mr. Darcy has great anger in his heart. It is not good for him.”