Elizabeth was thrilled when she finally received a reply to her letter.
The moment she had it in her hands, she hurried to a quiet little grove where no one was likely to disturb her. She sat down on a bench and opened the letter.
Its length immediately gave her hope. It was far too long to be a simple refusal.
The letter was from her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner.
“My dear Lizzy,
I have just received your letter, and I am going to spend the whole morning answering it. There is far too much to tell you for a short reply.
I must admit that I was surprised by your questions. I never expected you to ask about these things.
Please do not think I am angry with you. I only mean that I had never imagined you would need to know the details.
Your uncle was just as surprised as I was. He would never have become involved if he had not believed that you had some personal interest in the matter.
But if you truly know nothing about what happened, then I had better explain everything.
The day I returned home from Longbourn, your uncle received a very unexpected visitor.
Mr. Darcy came to see him.
They were alone together for several hours.
By the time I arrived, their conversation was already over, so I was spared most of the curiosity that has clearly been troubling you.
Mr. Darcy had come to tell your uncle that he had discovered where Lydia and Wickham were staying.
He had found them in London and had spoken to both of them.
He had met Wickham several times and Lydia once.
As far as I can understand, Darcy left Derbyshire only a day after we did. He came to London specifically to find them.
He said he believed that Wickham’s true character had remained hidden partly because of his own behavior.
Darcy felt that his pride and his habit of keeping private matters to himself had allowed people to misunderstand Wickham.
He believed he had a responsibility to correct the damage.
He also admitted that he had once thought it beneath him to explain his private actions to other people.
But this time, he felt he had to act.
If he had another reason for doing all this, I am certain it would be nothing to be ashamed of.
He had already spent several days searching for Lydia and Wickham when he finally found a useful lead.
He knew of a woman named Mrs. Younge.
She had once been Miss Darcy’s governess, but she had been dismissed after some disagreement with Darcy’s family.
She later rented a large house in Edward Street and made money by taking in lodgers.
Darcy knew that Mrs. Younge had been closely acquainted with Wickham.
So as soon as he reached London, he went to her for information.
But she did not immediately tell him where Wickham was.
I suspect she needed some persuasion before she was willing to reveal what she knew.
She really did know where he was.
In fact, Wickham had gone directly to her when he and Lydia first arrived in London.
If Mrs. Younge had been able to take them in, they would have stayed at her house.
Eventually, however, Darcy managed to get their address.
They were staying in —— Street.
He went to see Wickham first.
Then he insisted on speaking to Lydia.
His first goal was to convince her to leave the disgraceful situation she had put herself in.
He offered to help her return to her family if they could be persuaded to accept her.
But Lydia refused.
She was determined to stay with Wickham.
She said she did not care what her family thought and did not want Darcy’s help.
She was convinced that she and Wickham would eventually marry.
As far as she was concerned, there was no reason to hurry.
Once Darcy realized that Lydia would not leave Wickham, he decided there was only one thing he could do.
He had to make sure they got married as quickly as possible.
During his first conversation with Wickham, he quickly discovered that marriage had never been part of Wickham’s plan.
Wickham admitted that he was in serious financial trouble.
He had debts that were pressing him badly, and he had decided to leave the army.
He blamed Lydia for all the trouble caused by their elopement.
He planned to give up his military position immediately.
As for his future, he had no real plan.
He would have to go somewhere, but he had no idea where he could live or how he would support himself.
Darcy asked him a simple question.
Why not marry Lydia immediately?
Even though Mr. Bennet was not considered wealthy, he could probably provide some financial help.
And marriage would certainly improve Wickham’s position.
But Darcy soon discovered the real problem.
Wickham still hoped to improve his fortune by marrying someone else, perhaps in another country.
Under those circumstances, however, he was willing to consider any offer that could give him money immediately.
Darcy and Wickham met several times.
There was a great deal to discuss.
Naturally, Wickham wanted far more than Darcy was willing to give him.
Eventually, however, Darcy managed to make him accept a reasonable arrangement.
Once everything had been settled, Darcy went to see your uncle.
He had actually tried to visit him the evening before I returned home.
Unfortunately, your uncle was not available.
Darcy learned that your father was still with him but planned to leave London the following morning.
Darcy did not think your father was the right person to discuss the matter with.
So he decided to wait and speak to your uncle instead.
He did not leave his name.
At first, your uncle only knew that some gentleman had come to see him on business.
Darcy returned on Saturday.
By then, your father had left, and your uncle was at home.
As I told you, they had a long conversation.
They met again on Sunday.
That was when I saw Darcy myself.
The whole arrangement was not completed until Monday.
As soon as everything was settled, an express messenger was sent to Longbourn.
But your uncle found Darcy extremely stubborn.
I have decided that stubbornness may actually be his greatest fault.
People have accused him of many things, but this is the one I now believe to be true.
He insisted on handling everything himself.
Your uncle would gladly have taken care of the matter, but Darcy would not allow it.
They argued over it for quite some time.
Honestly, neither Wickham nor Lydia deserved such trouble and effort on their behalf.
In the end, your uncle had no choice but to give in.
He was not even allowed to help his niece directly.
He could only receive the credit for having helped, even though Darcy had done almost everything.
Your uncle disliked that very much.
In fact, I believe your letter pleased him this morning because it gave him an excuse to tell you the truth.
He could finally stop receiving praise that really belonged to Darcy.
But, Lizzy, you must keep this information to yourself.
Jane may know, but no one else should.
You probably already know that Darcy has done a great deal for the young couple.
He has paid Wickham’s debts.
The amount was, I believe, well over a thousand pounds.
He also gave Lydia another thousand pounds in addition to the money already settled on her.
And he arranged for Wickham’s military commission to be purchased.
The reason Darcy insisted on doing everything himself was exactly what I have already explained.
He believed that his own secrecy and poor judgment had helped keep Wickham’s true character hidden.
Because of that, Wickham had been welcomed and trusted by people who should never have trusted him.
Perhaps there is some truth in Darcy’s reasoning.
Still, I doubt that his silence alone can really be blamed for everything that happened.
But despite all his explanations, my dear Lizzy, you can be certain of one thing.
Your uncle would never have accepted Darcy’s version of events if we had not suspected that Darcy had another reason for becoming involved.
After everything had been arranged, Darcy returned to his friends, who were still staying at Pemberley.
However, he promised to come back to London for the wedding.
The final financial arrangements would be completed then.
I believe I have now told you everything.
You said in your letter that the truth would surprise you.
I hope it does not upset you.
Lydia came to stay with us, and Wickham was allowed to visit the house regularly.
He behaved exactly as he had when I first knew him in Hertfordshire.
But I would rather not tell you how disappointed I was by Lydia’s behavior while she stayed with us.
I would not mention it now if Jane’s letter last Wednesday had not made it clear that Lydia behaved just as badly after returning home.
So I do not think what I am telling you will cause you any new pain.
I spoke to Lydia several times.
I tried to make her understand how wrong her actions had been and how much suffering she had caused her family.
If she heard anything I said, it was only by accident.
She certainly did not listen.
Sometimes she made me extremely angry.
But whenever I became impatient, I thought of you and Jane.
For your sakes, I forced myself to be patient with her.
Darcy returned exactly when he had promised.
As Lydia told you, he attended the wedding.
He had dinner with us the next day and planned to leave London again on Wednesday or Thursday.
Now, my dear Lizzy, I hope you will not be angry with me for saying something I was never brave enough to say before.
I like Mr. Darcy very much.
His behavior toward us has been just as kind and pleasant as it was when we were in Derbyshire.
I like his intelligence.
I like his opinions.
I like almost everything about him.
He only needs a little more liveliness.
Perhaps, if he marries wisely, his wife will teach him that.
I used to think he was very secretive.
He hardly ever mentioned your name.
But perhaps being secretive is fashionable these days.
Forgive me if I have said too much.
Or at least, please do not punish me by refusing to invite me to Pemberley.
I will never be completely satisfied until I have seen the whole estate.
A small phaeton and a lovely pair of ponies would be perfect for driving around the park.
But I must stop writing.
The children have been asking for me for the last half hour.
Yours very sincerely,
M. Gardiner.”
Elizabeth was overwhelmed after reading the letter.
She could hardly decide whether she felt happier or more troubled.
For weeks, she had wondered whether Darcy had secretly done something to help Lydia and Wickham.
Part of her had been afraid to believe it.
She had thought such generosity might be too great even for Darcy.
At the same time, she had been afraid that it was true, because then she and her family would owe him an enormous debt.
Now she knew that her suspicions had been correct.
Darcy had deliberately followed Lydia and Wickham to London.
He had taken the entire burden upon himself.
He had searched for them, even though doing so required him to deal with people he despised.
He had been forced to approach Mrs. Younge, a woman he deeply disliked.
He had repeatedly met and negotiated with Wickham, the very man he had always wanted to avoid.
He had reasoned with him.
He had persuaded him.
And finally, he had paid him.
He had done all of this for Lydia, a girl he neither respected nor liked.
Yet Elizabeth could not help thinking that perhaps he had really done it for her.
For a moment, her heart whispered that his actions must have been motivated by his feelings for her.
But she quickly rejected the thought.
She had already refused Darcy once.
Could his feelings for her really be strong enough to make him accept a connection with Wickham?
Wickham would become his brother-in-law.
That was an association any proud man would naturally hate.
Darcy had certainly done an extraordinary amount.
Elizabeth was almost ashamed to realize how much.
But Darcy had given a perfectly reasonable explanation for his actions.
He believed that his own mistakes had helped create the situation.
He had the money to fix it.
He also had the generosity to use that money.
Elizabeth could perhaps believe that his feelings for her had encouraged him to make even greater efforts.
After all, Lydia’s disgrace would inevitably affect Elizabeth’s peace and happiness.
Still, it was painful to know that her family owed so much to someone they could never repay.
Darcy had restored Lydia’s future.
He had protected her reputation.
He had saved the entire family from a terrible scandal.
Elizabeth felt deeply ashamed of all the rude thoughts she had once held about him.
She remembered every sharp remark she had ever made.
Now she wished she could take them all back.
At the same time, she felt proud of Darcy.
He had put aside his own pride and disgust and acted because it was the honorable thing to do.
Elizabeth read her aunt’s praise of him again and again.
Even she thought the praise was not quite enough.
Yet it made her happy.
She was also surprised to learn that both her aunt and uncle had already suspected that Darcy and she had feelings for each other.
Before she could think about it any further, she heard someone approaching.
She stood up, but before she could take another path, Wickham caught up with her.
“I hope I am not disturbing your quiet walk, my dear sister,” he said.
“You certainly are,” Elizabeth replied with a smile.
“But that does not mean I mind.”
“I would be sorry if you did.”
“We have always been good friends.”
“And now that we are family, we should be even better friends.”
“Exactly.”
“Are the others coming outside?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are going to Meryton in the carriage.”
He paused.
“And I have just learned from our uncle and aunt that you actually visited Pemberley.”
“Yes, I did.”
“I almost envy you.”
“Although I suppose Pemberley would be too much for me.”
“I might have visited it myself if I were traveling to Newcastle.”
“You saw the old housekeeper, didn’t you?”
“Poor Reynolds. She was always very fond of me.”
“I suppose she did not mention me.”
“She did.”
“She did?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She said you had joined the army.”
“And she was afraid that you had not turned out very well.”
Wickham pressed his lips together.
“At such a distance, you know, people can easily get the wrong impression.”
“Of course,” he said.
Elizabeth hoped that would end the subject.
But Wickham soon continued.
“I was surprised to see Darcy in London last month.”
“We happened to pass each other several times.”
“I wonder what he was doing there.”
“Perhaps he was preparing to marry Miss de Bourgh.”
“It must have been something important to bring him to London at this time of year.”
“Certainly.”
“Did you see him while you were staying in Lambton?”
“I did.”
“I thought the Gardiners mentioned that.”
“He introduced us to his sister.”
“Did you like her?”
“Very much.”
“I have heard that she has changed a great deal in the last year or two.”
“When I last saw her, she was not very impressive.”
“I am glad you liked her.”
“I hope she continues to do well.”
“I expect she will.”
“She has already passed through the most difficult age.”
“Did you pass through the village of Kympton?”
“I don’t remember.”
“I only ask because that is the church position I was supposed to have.”
“It is a beautiful place.”
“The parsonage is excellent.”
“It would have suited me perfectly.”
“How would you have liked being a clergyman?”
“Very much.”
“I would have considered writing sermons part of my duty.”
“And I am sure I would have become used to it.”
“One should not complain about what cannot be changed.”
“But it really would have been a wonderful life for me.”
“The quiet and peacefulness would have suited everything I wanted.”
“Unfortunately, it was not meant to happen.”
“Did Darcy ever mention the matter when you were in Kent?”
“I heard from someone I considered reliable that the position was only offered to you under certain conditions.”
“It was ultimately the patron’s decision.”
“You heard that?”
“Yes.”
“There was something like that.”
“I believe I told you so myself when we first discussed it.”
“I also heard something else.”
“There was apparently a time when you were not nearly as enthusiastic about becoming a clergyman as you are now.”
“I heard that you once declared that you would never enter the church.”
“And that the matter was settled because of that.”
“You heard that too?”
“Yes.”
“And there was some truth in it.”
“I believe you may remember what I told you when we first discussed the matter.”
By then, they had almost reached the house.
Elizabeth had deliberately walked quickly because she wanted to get away from him.
Still, for Lydia’s sake, she did not want to start an argument.
So she smiled pleasantly.
“Come, Mr. Wickham.”
“We are brother and sister now.”
“Let us not argue about the past.”
“I hope that from now on we can always get along.”
She held out her hand.
Wickham took it and kissed it with his usual polite charm.
But for once, he seemed unsure of himself.
Then they went inside.