16. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

Word circulated quickly around Meryton that two brawling officers seriously injured two of the Bennet sisters. Outrage spread across the community until Sir William himself demanded Forster do something to protect the good citizens of Meryton from the dangers posed by the regiment. Forster assured him that the miscreants would be dealt with by the end of the week, or sooner if Miss Lydia awoke.

Longbourn suffered a steady stream of callers inquiring after the health of the Bennet sisters. Greeting the callers fell to Mary and Kitty, as Mr. Bennet and Jane kept vigil with Lizzy and Lydia at the Philipses. Some of their callers were encouraging, some offered hollow assurances, and still others sat in awkward silence, wondering what to say and how to end their audience sooner than their allotted quarter hour when they found discussion of Lydia's fragile condition too awkward.

Kitty and Mary put on brave faces for their company, but at night, tears flowed steadily and the sisters clung to each other for support. They eagerly anticipated Jane's daily visits updating them on their sisters' conditions, and regretted that the doctor had not forbidden them to visit. It would not do to excite them with company, Dr. Rogers warned. While that advice might benefit Lizzy and Lydia, it tormented Kitty and Mary.

Finally, near the end of the week, Lydia regained consciousness. After two more days, the doctor confidently declared she would live. Though the news brought great rejoicing to the Bennets and their friends, Darcy could not help but harbor mixed feelings as he rode out to bring the news to Forster.

"Miss Lydia Bennet has awoken," he said before the colonel's batman could introduce him.

Forster's head jerked up from the letter he was writing. "She is well?" He waved his man out of the tent.

"By no means. The doctor reports she suffers with dizziness and double vision that could be permanent. The extent of her impairment remains to be seen." Darcy clasped his hands behind his back, gripping them tightly.

Forster pushed his chair back and stood. "But I do not need to turn Wickham and Carter over to the magistrate to be hanged." He grumbled and shook his head, wrinkling his lips into a frown. "It seems the whole of Meryton has turned against us because of this ugly business. I promised Sir William that I would take action quickly before the situation becomes any worse." He pushed himself up from his seat. "Wickham has denied the charges you brought."

"I expected as much." He reached into his coat and withdrew a crisply folded paper. "I had my solicitor in London prepare a copy of the debts I hold against him and a list of the merchants I paid off."

Forester took the page and scanned it. "Excellent. This clearly establishes his character; although I still would rather have more specifics on his conduct…"

"I do not have that to give you, sir." Darcy glowered.

"Very well, I will go on with what you have given me. Would you care to join me as I inform him of his fate?"

With a sharp nod, Darcy followed him out of the tent. "With the climate in town so hostile now, I want the magistrate and the mayor to witness their punishment. I need their testimony to satisfy the community and turn the tide of public opinion."

"Further problems have arisen?" Darcy scanned the camp for the prisoner's tent.

"Every day." Forster nodded to several men who saluted as he walked past. "It is difficult to run a regiment when the entire neighborhood is predisposed to see us as blackguards." He paused at the top of the rise and glanced over the regiment. "Discipline is suffering. My officers cannot be permitted to behave in this manner. I must make an example out of those two." Forster looked to the tent guard, who quickly stepped aside with a crisp salute.

They ducked inside and stood blinking a moment while their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Darcy wrinkled his nose at the scent of unwashed men and a latrine bucket. "Do you wish to know your fate?"

Wickham lifted his head, his left eye blackened and his cheek striped from Elizabeth's whip. He blinked, squinting slightly in the narrow sunbeam that followed Darcy in.

Darcy's guts twisted excruciatingly. My dearest Elizabeth, would that my sister had your courage. He shall pay for what he has done to you both. His eyes narrowed as he glared.

"You would like to see me hang," Wickham snorted.

"I would, but it seems my wishes are to be denied yet again." He dug his toes into the soil and loosened a rock.

"The girl lives?" Wickham's eyes brightened as his head came up sharply.

"For the Bennets' sake, I am pleased to say she will live." Darcy clasped his hands behind his back and dipped his head slightly.

The prisoners gasped raggedly. Carter's head dropped to his chest, his shoulders heaved. Darcy thought he heard a muffled sob.

"So now, Colonel, you may let us out of this accursed tent..." Wickham struggled to his feet and tossed his hair back.

"Not so quickly, Wickham," Forster snarled, grabbing Wickham's shoulder. "Since you will not be seeing the hangman for a taste of justice, you shall deal with me."

Wickham laughed hoarsely. "Go on then; I will take my extra duty and loss of pay." He extended his bound hands. "Just set me free, and we can have an end to this unpleasant business for all of us."

Forster pulled his knife from his belt, but Darcy stayed his hand. "You will only have to bind him again before you flog him."

"What are you talking about? Enough of this charade – let me go." A hint of anxiety edged into Wickham's voice.

"What charade?" Forster slipped his knife back into its sheath.

Wickham's eyes bulged.

"But officers are not flogged!" Carter cried, clambering to his feet. He stumbled and lunged for Wickham who flinched away.

"It seems that exceptions to that rule can be made." Darcy caught Carter's shoulder, steadying him.

"Ignore him, Carter; he knows how to talk a good game, but I know how it will be," Wickham scoffed, brushing his oily hair back with his bound hands.

Darcy took a step closer, his face so near he could smell Wickham's fetid breath. "How exactly do you think it will be?"

"You will have them parade me in chains before the merchants as you buy up my debt. Then we will be done with this. There will be no flogging; it is just a ruse." He cackled, throwing his head back. "I had not thought you so petty, though."

"I am not going to buy your debt."

Wickham's face froze for a moment, scorn melting into fear. "What did you say?"

"You heard. This is not about your debt. This is about the Bennet sisters' injuries." His fist pounded loudly into his palm. "The debt I hold against you merely confirms your character to Col. Forster."

Wickham gulped and shuddered. "Those two strumpets? I did nothing to them that they did not invite."

Veins stood out on Darcy's neck as he ground his teeth.

"You cannot punish us for that, or their reputations will suffer." Bravado returning, Wickham's lips twisted in a tight-lipped grin. "Besides how will it look to your dearest Georgiana when you do for them what…"

Darcy lunged at him, fist flying. They fell together into the dirt, grunting and rolling. "Do not ever speak her name again, or I shall kill you with my bare hands."

Forster cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. "That is sufficient, Darcy. Leave them to me."

Darcy snarled and dropped Wickham with a thud. He heaved himself to his feel and straightened his coat. "Forgive me, Colonel."

Wickham sputtered and struggled to wipe his bloody mouth on his sleeve. "You cannot be serious. Officers are not flogged!"

"Exceptions can be made," Forster said. "You have turned the whole of the town against us and disrupted discipline in all the ranks. I will make an example of you both."

"You are barking mad! You have made your point. Now release me, and I will be—" Wickham pushed up to his knees.

"No," Forster frowned. "I will have discipline among my officers."

"You cannot do this…" Wickham stood, wavering drunkenly.

"Have you connections that might object?" Forster demanded.

"I, for one, certainly do not," Darcy stared coldly into Wickham's eyes.

"Will anyone speak for you, Carter?" Forster tapped his foot rapidly.

Carter grunted and shook his head.

"Prepare yourselves." Forster nodded sharply, turned on his heel and left the tent with Darcy close behind. He spoke briefly with the guard, and then turned to Darcy. "Would you take word to Mr. Bennet that the sentence will be carried out at four o'clock this afternoon. He may come to witness if he chooses."

"I will." Darcy bowed and left.

Later that afternoon, Mr. Bennet rode with Darcy back to the encampment. "The colonel has instructed his men to permit us into the camp. There will be a short walk to the drilling green. I surveyed it earlier and found a well-worn path there that is a comfortable walk." Darcy looked out the side glass, not really seeing anything.

"You are very considerate," Bennet said. "I would ask you why, but I do not think you would answer me." He leaned his head back and exhaled hard, grunting as the coach hit a deep rut. "I have been a fool. I deceived myself into believing that I could actually protect them. I am glad they will soon have truly capable men—"

"Enough!" Darcy struck the side wall with his fist.

Bennet jumped.

"Stop wallowing in self-pity; it does not become you." He turned to face Bennet, scowling.

Bennet's jaw hardened, and he leaned forward, one hand pressing on the dark leather seat for balance. "You are a fine one to offer such a rebuke, sir. What would you know of helplessness…"

"Far more than you would imagine. I will not tolerate your bemoaning your fate." Darcy's face crimsoned. "If you will insist on discounting your blessings, I swear to you I will stop this coach and put you out on the side of the road myself."

Bennet sat back, jaw dropping.

"Do you not understand what you have? Your daughters, the eldest two especially, adore you and would…and have… done and given up everything for you. They are women worthy of the greatest esteem. How many men have that much regard from their offspring? I can tell you in my circles, I have never seen such a thing!"

"It seems that Providence has been painfully unfair in saddling them with—"

"Stop it!" Darcy slammed the seat beside him hard; Bennet flinched. "I can only imagine your esteemed Mrs. Bennet did not accept such conversation, and neither shall I. Despite the fact that you are blind and disposed to complacency and self-pity, you have managed to rise above all those things. You see more clearly than any other man I know. There are few I respect, sir, and until a moment ago, you were one of that few." Darcy paused to catch his breath.

Bennet cocked his head toward Darcy and leaned as if staring. Brows furrowed, he chewed his lip. "There is a great deal about yourself that you have not told me, Darcy, and it is time for that to change. You are right to call me out for my self-pity and demand better of me. I would expect no less of a son ." The word hung heavily in the air. "But if you expect to become that, then you will explain to me what triggered this most uncharacteristic outburst."

Darcy sagged and looked at his boots, noticing Bennet's scuffed toes. Every step he takes is an act of courage I will never understand. He ran his fingers roughly through his hair, sighing. "If something like this could have happened to your daughters, then perhaps I am not as hopeless as I believed. To hear you disparage yourself—"

"—stole away your comfort." Bennet laced his fingers together, hands tense in his lap. "From what do you seek solace?"

Darcy turned away, staring out the window again. He crossed his legs awkwardly in the small space and pulled his arms in tight. A thick silence filled the coach marred only by the spring's groaning over the rough road.

Finally Bennet spoke very softly, "Someone you are responsible for was hurt, and you blame yourself."

Darcy grunted something unintelligible, leaning further away.

"Your sister."

Darcy growled low in his throat.

"It was an officer…it was Wickham." He leaned back, steepling his fingers and tapping them lightly.

Darcy exploded, whirling on him. "Bloody hell! Why are you always intruding upon my business?"

"You could not protect her any more than I could my Lydia. She made a foolish, youthful decision, and her life will forever be marked by it."

Darcy grumbled but it finished as more of a sigh. "You are infuriating—"

"She knew better and yet chose to disobey you. You feel guilty." He reached across to lay a reassuring hand on Darcy's knee.

"How do you know?" Darcy whispered, his throat unbearably tight.

"I have five daughters; I know the sound of a father's grief."

"What happened to Miss Lydia and Elizabeth is my fault. I knew what Wickham was… I should have spoken." Darcy dropped his face into his hands, breathing raggedly.

"You were guarding your sister's reputation. I assume this is the family business that keeps you from marrying?"

"A large part of it." He tried to swallow back the knot in his throat, rocking with the carriage. "Do you wish me to end my understanding with Elizabeth?" His voice was barely a whisper.

Bennet leaned back against the soft upholstery and covered his scarred eyes with his hand. "I suppose I should be angry with you and accuse you of endangering my daughters and all the women of Meryton since you did not expose that man's history. No one in Meryton would deny me my righteous indignation."

Darcy screwed his eyes shut against the tightness in his gut that forced bile into his throat.

"But I cannot bring myself to throw the first stone." Bennet laughed bitterly.

Darcy slowly lifted his head and peered at him. "The first stone?"

"You are not the only man to have a sister ruined by an officer. Neither she nor the child survived. I do not speak of it because I do not want my family's reputation tainted by association. I am well aware of how precarious my daughters' positions are. One wayward relative could be their undoing. My wife told Jane and Elizabeth when they were old enough not to repeat it. But I have not warned the younger girls." He scrubbed his face with his hands and pitched forward. "I cannot condemn you for exactly what I have done myself."

Darcy stared, barely breathing. "No man outside my family knows of my sister, and no man in my family understands the guilt that gnaws at me."

"Until now it has been the same for me." Bennet extended his hand.

Darcy grasped it tightly and wrapped his other hand around. "I am honored to be considered part of your family."

Bennet started to reply, but the carriage lurched to a stop. The driver opened the door. "The Colonel has a man waiting for you, sir."

Darcy grunted as he slid across the seat and climbed down. "We are in a clearing near the green where the regiment drills," he said softly, handing Bennet out of the carriage. After giving brief instructions to his driver, he turned to Forster's man.

"There is a place prepared for Mr. Bennet." He pointed to a wooden stool under a tree. "You may take him there."

Darcy dismissed the batman with a sharp nod. "Shall we?" he asked, placing Bennet's hand on his elbow.

"That is why we are here."

"Indeed." Darcy narrated every step of the slow walk, struggling to ignore the looks directed at them. Soldiers were gathering by the time they reached the far side of the green. "Forster and his officers are parading the prisoners in from the far end of the green."

Bennet reached for the stool and sat, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. "Forster was thoughtful to put us out of the afternoon sun." From somewhere in the distance, a drummer beat out a somber cadence.

Darcy stationed himself beside Bennet, his arm brushing Bennet's shoulder. "How much of the proceedings do you wish to see? "

"I do not need to see the gore." He tucked his handkerchief into his waistcoat. "Hearing it will be sufficient."

Darcy sighed softly.

"You are welcome."

"Sir William and Mr. Long are coming to join us."

"I suppose it is just as well they are here. They will spread the word of what happened as efficiently as any woman." Bennet snickered.

The mayor and magistrate arrived, and after exchanging greetings, positioned themselves beside Darcy and Bennet.

"Forster is bringing them here for the sentence to be read." Darcy stiffened as they approached.

"Mr. Bennet," Forster looked from him to the prisoners, "have you anything to say before I read the sentence?"

"No, sir, I do not."

Bennet's face flushed and he tensed, breathing heavily. Darcy placed a hand heavily on his shoulder.

"Enough of this, Darcy, please!" Wickham struggled against the bonds on his wrists. "I will never ask anything…" his words trailed off as he saw the look on Darcy's face.

"Major White, call the men to order," Forster said, and waited for silence on the grounds. In a loud voice, he read the case against Wickham and Carter and pronounced judgment against them, one hundred lashes each.

"Darcy, no! You cannot…your father would not…stop this!" Wickham struggled to capture Darcy's attention as they dragged him away.

"Damned coward," Forster muttered under his breath. "Not a soldier here will follow him after this."

"Better to see his cowardice now than on the battlefield." Darcy watched as Wickham was bound to a whipping post.

"True enough." Forester cleared his throat and signaled for Harper to administer the sentence.

Darcy spoke softly in Bennet's ear as the first stroke fell. "Harper is lashing both of them side by side. The first blow is to Wickham, then to Carter. The man clearly knows his business. I do not imagine they will continue to bear up silently for much longer."

Bennet took a deep breath and gritted his teeth at the sounds of the whip and then the men's curses, then screams. "I take no pleasure in this."

"I thought I would." Darcy grimaced as he watched another blow fall. "He was much indulged as a child, and I fear this is the first time he has ever faced the consequences of his actions."

"It is a tragic thing to teach a grown man the lessons of a child."

Somehow amidst the sound of the lashes and the shrieks, Darcy kept count. "They have begun to bleed, and it is not half over." Finally he looked away, nausea rising as the bloody wounds increased in number and severity. Lost in their own thoughts, they remained until Captain Harper stood down and the beaten men were half-carried, half-dragged away.