First Impressions: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Chapter 43.3

The Gardiners had been very cooperative in not alerting the Bennets to his involvement while the issue was ongoing, but in the lull on the day before their separate returns to the United States, he began to grow nervous. Each time they spoke, Mrs. Gardiner left the conversation seemingly dissatisfied, as if she was expecting something more from him.

Lydia had agreed to say nothing without looking at his face. When he asked if she really would promise, she had mumbled, "Sure, sure..." and he was afraid that was the best he could get out of her. He did not know her well enough to tell if it was a dismissal or a sullen but willing acceptance. Maybe her aunt or uncle would be more helpful in assuring silence.

He waited until after dinner to pull Mr. Gardiner aside. Mrs. Gardiner had gone upstairs to check on Lydia again; she had not left the room since her removal to their hotel.

"I... have kind of a weird request."

Mr. Gardiner looked at him quizzically.

"Can you please not tell any of the Bennets that I was here?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Why would you want that? I'm sure they'll be more than happy to thank you. If you're worried about my sister's exuberance, I'm sure I can help smooth things over before she speaks with you."

Darcy shook his head. "Please, I'd really rather not. I don't want my part in this to be publicly known; I already have too much tied to George Wickham than I want to."

"Well, sure, if you want. But—"

He told Mr. Gardiner the second part of the truth. "He has some compromising information about my family that I would rather he not get a chance to use. Keeping our names apart is really for the best."

Darcy had always been a middling liar. Deception did not come easily to him; even a partial lie was often beyond his capabilities. "I don't want the thanks. I don't want any thanks. I didn't... I didn't want it to come to this, but I had to do something. I'm afraid I was the only one who knew what he was capable of. And I said nothing."

Mr. Gardiner would have argued. He believed strongly in fair due and, being the youngest of three, his elder sisters both with strong and somewhat shocking personalities, praised being awarded to the one who truly deserved it. He did not enjoy taking credit for other's work. But Darcy's expression was fierce, with his jaw locked tight and his eyes wide and pleading. It reminded him that he also did not believe in tattling. And this would just be tattling of a different sort, wouldn't it?

"I will not say a word," he promised solemnly. "I'll keep Lydia and Mel quiet as well." He did wonder, though, whether the task would really be as easy as it sounded when he spoke it out loud.

~~~~

And life carried on. Whether he wanted to return to them or not, Darcy slipped himself back into his old obligations. He kept in touch, briefly, with Mr. Gardiner, only to make certain the annulment was finalized before, as cordially as he could, signing off one last time. If Mr. Gardiner wrote again, he wasn't entirely certain if he would respond or not.

His first duty upon returning from Mexico, was Georgie's wellbeing. Her break had ended in the time he was gone and he was sorely tempted to fly directly to New York to check on her, regardless of her constant assurances in their calls and video chats. But she refused point blank when he offered once again two days after he returned. "Fitz. No. I do not want you to come up."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I just thought, since we lost most of our week that you'd want to see me," he offered as excuse for his uneasiness.

Georgie saw though it entirely. "Fitz!" she cried with a distinctly Elizabeth-like eyeroll. "Please don't do this. Of course, I want to see you, but you're only doing this because of George." His eyes locked on her face as soon as she said the name but there was almost no change in expression; it remained uniformly annoyed. "You said it before but I believe you now. Really. We can't let him rule us again."