Money matters (and how the Darcy's will prove you wrong)

Or in other words, what happens when the Wickhams unexpectedly show up in Pemberley?

(Also do not ask me anything about the World Exhibition, it just popped into my mind. :-) )

Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice

The two birds seemed to dance some kind of ritual. They stepped back and forth, flapping their black wings furiously and attacking each other with their pointy peaks. Again and again. Elizabeth had been watching them for nearly fifteen minutes in the garden of Pemberley, and was slightly amazed by their determination and willpower. However, now she had to shut her eyes for she was becoming annoyed by the violent sight. They are so similar to people, she thought, attacking each other without purpose, fighting just for the sake of fighting. She sighed, and willed herself to think about more positive things, since deep down she was an optimist; believing that mankind inherently has both good and bad sides, but will always overcome the evil. Still, it was no easy to wipe the scenes of yesterday out of her mind; the images kept replaying in her head, composing a strange play, a most absurd concerto. Even now, Elizabeth could clearly see the two inhabitants of Lambton fighting each other on the street, hitting each other feverishly, shouting obscenities while accusing the other of theft and the loss of their business. Poverty, and ignorance did awful, hellish things to people. She wished she could help them. Maybe she had the power to do it, she will make sure to talk to William about the issue tomorrow.

"Lizzy, Lizzy! Where are you?" She heard Georgiana call out to her in her sweet voice, and she waved at her while shouting back. "Georgiana, I am here! Sitting next to the lake!"

Only when Georgiana approached her did Elizabeth realize how apprehensive she looked; her beautiful blond hair was unruly, her hands were quivering and her eyes were watery.

"My God, Georgiana. What happened?" asked Elizabeth, while she took the girls petite hands in her own. She was distressed to see William's sister in such state, for during the joyous months of her marriage she had learned to love the girl as family.

"They are here" She whispered, and Elizabeth recognized the panic in her clear, blue eyes.

"Sweetheart, try to calm down. Who are here?"

"Your sister, and Wickham." Elizabeth heard a loud, aggravating grasp and was shocked to realize that it was her own.

After getting back to the house, and accompanied by reassuring words sending Georgiana up to her room, Elizabeth opened the door of the drawing room, where supposedly Mr. and Mrs. Wickham were waiting for her.

Immediately, the Wickhams sprang up from their seats and her energetic, impertinent sister began to chatter.

"Lizzy, finally. We have been waiting for nearly an hour now."

Elizabeth felt her blood boil at this remark, and could barely control her quick tongue. "Lydia, this is what happens when you arrive somewhere unannounced and uninvited."

"Dear sister," began Wickham in a voice sweet as honey, "we do not wish to distress you. We just happened to be around the neighbourhood and thought it a good idea to visit your home."

"Of course." retorted Elizabeth, and was again shocked by the impudence of this man. "And it is only a mere coincidence, that you happened to visit us when Mr. Darcy is on the World Exhibition; of which you are very well aware."

Wickham merely smirked coyly, then shrugged, and sat down on the sofa again. Lydia positioned herself next to her husband, and began to talk about the real purpose of her visit. Finally to the point, sighed Elizabeth and sat down on the opposite chair. She could not make herself to throw them out, even though she knew that William will be furious if he learns of this affair; but after all Lydia was her sister, and could face a real problem this time. She promised herself that she will deal with her sister and Wickham as fast as possible however; for Georgiana's sake as well.

"Why are you so angry Lizzy? Are you not happy to see me? It is lovely to see you. This house is so big, and you are so rich." blabbered Lydia, and looked around the room meticulously. " Since you are so well off Lizzy, I thought that it wouldn't matter to you to help us out a bit."

"What happened?" asked Elizabeth, and bit the inside of her mouth in frustration.

"Nothing, nothing" chirped Lydia. " Only we are in need of a bit of extra money."

The mistress of the house sighed, and could not stop herself from looking accusingly at Wickham. The man only continued to smile, and looked her up and down. Elizabeth suppressed a shiver.

"Lydia, I already gave you money. Why are you so irresponsible? How much do you need this time?"

"You have no right to criticize me Lizzy." her sister remarked, and sighed theatrically. "You have no money problems at all."

"How much?" asked Elizabeth again, the impatience resonating in her voice.

This time Wickham was the one to answer. " A couple hundred pounds. Four hundred would certainly solve all of our problems."

" I doubt that." muttered Elizabeth, but went to retrieve her purse nonetheless. She refused to give them a share of William's money, but she still had her own, which she had collected during her years at Longbourn. It was a little bit more than four hundred pounds. This is the last time I give them money, she promised herself and quickly returned to the drawing room. She wanted to close off this 'deal' real fast.

When she stepped into the room again, it was clear from Wickham's body language and the way he paced around the room that he was probably as eager to leave Pemberley, as Elizabeth was to bid her farewell to them. The man undoubtedly didn't have the courage or solidity of character to risk a meeting with her husband.

"Lydia, here is the money. Please take care, and use it well. I am glad to help you, you know. Just sometimes I feel that giving money to you is like pouring sand through a sieve." said Elizabeth, and placed the sum gently into her sister's still childlike hands.

"Nonsense Lizzy." muttered Lydia, but contrary to her remark looked very grateful.

"We must take our leave." disrupted the sisterly idyll Wickham, and grabbed his wife's arm. "Sister" murmured Lydia, and they exited Pemberley as suddenly and hastily as they came. It was clear as the summer sky to Elizabeth that despite being a wife, and having to provide for herself Lydia hasn't changed one bit, or at least it didn't seem like it in the surface.

Elizabeth found Georgiana in the music room, sitting next to her elegant pianoforte and gazing out of the window. She stepped closer to her new sister hesitantly, and placed her delicate hands on the instrument. It was a work of art really; every detail and fiber joined together in perfect harmony. Elizabeth wished she could bring this harmony to Mr. Darcy's sister as well.

"Georgiana." she began, but the girl didn't let her conclude.

"They left, I know." she whispered, and turned her unfaltering gaze towards the older woman. Her eyes were as honest, and clear as Mr. Darcy's. For a brief moment Elizabeth grieved the absence of her husband more profoundly than anytime in the past few days.

"Does it still hurt, Georgiana?" asked Elizabeth, the words feeling foreign in her mouth. This was the first time she attempted to discuss Wickham's deeds with Georgiana and she was entirely doubtful about the outcome.

The blond girl shook her head. "I don't know, I am not sure about my feelings."

"Are you angry?" proceeded Elizabeth with her questioning, without trying to put any pressure on Georgiana.

"Yes. I suppose that I am. What he had done no longer hurts that much, but whenever I think about the past I feel furious. And this scares me, it is an unknown feeling."

"Fury is completely normal Georgiana." said Elizabeth, and covered the girl's hands with her own. "In fact you have the right to be angry, and it is not necessarily a bad feeling, if you do not let it overwhelm you. I think it means that you are healing."

"Maybe." replied Georgiana, and tightened her hold on Elizabeth's hands. "But Lizzy, my biggest problem is that I don't understand. I don't understand why he did it. I cannot accept the simple explanation that 'he is wicked.'"

"It is hard to understand" whispered Elizabeth " sometimes it is very hard to understand what people are capable of in order to gain money. I am sorry you had to experience it first-hand. But maybe this will give you the strenght to deal with the evil you meet in the future . William and I will always be here to help you as well. "

"Thank you, Lizzy." said Georgiana, and gave Elizabeth one of her wide smiles. "Are you going to tell all of this to my brother?"

"Of course" reassured her Elizabeth " I tell your brother everything. He will probably be angry at first, but just because he wishes to protect you so much. This won't go easy on him, or me." Concluded Elizabeth, and with a small wave left Georgiana to her thoughts. She walked through the passageway that led to her private room, and upon seeing a small ladybug on one of its majestic windows, inhaled deeply and slowly blew it away. She wished that her doubts about her husband's reaction and how she dealt with the Wickham's today could be cast off that easily.

That night, Elizabeth was already in their bedroom reading when her husband arrived. Upon hearing the door slightly crack and turn, she looked up from her book and was delighted to see Mr. Darcy.

"William!" she exclaimed, and ran to the man who seemed a bit worn from his travels.

"Elizabeth" he breathed, and bent down to greet the smiling woman with a kiss. Elizabeth wrapped her hands around Darcy's neck, sucked in his familiar scent and stole another kiss before talking " Welcome home. Are you very tired?"

"Not anymore. Not after seeing you" said Darcy, and shrugged off his heavy coat, while placing a kiss on his wife's hands. "I missed you."

"I missed you as well William." chuckled Elizabeth, and placed her husband's coat on a nearby chair. "And how was the exhibition?"

"Wonderful. I brought you a couple of pictures and books, but I put them in my study. I will give them to you tomorrow."

"And tell me everything?" giggled Elizabeth, while placing a kiss on Darcy's cheek as a sign of her gratitude.

"Certainly" laughed Darcy, and went on to change into his night clothes. "Was everything all right here? How is Georgiana?"

"She is well, she is already asleep." mumbled Elizabeth, and paused. "William, I must tell you something." She said, and sighed deeply as Mr. Darcy turned his full attention towards her. Elizabeth began to discuss the details of the Wickham's visit, and was saddened to see Mr. Darcy's calm, and content expression turn into pure disbelief, then rage. After finishing her story she tried to calm down her husband by taking his hands, but he teared them away.

"Elizabeth. Why did you let them in? That fool, how dare he come back here?" he bellowed, and Elizabeth felt his anger in the tremors of her own body.

"William, I am sorry, but she is my sister. I had to help her out, I couldn't just cast her off the property."

"That is exactly what you should have done." cried Darcy, and turned swiftly to the window.

"William, I know that this…"

"Elizabeth, you know nothing" said Darcy, and turned to her with a face masked by grief. "You don't understand how it feels to know that this man can continue to insult Georgiana, and I have no power at my disposal to prevent it."

"I am so sorry" answered Elizabeth, "I brought Wickham into your family, and believe me I would make him disappear if I could, but I cannot. You know the love and loyalty I feeI towards you, but I must be loyal to my sister as well. As you are so amazingly loyal to yours."

"This is not your fault, you cannot be accounted for Wickham's past actions." said Darcy in a calmer tone, and spinned to look at the window again.

"William" mumbled Elizabeth, and slowly approached her husband, placing her hands on his strong shoulders. She felt his muscles flex under her touch, and saw in the way he set his jaw that he was still tremendously indignant. "It is not true that you have no means to prevent Georgiana's pain; in fact you do it every day. Through loving her, through taking care of her, through showing her that there are much more important things in this world than money and rank. This is your true achievement, and I believe it is the most wonderful thing in the world."

After a few moments of tense silence, Darcy turned and embraced his wife; placing small kisses on the crown of her head. " Elizabeth. You are right. I am sorry for talking to you thus."

"And I am sorry that I dealt with this event so miserably" murmured Elizabeth to Darcy's chest; letting the soft material of his chemise drink in her salty tears.

"My love." Panted Darcy into his wife's ears. "The best thing that happened to me in my life was that you brought Wickham into my family, because it had also meant that you became my wife. And I will forever bless the day it happened."