Chapter 9
Very much to her two eldest daughters’ pleasure, Mrs Bennet kept to her chamber for the following three days. If she thought to punish Jane by her absence, Fanny Bennet would have been greatly put out to learn that her sequestration was seen as a boon and not a punishment.
It left Jane and Elizabeth free to make subtle enquiries among the girls in Meryton. Due to them being the same sex, the victims of Wickham’s lies were more willing to speak.
Jane and Elizabeth discovered three girls who had fallen for the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
They were Paulette, the smithy’s only daughter among his five sons, who was only fourteen; Hannah, the daughter of the haberdashery shop owner, who was also fourteen; and Emma, the daughter of the cobbler, who at fifteen was the eldest of the seducer’s victims they discovered.
It only took a few minutes into the conversation before the three victims realised that they had each been duped into parting with their virtues by the same man using the same lie with the belief that he loved them and would marry them.
“Y-you m-m-mean I-I c-c-could be w-with child?” The smithy’s daughter Paulette stammered in horror. “H-he s-said that it could n-not h-happen before w-we were m-married.” She burst into tears as soon as she realised that it was another of the blackhearted man’s lies.
The other two girls were equally as shocked and scared.
“Since his nose was broken, none of the girls or ladies in the town would allow him to approach them,” Hannah related. “That is, except one.”
“Who would that be?” Jane asked, although she had a sinking feeling she knew who it was.
“The youngest Miss Bennet, your sister Miss Lydia,” Hannah revealed. “I have seen her visit him a few times.”
Both Bennet sisters looked horrified but schooled their features as soon as they saw the way the three girls reacted, obviously thinking the looks were aimed at them.
“We are worried that Lydia has been tricked into surrendering her virtue as you were,” Elizabeth explained. “The looks you saw were not aimed at you.”
“What are we to do now?” Emma asked plaintively.
“As hard as it will be, and it will take much courage to do so, you need to tell your parents. What you did is wrong outside of the bounds of marriage, but you were manipulated by a man who is twice your age and has done this previously, many times,” Jane suggested.
“It will not be easy, but if, as I suspect they do, your parents love you; they will not cast you out. If they do, you come see Lizzy or me, and we will do whatever we are able to help you.”
The three girls said they would think about what Miss Bennet had advised. Shoulders slumped, the three, who were now members of a sisterhood none of them wanted to be part of, headed back to their homes.
The Bennet sisters made the short walk to Lucas Lodge.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Wickham thought things were looking up. He had the comfort of the silly Bennet chit who had turned over her pin money to him. Not only that, but the silly flirt had pilfered from her mother and another sister as well, all of which she had given to him.
He was whistling happily as he entered the tailor’s shop. “Good day, Mr Wilkinson. Are my new clothes ready?” he enquired.
“All credit to members of the militia has been revoked, so unless you have the coin to pay, you will not receive anything from me,” Wilkinson stated coldly. “Do you have six pounds, two shillings and sixpence to pay?”
Although Wickham had that amount which he had charmed from the stupid chit, he hated paying for his needs.
“Come now, Mr Wilkinson, surely you would not deny credit to one of His Majesty’s officers?
I am days away from receiving the inheritance that I was cheated out of by that dastardly Mr Darcy.
As soon as I receive it, I will pay what I owe you, and then some.
” He gave the best smile he could manage with his newly acquired physical restrictions. Damn that blasted Mr King.
“As I said, you will find that no member of the militia will be extended further credit. In fact, all debts are being called in,” Wilkinson replied firmly.
At first, Wickham panicked, thinking that Darcy had said something to spoil his fun, but then he remembered that the prig had left in November and had not been seen in the area again.
He knew Darcy well enough to be sure he would not lower himself to warn the town, and certainly not now, more than three months later.
Next, he went over the tailor’s words again.
He had said all militia members, not just himself, so, as inconvenient as it was, it was not aimed solely at him.
Seeing that none of his entreaties met with success, Wickham stalked out of Mr Wilkinson’s store and went to the milliner next door.
There he met with no more success than he had at the previous shop.
He attempted to regain credit at two more establishments.
He eventually gave up when he was denied credit at the Red Lion Inn.
Not only that, but, even if he paid for it now, they would not sell him any grog until he had cleared his current debt.
After stalking out of the inn’s taproom, Wickham made for his quarters. He was not sure what to do. It would not do for all the merchants to clamour for him to pay his debts, because if they discovered how much he owed when the amounts were added up, it would not be good for him.
It seemed it was time to leave this town and find greener pastures.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Welcome Jane and Eliza,” Lady Lucas stated. “Sir William and the gentlemen are in his study.”
Sir William bade them to enter when Jane knocked on the door.
“That miscreant has run up more than two hundred pounds of debts in the months that he has been here,” the knight reported.
“When I asked why so much credit was extended, they told me that they believed his story about some money he was cheated out of by Mr Darcy, which he was to receive before the militia decamped Meryton. I quietly informed them that it was a lie and that a gentleman would purchase any unpaid debts so they would not be beggared by the libertine.”
“Were you ladies able to discover more about Wicky’s seductions in your town?” Fitzwilliam enquired.
Jane and Elizabeth revealed what they had uncovered. “It seems that he used the same lie with each of them. At their ages, they were greatly charmed that a man as handsome as that seducer would pay them attention. Being young and guileless, his lies fell on fertile ground,” Jane related.
“Had I spoken when I was here, these girls would have been saved.” Darcy shook his head.
“Mr Darcy, I am afraid that at that time, you may have been ignored. Your slight of me at the assembly had been spread among our neighbours, while at the same time, the tale of woe Mr Wickham told began to be known,” Elizabeth responded.
“With all due respect, those of us who had been beguiled by the profligate, including myself, would have spoken against you, as your story would have been seen as just being another attempt to blast Mr Wickham’s prospects. ”
“All of this is the cost of my former arrogance and pride,” Darcy owned.
Jane paused and looked at Lizzy, who, understanding what Jane intended to reveal, nodded. Now was not a time for secrets. “Unfortunately, based on what we were told, I am afraid one, or even both, of our youngest sisters has fallen victim to his lies.” Jane looked stricken.
“This is indeed grave,” Darcy stated. His face took on a look which could only be described as disgust. His disgust was for Wickham and even himself, but not any of his victims, and certainly not the Bennet sisters before him.
He was also considering how close Gigi had come to ruin at the bastard’s hands, and that too was his fault.
All because he had not checked Mrs Younge’s characters, rather relying on his own faulty judgement instead.
Seeing the look, Elizabeth was sure she knew what it meant.
‘We had just begun to know one another without our prejudices. If this is true, and Lydia has been ruined, I will never see him again. He would never allow one soiled by his enemy around Gigi. I could have come to like this version of him very well. At least, Mr Darcy has not tried to escape now while we are speaking.’ Just like she had been sure about being right before, Elizabeth was certain she had not misread the situation now.
“I pray your suspicion is not proved to be well-founded,” Sir William stated. “Gentlemen, I think it is time to visit Colonel Forster.”
Fitzwilliam and Darcy nodded their agreement. While his cousin farewelled the ladies for now, Darcy was too preoccupied with his thoughts to do more than bow. As such, he missed the sad look on Miss Elizabeth’s face.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After he had resolved that he needed to leave Meryton and the militia, Wickham decided that it would be prudent to have some more coin in his pocket before making his escape.
He could not ask any of his brother officers for loans.
Between his debts of honour and the loans he had received, that avenue was closed off to him.
There was one place he knew he could find some ready coin. That trusting fool Denny had let Wickham see where he hid his purse in his quarters. There was a hole behind the headboard of the bed.
Luck was on his side; Denny was on duty, so he would not be in his room. Unfortunately, it was in a different boarding house than the one where Wickham was billeted. He sauntered towards the house where Denny was boarding, trying to look as innocent as he was able.
Rather than go directly to where Denny was residing, Wickham walked about, looking in the windows of various shops before he darted down the alley which led to the abode where Denny’s room was.
He had hoped he would not be seen, but on entering the house, he bumped into Mrs Brown, the landlady, who was preparing to go out.