Chapter 34 #2
He had thought of discarding his uniform and selling the horse, but he did not, as they might yet be useful to him.
He set about disguising himself, so he could unobtrusively watch Holder House. What he saw told him that the foundling chit was always well guarded and, more often than not, that prig William Darcy was with her.
When he succeeded, there would be two advantages. He would gain more money than he ever dreamed of owning, and he would hurt the Darcys, who deserved no less. That would be the sweetest of revenge for abandoning him so that he would not receive what was due him.
It was now the end of March, and Wickham noticed the house was being prepared to be closed up. He was certain he had not been observed as he watched, so he felt rather confident. One day, he bumped into a maid from Holder House.
“You work for my friends, the Carringtons, do you not?” Wickham said in his best toff accent, playing the part of a gentleman.
“Aye, Sir, I do,” the maid said as she bobbed a curtsy.
“It is a coincidence. I was on my way to call on them,” Wickham lied. “It has been too long since I saw them.”
“Then you be wastin’ your time, Sir. The family ain’t takin’ callers as they be on their way to ‘Ertfordshire later today,” she reported.
“I suppose I will have to wait until they return.” Wickham bowed and left.
He made his way back to his accommodations in Seven Dials and left the inn. He forgot to pay for the last sennight he had been in residence. He knew where the estate was that the family owned in Hertfordshire, and he would soon find a place to watch it.
She would be in the country, and now that she was engaged, he knew that the opportunity to grab the foundling would present itself soon enough.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
To make sure he was not seen in the town of Meryton, Wickham found an inn in Hatfield, which was about fifteen miles northwest of the other town.
Unfortunately, after he explained that his stay would be of some duration, the landlord demanded payment for a sennight before assigning Wickham a room.
He was told that the money for the next week would also be required in advance.
As much as Wickham hated paying for his expenses, he knew it would not do for him to cause a ruckus here and draw attention to himself.
He casually asked if there was a place where he could see a good portion of the countryside around Hatfield or Meryton.
Although he did not care about the former, he needed to ask about both in order to avert suspicion.
He was informed that there was nowhere elevated to see what was around Hatfield; however, there was a hill near Meryton called Oakham Mount which provided a good view of the area.
The next morning, Wickham took the major’s purloined horse and rode back towards Meryton. It did not take him long to discover a path which led to the hill before he entered the town.
He never considered that his prey may frequent this Oakham Mount. If he had been there before sunrise, he would have been much closer to her than he had been since that day in the stables at Pemberley when he and his late mother tried to tell her to mind her own business.
From when he had observed her before his plan with Karen had come apart, Wickham knew where Netherfield Park lay.
Before leaving London, he had visited a shop which sold spyglasses and telescopes.
He had seen a brass telescope. It was about six inches in length when it was not extended.
He had waited until another customer distracted the shopkeeper, slipped the item in his pocket, and melted away without detection.
Now, he sat looking through the lenses of his borrowed telescope to the west of Meryton. With the aid in his hand, he could easily see people walking about at the estate where his soon-to-be wife was resident.
After a few days of observation, Wickham noticed that it seemed the chit rode out into the fields of the estate each day after the time he assumed they broke their fasts.
Some days, William Darcy rode out with her, and other days she was without the prig, riding with one footman in attendance, and thankfully, not one of the giant-sized ones.
After almost a fortnight, Wickham was satisfied that he knew her routines.
He had been correct about the relaxed vigilance now that she thought herself engaged to the damned William Darcy.
That he would be able to gain his revenge on the foundling and the Darcys at once made him feel very good about himself.
She had ridden out with William Darcy that day, so based on the patterns he had observed, she would be with one footman on the morrow.
That was when he would act. Before anyone knew what he was about, he would be halfway to Gretna Green, and there was nothing his enemies could do to stop him.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next morning, Wickham was hiding in a stand of beech trees that his prey and her footman would ride through. Thankfully, the man rode with enough distance behind the chit so once she entered the treeline, she would not expect to see him until he exited the other side.
Hidden behind some trees, rope at the ready to secure the footman, Wickham was excited to see that she rode without the Darcy heir.
That would have been a complication because they rode next to each other when together.
The footman was at the expected distance behind her.
Wickham positioned himself close to the trees where his prey entered the stand and waited for her to pass him.
Once she was out of sight, as the footman approached, Wickham stepped out from the trees.
He was holding a cocked pistol pointed at the footman.
He held his finger to his lips to tell the man to be silent, and then cocked his head, ordering him to dismount.
Wickham’s concentration was on the footman, so he did not detect movement behind him until a big hand came down with such force on his arm with the hand holding the weapon; it snapped like a twig, the pistol falling harmlessly to the grass below.
“WHY?” Wickham bellowed as he held the broken limb to his chest.
“Why? Because you had some delusional idea you would harm me. As I have not had the displeasure of seeing you since I was a young girl, I should ask you why you have twice attempted something against me,” Elizabeth asked calmly.
The voice of his prey was the last one Wickham expected to hear behind him.
He turned to the side the blow had fallen from and saw one of the giant guards snarling at him; on his other side was the other one, looking no less murderous.
Then Wickham turned to look behind him. Where had all the riders flanking the foundling come from?
The prig was next to her on one side and Lord Holder on the other.
Fitzwilliam, Hilldale, Lord Matlock, Mr Darcy, and Major Tremain were also present, along with one or two men he did not recognise.
As much as his arm was aching, he instead tried to fathom how another plan had come undone in this fashion. Karen could not have shopped on him again. She was in New Holland by now, and neither she nor anyone else knew of his plan.
It could not be his fault, so what had gone wrong?