Chapter V #2
As the men stated their displeasure, Wickham smirked at them, anticipating how surprised they would be when he turned up missing.
They were amusing fellows, but Wickham had never had any trouble making friends wherever he went.
The next part of his life’s journey was at hand; the perfect way to go about it was to teach Darcy a lesson he would never forget and then move on.
Perhaps life in the Americas would allow Wickham to realize his dreams of wealth and a life of ease.
Certainly, England had never done him any favors.
––––––––
Darcy regarded Fitzwilliam, confused about what he was saying. “Wickham often makes statements about me he can do nothing to bring to fruition. I cannot see what has brought you here in this state unless you believe he means to target Georgiana again.”
“No, that is not at all what I suspect.” Fitzwilliam eyed him for several moments before he opened his mouth again. “I see we must sit and discuss this rationally, Darcy, for it is clear you have not seen the potential trouble that I have. Come, let me explain my reasoning to you.”
Seeing no reason to demur, Darcy nodded and seated himself in a nearby armchair, while Fitzwilliam took the other.
If nothing else, he saw that his cousin considered this a matter of great import; as Fitzwilliam was not one to see phantasms lurking behind every piece of furniture, it would behoove him to pay attention.
“I suspect, Darcy, that Wickham has directed his malevolence toward a particular target. The first matter of which Wickham was not aware is that I have a passing acquaintance with his commanding officer. While we are not close friends, we know enough to understand each other’s situation, including our connections. ”
That got Darcy’s attention. “Then Colonel Forster was aware that I am your cousin? That is interesting, for he said nothing of it when I was in the neighborhood, and we attended more than one function together.”
A shrug was Fitzwilliam’s response. “We are not close friends, such that he would feel comfortable broaching the subject. He also observed that you were not in good humor last autumn, your demeanor not open enough to invite such conversation.”
It was nothing less than a reminder of the reason for Darcy’s current straits. “That was not long after Ramsgate if you recall. I will own that Colonel Forster’s observation was accurate, though I would not have abused him for raising such a subject with me regardless of my mood.”
Fitzwilliam returned a chuckle and a shake of his head. “I know you would not have, old boy. But Forster does not know you as I do.
“There is little enough reason to speak of the matter of our connection, for it is slight. Suffice it to say that I am known to him. When Wickham absconded, Forster contacted me, knowing of our status as relations. As your name had often been on Wickham’s tongue, he hoped I might know something of him, somewhere he might go for succor, for example, or some means of finding him.
“What we discovered sobered me exceedingly, though I will not sport with your intelligence and not suggest the notion of tracking Wickham down and ensuring he pays for his deeds did not appeal to me.”
“Perhaps you should come to the point,” said Darcy.
“Yes, I might exhibit the same impatience if I were you,” said Fitzwilliam.
“When I received Forster’s letter, I applied to my commanding officer, and he granted me leave to investigate.
The regulars rarely have much to do with the militia, as I am certain you are aware, but we all take desertion seriously.
As such, I departed London at once and arrived in Brighton late yesterday.
There I interviewed Wickham’s fellow officers and learned a few troubling pieces of information. ”
Darcy leaned forward, inviting his cousin to speak of the evidence he had collected. Fitzwilliam did not hesitate.
“Besides Wickham’s comments concerning ‘having a bit of fun at your expense,’ he has made a habit of making . . . offensive references to the Bennet sisters. It seems the youngest two are incorrigible flirts and well-known among the regiment.”
“That is true,” said Darcy with a grimace. “You have met Miss Elizabeth and know her character, and her eldest sister is perhaps the sweetest woman I have ever met. The younger sisters, however, are not their equal.”
“It seems Wickham took notice. The comments about the younger girls were the typical bawdry jests about comely young ladies, and while not appropriate, are not concerning. Since he went to Brighton, however, Wickham’s commentary about Miss Elizabeth has become rather more pointed.
While he made no overt threats, it seems his fellows suspected him of the wish of returning to Hertfordshire to make her his mistress. ”
“But that is nonsense!” objected Darcy. “Miss Elizabeth is not the sort of woman who would allow any man such liberties with her person.”
“I agree with your assessment,” replied Fitzwilliam. “Remember, Darcy, we are not speaking of a rational man. Wickham has some interest in Miss Elizabeth, and I do not think it is about offering her carte blanche when he cannot even support himself.
“Tell me, has Wickham ever seen you in company with Miss Elizabeth?”
Taken aback, Darcy blurted: “Seen us in company?”
“Wickham knows you well, Darcy. Could he have divined your interest in her?”
“Only when I first encountered him.” Darcy was now distracted, only giving his cousin a portion of his attention.
“I suspect it was the day he joined the regiment. Bingley and I rode into Meryton, intending to call at Longbourn to ask after Miss Elizabeth’s sister, who had been ill the previous week.
There we came upon all the Bennet sisters, who were speaking with Wickham and another officer.
I suspect they had just made his acquaintance. ”
“What did you do?”
Darcy recalled the moment, the utter shock and rage he had felt at seeing George Wickham standing in the street as bold as brass speaking to Miss Elizabeth.
There was little enough to recall, for Darcy and Bingley had come upon the company, and as Bingley had dismounted to approach Wickham, Darcy had caught sight of Wickham as he regarded Miss Elizabeth.
He did not think Wickham could have seen enough in his manners to give rise to any suspicion of his partiality.
Then as Wickham had not attended the ball and Darcy left soon after, there had never been another occasion in which he had needed to avoid the man.
“Was there no other instance?” asked Fitzwilliam when Darcy related these details to him. “No other event that might have given him a clue as to your feelings?”
Darcy fixed his cousin with a sharp glare, but Fitzwilliam did nothing more than grin.
“To those who know you, you were no less than transparent in Kent, Darcy.
You should be grateful that Lady Catherine does not know you nearly so well as she supposes.
I caught a hint of your interest from almost the first meeting, and as I am certain something happened between you before we left, the knowledge has led me to make a few interesting conclusions.
“Now, can you think of nothing that might have informed Wickham of your feelings?”
For a moment Darcy could think of nothing. Then the memory of the night at Netherfield Park entered his mind, and he blanched.
“What is it?” demanded Fitzwilliam.
“Bingley held a ball not long before we departed the neighborhood. I danced with Miss Elizabeth at that ball.”
Fitzwilliam’s eyes bored into him. “Did you dance with any others?”
“Not a one,” said Darcy quietly. “Not even my hostess, though she did not appreciate my lapse. She was nigh unendurable the entire time I was in Hertfordshire, and I had no desire to do anything that would cause her to hope.”
Fitzwilliam nodded. “Several of Wickham’s fellows mentioned that dance when I questioned them.
Then you met Miss Elizabeth in Kent. We left two weeks after Easter, and as I recall, Miss Elizabeth was to depart a week later.
That would have put her in Hertfordshire before the regiment relocated to Brighton. ”
“You suppose Miss Elizabeth is his target?” asked Darcy, the sinking feeling in his midsection informing him that his cousin likely had the right of it.
“I suspect she is,” confirmed he. “The facts point to Wickham’s understanding of your regard for Miss Elizabeth, and if he cannot be certain of it, Wickham would take even a slight hint of interest on your part as a reason to act.”
“Wickham has never descended to violence,” objected Darcy. “That is the one sin I have no reason to lay at his door.”
“No,” agreed Fitzwilliam, “but he has a supreme confidence in his ability to charm ladies.”
“Given everything I know of their connection,” replied Darcy stubbornly, “Miss Elizabeth has always thought well of him. I suspect it was not two days before he began regaling her with tales of his misfortunes at my hands. Miss Elizabeth confirmed as much to me in comments during our dance at Netherfield.”
“I have always said you were far too passive regarding Wickham, Darcy,” replied Fitzwilliam.
“Miss Elizabeth is as intelligent a woman as I have ever met, but Wickham is a deceiver without peer. If she still esteems him, she might be in danger, for even a virtuous woman might fall prey to a lecher. He might exploit even an instant of weakness.”
“She does not think well of him any longer,” said Darcy.
“Oh?” asked Fitzwilliam with deceptive mildness. “Do tell, Darcy.”
Darcy paused, for he had no notion that she knew anything of Wickham, for he could not be certain she had read his letter.
Though he had counted on her sense of justice and her curiosity to induce her to read it, that she had simply burned it, hoping to expunge the events in the parlor at Hunsford from her memory was equally plausible.
“I . . . I had occasion to explain something of Wickham’s behavior to her.”
“Do you suppose she believed you?”
“I cannot say,” said Darcy in all truth.
“There is something you are not telling me, Cousin,” said Fitzwilliam. “I shall have it from you in time. For now, I will say that I believe you are correct, for two of Wickham’s fellows spoke of their meeting before the regiment left Meryton and of Miss Elizabeth’s coolness of manner toward him.”
Darcy nodded, relieved at this bit of evidence of her belief in his account. The way Fitzwilliam was looking at him, Darcy was certain his cousin would badger him until he revealed what had happened between them. Not eager to share it, Darcy meant to put him off as long as possible.
“Then there is little reason to stay here,” said Darcy. “We should make for Hertfordshire at once.”
“The situation is not that dire just yet,” said Fitzwilliam, reaching out to grasp his shoulder and prevent him from rising.
“I tracked Wickham from Brighton to London easily enough, but he disappeared into the bowels of the city when he arrived here. I currently have men watching all roads north, so we should have some warning if he attempts to leave. If we are lucky, perhaps they will take him into custody.”
“Do you not suppose Wickham has some means of leaving unobserved?” asked Darcy. “He must know that his commanding officer would not stand aside and allow him to desert without trying to find him.”
Fitzwilliam bared his teeth in the rictus of a grin. “No, I do not suppose he would. But then again, he can have no notion that I am on his trail, for I suspect he would take passage to the New World if he was aware of it.”
That was nothing less than the truth, Darcy reflected, for Wickham had always been afraid of Darcy’s burly cousin. Fitzwilliam was a ruthless and implacable enemy when aroused to anger.
“Then what do you propose?”
“Let us be patient, Darcy. We should be warned if Wickham attempts to leave London, and I sent men to Meryton to keep an eye on things. I am too fond of Miss Elizabeth to leave her to face the depredations of the likes of Wickham alone. We shall go if we must, but I hope to resolve this matter without bothering Miss Elizabeth at all if I can manage it.”
It occurred to Darcy at that moment he had received a golden opportunity to put himself in Miss Elizabeth’s company again.
While the situation was not one he wished to face, he knew instinctively they would need to go to Hertfordshire to see to her safety themselves.
Given that suspicion, Darcy wondered how he might go about staying in the neighborhood, not only to weather this crisis but also to change her opinion of him.
“If we need to go, it would be best if we had a base of operations so to speak.”
Fitzwilliam regarded him evenly. “Might I assume you are speaking of Bingley’s estate?”
“I am,” said Darcy, reflecting he had only a few days ago rejected the notion of applying to Bingley when speaking to his sister.
“Bingley has gone to the north, so it will be several days before I receive a response. But I cannot imagine he would forbid me from staying at Netherfield when we are there. If this business with Wickham drags out, we would not wish to reside at the inn the entire time. The place does not exactly cater to gentlemen, as I recall.”
“Would not his harpy of a sister take that as a sign of your undying devotion?”
Darcy grinned. “I will ask him to keep it from her. Bingley knows of my sentiments as regards his sister—he will respect my request.”
“Then go to it. I will not refuse the opportunity to live in comfort while we run Wickham to ground.
“Do not think this absolves your need to inform me exactly what is between you and Miss Elizabeth, Darcy,” added he, spearing Darcy with a glare. “I have not forgotten it and will not recede until you relate the whole to me.”
It struck Darcy that the support of a beloved cousin would not go amiss in this instance. While he was not eager to share everything, for some parts of the tale would not reflect well on him, surely he could make some explanation to his cousin enough to satisfy his curiosity.
Thus, Darcy gave him a curt nod and went to his desk to write out a brief note to Bingley, which he would then entrust to his butler to engage an express rider.
A quick calculation informed Darcy that he could not expect an answer from his friend in less than a week.
Bingley, he knew, would not object, especially with the notion Darcy had put into his head about the possibility of going to Hertfordshire in the autumn.