Chapter 37
Wickham had spun a pitiable tale of his mistreatment by Darcy and Mrs. Forster had been as gullible as any other.
He had then gone on to express his deep admiration for her but had been conscious not to take any liberties.
Wickham was desperate, not suicidal, and he knew well enough that if caught in a compromising position with the Colonel’s wife, his life was forfeit, but he also knew that she was his only hope to gain some funds.
Brighton had seen many Militia encampments and the locals were no longer fond of the handsome officers in a red coat.
The Colonel was routinely busy making arrangements for his unit and more often than not had to visit the local shops to sort out one matter or another.
This added to his wife’s displeasure, for Mrs. Forster was young and carefree with no thoughts of responsibility.
Lydia had been invited for the express purpose of being her companion and the Colonel had considered that with Mrs. Bennet also present, there was enough chaperonage.
Initially, it had appeared that all the ladies were enjoying their time at the seaside town, but soon things had changed; it was Lydia and Mrs. Forster against Mrs. Bennet, though the Colonel had scarcely noticed the change.
All the nervous wailing by Mrs. Bennet was just considered theatricals by the Colonel.
It was only when Bingley had mentioned Wickham’s presence around the ladies that the Colonel had become suspicious.
Initially, Colonel Forster had been worried about Lydia for Mr. Bennet had been rather reluctant in sending his youngest daughter to Brighton as the girl was apt to flirt with any officer.
It had been Denny’s report that had disturbed him even more when he mentioned seeing Mrs. Forster in Wickham’s company multiple times while the other ladies had stayed home.
The Colonel was well aware of his wife’s silliness; Wickham’s penchant for immoral behaviour was also becoming increasingly apparent.
The Colonel was thus alarmed by his wife’s increasing intimacy with the man and was quick to put an end to such behaviour.
“Mrs. Forster, it is highly improper that you seem to favour a certain officer’s company. You are a married lady and should be conscious of your husband’s respectability. I do not want this repeated ever again,” the Colonel had decreed during dinner much to his wife’s consternation.
Mrs. Forster had thus had no choice but to stay at home the next day.
Lydia had begged and cajoled her to go out, but the lady was adamant.
She had no desire to redirect Wickham’s affections to Lydia now that she knew about his preference for her.
The Colonel’s restrictions felt akin to her guardians from before she had married; making her forget her duties towards her husband and the loyalty that she owed him.
She spent the day in a sullen despair blaming everyone for taking away all the happiness from her life.
The Colonel’s insistence that she stay away from Wickham had made the lady covet his presence more than she imagined.
Wickham was in dire straits and needed to disappear soon.
Thus, when Mrs. Forster did not appear for two consecutive days, he finally used a local street lad to pass on a note.
He had been quick to blame the Colonel this time for all the restrictions put on him and had appealed to the lady for some help in convincing her husband.
He had not directly asked for anything but had insinuated enough for the lady to realise her own dire need to escape.
Mrs. Forster was well aware that any request from her on Wickham’s behalf would only anger her husband further; as such she did not mention anything to him.
The idea of escape was suddenly becoming more and more appealing to her.
Having finally decided, she sent her maid with a note letting Wickham know of her eagerness to escape with him at dawn.
The household fund had some twenty pounds, and she had her jewellery, which would fetch her a good sum. Some more money was located in her husband’s study and she readied a valise with her essential items.
Bingley had called on the Bennet ladies almost daily and was aware of the Colonel’s strictures from Mrs. Bennet.
Thus the footman he had hired to watch the Forsters’ house was alerted to be extra vigilant and another lad was also hired to monitor Wickham whenever the man was outside the Militia encampment.
He was soon able to get the details of a carriage that had been hired by Wickham to leave Brighton late at night.
Bingley knew that something would happen that very night.
Thus, he decided to remain awake and around the Forsters’ house.
When Mrs. Forster left her home the next morning, Bingley and his footman immediately followed.
Bingley could not help the guilt that coursed through him as Mrs. Forster stealthily made way across the street.
He had never expected his manipulation to take such a turn; all he had intended was to divert Wickham’s attention towards Mrs. Forster, making the Colonel suspicious and cutting the gentleman’s access to the Forsters’ household.
He had not counted on Mrs. Forster’s foolishness in getting attached to an officer and was worried of the scandal she may bring to the Colonel if she succeeded in running away.
“Come, Harriet, we need to quickly leave, a carriage is waiting just outside the alley,” Wickham appeared as soon as Mrs. Forster turned into the next lane. They walked quickly towards the carriage as Bingley and the footman followed them.
“Mr. Bingley, whatever are you doing here?” the lady exclaimed as he came in front of her when she tried to get into the carriage.
“I could ask you the same, Madam, I was taking an early morning ride, but what about you? What are you doing out here in the company of an unrelated gentleman?”
Mrs. Forster was desperate and had no idea that Bingley was aware of her motives. “Mr. Wickham is escorting me to my relations; it is an emergency,” she stammered.
“It is still dark, madam, and you do not even have a maid accompanying you,” Bingley commented when all of a sudden, he observed a movement in the side alley.
“I would advise that you stay away from the lady, Wickham,” Bingley said as Wickham tried to pull the lady.
“And why should I do that?” Wickham smirked.
“You will do it, if you value your life,” Bingley threatened as the well-built footman came into view and flexed his arm, causing Wickham to step back immediately.
“Mr. Bingley, this does not concern you. I need to depart now,” Mrs. Forster raised her chin.
“Mrs. Forster, you are a married woman. Do consider your actions and your husband’s respectability. I do not mean to bother you, but I will have no choice but to summon the Colonel if you do not step away from Mr. Wickham.”
“My husband would hardly care. All I wish is to depart with Mr. Wickham, who had been so unjustly and cruelly treated by the Militia due to his love for me. He had never been anything but a gentleman,” Mrs. Forster insisted.
“Mr. Wickham has a debt of more than two hundred pounds and much more if you include his debt of honour. He is not being ostracised without reason,” Bingley tried to talk some sense into the lady.
“You must be wrong, Mr. Wickham is the most gentlemanly of the officers. It is your friend, Mr. Darcy, who cheated him,” Mrs. Forster insisted but was soon cut off when her favourite officer snatched her valise and made a run for it, pushing her in the process.
She was thrown to the ground and if Mr. Bingley had not been quick enough, she would have been trampled by the carriage horses, who had been excited by the sudden motion.
“Do you still believe in the man’s innocence? Come madam, let me escort you back. It is still early and nobody has seen you yet. We can claim that Wickham stole your things from the house if required. You would be able to save your reputation,” Bingley helped the lady up.
“My reputation,” Mrs. Forster stammered.
“Of course, you do know that if your escapade becomes common knowledge you will be ruined. I will try to see if the matter can be hushed and if the coachman may be persuaded.”
“But I just wanted to have someone love me. My husband hardly cares,” Mrs. Forster stammered pathetically.
“That is a discussion you should have with your husband, Madam, but I doubt that to be the case. He has been rather dedicated to your happiness, making sure that your friend was able to accompany you. I understand that Mr. Bennet was not inclined to send his daughter, but the Colonel insisted as he knew you would be disappointed.”
A subdued Mrs. Forster took Mr. Bingley’s arm and slowly walked back to her house. The maid that opened the door was bribed by Bingley to maintain her silence. The other occupants of the house were all asleep, unaware of the drama unfolding downstairs.
Bingley’s footman had been successful in chasing down Wickham rather quickly but had to use force to subdue him.
The officer was then transported to Bingley’s accommodation in his own hired carriage.
The coachman had not received any funds till then and was happy to transfer his loyalties to Bingley.
The Colonel had just come down for breakfast when Mr. Bingley arrived to apprise him of the situation. The man was incensed at his wife’s actions but decided to blame his guest.
“It must be because of Miss Lydia’s influence, my wife has never behaved so indecorously.”
“That is uncalled for, Colonel, your wife has been encouraging Miss Lydia to meet the officer even when her mother forbade it. It was that which led me to instruct my footman to be around the house. I have enough proof for everything I say, sir. I was hoping to hush the matter considering, Mrs. Forster’s youth, but will not remain silent if you accuse Miss Lydia. ”
The Colonel rubbed his eyes, understanding the futility of blaming his guest for his wife’s transgressions.
“I do not think Mrs. Forster thought about her actions in any detail; she probably was flattered by Wickham and considered it all an adventure,” Bingley consoled the man.
“It serves me right to select such a young wife. My family counseled me against her, but I was taken in by her lively spirits.”
“All is not lost, Colonel. I am sure this will serve as a lesson of sorts for Mrs. Forster.” The Colonel nodded, and then they discussed the situation of Wickham.
“How am I to press charges on Wickham without involving my wife?”
“My footman will swear to having caught Mr. Wickham with the valise containing the jewelry belonging to Mrs. Forster and if Wickham tries to blame her, then her maid will swear that Mrs. Forster was sleeping in her chambers throughout.”
“I thank you, Mr. Bingley,” the Colonel replied in a defeated voice.
“I hope you will remember that you insisted on Mr. Bennet for allowing his daughter to come here and will treat her with the utmost respect. I will see if I can remove them to London on some pretext, but till then I hope both Mrs. Bennet and Miss Lydia will be welcome without any gossip.”
“Of course, I apologise for my earlier outburst. I will be hiring a stern companion for my wife; her ignorance and vulgar behaviour cannot be allowed to continue,” the Colonel responded dejectedly.