Chapter 50 Cause for Complaint
Colonel Forster was waiting when Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy were shown into his office.
He greeted both gentlemen and indicated the chairs before his desk. Once they were seated, he looked from one to the other.
“How may I be of service, gentlemen? Has one of my officers given you cause for complaint?”
Thomas Bennet said, “Before I lay all before you, Colonel, I must ask for your complete discretion. My daughter is but fifteen, and I will not have her name made the subject of gossip.”
“You have my word, Mr. Bennet.”
“Thank you. Several days ago, my daughter left Longbourn without permission to meet Lieutenant Wickham on Oakham Mount. He had arranged the meeting with her beforehand and instructed her to tell no one where she was going.”
Forster's expression changed.
“My elder daughters discovered that Lydia had left the house without permission. They followed her, and reached the mount just after my youngest arrived. They found Wickham waiting there.”
“Did Lieutenant Wickham explain why he had arranged a secret meeting with your daughter?”
“He claimed that he wished only to speak with her and that there was no harm in it. My daughter Elizabeth disagreed and ordered him from my property.”
Forster sat back in his chair. “And Miss Lydia? Was she harmed, sir?”
“She was brought home before she was able to speak with him. She admitted that Wickham had asked her to meet him and that she had concealed the arrangement from her family.”
“I see.”
Mr. Bennet's voice remained quiet. “I do not know what Wickham intended, Colonel, and I will not accuse a man of something I cannot prove. I do know that a gentleman of nine and twenty arranged to meet my fifteen-year-old daughter alone in an isolated place and persuaded her to deceive her family in order to do it. I consider that sufficient cause for concern.”
“So do I, Mr. Bennet.”
Forster looked toward Darcy. “And your interest in the matter, Mr. Darcy?”
“Miss Elizabeth mentioned the incident during a walk yesterday.
Since I have known Wickham and his history for many years, I offered my assistance to Mr. Bennet.
Wickham and I were raised together, Colonel.
His father served mine for many years, and Wickham was my father's godson. We were also at Cambridge at the same time. I have therefore known him nearly all my life.”
“Then you know him considerably better than I do.”
“I believe I do.”
“Do you think Mr. Bennet has reason to fear his intentions toward his daughter?”
“I cannot tell you what Wickham intended on Oakham Mount. I can tell you that secrecy is characteristic of him when openness would interfere with what he wants. He has a history of excessive expenditure, gaming, dishonesty, and improper conduct toward young women. He has left many ruined and some with child.”
Forster's attention sharpened. “That is a serious account of one of my officers.”
“It is the truth, sir.”
“Can you substantiate it?”
“Some of it. Other matters involve people whose privacy I will not violate unless it becomes necessary. I did not come here to ask you to condemn Wickham upon my word alone.”
“What are you asking?”
“That you investigate him.”
Forster was silent.
Darcy continued, “Wickham is agreeable, well educated, and accustomed to being welcomed wherever he goes. Men extend him credit because he appears to be a gentleman, and families admit him to their homes for the same reason. If his conduct in Meryton resembles his conduct elsewhere, I believe inquiries among the tradesmen may tell you a great deal.”
“Debts?”
“I would be surprised if there were none.”
“And the other matter you mentioned? Young women?”
“I would make discreet inquiries there as well.”
Forster rose and went to the window. “Wickham has been well received since joining us. He is popular with the other officers and particularly popular in Meryton.”
“I am aware of his ability to make himself liked,” Darcy said.
Forster faced them again. “If I begin asking questions about one of my own officers, word may reach him.”
“Then do not ask them yourself,” Mr. Bennet said. “Choose a man you trust who knows how to keep his mouth closed. Let him speak to the tradesmen without announcing that the colonel is investigating Lieutenant Wickham. If there is nothing to discover, Wickham need never know we sat in this room.”
“Very well. I shall arrange for the investigation, although I confess I am beginning to fear what we may find.”
Forster returned to his desk.
“I have an officer I can trust with such an inquiry. He will understand the need for discretion.”
Mr. Bennet rose. “That is all I ask.”
Forster looked from him to Mr. Darcy. “I cannot promise what he will find.”
“We are sufficiently satisfied that you are willing to look.”
Forster extended his hand to Mr. Bennet. “You have my word that your daughter's name will not be used during the inquiry.”
Mr. Bennet took it. “Thank you, Colonel.”
Forster then offered his hand to Mr. Darcy. “And if your opinion of Wickham proves justified, Mr. Darcy, I expect we shall have another conversation.”
“I shall make myself available whenever you require it.”
* * *
Four days later, Major Harper entered Colonel Forster's office and closed the door behind him.
Forster looked up from his correspondence. “You have something for me?”
“I do, Colonel, and considerably more than I expected. I admit, I had believed Wickham to be an honorable man.”
Forster set down his pen and invited him to sit.
Harper placed several folded sheets on the desk between them.
“I began with the tradesmen, as you instructed. Wickham owes money to the tailor, the bootmaker, two inns, a wine merchant, and several shopkeepers. There are smaller accounts as well. The debts I could confirm amount to seven hundred and twelve pounds.”
“Good heavens. Does that include his gaming debts?”
“No. I heard enough about those to be certain they exist, but the gentlemen involved were less willing to give me particulars. There may also be other trade debts. Some of the men were reluctant to speak.”
Forster ran his eye down the figures. “How has he managed to persuade so many men to extend him credit in so short a time?”
“The uniform helps, as do his manners. More than one man told me that Lieutenant Wickham appeared certain of receiving money from his family.”
“He has no fortune that I know of, which leaves his creditors with little prospect of being paid.”
Harper drew another paper from his pocket.
“The debts are not the worst of it, Colonel. You also instructed me to inquire discreetly about his conduct toward young women. There has been a great deal of talk, and although talk is not evidence, I heard the same sort of stories from people who had no reason to consult one another. I thought it wise to continue asking questions.”
Forster's expression hardened. “What did you learn?”
“Wickham has paid particular attention to a number of young women since the regiment came to Meryton. In most cases it appears to have gone no further than flirtation, although he seems to have encouraged more than one girl to believe his intentions were serious. I also learned of two cases that caused me greater concern.”
Harper glanced at the paper before continuing.
“The first concerns the seventeen-year-old daughter of a tradesman.
She met Wickham several times without her father's knowledge until her family discovered the meetings and put an end to the acquaintance. Another family was more reluctant to speak with me. Their daughter had also been persuaded to meet Wickham privately on several occasions, and when her parents discovered what was happening, they sent her to relatives.”
“Did the acquaintance go further?”
“I could not establish that. Her father made it very clear that he would not allow his daughter's name to become regimental gossip, and I saw no reason to press him.”
“Nor should you have. The secrecy of the meetings is troubling enough in light of what Mr. Bennet told me.”
“There have been other complaints as well. Wickham has been involved in drunken evenings, unpaid wagers, and several quarrels. One innkeeper told me that Wickham and two other officers damaged a table and a number of glasses during a night of drinking. The other officers paid their portions of the damage, but Wickham did not.”
Forster considered the papers before him. “I find it difficult to understand how so much misconduct has occurred without any of it reaching me.”
“I wondered the same thing until I began speaking with the people involved. No single incident appeared important enough to bring before the commanding officer. A tradesman expected eventually to be paid, an innkeeper replaced what was broken, and a father removed his daughter from an undesirable acquaintance. Each believed he was dealing with his own difficulty. When the complaints are put together, however, they present a very different picture.”
Harper pushed the papers toward him. “I have included the names of the creditors, the amounts they claim, and the names of those willing to confirm their complaints. I left the young women's names out of the written report because I thought it better to protect them.”
Forster picked up the list of debts again. “Thank you, Harper. You have given me what I need. I know how to proceed.”
* * *
Mr. Bennet and Darcy returned to Colonel Forster's office the following afternoon.
Forster did not keep them long in suspense. “I asked Major Harper to conduct the inquiry we discussed. He spent four days speaking with tradesmen and others in Meryton, and I am afraid Mr. Darcy's assessment of Wickham was correct.”
He placed several sheets of paper on the desk.
“Harper confirmed seven hundred and twelve pounds in unpaid accounts. That sum does not include gaming debts, which appear to be considerable, or other accounts he could not verify.”
Mr. Bennet picked up the first sheet and studied it. “How does a lieutenant persuade half of Meryton to support him?”