A Matter of Trust
The sound of boots on the front steps brought Darcy to the window of his father’s study. Colonel Fitzwilliam had lost none of his military punctuality. Even from above, Darcy could see that his cousin’s usual easy manner had been replaced by the alertness that marked him in the field.
“Your note said it could not wait until morning,” Richard said by way of greeting as Wilson showed him in. “I assume this means you have finally decided to tell me what has really been happening at Pemberley?”
Wilson lingered in the doorway.
“Yes, Wilson?”
“Will Colonel Fitzwilliam be dining, sir?”
Darcy glanced at his cousin. “Have you dined?”
“Not yet.”
“Yes, thank you, Wilson. Though we may be some time yet.”
Darcy waited until the door had closed. “I need your advice, Richard, and your discretion.”
“You have had both since the day your father died,” Richard said. “Though I am beginning to think I should have demanded answers sooner. You look half dead, Darcy.”
“Three days of hard riding will do that.” Darcy retrieved a leather portfolio from his desk and withdrew several sheets covered in columns of figures.
“But that is not why I asked you here. I need you to look at these. Copies of Pemberley’s accounts.
The real ones, not the versions Wickham has been showing the solicitors. ”
Richard took the papers. “Good God, Darcy.” He looked up sharply. “These withdrawals… the missing funds from the tenant rents… How long has this been going on?”
“I began noticing discrepancies about a year ago. Small ones at first. Amounts that could be explained away as errors in bookkeeping. But lately…” Darcy’s hands clenched at his sides. “He has grown bolder.”
“Does Wickham know you have discovered this?”
“I do not think he does, but he must know it is only a matter of time. The amounts he is taking now…” Darcy shook his head. “They are impossible to miss.”
“Show me exactly what he is doing,” Richard said, spreading the papers across the desk. “Everything.”
Darcy laid specific pages side by side. “Here. These are the real figures from the tenant farms. And these are the amounts recorded in the official books.”
Richard leaned over the desk and compared the columns. “The difference is substantial. And this has been going on since he became your guardian?”
“It is not only the rents,” Darcy said. “Mrs Reynolds found three cottages entered as reroofed last Michaelmas. The work was charged to the estate and paid in full. One of them has not been touched. A widow and her children have closed the upper rooms because the rain comes through.”
Richard looked down at the accounts. “And Finch approved the payment?”
“Finch and Wickham both. The amounts were smaller at first. Five hundred here, seven hundred there. But this past year…” Darcy indicated a column. “Look at the figures for the March quarter.”
Richard studied the numbers for a long moment. “Does Georgiana know any of this?”
“How can I tell her?” Darcy moved to the window. “She believes in him so completely. And the children…”
He turned back to face his cousin. “And what of Pemberley? What condition will the estate be in by the time I come of age?”
“Legally, there is little we can do until you turn twenty-one. As your guardian, he has full control of the estate’s management. Even with this evidence…”
“The courts would take months to act,” Darcy finished. “And by then…”
“Have you spoken with your solicitors?”
“I have an appointment on Monday morning. But Richard…” Darcy hesitated. “There is more.”
“What kind of more?”
“There have been… accidents. Too many to be coincidence.”
Richard went very still. “What kind of accidents?”
“A loose wheel on my curricle. The bridge. And Caesar was given something that made him unmanageable; Miller found the saddle had been tampered with as well.” Darcy’s jaw tightened.
“Then, just before I left, he found Wicked’s girth worked nearly loose.
That may have been wear. I no longer know what to dismiss. ”
“These are not accidents, Darcy. This is attempted murder.” Richard paced the length of the study. “And the longer you delay, the more likely it is he will succeed. And you rode here alone? Damn it, Darcy! You should have sent for me immediately.”
“And risk him discovering I had confided in you? No. I needed these records safe first.” Darcy gestured to the papers. “As far as anyone at Pemberley knows, I am merely stopping in London briefly on my way to Netherfield.”
“After these attempts on your life, you still plan to go to Netherfield?” Richard came to a halt by the fireplace.
“He has grown desperate, Darcy. If you reach your majority, his access to Pemberley’s funds ends, and everything he has done these past five years comes to light.
Much easier to maintain control of the estate with you out of the way entirely. ”
“Which is precisely why I needed to leave Pemberley. I am too vulnerable there. He controls everything, knows everyone’s movements. At least at Netherfield I will be beyond his immediate reach.”
“And what is to stop him following you there? He is your guardian. He could claim he is concerned for your welfare, checking on your situation.”
“He will not leave Pemberley unattended. Not when he has worked so hard to establish his control there. Besides, he can hardly arrange accidents at Netherfield as easily as at home.”
“No, but he might try something more direct. A man desperate enough to tamper with your saddle will not stick to subtle methods forever. And he has the funds to hire others to do his work for him.”
“Using Pemberley’s own money to arrange my death,” Darcy said. “There is a certain irony in that.”
“Which is why you are not going anywhere alone. Tell me about this Netherfield. Where exactly are you planning to go?”
“An estate in Hertfordshire. A friend of mine, Bingley, has just taken a lease there. He has asked for my help in learning estate management.”
“And does this friend know anything of your situation?”
“He knows the basic facts. That Wickham is my guardian until I come of age, and that we do not get along. But nothing of…” Darcy gestured to the papers on the desk.
“He will need to know more if you are to stay with him. At least enough to understand the danger.”
“You cannot mean to leave your regiment to play nursemaid.”
“I have leave coming. And I would rather spend it keeping you alive than watching you get yourself killed out of stubbornness.”
“If you come with me now, it will only alert Wickham that something—”
A knock at the door interrupted them. “Dinner is served, sir,” Wilson announced.
Over dinner, their conversation turned to safer topics.
Richard inquired about Darcy’s final year at Cambridge and shared news of the family.
Edward was making a name for himself in London legal circles; Charles had taken on more responsibilities at Matlock, working closely with their father.
Lady Henrietta, it seemed, was the toast of the season.
As Wilson cleared the last course, Richard mentioned, “Father will want to see you while you are in London.”
“Of course,” Darcy replied. “When would be convenient?”
“I will send a note round in the morning. He will want to hear about this immediately.”
Wilson moved silently around them, clearing plates and refilling glasses. Darcy found himself studying the butler’s retreating back, wondering how many of his own servants reported his movements to Wickham.
“Shall we take our drinks in the study?” he said, rising from the table.
In the study, Darcy poured them each a measure of port. The room still smelled faintly of his father’s tobacco.
Richard accepted his glass but did not drink, swirling the port as he settled into one of the wing chairs. “I have been thinking about your journey to Netherfield. You are right that my accompanying you would alert Wickham. But there might be another way to ensure your safety.”
“What did you have in mind?” Darcy asked. Richard’s posture had changed; the strategist had replaced the dining companion.
“I have several men who served with me. Good men who have completed their service. Trustworthy fellows looking for respectable positions. Your friend Bingley will need staff for his new estate…”
“You mean to place your former soldiers as servants?” Darcy considered it. Bingley had mentioned in his letter the difficulty of finding experienced staff for a newly let estate. “But would not their military bearing give them away?”
“Not these men. Several have already taken positions in good houses since leaving the regiment. A few carefully chosen men, positioned as footmen, stable hands… they could keep watch and send word if anything seems amiss. And if Wickham does make an appearance at Netherfield, they will ensure you are never truly alone with him.”
“And what of you? Surely Wickham would expect you to visit eventually. You usually join us for the shooting season.”
Richard smiled. “Indeed. I thought I might write to Georgiana next week, mentioning that I have heard excellent things about the shooting at Netherfield. It would be perfectly natural for me to join you there in a few weeks’ time.”
“And perfectly natural for my protective cousin to want to see how I am faring away from home. Georgiana would expect nothing less.”
“Exactly. Your sister knows how seriously I take my role as your cousin and friend. Wickham will not be able to object without raising suspicions. By the time I arrive, my men will already be in place, and we will have a better sense of Wickham’s next move.”
Darcy turned his glass between his fingers. “But how to explain their references to Bingley? He is new to estate management, but he is not a fool. He will need to believe they are experienced servants.”