Chapter 21

D enny returned to his shared quarters with Wickham. The latter was lazing on his bed. The former looked rather confused.

Normally Wickham would not care what Denny was concerned about, but as the time for his assignation with that flirt Lydia Bennet approached, he wanted to make sure there would be no interference with his plans. "Denny what ails you?" Wickham drawled lazily.

"It is not just me, but the whole regiment which this effects," Denny responded. Like you, I opened credit accounts in several stores in town, and based on your advice, it was also my intention not to pay them. That choice is no longer ours!"

Now Wickham was paying attention. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Of what do you speak?" Wickham demanded.

"Evidently one of the merchants has a cousin who owns a store in Westingham. The cousin let it be known some officers left without paying what they owed. Thankfully for us, no names were mentioned, but the local man has repeated his story to all of the tradesmen in Meryton. All accounts have been closed, and anyone who does not pay what he owes before our next wages are due to be given to us, will have the amount owed held, and handed to the merchants to satisfy our debts," Denny revealed.

"And you are sure no names were mentioned?" Wickham very much wanted to bed Miss Lydia, but if he thought he was about to be held to account for something he had done, he would leave this town and the militia behind him without a thought.

"No, had names been listed I would not have made it back to see you," Denny confirmed allowing Wickham to relax.

He was certain his silver tongue and charm would reopen the flow of credit for him without too much effort. His powers of manipulation and persuasion had never failed him before, and Wickham was confident it would be so now as well. "Come Denny and watch the master at work. I will have our accounts re-opened without too much effort. We will begin at the inn. The landlord there is particularly susceptible to flattery."

As their rented room was adjacent to the Red Lion Inn, it was a few minutes before the two were seated in the taproom. Wickham ordered two mugs of ale from the serving wench, who he intended to bed, once he was done ruining the Bennet chits. Rather than return with their drinks, the landlord replaced her.

"There will be no more accounts for non-residents of Meryton, and until you, Mr Wickham, pay the one crown and two shillings, and you, Mr Denny, the four shillings sixpence you owe, you will receive no further service ‘ere."

Wickham plastered his most charming smile on his face. "Mr Hainesworth, there must be some misunderstanding, surely a man of your intelligence and discernment does not question the honour of some of his Majesty's officers by insinuating we will not pay our debts?"

"As I said, pay what you owe, or leave now!" the landlord insisted.

Being denied that which he wanted was not something Wickham enjoyed. Holding his head high to preserve his dignity, Wickham led Denny out of the inn. This was a problem. He was aware he owed far more than his meagre wages would cover, so if the deadline was in about nine days when the militia was due to disburse their pay, Wickham would have to make his exit from this town before that date.

Still convinced he would succeed, Wickham stopped at three more shops: the tailor, the cobbler, and the tearoom. He had no more luck at any of them. By the time they left the final establishment, after failing to restore his credit once again, Wickham looked at his fob watch. It was four o'clock, so time to make his way to the hunting cabin. He just needed to return to his room and pull the coverlet off the bed to lay over the cot, to replace the one he had disposed of, before he bedded the slut.

On the way back to their temporary abode, Wickham and Denny were stopped by Sir William Lucas, in Wickham's opinion a rather silly local knight, accompanied by two unknown men, Colonel Forster, and several soldiers. Before either could react, they were grabbed and manacles locked onto their wrists.

The only thing Wickham could think of was this was thanks to Darcy. Then he remembered he had heard Darcy had left the area a day or so previously with his friend Bingley. He put on his most indignant look and turned to his colonel. "How can you allow two of your upstanding officers to be accosted in this fashion for no good reason?" Wickham demanded evenly, all the while feeling anything but calm. With all he had done in his life to this point, never had he been arrested before.

"Rather than discuss this in the street and have it be fodder for the whole town's amusement, I suggest we retire to the town gaol," Sir William proposed.

Thinking it would be to his advantage, ignoring the fact he was a terrible gambler, Wickham decided to call the knight's bluff. "It may be illustrative for the good citizens of Meryton to see how good and honourable officers, ones who are charged with their protection, are treated," Wickham said with a volume which ensured anyone relatively close to them would hear his words. One of those who stopped to see what this was all about, was none other than the most inveterate gossip, Hattie Phillips.

"So be it," Sir William responded. He cleared his throat. "In my capacity as magistrate, I am hereby arresting Lieutenants Jack Denny and George Wickham for trespass, unlawful entry into a structure, and theft. In addition, word has reached us the latter lieutenant left debts he never intended to pay and ruined girls behind him in Westingham, Northamptonshire. The former left debts as well, but far less than Lieutenant Wickham. That is why you are being arrested gentlemen. Once you have faced charges here, you will be transported to Northamptonshire to face the consequences of your actions there."

"All lies," Wickham blustered while he tried to work out how all of this was known.

"You were seen by more than one witness on Longbourn's land this morning. You were observed entering Bennet's hunting cabin, you were then noted leaving carrying the bedding from the cot, and said bedding has been recovered from where you discarded it on the walk back to Meryton," Sir William stated in his booming voice. A murmur rose from the crowd of townspeople which had formed a ring around the men. The looks Wickham and Denny were receiving from those who had welcomed them hours earlier, were not at all friendly.

"I received permission from Mr Bennet to enter his cabin and remove anything I desired," Wickham dissembled in a last ditch attempt to save himself from a gaol cell. This could not be happening, he always escaped the consequences arising from his actions, surely it would be the same this time.

"Then why did Mr Bennet swear this complaint out against you once your crimes against his property were reported to him?" Sir William demanded. He lifted the page above his head so the onlookers could see it.

"It must be an error, he simply forgot he bestowed his permission," Wickham claimed in desperation.

"In that case, we can go see Mr Bennet right now and ask him," Sir William suggested. "Or we can send for him to come and see you in the gaol. If what you say is true, I will be happy to send you to Westingham today."

Knowing he had shot his final bolt in his quiver of ready lies; Wickham simply shook his head. He would have to find a way to escape because things would not go well for him with some of the families of the girls he had meddled with in Northamptonshire. He did not look at Denny, who he was sure was in a state of shock, having believed Wickham's claims he would never be apprehended for what he did.

The men were led through the crowd, which had steadily grown, which hissed at the arrested men, interspersed with shouts of ‘ shame .' Thankfully the walk to the town gaol was not a long one.

"Colonel how can you allow this travesty to be visited upon two of your officers?" Wickham decided on a tack in an attempt to gain his freedom.

"You are charged with breaking civilian laws; hence I am bound by that law to defer to the local magistrate, who as you have now been told, is Sir William. I am satisfied the charges against you will be fully investigated and justice will be done," Colonel Forster averred.

Once pushed into his new home, a dejected Wickham fell back onto the piece of wood which passed as a place to rest his head. How was this happening to him?

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

That evil man and his friend have been arrested," Charlotte reported to the Bennet ladies.

Since learning not only did Lieutenant Wickham not love her, but he intended to ruin her, and what that entailed, Lydia, who was normally boisterous and brash, had barely said a word. Not even when her mother told her two youngest they were no longer out did Lydia raise a peep of opposition to her mother's pronouncement. Her whole world had been shaken to its core.

While they had waited to see if Lizzy's plan would bear fruit, Mama had owned the way Aunt Madeline had taught Jane and Lizzy, and to a lesser extent Mary, had been correct. Much to Lydia's surprise Mama had admitted it was, as Lydia had claimed, her lessons which had put herself and Kitty in the path of a seducer like Mr Wickham and his protégé, Mr Denny.

Although she had not been comfortable with some of what Lydia led her into, Kitty berated herself for her weakness in following Lydia's lead when she had known it was not right. At least when Mr Denny had tried to kiss her in the park a few days previously, she had stuck with what she felt was the proper thing to do, and not given in to him. Not even Lydia boasting how she had allowed Mr Wickham to kiss her, and even touch her breasts through her clothing had swayed Kitty from her determination. Her resolve had led to compliments from her three older sisters as well as, most surprisingly, from Mama who had praised her to the skies for resisting the Lieutenant's advances.

Being a child who was not used to direct praise—in the past she had only received such tangentially when Mama lathered it upon Lydia—it was a wholly new, and very pleasant, experience for the second to youngest Bennet.

"How did that man take his being arrested?" Jane enquired.

"Not well, he attempted to prevaricate to get out of his manacles, but Papa, who knew more of the truth, though not all, would not be moved. Your Aunt Phillips was one of the crowd so the downfall of Messrs Denny and Wickham will be known far and wide by now," Charlotte remembered she was speaking of Mrs Bennet's sister. She turned towards the Bennet matron. "Please excuse my allowing my mouth to run away with me. "

"I am aware of Hattie's love of gossip, of which I have shared in the past, so you did not insult my sister as it is nothing but the truth," Fanny allowed.

Elizabeth could not but shake her head. It seemed her mother was far more intelligent than she or her father ever gave her credit for, and more than that, she seemed to be quite self-aware. All of the times Jane had told her that Mama was cognisant of what was occurring when she was being made sport of, she now knew to be true. To her everlasting shame, Elizabeth had rejected her sister's counsel out of hand. Seeing this only highlighted what a long road she had to travel to make amends, and that was before she dealt with her pig headedness with regards to Mr Darcy. She would have a steady diet of humble pie to consume.

"By the by, no one gave the Lieutenants a clue as to who it was who observed them. My father would not say how your father knew so he could file the complaint," Charlotte informed the Bennet ladies.

"In a way, I would like to see his face when he realises he was outsmarted by a Bennet after the way Mr Wickham disdained us." Elizabeth paused as she calmed her ire at the libertine. "How long can they be held so the populace will be protected?" Elizabeth queried.

"Thanks to an admission by Mr Wickham when he tried to lie his way out of his problems, they can be tried and convicted without your father having to testify," Charlotte gave her friend a sly look. "I would guess other than having signed the paper, your father is unaware of what he alleged?"

"You know me too well," Elizabeth blushed. "I could not allow such a man to continue bedevilling this neighbourhood, or any other."

"Nothing you wrote was anything but the absolute truth, hence my father was completely sanguine with the note from your father . As it is, when they are eventually sent to the assizes in Hertford, given what they stole is below the amount for hanging, they will either have a lengthy stay in prison or be transported," Charlotte reported.

Even though she desired for Mr Wickham to be punished for all of his misdeeds, not the least of which was playing her for a fool, Elizabeth did not want his blood on her hands. That she had just learnt the offences would not earn the ultimate punishment allowed her to relax. Had he been sentenced to hang, as much as he may have deserved that sentence, it would have always been something which would have weighed heavily on her soul.

"Jane, have you heard from Louisa regarding when your fiancé will return from London?" Elizabeth questioned, seemingly incongruously. Although her mother and younger sisters did not understand why Elizabeth asked what she did, Jane and Charlotte were fully cognisant about what she was asking.

"Unless she has heard otherwise today, as far as I am aware, it is either the morrow or Friday. I will send a note to Louisa to send a message as soon as Charles arrives back at the estate. You know how I have been missing him," Jane averred as she looked directly at Lizzy.

Fanny was pleased Jane was pining for her fiancé in that way. It boded well for their future felicity. In essentials still being herself, Fanny wondered if Mr Bingley would apply for a special licence. How sweet it would be to have a daughter married by one. She could not understand why Lizzy had asked about Mr Bingley. However, her second daughter's eyes had been opened regarding her father, so Fanny allowed the resentment to ebb away. She admitted to herself how wrong it was of her to have punished Lizzy because of the unique closeness her second daughter had had with Mr Bennet.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"Will your cousins and the Colonel's men be ready to depart in the morning on the morrow?" Bingley asked enthusiastically.

"I take it this means you have a draft settlement to proffer to Mr Bennet?" Darcy assumed.

"Yes I do," Bingley confirmed. "Are your aunt and uncle allowing Lady Rebecca to join us on our return to Netherfield Park?"

"Indeed," Darcy averred succinctly.

"I can only imagine how my younger sister would have preened had she still been at the estate when an unmarried viscount was in residence," Bingley mused. "It may have been enough to pull her attentions from you."

"Firstly, I would never wish that on Andy, and as hard as it may be to hear, had your younger sister been in residence, he would not have joined us at Netherfield Park. My oldest cousin has far less tolerance than even myself for behaviour like Miss Bingley is apt to exhibit," Darcy replied.

"When will you notify everyone we depart in the morning?"

"If your head was not so full of your Miss Bennet you would have remembered we are having dinner at Matlock House tonight. The Major and Captain will be joining us, so other than those two big, hulking sergeants, everyone who is travelling with us will be together."

"May I sit at your desk to write an express to Lulu and Hurst? I would like to let them know I will arrive home a day early. Also, I will tell her to send notes to defer the ball until after the business with Wickham is dealt with."

"Of course you may. That your sister will notify your fiancée of your arriving home sooner is not a deciding factor in your desire to send an express is it?" All Bingley gave as a reply was a wide grin. "I suggest you make it legible for once, elsewise Mrs Hurst may tell Miss Bennet you are traveling to Timbuktu. Once you have completed your missive, I will send my courier to Netherfield Park. That way, it will be there in a few short hours," Darcy volunteered. He did not comment on Bingley's decision to defer the ball, he felt that it was a good one.

Not a half hour later, a legible note was wending its way to Hertfordshire safely stored in the Darcy courier's pouch.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

A Netherfield Park groom delivered a note to Miss Bennet even before the Bennets broke their fasts on Thursday morning. Hill brought it to the shared bedchamber of the two eldest Bennets.

"Well?" Elizabeth enquired expectantly when she saw the way Jane's face lit up.

"It is from Louisa; she received an express from her brother yester-evening. She felt it was too late to send me a note then. Charles and Mr Darcy, accompanied by Miss Darcy, three of his cousins, and some other men will arrive at Netherfield Park today," Jane related. "Also, the ball is to be deferred. Louisa writes that she is dispatching cards to all those invited to inform them of the change."

"We need to send a note to Charlotte and ask her to join us in calling on Louisa at about eleven this morning," Elizabeth suggested. "I assume the change to the ball is somehow related to Mr Wickham and his perfidy."

Jane agreed with both of her sisters points, and a note was soon on its way to Lucas Lodge.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

In London, even before sunrise, two Darcy and one Hilldale coaches departed Grosvenor Square and were soon on their way out of the city and on the road which bypassed Meryton to reach Netherfield Park.