Chapter 16

D arcy listened to his cousin relating to him the details of Wickham’s disappearance. He had been told that Georgiana had returned to Netherfield too and had immediately retired to her chamber. Her suffering and guilt must be heavy now she realised the true abomination that was the character of that man — a man she had considered a friend all her life and had almost fallen in love with.

Unlike his cousin, Darcy was rather calm. He had expected Wickham to run away at the first sign of any trouble and to flout the rules that bind an officer to his regiment; but stealing the colonel’s valuables was a step too far.

“Colonel Forster was distraught; besides being the victim of a crime, he is responsible for the disappearance of his lieutenant. He was in a hurry to leave, and two other officers were with him, so I had no time to enquire about his wife’s past and her connection to Wickham. However, as inappropriate as it was, I waited for him to leave, then I returned to speak to her.”

“You did? That is surprising, indeed, but it was probably your only choice,” Darcy agreed. “And?”

“And, the little mouse proved to be a predator. A most impertinent one. She replied that I had no right to question her presence in Ramsgate and I should be more concerned about Georgiana’s time there. She specifically said people might be curious about her own past actions, but they would surely be more curious about Georgina Darcy’s.”

A sensation of failure, helplessness, and anger wrapped around Darcy. He tried to adjust his position, but the sharp pain reminded him that he was still incapacitated, and his rage burst out.

“That woman is just as dangerous as Wickham — perhaps more so! She might be the inducement for his latest actions. To think that I judged her as just another silly girl, married young to an old man for comfort. I saw her speaking to Lydia Bennet — who is only fifteen — and I thought they were very much alike in wit. What an idiot I have been! I have judged everything wrongly! Everything!”

“Calm down, Darcy. We will get to the bottom of all this.”

“We certainly will. We must find Wickham. I am not sure where Colonel Forster’s men are searching, but Wickham is probably in London. There is no better place for him to hide. He has Mrs Younge too — I heard she bought a house and is renting rooms. My man discovered her, and I have the direction.”

“A boarding house? You certainly paid her exceedingly well,” the colonel said.

“I am in no mood for mockery, Richard. We must find Wickham and have him locked up. Enough is enough. I have purchased some of his debts and shall see he is thrown in debtors’ prison. Spending the winter there will surely teach him a lesson.”

“Wait — what? We are not going anywhere — I am going. You will keep resting, just as the doctor ordered. I am going to London and will find Wickham. Do not worry, I will make sure he is locked up — that is if I am in a good disposition. Come, Darcy, be reasonable, this is the only solution! I am going alone!”

Darcy hesitated, struggling to find arguments, until he eventually surrendered.

“Very well. But do not go alone — take Bingley, will you? He needs to purchase a marriage licence and see his attorney about preparing a settlement. He is trustworthy and will be useful to you. I shall give you the direction of a Mr Dunn — he is excellent at finding anyone and anything. And Mrs Younge’s address.”

“We should leave immediately — I shall talk to Bingley right away.”

“I shall write to Mr Bennet and explain the situation, to put his family at ease. Perhaps I should invite Mr Bennet here, to discuss the matter at length and explain about Harriet Forster too — since she was his daughter’s friend.”

“You should. Mr Bennet has already offered his help. I am going to prepare for our departure.”

Once alone, Darcy tried to compose himself enough to consider the situation rationally. There were many things that could go awry and harm Georgiana. Not only Wickham but also Harriet Forster — if she was anything like the colonel had described her — could be a threat that was impossible to predict.

In the middle of his musings, Dr Bates came to examine him. Hearing about the colonel travelling to London, the doctor decided to join him, which Darcy readily approved. Things then proceeded with rapidity. He sent a note to Mr Bennet, mentioning Bingley and the licence and asking him to visit the next day.

The party bound for London departed soon after. In Bingley’s absence, Darcy had to answer Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst’s enquiries, which he did with as few details as possible. Dinner was served in his room, and Georgiana joined him. She looked as troubled as he feared and barely ate or spoke at all, and Darcy did not know how to comfort her; therefore, impulsively, he sent his valet with another note for Mr Bennet, asking permission for Elizabeth to visit Georgiana the following day.

?It was late when Darcy’s valet returned from Longbourn and handed Darcy a piece of paper. He expected it to be from Mr Bennet, so he was shocked when he read it.

Darcy,

You have ruined yet another of my plans and forced me to abandon a most favourable position. Despite my hopes, I keep happening upon you; this seems to be a curse that I cannot break. I intend to leave England for good; there is nothing left for me here. However, I have no means to do it in a way that pleases me, but you certainly do, so I propose a final deal. For the sum of five thousand pounds, I am prepared to give back the letters Georgiana wrote to me, as well as your father’s watch that has been in my possession since his death. After that, you will never see me or hear from me again.

If you accept the deal, there is a place called Oakham Mount. You will easily find it. Someone will wait for you on the roadside at the bottom of the path on the west side of the hill tomorrow from daybreak to sunset. I know your cousin, Bingley, and the doctor have left for London. They are foolish to search for me there.

I also know you are wounded, but if you act the gentleman you always are, this should not matter, as you will not even have to leave your carriage. Someone will come to your window, you will hand them the money, and they will hand you the letters and watch in return. If you do not have that sum in your possession, I would be happy to take a note from you and give it to your solicitor in exchange for the money. After all, I have known Mr Green for years; he would not even be surprised.

I am in a hurry, so I need your immediate reply. The boy will wait for it. Do not try to question him; he knows nothing. I shall take the note from him at my convenience.

If I get no answer or receive a negative one, I shall find someone else interested in purchasing the named objects, perhaps for even more. A scandal about Miss Georgiana Darcy would surely be a subject that would delight London’s ton.

Be wise; if not for yourself, for Georgiana’s sake. Your father always spoke of how clever and dutiful you are; surely you do not wish to disappoint him.

Darcy put down the letter, his hands trembling with fury, his head spinning, and a sharp claw gripping his chest. It could not be! It was beyond anything he had expected, and he had certainly expected the very worst.

“Where did you get this?”

“A lad gave it to me. He works at the inn, I believe. He cannot be older than ten. He was waiting outside the front door when I returned. I hope you do not mind me bringing you the note.”

“No, not at all. The note is from Wickham… I need to think. I shall only need a moment. Give me some paper, then go and speak to the boy. Do not scare him. Give him some cake and some milk and try to discover whether he knows anything useful.”

Stevens left, and Darcy pressed his fingers against his temple, trying to soothe the pulsations in his veins. His rage was so great that it silenced his voice of reason.

The last phrase about his father and Georgiana affected him more than all the others. He did not know Wickham had his father’s watch, nor that he possessed any letters from Georgiana. He was tempted to ask his sister, but it did not matter in the end. It was an opportunity that he would not miss.

Giving Wickham five thousand pounds to leave the country was a small price to pay for his peace; he would have given it in an instant if he trusted the scoundrel’s words. But the time for negotiating with Wickham had long passed. More drastic measures needed to be taken.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against his pillows until his mind and his body calmed enough for him to write.

Wickham, you fool,

You surely must know I do not have that amount of money with me. With what I do have and what I can borrow from Bingley and Hurst, I may have a little under four thousand. I shall send someone to leave the remainder with Mrs Younge, and you can collect it from there.

You cannot be so stupid as to believe I shall deal with anyone else. I shall be at the place you named tomorrow morning, before breakfast. You, in person, will come to my carriage, show me the objects you have, and I shall give you the money. Stevens and a coachman will be with me; you cannot be so naive as to believe I shall come alone either.

This is my counter-proposal and final offer. You may threaten me with scandal, but even an idiot like you knows that nobody would publish your stories without asking for my opinion, so I can easily thwart your ridiculous scheme.

I shall be there in the morning for no longer than one hour. I have no intention of wasting more of my time on a miscreant like you.

He put the letter down, closed his eyes for a moment, then re-read it, to be sure it had all the details that would trigger Wickham to act in a certain way. He rang, gave it to Stevens to give to the boy, then asked the valet to return so he could explain his plan.

∞∞∞

The news of Mr Bingley’s sudden departure baffled Mrs Bennet and consequently the entire house. The explanation that he was eager to purchase a licence for the wedding was thrilling, but she still feared her daughter’s betrothed might have run away in order to avoid marrying her — a supposition that Mr Bennet declared to be ridiculous and not worthy of debate.

Rumours of Mr Wickham’s betrayal had spread all over Meryton, and Mrs Phillips came to discuss it with her sister. To make things even worse, another report upset Mrs Bennet: before leaving Hertfordshire, Mr Collins had proposed to Charlotte Lucas, and they were now engaged to be married in January. Such news almost overshadowed the joy of Jane’s engagement, and the idea that Charlotte would one day become the mistress of Longbourn brought Mrs Bennet more suffering, despite her happiness that her own daughter would soon become the mistress of Netherfield. As expected, she blamed Elizabeth for being wild, inconsiderate, and selfish and for offending Mr Collins with her stubbornness, which she believed had caused him to turn his attention elsewhere.

“The moment Mr Collins set foot at Lucas Lodge, they trapped him. Sir William and Lady Lucas flattered him, Charlotte must have used her arts and allurements to charm him, and now there she is, betrothed and ready to steal Longbourn from us. And all because of Lizzy!”

Whatever anyone said, it was impossible for Mrs Bennet to be calmed, so Elizabeth chose to cease trying to reason with her. She had dinner, then retired to her chamber. There were so many things to think about, so many things to understand, so many things to worry about. She was disappointed with Charlotte for marrying a man she had just met and who lacked common sense and wit. However, her friend was a wise woman, reasonable and determined, who had certainly made a choice she believed was in her own best interests.

Mr Bennet informed her about the note from Mr Darcy and his recommendation to keep Lydia and Kitty away from Harriet Forster, which Mr Bennet had complied with immediately, despite the girls’ strong opposition.

Mrs Forster was still in the comfort of her home in Meryton amidst all her husband’s possessions, which seemed strange to Elizabeth. Why would the colonel allow it, when she was surely aware of Wickham’s plans? But did Colonel Forster know that? Had anyone informed him? Had he believed them? Or perhaps she was innocent, despite Elizabeth’s suspicions. It was all exceedingly confusing and equally worrisome.

Later in the evening, Mr Bennet told Elizabeth about Mr Darcy’s second note containing the invitation for her, which brought Elizabeth both pleasure and anxiety. She was delighted with Miss Darcy’s company and pleased to be invited, even though Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst would be there. Furthermore, she was eager to see Mr Darcy. She missed him and kept him in her mind and her heart all the time — which was frightening. That she could have fallen in love with a man in such a short while and have such strong feelings for him was unthinkable — and yet, it was true.

Her night was restless, as many others had been lately. Jane was sound asleep, so at the first sign of daylight, Elizabeth dressed and left the house, disregarding Hill’s reproachful glances and silent opposition. It was cold and misty, but the fresh air filled her lungs and dissipated the tiredness. After so many days of ceaseless bustle indoors, she needed a walk — a long one to exercise her body and calm her mind.

Careful to watch her step on the slippery ground, Elizabeth took the path towards Oakham Mount. She had not been so far from the house in over a month, and, with Jane’s forthcoming marriage, she would likely not have another opportunity soon.

At that hour, even nature was still asleep, frozen, with no sound other than the wind and her own footsteps. Therefore, the sudden noise of a carriage’s wheels and horse’s hoofs alarmed her. She stepped off the road to let it pass, curious about who might be travelling at such a time. When it came into view she regarded it with amazement, recognising one of the men sitting on the box, and immediately called out.

“Stevens? Is that you?”

The man looked equally shocked and immediately signalled to his companion to stop. Only then did Elizabeth recognise Mr Darcy’s carriage.

“Miss Bennet? What…? Madam, where are you going?” Stevens mumbled, agitated.

“I am going for a walk,” she replied, dumbfounded. She was close to the carriage door and tried to peek inside, but the face that greeted her from within was most unexpected.

“Mr Darcy?” she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her palm in utter disbelief.