by Kate Speck
“Do you mean to tell me that he visited museums and galleries and concerts with you?” Mrs. Carlson gasped. “And you met at the theatre, is that not correct?” Elizabeth nodded. “Goodness gracious, I have never heard of his attending more than two or three events in a season! He certainly has done so because of you, sister! He is, by far, the most eligible bachelor in England and I briefly fancied myself to gain his regard when my father made his acquaintance, but I realised quickly that we were a terrible match and fell madly in love with my dear Frederick at first sight. You have brought a liveliness in Mr. Darcy that no one else could draw out and I know you two will be happy together. Nearly as happy as Frederick and myself, I hope.” She winked. “Come and visit us in Sussex if you are able in the near future and I will be taking up your invitation to Pemberley as well. God bless you, sister.”
The stepsisters embraced with warm hearts as they grew to understand each other better and Elizabeth’s jealousy melted away.
Darcy approached with Frederick Carlson and bowed over Mrs. Carlson’s hand. “Save journey, Mrs. Carlson.” He quickly let go and reached for Elizabeth’s hand to wrap it around his arm. “I will write to you, Frederick, and inform you of the events with Wickham. Keep free of injuries and make sure you take good care of your family.” He smiled.
“Thank you, Darcy! I shall write to you about my father as well and hope to see you this summer at Pemberley. It has been years since my last visit there and I look forward to seeing it again. See you again soon, Lizzy.” Mr. Carlson beamed, as he bent to kiss Elizabeth’s hand then wrapped his arm around his wife’s.
Darcy led his betrothed to the awaiting carriage outside of Lucas Lodge as the rest of the party was taking their leave.
“Shall I be jealous that another man kissed your hand, my love? Perhaps you are wishing I were as amiable as Frederick.” He kissed her hand.
Elizabeth giggled, “Oh, no, my dear Mr. Darcy. You are perfectly amiable and I would not wish for you to show your true self to anyone else. I know your secret, William; that you love me and share all of yourself with me.”
“So true,” Darcy replied. “There are few people whom I really love, but I love you most ardently amongst all of the lives that have existed. I cannot imagine caring for another more than I care for you.”
Darcy covertly kissed her lips without being witnessed and handed her into his carriage, and they awaited their sisters to take everyone home.
~*~
Mr. Bennet and the new Mrs. Bennet returned from their wedding trip on the fourth of January and were greeted warmly by their family.
Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam informed Mr. Bennet of the latest and the whereabouts of George Wickham. He had been tracked to a neighbouring town two days ago and Darcy was certain that he would be staying close to Meryton to attack before the wedding.
Mr. Kingston also informed the gentlemen that one of the tenants reported of a broken fence on the Netherfield border that very morning and although there was no way to know what might have happened, everyone was on high guard.
“While Mr. Gardiner remains in London for a week and will return before the engagement ball,” Darcy spoke, “I will ensure that Mrs. Gardiner and the children are protected. Colonel Fitzwilliam is working with Colonel Forster and has received permission to stay until the wedding with his men. My hope is that once Miss Elizabeth and I have left the county and my sister returns to London with my uncle and aunt, Wickham will either follow us there or give up his plans for some time. I am most concerned that this will drag on long and make us miserable; that would cause more lasting pain and I am eager for all this to end.” He sighed. “Once I return to London, I will put a bounty to track him down for his debts. I hold a large amount and based on that alone, he will be sent to debtor’s prison for life. Richard also informed me that Wickham had signed his commission so he is considered a deserter now. The militia is also desiring his capture and he cannot last long.”
“Good, Good,” Mr. Bennet replied with relief, “I am glad there are ways to have him jailed as soon as he is captured, even if you cannot connect him to the killings. We only need to concentrate on the next ten nights and ensure the engagement ball and wedding run smoothly. Mrs. Bennet spent many hours planning and sending off letters to Lady Suffolk and Lady Matlock in London while I was ensconced in the library. It was the most delightful wedding trip I could have ever imagined!” He laughed loudly.
The gentlemen soon joined the ladies and planned for the visitors who would arrive that day as well as Mr. Collins on Monday. Most of the guests would be hosted at Netherfield while Mr. Collins visited Longbourn.
~*~
George Wickham lifted the hood of his flushing coat to conceal his face and hid behind the corner of the building as he eyed the two girls chattering loudly while they walked with their companion. He saw that the town square was filled with men and women running their errands on a Saturday afternoon and wondered if he could get away with pushing the elder companion onto an approaching wagon like he had done with Georgiana’s previous companion. He waited for his moment patiently as he observed the two girls. Although they were dressed as girls and not women yet, he could see that the taller one had large bosoms and was flirting with several men as she passed them. He laughed, understanding that this chit was a wild one and she would be an easy mark to attract. He saw the companion scold the girl and the shorter girl roughly pulled on the taller one’s arm.
I will get under her skirts easily and I can get to Darcy through her. He will pay me to keep his betrothed’s family’s shame a secret and perhaps I will have my chance to taste Elizabeth Bennet as well. Wickham thought to himself. It is only unfortunate that Mrs. Younge failed in convincing Darcy to send off Georgiana to Ramsgate and I could have eloped with her and her £30,000. I must grab Georgie at the first opportunity.
Wickham continued to watch the Bennet girls and saw that the taller one was whining and crossing her arm like a spoiled brat. The shorter one appeared to have had enough and pushed the other firmly, throwing the girl on her bottom in the street.
Within a few seconds, Wickham noted two burly men running towards the girls and separating the girls from pulling on each other’s hair.
Damn it! These girls are also guarded. Blasted! I thought with the companion, I might have a chance to snatch one of them but I cannot do anything now. He thought.
Wickham turned and covered his face to avoid being seen by the bodyguards. As the girls walked away, still yelling and screaming at each other, he saw Lieutenant Denny at a distance. He walked briskly to his friend’s side and bumped the young man.
“Pardon me, sir,” Lieutenant Denny apologised, “I did not see you there a moment ago.” He bowed to the elderly man in the hooded coat. He could only see the long beard and dirty hands.
“Denny, it is I, Wickham. You must help me. Someone is out to get me and I will be killed if you do not help me.” Wickham whispered. “You OWE me, mate! I will forgive you the £100 debt if you help me.”
Denny turned white and grabbed Wickham’s arm to pull him into an alley. “A Colonel Fitzwilliam and his men came looking for you. They said you were dangerous and that you had gambling debts and are a wanted man. What have you done?! I cannot help you! I will be punished for helping you!”
“You will help me, Denny. I told you about Darcy and how he cheated me of the living. Colonel Fitzwilliam is his cousin and of course he is out to get me as well. Darcy wants to have me hanged because his pretty fiancée loved me first and is carrying my child.” He lied. “Do not forget that I helped you with that situation of yours, Denny, and I will not hesitate to inform your father that you impregnated his mistress!” Wickham bitterly threatened his friend.
“Fine, fine! What do you want me to do? I have no money with me and all of my belongings are back at camp. How am I to help you?” Denny growled.
Wickham leaned in and spoke quietly, “I heard rumours that Darcy will be having an engagement ball on the
eleventh and officers are invited. I will hurt him through his women and he will have no choice but to accept me as his family. Get me in to that party, Denny. You know the people of Meryton well. Find an excuse to get to the back and open the door for me two hours after the ball begins. I will be disguised as an old servant to fool the guards through the gates but the staff will not let anyone in who does not work there or hold an invitation. Get me in the doors and I will consider your debt paid.”
Denny nodded his agreement and hastened back to the encampment. He knew he had no choice but to help Wickham to avoid being disinherited by his intemperate father who had loved his mistress. Denny had been sleeping with the woman for three full months before she showed symptoms of pregnancy and his father had not conceived with her for over three years. The mistress pointed to Denny as the father of the babe but Wickham had stepped in and vowed that he had witnessed the woman with a seaman and that she must have been laying with other men. After his father had her beaten, Denny tossed a few pounds to the woman and had her ejected from the townhouse. Last that he had heard, she had become a prostitute near a tavern where the owner and his wife were brutally murdered two months ago by the Ratcliff Highway Killer.
~*~
Netherfield was filled with guests on Monday and Bingley beamed as he hugged his sister that evening before dinner. “Thank you for all you have done here, Louisa. I cannot believe we are hosting two sets of earls and a viscount! It is an incredible feat and they were all very complimentary to you!”
Louisa Hurst patted her brother’s cheek. “I could not be prouder of you, Charles. I know that I made the mistake of agreeing with Caroline on everything but seeing her assault Miss Elizabeth showed me that she was becoming insane, and then hearing of how she behaved at the countess’ ball and to publicly be ashamed, I was only glad I was not there standing next to her.” She sighed as she squeezed her brother’s hand. “I never liked Samuel Allens and I know she is miserable, Charles, and I do feel sorry for her. She still writes to me and although she knows you will never help her, she begged me to assist her in finding a place to reside since she has been shunned by all of her friends and she has no one to turn to. With only a little of her annual allowance left, her choices are limited until she can pull enough funds to build her grand mansion in Cumberland in the next several years.” She shook her head. “I cannot believe she went through so much of her income already! What on earth was she thinking?”
Bingley chuckled, “Did you know that when Hurst began his courtship with you, Caroline fretted that he must have been only after your fortune and insisted on putting a restriction on your dowry so he could not waste your money? Father had left enough room for me to place the clause and little did she know I did the same for hers. She was furious that I made the same arrangement for her £20,000 and wanted the entire fund immediately but I refused to oblige her. I am glad for it now, Louisa. That fool Allens wasted all of his father’s inheritance and was relying on Caroline’s money to live comfortably. They make each other miserable and it is a pathetic situation.”
“Well, I will not be sending her any funds and I have chastised as much as I could on my replies to her, but I would like to help her find a place of lodging. They have until the end of next month to vacate their current place at Ramsgate and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner have been generous in aiding me. Mr. Gardiner has many connections and is aware of a few places that might fit their budget without being publicly shunned. It is common knowledge of her behaviour in town but she may be accepted in Bristol or Gloucester if she can keep her mouth closed and can accept a modest house until something can be built. I do not know what she was thinking to rent out the most expensive lodging in Ramsgate. She demands a mansion of £500 per annum but she only has £200 left.” Louisa huffed. “She is being ridiculous as usual and wishes to keep her French maid and twelve servants, and will soon dig herself into heavy debt if she does not learn to economise. I plan on writing to her to offer her choices and perhaps visit her for a week before joining Mr. Hurst’s parents this summer. I wish to make peace with her as well as my in-laws before the babe arrives.” Louisa Hurst had a gleam in her eye as she shared her news for the first time with her brother.
Bingley gasped and smiled broadly, hugging his sister once again and pronouncing his acclamation. “I am so happy for you, Louisa! After three years of marriage, you are finally with child? Congratulations, sister!”
“Thank you, Charles. Things have improved much between Mr. Hurst and myself and we hope to have the babe at our home where we belong. I had encouraged him to be in town far too long and it is time we took our place to be of use to his parents and learn to be the future master and mistress of the estate. It may be small but it will be ours and we must care for it.” Louisa responded. “I hope Caroline finds her own happiness somehow as well. She is also with child, I believe, Charles. I received her letter this morning and she asks for advice on feeling severely nauseous in the mornings. I was like that about two months ago and I felt the quickening only yesterday.”
“But... but... she has been married only a fortnight! Is it possible to conceive so quickly?” Bingley stuttered. “I did not think Allens could be so... potent... given his age and his size.”
Louisa giggled, “No, Charles. She has to be at least six weeks along. That is right around the time she was first introduced to Mr. Allens. They must have been... intimate near the very beginning of their acquaintance.” She laughed louder seeing Bingley’s crinkled face.
“Well, at least they are married, even if they are miserable together, and they will have their heir and life will go on. I would not have believed Caroline could make such a... distasteful choice for herself after all of her boasting of being fit for Pemberley but she made her bed...” he snorted, “... and she must lie in it.”
Louisa burst out laughing again. “So true, so true. Oh, Charles, I hope you are married soon and find your happiness. Your courtship with Jane is going well, I believe. I always said she is such a wonderful girl, and I am very happy that you have found her. I do truly like Miss Elizabeth and I am repentant that I had judged her so harshly before, but you belong with Jane Bennet and she will make you a wonderful wife. I adore all of the Bennets and was even surprised by the youngest girls who are lively and fun. They are energetic but their governess has done a good job of managing them.”
Bingley beamed, “I am appreciating taking the time to know Jane better. I was anxious because she had been previously engaged, but finding out that they were childhood friends and had felt comfortable to marry each other but that she had not felt half of the excitement as during our courtship gives me hope that she will learn to love me as much as I love her. Darcy advised me to take things slower and he has been absolutely correct. I find myself thinking of her and wishing for her happiness above my own and I know I admire her with all of my heart. It has only been a week but I hope to propose at the end of this month, Louisa. If I can convince Mrs. Kingston, perhaps we can marry after Darcy completes his wedding trip and before the season in London.”
“I will support you, Charles. I could not imagine a better woman for you.” Louisa kissed his cheek. “I would be most happy to be related to the Bennets through your marriage.”
“Well, now,” Bingley smiled, “let us prepare for our dinner tonight with nobility. We will have the Bennets and the Kings, along with the Howards, the Fitzwilliams, the Kingstons, and Mrs. Gardiner. It will be a prelude to how the engagement ball will turn out and we must be on our top game.” He laughed as his sister gasped. “All will be well, Louisa. You have been an excellent hostess and Darcy assures me he and Miss Elizabeth will manage the countesses to keep their demands to a minimum.”
“Thank you, Charles,” Louisa nodded. “I am looking forward to the engagement ball and cannot wait for your very own celebration in the near future!”
The siblings departed the study to prepare for dinner to join the large party of guests at Netherfield.
Chapter 22
The bizarre man bowed repeatedly while Mr. Bennet snickered in amusement. Mrs. Bennet was seen covering her mouth as Elizabeth pulled on her arm to cease her giggles while attempting to hide her own. Jane and Mary were standing in awe, wondering if the large man might fall flat on his face, as Mr. Collins continued his salutations to the rigid gentleman.
“That will do, Mr. Collins,” Mr. Bennet commanded, seeing that his future son-in-law was ready to toss the peculiar man out the front door.
“Yes, sir, of course, Mr. Bennet. It is truly a pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Darcy, and of course all of the lovely ladies in the household.” Mr. Collins began to bow again to the women. “I am finding all of my dear cousins very beautiful and did not expect to be surrounded by such striking ladies in one place.” Mr. Collins ogled sideways from Jane to Mary, even inspecting the new Mrs. Bennet from head to toe.
“That will do, Mr. Collins, quite sufficient.” Darcy now ordered, protectively drawing Elizabeth nearer to his side. “Please take a seat and tell us how my aunt fares.”
Mr. Collins immediately sat down and began his compliments. “Oh! Her magnificent ladyship is in excellent health, as always, of course, and Lady Catherine is most anxious for her daughter, the graceful Miss de Bourgh’s state of well-being, as she relinquished that gentle lady to her brother’s care in order to experience the many, many enjoyments in London before a certain special wedding takes place.” He nodded at Darcy. “I am rather surprised that you are here at my cousin Bennet’s home...” he suddenly looked at the woman next to Darcy who was sitting closer than norm and frowned. “May I ask how do you know my cousin, Mr. Darcy? I wonder now if your betrothed is aware of your presence in Hertfordshire.”
Darcy clenched his teeth and Elizabeth could feel his muscles tighten next to her. She spoke before Darcy could respond, “I am absolutely certain Mr. Darcy’s betrothed is aware and welcomes him in Hertfordshire. May I ask, Mr. Collins, if you are aware of who his current betrothed might be?” She heard Darcy hide his humph. “He is the most eligible bachelor of London and his lady must be most fortunate to win such a prize.”
