If Only In His Dreams (11 page)

Wickham had begun to plan methods of extracting more funds from his childhood friend.  One plan was to find a way to convince Georgiana that he was in love with her and talk her into an elopement.  But this option would be difficult as Lady Anne was nearly always with her daughter and Lady Anne disliked Wickham.  She knew how often Wickham would commit offenses only to place the blame off on her son. 

He had always been cruel to Darcy, and the older Wickham became, the manner of his cruelty grew worse.  Darcy would never tell his father that Wickham was the cause of most of Darcy’s problems, as the son attempted to cover the debts to protect his father from the truth.  The gambling, the debts to merchants, even seeing that the children that Wickham fathered with the many young ladies he ruined found homes.  And yet, Wickham always demanded more.

Darcy’s father had always been generous, as the man told Wickham time and again that he had respected Wickham’s father.  The elder Wickham had died in a tragic fire and Mrs Wickham had always told her son that the Darcys were responsible for his death.  Mrs Wickham had been a greedy woman, always expecting everyone to be generous to her for no reason.  This was a trait that was passed down to her son.

Mrs Wickham had died three years after her husband, leaving young George Wickham with
very poor
morals.

When George Wickham and Fitzwilliam Darcy were in school together, Darcy had fancied himself in love with a young lady who was the sister of a classmate.  Being his first exposure to young ladies showing him attention, he was quite confused with how to behave.  George discovered that
Darcy cared for the young lady,
then used the information to cause Darcy as much pain as possible.  Being that Wickham and Darcy shared a dormitory room, there was very little that could be hidden from either.  The painful discovery of Wickham bedding the young lady was devastating for the heir to Pemberley.  The young lady was ruined and her brother was furious with Wickham.  When she later learned that she was with child, she was taken to Scotland and kept there throughout her confinement.  The young lady died during childbirth, and Darcy found a home for the baby.  The classmate drank himself
to death
after his sister’s death, causing a commotion in their family.

Now, George Wickham could see that he would have yet another chance to take a young lady away from Darcy.

Chapter 11

Elizabeth was puzzled after her encounter with Wickham.  She knew enough of Darcy and his mother to disbelieve Wickham’s tale.  But he was quite at ease in his manners and she knew that he could easily manipulate others against the Darcys.  Elizabeth determined the best course of action was to speak with Lady Anne and her son.  Instead of returning to Longbourn, Elizabeth made her way to Netherfield.

When she arrived, Elizabeth was escorted into the drawing room where Lady Anne
was spending some time with Georgiana.  “Lizzy, what a surprise; to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I need to speak to you on a matter of urgency.” Elizabeth replied.  “Could we speak in private?”

Caroline had just entered the room.  “Miss Eliza, I was not informed that you were expected today.”

“I needed to speak to Lady Anne and I pray for your forgiveness in not informing you.”

“As it is the country and you obviously are quite backwards on what is proper, I will forgive you this time.  Please make sure that you do not take advantage of my hospitality in the future.”

Lady Anne was appalled by Caroline’s behavior.  “
Lizzy, shall you j
oin me in the sitting room off m
y chambers?”  Elizabeth nodded her head and followed Lady Anne.

The ladies sat down on the sofa beside each other.  “Lizzy, please accept my apology for Miss Bingley’s behavior just now.  She was extremely rude and I will be speaking to her brother in regards to how she treated you.”

“
I am not concerned about Miss Bingley’s words.  I have another matter which I believe is far more important to speak of.”

Concern was apparent on Lady Anne’s expression.  “Has something happened, Lizzy?  You are pale; shall I have a glass of wine brought to you?”

“No, I will be well.  There is something I need to speak of with you.  I met a young man today when I was walking in Meryton.  He claimed an acquaintance with your family and he spoke quite ill of William.”

“Would this man’s name be Wickham?” Lady Anne asked.  When Elizabeth nodded her head, Lady Anne continued.  “If I were a betting person, I would guess that he claimed that William cheated him from an inheritance from my husband.”

Elizabeth’s eyes grew to round saucers.  “This is exactly what he spoke of.  How did you know?”

“He has been telling the same story since my husband’s death. 
I doubt that he informed you that my husband had left Wickham one thousand pounds and the living at Kympton, near Pemberley, if he would take orders.  Wickham declined taking orders and requested a financial settlement instead, as he claimed to prefer to study law.  William settled three thousand pounds for the living as well as the original thousand.  Wickham signed papers releasing the living.  He comes back from time to time to exact more funds from William, and he is continually denied.”

“I thought his story was far too smoothly spoken to be the truth.
  Unfortunately, Mr Wickham told the story when I was with my friend, Charlotte, and her sister.  If he is so willing to tell us of his
sad tale moments after meeting him, then he is most likely telling his tale to others who do not know your family as I do.  What can we do to avoid his further damaging your reputation?”

“It would be wise to speak to William on this matter.” Lady Anne said as she stood and rang for a servant.  When the servant entered the room, Lady Anne inquired if her son had returned from his ride  Being told that he was in the study with Mr Bingley, Lady Anne asked that Darcy join her in her sitting room.

While waiting for Darcy, the two ladies chatted about the Darcy family dealings with Wickham.  Elizabeth was shocked to learn that when Wickham was only fifteen, he seduced the sister of Lady Anne’s personal maid, ruining the girl and her family when it was learned that she was with child.  Lady Anne’s maid had been frightened that she would be fired from her position, as she was sure that the Darcys would not wish to have such a young lady from a ruined family work for them.  “I was furious with Wickham, and told my husband that he needed to deal with Wickham.  It was not the first time that I had heard stories of his proclivities, though it was the first time that it touched someone so close to me.  Of course I did not release Maggie, she is still my maid.  Her sister finally married a clerk at the
solicitor’s office in Lambton.  I ensured that the girl had a dowry to make her securing a decent man easier.”

Darcy walked into the room, closing the door behind him.  “Has something happened?  Lizzy, are you well?”

“I am, William, though I have met someone who I would prefer to never have to deal with again.” Elizabeth stated as Darcy came to sit in the chair that he pulled up next to her area of the sofa.

Looking first at Elizabeth, who could not raise her eyes to meet his, then to his mother, he begged with his eyes for an answer.

Lady Anne decided that she should tell her son the news.  “It appears that the militia has a new lieutenant.  George Wickham was introduced to Lizzy when she was in Meryton today.  He began telling his tale of how you have wronged him, even before he knew of the connection between you and Lizzy.”

Darcy stood and walked to the window, attempting to control his
emotions.  Elizabeth had seen him do this enough; she realized that he needed a moment to collect himself.  When he turned around, his eyes showed the depth of pain that he was feeling.  He returned to his chair, taking hold of Elizabeth’s hands in his own.  “My dearest Lizzy, forgive me for having to speak of these matters, but it is vital that you know them for your own safety.”

“Your mother has already explained the type of man that Mr Wickham is; his… treatment… of women and the many children he has fathered by ruining women.”

“Mother has first-hand knowledge of how he has behaved, with Maggie’s sister being an example.  When we were in school, there were many times that I would return to our rooms to find him bedding a maid or some girl from the neighborhood.”
             
Taking a deep breath, he continued, keeping his gaze on her hands rather than her face.  “A school mate introduced me to his sister, Christina.  She was a pretty young girl, who spoke sweetly to me and, I thought, took a great deal of interest in me.  It was my first experience in meeting a young lady of the Ton, and it was obvious that she was much like the other young ladies I have met in society since.  But her sweet words were a balm on my shy personality.  Needless to say, when I discovered her in Wickham’s bed in our dorm rooms, I was crushed.  Wickham knew of my interest in Christina, and he took great joy in ruining her.  We learned that she was with child, and later, while giving birth, she died.  Her brother never recovered from the incident, the pain drove him to take his own life.”

Elizabeth gasped at the information laid before her.  “William, I cannot think of the words to express my sorrow at what you endured.  Your mother has told me of Wickham stealing from you, but never would
I
have thought that he would have
behaved so reprehensively towards you by harming a young lady purposely.  And what was she thinking, behaving in such a manner?  It breaks my heart that they both caused you such pain.  But I am also pleased, as if you had married her, I would not have the chance to know you as I do.  And I would not have the pleasure of being able to accept your hand in marriage.”

It was now time for Darcy to gasp.  “Lizzy, is it too much for me to pray that you have developed some tender regard for me?”  His eyes searched her face for the truth.

Looking first at
Lady Anne and then at Darcy, Elizabeth gathered her words. “I find that upon knowing more about you, I am certain that you are amongst the best of men.  I cannot tell you that I love you, a deep love that I have always believed I would have for the man I marry.  But it is more than a friendship I feel for you.  You are kind, gentle, and extremely
caring.  You realized the truth of not asking for my opinion on making an arrangement for marriage, though you thought of how you behaved and you even offered to allow me to break the engagement with no consequences. Not many men would have thought to do that.
  So to answer your question, I have developed a tender regard for you.”

Darcy lifted her hands, placing a kiss on the back of each one.  “You have given me the most precious gift.  Now, we will need to protect you even more, for Wickham will most assuredly attempt to harm you to strike at me.”

“William, I am safe, have no fear of that.  And with you and my brother, I know that there will be safe.  He would be a fool to attempt to cause me harm with my family and friends to keep watch over me.”

Lady Anne was pleased to know
Elizabeth w
as falling in love with her son,
but was concerned for her safety as well. 
“Lizzy, I believe that William is correct in his concerns.  Mr Wickham being here places you in some danger.  I believe that it would be wise for you to always have someone with you.  I know that you
enjoy your morning walks, but
perhaps it would be wiser if you walked with someone.  William, I am certain that you would volunteer to join Lizzy in the mornings for her walks.  Or I can take a carriage over to Longbourn in the morning.”

“I understand your protective nature, and I do understand the danger that Mr Wickham presents, though I do not feel that it is necessary to go to such extremes.” Elizabeth stated as she looked at Lady Anne.

Lady Anne shook her head.  “Lizzy, I must insist that we be allowed to protect you.  Wickham is extremely dangerous.  He is not only a seducer, but it would not be beneath him to force his intentions upon you.  I cannot stand the thought that you might be harmed in such a manner.  It would be like him to behave so to cause William pain.”

Elizabeth was unconvinced that Wickham would harm her, but she could not refuse her future mother in law.  “I will wait at the house in the morning until one of you comes.  And if you cannot come, perhaps my sister or brother will accompany me.  Will this suffice?”