Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (131 page)

There was no denying that the estate left without an entailment was hugely advantageous to Darcy.  With the freedom to sell property, he was able to provide for Elizabeth’s settlement, and his children’s futures.  The money that he did have was available to fund Samuel’s new position, and he would be able to help Richard should he need it.  He liked the idea that if he and Elizabeth had no son, their daughter would hold the estate for hers.  So many good things came of this.  “But at the time, for Uncle to know that he was considered unworthy . . .   No wonder you did not come home.  You had been cast out by your own brother.  I wonder if this rewritten entailment to honour the daughters was all a cover for making completely sure that Uncle Harding’s blood was completely left out.” 

Lost in thought, Darcy did not hear Elizabeth softly closing the door or her footsteps as she walked lightly across the room.  Only her hands rubbing his shoulders woke him from his contemplation.  “Where were you?”

“Pemberley.”  He smiled slightly and looked up to her.  “How did your interview . . . Dearest were you crying?”

“I knew you would see!”  Elizabeth sighed.  “I should have waited longer.”

“Why would you wish to hide that from me?”  He reached back and taking her hand, brought her around to the front of his chair and tugged her onto his lap.  “What upset you?”

“Nothing, it was dust in my eye.”

“Elizabeth.”

“You disbelieve me?”  She feigned shock.  “How could that be?”

“Because if there is a speck of dust in this house, Mrs. Lowry will be humiliated.”  His lips twitched and Elizabeth laughed.  “Now, tell me what upset you.”

“There is no use fighting you is there?”  She smiled and traced over his expectantly raised brow.  “I was speaking of you when I told Mrs. Hutchins why we want to understand Mr. Christmas’s presence at that particular moment on the drive.”

“Ahhhh,”  He smiled knowingly.  “You love me.”

“Of course I love you!”  She huffed. 

“Of course.”  He hugged her and lifted his chin.  “And?  What did you learn?  Please note that I am quite confident that you have learned something.”

“Of course you are.”  She tapped on his lips and drew the finger away quickly when he tried to nip it with his teeth.  “Brace yourself.”  He clutched her dramatically and her eyes went heavenward.  “Mr. Christmas knew Mr. Wickham.”

“
Pardon
?”  Darcy gaped.

“The last time that Mr. Christmas visited, he asked after Mr. Wickham, he had heard something of him and the connection to Pemberley.”

“And?”

“That is all, she said that she had not seen him, that the staff thought little of him, that he was a wastrel who took advantage . . .”  Elizabeth watched as Darcy’s eyes narrowed and he passed his hand over his mouth.  “Have I said something suggestive?  I know that Mr. Wickham spread lies about you, he did it in Meryton, and I would not be surprised if Mr. Christmas might have heard something of them if they travelled in the same social circles . . .”

“That theory is certainly possible, love.”  He murmured and shot her a look.  “Likely probable . . .”

“However?”

“However, do you remember the day of our accident, what did Uncle ask of me just before we set off from the dower house?”  Elizabeth shook her head and he spoke quietly.  “He asked if Wickham had been spotted or if the estate was protected from him.  I wondered why he would be concerned, why Wickham would come onto the estate.  If anything I thought that he would work from afar, sending a letter like he did when he told us where Georgiana was.”   Her eyes widened.  “What if this Christmas was looking for him, too?  Perhaps he had followed him there?  Maybe . . .” He paused and tilted his head, “He asked Mrs. Hutchins about Georgiana?”

“Yes, he was very curious about her.”  Fascinated, she watched him thinking it out.

“What if Christmas knew of Wickham running off with Georgiana?  He would know that we were keeping it quiet since Mrs. Hutchins spoke naturally of her being away.  He might even have known that the wedding was false.”

“But what would that do for him?   Mr. Wickham had nothing to give him?”

“Ahhh, but he did.”  Darcy nudged her and they stood, he needed to pace as he thought.  “What if Christmas threatened to expose Wickham’s whereabouts?  He would want to be paid off to remain silent.  Wickham would have no money, where could he get it?  From
me
, to keep him quiet about ruining Georgiana!  Christmas could have found Wickham and made him come to Pemberley to make sure that he got the money!” 

“But would that not expose Wickham’s location to you?”

“Unfortunately, I think that he feared Richard or even Uncle Harding more than me.  I have a history of paying him off to keep his deeds quiet.”  Darcy said with disgust.   “He could have counted on me paying him and then disappearing before I could get word to the others.” 

“Then he would have miscalculated.”  Elizabeth said quietly.

“He certainly would have.”  Darcy stopped and turned to her.  “Thank you for your confidence.”

Elizabeth smiled at him and then her hand went to her mouth.  “Oh Will!  Do you think that when Mr. Christmas shouted, that . . . that he shouted at Mr. Wickham?”

“Bastard!”  Darcy cried and waved his hand in the air.  “He was shouting at Wickham!  Christmas could not have wanted to harm us; we were his ticket to riches!  He could have milked us for years!  Good God!” 

“So we came upon them in the midst of an argument?  Perhaps Mr. Wickham was resisting for some reason?”

“Could be.”  He ran his hand through his hair.  “Is this plausible?  Christmas had plenty of opportunity to approach on his own; surely he had amassed a great deal of evidence if he was courting Mrs. Hutchins for so long.”

“We cannot think of everything, Will.  We are only guessing now.”    Her eyes became worried.  “Do you think that Mr. Wickham would still wish to approach you?”

“No.”  He saw that she was frightened and walked across the room to wrap her up in his arms.  “No, he surely knows that to ask for a payoff would risk his being captured.  Richard would kill him on the spot and even with Uncle no longer on the bench, he would have it swept under the rug.  Wickham would be a fool to try.  He had to be put up to it.  I cannot see that coward coming near us voluntarily.  After all, he has been quiet for all of these months since we brought Georgiana home.”

“But your uncle thought that he still might.”  Elizabeth whispered.

“Yes, he did.”  Darcy kissed her hair and tucked her head under his chin.  “But he loves Georgiana like a daughter, and after seeing Aunt Susan, she was the one he wanted to visit before he could relax.  And besides, he knows the intricacies of a disturbed mind better than we do.  He would know how a criminal like Wickham would think.”

“SO, WHO WAS THAT MAN chasing after you?”  Wickham’s card partner asked as he chewed on his cigar and studied him speculatively.  “We all figured he caught up with you when you disappeared.”

“Yeah, he had a hard-on for you, that’s for sure.”  Another man snorted. 

“He still does, I imagine.”  Involuntarily, Wickham glanced around the room.  “But I think I’m safe here.”  

“Could be.”  The two men glanced at each other.  “There were a couple of others looking, but one bloke in particular, a big man . . .”

“Yeah, he found me.”  Wickham said softly.

“Ah, sounds like you got the bitter end of that deal.”

“At least I am still breathing.” 

Again the men exchanged glances.  “Oh yeah?”

“A carriage turned over and he was killed.”

“Oh.”  The first man rubbed his chin.  “So what’s your plan now?  Your card playing hasn’t improved.  Looks like you need a new pigeon.”  He raked forward the pot and chuckled when Wickham threw his cards down in disgust.  “What’s wrong with you?  You’ve lost your touch?  Time to get a job?”

“He speaks pretty, he could be a shopkeeper!” 

“Nahh, his hand would be in the till every night!  Send him off to be a valet for one of those gentlemen!”

“I am
not
a servant!”  Wickham snapped.  “I am a gentleman!”

“Well la-ti-da!”  The man with the cigar batted his eyes. 

He was nudged by his friend.  “Gentlemen don’t work, you know.” 

“Neither do gamblers.”  They looked at Wickham.  “You just blew five pounds, my friend.  Either you sharpen your skills or you need to get yourself a rich bird to take care of you.” 

“Or find a job.”

“Or let that tall bloke get a hold of ya.”  They laughed and snorted.  Wickham sat back in his chair and watched his money disappearing into the man’s pocket and was glad he had left the rest in his room. 

“What’s it gonna be?  The easy life or be like all the rest of these slugs scrapin’ by?” 

Wickham blew out a breath and bit his lip.  “No, I did that for a few months.  I didn’t like it.  I didn’t like that one bit.”  He looked around the smoky, crowded room. 
I do not think that I like
this
anymore, either.

“THAT IS QUITE A THEORY I wonder if I could have reasoned that all out.”  Richard muttered admiringly into his glass after Darcy was done; and smiling at his wince when he shifted his stance, nodded to a pair of chairs.  “Ribs?”   The two cousins were taking advantage of Lord Matlock’s promise to show off his portrait to Elizabeth after dinner. 

“No, I . . . exercised,” seeing Richard’s brows rise, he clarified, “with a sword.”  As his cousin’s eyes began twinkling, he snapped.  “Shall I demonstrate?”

“I would rather not see your weapon, Darcy.  Especially if it is angry.”  He snorted and sat down with him.  “Good for you and your exercise, get back on that horse.  Now as to this theory of yours . . .” 

Darcy’s affront calmed and he spoke quietly, “It could be one of a thousand possibilities.  Elizabeth’s thought that Christmas was simply inquiring after Wickham when he heard a story could be just as valid.”

“But that does not put him at Pemberley.  That just makes him nosey.”  He raised his brows and Darcy nodded down to his boots.  “Even if you do not have the details correct, I have to agree that the chances of there not being some sort of a connection between the two is very unlikely.  He appeared when Georgiana vanished, he was hanging around Darcy House all the time that she was gone until you reappeared.  And most importantly, he brought up Wickham’s name the last time that he was there, almost as if he was testing it out.”

“That bothers me.  Where did he go for all of those weeks?”

“Maybe he was hunting down Wickham wherever he went?”

“I suppose that makes sense, but I did spot him in London.”

“Then he ran off, Christmas chased after him, and they travelled to Pemberley.  He would have known from your cook that you were going home for Christmas.”  He laughed derisively.  “Literally.” 

“Right.”  Darcy said darkly.

“I bet all of those possible Wickham sightings in Lambton were true.  His appearance must have changed enough to fool them.”

“I do not know about that; he looked the same as ever when I spotted him.  Elizabeth recognized him from Meryton.  Something fairly drastic had to have happened in those weeks to make such a change.”  He rubbed his hand over his face.  “I think that we are done with him.”

“Wishful thinking?”

“Perhaps, but . . . at least we have nothing to fear from his partner, or whatever Christmas was to him.  He is gone for good.  At least we have an explanation that we can live with.  I needed that.   I needed to know why this man was on my drive.  Now I can put it behind me, as much as I can.”  He breathed and nodded to himself as he twisted his ring.

Richard watched the nervous habit and spoke nearly inaudibly, “You realize that if this theory is true, Wickham was on the scene when you went over the cliff and did not raise a finger to provide aid.  Bastard coward.”  He hissed and Darcy stared.  “Elizabeth was hurt and left screaming for you all alone . . . and that son of a bitch was watching her suffering . . .”  He could see Darcy’s eyes becoming black as his face reddened.  Richard put his hand on his shoulder and checked the doorway quickly.  “Whoa . . .”

“Damn bastard abandoning her!”  He snarled and standing, began pacing.  “If I
EVER
see him again . . .”

“Calm yourself, come on Darcy.  You do not want to raise Father’s curiosity.  I am sorry; I should have checked my tongue.  We do not know anything for sure.”  Richard looked him over approvingly.  “Damn, I would love to see you in battle!”

“Richard.”  He spoke through gritted teeth.  “Do not start with me.”

“Seriously, to reason all of this out, the tactical moves, the plotting, the scheming.  I bet you would be a fantastic leader of men.”

“I prefer caring for the land, not taking it.”  Darcy murmured and forced a calming breath.   “I never thought of him being there and not doing anything to help.  I do not know why.”

“Because you do not want to think of her in those minutes before she found Samuel.”  Richard gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Calm down before Elizabeth returns, she does not need to see you in a fury.  The woman is worried enough about you, it shows so clearly, despite your demonstration of fitness with your swordplay this morning.  Perhaps another demonstration would convince her further?”  He said suggestively to distract his mind and was glad to see a glare.

“Do not bait me.”  Darcy took a drink of his wine and seeing Richard’s smile, sat down heavily.  “I have this vision of her . . . if I had not survived . . .  It comes to me in my dreams sometimes, or when I am on the verge of falling asleep.  She is so alone . . .” He waved his hand and turned towards the fire.  “Enough. That is the best I can make of it, I leave your military brain to do better.” 

“I sincerely doubt that I could do better, I do not lie when I say that I admire your theory.   Besides, my brain is mush.  I returned a fortnight late to the ire of my superiors and was given too many green boys to train as punishment.”  He sighed and rubbed his temple.  “I am wearying of the army and I have decades to go.” 

“I doubt that.”  Darcy said softly. 

“I do
not
want the earldom.”