I beg of you to warn Mr. King without delay! He should be put on his guard against George Wickham’s advances immediately.”
Elizabeth blotted the ink, then passed the letter to Jane, who nodded her approval. Unwilling to read aloud what she had written, she then handed it to Mr. Darcy.
After looking it over, Mr. Darcy nodded. “It is appropriate. From the little my sister has told you, Miss Elizabeth, you have understood the situation clearly enough, but… Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I wish to point out… my sister…” He closed his eyes and sighed.
It pained Elizabeth to see an expression of such anguish cross his features as he searched for the proper words to express his sister’s situation.
He began again, “Since you have befriended Georgiana, I think you should know more about what happened. The elder Mr. Wickham was our father’s steward. He was a good man, and a good friend to my father. As a result, the younger Wickham was brought up closer to my family than most steward’s sons would have been—almost treated as a member of the family. In compensation for his father’s many valuable services, my father funded his son’s education. In fact, since we were close in age, we were at school together. However, to say I was appalled at the son’s behaviour there would be an understatement. The details are unfit for any ladies’ ears—I will only say George Wickham is not a man of honour.”
He paced to the French door and looked out the window, continuing to speak without looking at them. “After my father died, Wickham proved the consistency of his tarnished character by pressing me for more than he was due. For example, after he had gone through most of his inheritance, he demanded to be presented the living he had originally refused, for which he had already been fully compensated. Following that episode, I had thought all contact between us was at an end. My mistake was…” He shook his head. “I was so unsure of how to warn such a young girl about the murkiness of the man’s character without tarnishing her sensibilities, I said nothing to Georgiana. We simply never spoke of him again.
“However, last summer, Georgiana went to Ramsgate, where she happened upon Wickham. Remembering only that Wickham had been a close friend of the family when she was younger, she trusted him. Unbeknownst to either of us, Georgiana’s former companion, a Mrs. Younge, had conspired with him—their goal being to separate Georgiana from her dowry.”
He turned to look at Elizabeth and Jane. “In spite of her chaperone’s devious motivations, I want to make it perfectly clear that Georgiana did nothing more than allow herself to believe she was in love with a deceitful man. And in her inexperienced state, at the age of fifteen, my sister agreed to marry him.” His nostrils flared. “Wickham—along with Mrs. Younge—knowing quite well I would recognize his motivations for what they were, also knew I would never allow such a match to take place. Wickham made excuses, convincing her an elopement would be more beneficial than having to wait for the banns to be read. Thank goodness the scheme was terminated the moment I arrived in Ramsgate to visit my sister.” His shoulders slumped a bit as he said the last.
This information was horrifying. Poor Georgiana! Elizabeth’s most recent suspicions about Mr. Wickham had been correct, but she could not have imagined him as bad as he turned out to be.
Elizabeth cleared her throat. “We thank you for confiding in us, sir, though there was no need. We would have never assumed our friend had done anything so wrong. Please rest assured we will not share the details of this information with anyone.”
As Jane’s mumbled her agreement, Elizabeth finally looked away from Mr. Darcy.
Oh! She was glad Jane was seated since she looked almost as if she might faint as a result of hearing this tale.
“Thank you, Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy bowed. “You possess a high quality of character; it is unmatched amongst society.” He seemed have forgotten Jane was in the room until he added almost as an afterthought, “As do you, Miss Bennet.”
Elizabeth blinked. Unsure what to do with such high praise directed mainly at her, she forced her attention away from pondering it further… for now anyway. But suddenly, it dawned on her Wickham could very well be trying to convince Miss King to elope at this very moment.
“We should send this letter as soon as possible. Do you suggest I say anything further?”
He hesitated. “Inform your father, since there is little proof Wickham has changed, there is a high probability he is also running up a tab at all the shops in the village. Knowing him as well as I do, I predict what he has already spent will far exceed what he could possibly earn as a lieutenant in the militia. Additionally, I do not think he would have pursued a career if he were still in possession of any of the four thousand pounds he received from my father’s bequest.”
Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. “Excuse me for asking, sir, but I thought I remembered your saying your father passed away not long ago?”
Mr. Darcy answered, “It is five years.”
Her jaw dropped open. “How could anyone go through four thousand in such a short time when they have no other responsibilities, such as an estate to manage?”
He sighed once again. “If anyone can, it is Wickham.”
Jane covered her mouth with her hand.
Obviously, this was becoming too much for her sister. If doing so would not necessitate Elizabeth would be left alone with Mr. Darcy, she would ask her to step out of the room.
Elizabeth squeezed her sister’s hand, then quickly added a few lines to the letter, suggesting her father discreetly check into Wickham’s debts with the shopkeepers. After asking her father to keep them informed, she signed and sealed the letter.
She rose and handed the missive to Mr. Darcy.
He took it. “I will send a man to Longbourn with this at once.”
“Please reconsider, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Whilst it is kind of you to think of the expense to our father, sir, you must understand he has a sharp mind. If he learns the messenger is in your employ, he might suspect your sister of being the young lady referred to within the communiqué. I think it best we send it as an express through the post.”
“You would know your father’s reaction better than I.” Mr. Darcy nodded. “My man will take this to the post immediately, then.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said. “Shall we return to the parlour, sir? Or…”
“Yes, please do. No matter what difficulties may arise, it does not change the fact that the Saint Nicholas Day celebration must be held on Saint Nicholas Day, which is Friday. It cannot be delayed; therefore, we must continue our task. The decorations will likely take about a day to assemble, and then we shall go to the orphanage to put them on display. If you will get started without us, I will find Bingley. We shall rejoin you shortly.”
Chapter 15
~The next day – Gracechurch Street
Watching Jane comfort little Jenny Gardiner was awe-inspiring. Judging by the little girl’s reaction, a mishap with a glove was the worst thing that could happen to a three-year-old, but Jane managed the child’s outburst of tears with proficiency… which would come in handy since it seemed her elder sister would have children of her own sooner than they had both suspected only days ago.