“You know nothing,” said Colonel Forster. “Wickham would not be so profligate. He is the favorite among all the officers.”
“And why is he the favorite?” asked Richard. “Is it because he pays his tab at the inn on time? Is it because he pays for his purchases promptly or makes good on his gambling debts quickly? Or perhaps it is because he loses at the gambling tables with a smile on his face, making the other officers think that he is both good company and a good source of income, delayed though that income might be.”
This finally made Colonel Forster pause and think.
After a moment of silence, Darcy said, “Colonel Forster, please think about this reasonably. What reason would either Richard or I have to attack Wickham in this way? Yes, he has done us both great harm, but that was some time ago. If I was the type of man to enjoy cold revenge, it would be in a much less violent form, don’t you think?”
Again, Colonel Forster remained silent. At least the man was beginning to think rather than rely on his prejudices. “Let me suggest that we wait and question Wickham directly. If we cannot get a genuine answer from him, then you may question the lady. I assure you, she is someone whose word you would not be able to doubt.”
“Very well,” said Colonel Forster. “If Wickham wakes up within the next few hours, we may question him then. If not, I will have to speak to this lady.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” said Darcy.
~~~~~
Fortunately, Wickham woke up a half hour later as the physician was examining him. Darcy and Richard waited impatiently for the doctor to complete his examination and even more impatiently while the man explained that Wickham would be sensitive to light and sound for a few days and may be nauseous, but that he would make a full recovery.
Once the doctor left, Darcy, Richard, and Colonel Forster entered the small room where Wickham was being held under lock and key.
Colonel Forster spoke first. “Tell me how you got that bump,” he said.
Darcy expected Wickham to attempt to charm his way out of it or perhaps to blame Darcy. Instead, he was surprised when Wickham said, “That damn parson set me up!”
“Parson!” said all three gentlemen.
“Do you mean Mr. Collins?” asked Colonel Forster. When Wickham nodded, Colonel Forster asked, “Why would Mr. Collins do anything like that? He is a spineless coward who couldn’t swat a fly.”
Wickham looked poisoned daggers at Richard. “He wanted to get you away from his betrothed, so he paid me twenty pounds to see to it that Darcy would leave the neighborhood and take his blasted cousin with him.”
Colonel Forster narrowed his eyes. “And how did you plan to get Darcy to leave?”
Again, Darcy expected Wickham to lie or redirect blame, but again he was surprised. “I assumed that if the woman Darcy had his eye on was no longer the pure maiden he wanted that he would leave.”
Wickham’s injury must have scrambled his brain, for the man was being far more direct and honest than usual.
“The woman Darcy had his eye on…” said Colonel Forster contemplatively. Then his eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Not Miss Elizabeth Benent!”
“The very same,” said Wickham with a smile. “And she was wonderful. It was only in the aftermath of our mutual pleasure that she managed to get me with that poker.”
“You lie!” cried Darcy. Blood was pounding in his ears and his vision had gone red. “Elizabeth hit you before you could do a single thing to her other than bruise her wrists.”
Darcy moved forward to pummel the man who had caused him so much pain and trouble, but Richard held him back. “Darcy, get a hold of yourself,” Richard said. “If you hit him now, you will ruin our chances of seeing him taken care of legally.”
Though Darcy’s focus was still entirely on Wickham, he heard Colonel Forster say, “I don’t know about that. If Wickham said something similar about my betrothed, I might have the same reaction.”
Wickham, however, seemed to ignore the fact that anyone had said anything. “Her wrists were bruised during our play, which I assure you was completely consensual. She only hit me afterward in an attempt to preserve her reputation, to make it look as though I had forced her.”
Darcy went from raging hot to icy cold in a single moment. It was not a comfortable feeling, but it did allow him clarity of thought. He knew Wickham was lying. The way Elizabeth had cried in his arms, the way she had been unable to explain what was wrong at first, obviously pointed to a traumatic experience.
Besides, Darcy knew her. He knew she would not agree to anything even close to what Wickham was hinting at. Even so,Wickham’s words seemed to be his final revenge on Darcy for all the imagined slights he had received. Wickham was clearly in the wrong. Even he was not so foolish as to think otherwise, and he had decided to do his best to wound Darcy in the process.
If Darcy believed him, there could be no greater revenge. As it was, however, Darcy was merely furious that Wickham would slander so great a lady.
“We will need to question Mr. Collins,” said Colonel Forster. “It is obvious, however, that whatever his motivations, Wickham has attacked a young lady of high standing.” He sighed. “I hate to lose a good officer, but it cannot be helped. I will have to post a guard over this room to ensure he does not leave.”
As the three of them prepared to leave Wickham’s room, Colonel Forster added, “I promise not to breathe a word as to who the young lady is. I can see now why she would prefer to remain anonymous.”
~~~~~
