“I’ll kill him!”Darcy clasped the edge of the sideboard until it threatened to snap. Pulling himself to his feet, he said, “As soon as I get rid of Wickham.”
3
Lord Matlock ran his hand through his hair. “How could this have happened, Darcy? Neither man is smarter than you. I have long known that Wickham was worthless. I assumed that Cole had some integrity. In fact, I would have trusted him implicitly as you and your father did. Now, we know that he is as greedy as his compatriot.”
Aghast at having been entirely fooled, the agony of being taken advantage of warred for dominance against the ire filling him. Wave upon wave of emotions surged in his chest until the ground underneath him seemed to shift.
“I drank to excess only one other time.” Darcy’s words were clipped. “The night father died, I locked myself in Pemberley’s study and imbibed until the pain of loss dulled and then went away completely. Cole was with me, opening bottle after bottle, silently witnessing my grief. The next morning, my shame moved me never to mention my actions to anyone. Cole never spoke of it tome.” Stopping in front of his uncle, he raged, “I trusted Simon Cole!”
“Come to Matlock House, Nephew.” Hugh Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock, was a powerful man with a network of resources under his charge. “Helen and I will remind our acquaintances that Wickham is nothing but a greedy upstart son of a steward and that justice will soon have you restored to your rightful position as owner and master of Pemberley.”
“I cannot leave Darcy House… I need to make this right.” His gaze swept the room, settling on the bookshelf with all his special volumes lined neatly in a row, the colorfully painted globe he used to spin, imagining traveling to distant places seeking adventure, and the painting of Pemberley over the large stone fireplace.All this is lost? Impossible!
His initial impulse was pure retribution against Wickham, even more than Simon Cole. How he loathed both men!
Tossing the vile contracts aside, he jumped to his feet, pacing a room that was as familiar to him as his own skin. “Justice comes at a price, Uncle. I will have only a few bargaining chips left when this is settled. Anything I do against Wickham will affect Georgiana.” Forcing his jaw to relax, Darcy continued. “The name I bear means I am responsible for the land, the buildings, the servants, the tenants, and my sister, although she forsook everything she ever learned to marry a man bereft of morals. I will abandon none. Wickham will use all until nothing of value is left. The harm would be permanent.”
Lord Matlock studied him intensely. “I hate to remind you, but until the court reviews this, you no longer havethe authority to act for anyone connected to the estate. By the right of marriage, Georgiana is no longer under your control. You are no longer responsible.”
He faced his uncle. “I am Fitzwilliam Darcy, the only son and rightful heir of Gerald and Lady Anne Darcy.” His thumb poked his own chest. His voice filled the room. “Pemberley’s soil is in every pore of my body. The rivers, lakes, and streams run through my veins, keeping my heart alive. From my first breath, until I breathe my last, I am Darcy, master of all that my father left to me.”
From the corridor, a man cleared his throat. Wickham stood under the lintel, his hands grasping the lapels of his jacket. His arrogance set Darcy on edge until he wanted to lash out, then run him through.
Wickham smirked. “Tout au contraire. You are a king without a kingdom. You may have been born a Darcy, but you are currently nothing more than an interloper inmyhouse.”
Lord Matlock growled, “Wickham.”
He bowed and said with no shame, “My lord.”
Wickham’s every offense streamed through Darcy’s mind, increasing his bitterness. He wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp. Instead, Darcy straightened his shoulders. His chin lifted in challenge.
His foe stepped into the room. “Tell me, what do you think I have been doing since the time I saw you… Was it not when the Kympton living became available? Oh, yes. I recall clearly. I asked for the value of the living to study law. Did you think I did not follow through? Of course, you did. You assumed that I gambled and lived a disreputable life, wasting the thousand I received at your father’s death and the three thousand pounds I received from the living. Well, Fitzy, you were wrong then, and you are wrong now.”
Wickham helped himself to the brandy and said, “I not only attended the Inns of Court, I became an avid student of the rules of society until I could tell well in advance how you would act in any situation. Not only that, I knew the day Georgiana left school, and the exact hour you left her in Ramsgate. Vulnerable. Alone with Mrs. Younge, an intimate of mine. Shame on you, Darcy.”
Like the incorrigible fraud he was, Wickham rested his hand over his heart. “My godfather would disapprove of your haphazard care for his darling girl.”
Lifting the glass, Wickham sipped the liquid. “My compliments to your good taste, Darcy. That said, this serves as a reminder that you are no longer welcome here. As of last evening, you are nothing to Georgiana and me. More importantly, you are nothing to anyone. As you left me with four thousand to finance my future, Cole assured me he calculated almost down to the farthing that the amount left in your personal account is about the same. We shall see what you can make of yourself with such a pittance. No doubt, you will fall far short of what I have done. You see, I am the king of this castle and the grandest of domains, Pemberley. You are unwelcome here.”
He gestured toward the two footmen in the doorway. “Your valet and housekeeper have already gathered your possessions. They are loading them into Lord Matlock’s carriage since you no longer own any conveyance. You have your gelding. And I have generously provided an extra wagon for the rest of your goods. The servants,myservants, will show you out.”
Powerless fury filled Darcy. He curled his fingers into a tight fist, wishing with every part of his being to strike the evil out of the miscreant.“You will rue the day you dared to usurp me,” Darcy spat.
“Ha! You will do nothing. I am holding all the cards, including the queen.”
“Georgiana,” Darcy said with gritted teeth.
“Yes, my dear, sweet, willing wife.”
Instead of lunging at him, wringing Wickham’s miserable neck, Darcy said. “I am not finished, Wickham.”
An eerie chortle came from his enemy. “Think what you may. But Cole and I have been planning this for months, right under your very nose. Your arrogance and insufferable pride blinded you to what we were doing. You and I both know that you have lost, and I have deservedly won. Now, begone. I have important matters of business to consider. Pemberley does not run itself, you know.”
Leaving Wickham to his uncle, Darcy strode purposefully to the Yellow Room. Without knocking, he entered to discover Georgiana readying herself for the day.
He did not know if it was the remnants of the drink or the sight of Wickham’s cravat on the bedpost and rumpled bedclothes that made him sick. He asked, “Are you well?”
“How can I not be? I am married to the most charming man alive. He is the best of men.”
