“Did they say… Did they see Georgiana?”
“They have been steady visitors, I fear. Both declared Mrs. Wickham to be the happy mistress of the newly renamed Wickham House of Grosvenor Square.”
Darcy barely kept from gagging. Her betrayal weighed on him.Does Georgiana not think of me and all I’ve lost, including her? Is she that enthralled by Wickham?
“Darcy, your anger is understandable. Beware that it does not get the best of you.”
Darcy moved to the window. “I admit I was at fault for not keeping on guard with Wickham in the house. I, who knew his character! Had I remained sober, I would have scoured each contract handed to me by my man of business. Learning of their plan, I would have immediately turned Simon Cole from the house. Wickham and Georgiana would have had to make do with her dowry. Therefore, I cannot place the blame solely on Wickham and Cole.”
Bingley nodded with something like regret.
“I spent the first weeks berating myself. At Alderwood, I considered how I would best play my hand. There are a few alternatives I am reviewing for my future, though none appeal to me. One thing, I will never lose control again, and through drive and determination, I will be a master under good regulation. I will not touch a drop of brandy, whisky, or wine until I am restored to my rightful place. Even then, I will be wary. I may never regain lost trust—even in myself.”
“Indeed. I will instruct the butler that he need not hide the keys to the wine cellar unless Hurst comes,” Bingley said lightly.
Then Bingley’s expression sobered. “Pray, allow me to tell you about my father’s longtime partner, GeoffreyDoyle. Like Mr. Wickham, he had a charming veneer. My father trusted him implicitly. After Doyle retired, the company hired a recent graduate to work in the accounting office. He was a quiet sort with a head for numbers. It wasn’t long before discrepancies became obvious. Father took quick action when he learned his cunning partner had squirreled away small amounts of revenue each month for almost thirty years. Authorities seized Doyle’s assets. My father’s former friend, whose pride in his ability to steal with impunity led him to be sloppy in his bookkeeping, soon drank himself into a stupor. They found his body floating in the Thames two days later. Right now, Wickham and Cole are confident that they have won. Yet, one of the few times I paid attention during Sunday services, I recall a verse that says: ‘The wicked’s ill-gotten gains will not last, and their hope will perish,’ or something similar.”
Darcy wanted Wickham and Cole to pay for their crimes against him. However, he preferred they remain alive and suffer when they lost everything that they fraudulently reaped. He would see that they faced consequences for their vile actions.
“I am grieved to hear that the same happened to your father.”
“Compared to your loss, Mr. Doyle’s theft was paltry. It was the principle that bothered my father the most. Like you, losing trust made my father wary until the day he died. Never again did he allow anyone close enough to undermine him, including me.” Bingley stared at the empty fireplace. “Darcy, it changed my father. He was very much like me for most of my life, jovial and fair. After the theft, he withdrew. Life in our house wasconstantly strained. Even my parents’ marriage felt the effect. I hope you do not allow this to change your character, Darcy. You have never been comfortable in society. To withdraw further would make you a hermit.”
“You are not alone with your warning, Bingley. In the beginning, my rage was such that I ate and slept with revenge as my only concern. My uncle wisely reminded me that until I could be reasonable, I would not make rational choices.” Darcy had considered this very thing repeatedly. “As of now, I believe my character is as it ever was. But I see your point.”
Darcy was relieved that in the ensuing days and weeks since the disastrous night he drank himself into a stupor, the anger that had simmered below the surface rarely showed itself publicly. There were moments when he was so busy probing how he might take back his life that he gave little thought to society.
“Now that Mr. Wickham’s situation is far improved from before his marriage, will he change?”
Darcy scoffed. Returning to the chair across from Bingley, he said, “Wickham is acting like he was born to be lord of the manor. He is a gentleman in his mind only. My father saw him educated alongside me. Where I applied myself to my studies, Wickham boasted he knew a side of the world that I never experienced, which he considered far more advantageous than learning from books or instructors. In this, he always felt superior. In truth, Wickham is the fox in a hen house, immoral and unreliable. He charms people as long as they are of use to him, then he discards them.”
“Your poor sister. She must have been heartsick to see you leave.”
“Before I left London, I tried to warn her of the life she should expect. What wounds me is that when I asked her if she understood the outcome, she said, ‘I am old enough to know what makes me happy, Fitzwilliam.’ I truly fear for her.”
“Do you think she understood you?”
“Regretfully, she did not. This is a heady experience for a girl, barely more than a child. Receiving the full attention of a handsome man with a gift for flattery who spends unrestrainedly is her greatest wish fulfilled. Before I left, she could not conceive that he married her for her wealth. How she feels after three months, I cannot know.”
“The tumult you must feel, Darcy. The incredible loss would break a lesser man. But consider this: you chose to leave London rather than seek an unmarried wealthy lady to restore your bank account. You prove beyond any argument that you are a man of integrity.”
Bitterness rose in the back of Darcy’s throat. “Never would I sell myself by marrying one of the many women who chased me like prey for the last five years.”
“At the least, now you will know whether a lady seeks you for the man you are or for Pemberley. And you have the freedom to marry for affection.”
“You always have a singular way of turning tragedy into encouragement.” Darcy was glad in a way that he was no longer the toast of the marriage mart. “As if any lady would have me now.”
Bingley chuckled. “Caroline certainly will not. Is that not a blessing?”
A blessing indeed.Darcy shuddered at the thought of Bingley’s shrewish sister. “I have too many decisions tomake for my future without the distraction of adding a wife. Charles, I will help you with your estate as I am able. I await the letter from America to determine my next step. When justice is served, I will regain my rightful position.”
Bingley said, “I am frightfully terrified to share that I am the bearer of bad tidings. My family will arrive here tomorrow. I needed a hostess. Therefore, I bargained an advance in her allowance if Caroline would accept. Where she goes, Hurst and Louisa follow.” Bingley sighed. “Hurst will eat the best from my table while my eldest sister nips bottles of wine from the cellar. They think no one notices their indulgences. Yet, they expect to be catered to because of my brother-in-law’s distant connections to a baronetcy. Sometimes, I loathe society. Being in trade is much simpler. People judge a man solely on his business acumen.”
“Society has its flaws,” Darcy said. “I reckon trade has its foibles and challenges, too.”
“A fair statement if I ever heard one. Say, I shall pass on something my father preached from my infancy until he took his last breath. In business, the key to success is to establish yourself as being the best at what you do while looking for the weaknesses in your opponents.”
Darcy rubbed his chin. “What do you mean?”
