“Tea would be good,” George replied, surprising the couple again. Elizabeth rang the bell, and the housekeeper quickly appeared. After making the request, the housekeeper departed, and Elizabeth moved to sit next to her husband.
“Is everything well, George?” Fitzwilliam asked.
“Richard and I have been looking into Wickham since he appeared at your wedding ball,” George stated without preamble. “We … have had a falling out, and he showed up at the house that night hoping to take something of value. I would guess from his actions he was hoping to take Mrs. Darcy, perhaps for a ransom or perhaps for another purpose—maybe he wanted to steal the necklace she was wearing that night.”
Elizabeth gasped at this suggestion, and Fitzwilliam placed his arm around her shoulders and drew her tightly to himself. “Is he desperate enough to take my wife to ransom her? That would be extremely risky.”
“Yes, you would have killed him as you have likely wanted to do since Father made him his godson. He and I played around, always getting into trouble, and you were always there to clean up the mess. You hated it when Father sent him to school with you, and it made you so angry to have to clean up after his mess,” George replied.
“I did,” Fitzwilliam replied, his anger evident. “You and he were always causing trouble and mocked me for not wanting to participate with you. Yet, when I did what you asked, you made me your scapegoat and would pin it on me when you got caught. Of course, I hated it when Father sent Wickham to school with me because he made my life Hell, George. Do you know what I put up with in that first year when he roomed with me? How oftenIwas nearly sent down from school for something Wickham did and attempted to blame me. I detested Wickham and was angry at you and Father for forcing me to spend time with him. I hated how the two of you mocked me for wanting to be something different from what you were.
“I know you thought you were attempting to help, but the night you met Elizabeth, you attempted to charm her to see if shewould toss me aside for you instead of asking me about the woman I had chosen as my wife. Are you certain you did not invite Wickham to the ball to see what trouble he could stir up?”
“I do apologise, Fitz,” George said. “If Elizabeth had ‘thrown you over,’ she would not be the first woman to have done so; you know that. You have frequently commented on how Caroline Bingley was only interested in you because it got her closer to Pemberley, and you refused to introduce the two of us for that very reason.”
“I refuse to introduce you to Miss Bingley because I do not want her as a sister, and I am terrified of what she might do to Pemberley were she to become its mistress,” Fitzwilliam said. “If she could capture you, she would not hesitate to do whatever it might take, including affecting a compromise. Pemberley is the pinnacle of her dreams. Well, the wealth associated with Pemberley and, I suppose, the Darcy name. She would have settled for me if she thought she could not get you.”
“We have gotten away from what I came here to say,” George began again. “I came to warn you that Wickham is not done with the Darcy family. He will seek a way to harm us if he can, particularly you, including your wife. I know she is estranged from her family, but Wickham could also strike at them. Is she in contact with them at all?”
“Not right now, and how could he strike at you through my family?” Elizabeth interrupted, the gentlemen having nearly forgotten her presence.
George had nearly forgotten she was there up until that point. “He could ruin your sisters or kidnap one to demand a ransom paid by the Darcys. Richard discovered he left London about the time the two of you arrived.”
“Mary is well protected with the Gardiners. Kitty and Lydia should be too young to be in danger from a rake, although I suppose they are not too young to be kidnapped. Jane would be the obvious target, but she would not do anything that would endanger her reputation with a man as poor as Mr. Wickham,” Elizabeth ruminated out loud.
“Compromise or an elopement is more his style, but he is very convincing when he wants to be. He could play up his connection to the Darcys and Pemberley, perhaps even pretend to be George, and convince your sister to run away with him. She is ambitious enough and wants to be ‘above’ you, so she would leap at the chance to marry George Darcy, only to end up trapped with George Wickham,” Fitzwilliam replied.
“If she is as you say, it would almost be poetic justice for Miss Bennet to end up with George Wickham thinking he was me, would it not?” George suggested.
“Yes, but Wickham would not marry her and would leave her and the entire Bennet family ruined. While Miss Bennet might deserve recompense for her actions, I am not certain putting Miss Bennet and George Wickham together would benefit anyone in the long run. Neither would be happy with the other, and they would repeatedly seek out the Darcys for money or whatever else they might think they ‘deserve’. I cannot imagine them being anything less than a trial,” Fitzwilliam responded.
Sighing, they continued to speak for some time as they pondered different options to end the dual threats of George Wickham and Jane Bennet.
CHAPTER 20
Charlotte Arrives
Charlotte arrived in London less than a fortnight later carrying news from Lucas Lodge and Longbourn. After receiving Elizabeth’s last letter, Charlotte encouraged her younger sister to help her meet with the youngest Bennets to speak of the situation there. Mr. Bennet was as he ever was, but Mrs. Bennet was still upset by her second daughter’s marriage—mainly because it did not benefit her. Although Elizabeth married well, the estrangement between them meant Elizabeth would not introduce her other daughters to wealthy men. It was unfathomable to her that the daughter she liked the least managed to marry not only a wealthy gentleman but one who was connected to no less than an earl.
Jane continued displaying a haughty demeanour, firmly convinced of her superiority. She often spoke about the exceptional match she believed she would find upon her arrival in London. Upon hearing about Charlotte’s courtship with Mr. Livesay, Jane initially reacted angrily. Still, she quickly dismissed it by asserting that Mr. Livesay did not deserve her in the first place. Both Charlotte and Mr. Livesay shared a laugh at this remark, as it was well known that Jane had shown a keen interest in him before he became involved with Charlotte.
Charlotte shared this with Elizabeth soon after her arrival. Though Elizabeth was not terribly surprised by this news, she wondered a little what trouble Jane might attempt to cause. She would unlikely come to London, as she had managed to ostracize her former friends in Meryton.
The day after Charlotte arrived, Elizabeth took her shopping for new clothes for her stay in London and their trip north. The modiste promised a few dresses could be obtained quickly and the rest would be ready in a fortnight before they were to leave for Derbyshire.
Accompanied by the Darcys, Mr. Livesay escorted Charlotte to several events upon her arrival in town. The two gentlemen found they enjoyed each other’s company, although they readily admitted preferring the company of their particular lady. Together, they attended the theatre twice and dinners with friends. Lady Anne hosted the couples one evening and the Gardiners another. At the end of their fortnight in London, Mr. Livesay seriously considered proposing to Charlotte and spoke to Fitzwilliam one afternoon in the latter’s study.
“How long did you know Mrs. Darcy before you proposed?” his friend asked.
“I only knew her a few days before I was convinced she was the one for me,” Fitzwilliam admitted. “The Gardiners spoke of her often, so I knew much about her even before we met. It was … almost like lightning struck my heart when I first saw her. I cannot say it was love from that first moment, but it was something akin to it. The first time I spoke of marriage … I believe we knew each other less than a fortnight at that point; however, I did not propose then and merely discussed our marriage as an inevitability. Elizabeth was upset at first”—here Fitzwilliam chuckled—“I likely frightened her as her mother had convinced her she was nearly unmarriageable. I do not understand her parents—I know you’ve also met them—but that mother…” Fitzwilliam took a deep breath to calm his rising anger at the mention of his wife’s mother. “Well, you met her and know what she is like. My Elizabeth put up with thatfor most of her life, at least whenever her grandmother or the Gardiners could not shield her from that woman’s vitriol. If I have my way, we’ll never return to Hertfordshire.”
“Would you be willing to return to the area for my wedding to Miss Lucas?” Mr. Livesay asked, a little hesitant after that declaration. “My friend still has the lease on Netherfield until Michaelmas, so perhaps we could arrange for your family and mine to stay for a time.”
Fitzwilliam scowled as he considered this. “Elizabeth will likely want to attend her friend’s wedding, and the Bennets are unlikely to be invited. I suppose we could avoid them easily enough.” He paused as he continued to think. “When do you intend to propose? We all intended to head north to Oakridge soon.”
“Yes, well, I thought about taking a page from your book. If I propose before leaving town, we could stay at Netherfield while the banns are read. Then we can head north as a married couple.”
“Have you already spoken with Sir William?” Fitzwilliam asked.
