“If Lydia Bennet is my only option, then I am in more trouble than I first imagined.”
Darcy stood; he had all of George Wickham he could take for one day.“I will give you some time to think on it; I will call on you again tomorrow.”
“I may no longer be here,”Wickham looked agitated.
“I would not try to leave if I were you,” Darcy said calmly. “I found you easily; the law would not be so kind as to buy you a bottle of brandy. I understand debtors’ prison is worse than this if one can imagine such a place.” Thus said, he took leave of the tavern, but before he left the area, Darcy paid a street urchin to keep his eye on Wickham. He told the boy he would pay him each day to keep tabs on Wickham’s comings and goings. He was to send word to Darcy if Wickham tried to leave for good.
Sitting in his study at Kensington Place, Darcy planned how far he would go to secure Lydia Bennet’s marriage to George Wickham. He would have to bribe the man—that was evident. Wickham, he knew, would ask for more than he could get. Darcy determined a reasonable figure, one he would expend on two worthless individuals such as George Wickham and Lydia Bennet. The thoughts were repugnant, and only images of Elizabeth on the grounds of Pemberley sustained him through these musings.
Wickham seated himself at the same table upon Darcy’s arrival. A fresh bottle of brandy sat on the table, along with two glasses. Darcy removed his gloves and started to sit down. “I hope you do not mind, Darcy,” Wickham smiled, “but I told the proprietor you would pay for the brandy when you arrived.” Darcy tossed a coin on the table, and the tavern owner hurried over to claim it.
“I have pressing business today, Mr. Wickham. I do not have time to play games. Have you thought more about marrying Miss Lydia?”
Wickham launched into the negotiations, “How much do you believe Mr. Bennet will bestow on Lydia?”
“I cannot say for sure. I have not discussed this with him directly. I would be willing to contact him on your behalf if you so desire.” Darcy hoped Wickham would not call him on this; he did not want Mr. Bennet, whom, in reality, he barely knew knowing how he went beyond good society in this matter. For if Mr. Bennet knew, Elizabeth would also know the extent of his involvement. “You will need,” he continued,“a fresh start. I would, personally, be willing for old times’ sake, as part of my dear father’s memory, to pay your debts in Meryton and Brighton. Mrs. Bennet’s brothers offered to cover me on any such expense, if necessary. As a lawyer in Meryton, one of Mrs. Bennet’s brothers has been approached by several residents with complaints of yourshortcomings.”
Wickham pondered,“All my debts would be cleared?”
“Of course, I am assuming you have a full accounting to whom you owe funds,” Darcy offered.“Do you have any idea of the extent of your debt?”
“I would be able to determine that information for you, I believe,”Wickham stumbled on.
“Then we are agreed,” Darcy started.
“Wait . . . I may need a way to support my new wife. I can no longer return to the militia.”
“I have considered that. What say you to a commission in the regulars? Miss Lydia has a preference for men in uniforms. It would be best if we find you a regiment in another part of the countrywhere your reputation is not known; that would aid your fresh start. Colonel Fitzwilliam could help us.”
“It seems you planned my life for me, Darcy,” Wickham faltered. “It is so out of character for you to be taking all this on. What is the true nature of your concern?”
“I told you of my connections to Hertfordshire previously, but I also admit some shame in how our relationship deteriorated.Your father served my father most faithfully. Although I still find what you did to Georgiana and now to Miss Lydia to be abhorrent, I do understand your desperation. For my father’s sake, I wish you another chance to be successful.”
“That is generous of you,”Wickham stammered.“Let me think on it; you may buy me another bottle of brandy tomorrow.” He slugged down the alcohol in his glass, took the bottle with him, and climbed the stairs to his let rooms. Darcy left the tavern, stopping to pay his “spy” along the way. He knew by tomorrow Wickham would be his.
On the third day of their meetings, Darcy found Wickham made a more presentable appearance; he abandoned his previous unkempt look, and he spent time with his ablutions. The tavern keeper brought over the brandy without being asked, and Darcy dutifully paid him. So far, Wickham was too easily persuaded, and Darcy knew him well enough to know when he took an accounting of his debts,Wickham would not sell out so quickly; therefore, when Wickham began a renegotiation of the previous terms, this did not surprise Darcy.
“I have been thinking, Darcy, about what you said yesterday about your father and mine. They were good friends, were they not?” He reached for the brandy again. It seemed to give him something to do with his hands for Darcy noted although Wickham’s voice and countenance portrayed him to be calm, the trembling of his hands betrayed his lie. Darcy simply shot Wickham a complementary look of calm.“We were great friends, too, Darcy, in our youth.”
“What is your point, Mr. Wickham?” Darcy asked, knowing where the conversation led.
“I was thinking about the living your father’s promise intended on my having,” Wickham began. “Do you think it might ever be available to me?”
“I can never saynever,” Darcy began, hoping to keep Wickham’s plans alive without promising him anything definite,“but I cannot see that as a possibility in the near future. It would be several years off at best. Your immediate future would be best spent as we discussed yesterday. The colonel helped me locate an available commission in the North if you are willing to accept it. It appears to be a perfect match for your temperament; you need only to resign your current position as an officer in the——shire. The paperwork for such a transfer can be complete in less than a week according to the colonel.”
Wickham mulled over Darcy’s words; Darcy saw glimpses of the desperation Wickham experienced displayed in his manner. “Mr. Bennet,”Wickham still pressed for more,“will give Lydia her share of her mother’s inheritance, but that may not be enough for us. I am afraid my intended has expensive tastes; I do not think I can afford her.”
“Of what are you thinking?” Darcy asked although he knew what to expect.
“If I chose to leave Lydia and found someone else, I could probably use mycharmsto find a more lucrative match. I was thinking an extra ten thousand pounds might make me more amiable to the Bennet offer.”
“Mr. Bennet, as you well know, cannot afford such a demand, and although I am one of his friends, I cannot assume so many of his debts. Between Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet’s brothers, reasonable demands will be met, but ten thousand pounds is not areasonableidea. They would be more willing to turn you over to the constable and use their money to hush up the issues of Miss Lydia’s spoiled reputation. They could easily purchase her an appropriate match for a lot less. I would not press for so much if I were you; the
Bennet offer is the best one on the table for you at this time. If you and Miss Lydia economize her spending and your gambling, the two of you may live quite well on your commission and her inheritance. I will, however, pledge an additional two thousand pounds, but that is my last offer. I will not return here after today if you do not accept the Bennets’ agreement.” Wickham shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he weighed the situation. After several minutes of fretful silence, he agreed with Darcy’s demands.An end was near, but Darcy did not let down his guard too soon. “You agree, Mr. Wickham, to the following: a resignation of your current position, an acceptance of a commission in the regulars, a payment of all your current debts in Meryton and Brighton, and a settlement of three thousand pounds total on Miss Lydia.”
“I agree, Darcy.” He extended his hand; Darcy did not move, however.
“If you do not mind, I would prefer my attorney draw up the agreements and obtain your signature rather than accepting your handshake.”
