Page 17 of Aunt Felicity

T hanks to his welcome wearing thin with Karen Younge at her dilapidated boarding house in Edward Street, Wickham knew he needed to find another option and soon. Whatever it was, he must be out of London and far away from Kent. He was fairly certain that if his former employer got her hands on him, she would happily pay someone to give him an ear-to-ear smile before tossing his body into the Thames.

What bad luck that the Darcy prince had arrived when he did. Yes, the mousy girl had started to object to an elopement, but Wickham was certain his powers of persuasion would have won out. Rather than the money Lady Catherine had promised him, here he was, nose askew and two front teeth missing. Thanks to having no funds and Karen guarding her coins fiercely, there had been no money to pay for ivory teeth to be inserted to fill the gap.

The bloody bastard William Darcy had stolen his best asset from him, his good looks. How was he to seduce girls now? It had always been his handsome mien that had captured the attention of his targets, and then he had used his charm. He could no longer do that because girls shied away from him as soon as they saw his altered looks.

If it were not for the chance that Richard Fitzwilliam was back on his feet, Wickham would have found a way to extract his vengeance on the Darcy heir. The truth was that he was well aware that William Darcy was far stronger than himself, and from what he had heard, almost as good a shot and proficient with the foil as his cousin. With a scowl, he made his way into a tavern just outside of Seven Dials. He had a few pennies to his name so he would be able to afford a tankard of ale.

While he was nursing said tankard, two men in uniform sat at the table next to his own. He soon heard enough to know one was Lieutenant Denny and the other was Ensign Caldecott.

“The Colonel charged us with recruiting more officers, but as soon as they hear that the cost of the commission is ten pounds, they lose interest,” the Ensign whinged.

“Unless they are from Derbyshire and have a gentleman’s education, that is,” the Lieutenant retorted. “In that case, they receive a Lieutenant’s commission for free.”

Wickham’s ears perked up at the word “free.” He was from Derbyshire and had enough education to pass for a graduate of a university. A free commission sounded attractive, except he was not willing to go into battle and risk his life just for a place to stay, meals, and some paltry wages. Hence, when he heard the Ensign’s next words, his interest soared.

“I forgot about that. If I were from Derbyshire, I would have been able to receive a lieutenant’s commission in this regiment of the Derbyshire Militia,” the Ensign lamented.

Militia! No fighting on the Peninsula, and as far as Wickham knew, little or no hard work. He made sure he emphasised his Derbyshire accent. “As one who was raised as a gentleman, sadly a third son, I know it is not polite to eavesdrop. However, did I hear correctly that I could receive a lieutenancy in your regiment simply because I am from Derbyshire and have a gentleman’s education?” Wickham enquired innocently. When both officers nodded, he said, “In that case, you have saved me seeking a militia regiment to join. It has been a few years since I have had the pleasure of seeing Derbyshire, and I knew not my birth shire had a militia.”

“I am Jim Denny and this young welp is Peter Caldecott. You are?” the Lieutenant queried.

“George Wickham of Lambton Dale at your service.” Wickham could see the men were looking at his missing teeth and broken nose. “I was beset upon by three brigands who stole most of my belongings. After causing more damage to two of them than they inflicted on me, I was able to escape with my life.” The two officers looked impressed.

“Then, Mr Wickham, you are in luck. As you have a gentleman’s education, you will be awarded a free Lieutenant’s commission. The wages are two pounds per month, but the regiment provides your meals and billet at no cost to yourself,” the Lieutenant explained.

Now he needed to make sure they were encamped outside of London and not in Kent. “What part of the realm is your regiment defending?” Wickham asked nonchalantly.

“Right now we are encamped outside of the market town of Whitchurch in Shropshire. However, by mid-October we will have moved to the market town of Meryton in Hertfordshire. There we will remain until March, when we will join many other regiments in Brighton,” the Lieutenant revealed.

Internally, Wickham breathed a sigh of relief. It was far enough from London and Kent! It would be perfect. “Then I would like to avail myself of the free lieutenant’s commission. I am a graduate of Cambridge, and as I am sure you can tell, I am from the best of shires.”

“Be here at sunrise two days hence. You will be able to join us in travelling to Shropshire.” The Lieutenant stood and offered the new recruit his hand. The Ensign did the same even though he wished it was him gaining a lieutenancy.

Wickham shook their hands vigorously. “I will be here.” He bowed and then took his leave.

As he made his way back to Karen’s rundown establishment, he felt lighter of spirit than he had before he had had a facer connect with him. Karen would be as pleased with his departure as he would. Now he just needed to relieve her of a few of her coins so he would have something to take with him.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Caroline Bingley had been sure she would be able to manipulate her brother into making her his hostess. Ignoring what Mr Darcy had told Charles about the duties of the mistress of an estate, she was positive her brother was wrong. All she needed to do was show Mr Darcy she was the consummate hostess.

She had managed to rewrite history so that what her brother had said about his friend never offering for her, even if she affected a compromise, had been erased from her memory.

However, no matter what she had attempted: screaming, crying, unleashing her temper, had swayed her brother. He still stubbornly clung to his resolve that Louisa would be his hostess. What was the world coming to that she was unable to get her way with her weak brother as she always had in the past? She decided it would take a new strategy, so she would have to divine one before Mr Darcy arrived on Friday.

That same morning, when they had departed Curzon Street, Miss Bingley had made her displeasure known in no uncertain terms. It was the same rant she had loosed as soon as she discovered earlier that Mr Darcy was not travelling with them.

The fact he was not in London and would be arriving directly from the north was neither here nor there to her. Charles should have made sure they were to travel together. Hence, since they had departed London, Miss Bingley had deprived her family members of her scintillating conversation and witticisms.

For his part, Bingley was well pleased that Caroline had decided to be quiet. Over the time leading up to their departure, he had come close to acquiescing to her demands to act as his hostess. When he realised what he almost did, he reminded himself of Darcy’s words and held firm. He hoped his younger sister had assimilated what he had told her regarding Darcy never offering for her. If she caused him to lose Darcy’s friendship, Bingley would never be able to forgive Caroline.

Before he could ruminate on his irascible sister any further, Bingley felt the coach slow and noted they were travelling through a town. He believed it was called Meryton, which meant they were within two miles of his leased estate.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Bennet was reading Richard III —he preferred Shakespeare’s histories—when his study door was pushed open by his wife without so much as a knock. “Mr Bennet, Hattie just told me she saw expensive coaches traverse Meryton on their way to Netherfield Park. Mr Bingley is come! You must call on him and be one of the first to do so. You know if you do not, Sir William will put that plain old maid of a daughter of his forward. You must go immediately for Jane,” Fanny burbled.

“I must do no such thing. What is it to Jane if I call on or do not call on the tenant of Netherfield Park?” Bennet responded shortly. He very much disliked his reading time being interrupted, especially by his wife when she had a head full of bees.

Bennet saw the letter he had finally written in reply to his buffoon of an heir presumptive lying on his desk, ready to post. He had told the idiot to come. Oh, what fun he would have! His thoughts were interrupted by the screeching of his wife.

“Of course you will do your duty!” Fanny exclaimed. “How is Mr Bingley to marry Jane if you do not call on him?”

“So he is to marry our Jane, is he? Is he aware of this yet?”

“That, Mr Bennet, is why you need to go and introduce yourself. That way, when he attends the assembly in three days, he will be able to meet me and the girls. As soon as he sees Jane, he will be lost. She could not be so beautiful for no reason!”

“In that case, I will not waste my time. You may call on him and tell him he is to marry Jane. That way it will be arranged without having to bestir myself from my study.”

“You know I cannot call on a man without you doing so first. Why do you vex me so? My nerves, such flutterings and palpitations,” Fanny grasped her chest with one hand dramatically while the other hand was placed on her forehead, the back to her skin. “You will be the death of me, Mr Bennet!”

“I am not so fortunate,” Bennet said in sotto voce . “Your nerves have been my good friends these many years,” he articulated louder.

“What was that?” Fanny demanded.

“Nothing, Mrs Bennet, nothing. I will have Hill order the grooms to saddle my horse, and I will call on Netherfield Park. Will you leave me in peace then?”

“I knew how it would be. Your horse is waiting for you in the drive,” Fanny stated with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. It seemed as if she had suddenly recovered from her nerves, flutterings, and palpitations.

Bennet shook his head. He would have gone to call in his own time, but his wife knew that if she raised Cain, he would acquiesce to have peace once again. On his way to mount his horse, he handed Hill the letter with instructions to post it as soon as may be.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The footmen were still conveying their trunks into the house when the first caller arrived. The two Bingleys and the Hursts waited in the drawing room, and Mr Nichols announced Sir William Lucas of Lucas Lodge.

Bingley introduced himself and his family.

“Capital, capital,” the garrulous knight declared. “You are all very welcome to the neighbourhood. As the master of ceremonies, it is my pleasure to invite you to the autumn assembly, which will commence at half past the hour of eight on Friday night coming. The ball will be held in the assembly hall in Meryton, and you and your whole party are very welcome, Mr Bingley.”

“We will attend with pleasure,” Bingley accepted before his youngest sister could interject. “I thank you, Sir William.”

After a few more minutes of inane chatter, Sir William bowed to the room and took his leave.

As soon as he did, Miss Bingley could not hold her peace any longer. “ Sir, indeed. What a pretentious country nobody,” she sneered.

“And that is why you will never be my hostess,” Bingley shook his head. “It is a crime to claim a title you do not own, so, Sister, seeing that the butler who has served in this house for many years introduced him thusly, it is an honestly held title. There is only one in this room who is pretentious.” Bingley was enjoying standing up to his sister.

Miss Bingley looked away, nose in the air, and sniffed disdainfully but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, she stood and demanded she be shown to her suite. Mrs Hurst stood as well, in order to confer with the housekeeper, leaving her husband and brother in the drawing room. She did not want her younger sister instructing the housekeeper to place her in the mistress’s chambers.

When he descended the wide stone steps to the drive, Sir William was greatly surprised to see Bennet dismounting from his gelding, which had replaced the onery stallion some five years previously. There was only one reason Bennet would be at Netherfield Park so soon after the tenant arrived. “Your wife?” he asked as he passed his friend.

“Yours too?” Bennet responded.

Sir William nodded his head and mounted his horse.

“You may tell Mrs Bennet that the Netherfield Park party will attend the assembly,” Sir William related before he guided his mount down the drive towards the gates.

A few minutes after the first caller left, Nicholls stepped into the drawing room again. “Mr Thomas Bennet of Longbourn,” he announced.

“Welcome, Mr Bennet, I am Charles Bingley of Scarborough, and this is my brother-in-law, Harold Hurst of Winsdale in Surrey,” Bingley responded. He indicated they should sit. “Is your estate close to this one?”

“It is. Longbourn and Netherfield Park share a border to the east of where we are now. You said ‘from Scarborough,’ but not an estate in Scarborough?” Bennet enquired. He did not care, but he needed to have some conversation before he left.

“My father made his fortune in the carriage business. My mother always wanted us to rise above our roots in trade, so I am leasing this estate to see if the life of a landed gentleman is for me,” Bingley explained. “Hurst here was born into the gentry, and my good friend who will join us on Friday is also landed. His family have been on their land for centuries; since the Conqueror, I believe.”

“A Bennet has been at Longbourn since before the signing of the Magna Carta.” Bennet did not want to mention that as things stood, he would be the final Bennet to be master of Longbourn.

“Sir William invited us to the assembly,” Bingley reported. “Will you attend?”

“I dislike such activities, so, no, I will not. However, my wife and five daughters will be in attendance,” Bennet replied. He was amused to see both men’s eyebrows shoot up when he mentioned how many daughters he had. “You heard correctly. My wife and I were not blessed with a son.”

“You sound like my friend whom I mentioned before,” Bingley stated amusedly. “He finds no pleasure in balls and such.”

“A fellow misanthrope,” Bennet averred.

As ten minutes had passed, Bennet stood, inclined his head, and took his leave.

Bingley was already wondering if he would find his next angel among Mr Bennet’s daughters. He remonstrated with himself that he had not asked how he would recognise them. He remembered that Sir William had informed them of his role as master of ceremonies. Yes, that was how he would garner an introduction to the Bennet ladies.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

By the end of the next day, Bingley had been called on by representatives of all four and twenty landed families in the environs of Meryton. Being a very affable fellow, he was looking forward to the assembly. He dutifully ignored his younger sister’s ranting on that subject and the savages , as she called them, in this backwater.

One thing Bingley had gleaned from all of his calls with a few strategically placed questions was that the Bennet ladies were the prettiest in the area, and the eldest of them, Miss Jane Bennet, was considered the most beautiful woman any had seen.

Friday could not come soon enough for Bingley.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

A new report arrived at Snowhaven from Mr Strike. Like the earlier one, Felicity and Reggie retired to the latter’s study to read it.

He was apologetic about not finding any trace of George Wickham, but Mrs Younge had been traced to Seven Dials. It would not be easy, but there was confidence his men would discover her address.

His investigators had left Meryton—but would return if needed—and their last report had been that Netherfield Park’s new tenant would arrive soon. That fact was generating much excitement, especially with Mrs Bennet. It was nothing they did not know, as William was on his way there at that moment.

Included was a copy of the documents laying out the entail on Longbourn. While Reggie read them over, Felicity remembered how Robert had exploded with anger when they had shared the suspicion that Catherine was connected to Ramsgate.

He had wanted to ride for Kent without delay, but cooler heads had prevailed. He was convinced to wait until facts were known, rather than what they currently had, which were only conjectures. When he had reminded them of his foiling Catherine’s attempt to siphon funds from the estate and his threats to her, everyone agreed it was a possible motivation for her to act. Felicity’s reflections were interrupted when Reggie called out to her.

“Felicity, my love, you must see this,” Reggie insisted.

She went around the desk and looked at the clause her husband was pointing out to her. “I had no idea that was in the entail, and I am sure Thomas has never taken the trouble to read the full document,” Felicity declared. She cogitated. “I doubt Thomas’s father was aware of this either.”

“Do you still want to wait and hear from William?” Reggie verified.

“I do,” Felicity confirmed. “It will not be easy for me to enter that house again, but it must be done at some point, but not yet.”