Page 2 of Darcy’s Redemption (Holidays with Darcy and Elizabeth)

Chapter Two

“ A s Wickham himself told you, his father was my father’s steward,” Darcy began, his voice low, meant for Elizabeth’s ears alone. “We played together as children, but my father never recognised his more vicious tendencies for what they were. I was something of a rule-follower—” he cleared his throat, drawing a soft giggle from Elizabeth “—whereas George constantly tested boundaries. He frequently persuaded me to go along with him though I always tried to temper his more outrageous schemes.

“Only once did I accompany him when a prank went too far and caused harm to another. I do not remember exactly what we did, but we injured several sheep belonging to one of my father’s tenants. When confronted, I accepted the blame, unaware that Wickham had already told both our fathers the idea had been mine. By the time I learned of his lie, it seemed pointless to correct it, but from that moment, I was no longer as free with him as I had been. I began to distance myself, realising he had no true regard for honour .

“That autumn, I went to school with Richard, and it was a very good year for me without George there. However, the following year, he joined me at school. Since my father insisted we room together, it became more difficult to avoid him. More than once, I found myself in trouble for something he had done. Often enough, another boy or even a teacher was able to vouch for me not being near where the trouble occurred, but that only pitted us against each other more.”

Darcy exhaled heavily, gathering his thoughts before continuing. “When we went to Cambridge, it was much the same although I refused to room with him. At first, my father was displeased, but I remained adamant and told him about some of Wickham’s more egregious antics. Reluctantly, he conceded. Without Wickham always nearby, I was able to distinguish myself among my peers, earning high marks in several areas. My father seemed proud of me—or so I believed—but I suspect he preferred hearing of Wickham’s exploits, naturally toned down for my father’s consumption.

“Wickham rarely attended classes and, as I understand it, was threatened with expulsion more than once. To be entirely truthful, I do not even know if he completed his studies. During his final year, I was at Pemberley and knew nothing of his affairs.”

Darcy scrubbed a hand down his face, hesitating before he continued. “Surely you can understand my frustration when I learned my father had suggested in his will that I assist Wickham and even hinted that I should grant him a living when one became available. Even had he taken orders, he would have been wholly unfit for such an office. So when he came to me, requesting the value of the living instead, I was only too happy to oblige. I gave him three thousand pounds in addition to the one thousand my father had left him outright.” He swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. “He signed a receipt for the sum, and, thoroughly disgusted by what I knew of the man and his character, I hoped never to see him again.”

He paused again, and Elizabeth looked up at him, concern etching her features. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, as though the words pained him. “Last summer, he intruded upon my notice once again.” Darcy told how Wickham had conspired with his sister’s companion to persuade the fifteen-year-old girl to elope with him and would have been successful had Darcy himself not arrived a few days before the intended elopement.

“Had he succeeded with her, I might have lost my sister forever. That scoundrel could have taken her from me—and it would have been my fault, for I sheltered her too much from life’s harsher realities, leaving her na?ve to the true nature of my former friend. Oh, I might have seen her on occasion, but only when Wickham wished to use her as leverage to extort further funds from me.” As he spoke, it was obvious that his pain was significant and that he blamed himself for what had happened.

“He squandered four thousand pounds in just a few years; her dowry of thirty thousand would not have supported his excesses for long. And when that was gone? He might have abandoned her, left her destitute in some foreign place—or worse, inflicted upon her some vile disease born of his own debauched habits,” he finished quietly.

At a small noise from her, he lifted his free hand to caress hers. “Forgive me, Miss Elizabeth, I should not speak of these things to you. But I sheltered my sister to the point that I made her an easy target for a man like him, and I would hate to see you injured by him as well.”

Elizabeth started at this idea. “He has not injured me,” she informed him, looking down at her hands, noticing briefly how much his touch comforted her. “My pride is hurt a bit, but mostly because I was naive enough to believe his lies. I should have known better than to allow a man I did not know to speak to me as he did.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I was a fool, Mr. Darcy, and entirely prejudiced because of an idle comment that hurt my pride.”

Neither Darcy nor Elizabeth noticed that he was still holding the hand that was resting on his arm as they stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Something seemed to pass between them, and when the colonel announced their arrival at the parsonage, breaking the spell between them, they both flushed as they realised the impropriety of their relative positions.

“Shall we go in?” the colonel asked. “Have you been able to convey to Miss Bennet some of what you wished to share? Do we still need Mrs. Collins to accompany us on a walk?”

“I have shared the most important details, but the question remains—what is to be done about him?” Darcy said. “Perhaps Mrs. Collins will have some insight none of us have yet considered although we have not yet asked Miss Elizabeth for her thoughts. I have often observed that your mother was far more adept at administering punishment than either your father or mine. It is possible these ladies will have suggestions for handling the miscreant that would never occur to either of us.”

Less than half an hour later, Maria was sent on an errand with a servant to a neighbour’s house, and Charlotte accompanied Elizabeth as they took a turn in the garden with the gentlemen.

“Charlotte,” Elizabeth said, her voice tight as she admitted to her friend how utterly wrong she had been. “The colonel and Mr. Darcy have some information about Mr. Wickham that is important for our neighbours in Meryton to learn. However, we must do so carefully; if Mr. Wickham learns the information came from Mr. Darcy, he may retaliate against him.”

“So you now believe that Mr. Darcy is innocent of the charges your favourite laid at his feet?” Charlotte teased.

“He was never a favourite, Charlotte, but I did consider him a friend,” Elizabeth retorted, her cheeks flushing pink in mortification. She had anticipated her friend would tease her, but had thought she would wait until they were alone. That she called Wickham a favourite in front of the gentlemen was a reminder of her foolishness in believing him.

Noting that her teasing had fallen flat, Charlotte quickly grew more serious. “What do our friends need to know, gentlemen? Is he a gambler, a rake, a despoiler of women?” This was still said with a light tone, unknowingly touching on all of the man’s vices.

Both Darcy and Elizabeth blushed at such forthrightness from the rector’s wife. The colonel only grimaced, causing Charlotte to blanch, her shock evident. “He is all those things, Mrs. Collins, and more,” the colonel said gravely. “Wickham is known to run up debts he never intends to pay and to promise marriage to young women, when he has no intention of following through. Once he gets what he wants from these women, he moves on to the next. My cousin has found husbands for several women after they have been in company with Wickham.”

Elizabeth paled at this rather blunt description. “What sort of women? Gentlewomen?” she asked rather desperately.

“Only one that I am aware of,” Darcy replied, his tone telling Elizabeth all she needed to know. Georgiana was the only gentlewomen with whom he had trifled out of a misplaced desire for vengeance. While this ought to have relieved her concerns, it did little to calm her worries.

Darcy continued, “Most have been the daughters of tenants or were serving women. I tried warning my father long ago, but he would not believe me. Most at Pemberley and the surrounding areas learned to be wary of him and his promises long ago, but I could not warn all of England about him. I hold enough of his debts to have him thrown in Marshalsea for some time, but am reluctant to use what I have against him.”

“If he is in Marshalsea, who would believe him if he spoke against another, such as your sister?” Elizabeth asked. “Anything he said then could be attributed to his bitterness at having his debts called in. Besides, who would he tell? The other debtors?”

Darcy sighed and looked at his cousin. “It could work,” he replied slowly. “But I struggle to believe it could truly be that simple to eliminate him from our lives. ”

The colonel gave the three an evil grin. “I have long asked that you simply allow me to put him down like the dog he is. He cannot speak to anyone if he is dead.”

Darcy turned a furious glare on his cousin. “No, Richard, we have discussed this before. It is one thing to kill another in battle, but you are speaking of taking a life in cold blood.”

“He is a soldier now,” Elizabeth interjected, seeking to alleviate the obvious tension between the two men. “Could you not have him transferred to the front lines somewhere? Or perhaps to India?”

For a moment, both gentlemen stared at Elizabeth. “How have we never considered this before?” the colonel asked his cousin.

“You have only known he was in the militia for a few days,” Darcy said, grimacing. “I could not tell you in a letter, and I had not seen you until we both arrived here.”

The colonel considered this for a moment. “Who is his commander?” he asked, his question coming out sharper than he intended and startling both ladies. Darcy gave his cousin a quelling glare though it hardly affected the officer.

Elizabeth answered, “Colonel Forster,” before Darcy could reply. “Although it has not been confirmed, the officers expect they will move to Brighton or to another larger camp soon. I do not know whether that will make it easier or more difficult for you to have him transferred, but it is likely the militia will not be in Meryton much longer.”

“If the colonel is wise, he will check with all the merchants in the area before he departs to see what sort of balances his men have with them,” the colonel mused. “Having been in one place for a long time, it is likely Wickham has significant debts, not counting debts of honour.”

“I could hint to my father that some businesses nearby have gone bankrupt because of unpaid debts from militia officers,” Charlotte interjected. “Since he was a shopkeeper before his elevation, he would be more sympathetic and might suggest to the colonel that he discover what his men owe and insist they pay it before they leave the area. If it becomes known publicly that Wickham owes a great deal, then people may be more reluctant to trust him.”

“What of the women he has used?” Elizabeth asked, her voice soft.

“I have not heard any gossip from Mama, but you said his typical victims are serving women?” Charlotte asked, looking at the gentlemen for confirmation.

Elizabeth gasped. “Earlier this year, in February, if I am not mistaken, the grocer’s daughter was sent away to stay with relations for a time, and the tanner’s daughter not long after. You do not think…” she trailed off, unwilling to say more.

“There may have been other reasons beyond what you are thinking, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy replied softly. “Despite my lack of love for my former friend, I would not want to accidentally harm another’s reputation by supposing something that may be untrue. I know what Wickham is capable of, but he is not the only militia officer who is likely willing to do the same.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before speaking in a soft yet unmistakably angry tone. “My father should have said more, should have warned my sisters about the dangers these officers pose. My foolish and flighty sisters, despite their instruction in what is right, often disregard it. Had one of these men been so inclined, they could have harmed one of them. I am fortunate never to have encountered such a man during my walks. Yet, had someone told me sooner, would I have believed them? I, too, was quick to trust and even quicker to judge.”

“Miss Elizabeth, your father likely expected the soldiers to act with honour,” Darcy replied, seeking to calm her. “He may have never considered that they would do anything to harm you or your sisters.”

Elizabeth shook her head as she opened her mouth to reply, but Charlotte cut off any answer she may have intended to give.

“Eliza, my father also did not consider the idea that these men would act in a less than honourable way, and did not warn me or my sisters either,” she said.

“But Maria does not flirt with the officers as outlandishly as Kitty and Lydia do,” Elizabeth retorted. “I suppose it is foolish of me to expect my father to do anything when he already allows my sisters to behave so improperly. Nothing Jane or I have said to him has ever changed his mind.”

Darcy considered it best not to reply and shook his head subtly at his cousin. The two men allowed the women to glare at each other for several moments before Elizabeth finally conceded. “I can still be angry at him for his lack of concern, Charlotte Collins, but perhaps he is not so guilty. For all his faults, he is a good father although I wish he would do more for my younger sisters.”

“Come, Eliza, you and I both need to write some letters about the damage a militia unit has done nearby,” Charlotte said, looping her arm with Elizabeth’s. “We will need to ensure our details match, and between the letter to my mother and your letter to yours, they will be able to fill in the gaps so that all of Meryton realises what can happen if the militia leave debts behind. Perhaps we can issue a warning to our sisters about young girls in the area who were sent away, but we will need to be cautious to make sure no one jumps to any conclusions about members of our neighbourhood. If there is already talk of that sort, Mama has not mentioned it to me, and I would prefer not to give her fodder for gossip.”

“Very well, Charlotte,” Elizabeth agreed, before turning to curtsey to the gentlemen. “We will spend the rest of our morning writing these letters so we might post them this afternoon. If we time them correctly, our mothers will receive them before the Easter service, which will give them a sufficient audience to share their conjectures.”

They took their leave from the gentlemen who likewise promised to send a few letters of their own. Darcy would send a letter to his man of business to enquire about Wickham’s debts in Meryton, and Fitzwilliam would write to Colonel Forster to see what he could learn about Wickham’s time in the militia.