Page 73 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

The sitting room at Netherfield seemed very full of people; Mr. Bennet had arrived early at the mansion along with his two eldest daughters, ostensibly to sort out more details of the marriage settlements, but in actuality, to be part of the discussion concerning George Wickham. Miss Colby, Anne, Darcy, and Bingley rounded out the group; thankfully, Miss Bingley had retired to her room for an afternoon nap after exhausting herself at the previous night’s ball.

“So Wickham ran,” Anne commented, tapping her lips with one slim finger.

“I fear so,” Darcy replied, marching up and down the blue and green Oriental rug. “It is exasperating.”

“What do you think he will do next?” Miss Colby asked.

Darcy took a few more turns on the carpet and then sank into a nearby chair, his brow clouded with concern. “In truth, I do not know,” he admitted. “In the past, Wickham has always fled from trouble, and it is quite likely that he will merely disappear for a short time, only to pop up again in another part of England, like a particularly diabolical jack-in-the-box.”

“You do not believe he will return to Meryton to pursue me?” Anne inquired calmly.

Her cousin grimaced and confessed, “While it seems unlikely, I cannot entirely rule it out. He must be desperate; he has absurd habits of expense and the militia, while it does not pay much, gave him the social standing to run up debts locally. You are a prize, Anne. You must take great care.”

“I hope he does return for me,” the heiress of Rosings declared with a disdainful curl of her lips. “He will find himself quite surprised by my abilities.”

Darcy winced openly and said, “Do promise me that you will take precautions, Anne.”

His cousin opened her eyes wide in a thoroughly overdramatic fashion. “Oh, dear cousin, I am the very soul of sense and caution!”

Darcy cast his eyes heavenward before turning his focus on the woman who would soon be his bride. Elizabeth was seated between her father and Jane, her porcelain forehead slightly wrinkled with a worried frown.

“Dear Elizabeth,” Darcy said huskily, “I do hope you will also take care. While Wickham would not obtain the wealth he so desperately desires from you, I am his sworn enemy and if he were to…”

Words failed him as he found himself quite unable to finish such a horrific suggestion. Elizabeth was on her feet in a moment, and he noted, for at least the twentieth time, how petite she was compared to his tall frame. Petite, beautiful, and altogether lovely.

“Dearest love,” she murmured, quite heedless of her audience, “I promise you that I will be extremely cautious until the situation with Wickham is resolved. I will not walk without at least a strong servant in tow, and I will always carry my knife with me.”

This provoked a squawk of astonishment from Mr. Bennet, who turned an amazed eye on her. “A knife, my dear girl? You must be joking!”

“Not at all,” his second eldest retorted. “Both Jane and I have been training with Miss Colby and Anne. We are neither of us remotely experts, but we have been permitted the honor of carrying a small knife underneath our skirts.”

“Not that you should depend entirely on that,” Anne instructed. “As you said, it would be wise for you and all your sisters to be escorted when you are out. After all, Wickham would not need to attack you in particular, Elizabeth, to ruin the family.”

Bennet was on his feet now, and his face was dark with dread and horror. “Are you saying that … that Wickham…”

“Is a defiler?” Anne asked baldly. “According to our mutual cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, he is suspected of ruining a young maid in Derbyshire by force. I would not trust the man to hold any kind of line, sir.”

Bennet was pale now, his eyes darting back and forth between his daughters. “That is quite … quite horrific. You said that he was not honorable in his dealings with women, Mr. Darcy, but I had not imagined that he might go so far.”

Darcy cautioned, “Anne is right. He has no honor, and he loathes me.”

“You girls must all stay indoors except when you are well guarded,” the master of Longbourn ordered starkly.

Jane heaved out a soft sigh. “We will be cautious, Papa, you know that, but I worry about Lydia.”

“Lydia is confined to her room and will be until further notice except for when she is directly under my eye.”

The two eldest Miss Bennets exchanged troubled glances until Elizabeth admitted, “It is possible to climb down the rose trellis on that end of the house, Father. Indeed, I confess that I did so more than once in my younger years.”

Bennet turned a shocked gaze on his favorite daughter, which provoked a reluctant giggle from the girl. “I was not getting into any real trouble, Papa; I merely wished to walk, and Mama used to fuss when I rambled in the rain and the mist and the cold. So sometimes I would creep away for some fresh air by climbing down from my window.”

“Mr. Darcy, I believe you will find life quite exciting with my dear daughter as your wife.”

“I look forward to it,” Darcy said fondly, and then grew serious. “Miss Lydia might be in danger if she crept away and came across Wickham. He is so very convincing to…”

“Foolish members of our sex,” Elizabeth agreed grimly.

“What is wrong with Miss Lydia?” Miss Colby asked directly. “You and Miss Bennet both seem very sensible young women, Miss Elizabeth, so I wonder why your sister is so witless.”

“Miss Colby,” Mr. Bennet explained in some embarrassment, “Lydia has long been the favorite of my wife, who is not a wise woman, and until very recently, I let my youngest child run amok as it seemed too much trouble and energy to rein her in. I am trying now to discipline her appropriately, but it is a difficult task. That, of course, is entirely my own fault.”

Miss Colby arched an eyebrow at Anne de Bourgh, who nodded encouragingly.

“Might I have the honor of speaking to Miss Lydia, sir?” Miss Colby asked. “I have vast experience in the ways of disreputable men, and perhaps I can provide some useful advice.”

The master of Longbourn shrugged cynically. “Please do, though I confess I find it unlikely you will manage to break through Lydia’s thick head.”

“I can only try,” Miss Colby responded cheerfully.

***

“Wickham!”

“Pratt, what are you doing here?” Wickham asked in surprise. He had just returned from London and was strolling toward his barracks, eager to get a good night’s rest before he continued his battle plan to win Anne de Bourgh as his bride.

To his amazement, his fellow lieutenant grabbed his arm and hauled him into a convenient alleyway, away from curious eyes. “What is it, Pratt?”

“You have always been a good friend, Wickham,” the man explained, “so I thought it best to waylay you before you could return to the barracks. Colonel Forster has given orders that you be placed under arrest.”

Wickham’s jaw dropped open in shock. “Under arrest? Why?”

Pratt scowled and responded, “For debt, my friend. Apparently, Darcy had an interview with Forster today and displayed receipts for a number of debts which he claims he paid on your behalf.”

Wickham swore aloud and cast a terrified glance toward the center of town. He had almost walked into a trap set by his enemy!

“I would guess that Forster is quite sympathetic to you, Wickham,” Pratt continued, “but he can hardly refuse a man like Darcy. You must run, and quickly.”

“I am very low on funds, Pratt,” Wickham murmured, looking woebegone. “Is there any chance you could lend me a little? I promise I will pay it back as soon as possible.”

Pratt sighed as he reached for his pocket. “I have not much myself, but you can have it.”

Wickham took the coins greedily and, after thanking his fellow officer profusely, the two men separated. Wickham quickly took off his coat and wrapped it into a small bundle so that no one would spot his red uniform, and retreated further into the alley to think hard for a few minutes. Then he returned to the stable where he had just returned his hired horse.

“Mr. Wickham?” the proprietor queried in confusion. “Did you forget something, sir?”

“Not at all, my good man,” Wickham declared. “No, I was met by a friend who informed me that an express arrived with news that I must return to London. I fear my poor sister has taken a turn for the worse. I need to hire a horse again.”

“Oh, I am sorry, sir. Of course! Cloud is well rested and will serve you well.”

Wickham handed over the appropriate fee and, within a few minutes, had mounted the gray horse and was on the road out of Meryton. The nets were indeed closing in on him and the sensible course was to retreat to a seedier section of London, but no, not this time. He had experienced quite enough failure at the hands of the Darcys. It was time for him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and take Anne de Bourgh as his bride, whether she was willing or not.

***

“Lydia?”

Lydia, who was lying sullenly on her bed, looked over to her open door irritably. “What do you want, Jane?”

“I would like to introduce you to Miss Colby, a friend of Miss de Bourgh’s.”

Lydia sat up a little. She had been confined to her room for days now and while she had initially stayed busy being angry and throwing things, she was now thoroughly bored. On the other hand, it would not do to be too eager to speak to the drab woman standing next to her sister.

“What does she want?” she demanded irritably.

Jane’s eyes flashed dangerously, and Lydia quaked inwardly. Jane had always been so placid and loving and easy to fool; this new version of her eldest sister was both exasperating and alarming in her more forthright nature.

“Miss Colby has some information to impart to you, Lydia, and I expect you to listen to her. Is that entirely clear?”

Lydia opened her mouth to say something impertinent and then shut it. Jane’s hands were clenched tightly, and given the odd expression on that beautiful face, it was just possible that her eldest sister would slap her if she was too unruly.

“Yes,” Lydia agreed meekly, casting a cynical glance at the unknown woman waiting patiently. She looked dull, but Lydia was adept at ignoring people she found boring.

Jane frowned menacingly and then, with one last glance at Miss Colby, stalked out of the room.

***

“Yes, Fitzwilliam, I have read some of Mr. Coke’s treatises on agricultural reform,” Elizabeth declared. The couple were walking in the garden behind Longbourn, arm in arm, enjoying the sunshine. Darcy relished the feel of his love’s hand on his arm, though he kept glancing around uneasily. It seemed unlikely that Wickham would be foolish enough to attack them within five and twenty yards of Longbourn, but the man was, under his cleverness, an idiot at times. A sensible man would not have made an enemy of Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, but Wickham had always been vain and conceited, in love with the idea that he ought to have comparable privileges to his godfather’s son, without any of the responsibilities.

“Has your father implemented any of Mr. Coke’s ideas for improving the soil? What is his view of the open field system?” Darcy asked curiously.

Elizabeth twisted her lips in disapproval. “I fear my father has not … well, change is difficult and requires significant energy. The tenants often do not wish to alter what has been passed down through the generations.”

“That is true enough. I have started making changes at Pemberley because I am confident that marling improves the soil, and the four course crop rotation is quite superior to the land management of the past. As you said, many of the tenants are very much opposed to such practices. As the master of Pemberley, I have significant influence, but one cannot force a farmer to work hard when he believes the methodology to be inferior.”

Elizabeth nodded and cast her third anxious glance at Lydia’s window.

“What is it, my dear?” Darcy asked softly, enjoying the right to address his beloved with adoring blandishments.

His bride to be smiled up into his face. “I apologize for my distraction, my love. Miss Colby is speaking with Lydia now, and I worry that a chair will sail through the window at any moment.”

Darcy glanced up as well and said encouragingly, “I think Miss Colby will be entirely capable of managing your sister.”