Page 8 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Drawing Room

Longbourn

Rather to her surprise, Elizabeth found both her mother and father in the drawing room, which permitted her to introduce the two Wickhams and Mr. Pratt to the master and mistress of Longbourn.

Mrs. Bennet had clucked in amazement at the sight of the twins, and when Lydia and Kitty entered, Lydia waited only through the requisite introductions before bursting into noisy speech.

“It is hardly to be believed!” the girl exclaimed of the two men, who were seated across from one another, while Jane and Elizabeth sat on a settee nearer the fire. “You look so much alike! Are you also planning to enter the militia as well, Mr. … um, Wickham?”

The new arrival chuckled and shook his head. “I am not, Miss Lydia, but please, if you like, you may call me Mr. Alexander. In our younger years, when George and I lived in close proximity, it was found easier by our friends and acquaintances to call him Mr. Wickham and me Mr. Alexander. He is the elder and therefore deserving of the more formal title.”

“Very well, Mr. Alexander,” Lydia replied. “Why will you not enter the militia? I do not wish to be rude in any way, but I assure you that your brother looks far better than you do because of his red coat.”

Alexander Wickham nodded and said, “There is no doubt that is true, but I am a clergyman and am fortunate enough to hold a valuable living in Derbyshire. I find my current way of life very satisfying, as much as the militia is to my brother and Mr. Pratt.”

Elizabeth, seated across from the elder twin, could not help but look at George Wickham in wonder. He, in turn, cast a quick, uncomfortable glance at her and then turned toward Lydia and said smoothly, “My brother and I have very different interests, Miss Lydia, in spite of being twins.”

“I suppose that is no great surprise,” Jane interpolated kindly. “After all, while you look alike, you are distinct people. There are five of us sisters, and each of us is very different.”

“Well, I would think being a clergyman would be dreadfully dull,” Lydia declared with a pout, which provoked Elizabeth to cry out in embarrassment. “Lydia!”

“It is quite all right, I assure you,” Mr. Alexander said with a grin. “George has always been the dashing twin, and I the duller one. I do not mind in the least. Serving my flock of parishioners is a gift and a privilege, and I am happy in my place, even as I hope my brother is happy here.”

“Indeed I am,” the elder twin said, producing a gleaming smile, but Elizabeth, watching carefully, could see that the cheer did not reach his eyes. Moreover, her mind was buzzing with confusion; how could it be that the younger twin had been awarded a living and not the elder?

There was apparently far more to Lieutenant Wickham than she had previously understood.

***

The Pig in the Poke Pub and Inn

Meryton

One Hour Later

It was typical, George Wickham thought, of his younger brother to be so obviously content with lodgings plainly not meant for the gentry. He had grudgingly accepted his own simple accommodations with the militia, but remained acutely aware of what was truly owed him. Alexander, of course, was already making himself comfortable in a cramped room which was, thanks to its position above the pub itself, doubtless noisy during the evening hours.

The chambermaids knew their jobs, at least, for the room was clean and tidy, without dust on the mantel or dirt in the single rag rug. The bed was neatly made, though the several blankets were of cotton and wool. And the landlord did not stint on wood for his guests; a large fire already blazed in the hearth, casting a bubble of light and heat before it.

The porter had set Alexander’s trunk at the foot of the bed, and candles flickered on the table where dinner had been set. Tankards of ale sat beside plates of potatoes and sandwiches thick with ham and cheese. “Will there be anything else today, sirs?” the maid asked.

“That will be all, thank you,” Alexander said politely.

George watched the girl leaving, waiting until the door clicked shut behind her.

“What are you doing here, Alexander?” he snarled, and then took a bite of his ham sandwich. “Did Darcy send for you?”

Alexander Wickham, who had just been enjoying a draught of ale, turned a bewildered look on his brother and said, “Darcy? No, of course not. I have not seen Darcy in many months.”

George filed this away for later consideration and said, “Then why are you here?”

Alexander paused for a moment, and then said, “I wished to see you again and to observe how and what you are doing.”

The elder twin laughed cynically and shook his head. “I doubt that, Brother. You have never cared for me. If you had, you would have helped me a year ago!”

“It is not my fault that you run up large debts wherever you go,” Alexander said calmly.

George could not bear sitting still, and instead, he leaped to his feet and began pacing back and forth.

“I am the godson of George Darcy,” he snapped, “his favorite godson. I was intended for more than a hand to mouth existence. I was meant for good food and wine, and fine clothing. It is not fair!”

Alexander said nothing but merely looked at him gravely.

This provoked the lieutenant to even greater irritation, and he turned and said, “I do not want you here, Alexander. Leave at once.”

“I will not,” his brother said calmly, though there was a slight set to his jaw.

“Why not? Should you not be looking over your flock of stupid sheep in Kympton?”

“I have a curate overseeing the parish while I am gone.”

“Alexander!” George snarled. “You know perfectly well that we dislike one another thoroughly and that you exasperate me as much as I exasperate you. So again, I must ask, why are you here?”

Alexander set down his glass of ale, and his fists clenched. “I heard recently what happened at Ramsgate with Georgiana Darcy but a few months ago.”

George stared at his brother and shook his head. “You cannot be serious. You left Derbyshire and your snug parsonage to journey to Hertfordshire over something that happened months ago?”

Now Alexander rose to his full height, which was, of course, exactly his own, and his expression was no longer calm, but forbidding. George remembered, with resentment, that the last time he had come to fisticuffs with his younger brother, he had emerged the one more battered. One of the incredibly annoying traits of the younger Mr. Wickham was that he was eager to help those around him in all circumstances, which meant that he often cut wood for poor widows and carried boxes of provisions for families. For this reason, Alexander, in spite of being a man of the cloth, was well muscled.

“You tried to entice a young lady of fifteen to run off for a marriage over the anvil,” the clergyman said coldly, “and not just any young lady, but the daughter of our godfather. How could you do such a despicable thing?”

George, seeing the fury in his twin’s dark eyes, took a cautious step backwards and said resentfully, “It is not as if I would have mistreated Georgiana. I have always been very fond of her!”

“You mistreated her by seducing her into believing she was in love with you,” Alexander declared angrily. “You mistreated her by convincing her to run away to Scotland for an illicit wedding ceremony. Moreover, you know perfectly well you would never have been faithful to her!”

“You are so very common, Brother,” George sneered, “to worry about such doings. Among the nobility and gentry, faithfulness in marriage is not any great thing!”

Alexander clenched his teeth at these words, and a moment later, his shoulders relaxed. “I disagree. The Holy Book has many commands against adultery, and it matters not whether those who are considered our superiors engage in such ungodly behavior. But we need not argue about that, as I know we do not see eye to eye in such happenings and likely never will.”

“Then why are you here?” his brother demanded, throwing his hands heavenward.

Alexander narrowed his eyes and said, “I am here to make certain that the people in this little town are aware of your true character, George. I will not allow you to fool another heiress into running away with you, not if I can prevent it!”

His elder brother hissed in frustration and took another few turns up and down the carpet before halting to say, “There is no need for that. Darcy is here, and will doubtless do his best to besmirch my reputation in the area.”

Alexander’s eyes flared wide in surprise. “Darcy is here ?”

“Yes.”

“Because of what you did?”

George blew out a breath and shook his head. “It is, apparently, entirely by chance that Darcy is here. He is staying with a friend at nearby Netherfield Hall. Thankfully, he has already managed to irritate the local gentry owing to his pride and haughty manners.”

His brother did not bother answering. He knew that Darcy could be a bit high in the instep, but he was an honorable man and a good patron. But George, of course, would never accept that.