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He had always thought Mr Lucas Wickham, his father’s steward, an honourable man, but it seemed he had gone along with George’s plan to gain his father’s favour.

Why would a man who was paid double what most stewards receive as wages betray his employer in such a way?

Until Mr Wickham was interrogated, there would be no answer to that question.

As much as Father liked his steward, he would not keep a man in his employ who had been so dishonest and endangered the life of the Darcy heir.

Until they arrived at the entrance to the castle, George Wickham had been silent, other than a few complaints about pain. “I will tell Mr Darcy one of your brutes shot me for no reason. If you allow me to go, I will be silent,” the young Wickham tried.

“Do you think me a simpleton?” Hertfordshire barked.

“You forget; I and my two men heard every word you said. Your intended victim was there as well, not to mention your cohorts are with us. If I were you, I would not talk any more nonsense; otherwise, I will recommend that you swing for attempted murder.” He turned to some of the men who had joined them.

“Hold these two in a small parlour until I send for them.” The men nodded and led Wickham’s accomplices away.

George Wickham discovered that the Duke was not like Robert Darcy, whom he could manipulate easily.

His only hope would be to speak to Mr Darcy before anyone else.

Before he could say anything, the man who had shot him pushed him across the great hall into an antechamber with no window, closed, and locked the door.

It did not seem like he would see Mr Darcy before others spoke to him.

Forgetting he had mentioned his plan to curry favour with Mr Darcy, he sat and planned how he would get himself out of this spot of trouble.

His mouth and charm had worked in the past; he was sure it would be the same this time as well.

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

Having expected William to be at, or close to, the house and no one finding him for the last few hours, Darcy felt a knot of worry in the pit of his stomach when one of Hertfordshire’s huge guards arrived with an urgent summons to Castlemere.

Lady Anne was also greatly concerned, so there had been no talking her out of joining him.

They had both been spending time with Gigi, who had turned five that month, when the note had arrived.

As soon as Nurse had been called, the two were off riding directly across the fields, he on his stallion and she on her mare, as that was the fastest way to the castle.

It was less than fifteen minutes from the time they urged their mounts to gallop until they pulled their mounts to a halt before the castle and manor house.

“His Grace and your son are waiting for you in his study,” the butler intoned as soon as he had taken the Darcys’ outerwear.

The study was in the new part of the structure, on the first floor, just below the family apartments, looking out across the lake to the east, towards Pemberley.

Any other time the Darcy parents would have drunk in the beautiful vista before them when they entered the study.

This time they only had eyes for their son.

“William, are you well? How could you leave without sending word about where you were and when you would be home?” Darcy demanded.

“George Wickham invited me to ride with him and some friends of his. He promised he would have one of the grooms inform you where we were headed and when I would return,” William related.

“He most probably forgot,” Darcy said in excuse, although he did not fully believe it himself.

“Darcy, it is time for you to come out of the stupor where that miscreant is concerned,” Hertfordshire barked.

“Were you aware that his mother told him you were his true father?” The Duke saw the shock on his friend’s face, but he knew he needed to drive his point home.

“You know that great debt you claim to owe the Wickhams?”

“Yes, I owe them William’s life,” Darcy claimed.

“Father, it was a fiction. George planned the whole of it, and his father went along with him!” William reported.

“William, I asked both Wickhams about this when Matlock raised it. They swore on their word of honour that they did nothing of the sort. George claimed it was an accident, as he had not learnt to swim yet,” Darcy refuted.

“Darcy, have you ever known me to lie?” Hertfordshire asked.

“Never,” Darcy replied as he shook his head. “What has this to do with anything?”

“I will relay what I heard and saw. If you still want to cling to your delusions about George Wickham and even your steward, two of my men were with me, your son was there, and I have the two ruffians who were assisting your godson to harm your son.”

Darcy looked shocked. Lady Anne was giving him an ‘I told you so’ look.

“I was out riding with two of my men…” The Duke told all he had heard and seen.

“Do you need me to summon my men or the two who the miscreant promised to pay for their assistance? At least those two only thought they were to assist young Wickham to scare your son away so he could be replaced, not murder him.”

Darcy lost all of his colour. He shook his head.

How had he been so blind? Lucas Wickham had played him false all to aid his son.

Until this moment, he had thought the man honourable, and at some level a friend.

His unwillingness to see the truth many others had seen had almost cost William his life.

“Anne, William, I am so very sorry for allowing myself to miss what you did not,” Darcy stated contritely, feeling ashamed of himself, as he knew he deserved to feel.

“What is to be done with him? Of course, I must sack his father without a character. I will need to find a good and honourable man to fill the post.”

“The under-steward, Mr Chalmers, is ready, Robert,” Lady Anne opined. “How many times have you not sung his praises?” Darcy nodded his agreement.

“As far as George Wickham goes, it will be up to the magistrate. I have decided to not try to influence him unduly. If he decides on transportation, I will sign the order; however, given that this was an attempt on your son’s life, with malice aforethought, he may very well decide to send young Wickham to Derby to be tried by the assizes.

You know what the penalty is if he is found guilty, do you not? ” The Duke verified.

“Yes. I am aware it would be hanging,” Darcy confirmed.

Lady Anne, who was a very gentle soul, would not be overly sorry if the boy who tried to murder her William, paid the ultimate penalty.

Her Robert had been clear-eyed about everything in his life except when it came to the Wickham boy.

She hated how it had come about, but she was not disappointed that it had.

Anne Darcy knew that Robert would need her succour as he came to terms with his errors.

He took so much on himself, especially when he thought himself at fault.

She would help her beloved through this.

At seventeen, William Darcy, who would enter Cambridge in September of that year, was ambivalent about his former friend possibly meeting the hangman.

That was until he remembered the murderous look, and the evil pleasure George Wickham showed in his eyes.

If that was what the magistrate decided, then so be it.

The magistrate was shown in. Sir Harold Putter listened to all of the evidence.

He called for the two lads who had been the unwitting accomplices, and, not that he needed it, they corroborated everything he had been told so far.

“As I believe you were unaware of George Wickham’s intent, I will honour the promise His Grace made to you.

I second what he told you. Never come to my notice again, as I will reinstate capital offences against you.

” He nodded to Johns who showed the relieved boys out.

“With this level of planning and malice, I see no other way than to have the boy stand trial for attempted murder. He will swing for this,” the magistrate related.

The Duke made no attempt to intercede.

When the constable took custody of George Wickham, the latter was beyond shocked. “I want to tell my side,” George wailed.

“You will be able to tell it in court,” Sir Harold said before the prisoner was led away in irons.

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

“Wickham! Do not try denying it. Your son admitted that it was his and your late wife’s scheme you assisted in when you saved my son. How could you?” Darcy demanded. He was in his study; his son and the Duke were present as well.

“My wife was correct; you have so much. You could have afforded to give us…” Wickham closed his mouth when the Duke interjected.

“No wonder your son thinks the world owes him whatever he wants with parents like you and your late wife. Were the wages Mr Darcy paid you not enough? Is it not far more than most in your position earn?” Hertfordshire demanded. The steward looked away and did not reply.

“You are sacked without a character, effective immediately.” Darcy paused. “Before you leave my study, I ask you, did you know what your son planned today?”

“I did not,” Wickham claimed.

He was told what had occurred and that his son was to be tried. “It was Sir Harold’s decision; neither I nor His Grace influenced him one way or the other.”

“ MY GEORGE WILL HANG !” Wickham yelled. He turned to the Duke. “You can have this stopped! He more than likely was funning Master William; he would never have actually hurt Mr Darcy’s son.”

“That is not what I, my men, William, and the two your son lied to so they would help him, saw and heard. Even though he was caught, he tried to smash a rock down on William’s head. If my man had not shot him, Mr Darcy’s son would be dead,” the Duke revealed.

“My George was shot! Does he live?” Wickham demanded.

“It was a flesh wound in his arm. You can see him for yourself once you leave my estate. He will be in the gaol in Derby,” Darcy reported.

Wickham turned on his heel and marched out of the study without unleashing the vitriol he wanted to. He knew who was to blame if his son ended up being hanged. He would go pack and be on his way to Derby as soon as may be.

“You may want to add some guards and outriders,” Hertfordshire suggested. “That is an angry man looking to lay blame on someone else.” He paused. “Darcy, I believe this man will present a danger to you or your family at some point in the future, will you allow me to have him transported?”

“He is just angry now; I am sure when he has time to cool his ire he will see things more clearly. He is to lose his son, I do not want to be party to him losing his freedom as well,” Darcy decided.

Lady Anne disagreed with her husband, but for that moment held her peace. The Duke also believed it was an error, but he said nothing.

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

Less than a month later, no matter how much Lucas Wickham pleaded or begged the judge not to pronounce the sentence of death and have his boy hanged, George Wickham, was found guilty of attempted murder.

He was subsequently sentenced to be executed, regardless of his father’s wailing.

He was led out to the gallows in the courtyard of the Derby gaol on a cold, grey morning, just before the sun rose.

The men escorting him had to drag him from the building as the young Wickham cried, screamed, and attempted to hold onto anything to stop them taking him to his fate. Soon enough, it was over.

The only witnesses had been the governor of the prison, a clergyman, and some guards. Neither the Darcys nor the Duke of Hertfordshire desired to watch the end of a wasted life. Although they agreed that justice had been done, none of them were happy about it.

Lucas Wickham could not watch his only child drop to his death. He had visited George every day, sat through the trial, and berated the judge for his sentence, but he could not be there for the end.

His last words to his son were that he would find a way to avenge him. He knew not when or how, but it was now his mission in life.