Page 27 of Longbourn’s Son (Pride and Prejudice Variation #22)
“Brother?”
Darcy, who had climbed the stairs leading to his bedchamber with light feet so that he would not disturb anyone, looked in surprise toward Georgiana, who was standing in her sitting room door still in her day dress, her eyes dark with worry.
“Georgie,” he said softly, “it is so late!”
“I could not sleep. You were gone so long. What happened, Fitzwilliam?”
He smiled reassuringly and followed her into the sitting room, shut the door behind them, and made his way toward the fire. The heat was most welcome after the chilly ride back to Netherfield.
“Everything is fine, dear one,” he reassured her. “Wickham made an enormous mistake, and this time he will be punished for his many crimes.”
/
It was past midnight, but Longbourn, usually asleep at this hour, buzzed with activity as servants rekindled fires and prepared hot possets for the beloved heir to the estate.
Luke, who found himself surprisingly ravenous, sat carefully in a padded chair in the well-warmed parlor with Kitty only an arm’s length away.
“You should eat something, Kitty,” he urged. “It has been a long day for all of us.”
“I am having hot cider,” she answered, lifting her cup. “I truly do not think I care to eat anything. I am still so distressed that it would make me feel unwell.”
“Dearest Kitty, I was not greatly harmed.”
“But you could have been,” Kitty quavered, struggling not to cry again. “That disgusting man and his equally disgusting lackeys could have killed you!”
“They will all be appropriately punished,” Luke said with satisfaction.
/
“Wickham will not be prosecuted for assault but will go to debtors’ prison?” Jane asked Elizabeth as she unbuttoned Elizabeth’s dress.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, stepping out of her garment and smiling gratefully as Mary, who was standing nearby, handed her a warm nightgown.
“Debtors’ prison is a death trap for a man without resources, and Wickham has managed to alienate anyone who might come to his aid.
Mr. Darcy is eager to avoid a public trial, and Father agreed that sending him to prison for debt satisfies his crimes against our family. ”
“I am at peace if Father is, but it seems a public trial would be more humiliating,” Jane declared, her usually serene eyes flashing dangerously.
“Perhaps,” Elizabeth agreed, and lowered her voice to a near whisper, “but Mr. Darcy tells me that his sister’s reputation is at risk due to some undisclosed action of Wickham’s. I do not know details, nor do I need to, but I would not have Miss Darcy suffer.”
“Oh, I understand completely! I only hope that Wickham will not be released any time soon.”
“The man would have to pay off literally hundreds of pounds of debt, my dear, and he has no resources for such a thing. No, it is almost certain that the man will die in Marshalsea.”
Jane scowled and said, “I daresay it is wrong of me, but I cannot regret his punishment. He and his men could have killed Luke.”
“I agree completely,” Elizabeth said and then sighed, “though I daresay that is hardly a Christian attitude. What do you think, Mary?”
Jane also turned her attention on her middle sister; Mary was the most pious of all the Bennet siblings, and spent at least an hour a day reading the Bible as well as studying from Matthew Henry’s commentaries.
Mary carefully hung up Elizabeth’s dress before turning to sit down next to Elizabeth on her bed.
“I am angry as well,” she said quietly. “I do not believe that it is wrong to feel anger, though we must, in time, release it so that we are not bitter. Without a doubt, Wickham’s actions were utterly despicable.”
“They were,” Jane agreed.
“It is also possible that Wickham’s imprisonment at Marshalsea will lead him back to God.”
Elizabeth frowned at this. “Do you really think so, Mary? I understand it to be a dreadful place, more like hell than heaven.”
“I have no doubt it is,” Mary agreed, “but based on my limited knowledge of the man, he has never been forced to suffer for his sins; he has stolen and cheated and lied, and others have paid the price. Perhaps in prison, Wickham will come to the end of himself; after all, the prodigal son only returned home to his father when he was reduced to eating pig slops.”
/
“Lieutenant Wickham said that the stable boy impugned his honor,” Private Gann said sullenly. “He ordered us to accompany him to the stables to help him give the boy a much deserved beating.”
Colonel Forster ground his teeth in irritation, berating himself once again for having discounted Mr. Bennet and Sir William’s reports about Wickham and Williamson.
The former was obviously a reckless reprobate.
As for Williamson –the captain’s quarters had been cleared out and the man’s horse was missing, which indicated that the older man had fled to avoid retribution for his crimes.
“I assume you were both drunk?” Colonel Fitzwilliam demanded, glaring up into Gann’s eyes. The private was tall and barrel chested, but was also sober enough now to realize he was in significant trouble for attacking a gentleman’s son.
“Yes,” both Gann and Hodges murmured. The latter, a blond whose vacuous face showed a mixture of resentment and fear, added, “We were only doing what we were ordered to, sir.”
Fitzwilliam regarded both privates thoughtfully before turning to Colonel Forster and saying, “These men cannot stay in the militia here, Colonel, but I would be glad to take them off your hands. A fellow colonel in the Regulars is leaving for the Continent soon and needs more men for his regiment.”
Both men’s eyes widened in distress and Gann blurted out, “I don’t want to serve in the Regulars!”
Fitzwilliam smiled unpleasantly up into the man’s suddenly sweating face.
“I am certain that Colonel Forster agrees with me that you cannot stay here in Meryton; you attacked young Mr. Bennet, who is extremely popular among the local citizenry, and could have seriously injured or even killed him. I will not permit you to join another militia regiment here in England, as you and your compatriot are reckless fools when drunk. You will join the Regulars under the auspices of a man who will make sure you do not misbehave, or you will hang for assaulting a gentleman.”
/
“You have the writ for indebtedness?” Darcy asked as he looked out the window of Bingley’s office at Netherfield. The clouds were heavy and a light mist was falling, but in spite of the unpropitious weather, he felt enormously pleased with life.
Colonel Fitzwilliam nodded with satisfaction.
“Mr. Bennet’s brother by marriage is the local solicitor, Mr. Philips.
He prepared the writ in record time and with great enthusiasm.
Your footmen will escort Wickham here in the next hour, and I will take him to Marshalsea and turn him over to the jailer there.
I will make it clear to the governor that the man should not be allowed much freedom, though if Wickham is willing to work to pay for some amenities in prison, that would be satisfactory.
It would do him good to actually put his hand to the plow for once in his life. ”
“Excellent. Thank you for being willing to escort the villain to prison.”
“It is, of course, a great pleasure. Now Darcy, before I leave, might I inquire as to your plans for the next weeks? Do you plan to return to London soon?”
Darcy took a sip of brandy and nodded. “Yes. Bingley is well established here, and Georgiana and I will return to Darcy House after Bingley’s ball, which is planned for a week from today.
I hope we can spend Christmas together with you and your family.
After that, provided the roads are good, we will return to Pemberley for the winter months and then return to London for the Season. ”
“You astound me, Cousin. You intend to take part in the Season?”
Darcy moaned softly and said, “Indeed, I must. I will not be marrying Anne, and must marry someone, after all, if Pemberley is to have an heir.”
“Indeed you must,” the other man agreed with amusement. “Well, perhaps I can be of assistance. Do tell me what you are looking for in a wife, Darcy. My mother and sisters know all the debutantes and heiresses in the Upper Ten Thousand; perhaps they can point out the perfect woman!”
Darcy glowered at his insouciant cousin and said, “Thank you, Richard, but I believe I am quite capable of finding myself a wife.”
“I would not be too sure of that,” his cousin replied, suddenly serious. “I am very fond of you, Darcy, but you are a stiff, cantankerous fellow and not at ease in company. It would be a pity if you scared off the perfect woman.”
“Georgiana said something similar, though I am quite confident no woman would refuse me. I am, after all, the master of Pemberley.”
“Stiff, cantankerous, and arrogant,” Fitzwilliam murmured. “Yes, any woman in the kingdom would be pleased to join her life with yours.”
Darcy, who had been thinking hard, said rather abruptly, “In truth, I do know what I want in a wife; I want a lady similar to Elizabeth Bennet.”
Fitzwilliam lowered his glass and peered curiously at the other man. “Miss Elizabeth? She is very attractive, though not as handsome as her elder sister.”
Darcy waved a casual hand. “Miss Bennet is charming and incredibly beautiful, of course, but overly sedate for my tastes. Miss Elizabeth is intelligent, engaging and yes, lovely, but it is more than that; the lady has a loyalty for her family which is most appealing. You missed her defense of her brother when Major Darracott attempted to harass the boy; she looked so fierce and spoke so firmly that he quailed before her.”
“Well, there is your answer, then,” Fitzwilliam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Marry Miss Elizabeth.”
To his surprise, Darcy’s heart leaped with excitement at these words. A few seconds later, reality returned and he shook his head regretfully. “She is a marvelous lady, but I cannot, of course.”