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Elizabeth walked along the path, contemplating the previous night and the life altering decision it meant. Seeing movement further down the path, her heart gave a quick jump, thinking Mr Darcy might have come to see her. The bright red scarlet that appeared a second later, dispelled that notion. It was Mr Wickham. Her heart gave another skip, but not from the same feeling.

Wickham quickly dismounted upon seeing her and walked the horse closer.

“Good afternoon, Miss Elizabeth. I was on my way to Longbourn.”

“The house is still abed.”

“I figured as much, but I am back to London and wanted to deliver this before I departed.” He reached into the pouch at his belt. “I know this is untoward, but will you give me the pleasure of reading this?” He asked, holding a letter out. She looked at it with uncertainty.“Feel free to read it in Darcy’s presence if you have any apprehension.”

She took it, if reluctantly.

“Since you are returning to town, does that mean you are still on special duty?” She asked to avoid asking about the purpose of the letter.

“Yes, until the regiment moves to its summer encampment in Brighton,” he replied with a half smile. “I shall leave you in peace.” He mounted his horse and bid her good day. She stepped back as he turned his mount and rode off.

Elizabeth looked down at the envelope in her hand. She was tempted to tear it up and throw it to the wind. She tapped the letter against her palm and headed home, debating what to do. Why had he written, and what could he have to say to her? Curiosity got the best of her, and she found a place to sit. She gazed at her name written in bold strokes of the pen. Unfolding it, the first thing she noted was the script. Her first thought was that while it was legible, it did not have the precise penmanship of Fitzwilliam’s.

I write this letter to set straight certain stories I have expressed since having the pleasure of meeting you. Namely, those dealing with my interactions with Darcy. As you know, we spent much of our free time in our early youth, or he spent his free time in my company. The regimen he had in growing up was much stricter than mine. His return for the various holidays was much anticipated after he started at Eton. We were, and I say this without hesitation, the best of friends. I believe he would say the same for that period in our lives.

This changed when we attended university together. His father’s generosity allowed me this privilege of a gentleman’s education. There, I took to a lifestyle of which Darcy disapproved. I will not make excuses for my behavior but admit it was not that of a proper gentleman. Away from the watchful eye of my father and Mr Darcy and with a generous allowance provided by the latter, I wasted much of that time enjoying life instead of applying it to my studies.

Initially, Darcy attempted to restrain my excess but to no avail, which began the divergence of our friendship. For reasons I did not know at the time, he kept my misbehavior a secret from his father. I now know this was because of his failing health, and he did not want to upset him further and possibly worsen his ordeal.

At university, because of the nature of our families, I was treated differently than Darcy. This fueled a jealousy of him that I had not felt before, having always viewed us as equals. His attempts to curb my excess only added to the resentment I felt. After the first year, we both made it a practice to avoid each other’s company.

Mr Darcy, who was also my godfather, stipulated in his will that I was to be granted the living at Lambton after receiving orders. However, despite being a valuable living, I felt the life of a country pastor was not suited for me. I said as much to Darcy, and he paid me three thousand pounds to relinquish any claim to the living.

Elizabeth gasped at the sum of money and shook her head at how bold his lies had been when they talked at her aunts. “Three thousand could last a lifetime if used wisely.” She said muttered and continued reading.

In addition to that sum, I also received the thousand pounds bequeathed to me.

“Four thousand! How can one man go through such a sum in a few years?” She exclaimed in shock.

I am informing you of this so that you know Darcy fulfilled all the obligations of his father’s wishes when I might have suggested otherwise.

She rolled her eyes as he knew perfectly well he had outright accused him of not fulfilling the terms of the will.

Like his father, Darcy is a liberal and generous man with those in his employ and care. I know this because I still have friends who live in Lambton or work on the estate. He has, at times, done more than a landowner is required to see to the well-being of others. Even if Darcy had half his father’s goodness, he would make a worthy husband.

There is another matter that I am loath to bring up. I only do so because it is why Darcy will not forgive me, and truthfully, I cannot blame him. I will not go into details as once you are married, I am sure you will find out the sordid story of my attempted misdeed with G. I will only say that I sought to take advantage of her fond memories of me for my financial advantage.

“Take financial advantage, you call it. You tried to elope with the poor girl,” she scolded the words on the page.

I have kept details on that event to a minimum so as not to tarnish anyone’s reputation other than mine. I ask that this letter be burned. I have much to atone for regarding how I have treated the Darcy family, especially the memory of Mr Darcy, who treated me with nothing but kindness and goodwill.

You may be asking yourself why I have made this confession. As one can imagine, revealing one’s flaws and mistakes to an almost complete stranger is not lightly taken. The truth is that His Royal Highness commanded me to right any wrongs I had with Darcy, which I attempted to do last night. It was then I found out that you had turned down his proposal. This naturally made me wonder if it was partly because of how I had portrayed him. I pray you take my confession into account.

George Wickham

Elizabeth folded the letter and sat for a while, thinking about how her life had changed in such a short amount of time. As she had already made up her mind, the letter did not affect her decision. She stood and went home to face her father and the consequences.