Page 12 of The Next Mrs Bennet

G eorge Wickham was frustrated that Georgiana Darcy had demurred at his every mention of an elopement. He had not known how to answer when the solution to his monetary problems asked him why they had to elope if he and Fitz were such good friends.

He was thankful he had manipulated old Mr Darcy to pay for the ivory teeth which replaced the ones he had lost, so his winning smile was still intact. Much to his chagrin, his prey was not swayed by that smile.

It was her refusal to bend to his will that had led to his plan with Karen Younge to take Miss Darcy for a drive that morning. The first stop, would be rather secluded; the plan was to tie the coachman up at the end of a pistol and afterward drive for Scotland. Karen would keep her charge drugged with laudanum, and when she realised where they were, she would be married to him. He would try one more time to get her to agree to an elopement that morning.

When he arrived at the prig’s house, he was pleased to note that the carriage was ready and waiting in front of the house. Wickham noticed nothing else out of the ordinary, so he sauntered up to the front door, where he was met by Karen, who gifted him a quick kiss before they made for the drawing room.

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

Richard had arrived just in time to see Mrs Younge, or, as he now knew, Miss Younge, instructing the coachman to wait for her, Miss Darcy, and a friend. She informed the loyal Darcy man they would be making for the forest near Ramsgate. Next, as he watched, Richard noted all the staff and servants, including the footmen making their way out from the rear of the house.

He kept out of sight until he reached the group just before they went their separate ways. “Mrs Innes, is it not?” Richard verified Fitz’s housekeeper’s name.

The lady recognised the master’s cousin. “Aye, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Are you here to visit with Miss Darcy?” the housekeeper responded. “She has been very busy, and we,” she indicated the servants and herself, “have been given much time to ourselves by Mrs Younge. The Master told us she was in charge, so we had to obey her.”

“I ‘eard Mrs Younge tell the young mistress, it be lucky such a charming man ‘as fallen in love wiff ‘er,” one of the footmen reported.

He had to fight his inclination to rush into the house and wring the woman’s neck. Richard needed more information before he dealt with the situation. “Mrs Innes, you and the servants return in two hours, and you two,” Richard cocked his head to the two footmen, “with me.” As would be expected, no one questioned the Colonel’s authority.

As Darcy’s house was across from the coastline on Strand Way, Richard led the two footmen behind a low sand dune topped with vegetation right across from the home. They lay down on the grasses that covered the dune so their heads would be hidden unless one was looking for them. To Richard, it was just like a reconnoitre in the army. Find a position close to the lines of the French and watch for the enemy to see what they planned. It was not a long wait before the foe made an appearance.

His first instinct on seeing that damned wastrel George Wickham entering Fitz’s home bold as brass was to unsheathe his sabre and charge across the road, sinking his sword into the libertine’s chest, all the way down to the hilt. Richard took a deep breath. He reminded himself that he first needed more information before he dealt with the dissipated waste of a human being. Seeing the kiss told him all he needed to know about the two having a prior acquaintance. ‘ Damn Fitz and his pride! ’ Richard thought. Had he checked the characters, Giana would never have been in any sort of peril.

“You,” Richard looked at one of the two footmen, “go around the back of the house, and if that bastard who just entered the house attempts to escape out of the servants’ door, do whatever you have to in order to detain him.” The large man nodded.

“You will accompany me. We will make a frontal assault.” The second man nodded his head as well. Richard nodded to the man he had instructed to be at the rear of the house. The footman left and made his way towards the servants’ door. As soon as Richard stood, the other footman did as well.

When they reached the front door, Richard was pleased it was not locked; in fact, it was slightly ajar. He looked in and saw the woman who had lied her way into her position watching the goings on in the drawing room intently through a cracked open door.

“We will enter with stealth,” Richard whispered as he removed his cravat. He told the man how he wanted him to grab Miss Younge. “As soon as we grab her, you use this to stuff into that woman’s mouth, gagging her to keep her silent. Then secure her in a parlour, and find something, like a curtain cord. With it, you will tie her wrists and if needed, her ankles, and make sure she is completely secure while I deal with that miscreant who is importuning my ward.” The man nodded. Richard pushed the door open very slowly. He thanked his lucky stars that the hinges were well greased, as there was no creak or any other noise.

The Younge woman was so intent on listening to whatever was being said in the drawing room that she never heard the approach of the two men. As he had been instructed, the footman clapped his hand over her mouth while his other arm locked her body against him.

While the shocked woman’s eyes were huge and round like saucers as soon as she was held, when she saw the cold fury on the Colonel’s face, her look became one of fear. Before she could make a sound, the footman had stuffed the Colonel’s cravat into her mouth.

Richard looked into the drawing room. The bugger was close to Giana but not touching her. Now he could hear what was being said.

“Georgiana, never have I been so affected by a woman before. My heart will break if you do not agree to elope with me,” Wickham tried one more time. He could not believe his charm had not overwhelmed the little mouse’s defences. “If you truly love me, you would not refuse me.”

“I do love you, George, but Fitz will be so happy to gain you as a brother, he will not object,” Georgiana responded. “I have heard my Aunts Elaine and Anna speak of the scandal with an elopement, and I will not do that to my family.”

“Just think how surprised Fitz will be…” Wickham froze as the door flew open, and there, he saw his worst nightmare. Richard Fitzwilliam with sabre in hand.

Self-preservation took over; thirty thousand pounds and revenge on the prig for not paying him more money be damned. Wickham grabbed the young Darcy, who was still in shock at seeing one of her guardians in the room. With a final effort, he pushed her towards the Colonel, knowing he would want to know the mouse was well and not give immediate chase. He opened the servant’s door and ran out of the room as if his life depended on it, which it did. Thank goodness, Karen had given the servants the day off so there would be no one to stop him. He flung the back door open, and before he could break for freedom, his world went black as a rather large fist crashed into his face, dislodging the four ivory teeth.

The footman was gratified when the man the Colonel told him to stop at all costs fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He had taken a length of rope from the stables, which he used to tie the prone man securely.

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

One second, she had been speaking to the man she thought she loved, and who claimed to have loved her, and the next George grabbed her roughly and threw her to the ground in front of Richard, who looked furious.

Giana burst into tears. “What is going on? Why is my fiancé so scared of you? Why are you here?” she managed between sobs.

Richard re-sheathed his sabre and scooped his ward up from the floor. He saw the footman who had been stationed at the back door standing in the servants’ door to the drawing room. The man nodded, so Richard knew the blackguard was in custody.

“Take him to the parlour near the entrance where his partner is, and I will deal with them when I have spoken to my ward,” Richard instructed.

The man nodded and disappeared back the way he had come.

“Richard, what is going on? Where is your cravat?” Giana asked as her tears slowed to a trickle.

He guided Giana to a settee, though not the one she had been sitting on with Wickham. Then he sat next to her after handing her his handkerchief to dry her eyes. “Firstly, tell me how, in the days since Fitz left you, only about a sennight ago, you seem to think you are engaged to that dastard?” Richard queried as gently as he was able.

“The same morning Fitz departed, Mrs Younge…” Giana stopped when Richard interjected.

“She is not Mrs anything; she is a Miss who forged her characters.”

Giana was almost as shocked by this news as she had been by what had occurred a few minutes past. “She and I went walking, and I thought, by chance, we met George…Mr Wickham. Over the next days between the two of them convincing me I was, I thought myself in love, but when he wanted to elope, I refused.”

“I heard that, although agreeing to marry anyone was badly done, especially as you are not out yet. Surely you knew that neither Fitz nor I would have approved without having spoken to your suitor and deemed him suitable and of good character before he could even call on you? And once we did, Giana dear, it would not be before you are out.”

“I was so confused; I did know that. With my companion’s encouragement, as someone I believed Fitz and you trusted, I thought I had tacit permission. Also, Mr Wickham was Papa’s godson, and Papa loved and trusted him, did he not?”

“Regarding your companion, that is a discussion I need to have with your brother.” Richard paused and cogitated. “Giana, your father was blind to Wickham’s true character, and believe me, many tried to warn him, not the least of whom was your brother. Did Fitz ever warn you about George Wickham’s vicious propensities and want of principal?” His ward shook her head. “I will not go into sordid details which are unfit for a maiden’s ears, but the man is a seducer of maidens, a thief, a liar, and runs about the country leaving unpaid debts, just to name a few of his crimes.”

“If he is so very bad, why did my papa not cast him off?”

“Because, as I said before, Uncle Robert, who was such an intelligent man, would hear nothing against his godson. I am sure you do not remember meeting my Bennet cousins in the summer of 1800 at Snowhaven. They are your relations as well through marriage. You were four and you liked them all. Especially Lizzy, whose middle name is the same as your familiar name and that of my Aunt Anna.”

“Does Lizzy have dark hair and emerald-green eyes? And does she have a very beautiful sister?”

“Yes, to both; I am surprised you remember them. The reason I bring them up is that Wickham attempted to accost Jane—the beautiful one you remember—as he had heard she had a healthy dowry. She was only eleven at the time. Everyone in the family—my father, Uncle William, Will, and, of course, the Bennets—refused to be in his company any longer. Still, your father did not believe Wickham had done anything so very bad,” Richard related. “We all think the miscreant was very adept at manipulating Uncle Robert.” He lifted his eyes to the heavens. “Uncle, I trust the scales have finally fallen from your eyes.” Richard turned back to Giana. “Yes, you erred, but in spite of your father and Fitz not protecting you as they should have, coupled with the machinations of Wicky and Miss Younge, you did very well in resisting his urging you to elope.”

“We were supposed to take a ride through the forest today, only my companion, him , me, and the coachman,” Giana revealed.

“Giana, please go rest in your chamber. The housekeeper and servants will return anon, and until then, one of the footmen will be in the hallway outside of your door. I need to go have a conversation with the criminals. First, based on something the Countess of Jersey told me, I want to search the woman’s chamber.” Richard stood and stuck his head out beckoning to one of the footmen. When the man came, he was instructed to follow the Colonel and Miss Darcy upstairs and then to take up his station.

The cousins hugged at Giana’s door. “Do not despair, Sweetling, you did far better than many would have done in the same circumstances,” Richard assured his ward before kissing her forehead. As soon as the door was closed, he entered the chamber the footman indicated belonged to the former companion.

On the underside of the mattress, Richard discovered a six inch slit, and within was a pouch tied together with a drawstring. He untied it and emptied the contents onto the bed. There were four or five pieces of jewellery he believed belonged to Giana. He took them, replaced them in the pouch and knocked on his ward’s chamber door.

“What is it, Richard?” Giana enquired when she saw her cousin standing in the hall.

Richard entered and emptied the contents of the bag onto the bed. “Are these pieces yours?” he queried. Giana approached the bed and looked at the jewellery. Richard had his answer when she gasped.

“I have not checked my jewellery box for some time; these are all mine,” Giana confirmed.

Returning the pilfered items to the pouch, Richard exited Giana’s chamber and made his way down the stairs. He entered the parlour where the sullen co-conspirators were being held. “Remove her gag,” Richard commanded.

The footman did as ordered.

Seeing the woman was about to try and speak, Richard growled. “You will not open your mouth! Your only option is to listen until I say otherwise.” The woman wisely closed her mouth. “I need none of your lies; I know it all—your forged characters, that you are Miss, not Mrs, you were let go on suspicion of theft from the Earl of Jersey’s household, and you stole from my ward. There are more than enough of your ill-gotten gains in this pouch,” Richard held it up, and the woman blanched as the colour drained from her face, “to see you hang. You have one option which will keep you alive. You will be escorted to Southampton and voluntarily join a transport to Van Diemen’s land. You will never leave that country. If you return, you will be arrested for theft, and hanged. Now you may speak, and only to tell me what you choose.”

“New Holland,” was all that Miss Younge said.

“One thing before you go. What was the plan for my ward with the coach today?” Richard demanded. “If you lie, I will know it, and then the only option will be arrest.”

Miss Younge was sure the Colonel did not make idle threats, so she truthfully related the plan to kidnap Miss Darcy and drive her to Scotland after disposing of the coachman.

“Lock her in the windowless room in the cellar. Then come back and stand at the door on the outside. Leave her bound,” Richard instructed the footman. He did not want to see the woman’s face any longer. As soon as he was alone, he turned to Wickham with a feral look on his countenance.

Wickham, who had been gagged, fruitlessly attempted to make himself understood. The more he fought against his bindings, the more they cut into him.

“There is nothing I want to hear from you. You have always been a blight on this family, but after today you will never be one again. No maidens will fall for your forked tongue, no merchants will be cheated by you, no more millstone around my cousin’s neck. When it is dark, you and I will go for a ride. You will have one chance to escape; if you make the right choice and you live, you will leave the realm forever. If you are ever seen in England again, I will end you myself,” Richard stated menacingly.

There was no doubt in Wickham’s mind that if he survived and did not find a way to leave England’s shores, his life would be forfeit. He had never been particularly good at gambling, and in this endeavour, he had gambled and lost. Wickham kept very still, as he did not want to give Fitzwilliam a reason to unsheathe the sabre he kept on lifting a little and then slamming back into the scabbard.

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

That night Richard rode out on Invictus, leading a horse over which the trussed Wickham was lying and bound to the tack to hold him. Wickham did not choose wisely, and his life ended without any physical intervention from Richard.

The only emotion Richard felt as he rode back to the house leading the now riderless horse was relief. Wicky would never bedevil anyone ever again.

The next morning, the two footmen escorted Miss Younge in a rented carriage as they began the journey to Southampton. Richard had not been terribly surprised when the woman asked nothing about the whereabouts of her former cohort. One of the men held a letter to the commander of the military operations at the port, which would ensure that Miss Younge would have a berth on one of the transport ships.

Richard paid the driver, who owned the carriage, enough to bring the footmen back to London once the woman was on her way out of England.

During the day, the house was closed, and with his stallion attached to the back of the coach, Richard and Giana began the journey back to London. Richard planned to travel about forty miles the first day, spend a night in an inn, and then complete the less than forty miles remaining to reach Town the next day.

During the two days, it was apparent to Richard that although Giana was shaken by what had occurred, her spirits were far better than they would have been without the conversations they had at the house and in the conveyance.

In the mid-afternoon of the second day, the coach was pulled to a halt at Darcy House. Richard did not miss the anger on his cousin’s countenance when Fitz saw who exited the equipage, and who did not. He shook his head, knowing that his cousin was about to discover that pride cometh before the fall.