Author's note:

Thanks for so many enthusiastic reviews. I'm so glad people are enjoying a canny Lydia turning the tables on Wickham. To celebrate my latest novella, A Little Encouragement, being available on Kobo and Kindle, I decided to post the next chapter earlier than scheduled.

I hope you like it. elag

Chapter 10

"Papa was ready to call him out, I am sure," interrupted Lydia, " but that would not suit our purposes at all, so I asked Papa for a private audience. I was not certain why he was so angry, given the letter I had sent him, and it was only later I learned he had not received it. He thought I had been foolish enough to really elope, and I suppose given my past behaviour, it was not so poor a misjudgement. After all, it was not until Mrs Forster took me in hand, insisting on ladylike conduct if I was to accompany her to events in Brighton, that I began to grow up. Papa, of course, had seen nothing of that, and only remembered the flighty young thing I had been in Hertfordshire, so I cannot blame him for doubting me."

"Once we were safely ensconced in my brother's study, Lydia told me her plan, and I have to say, it is an ingenious one. I am sorry to have neglected her for so long, for she is a young lady of wit and determination, and I am proud to call her my daughter." Mr Bennet's eyes were soft as he looked on his youngest daughter with admiration.

"So here we have been, for three long days, playing our parts and waiting for your return, Uncle Gardiner, for the last piece of the plan requires your help. Wickham has persisted in his delusion that we were all puppets in his play, and we have all humoured him, within reason. He still believed we were here at his behest, that sooner or later he would succeed in ruining me, and that he would then make his escape and return to his regiment with at worst the reputation of an irresistible rake, while I would drag my whole family into disgrace and Mr Darcy would be grieved to see a woman he admired besmirched in such a way, and at his hand.

"Think for just a moment how the man's mind must work, for him to be willing to hurt so many people just to make Mr Darcy sad. How distasteful!

"I have to say that his attempts at seduction became quite irritating. It is no longer amusing to have to evade his wandering hands or escape his attempts to corner me in a dark corridor for a stolen kiss. My bedroom door has regularly rattled in the middle of the night, although the lock has served its purpose. I know this because my dear Cecily, who secretly swapped rooms with me, has reported it each morning." Wickham looked up sharply at this revelation, clearly having been unaware that he had been trying to compromise the wrong woman. "And as for his hackneyed compliments, it was often difficult to maintain my composure in the face of expressions of undying devotion from a man who at Brighton had managed quite well to ignore me (until he heard I might have a connection, however tenuous, to Mr Darcy of Pemberley). If I had not been able to laugh about it with Denny and Papa, I might have slipped up and let Wickham know how far his arrows missed the mark, but I managed enough patience to leave him in ignorance. But now that you are here, we need no longer fear Lieutenant Wickham becoming wise to his mistake and trying to flee."

At this point Wickham leapt to his feet and cried out against his betrayal. "You are all mad!" he shouted. "This is a tissue of lies, invented for some devious purpose of your own. I would never dishonour a young lady so. I am shocked that you have played so faithless with my gentle affections. I will not stay with people who treat me so ill." He made to leave the room, but found himself facing a wall of angry gentlemen: Darcy, Gardiner, Bennet and Denny stood shoulder-to-shoulder to bar his exit.

"I think you should resume your seat, Lieutenant Wickham," Mr Bennet offered mildly. Wickham subsided, and slumped back into his chair. "If you think to ruin me," he muttered, "remember that I can take you all down with me."

Lydia, who seemed delighted by his discomfiture, proceeded to lay out the last details of her plan:

"I left Brighton rather suddenly, it is true. But I travelled in company with a gentleman with whom I had an understanding, for the purpose of taking him to my father so he could seek my hand in matrimony. We were accompanied by a respectable married lady, who acted as a most conscientious chaperone, and travelled with expedition directly to the safety of a family home, where my father was waiting for us. My reputation is intact, and I am delighted to say that Papa has approved Captain Denny's suit. You must congratulate us, Lizzy: we are engaged to be married!"

Elizabeth said what was proper in the circumstances, although she was still somewhat dazed by the novelty of a sensible Lydia, and was all anticipation to learn the conclusion to such an unexpected tale. "But tell us, then, what is the end of the plan, that needs Mr Gardiner's assistance?"

"That is the best part," her sister replied. "My departure from Brighton raises no question of a stain on my reputation. Captain Denny obtained official leave from his duties for the purpose. But Lieutenant Wickham acted on the spur of the moment. He heard that Lizzy was in Derbyshire and no longer hated Mr Darcy, and he immediately set out to ruin her sister's reputation. He did not take time to seek leave from his post. As a result, he has been absent without leave for a little over three days now. That counts as desertion, and if the regiment should catch up with him, he will be in serious trouble indeed. Add to that, he forged his commanding officer's hand. Captain Denny would be within his rights to take him into custody and return him to Brighton in chains. Personally, though, I think that is too kind for him. After a lashing and a period in a cell, he would be free to return to his habits of seducing innocent young ladies. So I have a different suggestion."

Wickham was by now exhibiting that very shade of green that Mr Bennet had earlier described. Perhaps he had not thought through the risk of desertion. Perhaps he had been confident he could stay ahead of any search. Perhaps he imagined that he would be forgiven his transgression as he had been forgiven so many in the past. But now he was beginning to comprehend the extent of the trouble he had gotten himself into. And that damned Lydia still had more to reveal. He cursed the day he first laid eyes on her!

"It is simple. Uncle, you own two ships, do you not? Surely one of your captains could use a fit young man for his crew? I know he has no training in whatever it is that sailors need to know, but he is strong and healthy – I am sure he could be of some use. Of course, he would not deserve the same wages as a trained sailor, and he should never be trusted in port, but perhaps if he proved too useless, they could put him off in some foreign part?"

Mr Gardiner smiled slowly. "Captain Philpot is in port now, with The Seagull. He is bound for Zanzibar on his next journey. It is a long voyage, but promises great rewards. I am sure he could make good use of this fellow, and will not spare the whip if he causes any trouble. Philpot is a strict disciplinarian. He served under Captain Bligh before he retired from the Navy. It is an excellent thought, Lydia. I will send a note to him directly."

"That is murder!" cried Wickham. "I have never been to sea. I will not survive the shock. You are sending me to a sure death!"

"Oh, piffle," scoffed Mr Bennet . "Children of ten survive the shock every day, sir. I am sure you will manage. You might have to work for your living, but that will not kill you either. You might as well save your breath to cool your porridge – you will get no sympathy from anyone here."

Wickham looked around the room: seeing the woman he had tried to ruin, her father, uncle, aunt and sister, her betrothed and his sister, another woman he had sought to seduce (and what in blazes was Georgiana Darcy doing in this parlour?) and last, the implacable gaze of his old friend and old enemy, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Not one face showed a glimmer of mercy. He was well and truly trapped in a conspiracy more carefully planned than any he had ever invented.

The silence was broken by a delighted chuckle from Elizabeth Bennet. She crossed the room and pulled Lydia to her feet and into a warm embrace. "My dear sister, you are a genius! You were approached by a wolf in sheep's clothing, saw his true nature, and led him all unsuspecting into the perfect trap. I am so very proud of you!"

The two sisters were joined by Georgiana Darcy, who had overcome her shock and said, firmly, "I thank you on behalf of all young ladies, Miss Lydia. You put the rest of us to shame. It is so easy to hide away from such scoundrels, but much harder to act against them. I am glad to have such a brave sister." At this, Lydia raised one eyebrow in a manner reminiscent of her older sister, and smiled kindly at the young lady who, while a little taller than her, and probably no younger, was still child enough that she blushed in confusion as soon as she realised the import of what she had said. "That is," Georgiana continued, " I mean …" and turned helplessly to her brother.

Darcy coughed uncomfortably and addressed his (he hoped) future father-in-law. "Mr Bennet, I would appreciate a moment of your time at your earliest convenience."

Mr Bennet rolled his eyes, suggesting the conversation might wait until the present matter was resolved. Elizabeth blushed, but could not hide her smile. Mr and Mrs Gardiner exchanged and amused glance and smiled fondly on their favourite niece and the young man who had won her heart. Denny and Mrs Charlton looked on with wide-eyed interest. Lydia laughed, spun in a circle, and said, "this is a perfect end to your plans, George."

Wickham groaned aloud and held his head in his hands: in Hertfordshire, Lydia Bennet had seemed a harmless, silly young fool, flirting shamelessly with all the officers and entirely susceptible to his particular charms. He had been more interested in her second eldest sister at the time, particularly after the way he saw Darcy look at Miss Elizabeth in the street when they first met Wickham, but he had always spared a few compliments for Miss Lydia, and considered her for a roll in the hay before he left the district. On learning she was to accompany the Colonel's wife to Brighton, he decided to wait until he could sample her wares away from the protection of her family – seduction of a gentleman's daughter was always a little riskier than the lower classes, so it paid to be cautious. Once in Brighton, there had been such a supply of fresh, and mostly willing, meat for his enjoyment, that he had not spent any more effort on Lydia Bennet. He knew she could be charmed back to his hand whenever he chose to attach her, and in the meantime there was plenty to keep him amused. But when she let slip that her sister – the delectable Miss Elizabeth – had resumed her acquaintance with Mr Darcy, and on more friendly terms than before, he saw his opportunity to achieve three objectives at once: he could escape his mounting debts in Brighton by leaving suddenly and secretly; he could taste of Miss Lydia's wares (after all, he hated to leave his seductions unconsummated); and he could poke Fitzwilliam Darcy in the eye (or perhaps kick him in the groin was a better metaphor in the circumstances) by ensuring Miss Elizabeth Bennet was so thoroughly ruined that Darcy could never offer for her.

Yet somehow, every part of his plan had come undone: He was trapped in a house full of his enemies, about to be shanghaied onto a merchantman bound for the other side of the world; he had never even managed a grope with Lydia Bennet, let alone got her in the sack; and Darcy was sitting opposite him making eyes at Miss Elizabeth and asking her father for an audience. He had never underestimated a woman as badly as he had the youngest Bennet sister.

But there was one thing Lydia Bennet did not know. Desperate for some means of escape, Wickham drew his head up, looked disdainfully at Georgiana Darcy, and spoke to her brother: "Miss Lydia may have covered her tracks sufficiently to avoid scandal, but there is another young lady's reputation in question, is there not? Allow them to do this to me, Darcy, and I will have no reason to hide the truth about your precious sister. Once I tell people how eager she was to elope with me, her name will be dragged through the mud. As will yours. Let me walk free, Darcy, or you will regret it."

To his surprise, it was Georgiana and not Fitzwilliam Darcy who answered him.

"Don't be ridiculous, George," she said, her voice infused with amusement, "Who on earth would believe the word of a sailor about such a thing? Who on earth do you think you will be able to talk to? Your fellow mariners? The traders of Zanzibar? Perhaps the ship's captain will enjoy your whining and slander? And if by some quirk of fate, your ramblings did make their way back to the ton, I would survive. I was a child and was saved before anything actually happened. You were a man of 26 who set out to seduce a child and steal her dowry, all the while maintaining an illicit relationship with her paid companion. I was foolish. You were corrupt. I was naïve. You were manipulative and deceitful. By all means, tell the world. No one will believe you, though frankly, I no longer care if they do or not. I will live my life without reference to you or to anyone nasty enough to judge me for your misdeeds. So goodbye, George. I doubt I will ever see you again. I will live my life happily in the knowledge that you cannot hurt my brother again."

With that, Georgiana rose, curtseyed to the room, and took her leave. She convinced her brother to let her travel on to Darcy House alone (but for the bevy of footmen and servants who would accompany her) where he could rejoin her once his business at Gracechurch Street was concluded. Elizabeth walked with her to the front door, expressing her admiration for the set-down she had just delivered to George Wickham and her joy that soon they would be able to claim each other as sisters in truth.

In the parlour, Lydia turned to Captain Denny. With a shy smile, surprising on the face of the woman who had so recently held the whole room in the grip of her confident narrative, she suggested her betrothed might secure Lieutenant Wickham to his seat until such time as they had heard from Captain Philpot. While Denny was willing, he soon found himself eagerly assisted by Mr Bennet, Mr Gardiner and Mr Darcy, each of whom wanted a share in the retribution against the man who had threatened those dear to them. As a result, George Wickham found himself most securely bound before tea was served and the others enjoyed refreshments as though he were not even in the room.

When the tea set was cleared away, Mr Bennet and Mr Darcy retired to Mr Gardiner's study for a private conversation.

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