Chapter Thirty-Seven – A Distasteful Encounter
After Will and Georgiana returned to Pemberley they established a routine that allowed Will to see to his responsibilities while making sure he spent some time with his sister every day. Georgiana learned to rise earlier than had been her previous habit. They breakfasted together, taking a short walk in the garden afterward on fine days. Each day they discussed their plans and offered whatever support the other needed while arranging to spend additional time together if their schedules allowed.
No matter what Will or anyone else thought of his father's favoritism towards George, Darcy had earned a well-deserved reputation as a caring and capable master of his estate. Will would have struggled taking on the responsibility for Pemberley due to his youth alone, but he often felt he was also struggling to prove himself worthy to step into his father's place as he made his decisions and implemented his plans. While he did not speak of it much to Georgiana, except in general terms, he felt safe to mention his occasional feelings of inadequacy as the new master in his letters to Lizzy. While she could not solve his problems, he often felt better with the assurances and observations she sent in return.
Georgiana and Will both looked forward with great eagerness to the letters from Lizzy and their other correspondents. Both craved the contact with the people who meant so much to them. Mrs. Reynolds, seeing the pleasure the letters brought them, made sure any post from that select group for the master or for Miss Darcy was delivered into their hands promptly.
Richard, in addition to his news about Netherfield and his quest to acquire just the right stock for the stables, wrote frequently of his frustration over the length of time it took for updates from his men on the continent chasing George. As Napoleon's power grew, communications from the continent became more unreliable. This meant updates could take weeks, if they arrived at all.
Will also wished the news would move faster, even if it was bad news. There was no safety in ignorance. The orders to Richard's men had been to track George down, capture him if they could or kill him rather than have him escape. If they captured him they would be returning him to his death anyway, but Will and Richard preferred that option because they needed absolute confirmation of his identity and proof that he was no longer a threat. Given how long the return trip might take and the difficulty of traveling with a body, the burden of providing definitive proof would be much higher if they had to kill George.
Despite the potential threat, life went on. Will, Charles and Richard all settled into the management of their estates, supporting one another in their regular letters. Alex and Lord Matlock were also regular correspondents, but with less frequencythan the others. The new Lords Matlock and Ashby were busy training and supporting one another. Alex had learned a great deal from his grandfather about Matlock and the work in Parliament over the years. He was able to pick up and carry forward his grandfather's projects with very little disruption, to the satisfaction of both his family and his grandfather's political allies. George might have delivered them a heavy blow, but he had not crushed or defeated the united families of his victims.
As the harvest was brought in and Christmas approached, the families began making plans. Jane and Lizzy would again spend a few weeks at Longbourn, where they would be joined by the Gardiners and their children along with Mary and Kitty. Will had offered Lizzy an invitation to Darcy House for those weeks. He and Georgiana, Mrs. Evans, Lady Catherine and Anne would all be there and the ladies of his family would provide adequate chaperonage to make such a visit proper. Her response did not surprise him, although he had wished for a different one.
Tempted as I am by the prospect, Will, I must be with my family. This is our last Christmas together before Jane moves on to become Mrs. Bingley. As well, we have no idea how long my father will be with us and I could not miss the opportunity of the family gathering with him no matter how I dread spending the time with my mother. The Gardiners will be there to provide some relief from my mother's insults and even if the weather is inclement, I can escape to the nursery to play with my cousins. Mama would never follow me there.
I wish you could be with us, but I fear your presence would provoke Mama to new levels of insult that would end up even more embarrassing for both of us. I hope she will be distracted by Jane's arrival when you all drop us off at Longbourn. Perhaps we can plan our travel so we arrive in the early hours of the day so you and Georgiana do not feel compelled to spend the night. Either that, or your party should stay at Netherfield with Richard.
I look forward to seeing you again soon. I expect that with you and Charles joining the group of us for the southward trip it will be even more of a production than our journey north. Thankfully, we will not have the three ponies trailing along behind as we go, although we add at least one carriage to the mix, if not two. I hope there will be good news for us from Richard's men and we will not have to be surrounded by quite so many guards.
Will knew Charles would be bringing his carriage on this trip as Lizzy surmised. He and Caroline had accepted an invitation to join Richard at Netherfield until after Twelfth Night. Alex and his parents would join them there, at least part of the time. Charles would need his carriage after that as he bounced between his London townhouse and Netherfield/Longbourn until his wedding with Jane. In part to make up to her mother for allowing her no part in the planning of the wedding, Jane had decided to stay on at Longbourn after the Christmas guests left until the wedding day arrived. They were not sure where Lizzy would end up going after the Gardiners left, but it would not be with her mother. Will still hoped for a chance to have her stay at Darcy house, but a visit with Lady Catherine was more likely.
The upcoming separation from her sister weighed heavily on Lizzy; Will knew that from her letters. He would not try to force her to spend the holiday anywhere else but with her family, despite his fear of Mrs. Bennet's affect on Lizzy. What he would do was make certain she knew that if her mother's verbal abuse became too much to bear or, heaven forbid, turned to physical violence, she could retreat for safety to Netherfield. Richard would send him an express and Will would come for her as fast as his horse could carry him. He hoped it would not be necessary, but she needed to know the plan was there for her in case it was.
0o0o0
The day before the party of travelers was due to rendezvous at Pemberley to spend the night before continuing towards Meryton, Will received an update from Richard. Lizzy's wish for fewer guards would not be granted. The news was not at all what they had hoped to hear.
I know we have both been eagerly waiting for good news, or as good as it can be. What I have received can hardly be considered that. My men had him. In their hands. And he got away – again! While I understand why they acted when and how they did, I have great difficulty excusing the poor results of their attempt to apprehend George. Had they handled the situation with a little more finesse we might be celebrating George's capture now.
As you know, they had managed to track him on his trip overland. That scar was as hard to hide as we had hoped. He has continued to play on the sympathy offered to a wounded officer, although which army he claimed depended on the company he kept. It seems George must have actually paid a little attention to the French lessons that were required in school. I thought he had cheated at every subject. He apparently knows enough to get by in most situations and even in places where we British are not very welcome. He still has that charm. He still uses it to good effect. He also apparently knew he was being tracked and made plans to escape by enlisting the sympathies of whatever traveling comrades he had charmed.
My men had come close enough to his location that they knew both where he would be on a given evening and that he had plans to leave the area the following morning. They followed George to a party. Then, instead of notifying the host of their plans and requesting help (fearing the host would warn their quarry), they tried to abduct him from the event as he limped out in the garden with one of the female guests. I know they must have felt desperate at the thought of having to track him down again, but it was insanity to try to pull him out of there when they could have waited and dragged him away after he left that evening. As I said, they had their hands on him and actually got him out of the garden, giving him a good beating as they went. Unfortunately, the woman alerted the host who came to George's defense along with several of the other male guests. Not only was George released, my men were taken up and imprisoned for assault and attempted kidnapping until they were able to convince the local judge of the justice of their cause. Thank goodness they had a few of your handbills and the later descriptions of George as some proof of their intent.
Of course, by the time they were released George was long gone. None of his fellow party guests would give them any information as to his destination or even in which direction he traveled. I can only hope the beating they gave him slows him down, or better yet, stops him for good. Keep your guard up. We have not heard the last of George.
Will could only suppose Richard had more information about the situation that would justify the actions of the men. Of course the party guests would defend one of their own from a beating and kidnapping. Richard's men were lucky they were only arrested, not shot as brigands or trespassers. He had to hope they picked up the trail soon, because otherwise they might not pick it up at all.
0o0o0
The trip to Meryton went well. They had no problems with weather or travel conditions and were readily accommodated at the inns Will arranged for them despite the size of their group. As planned, Charles brought his carriage, but it was his secretary along with Will and Georgiana's personal servants who rode in it. Will chose to ride his horse alongside the carriages, joining the guards, and Charles did the same. It was a bit cold out, but snow had not yet fallen, so they had a pleasant enough ride and they were still able to share the company of the ladies at the stops to rest the horses.
They traveled as far as Ashby on the first day, staying there with Alex's permission although he and his parents were already in London. The next night was spent at a large inn of good reputation. The party left very early on the following day and made it to Netherfield not long after dark. All of them would remain at Netherfield for the night. Will planned to go with Jane and Lizzy when Charles took them on to Longbourn the next morning in his carriage. He wanted to be certain all was well before he left Lizzy there.
Richard gave them the best possible welcome – an escort to their rooms where dinner trays and hot baths awaited, courtesy of Mrs. Nichols and her excellent staff. Each of the travelers was treated with courtesy and it certainly beat spending the night at another inn.
"We have much to discuss," Richard said just before he left Will in his room, "but that can wait until tomorrow. There is nothing to resolve, but we can discuss the latest updates. I know it has been a long trip and right now you could use some rest. Mrs. Nichols will have an early breakfast ready for you, Lizzy and anyone else who manages to drag themselves from their beds at before the sun is truly up."
"I think you like winter just because the late sunrises give you an excuse to sleep in without appearing lazy."
"Guilty as charged," said Richard with a wink as he stepped out of the room. "I will see you tomorrow." He left Will to warm himself and settle in for the night.
0o0o0
It seemed Mrs. Bennet was in the mood to ignore Lizzy rather than berate her when Will and Charles delivered the Bennet sisters to Longbourn the next morning. She greeted Jane with joy and gushed over Charles, having evidently decided he was rich enough for her daughter now that he had an estate as well. Lizzy beckoned to Will and they silently slipped out of the room to go visit with her father.
He looked weaker than the last time Will had seen him, but not ill enough for them to worry much more than they already did about his health. He greeted Will and Lizzy cheerfully and inquired about the trip. After the usual pleasantries were complete, they discussed the library at Pemberley and entered into a debate about books that all three participants enjoyed. When Charles looked in to remind Will they needed to return to Netherfield, it seemed too soon.
After saying farewell to Mr. Bennet, Will pulled Lizzy aside. "Are you certain this visit is what you want?" he asked.
"Very certain, Will. You do not need to worry about me. The Gardiners arrive tomorrow and until then I can spend time with my father. I will be safe and well."
"Please remember to take your guards when you walk. Since we lost track of George he could be anywhere, although I suspect he is not back in England yet."
"You have my promies I will be careful and I will take my guards. Be sure you take care as well. I would hate for him to injure you or Georgiana. Please also pass on my good wishes to Lady Catherine and Anne. Georgiana already has my gifts for them."
Reluctantly, they parted and Will joined Charles in his carriage for the drive back to Netherfield where he would have a good talk with Richard before he and Georgiana left for London.
0o0o0
Lady Catherine and Anne joined the Darcy siblings at Darcy House a few days later. Anne's health had continued to improve and now one could hardly tell she had spent most of her life under the shadow of one illness or another. Will found himself wondering if Dr. Taylor could help Mr. Bennet's health improve. He would write to Lizzy and ask if she thought it would be good for him to send the doctor to Longbourn.
Some of his worry about her was eased by the first letter he received a few days after his arrival in London. She began by describing the noise in the house with all five sisters there and the three Gardiner children as well.
The house is full and although there is a room or two still free for occupancy, I do not see how we could fit another person inside unless they were mute. There is no space in the air for another word in this household. Caroline and Richard have been kind enough to allow me to chaperone them on a walk or two while Charles visits with Jane. The weather is not yet too cold for for such exercise, thankfully. I am greatly indebted to them for the opportunity of a little quiet time in the woods and lanes.
Apparently Mama has decided to ignore me entirely on this visit. She says not a word directly to me, although she is voluble enough on any other subject and to all sundry, other than Mary, who sits in the same disfavor as I. My younger sister and I are happy enough with the lack of notice. We have ample company from our other sisters and, of course, from our aunt and uncle.
Kitty has asked me all kinds of questions about my visits to Pemberley. She is not certain whether to believe the things Georgiana has written to her about your home. She tells me it sounds too much like a fairyland to be true. I assured her it is a real place and quite as wonderful as your sister says. I look forward to seeing it again soon, in your good company, of course. I hope you do not mind I have promised Kitty she may come and visit Georgiana there sometime after we are married. I think a visit would be pleasing to both girls.
The remainder of her letter spoke of her hopes he and Georgiana would enjoy their time in London. Will could tell his sister was happy to be in company with Lady Catherine and Anne again and he told Lizzy so in his return letter along with confirmation Kitty would be welcome as a visitor to Pemberley. He told her it was a little harder gathering with the family at Darcy house. They all still felt the hole in the fabric of their family where the old Earl and his father had been. Will wrote that he still sometimes walked into the study at Darcy House expecting to see his father and Mr. Bingley discussing some business. He could practically hear their voices on occasion. Then he would look around and see the changes he had made, realizing it was his study now and his father was truly gone. Life had moved on and he was taking his proper place in it. Still, the hurt remained, although it had dulled with time. He knew Lizzy would understand.
A few days after Christmas, Will received a note from Alex. His cousin asked him to meet him at his club that afternoon. Will had inherited his father's membership, although he did not really use it. He considered the society of many of the men he found there somewhat distasteful. So many of his the younger men took a highly cavalier attitude towards the running of their estates, leaving everything to the steward while they simply spent the profits. Those who had not yet inherited seemed to fritter away their allowances on nothing at all and spend their time doing little of use to anyone. Still, he had no real reason to deny his cousin's request, so Will agreed to the meeting place.
He arrived a bit early and found several other members gathered in the common rooms. As he walked through looking for a good spot to wait for Alex he was hailed by someone he would have preferred not to meet.
"Darcy! We do not often see you here." the other man said loudly.
Will bowed just deeply enough to avoid insult as he replied, "Lord Brixworth. Good day." He tried to continue on past the unpleasant man, but Brixworth stepped in front of him, appearing determined to have some conversation.
"As I said, we do not often see you here. Do you think yourself too good for the company?"
"Not at all, I simply have many responsibilities that prevent me from spending much time socializing. I have also only recently come out of mourning."
"Yes, I suppose you have. It is a pity about your father. It seems he chose to side with the wrong son."
"There was no choosing sides involved. Did your friend, George Wickham, not tell you about the discussion my father had with him before cutting off any financial support to the wastrel? My father insisted he only had one son – me."
"Oh, come now, Darcy. You've acknowledged Wickham as your half-brother for years. Have you changed your tune now that you might have to give him his inheritance? Is that why you've made him flee the country?"
"I did not make George flee anything. That was his choice and the result of his poor decisions. As far as his parentage, my father and Mr. Wickham the elder have both confirmed George's true father is Mr. Wickham and he bears no blood relation to my family despite what we might have assumed growing up. The only connection between them was my father's role as his godfather. The schooling and other benefits were my father's thanks for a favor his steward once did him. My father treated George well, but left him no inheritance."
"So you say." Brixworth gave a nasty laugh. "I have seen the letters your father wrote to Wickham acknowledging his paternity and his intent to disown you in Wickham's favor. I saw the later letters from your father as well, saying he feared what you might do after you set up your unjust campaign to hound Wickham including setting the Runners on him when you learned your father tried to issue a check to him for such a large part of what you wanted as your estate."
Will knew it was probaly pointless to respond, but he could not help himself. There were too many listeners around them and he had to make an answer. "You should also know George is an accomplished forger. Those letters and that check were forgeries. I expect he wanted something from you and they helped convince you to give it to him. If you have been associating with him you should worry about whether or not he can forge your writing as well. You can ask the Runners and the bank who reported George to them – it was my father, not me."
"Wickham said you you were trying to convince people he was a forger to discredit him. Is that why you killed your father? Did he stop believing your lies about George? And you managed to get rid of old Bingley so your friend could inherit while Fitzwilliam got to move up a step as well. Good play! Three at once."
Richard had told Will he needed a response in mind for when someone made that accusation against him even if it was just to curse George. Will had prepared a verbal refutation of the charges including the fact he was more than twenty-five miles away from London in Meryton at the time. All that preparation went out the window as the sneer on Brixworth's face prompted him to a simpler response. Without even thinking about it, Will clenched his fist and punched the offensive man, knocking him out cold to the astonishment and delight of the onlookers.
Alex arrived just in time to see it happen and rushed over to his cousin. "Whew! What a facer! But you know this is going to be trouble, Will."
"Brixworth was asking for it!" one of the nearby men said. "He accused Darcy of murdering his own father on top of a string of other insults."
"I would have called him out if he had spoken to me that way," said one, who had been at Eton with them and had seen George's behavior first hand. "And Brixworth kept defending that beastly Wickham. I heard he was killed running away after he committed the murders."
"Actually, he escaped to the continent," Will said absently, rubbing the sore spot on his knuckles. "I expect Lord Brixworth already knows that. I suppose we should bring him around, although it is probably best I do not make the attempt. I would really rather hit him again and if he says something else nasty I might do so."
"Go ask for a private room, Will. I will handle this. I do not have much time at the moment, which is why I asked you to meet me here instead of going to your house. I will be there shortly."
Will nodded to his cousin and walked off to see about the private room, followed by the cheers and compliments of the onlookers, who seemed very ready to side with him. He was offered the use of one of the small meeting rooms and Alex joined him shortly.
"Well, Brixworth was already your enemy, but now he will definitely be looking for revenge for that public humiliation. I managed to convince him that he got off lucky with just a punch to the face. You were within your rights to call him out and several witnesses will confirm that. He is just a bully and he knows you are a better shot and a better swordsman than he will ever be. He cannot afford the further humiliation he would get calling you out. In fact, he did not really appear to have any friends in that room, which is probably why he chose to slink away once we brought him around. He may not take obvious action against you, but I suspect he will find a way to cause trouble in retaliation."
"I did not intend to confront him at all, but I am glad I got in that punch. In a way it was like punching George by proxy."
Alex laughed. "I imagine so. You never have had the chance to give that tick the pounding he so richly deserved. Well, I need to get back soon. I am working on gaining support for a new bill and I needed some insight from you as a large landowner who is not a peer. Here is what we are proposing..."
Will and Alex spent the next half-hour going over the details and Will provided his opinions and what he expected his neighbors might say. The two walked out together amid congratulations and some backslapping from the men they passed as they traversed the common rooms. Will was surprised at the support. It was a relief to know that whatever trouble came of his confrontation with Brixworth, the other man did not have the sympathy of the crowd, not even a crowd of his social equals.