A/N:Thank you, Levenez, ChrisM0519, and nanciellen for reviewing every chapter. Your comments, and those who review occasionally, give me direct feedback on what you, as readers, think of the plot development of the story. As a new writer, I appreciate having this continuous interactions with you. This story has been on Kindle for a couple of months. There I have quite a lot of reviews, but I cannot respond!
As for the two new readers (who let me know they just joined the readership by commenting,) welcome aboard!
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When Elizabeth saw Anne and Mr. Wickham on the phaeton on Piccadilly, the thoroughfare linking Mayfair to the business center of the city, Wickham was indeed taking Anne back to the Earl's house after she had frustrated his attempts to seduce her at every turn. He had thought that with his debonair manner and handsome face and figure, it should have been well within his ability to bring Miss de Bourgh under his spell during the phaeton ride.
When he drove her away without the coachman, Anne, as expected, protested, but Wickham cooed, "Miss de Bourgh, the park is close by. Your retainer can easily follow us there. This is a magnificent phaeton meant for the pleasures of a lady and a gentleman touring without the interference of even a servant."
Anne looked at Wickham from head to toe, making Wickham think that his plan was working. However, when she spoke, it was something completely unexpected, "Mr. Wickham, you yourself are a servant. If not for this fact, I would have demanded to be let off right away."
Wickham was speechless for a moment at this rude pronouncement. Young ladies had ever only swooned when they saw him in his scarlet coat. On the other hand, Miss de Bourgh was the first and only grand heiress he had had the opportunity to woo except for Miss Darcy, who was a child really and had known him since infancy.
His red coat – the emblem of noble bravery and selfless sacrifice – had no effect on this frail and on-the-shelf spinster! He finally regained his composure and said, "Miss de Bourgh, I serve King and Country with honor and distinction. I am a gentleman officer."
He had just resigned his commission, and the fiercest enemies he had ever faced were spurned tavern maids and shopkeepers who suspected his dallying with their daughters, but she did not need to know that.
Miss de Bourgh was still skeptical. Ever since Wickham stole her away from her protectors and did not go to the park as he promised, she had decided that Wickham was another Sir Clement Willoughby, the scoundrel who deceptively coerced Evelina into his chariot without any intention of taking her home. She was seven-and-twenty and had read about enough scoundrels in novels to not blindly fall for any man in a red coat. Did she not like a handsome face? Yes, she told herself, but the smooth-talking, handsome faces in novels usually turn out to be the villains.
She rebutted, "Was your father not a steward, a retainer at Pemberley? How have you become a gentleman in just one generation?"
Just then, they were passing by another park on Piccadilly. Miss de Bourgh pointed out the park on their right and said, "Here is a park. Turn in there and let me take over the reins. How did you learn to drive so well anyway, being from the servant class and yet not a coachman?"
Wickham was getting quite fed-up by her constant put-downs. He persevered and answered politely, "After I went back to Pemberley from Rosings that summer where I watched you drive the phaeton, I asked my godfather to let me learn to drive one of his. Old Mr. Darcy loved me like his own son. He always granted my every wish."
Miss de Bourgh answered, "Ah, my mother mentioned that Uncle Darcy felt very guilty about having made your father take you and your low-born mother to Rosings, and in so doing, he enabled her to run away with that vile steward after they stole a large portion of my dowry. That was probably the true reason why he agreed to anything you asked of him then. After all, he was willing to send you to school and Cambridge with Darcy to try to redeem himself. He even replenished my dowry. He invested it and made sure that no one had access to it other than the trustees. Oh, we just passed another entrance to the park!"
All Wickham heard from this long set-down was that Miss de Bourgh's dowry was not forty thousand pounds, but closer to seventy with the interest from the funds compounded over fifteen years. He did have a good head for numbers.
He turned to look at Miss de Bourgh with a new appreciation and put on his winsome smile again, "Whatever you say, Miss de Bourgh. We are not going to the park. Ah, here is St. James Street. Just over there are two gentlemen's clubs, Brooks's and White's. See those gentlemen enjoying luncheon while looking out of the large windows? They are soon to witness your making love to a dashing soldier in His Majesty's service."
As soon as he finished talking, he grabbed Anne into his embrace and forcefully kissed her on the mouth. Some gentlemen passing by let out quite a number of raucous whistles and calls. However, as soon as they realized that the man sitting in Lord Westerham's phaeton was not the viscount himself, and the lady was not only rather thin and past her prime, but also unknown to them, they lost interest.
Anne pushed Wickham away and then rubbed her lips vigorously, trying to remove all traces of the repugnant kiss.
"What did you do? How dare you soil my lips with your filthy mouth? You insolent, insubordinate cretin!" screamed Anne.
Meanwhile, Wickham took off his hat and waved to the gentlemen on the pavement and in the clubs, acknowledging their notice, even though most of them had already gone back to what they had been doing before his daring show of impropriety. Wickham, though somewhat disappointed by the lack of reaction, hoped that Miss de Bourgh did not know any better.
He turned to Miss de Bourgh and said, "Dear Anne, there is nothing to do but get married now. You have been thoroughly compromised. Everyone expects us to be wed or you will be shunned."
Anne looked at him with a deep frown and asked, "Who is 'everyone?' How do people even know who I am? I have not been much in town for many years and have not been in any gentleman's company on the rare occasions that I was here. I have just gained back my freedom and will certainly not lose it to a ridiculous fool like you. Besides, why would you want to marry me? I have no dowry, and as soon as I get married, my estate will go to another."
Wickham was extremely surprised to hear this. He spluttered and demanded, "Explain yourself! I do not take your meaning! You just told me that your dowry is forty thousand pounds plus the additional accumulated interest, which should be at least another thirty thousand pounds!"
"Who do you think you are? Making demands of me? You are of the lower class. There is no need for you to know the goings-on of the quality," retorted Anne petulantly.
Wickham knew that this heiress was unlike any woman he had ever encountered. He had to change his tactics. He said with outward contrition, "Forgive me, Miss de Bourgh, for my unseemly outburst. I lost my composure completely when I heard that you had given away such a grand fortune. It is simply shocking! I do not believe that it has ever been done before. Is there anything I could do to induce you to bestow just a smidgeon of this generosity on me?"
"If you had read 'Evelina,' you would have known that it is by no means unheard of. Evelina gave away half of her fortune to someone who, like you, had done her harm, albeit indirectly and unknowingly," explained Miss de Bourgh. Seeing the skeptical expression on Mr. Wickham's face and thinking that the rascal would not know the identities of the beneficiaries of her largess, she felt that there was no harm to tell Wickham about why she gave her dowry away so that he would give up whatever treachery he was planning. "There is nothing so peculiar for me to decide to give away my dowry to ladies who need it far more than I do. Their parents have put away hardly anything for them, and if their father met with an untimely death, they would be chased out of their home because their father's estate is entailed away from the female line. I, on the other hand, will not marry and therefore have no need of a dowry."
"Miss de Bourgh, I hope you will forgive me for using stratagems to try to win your hand. But it was only because I am pressed for time, and I have admired you since I saw you exercising your ponies at Rosings all those years ago." Anne just rolled her eyes when she heard this gibberish. Wickham was equally guilty as her cousins in willful disregard of her presence when they were growing up.
Wickham pretended he did not see any of Anne's displeasure and continued to probe, "It is indeed incredibly generous of you and compassionate beyond reason. These ladies are indeed fortunate to have your condescension and patronage, and they have now become grand heiresses because of you."
"Not as grand as you imagine as there are five of them," quipped Anne.
That was all the confirmation Wickham needed about the identities of the five newly created heiresses. Since he had seen Anne in the company of the Miss Bennets the evening before, he had been wondering when the Bennet sisters had become intimates of Miss de Bourgh.
"It is still a rather handsome sum for each of them. As for your losing Rosings when you marry…."
"If. If I marry, but it will never happen," interrupted Anne.
"If you marry, that is curious indeed. According to English law, your husband, if you married, would be the new owner of Rosings, and you would not be able to give it away like your dowry," explained Wickham. This was the one law he paid attention to during the few months when he was engaged in studying the law.
"Mr. Wickham, there is no need for you to know any more on the subject. If you were foolish enough to force me against my will to marry you, all you would get would be an extremely cross and penniless lady to hound you the rest of your life," Anne answered shortly.
By now, Wickham was convinced that he had grossly underestimated the cunning of this seemingly dull and weak lady. In deep contemplation, he steered the phaeton into Haymarket toward Mrs. Younge's boarding house just beyond Leicester Square, an area that had lost all its former respectability in recent years, partially because of its proximity to the slums of St. Giles. Anne, on the other hand, could not keep her eyes off the very colorful street-life and the citizenry going about their business around the numerous theaters, taverns, hotels, retail stores and street booths. She did not pay attention to where Wickham was taking her. He could have easily driven the completely unwary Anne to a secret hiding place among the warren of London alleyways where her kin would have no hope of recovering her – unless he, Wickham, led the way, but only after receiving a handsome ransom. However, abduction and blackmailing involving the Earl was not something that he could stomach. Darcy alone would have been more manipulatable, as he could be expected to never forget his revered father's good intentions. But the Earl, especially with his second son, would be more than Wickham had the courage for.
He looked over to Anne to try to decipher what had possessed her to give away her entire fortune, and how he could still get a piece of it. All of a sudden, he realized that if he left soon, he would be able to arrive in Meryton before dark to capture one of the new heiresses. He could become quite rich before the week was out. The thought put a big smile on his face. All is not lost! he exulted. Instead of taking Anne to Mrs. Younge's boarding house to force her into submitting to marriage with him, which now looked entirely impossible unless he took some drastic and deadly measures that he was not brave enough to take, he guided the phaeton back to Piccadilly toward Mayfair. He felt so pleased with his situation that he handed the reins over to Anne and signaled her to drive.
It was when they were halfway to Mayfair that Wickham saw the Rosings carriage, and worse, Darcy sitting on the box. He unceremoniously snatched the reins of the horses back from Anne's hands. Anne was about to protest, but Wickham was making the phaeton go at an almost galloping speed. Being so high up and getting tossed about by the too-light springs of a speeding vehicle, Anne had barely enough wits to hold on to the railing with one hand and her bonnet with the other. This was far more thrilling than she had thought it would be.
Mr. Darcy, on seeing the phaeton and the passengers it carried, considered slowing down the carriage so that he could jump off and stop the phaeton by standing in front of it. He thought better, however, when he saw the high speed at which the phaeton was approaching them. He told John, "Turn around and follow the phaeton when feasible, but do not frighten the horses. The phaeton is going too fast as it is."
By the time the Rosings carriage had turned around, the phaeton was ahead by several city blocks. Elizabeth was holding her breath the whole time hoping and praying that she and Mr. Darcy would not lose sight of Anne again.
When Wickham saw that he had managed to leave the Rosings carriage quite a large distance behind him, he slowed the phaeton to a fast trot and turned to Miss de Bourgh to say, "Forgive me, Miss de Bourgh, for taking the reins from you without first asking. I just could not abide having to talk to Darcy. You understand that he and I do not see eye to eye."
Miss de Bourgh answered with a pout, "That was more than impertinence. It was rebellion! From a servant! That is not to be borne!"
Wickham was exasperated beyond his tolerance by her repeatedly ignoring his claim that he was a lieutenant in His Majesty's service and not a servant. He stopped the phaeton abruptly, stepped down, and reached out his hand to help Miss de Bourgh down to the ground. He said with a huff, "A grand lady like yourself should not be seen driving with a servant. If you wait here for a few minutes, Darcy will take you back to the Earl's house. Good day, Miss de Bourgh."
Anne was genuinely puzzled and asked with a frown, "Why should I not be seen with a servant? Menservants are the only men with whom I could be seen within propriety. No matter, I would rather be let off here. I have had enough of a phaeton that is too tall and going too fast, driven by a servant who does not know his place."
If Wickham had not had to go somewhere urgently while trying to avoid a confrontation with Darcy, he would have shown Miss de Bourgh who was truly in control in the middle of the straightest thoroughfare of London on a fast phaeton. He would really have wanted to capture this impossibly rich heiress' fortune, but he needed to be realistic and accept the fact that the riches were completely inaccessible to him or any man. Besides, she had all the makings of a shrew like her mother. Let Darcy have her. They were made for each other. He himself would rather go for the low-hanging fruit who, though not nearly as rich and quite silly, was a lot more compliant and delectable. The best part of the new target was that she was a sure thing.
Meanwhile, John stopped the Rosings carriage next to his mistress. Mr. Darcy got down from the box and handed Anne into it. By then the Darcy carriage with the two grooms on horseback had also arrived. Mr. Darcy took his leave with the ladies, took a horse from one of the grooms and left with the other to go after Wickham. They urged their horses to trot at as fast a speed as was allowed by the heavy traffic, intent on catching up with the scoundrel.
Elizabeth looked out of the window to watch Mr. Darcy. When he vaulted onto the horse, she felt that her heart skipped a beat. That must have been the most gallant move by a gentleman she had ever witnessed…so masculine…almost heroic…a slayer of villains! She caught herself bestowing these lavish praises on the gentleman who just a week ago was the most disagreeable man she had ever known. What a foolish girl I have been! Nonetheless, she kept watching until he was no longer visible among the teeming traffic.
She then turned toward Anne, who was watching her curiously. Anne asked, "What were you watching so intently? If I did not know better, I would have thought that you had a tendre for my cousin."
Elizabeth was instantly alarmed and tried to deflect her friend's insinuation by changing the subject, "Anne, do not jest! You have no notion how worried we were about you. I was blaming myself for not having told you of Mr. Wickham's treachery. If you had known what a blackguard he is, you would not have agreed to go driving with him."
Anne smiled conspiringly at her friend and said, "You worried about me so much that you could not take your gaze off my cousin's back until you could no longer see him! To be honest, if I must marry someone, Darcy would be my choice as well. He is an honorable man, and he takes care of family. I would not have to worry about him being a brute or a gambler. No matter, I should not tease you since I know you cannot possibly like such a serious and dour man. He does not deserve you. Besides, you now have a decent dowry and can marry where you want," Anne paused while watching Elizabeth's eyebrows rise to her hair-line on hearing about a dowry that had materialized without her knowledge.
Before Elizabeth could ask the obvious question, Anne, a little puzzled, asked, "Why is it that you not only know Mr. Wickham the person, but also about his villainy?"
Elizabeth was indeed dying to find out what Anne meant about the dowry but decided to answer her friend's question first, "Mr. Wickham is a lieutenant in the militia encamping close to my father's estate. There had been many social occasions in which I conversed with him. I am ashamed to admit that I was taken in by his charming manners and flattery. When I was at Rosings, Mr. Darcy revealed to me the true nature of Mr. Wickham. He is a shameless profligate with scandalous habits. He runs up debts and ruins young innocent girls. I am indeed mortified that I gave him the opportunity to so cruelly importune you by not telling you what a depraved, amoral man he actually is."
"Lizzy, you could not have even guessed that he would come out of nowhere to accost me today. Do not blame yourself. He is a servant's son and has always been beneath my notice. There was never any possibility that he could use his false charms and affectations to trap me."
Elizabeth looked at her friend for a long moment and said, "Anne, I had almost forgotten that you are your mother's daughter. In this instance, you have done well by being so much like her."
"Oh, Lizzy, please do not say that. I do not want to be like my mother in any way. I shall try to be more liberal in my treatment of people outside of my sphere. In any case, would you like to hear what happened during the phaeton drive?"
"Yes, of course!" Elizabeth answered enthusiastically. The carriage, however, was stopping just then outside the Earl's house.