Chapter 63
He had broken the seal of the letter assuming news of an engagement. Colonel Fitzwilliam had fully expected his socially awkward cousin had made amends with the country miss that had enchanted him, but it seemed it was not to be. Instead, his cousin wrote of disaster, blaming himself for an event the colonel knew full well he himself had likely caused.
Without planning or consulting, he had dashed into Meryton to deal with the bastard once and for all. It had only taken hearing of his presence to spur him into battle, seeking to right the wrong that had been done to both his cousins, truthfully at their father's own hands.
Though a good man, his uncle had refused to hear any ill of Wickham, allowing the man to grow ever bolder in his depravity until he finally came for his benefactor's own daughter. It was Darcy and Georgianna who ultimately paid for their father's inability, or unwillingness, to see to the matter of George Wickham.
His uncle may have found a balm for his loneliness at the loss of his wife, one that did not remind him of her, but it may well have come at the cost of his children's futures. If Georgianna's near elopement was ever discovered, it would ruin her in good society; her and her heirs would forever be cast from the highest circles. They would someday forget, in a generation or two, but that line would be stuck with the consequences, as she would have to marry lower and less respectability just to have some welcoming society.
His cousin, in hindsight, was right, Wickham should not have been backed into a corner. He had thought his cousin incapable of thinking through the matter of his father's godson with the same business-like detachment that he saw to other matters. He thought fear had led his cousin to folly, but now it seemed there may have been some wisdom in ensuring the man had something left to lose.
Revenging his ward, feeling righteous in his indignation, he had backed Wickham into a corner, leaving him nothing to lose. When he had left Meryton, Wickham's lines of credit were shut down, his wages garnished to nothing, his outlets for enjoyment non-existent, and despite his commanding officers urging for discretion, he had confronted the man himself, enjoying that he knew at whose hands he suffered. Wickham had not struck back at himself though, he had struck at the Colonel's loved ones. It was very much Wickham's modus operandi; he should have seen it coming, but instead, he had rejoiced in finally handing it to Wickham.
The colonel made his way to his own commanding officer, if he could not again obtain leave, he would do what he must and resign his commission. He owed that much to his cousins, the Bennets, and everyone else suffering through this mess of his making. He had not even told Darcy about the business before he had departed; he had been too busy scolding his cousin for the mismanagement of his affairs, the irony was not lost on him; the guilt was insatiable. He had merely told his cousin that he had warned Wickham's commanding officer of his habits, he knew nothing of the extent of the situation he had left behind in Meryton -he owed Darcy the whole truth, not the edited version that he had previously delivered, thinking, at the time, that it would do little good to have Darcy worried about Wickham's next move. He had thought the man would be paralyzed by fear, but instead, he had lashed out, desperate for an escape.
Thoughts?I personally think neither extreme was the best course, often in life, the best path is somewhere in the middle. Darcy kept bailing him out, and the Colonel left him with nothing to lose. I also think that because an action has "bad" consequences it doesn't mean we did the wrong thing. Sometimes doing the right thing has consequences to...even more so than doing the wrong thing. For example, when someone refuses to do something unethical and gets fired for it. They have to address that in every job interview for the rest of their lives. Because we are brought up with the notion that if we are bad we're punished and if we're good we a reward, people tend to be incredulous when we have to account for consequences for doing the right thing. I'm not saying it doesn't catch up with you- just perhaps not in this life. So, is Richard suddenly wrong because he may have made Wickham desperate, is Darcy suddenly right. If Darcy had brought it up to his father and it took a toll on his health would that have made it the wrong course? If Darcy, had let Wickham go to debts prison and he got ill and died, should D feel guilty? Just curious what everyone else thinks?