The former friends met in the study to discuss arrangements for Georgiana's burial; It was decided that she would be buried in Pemberley and Wickham would attend the funeral.
Wickham was devasted. This was the first time in his life that he truly regretted his past actions and now there was no possibility of redemption. He had never expected to fall in love with Georgiana, and he had never expected to feel this guilt. His conscience demanded that he confess the whole truth to Darcy.
"Darcy, I want… no, I must confess to you all my sins. You have the right to know the truth. As you know, my motivation for marrying Georgiana was only her dowry," he paused and added, "I must first explain my relationship with Mrs. Younge. Mrs. Younge is the daughter of a minor and impoverished gentleman. Her father died when she was young, and, to avoid poverty, she married an old man. When her husband died, he left her little money and she had to seek employment as a companion. I met her at a party in Cambridge close to eight years ago, and we had an affair. Over the years, we encountered one another often and she was seeking a new position when I learned you were looking for a companion for Georgiana. I convinced her to apply for the position and you hired her." He sighed, "The plan was simple, I had only to promote a casual meeting. The opportunity arose when you sent Georgiana with Mrs. Younge to Ramsgate. I started to meet Georgiana in her strolls along the beach; I knew she was shy and sheltered, in addition to feeling lonely. I pursued her and told her all the things a young and naïve girl wants to hear. In a few days, she was in love with me; I asked her to marry me, and she accepted. She wrote you two letters about our engagement, but Mrs. Younge intercepted them. You were in London in a courtship with Lady Victoria, one of the coldest women of the Ton, and I took advantage of the situation to convince Georgiana that you would never allow us to get married. I explained the only solution to be together was an elopement. Even though she wanted to marry me, Georgiana was reticent about the plan because she wanted your blessing. I knew time was running out and had to act. Mrs. Younge and I organized a dinner celebration in honor of the engagement. I am ashamed to say that during the meal, I gave Georgiana a mix of laudanum and champagne and took advantage of her. The following day Georgiana seemed to be confused and ashamed, and she mentioned only remembering fragments of the previous night. It took some work but I convinced her that she had been a willing participant." He sighed. "We departed for Gretna Green, and Mrs. Younge was left behind to spread rumors about Georgiana's ruined reputation. The plan was simple: I would marry Georgiana, receive her dowry and give Mrs. Younge two thousand pounds."
"When you told me you weren't going to give me Georgiana's dowry, I was furious; but as you know, I decided to marry her anyway. The first month of our marriage was fine. Georgiana was sweet and kind, and I started to care for her and enjoy her company. One day, I went to Edinburgh on an errand, I met an acquaintance there, and he invited me to play cards. I gambled heavily and lost more money than I had. The following months were difficult, money was scarce, and I had debts to pay. Thankfully, the steward had paid all the bills and servants' wages. I sold some of Georgiana's jewels and paid all my debts. Georgiana never complained about the lack of money, she thought the problem was only the bad harvest. When I found out about Georgiana's pregnancy, I was happy. I wanted to be a better man for her and my future child. You may believe me or not, but I must tell you, I was in love with her, and our life was happy." Wickham paused for several seconds, and then he added. " About one month ago, Mrs. Younge came to Greystone demanding money. She was destitute, nobody wanted to hire her. I told her I didn't have money but I would try to find a solution. Unfortunately, she decided to take revenge and told Georgiana the story of how we forced my marriage to her. I will never forget Georgiana's face, it destroyed her. In my letter, I told you Georgiana had an accident. The truth is she tried to kill herself..."