Author's notes: Taking into account some comments/suggestions, I improved the old chapters 110 and 111. Now there are three chapters: 110, 111, and 112.
February 1814
About five months after William's birth, Elizabeth and Georgiana went to Lambton to buy fabric and thread to make new clothes for William, while Kitty went with Mrs. Annesley to Pemberley School. They were very entertained looking at the fabrics when they heard loud shouts and insults outside. Looking out the shop window, they witnessed a heavy fight in the middle of the street between two men.
One of them was a stocky middle-aged man and the other was in his 30s. But what most caught their attention was the physical resemblance the youngest of them had with George Wickham.
After several minutes, in which the older man beat the younger man, knocking him unconscious on the floor, Georgiana and Elizabeth, along with their accompanying footman, walked out into the street.
Elizabeth, very curious to know what had happened, approached the owner of the bookstore who had witnessed the fight...
"Good morning Mr. Marshall, we were in Mrs. Tell's shop when all this commotion started. Could you tell us what happened? Whom were the men fighting? Shall I inform Mr. Darcy that there is a problem in Lambton?"
"Good morning Mrs. Darcy, Miss Darcy. Mr. Wickham returned to Lambton yesterday, and as far as I know, about two years ago the scoundrel seduced Mr. Smith's daughter who was only 15, and abandoned her with child. When Mr. Smith saw him, he gave him a well-deserved beating." He sighed.
"Is that Mr. Wickham?" Elizabeth pointed to the man lying on the street.
"Yes, it's him. I wish I never saw him in Lambton again! That man only brings trouble wherever he goes. So far, he hasn't done anything illegal in Lambton that warrants notifying Mr. Darcy, but I'll leave that decision to your discretion."
Elizabeth and Georgiana hurried back to Pemberley, they didn't trust Wickham, and they wanted to prevent Kitty from meeting him. For his part, a few minutes before Lizzy and Georgiana returned to Pemberley, Darcy received a note from Wickham…
Darcy,
Please, I need your help. I am staying at Lambton's Inn.
Wickham
After giving it some serious thought and even talking to Elizabeth, he decided that he would go to the Inn to talk to Wickham. He guessed Wickham needed money, but unless it was a matter of life and death, he wasn't about to give it to him. Just in case, although Wickham had never been violent, he went to Lambton with one of his burly footmen.
Upon seeing him, the first thing that caught Darcy's eye was that he was missing some teeth, he had a cut on his cheek that looked like it had been cut by a sword, he was much thinner, and his clothes were old and patched.
Darcy asked the Innkeeper to use a small private room, where he promptly went with Wickham and his footman. The two former friends looked at each other for a few seconds, and Wickham was the first to speak, "Darcy, I have come to Derbyshire to ask you a favor for the times when we were friends. I have no one else to ask for help." He paused and continued, "I have debts of honor, and one of the gentlemen, in particular, threatened to kill me if I don't pay him this week." He touched the scar on his cheek and sighed, "Besides, two years ago I ran away from the army. I was going to marry a young lady who had a good dowry, but her uncle intercepted us on the way to Gretna Green, and completely ruined my plans." Desperately he added, "If you don't help me, I'm sure that gentleman is going to kill me or the militia will find me and hang me for deserting."
For a moment Darcy hesitated, they had been friends for several years, and he was his father's godson… but then he remembered Lydia Bennet, and all the young ladies Wickham had ruined. Furthermore, Wickham had just told him that he was a deserter, and as a magistrate, it was his duty to arrest him.
He beckoned to the footman standing in the doorway behind Wickham and determinedly told him plainly, "You have just confessed you are a deserter, and as a magistrate, I have no choice but to arrest you."
Wickham attempted to punch Darcy and flee the room, but the footman grabbed him tightly and knocked him to the floor. Within minutes Wickham was tied up and subsequently locked in a cell.
A few days later, Wickham was transferred to London where he was court-martialed and found guilty. In addition, he had stolen a horse and a woman's jewelry. A month later, Wickham was hanged.
At first, Darcy felt guilty for arresting him, but as the days went by, he realized that Wickham was solely responsible for all the damage he had done and his fate.