Note: Each story is stand-alone and not tied to the previous unless otherwise noted.

Chapter Three – Even maids have sisters

The day Hanna White heard that most hateful of names

This story is a less cheerful story than the two previous. Since the servant girls, shop girls, and tenant's daughters were George Wickham's favorite prey (at least in the JAFF community), I thought that they should have their moment of revenge.

Hannah White, the cheerful maid at the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton was a good girl, not prone to the bad habits of her peers such as listening at doors. But when she announced Mr. Darcy into the Gardiner's suite of rooms and found only a crying Miss Bennet, she felt honor bound to listen in. First of all, no matter how honorable Mr. Darcy of Pemberley was, and no matter how sweet and kind Miss Bennet had proven to be during her stay, it was still not right to leave the two completely alone.

The Inn had hosted many fine guests, but few as honestly genteel, well mannered, and solicitous to her own comfort as the Gardiners and their pretty niece. They had already stayed for four days and she wished that they would remain indefinitely. She had been especially pleased at the spreading gossip about how the normally stern and reticent Master of Pemberley seemed to be sweet on Miss Bennet. If servant's gossip was to believed, then that great estate might soon have a new mistress... and a finer lady could not be found, in Hannah's humble opinion.

Both her younger brother and her uncle lived and worked on the estate. They had nothing but good to say of the Master and his much younger sister. Hannah had mixed feelings about the estate however. Her dear older sister, Abby, had been a maid at the estate until the day that the former Master's godson, the steward's son, had seduced her, left her pregnant, and then disappeared. Abby had been absolutely convinced that Wickham would return for her at first, but as months went by and he didn't, she began to whither away in shame and self-reproach.

The previous Mr. Darcy, a sickly man near his deathbed, would not believe the report. He had Abby removed from the estate and would hear no more on the matter. When the young Mr. Darcy returned from a visit to one of his other estates, he received the news differently. Not only did he believe that George Wickham was guilty, but he sought out Abby and did his best to establish her in a place where she could deliver her child in safety and comfort. What more he would have done was difficult to say because neither Abby nor the child survived the delivery. Abby and Hannah's father died shortly thereafter of apoplexy. Young Mr. Darcy did what he could for the family, but nothing could replace Hannah's sister or parent.

Now, as she listened through a crack in the door, an all-too-familiar and much-hated name was heard. George Wickham had struck again! This time he had eloped with Miss Bennet's younger sister. Enraged, Hannah was preparing to dash away when Mr. Darcy called for her and sent her to locate Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.

As the kind couple and their distraught niece prepared to depart for London, Hannah drafted a quick note to her uncle.

oOo

Jesse White crumpled the note in his hands and tossed it into the little stove in his stable room. He needed a plan. He was one of Mr. Darcy's coachmen, but his duties kept him mostly in Derbyshire. A different driving team usually handled most of Mr. Darcy's long-distance travel needs and his London trips. Fortunately, Raymond, the second coachman, was courting a local girl. Having only just returned to Pemberley after a long absence, he had no desire to leave the vicinity so soon. With only a little cajoling Jesse was able to take his place.

Based upon what he had seen of the Master's interest in the very pretty Miss Bennet, he was certain that a journey to London was in the offing. Next he scribbled a few quick notes to certain men in his family and sent Hannah's brother Ben to make the deliveries. He was thankful that the current Mr. Darcy's grandmother had begun an estate school which was still maintained today. Every one of Pemberley's servants could read and write.

As he suspected, the Darcy carriage departed early the next morning bound for London.

oOo

Two nights later, Jesse White, Roger White, and Caleb Morris met at a London pub that served the lower class but was close to Darcy House.

Caleb Morris, though not family, had been Abby White's childhood sweetheart before Wickham seduced her and then threw her away. No man hated George Wickham as deeply as he, not even her uncle. "What's the report?"

"Mr. Darcy has sent men searching for a Mrs. Younge. Seems that she was his accomplice in trying to steal away the young Miss in Ramsgate. He thinks that the man will go to ground with her. He can't have too many friends nowadays, even in Town."

"He won't have none where he's goin'," Caleb growled.

"Now Caleb, I let you come along 'cause I knew 'twasn't right to keep you out of this, but we'll be doin' our families no favors if we're hanged or transported. We have to do this smart," Roger White, a cousin of the close-knit family intervened. "If the Master can put the man away..."

"He won't! He's wiser than his papa and is a good man, but he won't do what's necessary. Too devoted to the old fool's memory."

"Look Son," Jesse spoke sternly, "I won't have you badmouthing the Master. He's the best one we've had. Yes, maybe he's a little soft hearted, but he's a good man."

"Maybe what we need is not a 'good' a man, but one who'll put Ol' Georgie in the ground so he can't keep hurtin' girls, Mr. Jesse."

There was nothing that the other two could say to that.

oOo

Two days later Colonel Fitzwilliam's men located George Wickham. He and Darcy caught the man in his rented hovel, along with a very foolish and unrepentent Lydia Bennet. She refused to leave her man, confident that her wedding would take place soon. The Colonel and Darcy realized that they would have to bring along either her father or uncle if they had any hope of getting her away. The stupid girl did allow herself to be shunted off to another room so that the men could talk. To be safe, Darcy negotiated a lucrative settlement on the couple if they didn't flee and no harm came to Lydia Bennet.

On that same night three men happened to take chairs at the same gaming table as a very contented George Wickham. He was quite pleased with himself. He hadn't gotten everything he wanted, but he had done well. Darcy would pay his debts again and he would be richer by two thousand pounds. Sure, he would have to marry the stupid chit and any additional monies were tied to her continued well-being, but he had no intention of going along with that plan. Two-thousand would see him on a ship to the Americas, where it would set him up quite nicely. He had heard that there were any number of young and foolish heiresses in places like New York.

None of the men at his gaming table seemed too bright, so perhaps he could earn a little extra blunt for his journey. He played his hands high, drank heavily, and bragged freely. He had bested Darcy again! He would always win and men like Darcy would never learn.

The drink marred his playing and he began losing, but he wasn't too concerned. Any vowels he wrote on that night would be useless scraps of paper once he boarded his ship. Still, an idea came to his drunken mind which might earn him a better return and add an additional measure of revenge against Darcy. "What say, Gents. I have a very pretty little filly up in my room over at the _. She's a gentleman's daughter, young, and a regular wildcat in bed. For ten shillings a throw, I'll let you have a go at her."

The three men had not begun the night with the intention of dealing physical harm. They understood how necessary it was for the girl to be married before they could act. Tonight they had only planned on learning information about where Wickham was bound next. With that information they would plan to strike when nobody was around to witness their actions.

George Wickham's disgusting proposal changed all of that and spelled his doom. They all agreed to accompany him back to his lodgings. Neither he nor they ever reached that destination.

oOo

When Darcy, the Colonel, and Mr. Gardiner presented themselves at the door on the following morning, they found Lydia all alone and concerned. A search of the area revealed no sign of Wickham. Darcy was shocked because he couldn't imagine his nemesis skipping out on a chance to siphon more money off of him. Mr. Gardiner and Lydia were conveyed back to the man's home on Gracechurch Street and the search was continued. It was abandoned later in the afternoon.

A screaming and cursing Lydia Bennet was finally confined to the Gardiner's most-private room while the adults discussed options. It was finally settled that the girl must be married, preferably to someone living far away from her family. Since her entire world was focused on red coated officers, Colonel Fitzwilliam proposed several possibilities. Colonel Forster, Wickham's superior, arrived during the discussion and offered a suggestion of his own. His fastest rider was dispatched back to Brighton.

Three weeks afterward, newly promoted Major Denny was wed to a surprisingly pleased Lydia Bennet. The bans had been read and the "false" rumor of an elopement was put to rest. As it turned out, Lydia had left Brighton in the company of Lieutenant Wickham, but also in the company of her betrothed and an appropriate chaperone. They had not eloped, merely traveled to London to meet with Mr. Bennet and procure her trousseau.

Whether anyone believed it or not, Lydia was married and the scandal squashed. Mrs. Bennet was overjoyed to have her youngest wed, and to a major no less. Add to that that he had recently come into a small fortune and her joy was complete... well, almost. The fact that Major and Mrs. Denny traveled to Portsmouth and boarded a ship for British India was certainly not to her liking.

Thankfully she had the weddings of her two eldest to very wealthy men to plan, so she managed to overcome her ire.

oOo

As was usual at the time, many bodies were fished out of the Thames River during the course of any given year. One particularly tall body was among them in 1812. By the time it was extracted it was unidentifiable.

oOo

Of Lydia Denny there is little good or bad to tell. She lived out her life in India except the very last five years; she was then in her fourth decade. Colonel Denny had passed away from a putrid fever two years prior, leaving her in the care of six adult children. Only the second and third child looked anything like their father. Since the couple had seldom slept in the same bed after those first few years in India, that was not a great surprise. She returned with her to England's shores with her children, but they scattered to make their own fortunes soon after their arrival.

She did see several of her sisters on occasion, but their lives and experiences were so different that the visits were short and seldom repeated.

oOo

Hannah Morris, nee White, was always pleased when Mrs. Darcy rode in her phaeton into Lambton, whether it was with her handsome husband, her dear sister Miss Darcy, or her growing flock of young Darcys. Hannah had liked the lady as Miss Bennet and liked her even more as the new Mistress of Pemberley. Though they never traveled in the same circles, Elizabeth Darcy always greeted her warmly when their paths crossed. Occasionally the Darcys stopped at the inn to share a cake and tea and to revisit their reconciliation and courtship.

Eventually Hanna and her husband became the sole proprietors of the Rose and Crown.

Neither her husband nor her male relatives would ever speak on the matter of George Wickham. All that anyone would say on the matter was that it was "settled."

As for Hanna and Caleb Morris, they had four strapping boys and one sweet little girl. They named her Abby.

Author's Note: I apologize for the dark ending of Wickham's tale, but feel it was a realistic account of what might have happened to such a character. As another story I read emphasized, "Every young lady is someone's daughter." Perhaps she is also a sister, a niece, or a friend. Never assume that she is without those who will exact a penalty if you do her harm

Thanks again for reading, reviewing, etc. Also thanks for your suggestions. I have several more chapters in-progress, but will try to address your great ideas.