Longbourn

December 15th, 1811

Elizabeth awoke just after dawn and rang for her maid. She washed her face and dressed for her morning walk with her brother. She went downstairs after she finished to wait for her brother, but to her surprise Alex was already dressed and ready to go.

"Getting slow there, Bess," Alex said to his second eldest sister.

Elizabeth despised being called any other nickname besides Lizzy or Eliza and her brother knew it and still called her Bess. "Well, Allie, lesson number one, a gentlewoman is never late -- everyone else is simply early." Elizabeth responded to her brother by teasing him with the awful nickname she gave him in response all those years ago.

"Did you and Father have a chat?" Lizzy asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, he explained why he sent all of us away. I am sorry for being a Prat and not responding to anyone's letters," Alex replied hanging his head.

"It is all right, Alex, no more of that, we must make up for lost time!" Lizzy replied.

She and Alex set out for a walk to Oakham Mount and she then realized that this would be her first trip there since her and Mr. Darcy's heated argument. She tried to put it out of her mind.

They walked along the path together in silence. Alex, sensing his sister's distraction, started to talk of books to ease his sister's mind.

"Bess, what have you been reading lately?"

"The Bard, again, I'm afraid. I ordered a few new books, for our season. I'm sure I will not even have time to read them," Lizzy replied.

"Are you going to help Papa with the estate business?"

"Yes, he has me meeting with the steward and going over what is profitable in Hertfordshire's milder climate, tutoring the estate, meeting the tenants and going over the future plan to purchase that land that was lost. I probably won't be able to leave Longbourn most days."Alex sighed

"Well you will always be more than welcome to accompany me on my walks." Elizabeth replied

Once they were about to round the corner to the split path, where one path leads to Oakham Mount and the other heads towards Meryton, they heard voices. Lizzy stopped and pulled Alex behind the trees, immediately at the recognition of one voice. Lizzy put her hand over Alex's mouth to keep him quiet.

"We do not need to try and convince him, we should just go! We could start anew!" Wickham shouted.

"I would like his blessing." A familiar, yet unknown female voice replied.

"He will not approve of me, for I am a poor foot soldier, you must know. Maybe that is why you will not, you want a way to be rid of me," Wickham replied

"No! George! I want to be with you no matter what. We shall go away in a few days! That will give us time to get our affairs in order!" The unknown voice replied.

"Thanks, darling," Wickham replied.

The pair kept walking on the path towards Meryton.

Elizabeth peeked her head from behind a tree, sighed in relief once she saw the path was clear. She turned to motion Alex that he could move, but Alex was glaring at his sister suspiciously.

"What was that all about?" Alex demanded.

Elizabeth sighed and took a moment to think of her response. Mr. Wickham had not done anything wrong. After speaking with Mr. Darcy he had told her of Wickham's alleged wrongdoings. She was ready to discount Mr. Darcy's version of events after their meeting. Until her grandmother had warned her away from Mr. Wickham without an explanation. She replied, "That officer is Mr. Wickham, he is not someone you need to associate with."

"Well, I shall not pretend to be surprised. He seems like a rake. Alone in the woods with a woman, it sounded like he was trying to seduce her into running away with him," Alex responded.

Lizzy stared at Alex in surprise. He could not have-- Is this what Darcy meant, when he said that the remainder was not fit for a woman's ears. Has Mr. Wickham done this before? She needed answers, and she knew where she could get them.

"Alex, I'm afraid we will have to short our walk, I have letters I need to tend to this morning." Lizzy said, and the two headed back to Longbourn.

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Pemberley

December 15th, 1811

Darcy sat in his study rereading a letter that was sent to him from his solicitor, who had hired a Bow St Runner by the name of Harding to investigate a connection between Wickham and Elizabeth. He had already been keeping tabs on Wickham after Ramsgate. Darcy had Harding look into Wickham's whereabouts since his father's death, directly after Ramsgate and he finally received a letter with updates.

Dear Sir,

Mr. Harding relays news of the information you asked to be looked into discreetly. It appears that Mr. GW, had been in the company of a Mr. TW, Mrs. AY and a Mr. GN before he went to Ramsgate. GW befriended them when was living off of the £4000 pounds, that he inherited and gambling. Its seems he spent over two years with the two gentlemen. The lady, Mrs. AY as you already know, was used to trick you, into hiring her as a companion. There have been no connections to the EB, you asked us to find. It seems as if EB has never cross paths with GW, before this fall.

Harding has not checked her familial background for another connection to Wickham, it will take sometime, but I shall let you know, if he finds anything.

Best,

Mr. Lawson

Darcy sighed and ruffled his disheveled hair. He had not been able to sleep properly in weeks. He needed to have answers and he was no closer to them. Maybe he should just forget, about her, about Wickham, about Netherfield, about these past two months. Mrs. Younge had openly admitted to being with Wickham and helping him; why Elizabeth had denied it after she was caught and lost her opportunity with him, bothered him. He needed answers.

He had responded to Lady Catherine's missive trying to discourage her visit to the Bennet family. He also, told her he could not get in touch with Bingley, so she could not use his house. Though the idea of watching Elizabeth stand up to Lady Catherine was appealing.

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Longbourn

December 15th, 1811

Lizzy, upon her arrival back at Longbourn, found her grandmother in the drawing room writing letters, alone.

"Grandmother?"

"Yes, Lizzy?"

"I need to ask you something."

"What is it child?"

"Why did you warn us to stay away from Mr. Wickham? What did he do?"

Marianne sighed. "Lizzy, this is not a subject young ladies should talk about."

"Grandmother, please, I need to know."

"That is final, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth sighed. She knew she would never get the answers she sought.

"There are more pleasant things for you to focus on; Emily is sending one of Madam Devy's associates for your final fittings, tomorrow. You all shall look splendid." Marianne babbled

Elizabeth tuned out of her grandmother's rant, wondering, why Mr. Wickham, who seemed very charming and gentlemanly to her and the rest of Meryton, was so very disagreeable to everyone else? What is she missing?

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Longbourn

December 17th, 1811

"Did you hear!?" Lydia shouted upon her return from Lucas Lodge with Kitty.

Mrs. Bennett rushed into the room in a panic. "What is it?!"

"Mary King got caught trying to run away with a man last night!" Lydia exclaimed.

"What?!" Mary said, shocked the behavior of a gentlewoman.

"Yes, and that's not even the half of it! Her uncle asked her who she was supposed to be meeting and she told him it was Mr. Wickham."

"What?!" Lizzy said, shocked at the so-called gentlemen's behavior.

"Mary supposedly had letters from Wickham, and showed them to her uncle, who went to the colonel to demand that he turn over Mr. Wickham."

"Yes, but Mr. Wickham denied it," Kitty chimed in.

"Mr. Wickham told the Colonel that he did not write those letters and she was trying to frame him and force him to marry her," Lydia said

"Why would she lie? She's an heiress with £10,000, that's surely enough for her and her husband to live off of," Lizzy mused.

"There is a condition on her inheriting the money, she may only get £10,000, if her uncle approves of the marriage," Kitty stated

"He does not approve of Mr. Wickham. Anyways the letters, that she claimed Mr. Wickham wrote, did not match his handwriting from militia documents," Lydia said with glee. "That means poor Mary King tried to frame Wickham into marrying her, as if he would marry that freckled thing. She obviously had a lover who abandoned her, and Wickham has been seen talking to her a few times, so she thought it would be easy to blame him and her uncle would just approve to prevent scandal! La! What a good lark!"

"Lydia! We as ladies do not talk of such things," Marianne reprimanded

Lydia rolled her eyes and continued to gossip with her mother. "She has been sent away to relatives in the North and they are arranging to marry her off to some old man." Lydia giggled

Lizzy was irate. She remembered her and Alex overhearing Wickham in the woods with a woman, whose voice sounded familiar, and she was certain Wickham was talking to Mary King. He had tried to get her to run away with him, probably not knowing that she could not get her inheritance without her uncle's approval. Worst yet Mary King had been sent away and sold off, while Mr. Wickham was able to roam free. This is why her grandmother told her to stay away from him. He was a fortune-hunting seducer.

This was too much for Elizabeth, so she excuse herself and take a walk in the gardens to clear her thoughts, but she couldn't. She knew she had made a grave error in judgment. He was right. She begrudgingly admitted.

She thought back to their exchange at Netherfield. Darcy's warning rang clearly back into her head: "Be careful around him, I am quite sure he has already lied to you."

She recalled her and Mr. Wickham's first encounter at the Phillipses. His honorable intentions of never exposing Mr. Darcy because of his "love for the late Mr. Darcy". Yet as soon as Mr. Darcy was gone, he told the whole town of Mr. Darcy's alleged misdeeds. Even earlier than that he shared them with her. Someone wholly unconnected to them. How had she not noticed? He was trying to gain sympathy against Mr. Darcy and turn the town against him. She probably was not the only one he told his story to. Discrediting Mr. Darcy gave him the freedom to do as he pleased. No one would believe Mr. Darcy, if he told them of Mr. Wickham's wrong doings. She could have prevented this. If she had only heeded his warning. He was probably taking advantage of the credit extended to him in Meryton. She had to expose Mr. Wickham, one way or another.

Darcy may have been rude, judgmental and arrogant, but at least he wasn't a fortune-hunting, lying rake. He was no longer held the title of the last man on earth she could be prevailed upon to marry -- that title now belonged to Mr. Wickham.

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Brooks, London

December 18th, 1811

Parliament was set to be in session in just over two weeks and the Whig party was all over the place with their ideas on how they would rid themselves of Napoleon and get the social issues they cared about to pass through parliament. The two prominent members of the party, Lord Matlock and Lord Tillington, could not agree on which social reform was more important to take on: Abolishing Slavery or Catholic Emancipation. They needed full cooperation from each other and their followers to get anything done, and it was suggested that Matlock and Tillington meet before parliament was in session and talk. They agreed to meet in the neutral territory of their club, Brooks.

Lord Matlock arrived at Brooks just a little early hoping that he could scout out the best place to sit that would give him the upper hand at negotiations today, but when he arrived Lord Tillington was already sitting at his preferred table.

"Tillington," Lord Matlock greeted to the older gentleman, who was above sixty.

"Matlock," Tillington greeted to the man who was in his fifties.

They stared at each other for a while until Tillington bluntly spoke, "Well, Matlock, I think I have a solution to get us both what we want."

"Go on," Matlock said, looking at the older gentleman with caution.

Tillington laid out the plan for Matlock, as it had been laid out for him. Matlock heartily agreed to the plan.

"There is one thing that concerns me," Matlock stated.

"What is it?" Tillington inquired.

"We would not vote on this until at least May. What assurances do I have that you will not back out or turn on me?" Matlock asked bluntly.

Tillington stopped to ponder the best option. "How about an alliance of the familial kind?" Tillington suggested.

"I only have an unmarried son, but I thought your daughter was married," Matlock stated, confused.

"I have a few unmarried nieces coming to town for a season," Tillington explained.

"Oh good, I have a nephew that also needs a wife," Matlock said, thinking of Darcy and the latest Wickham episode.

"They arrive in about a fortnight for the season. I'll have my wife extend the invitation to your family, for dinner," Tillington stated and shook hands with Matlock on it.

"Why did you not save us this trouble by telling me your plan, when we were in negotiating weeks ago?" Matlock asked curiously.

"I wish that I could take credit for the brilliance behind the plan, but my daughter is the mastermind behind this," Tillington said.

Matlock laughed in surprise. "Sometimes I feel as if the women in our lives actually run parliament."

"Oh Matlock, they do, without question," Tillington replied.

AN: He's next to last now guys! Also the next update may take longer. I work in a hospital and the pandemic is making work super crazy and taking all my free time. Stay safe, socially isolate and wash your hands, disinfect your phones, tablets and laptops! Peace.