Author's Note: Please let me know if you see any inconsistencies or errors. I am trying to fix them as I go through, but I know I have missed a couple. Thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy!
Also, posting chapters will begin to slow down from this point as I will be not merely editing what was previously written before. School starts back tomorrow, but I hope to still get a chapter every day or two until the story is completed.
Chapter 21
Charles Bingley vaguely recalled meeting George Wickham while at Cambridge with Darcy. He knew the two men had fallen out and wondered if Wickham also had a sister who had set his cap for Darcy, though he doubted it. Vaguely, he recalled that Darcy had seemed to look down on Wickham for indulging in vices that he did not—gambling, drinking, and women, all the pastimes of the wealthy, though Wickham had not been wealthy. Wickham was … he was the son of Pemberley's steward and old Darcy's godson.
Bingley wondered what Wickham might be doing in Hertfordshire and sat down next to him at the tavern where Bingley had escaped to when Caroline returned. His sister was terribly upset that Darcy had her expelled from his box at the theatre and was ranting about the natural-born daughter of a country squire being on Darcy's arm. Her brother had tuned her out, knowing that Caroline had done something stupid in Town, making herself persona non grata, not just to Darcy, but to the majority of the ton.
"George Wickham, is it not? I recall you from our time at Cambridge, I think." Bingley said as he approached the man.
Wickham looked up at him with bleary eyes. "You look famili'ar, but Cambridge was many years ago. What's your name again?" he slurred in reply.
"Charles Bingley. I believe I met you when I was with Fitzwilliam Darcy."
"Darcy, the ol' prig. Did me wrong … so nearly had his sister's dowry." He hiccoughed as he seemed to recall himself and shut his mouth rapidly. His near slip seemed to sober him up just a bit. "What d'ya want with me? Frien' of Darcy's no frien' of mine."
"Well, Darcy and I … well, we have had a falling out. My sister wanted to marry him and attempted to compromise him, but Darcy refused to act the gentleman and take her off my hands."
Wickham laughed at that. "Darcy wouldn't … wouldn't marry a tart who tried to force his hand. Nor would he take advantage, the prude. Teased him … called him a monk … he hated that. He wouldn't know what to do with a woman." He laughed again. "When he marries one of these society misses, I'll cuckold him since the only woman who'll marry him will do so 'cause he's rich."
Bingley laughed at this as well. "My sister claims he's got one on the hook. Quite a beautiful girl, though I can only assume that since my sister spoke so poorly of her appearance. Gossip in town says she's an heiress, but Caroline says that can't be true since she swears she met the girl here in Meryton when we first arrived. Of course, she has gone to London now, and Caroline thinks she has deceived poor Darcy into marrying her while hiding the truth that she's the natural-born daughter of some nobody."
Wickham perked up slightly at this, sobering even more. "What's the chit's name?"
"Caroline swears she was called Elizabeth Bennet when she was in Meryton, but she was introduced in Town as Elizabeth Tomlinson. She cannot understand why she has a different name now. Gossip says she and Darcy are courting, but then again, Caroline was pretty much cut from all polite society after Darcy threw her out of his box for daring to approach him."
"Interesting," Wickham murmured to himself. "Say, I was hired by Longbourn's heir to learn all I could about the Bennets. What do you know about the family."
This led to an hour-long conversation when Bingley shared all he knew about the Bennets, their connections in London, and Darcy.
"So, you intend to marry the eldest Bennet daughter then?" Wickham asked after they had talked at length.
"After Caroline's stunt in town, she might be the best I can do. Bennet has hinted that he has convinced the heir to break the entail, or at least to surrender his interest in it, which means Jane Bennet would inherit. If I married her, I would eventually gain an estate, though I suppose it would require a significant infusion of cash to bring it up to snuff. I suppose I need to see how badly Caroline has wrecked things for us in London before I proceed."
Wickham nodded at this and thanked the man for the information. While he had intended to return to Kent in a day or now, he decided his best bet was to make for London on the morrow, as he still had some of Collins's cash on him. If he were lucky, he would manage to sneak out of the inn without paying his bill, and then he laughed at himself. "No, I should just tell the innkeeper that Bingley agreed to pay my bill. He saw me with him tonight and probably wouldn't even question the matter," he thought and laughed again. As soon as Bingley departed, he informed the innkeeper of the "agreement" and of his intention to depart on the morrow.
Bingley was unhappy that Caroline was back at Netherfield. Louisa and Gilbert Hurst were disgusted with her attitude and behaviour within an hour of her returning, and half of that time had been spent with her refreshing herself from her travel.
When Darcy left for London more than a fortnight ago, Caroline had insisted she must depart as well. As Louisa had not wanted to go with her, Caroline had written to several friends to beg an invitation. Several days later, one finally arrived, though it was obvious the writer was not pleased to do so, having only agreed because Caroline threatened to reveal something the 'friend' wanted to keep private.
However, once Caroline had been nearly thrown from Darcy's box, that friend had cut the connection, claiming that whatever Caroline thought she held over her was worthless now, since no one in London would listen to a thing she said after that. Near daybreak the next morning, she was sent packing, and as she had nowhere else to go, she returned to her family at Netherfield.
Not only was she angry with her family, but she was livid that Darcy had acted in such a way toward her—refusing her admittance to his box while he trifled with that chit Eliza. No matter how she was being introduced, Caroline knew she was the girl who had been introduced in Meryton as Eliza Bennet. Caroline's maid had informed her the day after that first assembly that it was widely believed in Meryton that Eliza Bennet was the natural-born daughter of the previous master of Longbourn and had even less of a dowry than her cousins could claim. She thought it was preposterous that gossip in London had given her a different name but also claimed that she was in possession of an estate and a substantial dowry, both of which would be hers when she reached her majority.
Even before she encountered Mr Darcy and that chit at the theatre, she had heard people speaking of the long-lost granddaughter of somebody from the north, some landed gentleman who had died more than a decade ago. She was widely regarded as a beauty, and even more frustrating to Caroline was the gossip that she was being squired around by none other than the man she intended to marry. To learn that this … this person was none other than Eliza Bennet had been more than Caroline could handle, and she had gone to Darcy's box that night to confront the chit for her lies. The couple with her, she did not know who they were, but she saw how that female had been greeted by Lord and Lady Matlock. It was enough to make her question, briefly, her certainty that Darcy was being manipulated by a devious hussy, but Caroline was rarely willing to change a belief once she had decided on matters.
She had been upset by her sister's failure to believe her, and since Louisa continued to deny Caroline's many requests to return to London, Caroline decided her only remaining course was to notify Darcy's other aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, so she would put an end to any gossip. If anyone could dissuade Darcy from marrying such a manipulative and awful woman, it was the mistress of Rosings Park.
Bennet was at a loss for how to convince the trustees to release Elizabeth back to his care and to sign the marriage contracts. He had spread the rumour through Meryton of Elizabeth's engagement to Mr Collins, but he began to wonder if that was enough. If Elizabeth were not in Meryton, the scandal that would arise from her not honouring the engagement would not injure her, nor would it be enough to force the matter.
His thoughts of blackmailing Darcy fell flat when he realised that the scandal he suggested likely would matter little to Darcy. If his friend knew of his exploits, it was unlikely they were all that closely held a secret, and would the ton condemn a man such as he for refusing to marry the daughter of a tradesman, regardless of her dowry? Such a claim might injure him for a short time, but in the long run, would have little impact.
No, he needed Elizabeth at home, for if he could convince her to agree to marry Collins, then the trustees would surely not deny her. When the Gardiners came to Longbourn for Christmas, he would do all he could to ensure Collins compromised her fully in such a way that would guarantee the trustees would have to give their permission. He had not yet been notified about the change in trusteeship nor about the fact that Mr Elliott was now officially Elizabeth's guardian.
Upon receiving the first letter from a friend detailing Darcy's alleged courtship of a wealthy heiress, Lady Catherine dismissed it, confident that her nephew would ultimately yield to her longstanding insistence on his marriage to her daughter. Her influence, however, had waned, unbeknownst to her, as her friends were well aware that the proposed arrangement existed only in her imagination. Lord and Lady Matlock had vehemently denied it for years, but Catherine, residing mostly in the countryside, remained oblivious to the diminishing impact of her assertions.
The second letter, unsigned and filled with accusations against the lady Darcy was supposedly courting, fueled Lady Catherine's ire. The allegations, including scandalous gossip from Meryton about the girl's parentage, stirred her determination to rush to London immediately and confront her nephew for not adhering to his mother's wishes.
Her daughter, Anne, held a vastly different perspective on the matter. Uninterested in marrying her cousin or residing at Pemberley, Anne detested children, disliked travel, had no penchant for reading, and frankly, did not care much for her cousin. Fitzwilliam amused her to some extent, but Darcy did not, and Anne was resolved to go to great lengths to thwart her mother's attempts at arranging the match.
Thus, when Lady Catherine declared her intent to drag Anne to London on a Friday afternoon to coerce Darcy into marriage, Anne employed her customary method of getting her way. Aware of Darcy's intended through letters smuggled by her companion from her cousin Jonathan Fitzwilliam, Anne had been ready to thwart Lady Catherine's plans.
"Mother, I implore you to reconsider. I am too unwell to travel such a distance," Anne pleaded weakly, feigning a sudden bout of nausea.
Her companion, Mrs Jenkinson, responded with a calm assurance, "Miss Anne, I believe a small dose of the tonic will alleviate your discomfort and ensure you are fit for the journey in due time." This was not the first time the two had planned such an act, and both women knew how to induce spontaneous bouts of vomiting.
With that, Anne reluctantly accepted the tonic, knowing the ensuing bout of illness would successfully disrupt her mother's plans.
As the effects of the tonic took hold, Lady Catherine's frustration became evident. "Anne, this is sheer obstinacy on your part! We will leave for London today, and you will marry your cousin as soon as might be arranged."
Anne managed a feeble protest, "Mother, please, I am not well. I cannot endure such a journey today."
Lady Catherine continued to insist, "Nonsense! You will come with me, and we shall put an end to the boy's delay. You will be the Mistress of Pemberley."
Adding weight to Anne's objections, Mrs Jenkinson intervened, "Lady Catherine, perhaps it would be best to allow Miss Anne some rest. A hasty journey in her condition may exacerbate her indisposition. You know she is often unwell."
After another bout of Anne being ill, accompanied by her nearly swooning, Lady Catherine was convinced to delay their departure for another day or two.
From the letter Anne received that very morning, she knew that were they to delay her mother from departing until Monday, Darcy would have departed London for Pemberley. Lord Matlock would still be in town, and he should be able to dissuade Lady Catherine from pursuing the matter further.
A/N: I'm trying not to make this too complicated or too angst-ridden. Mr Bennet is awful, Mrs Bennet not any less so. Mr Collins is a fool, and Wickham is devious but not particularly bright. Don't worry, all will get their comeuppance- even the Bingleys-and D&E will have their HEA. The story is half done, if not a little further along.