Pemberley, 1801–1806
Since Lady Anne's death, the years at Pemberley had been sad but busy for Fitzwilliam Darcy. Although it was common for children and young wealthy men to have time for leisure, Mr. Darcy had established a very strict routine for the education of his son. At the age of eleven, his father sent him to study at Eton and hired masters for the few weeks he returned to Pemberley every year.
When Fitzwilliam turned fifteen, his father began teaching him everything he knew about the administration of Pemberley. They spent several hours a day touring the property, and he learned from his father how to read the ledgers carefully.
While it was undeniable Mr. Darcy paid close attention to his son's education, Fitzwilliam often felt his father was spending time with him out of obligation and not out of a desire to be with him. Furthermore, he realized his father favored the company of George Wickham and celebrated all of his questionable achievements.
Fitzwilliam Darcy and George Wickham, as they grew older, drifted further apart. Both were tall and handsome, but George was gregarious, charming, and deceitful, while Fitzwilliam was reserved, honest, and serious. Everyone who met George was instantly charmed by him, yet it was difficult to strike up a conversation with Fitzwilliam.
The most serious problem between the two arose when the naïve 16-year-old daughter of a Lambton merchant was seduced by George Wickham. When her furious father found out his daughter was pregnant, he confronted George Wickham. To the horror of Fitzwilliam, who had seen them leaving together an abandoned cottage in Pemberley's woods, Wickham denied being the father of the child. The girl's father subsequently went to Pemberley to speak with Mr. Darcy. Very upset, Mr. Darcy defended his godson and kicked the man out, accusing him of being a liar. Fitzwilliam told his father what he had seen, but his father, after George Wickham denied Fitzwilliam's accusations, did not believe him either. From then on, Fitzwilliam never again made a negative comment about Wickham to his father.
When Fitzwilliam turned 18, he continued his education at Cambridge along with George Wickham. During their first year at the University, George met some young gentlemen with questionable reputations and the relationship between George and Fitzwilliam deteriorated further. Darcy was a very good student, while Wickham was often absent from class and had very poor grades. More than once, Darcy found Wickham in their shared room with women of dubious repute, other times Wickham would arrive drunk very late at night and wake several of their neighbors. Due to Wickham's reckless behavior, Darcy was reprimanded by the University Dean. Wickham also tended to spend more money than he had, often posing as Darcy.
To preserve his family's reputation and avoid an even greater scandal, Darcy used to grudgingly pay the bills Wickham incurred, subsequently advising the merchants not to give Wickham any more credit as he would not pay them a second time.
That same year, tired of sharing a room with Wickham, he asked his cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, who was in his second year at university, to share a room and he accepted. During their years at the University, the relationship between Richard and Darcy - which had always been very good - grew even stronger.
In 1805, George Wickham's father died of a heart attack. At the time, George Wickham had very bad grades and was about to fail out of Cambridge, in addition to the debts of honor that Fitzwilliam was unwilling to pay, so he decided to return to Derbyshire. In his will, Mr. Wickham bequeathed his son the sum of £3,000, and Mr. Darcy promised him that he could continue living in his old house for as long as he wanted rent-free. Wickham convinced Mr. Darcy that he could not return to the University that year since he was sad and wanted to mourn his father.
Acting sad and depressed while in the company of his godfather, Mr. Darcy invited Wickham to live in Pemberley for three months. During those months, he spent several hours each day riding and entertaining his godfather. He was living the life he had always wanted, enjoying the good food, brandy, and luxuries that Pemberley had to offer.
He had a very good relationship with Georgiana; he used to entertain her by telling her stories, as he liked that the girl listened to him attentively and looked at him with deep admiration for all his exploits. After the three months were up, Wickham reluctantly returned to his old home, but he was at Pemberley most of the time, visiting his godfather.
The following year, to please his godfather, George Wickham returned to university. But in 1806, George Darcy's health began to decline, and that same year, a month after Fitzwilliam finished university, he passed away.
In his will, George Darcy bequeathed Pemberley to his son Fitzwilliam Darcy, as well as his London house and other businesses, a £30,000 dowry for Georgiana, and £3,000 for his godson.
Wickham, upon learning his godfather had left him money in his will and since he was tired of university life, decided not to finish his last year at university and went to live in London. He had £6,000 and was sure he would marry an heiress.