May–June 1811
It was a sunny day in Ramsgate, and Georgiana Darcy was strolling along the beach with her companion. Mrs. Younge had gained the confidence of the young heiress and encouraged her to get some fresh air instead of being cooped up in the house. Georgiana felt much better than she had months ago, and her cough had all but disappeared. She was entertaining herself by chatting with Mrs. Younge and collecting some shells when someone called her name.
"Miss Darcy, is it really you?" A handsome gentleman paused and added, "It has been so long since the last time I saw you. You were a little girl, and now you are a beautiful woman."
Georgiana looked up and saw a handsome man smiling beatifically at her, and a few seconds later, she recognized him. The last time she had seen Mr. Wickham was before her father died when she was only ten years old. She remembered that he used to be very kind and considerate to her. He had been her best friend.
They chatted for several minutes about her father, Pemberley, and pleasant memories.
After that day, they started to meet every morning during her stroll. Mrs. Younge encouraged Georgiana's friendship with Wickham because he was a kind gentleman and her brother's good friend.
Mr. Wickham paid her a lot of attention; he was very kind and treated her like a young woman, not a girl. A few weeks later, Georgiana realized she was falling in love with him.
She wrote a long letter to her brother about her chance meeting with Mr. Wickham, but her brother's reply was short and did not mention his former friend. She knew her brother was in a courtship with Lady Isabella, and he did not have time to write a long letter, but she felt abandoned. The few times she had met Lady Isabella, she was not particularly friendly. It was clear Lady Isabella was not interested in a deep relationship with her future sister-in-law. Georgiana was unhappy with her brother's choice of wife, but she could do nothing about it.
Georgiana did not know that Mrs. Younge was intercepting her letters and only sending the ones without mentioning Mr. Wickham.
One month after the first meeting, Mr. Wickham proposed, and she gladly accepted. She was thrilled; they were in love and were to be married.
That same day, she wrote to her brother about her engagement, but she had not received an answer for several days. When she received the expected letter, it contained only news about her brother's plans to marry Lady Isabella. Georgiana's stay would be over in a few days, and she would return to London.
Mr. Wickham knew he had little time to implement his plan. He explained to Georgiana that for them to be together as husband and wife, they would need to elope and marry at Gretna Green. He told her that Darcy and Lady Isabella would disapprove of a match between them because he was poor. They would likely send her to a boarding school where she would have no friends or force her to marry a titled man without consideration of her feelings.
Georgiana hesitated initially; she knew her dear George was correct regarding her brother and Lady Isabella. They were proud of their lineage and would not look kindly on her relationship with Wickham, but she dearly wanted her brother's blessing.
Seeing that time was passing, Wickham decided to implement a new plan. One evening, with the help of Mrs. Younge, he made sure Georgiana consumed laudanum during dinner. Once she was semi-conscious, he carried her to her room and, taking full advantage of her befuddled state, had his way with her.
The following morning, when Georgiana awoke, she realized she was nude and in bed with Mr. Wickham. His hand was on her breast, and she was feeling very sore. Her mind was a blur, yet she remembered some bits from the night before: she had drunk champagne for the first time to celebrate her engagement; she had felt dizzy after dinner, and George had to carry her to her bedroom. He kissed her several times, and she shamefully realized she was no longer a maiden. Hopefully, as they were to marry soon, it would not matter much.
In less than a day, everybody in Ramsgate talked about their affair and her lost virtue. As is too often the case, the rumours were grossly exaggerated, and Georgiana Darcy's reputation was utterly ruined.