Author's Note: I started this story over because I was struggling with where/how to go next. I felt like it began in the middle and needed to flesh out the beginning better before I could continue. It is obviously a work in progress and I welcome helpful feedback. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter 4

Upon returning to Pemberley, Darcy went directly to his rooms. He was still in the dirtied riding clothes he had donned that morning, having not had time to change after encountering Wickham and Miss Gardiner earlier. His knuckles were cracked and bloodied still and he winced as he washed them in the basin his valet had waiting for him.

"Your father requested you join him in his study as soon as you are able," Carson stated when Darcy was dressed in clean attire. "He was concerned when he heard you left the house, though I think he was relieved when he learned you had escorted the young lady back to her family."

Darcy nodded, his thoughts racing. What had occurred in his absence? Had Wickham returned to Pemberley and attempted to accuse him of what he had done? Did his father confront Wickham?

Worried about these things and more, he slowly made his way to the study in an attempt to calm himself enough to meet his father and whatever was waiting for him.

He knocked on the study door, and upon hearing his father's voice call for him to enter, he stepped inside. His father stood at the window, reflecting while gazing out of it. Taking a deep breath, he approached, knowing that the conversation ahead of them would be difficult.

"Father," Darcy began, his voice steady but laced with tension underlying it. "We need to speak about George Wickham."

Mr. Darcy turned to face his son, his expression equally grave. "Yes, Fitzwilliam. I believe we do."

Their conversation started slowly, with Darcy recounting Wickham's various misdeeds, first as a boy and later as a young man at Cambridge. He spoke of the numerous debts his father's godson had accumulated, many of which he had paid himself, and cited examples of his dishonesty and inappropriate behaviour with women, laying out the evidence piece by piece. Each revelation seemed to deepen the lines on his father's face.

"I have tried to explain this to you before, Father," Darcy said, his frustration barely contained. "But you always dismissed my concerns, thinking I was driven by jealousy that he had what ought to have been mine. I never minded you supporting him at Cambridge, but you were doing him no favours by not holding him accountable in any way."

Mr. Darcy sighed heavily. "I realise now that I was wrong to do so. That young lady's account of her interactions with Wickham has opened my eyes to what he has become. Not only that, but I also spoke to several of the servants, including Mrs. Reynolds, who told me additional stories of his should have been clear to me long ago that you were not merely making accusations out of jealousy."

Darcy felt a mix of relief and lingering frustration. "It was never about jealousy. I have seen and heard things that deeply troubled me. Wickham's behaviour is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous. When I tried to warn you, you brushed me away. I cannot understand your loyalty to your godson ... unless he is more than that?"

Mr. Darcy blanched and briefly closed his eyes. "No, nothing like that," he replied, his voice harsh and gravelly in evident surprise. After a moment, he nodded slowly as he further acknowledged his son's word. "I see it now for what it was. Today, I am truly listening to you, Fitzwilliam. My only regret is not doing so earlier."

Encouraged by his father's openness, Darcy continued, detailing the latest incident involving the young woman in Lambton. "Father, Wickham was attempting to force himself on an innocent woman. If I had not arrived when I did and intervened—"

Mr. Darcy held up a hand, his face pale with shock. "That is enough. I understand the gravity of the situation. We cannot allow Wickham to continue in this manner unchecked. What did her uncle say when you informed him of what had transpired?"

"It is obvious that Mr. Gardiner wants to protect his niece, but he would not hesitate to press charges against him if he could find a way to do it without affecting Miss Gardiner's reputation. She is young and not yet out, and we are far enough from London that people there may not mention it. The family is also in trade, so would be unknown amongst the ton. If you withdraw your support from Wickham and let it be known in Lambton, I am certain others will come forward. Many were too afraid to take action against him because of your influence."

"I wish I had known—" he stopped when he saw his son's face looking at him in disbelief. "Forgive me. You have told me often enough and I have brushed it aside. His father was such a good man and I had hoped that his son would be like him."

"What will you do? I invited Mr. Gardiner here tomorrow to meet with you about the incident. His wife and niece may accompany him, but he was uncertain if Miss Gardiner would want to be seen in public after today's events. I informed him that our staff will be discreet and, of course, we will say nothing about her bruises."

The elder Darcy held up a hand. "Then I will send a note to the inn, adding my own hope that the entire family will come tomorrow. I will see you at dinner and let you know if I receive a reply.."

Darcy understood that he was dismissed and left the study, choosing to pay a brief visit to his sister in the nursery. Georgiana had only recently turned nine and was more than a decade his junior. He quite doted on her, especially since their mother had died when she was small. To his surprise, he found himself telling his sister about the young lady he had met that afternoon. While he did not mention what happened with Wickham, he did tell his sister about the boldness of the young lady and encouraged his sister to meet and befriend the girl if she arrived on the morrow. Darcy spent an hour with his sister, until her own dinner arrived, at which point he returned to his chambers to dress for dinner. He joined his father just before the meal was announced, and the two ate mostly in silence, speaking only of one or two matters related to the estate.

Before his father took his leave from the dinner table, he spoke once more. "I received a message from Mr. Gardiner. He, his wife, and his niece will all arrive tomorrow morning at eleven for luncheon and intend to remain for tea. As far as I know, George has not returned to the estate, and I have sent a note to the magistrate, asking him to join us mid-afternoon. After today's misdeeds, I will withdraw my backing from my godson and make it known that young Wickham no longer has my support or protection.

Darcy nearly sagged in relief at this. Though Wickham would no doubt be upset by this change in fortune, perhaps now steps could be taken to mitigate the harm he could cause to others moving forward. "Father, when Wickham learns this, he will act against our family. We will need to take steps to prevent this."

George Darcy paled. "You cannot think ..." he trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

"Father, I have seen how he reacts when crossed. When he learns you will no longer support him, he will be angry and will blame me, in particular. Perhaps he will blame Miss Gardiner, believing her somehow at fault. Might we invite the Gardiners to remain at Pemberley for the remainder of their stay?"

His father's brows reached his hairline. "Did you not tell me that Mr. Gardiner is in trade? It would be most unusual to invite such a person to Pemberley."

"You permitted me to invite my friend Bingley to stay last summer."

"Bingley is not actively engaged in trade," his father protested, though he stopped when his son fixed him with an incredulous look. "Yes, I know even I am actively engaged in a trade of sorts and that I have interests in several businesses that many in our society would look down upon if they knew. We can ask the Gardiners to stay, but we cannot be certain they will. Though, if the gentleman is as intelligent as you say, perhaps he will not turn down an invitation to stay at Pemberley, thus saving him the cost of the inn." This last was said with a wry smile, which Darcy returned.

"Thank you, Father," Darcy said.

"Miss Gardiner will lead some man on a merry chase in a few years," his father said next, perplexing him at the sudden change in topic.

"She is young, but I believe she will be rather pretty in a few years. Her uncle will not find it difficult to find a match for her," Darcy replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Many men will not appreciate her forcefulness. She will need a special man, one who would view her as an equal. After what she experienced this morning, and coming into my study without knowledge of the undercurrents, she only appeared to grow stronger. She did not wilt or collapse as I would have expected of most women in her situation. Few women, much less a girl, would have stood up to me in the way she did."

Darcy grinned. "I am uncertain whether to call her a Valkyrie or an Amazon. Her dark hair makes me lean more toward an Amazon, though she is far too short for that designation. Perhaps a nymph of some sort?"

His father laughed. "She quite impressed me. Perhaps, in a few years, she might make a good wife for you?"

That caused him to start. "Father, I am scarcely ready to think about marriage, and Miss Gardiner is far too young."

The elder Darcy fixed his son with a probing gaze that made him struggle not to squirm. "I am not saying you should marry her tomorrow, son, merely that she might make a good wife for you someday. You are right, you have several years before you are ready to contemplate marriage, but so does she. When she comes out, perhaps both of you will be ready then. You, at least, are old enough to begin contemplating what you desire in a partner. A woman such as her would not allow you to dictate to her and would force you to listen to her point of view. She is unlike many of the women you will meet in town."

"Just a moment ago, you were hesitant about inviting her family to stay at Pemberley, and now you suggest I might marry her in the future?"

His father laughed at that. "Silly, is it not. She is a gentleman's daughter, or so I understand. Did her parents die? Is that why she is living with her aunt and uncle?"

Darcy's face darkened as he recalled what the young lady had revealed to him in the carriage. "No, her parents are alive, and yes, she is a gentleman's daughter. Miss Gardiner shared a bit of her circumstances and it appears to me that she is better off where she is."

Once again, his father assessed him before speaking."What happened?"

"When Miss Gardiner was eight, there was an accident in the stables that injured her elder sister. The girls should not have been there, and her mother blamed the younger sister for the elder's injuries, which were, ultimately, rather insignificant in nature. However, the mother felt that her second daughter was a troublemaker, calling her a changeling child, and demanded her husband cast her out of the house. The father contacted his wife's brother, Mr. Gardiner, and sent the girl to live with them. They have not returned since, and while the father and elder sister did write for a time, they stopped writing when the mother demanded it. She had not heard from her family in over five years," Darcy explained.

"It was very good of the Gardiners to take her in," his father replied thoughtfully.

Darcy only nodded, and with that, it appeared the conversation was over. The gentlemen each sought their own rooms, and Darcy sat for some time in his attached sitting room, a book in his lap as he thought about all that occurred that day and what would likely occur on the morrow.