His Uncle's Favorite (61 page)

The earl faced his younger son and their eyes finally met after avoiding contact for such a long time. A brief trace of relief lit the earl’s stern countenance while the colonel forced a smile.

“You are more generous than I deserve, my children. You cannot imagine how much easier my heart is now that you endured this painful confession. And now I must beg for your help once more: what is to be done? How can you change a man who does not want to be changed? Darcy, where are you, son?”

In the far corner of the library in half darkness, Darcy was silent and overwhelmed by his own painful memories. He vividly remembered the years his uncle spoke of—the love and joy of his parents, the frightening behaviour of his aunt Harriet, the gentle smile of Mrs. Wickham, he and George playing together, the sadness of being forced to hurt his father with disappointing reports of George’s behaviour then his fights with George over the years. But his most recent memories were equally heartrending.

His uncle’s story of a lost love was as powerful as the sharp tightness in his chest. He almost lost Elizabeth without even trying to win her, and the earl gave him a disturbing vision of how things might have turned out had he entered an arranged marriage and, perhaps, met Elizabeth again over the years. The mere thought sickened him, and he suddenly could not breathe, so he hurried to open the window.

“Darcy, are you unwell?”

“I am perfectly well, Uncle; please do not worry for me. I just wish to express my gratitude for allowing me to be part of this distressing revelation. Your trust honours me, sir. Do not worry; we will find a way to deal with Wickham as we always have.”

“You will surely not change him, but perhaps it is time to teach Wickham a little about responsibility, Father,” said the viscount. “I do not expect that either you or Darcy will refuse to pay for his foolishness once more, but I believe it would be useful to show him he cannot always have his way so easily. Though you never did it when he was a child, perhaps it is time to ‘spank’ George Wickham and teach him a lesson.”

“Wickham should be beaten senseless to finally understand the lesson,” whispered the colonel bitterly while his sister looked at him with reproach.

“Do not worry; I have learned that I cannot always have what I wish for.” He poured himself a glass of brandy.

Selina went to her brother and embraced him tightly, placing a tender kiss on his cheek. The colonel’s countenance remained stern even when Selina gave him a second kiss.

The tension in the large room had almost vanished when a servant entered and, with obvious unease, informed them that a Mr. Wickham demanded to see Lord Matlock.

***

“Let Mr. Wickham wait a little longer, Gibbs. I will ring for you to bring him in soon.”

“Papa, I shall leave,” said Selina. “I do not wish to see Wickham”

“I shall, too, as I do not believe I can be of any use to you. I never dealt with Wickham in the past, and I will surely not do so now or in the future,” added the viscount.

The three gentlemen who remained in the library exchanged quick glances and stepped closer to each other. Then the earl rang for the servant to invite Wickham in.

George Wickham entered quickly and froze near the door as he observed three men instead of the one he expected. He looked around, disconcerted, then smiled.

“Lord Matlock—such a pleasure to see you again, sir. And what a wonderful surprise to meet Darcy and the colonel. In truth, I had prepared myself to receive your visit later.”

“I am surprised to see you too, Wickham,” said the colonel. “You have not been in this house for quite a long time if I remember correctly. It must be something very important that induced you to come unannounced. You should have sent your card first.”“I appreciate that you never lose your sense of humour, Colonel. Forgive me for intruding, but I must speak with Lord Matlock. I understand his lordship knows where Miss Lydia Bennet is at present. I am truly worried for her.”

“Well, George, you have no reason to worry,” said the earl. “Miss Lydia is safe and sound at her aunt’s house. I suspect she is resting now.”

“I am glad to hear it. It is good to know she is well, I was concerned that—”

“Oh stop the nonsense, George. What kind of fool do you believe me to be? You were not concerned for the girl but for losing your advantage in your negotiation with Darcy. You took the girl and hid her from her father to increase his despair, as you knew too well that Darcy would not allow this situation to affect Elizabeth’s family! Good plan, boy!”

“I assure you, your lordship, that your suspicions are ill founded. Miss Lydia’s well-being is all that matters to me. I did not hide her, but I had reason to believe Mrs. Younge could not offer her a proper accommodation and—”

“And leaving her in a brothel was a better accommodation? Are you out of your mind to believe I will accept your stupid explanations? Do I look like a complete idiot to you?”

“Lord Matlock, please believe me that Miss Lydia Bennet was very well taken care of. She was hosted in a guest room, separated from the rest of the house. Mrs. G is a close friend of mine, and I trusted her to handle Lydia with great care.”

“Is that so? What if Darcy and Mr. Bennet denied the payments you demanded? What if Darcy refused to honour your debts? What then would have happened with Miss Lydia?”

“Your lordship is very severe with me and most deservedly so, but I never thought to put Lydia in any danger. I care deeply for Lydia and I do wish to marry her, but I had no pecuniary resources to support a wife, so I have few choices. I might have been reckless and hasty in allowing myself to be overcome by my feelings and eloping, but I hoped that your lordship would heartily understand that one cannot command passion and love.”

The earl, stepped closer, anger darkening his features. “Do not dare suggest what I think you are suggesting, or I shall rip you apart! How can you speak of feelings, passion and love? I understand a few years ago that you had strong feelings for Selina—am I wrong? And then for Georgiana? And now suddenly for Miss Lydia Bennet only a week after you discovered that her sisters will marry well. Do you believe me a mindless, old fool?”

Wickham turned pale and stepped back against the wall as if the earl’s proximity had propelled him. He blinked repeatedly, struggling to hold the earl’s piercing gaze.

“Your godfather would have killed you without remorse if he knew you attempted to use his beloved daughter in such a shameless way; you should not doubt that!”

“I did no harm to Georgiana…nor to Selina…” Wickham mumbled.

“I would imagine not, or else my sons or Darcy would have long since killed you! But to take advantage of Georgiana’s sweet temper, to persuade her to elope with you only to force Darcy to repay you—is this not harm?”

“Your lordship cannot blame me so harshly for trying to be part of a family that I have always loved and respected or for trying to secure myself a way of living. You know very well that I have nothing left in the world. My own father did not leave me much, and…and there is no one in my own family to help me…my beloved mother…”

“Silence, George! Do not force me lose the rest of my temper. You had so much more than others, and yet you accomplished nothing at all. Had I seen you struggling to secure a future, attempting to enter into any sort of profession, working hard to study or any such thing, I would have supported you entirely—even more than I have already foolishly done! And I am sure Darcy would not hesitate to give you the living even now if we had any real hope that you would use it properly. Your lack was not in support but in honour. I am happy and relieved that your poor mother did not live to bear such a disappointment. And do not ever use her name again in an attempt to melt my heart, or I shall not be responsible for my actions!”

“I am astonished at what an idiot you are, Wickham,” the colonel intervened. “I know that, for many years, you reached your goals by deceiving Uncle Darcy, my cousin, and my father, taking advantage of their affection for you, of their fondness towards the past, or of their sense of honour, adjusting your schemes to convince each of them separately. But I cannot believe you attempt the same strategy when we are all here together and actually hope to be successful again. I say we should find a way to be certain you will never bother us again.”

“Wickham, how can we be certain that, if you marry Miss Lydia, have your debts paid, and a commission of some kind assured, you will not return to your old habits? “How can I be sure that you will treat your wife properly and not squander your income in the same reckless manner then return to me for additional funds?”

“I assure you, Darcy, that things will change; I promise you that. I believe it is time to decide upon my future career, and I feel that being a clergyman will suit me quite well, after all. If you could be so generous as to give me the living, I—”

“George, stop your whining; that will never happen. There will be no living for you; I shall not allow it. And I am not certain I will allow you to marry Miss Lydia either.”

“In truth, your lordship, forgive my impertinence, but I dare say this marriage does not depend on anyone’s will but mine and Lydia’s. We both wish it, and we have already bound ourselves to each other by expressing our love and passion—”

“So you imply that you have taken her to your bed, and you believe you can use this to force your will over ours. George, you surely would not dare to compete with my will and my decisions. You must know better than that! Even were Miss Lydia with child, I could offer her a better life without you. And I will spare Darcy from wasting his money on you once more. Yes, I think this would be the best way of solving the situation—you shall go and take care of your debts as well as you can and try to find yourself a way of gaining an income to live since I understand you cannot return to your regiment. Your problems are ours no longer, boy. And do not bother me again until you can show some proof that you have improved your behaviour, which I expect to happen in no less than fifty years.”

“But your lordship, how can I do that since I am without support and have fallen into poverty with the threat of being thrown into debtors’ prison?”

“To be honest, I do not really care. You will find a way out of this mess; you always do. Perhaps Mrs. G will give you an assignment in her house,” the earl added sharply.

“But I spoke to Mr. Bennet yesterday and he said…and Darcy and I already settled the matter… I already sent Darcy a list of my creditors as he required…”

“As I said, I do not really care. I forbid Darcy to take further measures, and I do not wish to allow you marry to Miss Lydia. That is all I will say for the moment. And I see very little chance of changing my decision by tomorrow—very little chance indeed. I would suggest you return to Mrs. Younge and devote your time to considering your choices. I would dare presume that your present situation makes it difficult for you to pay for your room, so here are ten pounds to cover your present expenses.”

“I cannot believe that your lordship is so harsh with me; why are you offending me so cruelly. Why do you enjoy humiliating me with so little consideration?”

“For more than twenty years I showed you nothing but care, affection and understanding, and the results were disastrous. It is time to change my approach.”

“Lord Matlock, please do not desert me, sir. Please tell me what I can do to convince you I have decided to change, that I want to change—that I shall not betray your trust this time. I understand I cannot continue as I have, and I am determined to do my duty. I wish to marry, to have a family… How can you deny me this joy?”

“George, that was an entertaining discussion, but I will leave you now. I must prepare to go out; have a pleasant day,” the earl said with perfect calm as he left the library.

Wickham was immobile and shocked in utter disbelief. He stared at the closed door then his eyes pleaded in panic to the other two gentlemen.

“Darcy, you must help me! Do you wish me to beg you? I will, if that is what you want. I have nowhere to go, and Lydia is waiting for me! I promised her we would marry in a few days! She is Elizabeth’s sister. How can you pain her so deeply?”

“I must leave, too,” Darcy told his cousin, completely ignoring Wickham. He stepped to the door then turned and faced him.

“Wickham, you must know by now that your insincere begging impresses no one. I shall speak to Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet now. Your fate depends upon them and upon Lord Matlock’s will. I would suggest you go home as the earl said and think on what you truly want to do. We might allow you to speak to us later; by that time, I expect you to present yourself with a promise you can keep. You said you wish to marry Miss Lydia. Think diligently on what this signifies, what your responsibilities will be, and whether you will be able to fulfil them. Do not expect that, in doing that, you will find an open door to my house. You will need many years to prove yourself worthy of enjoying our company again. Go home, Wickham; meditate on what you did and what you wish to do and we might send for you later tonight. Have no expectations, only hopes—and pray!”

“Gibbs, please show Mr. Wickham out,” said the colonel. The servant escorted Wickham out, having to push him, as he seemed as steadfast as the wall.

Inside the library, the colonel quickly filled three glasses of brandy then took one, offered the second to his cousin and the third to Lord Matlock, who returned a moment later, looking as troubled as when he left.