Wickham's Wife

by C. J. Hill

  Julia had, after that first night's meeting and on the days that followed, delved a little deeper into his affairs, learning more about his history with Darcy. She repeated her opinion aired that fateful night that surely Wickham could not possibly wish to become a parson; he was not suited at all to that life, and would disgrace the name of such an office, as well as his own, if he attempted to pursue such an idea. She insisted that the only thing to do was to approach Darcy with a plan to study in the law, and request that the living which had been promised to him by the late Mr. Darcy be paid out in lieu in order to fund such study.

  The more she discussed it, the more reasonable it became. Wickham grew convinced that Darcy would see the good sense in his proposal and would, therefore, pay out his share with alacrity just to be rid of him. Wickham knew that Darcy had no illusions about his behaviour to date and was probably dreading the inevitable interview about the promised living. No, Darcy would thank him for relieving his discomfort and offering a solution to the problem, Wickham convinced himself happily as he progressed on his journey. He would perhaps even add a little more to the payment just to ensure Wickham's complete and permanent removal from Derbyshire!

  On the second day, Wickham finally approached the long driveway leading to the entrance of Pemberley. His heart sank a little as he looked around him at the long-remembered sights of his boyhood: the fields, the lake, the woods and the mellowing stone of the house itself. Never had he appreciated these surroundings as much as he did at that moment; the moment when he realised that he would be giving it all up after he received the payment from Darcy and he would have no reason to darken its doors again. Urging his horse on from where it had bent its head to the grass, Wickham slowly trotted up to the great front doors and stiffly dismounted.

  A flurry of activity answered his ring and within minutes he was face to face with Grant the butler and Mrs. Reynolds the housekeeper. His horse was taken away by the stable boy and Wickham was left to answer polite enquiries from Mrs. Reynolds about his health and the progress of his studies, while Grant alerted Darcy of his arrival.

  "Mr. Darcy will see you now, sir, if you will follow me." Grant was as polite as ever but Wickham sensed a chilly reserve from the man he had known his entire life; Mrs. Reynolds' reception had not been much warmer. Not to worry - they were of no consequence to him now. He swept into the library after Grant and bowed politely to Darcy, who nodded in return and motioned for Wickham to take a seat by the fire.

  "You have come up from Cambridge, Wickham? Is there anything you require; a refreshment of some kind, perhaps?"

  "I thank you, no, Darcy. I have, it is true, come directly from my lodgings in Cambridge, but I stopped off at an inn within the last hour and partook of some refreshments there as I did not wish to inconvenience you. I apologise for not informing you of my intended visit but it was of an impulsive nature and I am relieved to find you at home."

  Darcy nodded again and leant back in his chair. "And what has precipitated this visit, may I ask, when you and I have not spoken in almost two years? I believe I can guess the object but I would have you speak of it yourself."

  Wickham felt his new-found confidence dwindling as he registered the chilly tone in his former friend's voice; clearly there were no illusions about the intention behind his visit. He cleared his throat and smiled nervously, desperately trying to marshal Julia's confident arguments around him again.

  "I am certain, Darcy, that you can guess my reason for being here, again, at Pemberley, after all these years," he began, "and it concerns, of course, the living promised to me by your late-honoured father. The living, which I am sure you recollect, commences, by his wishes, as and when I am able to accept such a position."

  Wickham cleared his throat again, more noisily, registering the shock, quickly followed by anger spreading across the other's face at his words. He hurried on before he lost his nerve entirely.

  "Happily for all concerned, I do not think it possible that I shall ever be able to accept such a position; it is so far from my nature or interest, and not one at which I believe I should be at all effective. However, all is not lost! The church’s loss is another profession’s gain, as they say, and my intention is to study the law now that my first years at university are completed. I have a master who is willing to oversee my studies and I would merely ask that, in lieu of the preferment, you honour your late father's wishes in seeing me settled in some useful profession and assist me with my intended course of study. You must agree that the interest from the one thousand pounds legacy is quite insufficient to support such an endeavour." Wickham sank into silence leaving his words ringing in the room.

  It was said: it could not be retracted now.

  Darcy drew breath and slowly exhaled; his battle to control his agitation clear to see and Wickham, at that moment, did not gauge his chances of success very highly. Darcy leaned forward in his chair, eyeing Wickham with distaste and then suddenly stood, towering over him, spluttering in his anger.

  "You intend to study the law, you say? Your first years at university are completed? Do you think me ignorant of your behaviour while you have been at Cambridge? Do you imagine that you can fool me with your outright lies and your own delusions? Well, you cannot deceive me, even if you can yourself.

  "Let me be explicit, Wickham. Your behaviour has been a disgrace to every good person who has ever been associated with you, both living and dead. Your drinking, your gambling, your womanising, your complete lack of any study, your low moral standards and perfidy are all common knowledge. I was ashamed, while still at Cambridge, to acknowledge any acquaintance with you, and I certainly have avoided doing so since. It will be a relief to never have to know you again!" He ran his hand through his hair and paced agitatedly to the window, as if to distance himself from a distasteful object. After a moment, Darcy turned and continued in a calmer manner, enunciating each word clearly so the meaning could not be misconstrued.

  "Let me assure you that you most certainly will never be given the living you were promised; it would be a travesty to allow a character such as yours to parade such false beliefs. Even if my father were living, I would vehemently refuse to allow it to proceed; you were a better emissary for the devil! I do not care what you intend doing with your life; I can only guess at the depravities that lie in store but I shall have no part nor knowledge of it. I willingly release you from any obligations to this family forthwith and happily agree to your terms: I will pay out the equal amount of the living which you are giving up - three thousand pounds should be more than generous - and all connection between us will be dissolved, other than the legacy over which I have no control."

  Darcy marched past Wickham without another glance, out of the library and down the hall to his study.

  Wickham stood up, finding his hands were shaking but relieved that at least he was going to get what he came for. His pride, however, was much bruised by Darcy's attack on his character. He smoothed his coat and hair and, taking a deep breath and straightening his shoulders, followed Darcy in a more leisurely manner into the study where that gentleman was already seated behind his father's old desk writing out a note to his banker. Working quickly, Darcy blotted and folded it, and then affixed his seal.

  All of this was completed in utter silence; he could have been alone in the room such was his composure. Only once the wax had hardened did he look up at Wickham, who was standing as aloof as he could, watching Darcy's movements.

  "Here." Darcy thrust the note at Wickham. "Take this to my banker and he will arrange for the funds to be transferred to your account. I would advise you to invest it and to live off the interest only, but you will, of course, do as you please. I should perhaps have waited to have some papers drawn up to accompany the payment so that our agreement is legally binding but then, I do not anticipate that you will have the impudence to return on another errand such as this: take good care that you do not have to return to Pemberley on another such errand, Wickham. If you do, your r
eception will not be as cordial as this has been; you will not benefit from it, and will suffer the consequences of underestimating my temper, I assure you. Our business is concluded with this transaction, as is our acquaintance. I wish you good day, sir."

  Wickham received the proffered note and bowed slightly as Darcy spoke. He hesitated; murmured an almost inaudible, "Much obliged to you, Darcy," turned on his heels, and retraced his steps through the hall and out of the doors into the sunshine.

  The entire meeting had taken no more than ten minutes.

  Naturally, his optimistic nature ensured that his recovery from Darcy's censure was rapid. He had the money for which he had come. Three thousand pounds - what a grand sum! He would be able to repay Julia and purchase a new set of clothes, a new life, and a new set of friends.

  London! That would be the place to go; somewhere new and exciting; somewhere he was not yet known. Julia, he knew, would be willing to accompany him to London. Their lives would be much more interesting and amusing than they had been in Cambridge with its small-town gossips and limited company.

  Suddenly, with the small paper in his pocket, the world seemed considerably less grim. What opportunities it offered; what luxuries and amusements were to be had on the back of an insignificant note containing very few words. Happily, giving no further weight to his old friend's accusations and denouncements, Wickham trotted off back the way he had so recently come, with a smile on his face and hope for the future brewing in his heart.

  Chapter 5

  Within two weeks, all was organised. A trustworthy manager had been found for Julia's Cambridge gaming establishment, and her other tenants in Cambridge had been advised of their landlady's impending change of address, while simultaneously being assured of her continued administration and attention such as they had always enjoyed. Julia felt secure that she could just as easily manage her various businesses from London as she could from Cambridge.

  Wickham's triumphant return from Derbyshire, the re-telling of the meeting, embellished with his many clever responses to Darcy's attack - all devised as he rode home - was a cause of great celebration to both parties. Julia now felt emboldened to remove from the safety of Cambridge, where she had always resided, to the excitement of London and the possibilities it offered now she had a protector by her side: Wickham could almost sense the relief he would feel being in a new place, leaving his old world and worries behind him, starting anew with Julia.

  But she would not be quite as ‘by his side’ as he had imagined. He had asked her, the moment he had returned to Cambridge, to marry him. He believed that such an arrangement had been her desired plan once he had resolved his solvency issues, and he was quite willing to commit himself to her, for he held her in very high regard after her devotion to his well-being and, now he was in a position to marry, it seemed the least he could do to reciprocate that devotion.

  But she had refused; not unaccountably - she did honestly express her reasons, assuring him of her continuing affection for him - but she had refused him nonetheless. Their arrangement would continue just as before, but less advantageously than Wickham had imagined on his ride home from Pemberley. His idea, of course, had been to marry Julia, along with all of her various financial incentives, allowing him to finally enjoy the life he was meant to live and had long prepared for: the life of a gentleman. He would entertain, gamble, drink, visit the theatre, all without the accompanying affliction of having to ensure sufficient means to engage in those activities. It was an existence he had anticipated his entire life, and so considered becoming a married man a small price to pay to achieve it.

  It was exactly for those reasons that Julia had refused him: she did not want to lose her hard-won independence, even to him, and although he was now in a position to support her to a better degree than previously, she was very much aware that the income from her businesses was what would support them if things should, once again, go awry. That knowledge gave her great pleasure and comfort; she had lived dependent upon others' good will for too long to allow herself to revert to such insecurity again.

  Wickham had met her reasoned refusal with some astonishment and not a little trepidation.

  "But, my darling, it was my impression that once I became solvent again, you would no longer concern yourself over the worries of business but leave them to me, as your husband. You know it would make me very happy to relieve you of those concerns."

  Julia, however, knew what his plans and hopes were - she had known all along - and although it pained her to think that his affection was so superficial compared to hers, which burned as brightly as ever, she was happy to accept the words of his offer as sincere, even if the underlying intention was not.

  "I know that being able to take care of me would make you happy, George. I confess, sometimes I, too, would like to be a happily married woman whose only concerns revolve around the state of her household and the welfare of her children; the idea of relinquishing the daily problems of business is occasionally a heady one indeed - but only occasionally!

  "I have worked hard to become what I am today, George; I have not been so fortunate to have someone teach me or provide funds for me throughout my life, as have you. I have scrubbed floors and built fires for the very rich and gone to bed bone-weary only to repeat the exhausting process again the next day; I have educated myself as and when I could, sneaking books from libraries that I was forbidden to enter, to improve my situation, which I eventually did. I have been employed as a governess for young children - some delightful, and some not so agreeable; I have had to rebuff the advances of employers to maintain my innocence for a deserving man, whom I finally found and married but certainly not for romantic love, finally gaining security and respect.

  "My road thus far has not been an easy one, George, but it has been my own and I am proud of what I have accomplished with hard work and determination. And it is because of that I am unwilling to hand it all over to you with every chance it will be gambled away in a year, a month, or, God forbid, an evening! To have to begin again at the bottom, reliant upon the kindness or cruelty of employers for my livelihood strikes fear into my heart.

  “I am sorry to pain you, but it must be said. I know your weaknesses, George. I have watched you for many nights gamble and lose, only to repeat it again and again. I cannot put my whole future in your hands if I want to be secure, and I want to stay secure more than anything; you will have to bring much more into a marriage than three thousand pounds to convince me of that security."

  Wickham was silenced. Nothing she had said, and she had said it all in a most loving and kindly manner, had been implausible nor untruthful. She knew his every thought and desire, and despite his character, which she knew so well, she still loved him enough to accompany him to London and continue their relationship there, but exactly as it had been conducted in Cambridge.

  There was nothing he could argue against, and so he humbly submitted himself to her will. He would use his own money to improve his fortunes as he could, and rent lodgings close to hers so that they could still be together as often as possible. She would continue to run her businesses from London and be his loving wife and support.

  Within an hour he had regained his former delight in his fortunate situation and had begun making plans and enquiries for their removal to London. Much needed to be done: lodgings must be acquired as soon as possible and in a decent area - he wanted them to be as close to the best clubs as he could afford, and, of course, the same must be arranged for Julia.

  A month later the couple was safely removed and settled into their respective addresses, each owning a key to the other's door and making frequent use of those keys. Wickham had found a set of rooms off Sheer Lane in St. Clement's parish, an area of middling prosperity. Julia had also found rooms several streets away; close enough for companionship, distant enough for propriety. Dressmaking and dealing were the chief occupations in other parts of the area, which interested Julia greatly as a new source of income perhaps, but Wickha
m was more concerned with his close proximity to New Inn, which caused him to dally, but with no great seriousness, with the notion of perhaps carrying out his proposed plan made to Darcy of pursuing the law, being so conveniently close.

  Even closer, though, and of considerably more interest, was the famous and exciting Kit-Kat Club - how he longed to belong to such a club and mingle with its members! It occupied space amongst other lesser-known ones, along with coffee houses aplenty. Upon reviewing his location, Wickham considered himself perfectly situated for any eventuality; whatever career he chose, he could pursue it comfortably within a hundred yards of his door. He could barely control his impatience to begin his acquaintance with all who visited and inhabited the area.

  His first and most important appointments were, of course, with his new tailor, with whom he spent vast amounts of time and money replenishing his wardrobe in the style he most admired: that of the elegant Beau Brummell, dandy extraordinaire! Oh, how splendid it would be to meet the gentleman in person; although, Wickham had heard some tales of Brummell's caustic appraisals of other's fashion sense and thought that, perhaps, upon reflection, he would prefer not to meet with that gentleman, however remote a chance that meeting would be, only to be the object of one of his attacks.

  Nonetheless, Wickham endeavoured to replicate the fashion as precisely as possible, purchasing several pairs of dark trousers, top quality linen shirts, a splendid dark navy coat which he rather thought accentuated his colouring, and several assorted cravats. His accessories of hats, kid gloves, walking cane, and boots completed the vision he had always held of himself, and he took great care to ensure that he never left his rooms without fastidious attention to his attire.