Wickham's Wife
Page 5
His new-found wealth soon admitted him into most areas of moderate society - not only the coffee and gambling houses, of which there were a proliferation, but also to the theatre and inns where other young men about town gathered for the evening. He was soon swept, once again, into the life of idleness and dissipation which he had so enjoyed in Cambridge, but which, unlike Cambridge, he could now afford: sleeping until late every morning, dressing with great care, walking to a local establishment of his choice and being greeted by now-familiar friendly faces to discuss at length the exploits of the previous evening.
This was the life! And better than he had ever imagined it to be!
Occasionally, he won large at the tables and believed he would never have to forgo such entertainments ever again in favour of serious and dull employment; he took great delight in reporting his successes to Julia whenever she enquired as to the reasons for his good humour, and to dismiss as unfounded any of her concerns for his future.
Those were the days of careless happiness, expensive luncheons and presents.
But, as in the past, he lost heavily more often than he won, and after such evenings he would appear at Julia's door soberly thoughtful and willing to listen to her new ideas for expanding into business in the area, waving aside any enquiries about his recent evening’s adventures as a far less interesting topic for discussion.
Julia, on the other hand, found that, in the beginning, the London lifestyle suited her far less than she had imagined it would. People in London were less relaxed, less trustworthy, less friendly, she found, and quite often wished herself back in her old life in Cambridge where she knew everyone and held a modicum of authority in the town as the widow of a respected merchant and a businesswoman in her own right.
In the early months she frequently accompanied Wickham to the theatre or to a party given by his new circle of friends, all rather similar to her clientele in Cambridge, and all bent on enjoying themselves without much thought for the future, but she began to consider such company too expensive, too superficial for her tastes: the dresses, the jewellery, the gossiping, were too grand and above her situation to be fully enjoyable, and gradually, as the months turned into years, she preferred to stay at home quietly, leaving Wickham to pursue his own life without restraint.
She did not have such complaints about the business side of her life. Since arriving in the area she had taken a friendly interest in the local businesses and their owners, looking where there might be something with which to occupy herself, and slowly had begun to carve out a niche. Julia discovered that her ability to find suitable staff, as she had had to do so often for herself, was a lucrative market. No employer wanted to spend time interviewing or training unknown people: they just wanted staff who could fit into the routine of their household or business seamlessly without any disruption. They did not want their lives upset by the mundane matters of below stairs.
The immediate vicinity of Julia’s lodgings consisted of many struggling families who were delighted to have at least one of their children trained for service, and Julia was more than capable of providing such training based on her own years of being a servant. She finally established herself in a very tiny office as a staffing and training agency of one. Her charges were reasonable, her staff known to be well-trained, hard-working, and eager to learn, and gradually, after the first few months, word got out about her ability to provide a superior workforce and service. Her most effectual method of advertising was through Wickham who, with his society contacts was very easily able to slip in a recommendation or two of her services whenever any of his friends bemoaned their fate of losing a servant and the trials of finding a replacement.
She took a quiet pride in her accomplishments and ensured that there was never any cause for her clients to question the high standard of her new business venture. Julia made sure to display her widowhood to all new acquaintance and clients, and to impress them with her education and superior manners. George was introduced as a distant cousin from Cambridge, if ever he happened to be visiting her office while clients or employees were there, and he charmed and persuaded all of them in equal amounts as to the good sense of their choice of agency.
On one such day, almost three years after arriving in London, Julia was entertaining a local woman of a similar background and character as Julia, who was employed as a housekeeper for one of the larger, more affluent houses closer into town, and with whom Julia had formed a friendship after placing her there. Mrs. Belmont had been delighted to learn of an available position after confessing her dissatisfaction with her current situation to Julia. Lucy Belmont also claimed widowhood, had no other immediate family and had struggled through her life, as had Julia. Their many similar experiences informed their friendship and it was one of the few diversions which Julia allowed herself outside of her regular activities.
Julia leant forward to refill Lucy's cup and enquired about any news - Lucy was a formidable gossip, happily situated as she was within a large household with many superior connections, and delighted in her ability to impart superior or tantalising new knowledge.
"Oh, indeed, yes, my dear! The most recent news is all speculation about a very eligible young lady soon to arrive in London. Of course, you will not know about Miss Georgiana Darcy, but I heard it was discussed last night in the drawing room that she will be established in London for The Season next year - her brother, Mr. Darcy of the Pemberley Estate in Derbyshire, a very wealthy gentleman, is her guardian and slightly acquainted with my master. She will be fifteen, I suppose; rather young for her first season, but she has a very large fortune and so will have the pick of any eligible suitors. Her brother will have a difficult business keeping the worthless ones away, I am sure!
"However, any acquaintance, no matter how slight, is enough to send my master into a flutter. If he can gain any influence with the house of Darcy, he will spare no effort. He says that Mr. Darcy rather detests society, particularly London society, but concedes that he must present his sister as expected and will be forced to endure the experience. My master, quite thoughtfully, but not without the expectation of increasing his worth in that gentleman's eyes, spent last evening devising a plan that my mistress should be allowed to incur the privilege of chaperoning Miss Darcy for her season! He intends to approach Mr. Darcy with his suggestion when next he sees him, as he is sure that any relief from being constantly in London will be acceptable to that gentleman."
"Oh! But I am slightly acquainted with the Darcy name," interrupted Julia, quite astonished at the news. "My cousin, Mr. Wickham, whom you have met, grew up on the Pemberley Estate; his father was the estate manager there and the Darcys took a great deal of interest in my cousin while he was growing up; how strange that we should be talking of the same family!"
"Your cousin was most fortunate indeed to be so singled out by such a grand family. Mr. Wickham always appears to be quite the gentleman; clearly his upbringing had a beneficial effect upon him. What is his profession now? You have never mentioned it."
Julia hesitated slightly.
"Oh, well, he is a man of business, of course, making his own way in the world. He has an interest in many areas, particularly the financial and legal sector I believe; I cannot be more specific than that - you know how secretive men are about their businesses."
"Well, he must be doing very well, judging by his appearance. His clothes alone must have cost the best part of a hundred pounds. How fortunate you are to have such a successful gentleman at your service. Others are not so lucky, I assure you."
Julia smiled with mixed emotions: one the one hand she felt a certain pride in how Wickham was perceived by her friend: on the other, her friend’s perception of him hid of the truth of the matter. Wickham was certainly not quite the reliable, successful gentleman he portrayed; much of his success due to her own fortune rescuing him from ruin, and perhaps her foolishness in so doing. Still, he was hers, in secret at least, and she increased her smile as she responded to her friend.
Lucy laughed delightedly, "Oh, Julia! You clearly do not understand the extent of the Darcy fortune! He could set up ten households, all within the most fashionable areas of London, without the slightest concern. How marvellous to be so rich, do not you think?
“And now, my dear, I must leave you to your own devices; I have several errands to complete before I return home. I will call again when I have more news." She rose, kissed Julia, and went on her way, leaving a most pensive Julia behind - Wickham being the primary subject of her reverie.
He had, she reflected suspiciously, kept very quiet for several months now about his financial affairs; a silence that indicated very clearly to Julia, who now knew his moods of old, that far from being a success at the tables, he was experiencing quite the reverse. Not one evening in recent memory had he displayed his exuberant, positive, and confident attitude so often the barometer of his good fortune. He had evidently not yet fallen so far as to actually confess his failure and request her assistance, but her intuition told her that it could not be long. Not since Cambridge had he been so silent and reflective in her company, so eager to please her and listen to her news rather than regale her with his exploits of the previous evening. It was all quite concerning indeed.
Her premonition was justified very soon after her conversation with Lucy. She mentioned to George, who was, unusually, again keeping her company that evening rather than with his friends out in town, the information that her friend had imparted about Darcy; she believed he would appreciate some forewarning.
"I would imagine that Miss Darcy might be happy to see a familiar face when she arrives in London, George. Perhaps yours would be a pleasant surprise for her and you could call upon her or introduce her to some of your more reputable friends."
Wickham started at her mention of the name and then groaned audibly as he ran his hand through his hair.
"I do not think such a plan would meet with either her or her brother's approval, Julia. In fact I do not think it would be sensible at all."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"What a fool I have been, Julia! What a complete and utter fool! How can you ever forgive me, my darling?"
He sank back into the cushions, the vision of misery. Alarmed, Julia rushed over to him and, taking his hands in hers, begged him to explain. He demurred for a while, but as they both knew, eventually apprised her of the reason for his hopelessness.
"What, all of your money, George?" she asked horrified, drawing back from him. "Every last penny of the three thousand pounds? Did not you think to put some aside for just such an emergency? How could you be so foolish - your assessment of yourself is certainly correct! Did you learn nothing from your experiences in Cambridge? Oh, George! This is shocking and very disappointing news indeed."
She sat back in horror; that he was in a bad way financially, she had supposed, but to be in such a bad way, and so quickly to have exhausted his fortune, a fortune that was to set him onto a new way of life, was appalling indeed. When she had digested the information and all of its implications she roused herself.
"But what have you done to rectify this situation, George? I can only hope that you have made some plan of retrenchment with all of your funds gone; it can only be a matter of time before the bailiffs come to relieve you of your possessions. How many debts do you have, George? You must satisfy me on that score."
Her eyes grew rounder and more horrified as he reeled off the extent of his encumbrances: gaming, tradesmen, rent, tailor, wine merchant, boot-maker, the list was extensive. He looked at her reaction and shook his head.
"No, Julia, do not look at me with so much horror. It is not all my fault, I assure you. Other fellows have lost far more than I, why Lord Carthop lost a full three thousand within one hour the other night - my whole fortune! - and he made it up easily, and more, the following night. It is not fair that I should have had such bad luck over so many nights, really it is not: other fellows manage to recover themselves, why cannot I?" he groaned theatrically.
"They have far more capital to waste than do you, George, that is why. I am sure also that many lose far more than they can afford but have an entire family estate behind them if they should get into trouble. Not that I approve of them wasting their family's inheritance, but as you have never had that measure of security, I do not understand why you have always behaved as though you have.
"I feared something was going badly with you but I thought to keep my concerns to myself. You are not my husband and, therefore, I have no real influence over your behaviour and decisions; indeed, I should not imagine that even if I were your legal wife there would be much I could do to influence you regarding this. It was certainly a prescient decision that I insisted upon remaining in firm control of my own businesses and security, and I suppose I should consider myself fortunate not to be caught up in this second failure which you have brought upon yourself."
She stood up, now angry at his shockingly irresponsible behaviour, and at what she believed she knew was coming. The only way he could extricate himself from this predicament was to request her help, and she was not sure she would accede to that request; they had been in this situation before: once was enough. She walked behind the chair and angrily rearranged the flowers she had bought so happily just that afternoon; how quickly one's life could turn!
"I think you should leave now, George; it is getting late. You must consider what is to be done, and act upon it immediately."
Wickham rose from his seat and turned to face her, true anguish now evident on his handsome face. He had not expected her to be so harsh; to ignore his need for help. He had hoped for a more sympathetic audience, especially considering the content of his next confession. He twisted his hands in desperation as he searched for the words.
"It is true that I have exhausted all of my fortune. I have already sold many of my trinkets and furnishings in an effort to regain some financial stability, but it has come to naught. Everything is gone. You are right: the bailiffs will arrive any day now and I shall have nowhere to stay if you or Denny are not kind to me. I do not expect either of you to take on my debt but, I confess, although I have thought, I do not know where to turn. I am at my wits' end!
"However, that is not all I have to tell. I have another, more egregious confession to make which, once you have heard it may cause you to cast me off forever, of that I am miserably aware, but I must tell you of it myself before others do."
Julia straightened her shoulders and waited; his manner indicated the enormity of his announcement and she felt a sickness starting in the pit of her stomach. She looked at him steadily as he continued.
"Last Tuesday evening, I was playing cards with Carter and Denny and some other fellows, nothing too high, you understand, but too high for my current circumstances, when, happily, the cards seemed to be turning in my favour. I had nothing else with which to bet but I could not bring myself to lose such a good hand through a lack of collateral."
He paused as if to gather strength: Julia remained stoic and silently staring.
"Unbeknownst to you, my dear, a few weeks ago, I saw in your desk the title deeds for the Cambridge house and borrowed them as security for another debt of honour, which, fortunately, was resolved quite easily, and the deeds were immediately returned to me."
He hurried on as he saw the anger rising in Julia's face as she digested his words.
"Because I believed that the hand I was playing last Tuesday could not fail, upon realising that I still had the deeds about my person, I presented them as security for the bet which, when I won, would restore me to some state of liquidity," he tailed off miserably as Julia icily cut int
o his speech.
"You took my deeds, from my desk drawer without my knowledge, and call it borrowing?" she hissed, beside herself with anger at his betrayal. "If I knew nothing about it, then it cannot be referred to as 'borrowing' George."
"Yes, my dear, but, as I mentioned, it was only as security until the debt could be cleared - which it was, quite quickly; the understanding was that they would never be taken in actuality, and so it was quite safe, I assure you. It was just unfortunate that I did not immediately return the papers to your desk so as not to have further increased my complicity as I did. Having them about my person was too tempting."
"Are you completely without scruple, George? You stole my house from under me, without so much as a thought about my welfare should your plan have gone awry, as it now has? Do you think your charms are such that you can treat my security as frivolously your own? That I would forgive or understand such thoughtless and selfish behaviour?" She had begun pacing in agitation as the effect of his action began to make itself clear.
"To whom did you hand over my deeds, pray? I think we can sadly assume, judging by your reluctant confession, that the cards seemingly incapable of failure were not in your favour after all, and that the debt is still outstanding? You must remedy this situation immediately, or I shall. Do not think that I intend standing by as my hard work is reduced to naught through your thoughtless selfishness and greed. I had thought that I was esteemed more than this by you, George, but it seems that I was very much mistaken."
"I do not think it can be reversed, Julia," he whispered miserably, "that is the horrible fact, and that is why I am now forced to confess the extent of my actions. I lost the deeds on that hand last week, and the new owner is threatening to claim his property within the next few days."
"His property?" Julia cried, utterly beside herself with rage and terror. "He certainly shall not - I shall have the law upon him if he does, I assure you. The property was not yours to give as security and he shall be made aware of that fact first thing tomorrow morning, no matter how low you will fall in his estimation when he learns of your despicable behaviour; preserving your character is no longer any concern of mine after your utter lack of thought about my welfare.