Wickham's Wife

by C. J. Hill

  "Oh, but surely you will attend one last party this evening, Mr. Wickham? You cannot leave without saying goodbye to all your new acquaintance. Miss Lyons has a party this evening and I am sure she would want you to be there, would not you, Miss Lyons?" Georgiana pleaded.

  Miss Lyons agreed most vehemently that her party would be nothing without Wickham's presence, knowing as she did her new friend's great attraction to the gentleman, and that he must attend her party that evening. She then fortuitously spotted some other friend and excused herself, a plan concocted as the pair had walked into town.

  "Ah, we are all alone now, Mr. Wickham! Now you must walk with me along the pier for your final time." And slipping her hand through his elbow she turned him to face the length of the pier with great anticipation. This was the opportunity for which she had been waiting and dreaming of for weeks. She must convince him of her affection within the length of the pier or her opportunity would be lost forever.

  They walked a little way along, looking for all the world like a pair of lovers delighting in each other's company, Georgiana revelling in her freedom. She smiled broadly at all those whom she knew and greeted those whom she knew well, but did not stop to gossip, unwilling to lose one moment of her time with Wickham. Of raised eyebrows, there were a few, but most of her acquaintance had met Wickham before and found nothing unusual about their being together for a stroll; some ladies who passed whispered to each other that Miss Darcy was flaunting herself unnecessarily and it quite lowered her in their eyes, their comments fuelled by how jealous they were that she had the arm of one of the most handsome and amusing men in Ramsgate, but they would never own it. They merely agreed that she would learn the foolishness of her behaviour to her own cost.

  Once they gained the end of the pier, they paused to watch the boats bobbing in the waves and to look back at the beach and the bathing huts with their gaily-painted sides almost touching the water.

  "Did you ever try to sea-bathe, Miss Darcy?" Wickham queried as they watched. "I thought it was what everybody who came to a seaside resort wished for more than anything; I do hope you have not missed your chance?"

  Georgiana laughed and ruefully admitted that she had come with the intention of the experience but, once she saw the process, deemed it poor entertainment compared with others to be had.

  "For what is the allure, pray, of becoming wet and cold without being allowed to swim about a little? I cannot see the purpose of it. Oh, I am sure that if it had been prescribed as a cure, it must be endured for one's health, but for entertainment, I think not! But perhaps you have discovered it to be most enjoyable and wish to correct my perception of the activity?"

  "Oh, no, indeed, Miss Darcy. I have not had the pleasure either and so am quite unable to recommend its usefulness at all. Come, let us continue our walk and return to the front; the wind here is rather strong. I fear you will become chilled, even though the sun is warm."

  Georgiana felt the importance of his concern towards her comfort and smiled at him encouragingly.

  "And have you had a pleasant time here in Ramsgate, Mr. Wickham? Have you found the company interesting and amusing? There is certainly a great variety of young and very eligible people here; have you found any person more interesting than others, I wonder, and therefore deprive every other young lady of hope? There have been many alliances made whilst I have been here; the sea air and sunshine seems to promote love and affection, does it not, Mr. Wickham?

  Wickham started at this turn in the conversation and waved Georgiana towards a bench where they sat, quite closely, but certainly not close enough for Georgiana's liking. Wickham shifted uncomfortably, moving his feet and rearranging his coat tails. He cleared his throat hoping that the right words would appear and not hurt Georgiana too much when she heard them. He cleared his throat once again, but then, noticing the demure but complacent air with which he was being observed, suddenly realised that Georgiana was anticipating an outpouring of love from him!

  He cleared his throat a third time, panicking about what he could say to dispel all thoughts of that nature when, over her shoulder, his eyes glimpsed a tall man approaching at a very fast pace. The outline and gait were familiar. Within seconds, to his horror, he saw it was none other than Darcy!

  He summoned a smile to his face and spoke quickly as he rose. "I believe you have a visitor, my dear. I will leave you for the present to enjoy his company," and, quick as a shadow, he slipped into the crowds thronging the front and was away before she could register his words, or detain him.

  He mopped his brow repeatedly as he made his way back to Albion Square; he had not done what he had said he would; Julia would be so angry with him. But what could he have done? He could not stay and bear the brunt of Darcy's waspish tongue upon finding him, as he did, alone with his sister! He had not taken his opportunity at any time during their walk - but how could he have done so? He could not upset Georgiana at the end of the pier; alone and without a friend to assist her. No! He had not had the chance until they had reached the seat, and he would have explained everything then. His failure could not be helped, indeed it could not.

  He had almost convinced himself of his argument by the time he arrived at the house, but, upon enquiring for Julia, was informed by the landlady that neither Miss Darcy nor her governess were within, and had not been for most of the day, and, no, she did not know when they would return.

  Wickham walked slowly back to his own rooms, confused as to where Julia could have gone. He had not seen her out in town and she had assured him that she would remain at home to wait and console Georgiana as best she could when she returned with her devastating news.

  Julia, in the meantime, had walked as far and as fast as she could, but without any clear purpose; even if she did come across Georgiana and Wickham, her presence would be a hindrance to him and an insult to her, depending upon the progress of their discussion. And if she should come across the three of them - that would certainly be an uncomfortable meeting.

  There was no good solution and, after she had walked her agitations out, she returned to Albion Square to await events.

  It was not a protracted wait.

  The front door was hammered upon, answered immediately, followed by a rapid discussion between the landlady and some other person, which sounded most urgent.

  Julia calmly waited, fearing the worst.

  When nothing had happened or been heard for almost five minutes, she rose and went into the hall to enquire what the commotion had been about. To her horror, she saw some manservant hauling Georgiana's travelling trunk downstairs, while the landlady followed with several other packages clearly collected from Miss Darcy's room.

  Julia, in shock, intercepted them, blocking their passage any further.

  "What do you mean by this? These are my mistress's belongings and no one touches them other than me! How dare you allow this unauthorised person access into private rooms?" she demanded of the landlady who stood with a defiant expression still clutching the packages. The servant had rested the trunk on the floor, breathless, to explain.

  "I come directly from Mr. Darcy, ma’am. He sent me to collect Miss Darcy's belongings from this address as she is to leave Ramsgate immediately and return to Derbyshire. She is resting with Mr. Darcy at the inn and they will leave as soon as I return. The horses are being prepared as I speak."

  Julia gasped in shock.

  "But what reason did he give for this sudden decision, pray? And how do I know you are telling the truth? I am sure Miss Darcy knew nothing of these decisions this morning or she would have mentioned them to me."

  The landlady interrupted irritably, "This is all very well but your rooms have been taken for another month at least; what does your master wish me to do with them, pray? He has paid for them in advance but I do not see why his money should be refunded if he is to make such sudden decisions; I cannot be sure of renting them out again immediately, you know."

  The servant nodded. "Mr. Darcy says that you may
keep all monies spent on the accommodations and services; he has no need of any refund, I assure you." He stopped and pulled a letter from his pocket.

  "And this here is for you, ma’am. I am sure everything has been explained fully in there, including vouching for my authority over these possessions. And now, a good day to you. I am expected back without delay; we have a long night ahead of us and the roads can be treacherous even in Summer." And with that, he shouldered the trunk into a carriage waiting at the door, relieved the landlady of her packages, and set off down the street.

  Julia and the landlady stood looking after him and then withdrew into the house once they realised they were attracting a small crowd. The landlady looked at Julia and enquired if she intended opening the letter; Julia nodded and withdrew into the drawing room to read it in private.

  Mrs. Younge:

  I am relieving you of your charge forthwith, as your services are no longer required as companion to my sister. You will now know that I have had her belongings collected and that I intend returning her to Derbyshire immediately. It would appear that, while under your protection and care, she has managed to convince herself of a romantic attachment to Mr. Wickham, a person with whom, she tells me, you are well-acquainted, as am I. Based upon such evidence I find myself most unhappily deceived as to your character and motivations for accepting the position of companion to my sister.

  My sister has confessed that she believed herself to have been on the verge of an elopement with Mr. Wickham until this very afternoon, had I not interrupted their meeting. She assures me that his devotion to her over the past months, both here and in London, has been very particular and has only increased during their acquaintance, and that regardless of his situation or reputation, about which I had no scruple informing her, she insisted they were in love and would be married. She admitted that he had not as yet proposed marriage but that she was certain it had always been his intent.

  I do not know in what capacity your hold your acquaintance with Mr. Wickham but, madam, let me warn you as someone who has grown up with and understands his nature better than any other person could, that Mr. Wickham has not one good characteristic to his name and that far from only meaning the best for my sister, as she has been deceived into believing, has only had his economic interests at heart. This, madam, is what I know for certain of this man and you would be well-advised to take heed of my warning if you are to escape a similar fate.

  I have enclosed the sum due to you for services rendered, which my sister assures me are well-deserved, plus a further sum to ensure your silence upon this matter out of respect for Miss Darcy. I do not expect her humiliation to be spread about the general populace of London or Ramsgate as a source for their amusement which I fear might otherwise be the case.

  The rooms in Albion Square are rented for a further month; if you wish, you may continue your stay or, as I have been reliably informed, return to your former life as soon as may be.

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  Julia looked up from the letter in a state of shock! Somehow Mr. Darcy considered her complicit in Georgiana's delusion. That she had encouraged the liaison when nothing could be further from the truth. What had happened today? What had George said to Darcy; what had Georgiana misunderstood from George to think that an elopement was imminent? Surely he had made his feelings clear? Surely he had done what he had promised to do?

  Her eyes fell once again to the letter and the enclosed banker’s note; there was a goodly sum included over and above her expected wage. Mr. Darcy certainly expected her to forget the whole matter upon cashing an amount of that size.

  She wondered what had happened to George. Oh! He might have been attacked, or hurt, and was at this very moment lying somewhere in Ramsgate, alone and dying from wounds inflicted by Mr. Darcy in a fit of rage!

  She rushed to find her cloak and bonnet and let herself out into the darkening street, hastening along to George's rooms, all the while praying that he would be there and unharmed. Her relief was immeasurable, therefore, when he answered his door in person, unharmed, and ushered her inside, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly to him.

  They stood for a while in silence and then, putting her away from him enough to see her face, Wickham asked what she had heard; what had happened? Julia recounted her experiences and the contents of the letter and enquired about his side of the story.

  "For how could Miss Darcy still be under the delusion that you were in love with her so soon after you must have told her the exact opposite, George? Surely she understood that before her brother arrived?"

  Wickham shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "I was just about to; we had walked to the end of the pier and back. Out of consideration to her, I felt I could not broach the subject before we had reached some sort of place where she could seek assistance after I had broken the news; I did not want to leave her distraught and alone.

  “And just as I began to summon up the courage and the required words, Darcy appeared in the distance. I could not wait for him to see me - you know how he hates the very sight of me - and if he had seen me in the company of his sister, alone, there is no knowing what he would have done. And so I left before he arrived and clearly she must have told him of her feelings and what she anticipated.

  “I am so sorry, my dear, that you had to receive such a letter. None of this is your doing and you do not deserve such treatment."

  "But, George, why did not you immediately speak with Miss Darcy, as soon as you met her? Why did you walk with her for so long? You must have known it would only add to her mistaken impression about her prospects with you?"

  Wickham had the grace to look suitably embarrassed. "I found I could not, in the cold light of day, break such a subject to her immediately; she was so happy to see me and to walk with me - I could not make her unhappy. I thought that I should leave it until we had had our last walk together and then I would be gone tomorrow and her feelings would diminish in my absence."

  "Oh, George! You made everything worse, as you always do. Now she is suffering a greater anguish and being removed from her friends without warning or reason because of your selfish reticence; her brother has had to step in and exert his authority because of your failure to correct her feelings for you; and now my name has been tarnished by association with you - he suspects that I planned this elopement in some way to aid you in gaining revenge upon him. It has all gone terribly wrong, George, and you are to blame for it all."

  "But it has not all gone terribly wrong, my dear." Wickham smiled ruefully as her waved his own letter in front of Julia. "Other than repeating every accusatory thing that he said in his letter to you, he also warned me never to make contact with his family again; never to set foot anywhere near Pemberley or his house in London; never to cross his path again in any circumstance and concluded with several thinly-veiled threats against my person should I choose to ignore his warnings. And to further ensure that these things happen, he has also written out a banker's note in my name for a quite considerable sum. Certainly enough to ensure my independence for a while longer.

  “And so you see, my dear, it is not all bad news. Other than a slight upon our characters, which is only known by us and Darcy, the problem of Georgiana has been solved; we can return to our lives in London on the morrow; you shall have more money than you expected to further your security; and I shall have the means to pursue the kind of life I had only hoped for with help from some of my friends. Now, I shall not need to scrape and crawl to them - I have my own capital. How pleasant it all is!"

  He swung Julia around the room in his new-found happiness and, despite herself, Julia felt herself swept up in his relief and joy. Only he could find the positive in what had undoubtedly been a shocking day. It was true: she no longer had to stay in Ramsgate, adrift from her businesses and George, and she suddenly realised just how she had missed having her independence these past few months. Quietly, she acquiesced to Wickham's optimistic outlook on events and began to look forward to h
er future again.

  Chapter 14

  It was with very little regret that Julia left Ramsgate the following day. She had made no close friends there and wished to avoid all those whom Miss Darcy had made: their interest would be indelicate; their enquiries, unanswerable. After packing her few belongings and bidding farewell to the landlady, who was delighted at the opportunity of re-renting the rooms and sharing some rather salacious gossip, Julia climbed into the hired carriage and settled beside George as he took up the reins.

  He smiled at her with the greatest satisfaction. Everything about the day bode well: the sun was bright but not too hot; he had Julia by his side once again; they were both free to do as they pleased, no longer in service to anybody; and they were both a great deal better off than either had imagined they would be upon leaving Ramsgate.

  Good fortune, it would seem, had smiled on him through the clouds of misunderstanding and accusation, and while he knew Julia would continue to feel the sting of the insinuations for her supposed part in recent events, he could not have planned a better ending to what might have been far worse, had Darcy wished to expose to the general populace what he believed had been attempted upon his sister.

  Wickham mused, quietly pleased, of just what it could have meant if he had executed Darcy's deepest fears and eloped with Georgiana! She would have been willing; by Julia and Darcy’s accounts she imagined herself deeply in love with him, and would have been a pleasant companion, even though so young. Of course the point most in her favour would have been her inheritance; what a life he could have led with that! And, of course, there would have been the great satisfaction of being the cause of severe agitation and anxiety for Darcy: instead of casting Wickham off from his company and family forever as he had expressed a desire to do on several occasions, he would have been faced with the affront to his pride and wishes by gaining the same offensive person as a brother-in-law!