As if that shameful episode was not enough, since my arrival I have also learned you have been spreading rumors of an impending betrothal between Miss Darcy and me. You will cease immediately. I am not engaged to Miss Darcy and I will never be engaged to her even should her brother approve of the match, which he currently does not. Nor are you engaged to Darcy and, as I have told you several times, you never will be. If you continue making such assertions, you will be a laughing stock in the Ton. Do not think you can force my friend's hand or mine on either subject. We are both willing to allow you to look the fool before society or even be ruined by your own gossip if you choose to continue this way.
You have manipulated me for years by refusing to listen, going behind my back or attempting to bully me when I do not comply with your desires. It ends now. I am my own man and will make my own decisions. Those decisions include where I will live and who I will marry. I suggest you make some decisions of your own and find yourself a husband who actually wants you. Darcy is not an option. If you prefer not to marry, I will turn over your dowry to you now and you may live upon that, but do not expect any further funds from me when it is gone.
I expect I shall see you some time next year. If we next meet after I marry, I hope you will treat my wife with all due respect, whoever she might be. If you do not, we will not meet again soon thereafter. You and the Hursts have my best wishes for a happy Christmas.
Your brother,
Charles
Darcy read the letter through with a growing sense of respect for his friend. He had never realized Bingley could be decisive, let alone to this degree. It was amazing.
"Do not change a word of it, Bingley," he finally said. "Nor should you back down. As you say, she has manipulated you for years. It is time you stand on your own. This letter proves you have some steady ground to stand upon."
Bingley blew out a sigh of relief. "I am glad you think so. I still expect her to come here and ring a peal over me or try to compromise you or something. If all goes well, I will not have to face her in person for a while and she will have time to calm down."
"I rather hope I do not have to face her for some time either. If she is not polite when I do, I may have to publicly cut her. Would that create a problem for you?"
"As long as you continue to recognize me, I do not mind. I will warn her of that before I return to town, whenever that might be."
"Thank you. I want you to know I appreciate your friendship, Bingley."
"Same here, Darcy. Oh, Mrs. Nichols mentioned your sister had asked to have a tray sent up for dinner. I was thinking of doing the same. I have several letters to complete to Caroline's favorite merchants and dressmakers. I want them to be delivered before the messenger delivers this to her. Do you mind eating on your own this evening?"
Darcy did mind a little, but felt he could hardly complain. If Georgiana had requested a tray it seemed unlikely she would be willing to speak with him before the morrow. For tonight, it looked like he would be stuck with just a book for company. The problem was he had read everything in the library twice over on his previous visit. He decided he would probably have to visit the bookseller in Meryton the following day to purchase some new volumes in case he was stuck in a like situation later in his visit. Hopefully the gossip about Wickham would spread far enough before he went to ensure he was not attacked in the street by any if the villagers for his role in the man's arrest. He knew Mrs. Nichols had already sent a few servants to town to seed the field. Now it would depend on how quickly the crop grew.
~*~
Before going down to breakfast the next morning, Darcy sent a note to Mrs. Annesley asking her to convince Georgiana to have a talk with him once she was awake and ready for the day. He did not know if it was the result of the note, or Georgiana had decided on her own, but his sister joined him in the breakfast room before he had finished his meal.
"Good morning, Georgiana. Can we have a chat after breakfast this morning?" he asked as she began to select items from the sideboard without looking at him. She turned, apparently surprised at his pleasant tone.
"Yes, brother," she said a little hesitantly. "I will be done soon."
"No hurry. We have all morning, I just wanted to place a claim on your time before you started your studies."
She nodded and turned back to the food. Darcy was not quite certain how to put her at her ease, so he decided to calmly finish his own meal and see what happened next.
He noticed her glance at him several times as he finished the food and poured himself a half cup of coffee, which he slowly sipped. She picked at her own food, and he could tell she was not enjoying it. To give her a slight reprieve, he took a last sip of the drink, then set it down and stood.
"I will wait for you in the library," he said. "Take your time. There is no need to rush."
She nodded again. He supposed that would have to be enough. He had not wished to make her nervous or fearful. Perhaps she would calm down once he began the discussion.
She must have rushed despite his words, for Darcy had barely settled into his chair when Georgiana scurried into the room. She took a seat across from him but would not look him in the face.
"There is no need to be afraid of me, Georgiana. I do not intend to scold you or do anything that might be considered a punishment." She nodded, but still would not look up. He decided to carry on and hope she would feel more at ease as he did.
"You chastised me quite correctly yesterday for failing to give you information you needed to know. Since our father died, I have had to take charge of seemingly everything around me. I have grown so used to making decisions for other people that I had forgotten you were growing up and might want to make some decisions for yourself. Above all, I want you to know I have never been ashamed of you nor have I intended to punish you. I was simply thoughtless. I would like to try to change that going forward. Do you think we could try?"
"What do you want me to do?" she asked, glancing at him with traces of fear lingering in her expression.
"For the moment, just listen while I tell you what I should have told you before and a few more things I have recently found out. Feel free to ask questions if you do not understand. Is that acceptable?" She nodded again, and he continued.
"I know I told you after the incident last summer that George Wickham was not a man to be trusted. I really should have told our father about some of the problems Wickham caused as we were growing up, but you know I am not always good at explaining myself. As boys he often lied and got me into trouble for things he had done and at some point, I stopped trying to get others to see the truth about him. It was wrong of me to let him go on, with his behavior becoming worse and worse, but I hated to disturb Father when he was ill and some part of me still feared being blamed in Wickham's stead."
"But you were already an adult when Father became ill. Why would you be afraid?"
"I was only just barely an adult, Georgiana. I certainly didn't feel ready to be one with so much responsibility falling on my shoulders as Father became more and more ill. By that time, as well, my silence had become habit. I am not excusing it. That is simply how it was. I cleaned up after Wickham, but I did not do anything to stop him."
"What do you mean by cleaning up after him?"
"I told you before he tends to run up debts and not bother to repay them. I purchased many of his debts to prevent his creditors being ruined by the losses. There was another aspect to his behavior I have not fully explained to you. To put it delicately, he does not treat women well. I am not comfortable explaining in detail, but he has stolen the virtue of many young women, primarily servants or tradesmen's daughters. You were certainly not the first young woman he charmed. The difference is you had a dowry large enough for him to want to marry you. There were times before Father died that I assisted the families of the women."
"What about after he died?"
"Almost immediately after Father died, Wickham came to claim his inheritance. He received the thousand-poun
d bequest Father left him and he requested money instead of the living Father hoped he would train for and fill. As part of the agreement he signed away any claim to the living and I told him I was cutting all connection with him. All the same, I was not really surprised that when the living came vacant two years later, he tried to claim it, telling me the four thousand pounds I had given him was gone. I told him no and sent him away. His attempt to get you to elope was his revenge on me as well as an attempt to gain your dowry."
"I am so ashamed I listened to him. I do not know how you can stand to be around me,” she almost sobbed out the words.
"Oh, Georgiana. You should not be ashamed. Yes, you knew better than to elope, but I know how charming Wickham can be. He took advantage of your ignorance. Beyond that, I failed you by not giving you warning. The shame is mine. That is what has had me so upset and depressed these last few months."
"I thought you were angry with me and embarrassed by what I almost did."
"Never. I was angry at myself for having failed you. I love you, Georgiana. That is why I brought you here. I did not want you to be all alone at Christmas and I needed your company as well."
"But why are you here, brother?"
"I will answer that in a moment. First, I need to tell you about my first visit here. You know Bingley and his sisters arrived a few days before I did. The day I got to Netherfield he told me he had accepted invitations on behalf of the entire party, including me, to a local assembly. I was still feeling angry with Wickham and myself and did not want to go, but Bingley insisted. I knew if I did not, Miss Bingley would stay to keep me company and that was a fate worse than dancing."
Georgiana giggled, and Darcy fell to chuckling as well. He had not meant to be funny, but he would take any humor he could get out of this situation.
"I went to the assembly, but I really should have stayed back. I was in such a foul mood I ended up insulting many of the fine members of this community through my inattentiveness. Worse yet, I spoke an insult I really did not intend against Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I did not realize she or anyone other than Bingley had heard me, but she did, and she rightly resented me for it. In company she remained civil but what I took for playful banter and possible flirting was actually her cutting me down to size with her wit. While everyone else seemed to think we were arguing, I was enjoying her conversation and company. At the same time, I struggled with the attraction, foolishly thinking that status and wealth were more important than anything I felt. Even so, Miss Bingley noticed my attention to Miss Elizabeth and felt her desire to have Pemberley was threatened. While I would never marry Miss Bingley, she did not understand me and that began her vendetta against the Bennets. She pretended to be Miss Bennet's friend because she saw her brother was besotted by the young woman. She was then able to drive a wedge between them. One way she did that was to frequently hint at her closeness to you. When Bingley ran to town for a few days she saw her chance and immediately closed the house to follow. That was when she wrote a note to Miss Bennet and either hinted or directly stated you and Bingley were about to be betrothed. I only found out about that yesterday."
"So, the things she told me about the Bennets were all lies? Just her spite because she wants a connection to us?"
"They were probably truths laced with lies skewed in her favor, similar to the ones Wickham tells. You must remember as well that Miss Bingley either has the delusion that she is a noble lady of the first circles, or she is trying to act like one in hopes everyone will forget her father was in trade. For all her brother's wealth, the Bennets are of higher status than she is. Most of the people we associated with here are. Yet she spent the entire visit looking down her nose at everyone, and I am afraid I joined her. In my depression and frustration with myself, I did not want to find anyone or anything pleasant or good. I let myself forget these people are just like those we know in Lambton and Kympton. Most of them are kind, honest people who were eager to welcome newcomers. The Bennets were very generous and welcoming. It is true Mrs. Bennet does not have the most refined of manners and the youngest two daughters should not be out of the schoolroom, let alone out in society, but they are not bad people. Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, in particular, behave properly and are a credit to their family."
"But Miss Elizabeth slapped you and Miss Bingley says she walks in the mud and is very impertinent."
"Truth mixed with lies. Miss Elizabeth did walk the three miles from Longbourn to Netherfield one morning. Her sister had taken ill here the night before. Miss Elizabeth was worried about her sister and wanted to get here quickly, but the horses her father owns were not available for their carriage. To avoid waiting or disturbing anyone, she chose to walk here. It is true the hems of her skirts were a touch muddy when she arrived – there is now way she could have avoided that on such a wet morning. Miss Bingley made far too much of the matter. I doubt she would walk across the formal garden on a perfect day to see to the comfort of her sister, so she could not understand why anyone else would take such pains for a loved one. In addition, Miss Elizabeth has a sharp wit and often avoided Miss Bingley's insults by talking around her. That could be seen as impertinence, although I would consider it a clever form of self-defense. As for the slap, well, there is something else I need to tell you." He stopped for a moment, searching for the best words.
"What is it, brother? You were not too forward with her, were you?"
Darcy chuckled softly. "No, I was not. The first part of her anger with me was my supposed cruelty in bringing Bingley back in your company to taunt her beloved older sister with her dashed hopes. Had I truly done that, I would have deserved more than a simple slap. The second part is also a misunderstanding, and this one involves Wickham."
"How can she know Mr. Wickham? Does she know about last summer?" Georgiana was almost in a panic at the thought.
"No, no, dear one. Calm down. The answer is simple. Wickham came to Meryton a few months ago. I do not think he would have if he knew I was here, but once he did know, he also saw I was attracted to Miss Elizabeth. Being who he is, of course, he wanted to make trouble. He joined the militia and became part of the company that was regularly invited to all the little social events of the village. Almost right way, I understand, he told Miss Elizabeth his imaginary tale of woe and did everything he could to sink me further in her esteem. Remember, I insulted her before we were even properly introduced. She was ready to believe him. When Bingley left, and I followed, I had not even thought to warn anyone in Meryton of the danger he posed. While we were gone, he wormed his way into the confidence of everyone and became even more critical of me."
"Mr. Wickham is here?!" Georgiana’s eyes widened as her earlier panic increased at the thought of seeing George Wickham again or being exposed by him.
"Not anymore,” her brother said in calming tones. “By now he is in London at the Marshalsea. That was part of the business that brought me back here. The morning we came I had a series of very vivid dreams. In them, you and Miss Elizabeth chastised me for leaving Wickham free to harm people. I remembered many of the terrible things he had done. I also saw Miss Bennet crying because she had been deserted, partly by my doing, and Bingley angry because I had helped separate him from the woman he loved. When I woke, I realized I needed to fix the things I had done wrong. That is why I came. I brought you, as I said, because I thought you might enjoy it. The problem is that Wickham is very popular here and I am not. The magistrate almost did not believe me about his guilt even with my proof in the form of the receipts I held for over six thousand pounds of debt. Then, when we went to apprehend Wickham, he insinuated some nasty things about you and I punched him. No one else could hear what he said; all they saw was me hitting him and dragging him off. Miss Elizabeth was one of those witnesses."
"That was why she slapped you?"
"That and her sister. Possibly my insult as well. She ordered both Bingley and me from their home. She would not listen to the truth from me now even if I could speak with her, so I h
ave schemed with Mrs. Nichols to spread the truth through the channels of gossip in the village. I hope it will reach the Bennets and begin to change the poor impression I have made."
"Do you plan to court Miss Elizabeth?" Georgiana appeared amazed at the very thought.
"I did when I came. Now, I need to gain her good opinion before I can even think of courting her. That might take some time. She truly does not like me at the moment. We shall just have to see what comes, but I am not ready to give up yet. What about you? Do you understand the situation and my motives now?"
"I think so. I am definitely not betrothed to Mr. Bingley?" The thought still seemed to frighten her.
Darcy spoke firmly in response. "You are not. I would never force you into a marriage, nor arrange one without your knowledge or permission. I am sorry I ever gave that impression. Now, I plan to stay and fix the things I have broken. Do you want to stay here with me, or would you prefer to return to London?"
Georgiana twisted her hands nervously as she quietly said, "I had been looking forward to having Christmas in London this year. I resented you dragging me along on this trip. Now that I am here, though, I think I would like to stay. I want to help you fix things here and I do want your company." As she finished, she looked him in the eyes and dropped her hands into her lap.
Her brother smiled at her. "Would you like to keep me company as I go to the bookstore in Meryton? I have read every volume in Bingley's library more than once and I desperately need something new."
Georgiana giggled as she looked around at the nearly empty shelves. "I doubt reading all this took very long at all. Is there a shop where I might purchase some new music? Or perhaps I could stop and look at ribbons and other adornments?"
"I am certain we can find something for you. Let us go brave the shopkeepers and hope the gossip has begun to spread exonerating me from crimes against Wickham."
Smoky Dreams Page 6