“YOU refuse to marry ME?! We shall see about that! He marched over to where she stood, roughly grabbing Georgiana by the shoulders and pulling her further her into the room.
“Stop! You are hurting me.”
“Then you had best not resist.” He twisted her arm and pushed her into the closest chair. “I thoroughly intend to see us wed and secure your dowry if it is the last thing I do.”
Though afraid, Georgiana sat up taller. “Then you will have a long wait, Mr. Wickham, as my dowry will not be released until I am twenty-five years of age.”
Wickham’s rage grew and his face became red with furry. Roughly pulling Georgiana to her feet, he demanded, “What nonsense is this?”
“It is true. Brother told me our father had it written in his will for my protection.”
“YOUR protection?!” He kicked the side of the chair which made a loud cracking noise as it split apart. “I am the one who needs protection. I need that money to pay for my treatments. And if there is no dowry to be had, then I shall have to ask for a ransom.”
“Treatments?!” Mrs. Younge interjected stepping in front of him glaring without restraint. “Just what do you mean by treatments, George? Do you mean to tell me you have the French Disease?”
Wickham laughed with abandon. “YES! And now so do you, my dear. It will be in your best interest to do as I say, since you will also need the treatments along with our dear Georgiana once I have had my fill. Dowry or not, Darcy will have no choice but to pay.”
“Why you….” Livid, Mrs. Younge lunged at Wickham, kicking him and scratching at his face. “I … did … not … bargain ….”
“Get off of me, you harridan!” he yelled, pulling a knife from his boot and plunging it into her side. “Now look at what you have made me do!”
Mrs. Younge cried out in pain, clutching her side and dropping to the floor. Georgiana screamed hysterically, running towards the door. Wickham was faster, and as the two of themstruggled, Georgiana lost her balance when he flung her towards the table where she hit her head on a sharp corner and fell to the floor. There she lay motionless with a pool of red blood forming beneath her head.
“What have you done, you little fool?” he said, trying to shake her awake. “You have ruined everything!”
“George, help me,” Mrs. Younge pleaded. “I cannot die like this,” she choked out. Her breath was shallow and her voice thin.
“Die?” he cruelly laughed. “I care not what happens to you.”
By this time Mrs. Younge was no longer conscious, the side of her dress soaked in blood. Irritated, Wickham haphazardly wiped his hands, cleaned off his knife, and hurriedly packed his satchel.
“Money, I need money,” he grumbled. He had already taken what little money Georgiana had at the cottage, not to mention her jewellery, but it was not enough. Quickly rummaging through Mrs. Younge’s belongings, he discovered she had been holding back ten pounds. Cursing under his breath he declared, “Darcy, this is your fault! Had you given me the funds when I asked, I would not have to scrounge like some bedraggled animal. Well, it is of no matter.” He laughed cruelly. “I am hardly through with you! Sister or not, I shall get what I am due, and you WILL pay!”
Continuing to grumble to himself, Wickham stole from the room, heading for the stables. There he found his driver and informed him of the change in plans. Ignoring the protests of the smithy, the two of them quickly secured all of their horses and were on their way, leaving the broken carriage behind. George Wickham was desperate. Yet in his mind, if luck was on his side, he knew of another way to get what he so badly needed.
Note:The French Disease would refer, in this case, to the general paresis stage of Neurosyphilis, a bacterial infection of the central nervous system which results in dementia,depression, psychosis, personality changes, memory loss, poor judgement and paranoia.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MORE TROUBLE
The Posting Inn
The Same Day
Georgiana’s Room
Once Wickham had vacated the room, Georgiana’s maid came forth from where she had been hiding. Seeing that her Mistress and Mrs. Younge were badly injured, she called a housemaid to send for the innkeeper and his wife, and then began tending her mistress, praying she would survive. Georgiana had lost so much blood and, from what the maid could tell, the wound would need stitches.
The innkeeper’s wife was a godsend and took over as best she could, deftly cleansing the area around the large gash on the side of Georgiana’s head before stitching it closed. Her husband sent for the local apothecary who did not arrive for another hour. As for Mrs. Younge, with her wound being so deep little could be done other than trying to stop the blood flow with a thick compress of cloth. With her breathing being laboured, it was unlikely Mrs. Younge would last out the hour.
Bowden and Dobson had ridden their mounts hard, taking turns in reporting back to William and Richard with information as they saw fit. Having reached the posting inn where the Darcy carriage had broken down, their efforts were quickly rewarded. Discovering the vehicle and learning that Miss Darcy had been injured and was being attended by her maid and the local apothecary, Dobson immediately left to inform William and the colonel what had taken place.
Meanwhile, Bowden continued to assess the situation and asked questions of the smithy and various other locals, hoping to determine which direction Wickham went when leaving the village. According to the smithy, it appeared Wickham and his associate were headed for London.
By the time William and Richard arrived at the inn, Mrs. Younge was already dead. Georgiana was yet unconscious, and the two cousins were beside themselves when they saw the dire situation she had been placed in. Having reviewed the information Bowden collected, Richard insisted that he and Bowden leave at once for London. Through his connections with the military and the Bow Street runners, and with the help of Gardiner and his contacts, the colonel was confident he would be able to flush out Wickham’s location.
As soon as he was able, William sent letters by express back to both Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, informing them of what had taken place at the inn. He promised to send his wife another express after Georgiana regained consciousness and it could be determined when she would be well enough to travel. At that time he would update Bingley. Richard had said he would inform his parents and Lord Nicholas what had happened once he returned to Town.
