“As for Wickham, the man has been a thorn in my side for years. There is much I could say about that reprobate, but I do not care to go into all of my past grievances, nor is there time. Nevertheless, I assume that Anne failed to inform you he owed her a significant amount of money. She had no qualms in paying his gaming debts and those of his friend Lord Webster. When I saw my solicitor’s reports, their combined debts accumulated in a matter of months were more than eight thousand pounds.
“Nephew, you tell a falsehood! My Anne was raised to be frugal with her money and would never squander such a sum on gamesters.”
“Yet, she did. Wickham and Webster took advantage of Anne, and I have the legal documents to prove it. You may think Wickham extended Anne friendship, but I am telling you theman’s only interest in your daughter was merely to gain access to her money. Not one pound has been repaid to date by either man, and furthermore, not long after Anne’s death, Wickham insisted that I finance a trip to Paris so that he might receive treatment for the French Disease.”
Lady Catherine stifled a gasp. “This cannot be!”
“Nevertheless, it is true. And when I refused to give George Wickham more money, he obviously devised a plan with Mrs. Younge to take my sister to Gretna Green for her dowry. When that failed, it is no wonder he came back here for my wife and daughter.” William momentarily pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to stave off a headache. “I expect Georgiana to arrive within the hour, and I insist that she be well cared for until I am able to send for her or come for her myself. As soon as she is settled in her room, I will be off to London.”
“You need not worry,” Lady Catherine huffed. “I am perfectly capable of looking after my niece.”
“See that you do. As you obviously read Wickham’s letter, you know that I cannot linger long, since I am to procure funds and wait for him to contact me in Town.” With that William curtly took his leave of Lady Catherine.
From there, William quickly sent off another express to Richard, alerting him of his plan to be back at Darcy House by midnight or shortly thereafter. A half an hour later, Georgiana’s coach arrived. By the time she was resting in her room and William had given additional instructions to her maid, it was well past six o’clock. Thankfully, he would still have a few hours of light before dusk and hoped to make the most of his travel during that time. Kissing his sister goodbye, William promptly left Rosings Park for London.
Wapping, Near the Wharfs
Earlier the Same Day
A Boarding House
Elizabeth had been told that the building she and Anna were imprisoned in since late Friday was a boarding house. In her estimation, however, it was no more than a brothel, with comings and goings and loud voices at all hours of the night. While Wickham had tried to hustle them up the back stairs and into the attic room he had arranged for her and Anna, the suggestive clothing worn by the woman who unlocked the door did not escape Elizabeth’s notice. Nor did the look she gave Wickham when she handed him the key and purposely pulled down the front of her dress to entice him.
“Wait for me, Lovely,” he said, his voice husky and filled with desire. “As soon as these two are locked up, I shall be right along.” His sordid laughter filled the hallway.
Wickham went in first, placing a lit candle on the table in the darkened room. Elizabeth was aghast on seeing the small bed chamber, which for the most part was essentially an empty storage room. There were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and the dust was so thick that she and Anna sneezed repeatedly.
“Mr. Wickham, if we are to stay in this hovel, might you at least send someone in with soap and a pail of water so that it might be more habitable? We shall also need clean bedding and some food and water for my daughter. I cannot imagine you would want either of us getting sick before you collect your ransom.”
Wickham broke into laughter, saying, “My you are high and mighty, just like your self-righteous husband. Considering you have no coin to pay for your request, I cannot make any promises.” Again he laughed.
On leaving, he turned back and added, “Do not expect to see me until after Darcy is back in Town and I have secured the funds. Thanks to him, I have little choice but to visit variousgaming houses and build up my reserves. If things are not to your liking, you have only him to blame.”
True to his word, Elizabeth had not seen Wickham since that time. Meanwhile, she and Anna were trapped together in the attic room with no means of escape. Their accommodations were sparse, allowing no more than a child’s small bed, a couple of crates in lieu of a table and chairs, an empty water pitcher, and a chamber pot; nothing more, nothing less. Other than the light from the nearly burnt out candle Wickham had left, there was only a very small window near the ceiling. One of the grimy panes was broken, allowing for a bit of fresh air. Thankfully, there was no sign of mice.
Dear William, you must be frantic with worry. If only there was some way to get word to you.
Thus far, the only person who came into the room was Jenny, a young housemaid of maybe thirteen or fourteen. When the door was unlocked after sunrise, she brought in some bread and cheese, fresh water, and changed out the chamber pot. In addition, she had been instructed to clean the floor, dust and remove some of the hanging cobwebs to make the room more habitable. She also brought in two more candles and a change of bed linens, which pleased Elizabeth beyond measure. Until then, she and Anna had made do with their traveling cloaks.
Each time Jenny took on a new task, Elizabeth tried to make conversation, though there was little to be had. Still, Elizabeth persisted.
“Tell me, Jenny; does your family live close by?”
The girl’s answer was always the same. “The one with the key be listen’, ma’am, and Mr. George and the Missus say I am not to speak with ye, jus’ do me work and leave.”
“I wonder if you have any brothers or sisters,” Elizabeth quietly prodded as she snuggled Anna to her chest and kissed her on the forehead. “Little Anna is my only child, and shemeans the world to me.” Jenny looked at Elizabeth, and then quickly turned back to what she was doing. “I know her Papa is worried. Tell me, are you the oldest in your family? I am the second of five sisters, and my father is very ill.”
“It be just me and me mum now,” the girl mumbled, still not looking at Elizabeth. “Me brother, Jimmy, run off some weeks back ta find work. We not seen him in a while, though he sometimes sends a bit o’ coin for me mum. Me father and sister got the gripe last winter and now they be dead.”
“Oh dear, I am so sorry. You must miss them very much.”
Jenny sniffed, “I do. Me little Mary had golden hair jus’ like yer child.”
Elizabeth watched as Jenny wiped a tear from her cheek. “Jenny, my husband is a very wealthy gentleman and his uncle is a lord. My Mr. Darcy would pay a handsome sum for information about where we are being held.”
“The Missus and Mr. George say your husband will pay them and we are to do nothing if we want our share,” she said with trepidation.
“Jenny, Mr. George grew up on my husband’s estate and Mr. Darcy says he cannot be trusted. Mr. George has told many lies and cheated others for most of his life. I doubt any of you will see a farthing of what he has promised the Missus. Yet, if you could help me get word to Mr. Darcy, I know my husband would pay you well. I promise you I would ask him to help with your mother and find better work for you and your brother, too. Please, I beg of you, for my little one’s sake, for Anna’s sake, will you not help us?”
