“William, read!” Darcy instructed. William stood and cleared his throat and began to read from the most salient sentence onward.
It gives me the greatest pleasure to inform you that your husband is no longer alive.
As much as everyone wanted to speak at once, those in the drawing room controlled their urge. Madeline sat down on one side of Lizzy while Lady Anne took the other side and each took one of her hands in their own.
My motivation for making sure your husband met his end was simple. To make amends for finding the informationhe used to force you to accept him and knowing what his plan for you was once he had an heir.
Your Grace, he chose you because of your spirit, strength, and impertinence. He wanted someone who would be a challenge when, after he had an heir, he would then break like one would a green horse. Each time you challenged him you only increased his anticipation of future pleasure.
At first, I would, and did, do anything and everything the late Duke asked of me. The money was good and to my shame, I cared not who got hurt as long as I was well paid. That all began to change when I was witness to your kindness, grace, and thoughtfulness to everyone around you.
No one was below your notice and you treated everyone with respect and compassion regardless of who they were or what their position was. That included myself, as much as I did not deserve your condescension.
I am well aware Biggs and Johns are not the only servants you have assisted with whatever help you were able to give. It did not go unnoticed how you used your own allowance to have repairs made to the tenants’ cottages when your late husband refused. It was never for others to see you doing good, it is just who you are.
I have been a selfish, uncaring, and even a criminal being for much of my life. Such I would have still been had I not met you. The way you treated me and others was the genesis of my determination to begin to try to repair some of which I had helped to cause.
When we arrived in London after you were sent to Castlemere, the late Duke spent time with his mistresses (3 of them!) When he was tired of abusing them (he quickly found no enjoyment in the activities as they were paid to be compliant and he only took true enjoyment when there was genuineresistance), he called me into his study and instructed me to get him into Jersey House so he could defile Lady Jersey as a way to exact revenge on the Earl.
He lamented the fact Lady Matlock and Lady Anne Darcy were away from London as he would have liked to have had his way with them as well.
“If he was not already dead, I would kill the bastard!” Lord Matlock boomed.
“You would be in a queue behind me!” Darcy insisted.
“Please tell me Sarah was not harmed,” Lady Matlock pleaded.
“He was so much worse than we imagined, and we knew he was terrible,” Edith Portnoy stated.
William returned to the pages in his hand.
I went directly to Lord Jersey…The whole plan was laid out and explained in detail how the trap for the vile man was made ready.
To maximise the pain to Lord Jersey, the late Duke demanded his plan be carried out on Easter Sunday. The plan explained above worked to perfection and Lord Jersey shot theintruderdead when said man tried to cock his pistol.
Hence, Your Grace, you are free. All I can do is beg your pardon for the part I played in causing you to be married to such a man. I cannot change the past, but in the future, I will try to be a better man.
To that end, I will make my way to the Americas and seek my fortune (honestly) in the United States.
I know of the provisions you had placed in the settlement thanks to your intelligence, so I worry not for your security. Your sisters are safe and their futures assured, Your Grace. Atthis point, I will relate a conversation I had with the late duke soon after the settlements were signed.
When I asked him how he could agree to all you demanded, he simply said:I will make sure she does not survive me.He had to die.
I ask you for nothing regardless of how wealthy you are as of the day the scourge which was the late Duke was washed from the earth. I did not do this to seek a reward from you. I will keep the £4,000 your late husband was simple enough to hand me.
The last thing I need to do, is to wish you a happy life now you are free.
Sincerely,
George Wickham
No one spoke for some minutes after the reading was completed.
“Lizzy, what did young Wickham mean about the terms you had inserted into your settlement?” Gardiner enquired.
“As happy as I am, until we see the reports in the Times of London, I want to reserve my celebration, just in case,” Elizabeth responded. “If all is as Mr. Wickham has reported, I will free Uncle Frank from his promise of confidentiality to tell you all.”
“Robert, when will Monday’s papers arrive here?” Lady Anne queried.
