Mrs Younge wisely sank back into the chair.
Darcy was giving thanks Richard had stepped in before he had made a critical error. His pride had wanted to employ the woman sight unseen because of the claptrap she had listed in her application.
“Why are you here?” Richard demanded.
At first, the woman looked away and refused to say anything. She just crossed her arms in front of her waist.
“My father is an earl. Would you prefer he sign an order of transportation?” Richard growled. “You have one chance to tell the truth. If not, you will be branded and transported to serve at least fourteen years of hard labour!”
She shrank back into the chair, shivering with fear. George had been wrong about everything, so she would not protect him now. “George sent me.”
“Wickham!” Both cousins yelled in unison.
“What was his plan?” Richard demanded. “Do not forget the penalty for dissembling to us!”
“He was certain the Darcy pride would not allow you to check my characters, and I would be employed. Once employed for a month or so, I was to convince you to allow Miss Darcy to accompany me to a place distant from London for a holiday, somewhere like Ramsgate,” Mrs Younge reported. “He was to join me there, and we would convince Miss Darcy to elope with George so that he could gain that which is his due—her dowry of thirty thousand pounds.”
“His due? What are you on about?” Darcy demanded.
“He said you denied him his inheritance from your father, who liked him better. Out of jealousy, you would not prefer him to a living or give him the money left to him in your father’s will. He told me what he is owed is about the value of your sister’s dowry,” Mrs Younge related.
Richard let out a bark of laughter. “Do you know how to tell that Wicky is prevaricating?”
Karen Younge shook her head.
“Whenever he speaks,” Darcy completed. “The only thing true in what you were told is that I did deny him money after my father was called home to God. What he failed to mention to you is he was fully aware my father had washed his hands of him. Wicky was told in no uncertain terms that other than paying for him to go to the local school near our estate, there would never be anything more. The man you placed your trust in attempted to get my father to hand over the amount owed to the school to himself. When Father refused, Wicky swore revenge. This was his attempt at that. From as far back as I can remember, he never enjoyed being told no.”
“Where is he now?” Richard enquired.
“He said he would watch the house from the stand of trees on the green. He should be there now,” Mrs Younge reported.
“What can we do, Richard?” Darcy queried. “We cannot prove he did anything illegal. It would be his word against Mrs Younge’s, if that is even her name.”
“Miss Younge,” the lady admitted.
“True, but you know Wicky is a coward. We can put the fear of God into him. Send Thompson and another man or two around the back of the mews. They can work their way behind him and bring him to us here,” Richard suggested.
“What about me?” Miss Younge wanted to know.
“If he is where you claim he is, once we have him, you will be released. If we ever get word you have been involved in anything nefarious, you will be arrested and charged with fraud, among other crimes,” Richard threatened.
Darcy rang for the butler. He instructed Killion to have Miss Younge placed under guard until further notice and issued orders to be passed on to Thompson.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
George Wickham was keeping himself hidden behind a tree while he looked around it to where he could see the entrance to Darcy House. He was sure that his plan would succeed, and then he would have his revenge on the Darcys for cruelly casting him aside.
He was so intent on watching the house he did not hear the approach of the men from behind him. The first time he was aware that he was in trouble was when large hands clamped onto his shoulders, and others took hold of his arms.
“Oy, let go of me right…” The words died in Wickham’s throat when he saw the large footmen who had him. He recognised Thompson and knew the man had no love for him. He knew not how, but somehow damned Darcy had discovered his plan. He remembered Fitzwilliam was with Darcy for the interview. He was afraid of that man more so than Darcy. If only he were on the continent fighting the French, as he had planned to go into the army. It was bad luck that Fitzwilliam had become master of Rosings Park and never went to war.
“Master want ta talk ta ya,” Thompson barked as he and his fellow footmen marched the miscreant towards the servants’ entrance of Darcy House.
Wickham was pushed into the study where he saw two angry-looking men. The door was closed, and he was certain the footmen were just outside the door in case they were needed in the study.
“Even for you, planning to elope with a girl of fourteen is low,” Richard barked as he strode towards the cowering coward. “I should just make you disappear. The world will be far better off without you in it.”
There was no missing the malevolent gleam in Fitzwilliam’s eye. Wickham knew one thing. These two were far too honourable to commit murder. It was at that time that he realised he was lucky Fitzwilliam had not joined the army. As an officer, he would have had no compunction huntinghim down and ending his life. Wickham began to sweat at the thought of what Richard Fitzwilliam would do to him.
