She sighed and poured herself a cup of tea, stirring in a generous splash of cream and three lumps of sugar. “It is too bad we could not go on with our original plan of taking her away from Ramsgate. It would have been much faster.”
Wickham gave a nondescript nod of his head. His first plan would have been rather quicker. Georgiana Darcy had spent the summer at Ramsgate. He would have wooed her there if he had not learned in the nick of time that one of his more urgent creditors was also spending the summer in Ramsgate. Wickham could not risk a demand for repayment that he could not give.
Instead, Mrs Younge would lure Georgiana to a little town in Hertfordshire, the site of his new posting with the militia. From there, the plan could proceed as he had intended. Under Mrs Younge’s tender care, he would have ample access to woo Georgiana. Once her heart was spoken for — and, more to the point, her reputation — Darcy could do nothing to stop him.
Of course, after the wedding, he would be free to live the way he pleased again, with no stipulations put on him by Darcyor anyone else. Georgiana Darcy had a dowry of £30,000. That was more than enough to live comfortably on for the rest of his life.
“Do not you agree, Mr Wickham?” Mrs Younge asked. “Surely it would have been better to enact our plan at Ramsgate.” She sat there, watching him with her cat-like eyes. Sometimes he felt as if she could see into his soul.
“Not at all, my dear. I believe there will be several material advantages to wooing Miss Darcy in Meryton.” More importantly, he need have no fear of meeting any creditors in Meryton. Until he had secured Miss Darcy’s dowry, avoiding the gentleman who had lately taken up residence in Ramsgate was a matter of prime importance.
Gentlemanwas a generous description, for the man had a fearsome temper.
“I suppose you are correct. Meryton is as good a place as any for you to work your charm upon her without the threat of Mr Darcy interrupting your delicate work.” She leaned back against the chair in a rather abandoned attitude, seemly unconscious of how very unladylike the pose appeared. “I know well how your charms disable a lady’s good sense. You will have to take care when Mr Darcy visits, though.”
He had used his charm and wit on Mrs Younge, once. With a private smile, Wickham thought that if it worked half so well on Georgiana Darcy, her dowry was already his. “I shall make an excuse of being called away with militia business when he is present. Or for most of the time, that is. It will be for the best if we rarely meet in company.”
“It will be a dreadful bore to spend the winter in such a dull and rustic place,” Mrs Younge whined. “But I suppose that will afford us some privacy, hmm?”
He gritted his teeth against a biting reply, ignoring her second question. “It will be well worth it once we have Georgiana’s dowry. A lifetime of luxury is worth suffering a few months of discomfort.”
“But we shall not be able to meet like this again until after you are married. Unless you intend to sneak into our rented apartments?” she suggested. A certain gleam in her eyes suggested that Mrs Younge did not find the prospect at all displeasing. “It sounds very exciting.”
“T’would not be wise for us to meet in such intimate circumstances until after I am wed.” Wickham was secretly glad for the reprieve from Mrs Younge’s company. Miss Darcy’s fresh young face and innocent smiles would be a pleasant change. Mrs Younge had been acquainted with his darker side for a long time, for they had met many years ago. She had been a young married woman when he was coming into adolescence, had acted as a teacher for some years, and after her husband had passed, had become a moreintimatefriend.
Georgiana, on the other hand, did not know his true nature. With luck, she would still look at him with admiration, buoyed by his station in the militia and the fond memories they shared as children. He might persuade her to think they had grown up together, emphasising their shared youth at Pemberley rather than the fact that he had already been nearly a man grown when she was born. He had often amused her when she was a child. With luck, those fond memories might lead to a quick engagement. Once they were wed, it would be too late for any regrets. As his wife, Georgiana would be fully under hiscontrol. Mrs Younge seemed to suppose that this would mean she would move in some weeks later and become his wife in all but name. Wickham had not chosen to disabuse her of the notion.
“Yes, I suppose you are right,” she answered. She held up her teacup as if to toast him. “To the future, then.”
Mr Wickham inwardly rejoiced that Mrs Younge was as trusting as Miss Darcy in her faith in him. It was rather amusing, the way the woman could join him in manipulating a young girl and still suspect nothing of his schemes for her. As soon as she proved to be no longer useful, he would have no qualms about turning her out. “To the future,” he said, grinning boyishly. Yes, by this time next spring, he would have everything his heart desired.
Chapter 2
Mr Darcy looked up from his desk, having heard a familiar voice calling to him from the lawn. He glanced up to see Georgiana waving at him, smiling as she and Mrs Younge walked in the autumn sunshine. His sister was a vision of girlish loveliness in a white day dress with a pink satin ribbon tied around the Empire waist. Her long blonde curls hung loose around her shoulders and her blue eyes flashed with excitement. It was good to see her so animated, although he had no idea what could have caused such a reaction.
Mrs Younge held up a hand as they passed, tucking her book under her arm. In his search to find Georgiana a companion, Mrs Younge had distinguished herself from the other candidates through her great elegance and relative youth, which seemed likely to make her better able to relate to her young charge. She had married young and been widowed young by an unfortunate turn of events. More importantly still, Mrs Younge was well read and had an excellent handle on French and Latin. So far, after only a few weeks together, it seemed that he had made the right decision in hiring her to be Georgiana’s companion. Darcy hoped Georgiana would also grow in confidence under the woman’s tutelage. It seemed a reasonableexpectation. The woman had an excellent sense of poise. Surely she could communicate a little of that confidence to her young charge.
He turned back to his letter writing until Georgiana’s voice once again broke into his concentration. “Brother! Brother, come out here with us!” She beckoned with an excited wave of her hand. Darcy set down his quill, stood, and went to the window. He waved at her and was about to give an excuse. But when he saw the eagerness on her face, he could not very well refuse her.
“Just a moment, Georgiana.” Darcy returned to the desk, swiftly cleaning up his writing implements. He then made his way outside and headed toward the pair.
Mrs Younge gave him a brilliant smile. “How do you do, Mr Darcy?”
“Hello, brother. Isn’t it the most glorious day?” Georgiana asked.
“What was so important that I had to leave my letter writing?” Darcy asked, softening his words with a good-natured chuckle. He offered Georgiana his arm. They strolled together arm in arm, Mrs Younge falling into step on Georgiana’s right.
“Oh, you will always have letters to write, Fitzwilliam. But you will not always have beautiful days such as this to walk in the garden with your favourite sister.” Georgiana squeezed his arm affectionately.
“You are my only sister.”
“Yes, well, you shall have to cherish me then, won’t you?”
Darcy chuckled and held her closer. “I do indeed.”
“Well, I do not want to interrupt such a touching family scene. I shall just take my book over to that pretty little bench and read while you two walk,” Mrs Younge said. Perhaps she felt uncomfortable viewing his brotherly show of affection. Darcy did not much mind. It was good for Georgiana to have a companion, but it did not mean he and his sister should never have a private moment again. They were, after all, all each other had now that their parents were gone.
Darcy took a deep breath of the fresh late summer air as he strolled through the meandering paths. This had always been his place of solitude, a place to get away from the busyness of his world and breathe for a moment. Georgiana shared his love of nature. Since their father’s death, they had made it a sort of tradition to take a walk together in the gardens whenever he was at home. As of late, he was not home often. The autumn presented a whirlwind of engagements and business dealings too pressing to leave to his agents. It would be good for Georgiana to have a companion.
