Mary stepped forward and grasped Lydia’s arm, pulling her toward Elizabeth, unyielding in her insistence, though more diminutive than Lydia. Kitty followed them, eyeing the former officer warily, while the man scowled at them. Whether he would have stooped to such despicable actions as to use one of them to get to Anne she could not say, but it was best to give him no chance to do so.
“Mr. Wickham has proven his worthlessness?” demanded Lydia, unwilling to be taken into the house just yet.
“In more than just this,” replied Elizabeth. “Now, Lydia, come into the house.”
At last, Lydia agreed, allowing Elizabeth to herd her younger sisters into the house with Jane’s encouragement. There, they all repaired to the window at once where they could see the result of the standoff between the libertine and Longbourn’s men. Anne was already within, again watching the scene, and Mrs. Bennet had never left, greeting their entrance with moans of: “But he always seemed so gentlemanly!”
It was no trouble to ignore Mrs. Bennet, as Elizabeth was much more interested in watching the scene outside. Mr. Wickham had not budged from his position, his stubbornness speaking to mulishness rather than healthy determination. However he blustered, threatened, cajoled, or browbeat, Mr. Bennet remained impervious.
“I tell you now, Mr. Wickham,” warned Mr. Bennet, “if you attempt to set one foot past the lintel, I shall hand you over to the constable. Then, when we summon Mr. Darcy, we shall see if we can prevail upon him to act against you.”
“I fear nothing Darcy can do,” blustered Mr. Wickham.
“Given the accounts I have of your dealings with him,” replied Mr. Bennet, “I highly doubt that. I suspect that he may have done with you what he wished many years ago but is far too upright to exact vengeance upon a man who richly deserves it.”
“Uptight, perhaps,” sneered Wickham. “I need nothing of Darcy’s morality, for it makes him stiffer than a starched shirt.”
“Perhaps it does,” replied Mr. Bennet. “But I shall not allow you to take Miss de Bourgh away. Begone at once!”
That did not end the matter, of course. Mr. Wickham continued to threaten vengeance, but in the end, even he had to see he had no chance of prevailing. Finally, Mr. Bennet set the footman and the stable hands on him with instructions to remove Mr. Wickham from the property by any force necessary.Though Mr. Wickham stood his ground for a moment, soon his courage failed him. He bolted into the carriage, and soon the driver took it from the yard, taking the libertine away from Longbourn forever, with any luck. Within moments, there was no sign he had ever been there.
Sighing with relief, Elizabeth turned to her sisters, noting that her mother was nearly catatonic with shock. Jane seemed to notice this too, as she moved to action.
“I think we could all do with a bit of restorative tea,” said she as she moved into the hall.
The ladies all sat, no one saying much of anything as they considered the scene that had just taken place on Longbourn’s drive. There were a few additional sounds from outside as the men conferred and Mr. Bennet gave them instructions. Within a few moments, Jane returned, Mrs. Hill trailing after with a tray carrying a tea service and several cakes, and Mr. Bennet entered soon thereafter. Anne rose at once and went to him, curtseying deeply.
“Thank you, Mr. Bennet, for protecting me from that contemptible man.”
“Not at all, Miss de Bourgh,” replied Mr. Bennet, appearing bemused. “It was the least that I, as a gentleman, could do.”
“Yet I thank you. As I do your daughter for opening my eyes to the perilous path I trod.”
“What an odious man he is!” cried Mrs. Bennet. “I declare I have never seen a man worse than George Wickham!”
“No, I suppose we have not,” replied Mr. Bennet. “Though there are even worse men than he in the world.
“Now,” said he, fixing his attention on them all, “I believe we must discuss this matter and ensure there are no mistakes. Mr. Wickham has departed, but we would be fools if we thought he has given up his designs.”
Mrs. Bennet gasped. “You suppose he is still up to his tricks?”
“I suggest that a man as desperate as Mr. Wickham will go to great lengths before he would abandon what he considers such a profitable endeavor.”
“Yes, I concur, Mr. Bennet,” said Anne.
“Therefore,” said Mr. Bennet with a nod at her, “I must insist that you all stay within the house until Mr. Wickham is no longer a threat. No walks,” Mr. Bennet directed a pointed look at Elizabeth, “no wandering in the garden, no sojourns outside the house for any reason. I have set John and the stable hands to watching the property but let us not give him an opportunity to act against us.”
Mr. Bennet turned to Anne. “I cannot but think we must alert your family to your present location as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I agree,” said Anne. “My uncle should still be in town, and my cousin is in the army—his current posting is in London. I shall write a letter to my uncle informing him where he may find me.”
Mr. Bennet nodded. “Then I shall arrange for it to be dispatched express. I also sent messengers to the tenants to warn them to be on their guard. It may also be best to inform the gentlemen nearby.”
“If you send a message to Sir William,” said Elizabeth, “he will alert the rest.”
“Then that is what we shall do,” said Mr. Bennet.
Mrs. Hill provided paper to Anne, who jotted her letter, which was then placed in the footman’s hands for its disposition. While John would not ride to Meryton himself, a boy in the village would deliver it and arrange for it to be sent carrying a few coins from Mr. Bennet. When all these tasks were complete, they sat together again, and Mr. Bennet directed his comments at Elizabeth.
