“Then Mrs. Younge pushed the scheme, risking your investigation?” asked Bingley.
“Patience is not Wickham’s strength,” said Fitzwilliam. “Besides, the longer he waited, the greater the chance of discovery. I doubt he wanted to wait past this summer, even if Georgiana was to inherit the estate.”
“The curious part,” said Bennet, eyeing Fitzwilliam with some interest, “is his calculation concerning your reaction and that of your father. Did he suppose you would just accept his mastery of Pemberley without consequence?”
A growl of contempt was Fitzwilliam’s response to the question. “Wickham has ever been more confident than hisabilities warrant. I suspect he considered it a fait accompli once he had Georgiana in hand.”
“Would that have stayed your hand?” asked Bingley, eyes wide at the implication.
“If you are asking if we would have... removed Wickham from the land of the living, the answer is no,” said Fitzwilliam. “There are other ways to dispose of him. He could have been sent to the penal colony or even hanged for other crimes, for I am certain an investigation would reveal enough to justify such an action against him. My father’s position would have sufficed to receive an enactment of quiet annulment of the marriage.”
“In some courts,” observed Bennet, “the act of stealing away with a prominent girl and scion of an earl may have been enough to consign him to the scaffold.”
Fitzwilliam’s evil grin revealed his feelings on the subject. “That it would have, Mr. Bennet. Wickham would have attempted to publish his success with my cousin, but the Fitzwilliams have far more influence than he understands. In time, the matter could have been hushed up, and Georgiana married to a man willing to assume the Darcy name. Regardless, my father would never have allowed Wickham to take possession of Pemberley and bankrupt it.”
It was a tangled web and no mistake. Darcy had never dreamed of such wickedness preceding his installation as the master of this estate. There was no one in his past like Wickham, for Darcy had always chosen his friends with care, never stinting in ensuring they possessed a high degree of morality. This business of Mr. Wickham was, he supposed, no stain on the former master of Pemberley, for the cancer attached to the estate had been reared there. Yet he had paid the price for that association with his very life.
“Then where do we stand?” asked Mr. Bennet.
The look Fitzwilliam directed at Darcy contained a question, and Darcy understood it at once. Though he had thought to keep the matter a secret, there was no reason not to tell his companions, men he would trust with his life. It may even be dangerous to keep the knowledge from them.
“The situation has changed, though Wickham cannot know it,” said Darcy. “Not only is the entail on Pemberley ended, but Elizabeth is with child.”
Bingley grinned his delight, but the right of response belonged to Bennet. “That is excellent news, Darcy, and welcome to you, I am certain. Elizabeth’s mother will be pleased; or have you already told her?”
“Elizabeth went to her mother when she noticed something altered,” said Darcy.
“Of course, she did,” agreed Bennet. “You are correct—this changes matters significantly.”
“So much that you must now take great care,” said Fitzwilliam. “As Wickham knows nothing of this, he may attempt something more direct than he contemplated with Jameson.”
“Does he know the entail is no longer in force?”
Fitzwilliam shook his head. “That is a question we cannot answer. If he does, he may still try to get at Georgiana for her dowry. If not, then you would be his target on the assumption that Georgiana would now be in line to inherit.”
“He may contemplate many actions,” said Bennet. “Any of the girls would do for ransom, for example.”
“I think he no longer considers Pemberley a viable option,” opined Bingley. When all eyes turned to him, Bingley explained: “Given what has happened, he is uncertain. If removing Darcy were his intention, he had ample opportunity to attempt it in London, yet he focused all his attention on Mrs. Younge and Georgiana.”
After eyeing him for several moments, Fitzwilliam gave a curt nod. “Yes, Bingley, I suspect you are correct. Therefore, I need to go to London again.”
“Mrs. Younge?” asked Bennet.
“She is our only link to Wickham,” said Fitzwilliam. “We need confirmation of our conjecture, and she is the one who can provide it.”
Fitzwilliam turned to Darcy. “Tomorrow, muster a force of footmen and the men we brought from London to scour the area for any sign of Wickham. If he is involved, he would not give up his designs because we left London—he will wish to be nearby to seize any opportunity that presents itself.”
Darcy nodded. “There will be men among them who know Pemberley well. I shall rely on them to lead the search.”
“Can I suppose Mrs. Younge’s quarters are untouched?”
“As I instructed Mrs. Mayfield.”
“Good. Before I confront Mrs. Younge, I wish to search that room myself and see if I can discover anything.”
“The question is,” said Bennet, “should we inform the rest of the family of our suspicions?”
“Perhaps the ladies only,” said Darcy. “Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet, my mother, and perhaps Jane should know, but I see no occasion to alarm the girls any further. They already know something of the situation.”
