“Thompson!”
At his call, the burly footman entered the room and directed a crooked grin at Wickham, who paled at the sight of him.
“Please escort Wickham from the property,” instructed Fitzwilliam. “If he resists, you may use whatever means necessary to dispense with him.”
“A pity,” said Thompson. “By your leave, I would be pleased to give him a reminder of why it would not be in his best interest to return.”
“So long as he departs, I have no interest in his state when he reaches Pemberley’s border.”
Having said this, Fitzwilliam addressed Wickham again. “Do not presume to return and do not approach anyone in my family again. If you persist and if you bring a ridiculous suit against Darcy, know that my father will jump at the chance to deal with you once and for all. Do not test us, Wickham, for it will go ill for you if you do.”
Though burning with fury, Wickham was impotent in the presence of three men who wished him gone. While he directed one hateful glare at Fitzwilliam, and one filled with even more poison at Darcy, he stalked from the room, followed by the faithful Mr. Thompson. In a few moments, the echoing of their footsteps ceased, leaving silence in their wake.
Darcy regarded Fitzwilliam, wondering how much he could ask. “Is it improper to ask after Wickham’s specific offenses?”
“Not at all, for I am convinced you need to know everything. Let us call Georgiana to attend us, for I would not repeat this more than once.”
Once the girl joined them, Fitzwilliam explained the story of Mr. Wickham in detail, and given the girl’s surprise, much of his account was new to her. She confirmed this at once when Fitzwilliam finished speaking.
“In short,” said Fitzwilliam, “Wickham is a bounder, a debtor, a thief, a liar, and a seducer. There is naught of good in him, for everything he does is aimed at his gratification, or with his benefit in mind.”
“I knew Jamie had severed ties with him,” said Georgiana, still shocked by what she heard, “but I had no notion he was this bad.”
“He is even worse, Georgiana, for I have not told you the parts that are not fit for gentle ears. Suffice it to say that should Wickham ever attempt to so much as speak to you in passing, you must inform me, Darcy, or my father, and we shall deal with him.”
Georgiana nodded and excused herself to return to the pianoforte. When she was gone, Darcy eyed his companion.
“These sins of Wickham that were not fit for gentle ears—might I suppose they stray into debaucheries, natural children, and activities of questionable legality?”
“You may,” was Fitzwilliam’s curt reply. “Wickham will doanythingif he feels he will profit from it, and he does not care if he hurts others. I can only suppose my cousin did not see the necessity of informing his sister about Wickham or ordering his staff to deny him access once he sent him away.”
“It is well that we did, then,” said Darcy. “Perhaps it may be best to send word to London to inform the staff there of the same. Do you suppose he will attempt to intrude upon the satellite estates?”
Fitzwilliam’s snort told Darcy what he thought of Wickham. “He might, though there is little of value for him to profit from them. Still, instructing Moore to send to the stewards of the estates cannot go amiss, for one can never predict when and where Wickham will poke his head out of his hole.”
“Then I shall remain watchful. If he is this opportunistic, it is no stretch to suppose he might take an interest in Georgiana. Her dowryissubstantial, I believe.”
“Thirty thousand pounds,” agreed Fitzwilliam, his manner thoughtful. “The way he was speaking to her suggests he might have already thought of it.”
“Then we must guard her. As a young lady of her position in society, I must suppose a footman attends her wherever she goes. I shall assign Thompson to her protection, for Wickham appeared frightened of him.”
Fitzwilliam’s grin was feral. “As he should be. Thompson scares evenme!”
Chapter VIII
Perhaps Fitzwilliam should have expected it. After the event, he wondered why it had not happened sooner. What he could not have predicted was what ensued in the days after, for even he would not have supposed such senselessness existed in the world, and more especially from one who was connected to him. Then again, this lady did what she wished and did not listen to anyone, and Fitzwilliam had long been inured to anything she did, so accustomed to her poor behavior was he.
As was the custom with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, one always heard her before they caught sight of her. Fitzwilliam had often jested with his cousin that it was kind of Lady Catherine to announce her coming so, for it allowed escape if one determined to avoid her acted with enough haste. On the morning in question, Fitzwilliam was in the study with Darcy when the unmistakable sound of Lady Catherine’s cane on the tiles, coupled with the sound of her loud voice demanding to know where they were, announced her presence. Shaking his head at the inevitability of his aunt’s presence, Fitzwilliam could do nothing but turn to Darcy.
“It seems, Darcy, that you are about to be initiated into the most ridiculous element of the Fitzwilliam family.”
Darcy regarded him, understanding filling his eyes. “Can I dare suppose that I am about to make the acquaintance of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”
“It seems you have heard something of her.”
“Heard something, yes, for the lady is infamous in society. That I have never made her acquaintance has always been a source of much satisfaction. If what I hear in the hall outside the door is any sign, I cannot but suppose that state of bliss is about to come to an abrupt end.”
A chuckle was all the time Fitzwilliam had, for at that moment the door swung open, and a lady stepped into the room with nary a by your leave. Lady Catherine de Bourgh was larger than life. She was a tall woman, with inky black hair that had turned to steel gray, vying with the lines in her face to show the true extent of her age. In truth, Fitzwilliam, though he could not remember her exact age, did not think she was more than about five and fifty. She was the eldest of the family, one that had included Lady Anne Darcy, his father, the Earl, and four other siblings, one of whom had not lived to reach adulthood. While Lord Matlock was a man who understood his position and took pride in it, the haughty noble was embodied in his sister, a woman who spoke at length of her interest in preserving the lines between the classes. Had she been a man to inherit the title, Fitzwilliam supposed she might have lorded her authority over all and sundry sufficient to provoke the common man to arise in rebellion, much as they had in France.
