“One day, Wickham,” he said, “I will not hold back. But today I will stop at a warning. If you approach my sister again, I will call you out.”
“Lucky for me you are holding back, then,” said Wickham, with a sneer.
“I have nothing more to say to you,” replied Darcy.
“If you did not come for me,” said Wickham, “what brings you here, then?”
He glanced over to where Miss Bennet was sitting. She gave no indication that she was aware of his presence. He was not even sure there was any point in talking to her. If she knew Wickham, she was guilty, and that was the end of it.
Wickham followed the direction of Darcy’s glance. “I see. You are here to speak to Miss Bennet.” He peered into his tankard. “Wouldn’t care to buy me a drink, would you by any chance?”
Darcy turned away.
“I thought not. Well let me give you an important piece of advice. For free, mind you. You mightwishto speak to Miss Bennet, Darcy, but I doubt very much that Miss Bennet wishes to speak toyou. I have heard about your dreadful behavior.” He tutted. “Is that how you treat a respectable young lady? Sending her to walk across the fields in thin slippers until her feet are bloodied and her dinner dress torn? I would say you owe her a new gown at the very least, before she will agree to speak to you.”
Darcy stared at Wickham in dismay. He had not thought of the impact on Miss Bennet, though his sister had tried to tell him. It was at least three miles on a stony footpath from Pemberley to the inn.
He quickly smothered his concern for her. She did not deserve it. Obviously, Wickham knew her well enough that she had told him all this.
As if following his thoughts, Wickham’s mouth twisted. “Yes, she has shown me her shredded footwear. Now if you will excuse me.”
Wickham sauntered over to where Miss Bennet was sitting. He greeted her as he passed, and she inclined her head and gave him a faint smile. It was obvious she knew him. Wickham turned and winked at Darcy, then continued towards the taproom.
Darcy drew back out of the doorway, hoping Miss Bennet would not see him. He stood outside in the inn’s courtyard, his jaw clenched, trying to master his fury. It was too soon to work out exactly why Miss Bennet was in Lambton, and whether she was trying to win over his sister for Wickham’s sake, but there really was no point in talking to her. It was clear there was something fishy afoot.
The question was, what was he going to do about it?
Chapter 6
As Darcy returned to Pemberley, he forced himself to set aside Wickham’s goading and to overcome his ire. His priority was Georgiana’s wellbeing. He could not arrive home in a state of agitation. It was essential to look at the situation with a dispassionate eye, so he could decide whether to tell Georgiana about Wickham and his connection with Miss Bennet.
Darcy’s first inclination was to tell his sister the bare facts. It would bring Georgiana down to earth and remove her illusions once and for all. They would never have to talk about Miss Bennet again. Hopefully, Georgiana would learn her lesson this time and accept that trust was something that had to be earned over a long period of time. The problem he faced now was how to approach the issue. He did not want her to feel uneasy inPemberley. It was her home, and he wanted her to feel free to roam anywhere she wanted, but he also wanted to protect her. He could not ask her to stay indoors. He would only seem like a villain who was imprisoning her as a punishment.
He would tell her about it, he decided, and then they would discuss how best to deal with it, together. It was time he started to treat Georgiana as an adult rather than a child.
No sooner had he resolved to tell Georgiana about Wickham, than the image of Miss Bennet talking to her aunt and uncle returned to him. She was completely at ease with them, her face free of artifice, her expression open and natural. His impression of her companions was the same. It was difficult to believe that any of them were capable of plotting and planning an elaborate ploy to ensnare Georgiana.
How, then, to explain Wickham’s presence in the picture? The more he thought about it, the less it made sense, but there was no denying it. Clearly, she had told Wickham that she had been ill-used, and Wickham had been more than happy to throw that in his face. Darcy’s fury returned. The man was a blight on his existence, a constant irritant that could never be resolved. Perhaps he should do the same for Wickham as he had done for Mrs. Younge – send him to the Americas where he could no longer cause mischief to his family and anyone associated with them.
By the time he arrived in Pemberley, Darcy was no longer certain that mentioning Wickham to Georgiana was a good idea. She was trying to put this behind her. It was not a good idea to inform her that he was in the neighborhood. Who knows what impact the knowledge would have on her?
Georgiana was waiting for him at the door. From the expectant expression on her face, she was hoping he had resolved everything with Miss Bennet.
“Did you talk to her?” she said, eagerly.
He had no choice but to conceal the truth. “I am sorry, Georgiana, but by the time I caught up with her, she had gone out with her aunt and uncle.”
He hated that he had to deceive her, but what else could he do?
“You could go back tomorrow,” she said. “They won’t be leaving until the day after.”
“I think it would be better to forget about Miss Bennet,” he said, gently. “You are going to a great deal of trouble for a stranger that will soon be out of your life. Miss Bennet does not live here. She will be leaving in two days, and very likely, you will never see her again. Come, let us go and find ourselves some food, unless you have already eaten with the Bingleys?”
“I am not hungry,” said Georgiana. “If you will excuse me, William, I think I will retire now. I feel rather fatigued.”
She sounded so dispirited, Darcy wished he could tell her he would go and talk to Miss Bennet the next day. He stopped himself, certain it was for the best, particularly since he had not found a way to explain Miss Bennet’s connection to Wickham. Wickham posed a real threat to Georgiana. Darcy would not rest easy until he had left the neighborhood. Meanwhile, he issued orders to all the gardeners and groundsmen to keep a lookout and inform Darcy immediately if they spotted Wickham anywhere around Pemberley.
Of course, there was still a possibility that Wickham had used Miss Bennet to earn Georgiana’s trust. Darcy still questioned her presence on the grounds of Pemberley all alone, without a chaperone. It was true that young ladies in the countryside did not have to adhere to the strict rules of behavior expected in towns and cities, but she was a stranger in these parts. Georgiana said Miss Bennet had spotted her near the river. Fair enough. There was a public footpath there, used often enough by tenants and people from Lambton, but not known to strangers to the area. Darcy could not discount the possibility that Wickhamwas watching the house, knew when Georgiana walked towards the river, and sent Miss Bennet to intercept her.
