He had been in Town for about a sennight when he met Miss Karen Younge. She was of an age with him, and she lived in the St Dane’s Parish near the Strand. Her mother owned a boarding house at number 100 Edward Street, and it seemed that Miss Younge assisted in running the place. Using his charm and silver tongue, Wickham was able to wheedle his way into the boarding house with a free room and meals in return for some work to be performed about the place. As this meant that he did not have to spend more of his meagre capital, it was perfect for Wickham.
It did not take long before he began to frequent local gambling hells, and soon enough his precious capital was all but gone. He could not understand why; after winning handily he had begun to have a run of bad luck until all he won, and almost the entirety of his funds was gone. At least when he eventually left the place, he had ten pounds and some coins left to his name.
About eight months after he had come to live with Mrs and Miss Younge, the former succumbed to consumption.
That led to Karen inheriting the boarding house. She was a careful woman, and although they warmed one another’s beds from time to time, she would not marry him and cede control of her property to another.
By August 1807, not only did Wickham have none of the money he had arrived in London with, but he had an ever-growing collection of debts.
Not a few times when he saw the knocker up at Darcy House he thought about throwing himself on Mr Darcy’s mercy and begging for money to clear his debts plus a little more to help with his living expenses. He quickly changed his mind as soon as he remembered the final words Mr Darcy had spoken to him the day of his departure from Pemberley: “George, all connection between us is now severed. Like your late father did, I hope and pray you will make something of yourself. If you wisely invest the money you have and work to add to it, you could be very comfortable. Have a good life, George.” With that dismissal Wickham had been escorted off Pemberley’s land. At least he had received his father’s gelding, as it had been his own, and had begun his ride south.
Once he had lost all his money, Wickham had sold the gelding, but when the amount he had received for the horse was gone, he had had no choice but to gain credit and run up debts until his luck turned at the tables. It had not.
A day ago, he had seen an advert for a companion for the Carrington-Bennet sisters. That had given him an idea of how to gain all the blunt he needed and much, much more. If Karen could be appointed as the new companion, then she would be able to take that interfering Elizabeth somewhere without the men who were always with her when he watched her in the park.
He had not approached Karen yet to gain her agreement to assist him when he saw the notice of the chits receiving the elevation to be called ‘Lady’. He needed to execute his plan to gain his revenge and get his due all at once. He could not stand by and allowMiss Lizzyto get everything while he had nothing.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Jane was very excited for her ball to begin, though not because of all of the decorations or pomp and circumstance. She was very much looking forward to dancing with Richard.
Papa would open the ball with her, as it should be, but she had granted Richard the supper and final sets. The next four were reserved for Uncles Reggie, Robert, Edward, and Frank. Then after supper, Jamey, Andrew, and William had reserved dances. That only left her one set still available before the final pair of dances she would have with Richard. Jane had to admit that knowing who all her partners were ahead of time, save one, was comforting to her.
She was not a misanthrope who did not enjoy meeting new people, but like William, she preferred to dance with those she had met prior to the dance. She had begun to attend local assemblies in Holder and Meryton when she was a little past the age of seventeen, where she had discovered that she had this desire in common with William. Lizzy teased them both about it, teasing girl that she was. Not that she objected; she loved Lizzy as she was, teasing and all. Jane knew when it was her turn, Lizzy would just want to dance and would not care if there was a prior acquaintanceship.
She looked at herself in the mirror; her maid had just left after taking Jane’s straight hair and curling it to resemble wavy tresses. Her intricate coiffure was held in place with sapphire-tipped hair pins and a sapphire and diamond encrusted comb. They, along with the earrings andrivièreshe wore, were gifts from Mamma and Papa. Therivièrehad alternating diamonds and sapphires, increasing in size from the back of each side until they met in the middle where a large sapphire sat just above herdécolletage.
Her empire-waisted silk gown was a shimmering light blue silk. Her gloves were off-white satin and reached her elbows. As she looked at herself, she could not believe she was the elegant woman staring back at her.
There was a gentle knock on the door. “Come,” Jane called out.
Edith and Holder stepped into the chamber followed by Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, Anna, and Lydia.
“Jane, you look like an angel in blue!” Lydia exclaimed as she looked at her eldest sister.
“Lydia has the right of it,” Elizabeth agreed, as did everyone else who had entered the chamber. “Janey, no I suppose we will have to call you Jane now because you are a lady out in London society. Jane, I have never seen anyone look better than you do tonight.”
“Thank you, Lizzy. All of you,” Jane responded as her cheeks pinked.
“I hope I will be half as beautiful as Jane when I come out,” Anna stated. “I am pleased I yet have seven or eight years.”
“Anna, you look like a younger Aunt Anne, and you will be as pretty as Jane when it is your turn,” Elizabeth opined. “Uncle Robert will be very vigilant, just like Papa will be with our Jane tonight.”
“Jane, dear, Papa and I will be in the receiving line,” Edith said. “Once the guests have arrived, Johns will escort you to the landing at the top of the stairs which lead into the ballroom. Your father will come collect you and escort you into the ballroom as Mr Fenster announces you. And yes,” Edith looked at the younger girls, “you may all sit on the landing to watch the opening sets of dances, but I do not expect to hear any giggling or loud voices from there. Am I understood?”
There was a chorus of, “Yes Mamma,” and “Yes, Aunt Edith.”
“Two sets are all you are allowed to see; then it is off to bed with all of you. That will already be close to midnight.” Edith looked around and saw nods from all of those not attending the ball.
After kisses on the cheeks of her daughters and nieces, Edith followed Paul out of the room to take up their stations for the receiving line.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Fitzwilliams, Russells, Darcys, Gardiners, and Phillipses were already present before the line formed. They, along with the four couples from Meryton who had arrived that morning, joined Jamey as they all migrated to the ball room.
The Lucases, Longs, Purvises, and Gouldings had been in awe since arriving at the mansion on Park Lane. Charlotte, who had been in residence since the Carringtons arrived in London from Hertfordshire, did her best to calm her parents and those from Meryton. She told them it was only a home, a large one, but a home, nonetheless.
Sir William had been stupefied when he had met the two earls in Meryton, and now he had just met the Duke and Duchess of Bedford and had heard that both the Dukes of Devonshire and Hertfordshire and their duchesses would be present on this night. The lesson he had learnt in Hertfordshire about the insignificance of his knighthood was reinforced many times over this night. Once he was able to relax, Sir William enjoyed himself.
