“You have, Godfather. I have never done so here at Pemberley,” George responded.
“Just because it was not here does not excuse your actions,” Darcy bit out.
“The maid lied.” George put on his best ill-used look.
“There were witnesses! Did they all prevaricate?” Darcy demanded. “Tell me, George, how is it that when it comes to you everyone else lies, and you are the only truthful one?”
“But she was only a maid,” George spat out. He was flustered as this was not going the way he hoped it would.
“That is exactly the attitude I abhor, so we will make some changes.” Darcy looked at George with his eyes open as if seeing him for the first time. “As your late mother manipulated me into becoming your godfather, I withdraw from that role. I will not withdraw my patronage for your studies now, but you have one chance, and one chance only.” Darcy held up his hand seeing that George was about to try and charm him. “I am immune to that now. Just listen. Fall behind in your studies; miss too many classes; or do anything dishonourable, which includes meddling with any females, and I will withdraw my assistance for you to study.
“If you avail yourself of the opportunity, one very few sons of stewards are offered, then you will be able to makesomething of your life. Before you attempt it, this is not open for negotiation. Your father and I are in agreement on this.” Darcy sat back in his chair. “Do you understand that there will be no more chances if you lose this one?”
George shot his sire a look of anger that he had betrayed him. He did not speak; rather, he gave his godf… Mr Darcy a tight nod. “I am sure William turned you against me. He is jealous of me.”
“Firstly, William is completely unaware of any of this. Secondly, why would my son, heir to all the Darcy holdings, be jealous of you? I would wager that you know that is not a true statement.” Darcy paused again. “George, if I were you, I would not try to blame anyone except yourself. You do not want to lose your final chance now, do you?”
When Mr Darcy dismissed the two Wickham men, one was fuming and the other was worried about the direction of his son’s life.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The final day of the first term of Cambridge’s academic year was on Thursday the sixteenth day of December. William and his older cousin Richard shared a coach and departed at dawn the next day. The latter was in his final year and the former in his second year. Late in the afternoon on Saturday, they reached Snowhaven. Due to the early onset of darkness at that time of the year, William spent the night and the Sabbath at his relatives’ home and departed after he joined his aunt, uncle, and Richard to break his fast in the morning on Monday.
It took less than an hour to reach Pemberley. William felt a sense of peace come over him as soon as the conveyance passed Pemberley’s gateposts. Although he was eighteen, he had not entered London society yet, seeing that he had not been to Town since his birthday in July.
However, that had not stopped some of those he was acquainted with at university from asking if he would like to meet their sisters. It was well known that the value of the Darcy holdings placed them among some of the wealthier peers, even though there was no Darcy title. One had been offered many times over the years, but the reply, including the current master’s, had always been a polite ‘no, thank you’. The Darcys were gentlemen farmers and did not aspire to be more than that.
Because of marriage minded women hunting him by proxy even before he officially entered society, William began to perfect his mask of disdain, which he hoped would send those importuning him away. He would have to refine his mask before the huntresses of theTondescended upon him.
Father had told him that ladies had thrown themselves at him after he came out of mourning and rejoined London society. One woman had gone as far as to cry ‘compromise’. Father had refused to gratify her, telling her that if she spread the story to pressure him, all she would achieve would be her own ruin. It was after that time in London that Father had told William he would not think less of him for not gratifying an entrapment.
Soon enough, William was handing his outerwear to Mr Reynolds and catching a little blur of blonde ringlets as his sister threw herself into his arms. She had begged Nurse to bring her to wait near the door from the internal courtyard so she would see him as soon as he entered the house.
With Gigi firmly attached to his hand, William made his way up to see Father.
Darcy was very pleased to have his son home. With the Christmastide season upon them and the felicity he enjoyed with his son and daughter, he did not mention the unpleasant conversation he had with George Wickham two days past.
Prologue Part 1C
A few days after the meeting in the study, Darcy was riding towards a tenant’s farm with his steward for company.
“Mr Darcy, if it is not an impertinence, may I ask a question regarding your meeting with my son?” Wickham queried. He saw the master nod his head. “Why did you not mention that you had changed your will and taken George out of it?”
“To tell him what I have done was a serious consideration,” Darcy responded. “I decided not to mention it because I am allowing for the possibility that your son will change. If he does, and it is genuine, then I may reinstate the money bequest I intended to leave him.”
Wickham wanted to tell the master that in his opinion George would never change. After they had returned to the steward’s abode, George had unleashed his temper and wanted to know how Mr Darcy could do that to him after all the time he had wasted charming his former godfather. George was a man of eighteen, and he had had a temper tantrum like a lad. It was at that moment that Wickham owned his failure in allowing his late wife to educate and inculcate George to want and expect that which was not due him. It was the first time he had begun to wonder if George would try to avenge himself on those he decided had wronged him.
He had suggested to George that he not go to the manor house if he was so disappointed in Mr Darcy. Wickham’s son had dismissed that suggestion out of hand. He said he would still entertain Miss Darcy from time to time, as she should not suffer for the sins of others. George also stated that he knewhe was still in line to receive a bequest from Mr Darcy. In Wickham’s mind, George was not an appropriate person to be around a young and very impressionable girl, but it was not his place to say anything as long as Mr Darcy allowed it.
“Do not be disappointed if that does not happen,” was all Wickham said in reply. As it was, he trusted it would be decades before Mr Darcy’s will would need to be read.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Some days before the return to Cambridge for the Lent Term, which began on the second to last Monday of January 1802, the Darcys joined the Fitzwilliams at Snowhaven on the Tuesday before Twelfth Night. The latter family had no lavish, debauched ball planned like so many in theTon. In fact, both families rejected many of the mores of so-called polite society, the shenanigans at said balls being one of them they abhorred.
It was a very enjoyable time with family, and never having to see Wicky—as Richard and William had begun to call George—sulking around Pemberley after he had been taken down a peg or two by his former godfather, was an added bonus. The cousins were more than pleased that uncle to one and father to the other had finally had the scales fall from his eyes with regard to the dissipated man.
With Gigi lamenting their departure as she always did, after farewelling their parents, Richard and William departed for Cambridge at first light on the Friday before they were to begin the new term. They would pass the Sabbath there because had they left a day later, they would have had to travel on the Lord’s day or arrive on Monday missing that day’s lectures. They made good time and arrived by dusk on Saturday.
