Page 69 of To Win Her Affections

Darcy gave him a thin smile. “You may rejoice, Fitzwilliam—yes, I mean to deal with George Wickham once and for all.”

“What has he done?”

“I assume you recall Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

“Of course,” replied Fitzwilliam. “Do not tell me that she has become entangled with him somehow.”

“Not at all,” said Darcy, scoffing at the notion. “Though she owns she did not disbelieve him when he told her of my ‘offenses’ against him, she is too intelligent to involve herself with him.”

“Then—”

“It is her youngest sister.” Darcy paused and grunted. “Miss Elizabeth is intelligent and witty, and her elder sister is an angel in the flesh, but her youngest sisters are two of the silliest girls I have ever encountered.”

“How was Wickham even known to them?”

Darcy shook his head, disgusted with himself all over again. “Wickham joined the militia company quartered near Miss Bennet’s home in November.

“And before you berate me for saying nothing,” said Darcy when Fitzwilliam opened his mouth, “know that you cannot say anything to me that I have not already said to myself.”

Fitzwilliam scowled, though he nodded. “Your silence has had consequences, though Miss Bennet’s younger sister bears responsibility for falling prey to his flattering words.”

“She does,” agreed Darcy, though he could not be so sanguine about it. That was not something to consider for the moment, so he forced his thoughts away.

“Then what do you mean to do?” asked Fitzwilliam.

“Find him and prosecute him for his crimes,” said Darcy.

Fitzwilliam considered this, then a slow, dangerous smile spread over his features. “By your testimony he was in a militia company; might I assume he departed in his usual way?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Excellent,” said Fitzwilliam, appearing satisfied. “The militia is not the regular army, but desertion is still frowned upon. That gives us another means of calling him to account.”

“I had thought of asking your father to have him transported,” said Darcy, frowning.

“That would also work, but why stop there? Let the military authorities have him first. When they have finished, Father will know how best to ensure he faces the remaining consequences. With any justice, he may yet find himself on a ship bound for Botany Bay”

When Darcy did not reply at once, Fitzwilliam clapped his shoulder. “Trust me, Darcy. The army will want its pound of flesh first. Leave his disposition to me—when the army is finished with him, you can have whatever is left.”

“So long as he is no longer a threat, I shall be satisfied.”

“Then I shall speak to my general at first light,” said Fitzwilliam.

Darcy nodded, grateful that his cousin was such a man as he was. Fitzwilliam, he knew, had much more to say about Darcy’s failure to act against Wickham, but had withheld further comment in favor of focusing on the task at hand. That would not be the end of it, but Darcy accepted the reprieve for the moment.

“What you have not told me,” said Fitzwilliam, “is what motivated you to involve yourself in this matter, Darcy. I had no notion that Miss Bennet was anything other than a casual acquaintance, though I will note that she is quite delightful.”

“It is best that I retire soon,” said Darcy, “as I have traveled for the past two days from Pemberley. But I am not unwilling, so long as we keep it brief.”

“I am all ears.”

It took longer than Darcy hoped. Fitzwilliam had not known most of what Darcy related, and he relished the ability to surprise his cousin. By the time they retired, Fitzwilliam had the full picture and had expressed himself at considerable length on the subject.

Chapter XVII

Loath though he was to confess it, Henry Bennet had grown accustomed to believing himself quite clever. It was a failing, though not a surprising one—not when he spent his days in the company of a woman who could not, under any definition of the term, be called clever. Or rather, avoiding her company as often as he could.

Bennet had no wish to malign the woman he had married. Maggie Gardiner had made him a creditable enough wife, given him five beautiful daughters, and managed his house with a zeal he still found exhausting. She was a good woman, for all her limitations, and Bennet knew that her fears for the future were not groundless.