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“Before I answer that, you need to see this.” Darcy handed her a document.

“Oh, good Lord.” Elizabeth looked at her cousin. “He played me for a fool, did he not?” She handed the document to her two sisters in the room.

“Mr Darcy, you did not need to pay him three thousand pounds to give up the living. Mr Wickham refused to take orders!” Mary exclaimed after she had read the document a visibly shaken Jane had passed her.

“Legally, you are correct, Miss Mary. I did not need to give him anything, as he refused to comply with the condition. I did so in part in a misguided sense of what my father would have wanted me to do. Also, it was to have him sign away his rights to any living in my gift so that he could not claim I had refused him what was in my father’s will. You will note that I also made him sign for the amount that my late father bequeathed him. I did that for the same reason.”

“You paid Mr Wickham a total of four thousand pounds! How long ago?” Elizabeth enquired.

“From now, less than four years ago. I am sorry to be indelicate, but I feel you need to know what kind of man he truly is. My father thought him the best of men, but he never saw him the way I did. I witnessed his dissipation, profligacy, seductions, and more. I made the mistake of first, trying to protect my father, and then another in my family, by not telling them the truth about Wickham. Those days are past; I will not allow him to hurt others with impunity any longer,” Darcy related. “Thanks to your cousin’s quick thinking, he will not be able to do so here. Wickham likes to run up debts with the tradesmen in the town where he happens to be. However, he dislikes paying his debts and disappears before he can be forced to pay.

“He ran through the money I gave him in a little more than two years, which is why he attempted to gain more from me by claiming the living. I refused to give him an additional penny! However, another mistake I made was cleaning up after him. To that end, I have over three thousand pounds in vowels he signed.” Darcy nodded to Fitzwilliam, who removed a thick stack of debt receipts from a satchel by his side. “This does not count debts of honour he has never paid. Your cousin said some words in Sir William’s ear, which led to all debts for officers being called in and any further credit denied. Mr Collins was also sufficiently perspicacious to warn Sir William that there are men who offer marriage to ladies barely out of girlhood, and then manipulate them into anticipating their vows. Thereafter, they abandon them to face the consequences alone. I wish it were not true, but this is one of Wickham’s tricks. He does not take refusal well.”

“I tried to ignore the evil in the world, but that does not make it go away, does it?” Jane cried.

“You need to begin to see the world as it is, Cousin Jane. If you need to discuss this more, I am happy to do with you another time, however,” William Collins stated. “I always try to be honest, but I suspected that Lieutenant Wickham was one of the men I told Sir William about; hence, I embellished the small problem we had in Faversham some years ago. I knew he was a former merchant with deep ties to the owners of businesses in Meryton. He did what I hoped he would and more.”

“As Mr Collins pointed out, the combination of me not taking action against Wickham and my willingness to clean up after him enabled his bad behaviour. I helped those he would have otherwise beggared and have provided homes and work for not a few of his seductions who have borne the consequences of allowing him to have his way with them,” Darcy revealed. “I thought I was being so good in assisting his victims after the fact when I would have assisted them far better and so many more had I spiked his guns long ago.” He shook his head. “Had your cousin not contacted my cousin, and had Fitzwilliam not come and pointedly reminded me how remiss I have been in dealing with the wastrel, who you will hear my cousin call Wicky.” Darcy paused when he saw the three Bennet sisters look at him quizzically. “It is a name my cousin gave Wickham. He hates it, but as he is more afraid of Richard than any other, he has never had the gumption to tell Richard not to call him that. As I was about to say, as soon as I saw him in Meryton, I should have been the one to warn the shopkeepers and fathers. I was held back by two things.”

Darcy looked at Richard, and they communicated silently. Richard nodded.

“The first thing that caused me to remain silent was my pride. It would not allow me to lay my private actions open for others to see, and the second is far more personal, and I must ask that none of you ladies repeat this to any other,” Darcy requested.

The three eldest Bennet sisters swore they would not tell another soul.

“Due to my improper pride, and not being willing to have my judgement questioned, I employed a faithless companion for my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy, whom that seducer claimed was proud and aloof. I did not verify her characters and allowed her to take my sister to Ramsgate this June past. At the time, I was not aware she was a paramour of George Wickham. After I left for London, my sister met the libertine by chance, or so she believed. He began to call often, encouraged by Mrs Younge. Between them, they convinced my tender-hearted sister, who had turned sixteen two months earlier, to elope with him. As long as I live, I will give thanks to God that I decided to return a few days before I had initially planned. My sister, thinking I would be pleased she was to marry my good friend, told me all. They planned to elope the very next day. Mrs Younge was out for a short while, according to my sister. I was in the sitting room when, bold as brass, in walked Wickham with Mrs Younge trailing him. She fainted dead away, and I ran the libertine off after he admitted he never loved my sister. He only wanted her large dowry and to avenge himself on me. I sacked Mrs Younge and ordered her out of the house forthwith.

“Now he has the gall to describe my sister as he did when he was the cause of her state. She has lost the little confidence she had gained in her own judgement and has retreated into a crushing shyness. She is in London with my aunt, the colonel’s mother, and her new companion as they try to assist her to recover.”

Even had Mr Darcy not shown her the proof of his dealings with Mr Wickham, Elizabeth would have believed him. “It seems that you have all the goodness,” she said looking at Mr Darcy, “while he has only the appearance of it.”

“I thank you for saying that, Miss Elizabeth. Do I dare to hope that you will be willing to begin again with me?” Darcy asked beseechingly.

“It is the least I can do. However, are you sure you want to know one who was so silly as to believe Mr Wickham’s lies so readily?” Elizabeth wondered. “It makes me feel as silly as my father accuses my two youngest sisters of being.”

“Miss Elizabeth, that man has the ability to pass himself off with credit, at least when one first meets him. He is very good at making friends but not at all accomplished in keeping them once they see who he truly is,” Darcy stated comfortingly. “Besides, had I behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner at that assembly, then you would not have been looking for things to confirm your poor opinion of me. If there is blame to be apportioned, I deserve the lion’s share.”

Even though Mr Darcy was generous enough to acquit her of culpability by first allowing Mr Wickham, as his cousin called him, Wicky, to unfold his web of lies to her and by blindly believing him, Elizabeth could not excuse herself so easily.

She had accused Mr Darcy of pride and prejudice, but was that not the thing, combined with a healthy dose of stubbornness which had driven her? Until Cousin Collins took charge of the situation and forced Elizabeth to look at her own beliefs and actions, she had been the one to refuse to consider any other possibility than the beliefs to which she was clinging. Yes, she was very intelligent, but all this had proved was that she was not very clever at times.

Once she had excoriated herself, Elizabeth knew she would need to examine the new facts. Mr Darcy thought her pretty! No, he had called her the handsomest woman of his acquaintance, and he knew Jane!

William Collins was very satisfied that what he had intended—to make Mr Darcy and Cousin Elizabeth reflect on their behaviour—had succeeded beyond his wildest imaginings. It was not the worst thing that Cousin Jane had been exposed to some realities of life. He may still have to speak to her, but William was confident the eldest Bennet sister’s eyes were far more open now than they had been before the meeting.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

They heard Hill welcome the Hursts and Mr Bingley as soon as the six who had been in the parlour opened the door.

“Misses Bennet, Fitzwilliam, and Darce, it is good to see you all.” As Bingley spoke, his eyes were locked onto Miss Bennet. He was not sure who the other man, who was a little taller than himself, standing with the Bennet sisters, was. As he did not know who was higher socially, he held his peace.”

“Will one of you introduce your guests to me?” William Collins requested.

“Cousin, I present the residents of Netherfield Park to you. This is Mr and Mrs Hurst, and next to them is Mr Bingley, the master of that estate. This is our father’s cousin and the heir presumptive of Longbourn, Mr Collins of Hunsford in Kent,” Jane introduced.

“Where are your youngest sisters and your mother? After all, the ball was at Miss Lydia’s insistence, so she must be present when I hand the invitation to her mother,” Bingley stated. “Mr Collins, you are of course included in the family party.”

“I thank you, Mr Bingley. Dancing is an exercise I enjoy,” William stated as he gave a half bow.