The Resolute Suitor: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Read online

  He straightened up and walked stiffly to the door. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he turned and said, “You have insulted me, Miss Elizabeth, but I cannot leave without issuing you a warning about Wickham, whether you wish to hear it or not. He is a rake, a philanderer, and addicted to gambling of which I have ample proof. In fact, he would be in debtor’s prison if it were not for me. I would not have him harm you or your family or your neighbors, therefore, knowing you seem not to believe anything I say, I will ask my cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam, whom I hope you do respect, to seek you out and tell you about Wickham and the proof we have. Once you have learned the truth about him, I suggest you warn your parents about him as soon as you can. I am right, am I not, that, unlike me, you do respect my cousin?”

  A very embarrassed and contrite Elizabeth answered very softly, “Yes, I do respect him.”

  “Good. And now I bid you farewell. If you and the Collinses are to visit Rosings again before I leave in three days’ time, I promise you I will find a way to be absent so you will no longer have to bear my company. I wish you a future of happiness and good health.”

  Giving her a bow, he left the room and shortly thereafter she heard him leave the house.

  As Elizabeth sat there, she could not help but ponder what she had said and what he had said. She was completely embarrassed she had told him she had considered him the last man in the world she would ever marry. She knew that was not true. He was far better than Mr. Collins and as she considered other men in her life, she realized he was probably the most intelligent and attractive young man she had ever known.

  Then her thoughts drifted to Wickham, who she found to be so pleasant and gentlemanly. “Mr. Darcy had called him a rake and a philanderer and said he had ample proof of that claim. Surely I could not be that wrong about him, but I suspect this is another instance of the fallibility of my discernment. And Mr. Darcy was certainly justified in his anger that I had accepted Mr. Wickham’s slanderous tales about Mr. Darcy, even though I had known him for weeks and accepted him as a good friend of Mr. Bingley, and yet when Mr. Wickham told me about his disgraceful conduct, I readily believed Mr. Darcy was so dishonorable as to ignore his father’s wishes. Why was I so inclined to believe Mr. Wickham? I did not even know him.” She now realized she had accepted his story as fact purely because of Wickham’s pleasant character and appearance of goodness and her dislike of Mr. Darcy. She suddenly realized how badly she had, as he had said, insulted him. She had been wounded to the quick by his condemnation of her and his comparison of her to young ladies of the ton and she was afraid she deserved it.

  She buried her face in her hands. “Have I been a complete fool just because I overheard a remark made about me by a man who initially had captured my fancy? Was I so incensed by his remark I let my emotions cloud my reason? There is no doubt Mr. Darcy was haughty and unfriendly at the assembly and to some extent when he visited Longbourn, but he was certainly more acceptable in the drawing rooms at Netherfield and Rosings. Also, he has been a good friend and advisor to Mr. Bingley, who I think is a very good man. Could Mr. Bingley be so wrong? Have I, as he said, totally misjudged him?”

  She sat a long while, thinking and rethinking all that had been said, going over and over in her mind the interactions between them those weeks in Hertfordshire and these last several days at Rosings Park. That he had loved her and had been trying to express his interest in his looks still astounded her. What would have happened had she not heard his remark at the assembly? What would her opinion of him have been while he was in Hertfordshire? Would she have so easily accepted Wickham’s denigration of him? Would she even have been willing to listen to Wickham’s defamation of his character? Did Wickham’s sudden transference of his affections to Miss King display his avarice? Then another thought came to her. Mr. Wickham had freely spread abroad his tale of Darcy’s dishonor, but she had been the only one he had told until after Darcy had left the area. He had avoided the ball at Netherfield, supposedly out of goodness to ensure there was no unpleasantness at the ball. Was it rather that he did not want to have to confront Mr. Darcy, fearing the untruth of his tale would be exposed?

  Elizabeth found her headache had returned with a vengeance. She sought out the housekeeper to ask if there was any willow bark in the house and discovering there was none, went to her room to lie down with a cool towel on her forehead. She heard the Collinses return, but chose to stay in her room, in bed, and continued to reflect on the happenings of the evening and eventually fell into a troubled sleep.

  Chapter 2: Col. Fitzwilliam Explains

  Elizabeth was up earlier than usual the day after Darcy’s proposal, having slept very little during the night, and slipped out of the house for her early morning walk. She was going over and over again Darcy’s proposal and her reaction to it. In retrospect, she realized he had done her a very great honor in offering her his hand. She knew he was much pursued by women of the ton and that he should overlook all of what he considered her shortcomings to make a proposal was amazing to her. She was rather certain she could not love him and that he would eventually lose respect for her because of her lack of sophistication and her outspoken attitude. They were just too different. She was also grieved she had insulted him and was anxious to learn the true story of Wickham, if it was indeed as bad as Darcy implied. She realized that until last night, she had never really known herself. Was she truly as vain and thoughtless as those women of the ton?

  As she was musing, she heard a step on the path behind her and turned to see who it was. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Col. Fitzwilliam. “Good morning, Colonel. May I assume you are on this path this time of day at the request of your cousin?”

  He smiled a rueful smile. “You may, Miss Elizabeth. I have never seen him so angry and hurt and dejected when he sent me out after you this morning. He was reluctant to tell me all, but I am his usual sounding board and he finally told me everything. To be frank, I must admit I was surprised at both of you—that he would propose to someone of your station and that someone of your station would refuse him. You may not appreciate what he had to overcome to make such a proposal. He was thoroughly going against family and, indeed, social tradition which had been drilled into him since he was a boy. He must love you very much to do that.”

  “He may have last night, but I am sure he has reconsidered his feelings since our talk. He was right, we have both misjudged each other very much and I am afraid I have made some terrible mistakes and perhaps insulted him beyond redemption.”

  “You may be right. I fear you have driven a wedge between the two of you which may be difficult, if not impossible, to remove and I fear you will come to regret that, Miss Elizabeth, because my cousin is one of—no, not one of—the best, most honorable man I know. But, please, let me tell you what he asked me to tell you.”

  “Please do, Colonel,” said a rather dejected Elizabeth, who was beginning to understand what she had lost.

  “George Wickham is the son of old Mr. Darcy’s steward and after his mother died when he was a boy, he was raised by his father and the staff of Pemberley. He is two years younger than Darcy and for a few years, they were amiable playmates. When Wickham’s father unexpectedly got ill and was on the point of death, because of his long and faithful service, Mr. Darcy promised him he would educate Wickham and start him on the road to being a gentleman. He subsequently paid for private education for Wickham until he was ready for university and then sent him to Cambridge, where he was two years behind Darcy. Given the freedom of Cambridge and money to spend, his true personality emerged and he became very much a lady’s man, seducing several young women. He would often get into their good graces using his connection with the Darcy family and then would convince them to sleep with him. Three times in Darcy’s last two years, he had to pay to get Wickham out of trouble: a rather large sum in one case because Wickham had gotten the woman pregnant. Darcy did it without telling his father because he knew his father was very fond of Wic
kham and he could not bear to tell his father, who was ill at the time, what Wickham had been doing.“

  “Finally Darcy graduated and Darcy told Wickham that if he got into trouble, do not come to him or his father, because he had proof of Wickham’s misdeeds of the previous years and if he got in trouble again he would be disowned and thrown out of Cambridge. We do not know if Wickham got in trouble again or not, but he did not ask for more than the stipend he had been given. Not long after Wickham graduated, Mr. Darcy died and Wickham showed up at Pemberley demanding his share of the inheritance, feeling sure he had been left a significant amount. Darcy showed him the will which stated he would get £1000 and, if he took his orders, would be given the living at Kympton, when it became available. Wickham was outraged, feeling, for some reason, he deserved more, but there was no denying what was in the will. Wickham then told Darcy he had no intention of being a minister and had decided to pursue the law. He asked for compensation for giving up the living, demanding £10,000. Darcy refused and offered him £3000, which, after many objections, Wickham finally agreed to take. Darcy gave him £4000 and asked him to sign a document in which Wickham acknowledged that all his claims on the will had been discharged. I can assure you that document exists and can be shown to you if you are in London.”

  “We heard nothing from Wickham until last summer. Darcy had rented a cottage in Ramsgate for a month at the insistence of his sister, because she wanted to spend some time on the beach. He also hired a Mrs. Younge as her companion and they went in mid-June to spend the month. Four days after he arrived, Darcy received an emergency express from his steward saying there had been a fire at Pemberley and requesting Darcy return. When he told his sister, she said she did not want to return and asked if she could not stay in the cottage with her companion and the house staff Darcy had brought with him. He agreed and returned to Pemberley, vowing to return as soon as he could.”

  “Two days after he left, Georgiana and Mrs. Younge accidentally ran into Wickham on the beach and Georgiana, who knew nothing about Wickham after he left for university, welcomed him and he visited her several times, finally convincing her he was madly in love with her and that she should elope with him. She was 15 and a half at the time and flattered by his proposal and agreed to do it, being convinced by Wickham that Darcy would not mind. Fortunately the day before they were to elope, Darcy returned to Ramsgate and Georgiana could not keep her news from him. Needless to say, he was outraged, dismissed Mrs. Younge on the spot, giving her a month’s pay, and spent the night, hoping to confront Wickham in the morning when he showed up to pick up Georgiana. He never appeared and Mrs. Younge disappeared. Our investigators subsequently learned Wickham had been a paramour of Mrs. Younge while he was in his last year at Cambridge. Clearly she had set up the initial accidental meeting in Ramsgate and had warned Wickham of Darcy’s arrival so he could disappear without confronting Darcy. Wickham’s goal was undoubtedly Georgiana’s dowry of £30,000. Our investigators also learned Wickham was deeply in debt, mostly from his addiction to gambling, and hiding from his creditors.”

  “The ordeal has been devastating to Georgiana and has been kept secret to this point, but we are expecting Wickham may ask for money to keep it quiet. However, as I said, we have been investigating his activities for the last few years and have found that he had continued his profligate ways and has a penchant for young girls. I swear all I have told you is true and Darcy and I wanted to be sure you knew of the danger he posed, because we would feel very bad if Wickham took advantage of one of your sisters or friends.”

  Elizabeth had become more and more upset as the story unfolded and did not know what to say. She had been so sure about the goodness of Wickham, but she was absolutely sure of Col. Fitzwilliam’s integrity, and he would never have said such a thing about his cousin and ward, if it were not true. Once again she thought back on her interactions with Wickham and could not understand how she had been taken in by him on so little acquaintance. She had accepted him without question and she knew her acceptance of him had been at least partially responsible for his acceptance by her neighbors.”

  “Miss Elizabeth. Are you well? You look white as a sheet.”

  Elizabeth realized she had been standing still saying nothing for quite some time. “I am sorry Colonel; your narrative has shocked and frightened me. I can tell you are telling the truth and it makes me realize how ignorant I have been. I let my pride lead me to prejudice toward Mr. Darcy because of things he said about me when I first saw him. I allowed that to blind me to Mr. Wickham’s inappropriate behavior and Mr. Darcy’s good traits. I wanted to believe bad things about Mr. Darcy and was totally taken in by Mr. Wickham. I am heartily ashamed.”

  “I assure you, Miss Elizabeth, Wickham is a master of his art. If you have never been exposed to such smooth deception before, it is very difficult to not be taken in. By the way, I hope you will keep what I have told you about him and Georgiana to yourself. We have worked very hard to keep it a secret.”

  “Be assured I will and I thank you for being willing to come and enlighten me about him. I do hope I would have seen through him eventually, but who knows what damage he would have done by then. Now I am most anxious to warn my family about him. Is there more you wish to tell me?”

  “Yes and I believe we should be starting back. I will tell you as we walk.”

  They turned around and started to retrace their steps. “I wanted to reiterate to you that Darcy is very sorry about your sister. As I believe Darcy told you, has been protecting Bingley from predatory females for three years and honestly believed he could see no special regard for Bingley in her demeanor. In his defense, Darcy did not realize the enormity of the task he was taking on when he agreed to sponsor Bingley in the ton and he has become extremely protective of him, perhaps overly so, since the first debacle Bingley had with a young lady. It cost Bingley much money and both he and Darcy much embarrassment. I know not how serious Bingley was about your sister, but I assure you Darcy was only trying to look out for his friend as he had in the past. I know Darcy is concerned he has been wrong and has deprived not only your sister, but his friend, of true love. I can guarantee you that despite the wall between the two of you, he will speak to Bingley and if he decides Bingley still has affection for your sister, I am sure Darcy will try to convince Bingley to return to Netherfield.”

  “Colonel, I tossed and turned all night and thought over much of what Mr. Darcy told me about his opinion of my sister’s relationship with Mr. Bingley and I finally had to admit he had some justification to his opinion. Mrs. Collins had once warned me, when she saw Jane with Mr. Bingley, that she did not think Jane was displaying her interest in Mr. Bingley to the extent necessary, and I dismissed her contention as not being true, but in retrospect, I can see it may have been. I now believe Mr. Bingley would not have left if he had been more certain of her true feelings. However, it was much easier for me to blame Bingley’s sisters and Mr. Darcy, whom I disliked, than my beloved sister and Mr. Bingley, whom I liked.”

  They walked on in silence for a while, and then, as they were nearing the end of the path, Col. Fitzwilliam said, “Oh yes, I wanted to mention one other thing. I went by Hunsford Cottage this morning, thinking to find you there and if not, to ascertain where you stayed in London while you were there in case I could not find you this morning. Darcy and I have decided to leave today. I was told you stayed with your Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in Cheapside, and when Mrs. Collins mentioned something about you often helping them at their bookstore, it suddenly came to me who they were. They are the owners of the Reader’s Home Bookstore and the Wine, Tea, and Coffee shop next door to it. Your aunt and uncle are well known to my family. Darcy, my sister, my parents, Lord and Lady Matlock, and I all buy all our books at the their bookstore; Georgiana buys all of her music there, and my father and his good friend Lord Monttard are invested in your uncle’s import/export business.”

  “Your parents are Lord and Lady Matlock? That is an amazing coincide
nce. I have not met them, but my aunt and uncle often speak of them. Your mother is helping my aunt start a home for homeless young women, an endeavor with which I will be involved when I return to London. And Lord Monttard is not just invested in my uncle’s business, his shipping line is the primary shipping line my uncle uses to ship and receive goods. I sometimes help my uncle in his office and have many times recorded the name of Lord Henry Dumont, Baron of Monttard. All of this coincidence makes me think it may be difficult for Mr. Darcy and me to avoid each other in the coming years, particularly if Mr. Bingley weds my sister.”

  As they were exiting the woods, he tipped his hat to her. “I will leave you here so that no one from Rosings will see we have been walking together. I have already said my farewells to the Collins’. I wish you well, Miss Elizabeth and hope we can meet again.”

  As he walked away, Elizabeth thought to herself, “As do I, Colonel. I also hope Mr. Darcy can at least learn to accept my company sometime in the future. I know not how I can apologize to him, but I would like the opportunity.”

  Chapter 3: Revelations

  Shortly after Col. Fitzwilliam and Darcy entered their coach and started the trip from Rosings Park to London, Darcy asked, “How did your visit to the Collins’ household go? Did you see, Miss Elizabeth, and did you get her address in town?”

  “I did and accomplished more than I had intended. When I arrived at the house, Miss Elizabeth was not there, but had just left for a walk. I spoke briefly with the Collinses and learned two things of interest: Miss Elizabeth will be leaving for London in three days, and she will be staying there for at least two months. The second thing I learned is that her uncle is Mr. Gardiner, who happens to own Gardiner Import/Export and more importantly, the Reader’s Home Bookstore.”