Please thank my uncle for his offer of assistance but I believe we have things well in hand. The only matter that troubled me was the matter of my father’s godson, George Wickham—I dare say you will remember him—because, in my father’s will, he spoke of me giving the living of Kympton to George when the present incumbent dies. This I would willingly do, were it not for the fact that George is not suited to the church. My father saw George’s charm and his ease of manner, because that is what George took care to show him, but George has a darker side and I have had ample opportunity to see it during our time at university together.
I have spoken to the family solicitors about the matter and they have reassured me that my father’s will only requested that George be given the living, rather than stipulating that it should be so. It has set my mind at rest on the subject, particularly since I now think more poorly of George than ever. I invited him to the funeral but I had no reply until this morning, when he claimed my letter had gone astray. Since his own letter was clearly a thinly veiled request for money, I told him that my father had left him the sum of one thousand pounds, and I arranged for the amount to be sent to him at once, but I cannot forgive him for not attending the funeral.
He thinks no more of his own father than he did of mine. Old Mr Wickham has been ill for some time and is not likely to live for more than a few months, and yet George never visits him, even though I have repeatedly asked him to. It will be a sad day for the Darcy family and a sad day for Pemberley when old Mr Wickham dies.
I will join you at Fitzwater Park as soon as I have finished with business in London, and then I must take Georgiana home to Pemberley. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of her, and for restoring her to health and happiness.
Your affectionate nephew,
Fitzwilliam
JULY
Lady Adelaide Fitzwilliam to Mr Darcy
Fitzwater Park, Cumbria, July 3
School is a good idea; I will write to all my friends and find out which they think the best for her. She will not need to go at once, however, and we are hoping you will leave her here with us until the end of August at least. When you have finished with your business affairs, then why not spend a few weeks in Cumbria with us before taking Georgiana back to Pemberley?
You need not worry about her education in the meantime, for we are not neglecting it, I assure you. She is playing the pianoforte every day, she sings and dances with her cousins, she sketches and paints and sews, and when she is not doing any of these things she is training Ullswater, who is eager to please and who follows her everywhere. It is charming to see the two of them together.
Your uncle and cousins send their best wishes, and I am
Your loving aunt,
Adelaide
AUGUST
Mr Darcy to Lady Adelaide Fitzwilliam
Darcy House, London, August 1
Thank you for your list of schools; I mean to visit them all. I will be glad of the occupation, for it will help to banish the low moods that come over me from time to time as I think of my father and everything I have lost. But Philip has been a great help to me, and so have all my friends and acquaintances—the ladies in particular.
When they knew I was visiting schools in order to choose one for Georgiana, they all had something to say on the matter; indeed, they all expressed themselves ready and willing to help with Georgiana in any way they could. I never knew that such noble sentiments lurked beneath the surface of so many beauties, for it seems they are all longing to have a sister! If I were inclined to vanity I should think it was my fine person that attracted them, for I hear myself described so everywhere I go, but I suspect that if my fortune dwindled to ten pounds a year, instead of ten thousand a year, my figure would be held to be nothing out of the ordinary.
However, I have been thinking of matrimony, I must admit. I never intended to marry until I was thirty, but now that I am the last of my line I think I owe it to Pemberley not to wait so long, for I find myself worrying about what will happen if I were to die without a child.
The estate is not entailed and so I can leave it where I will, and I have left it to Georgiana. If anything happens to me, I know that she will be well provided for and that she will not have to leave her family home. But the estate would be a heavy burden to her, being so young, and would have to be left in the care of a steward. If Mr Wickham were healthy, then I would not be so concerned: he served my father well, and the estate would be safe in his hands. But his health is precarious and I fear he will not live much longer. Besides, when Georgiana marries she will take her husband’s name and the Darcy name in Derbyshire will die out. And so if I can find a suitable wife I believe I will wed.
I have been looking about me but no one satisfies me. My aunt Lady Catherine has often said that she and my mother betrothed Anne and myself when we were in our cradles, but that is a long time ago and I am persuaded that Anne likes the idea no more than I do. I cannot believe that Lady Catherine is serious in expecting us to carry out the wishes of our mothers, which were formed when we were no more than a few months old.
My father gave a lot of thought to the matter of my marriage and wrote about it at length in his final letter to me, and I owe it to myself, as well as to Pemberley, to take his words to heart. My wife will not only have to be my companion for life, she will also have to be the mistress of Pemberley and a sister to Georgiana, and I have found no one worthy of any of those roles.
Philip understands. As the head of his household he has similar duties, although even he is not in such a precarious situation. He has brothers who are only a few years younger than himself to inherit if he should die without a son, and they would be fully able to run the estate, whereas I do not have such a luxury.
Perhaps you can introduce me to some young ladies in Cumbria. I am sure you must know someone you think might suit me and I hope to join you there next week. Henry intends to travel with me. Now that Spain has made peace with France, he has a brief period of leave. I hope it is not a signal that the coalition is going to collapse. I do not want to see Europe ravaged by more wars, but I fear it is inevitable. We expect to be with you by Wednesday. I am looking forward to seeing you all again, particularly Georgiana. I have missed her.
I am enclosing a note for Georgiana with this letter.
Your affectionate nephew,
Fitzwilliam
Mr Darcy to Georgiana Darcy
Darcy House, London, August 1
Dearest Georgiana,
I will be joining you in Cumbria next week and I will be staying with you for the summer and then bringing you home with me. Your bedroom has been newly decorated with a blue paper and there is a basket for Ullswater, though I hope you have trained her not to water everything! I have missed you and I am looking forward to seeing you again.
Your affectionate brother,
Fitzwilliam