When Mrs. Bingley returned with a tray with tea and biscuits, her husband had sent her away. “Thank you, my dear, but this is not a social call. Serious business is being conducted here.” That scene had been worked out in advance, and Hannah had not even bothered to put tea in the teapot.
“Where is Mr. Wickham and when will I see him?” Lydia asked. She did not like this at all. He reminded her too much of her finger-wagging Aunt Susan, who was unhappy with everything Lydia had ever done.
“Wickham left his regiment without the permission of his senior officer, and there are matters in that regard that needed to be sorted. Additionally, he left Brighton with a young lady, who was not his wife, but who was a guest in the home of his colonel. It was a gross violation of the military code of ethics as well as common decency.”
“But that was only because Wickham is so in love with me. Surely, Colonel Forster will understand that as he also is in love with a young woman.”
“I can assure you Colonel Forster does not understand how one of his officers, whom he trusted to come into his home, could initiate secret meetings with a young lady under his protection, which has resulted in great damage to her reputation.”
“But I have done nothing wrong. I know what people might think, but once I explain that Wickham and I never did anything, they will understand.”
“If you believe that to be the case, Miss Lydia, then you have a higher opinion of mankind than I do. My experience is that most people are quite willing to believe the very worst about others. You will have a hard time convincing your acquaintances and relations that although you were gone for more than two weeks and had lived in a boardinghouse with a man without being married, you remain a maiden.”
“But I am,” Lydia said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “It was because we were waiting for Wickham to get the money to buy my wedding clothes. That was what was taking so long.”
“My wife tells me you have placed a great deal of importance on your wedding clothes. For the sake of argument, let us say you are accoutered from head to toe to your satisfaction. You go to the church and are married, and when you walk down the church steps and get into a hackney, where do you tell the driver to take you?”
Lydia was practically squirming. She had not thought about anything past the wedding ceremony. Where would they go?
“First, we should go to my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner’s. They are excessively fond of me.”
“Still?”
“Of course, Uncle Gardiner is my mother’s brother.”
“As you say, Mr. Gardiner is your mother’s brother, and as such, you have caused his sister great anxiety. In addition to that, he has neglected his family and business in his efforts to find you. I cannot imagine him welcoming with open arms the man who was responsible for wreaking havoc with the emotions of the Bennet and Gardiner families.”
“Well, it will only be for a few days before we go to Longbourn.”
“If you imagine a warm welcome there, I think you will be disappointed. Your father spent many days in London looking for you. He returned home in despair, fearing he would never see his youngest daughter again and that he had lost you to a man who violated every law of decency.”
“But I will explain it was only because we are so in love that we did these things. In time, all will be forgiven.”
“One can hope. However, you cannot expect your father to allow such a man to stay in his home for any length of time as he would be a constant reminder of the disruption he has caused his family. And you have another problem. Since Wickham, at Colonel Forster’s insistence, must leave the militia, I am curious as to what you will live on.”
“We have more resources than you think, Mr. Bingley,” Lydia said, smiling weakly. “Mr. Wickham is the natural son of a very wealthy man, and it is his intention to claim his share of the inheritance.”
“Really? And who told him that natural sons are entitled to a share of an inheritance? There is nothing in the law that requires it.”
“But his son is such a man that he will do what is right.”
“May I ask who this gentleman is?”
“If you promise it will not leave this room, as Wickham would be very unhappy with me if he knew I had told anyone.” Bingley gave her no assurances, but she decided to tell him anyway. “It is Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.”
George Bingley leaned forward in his chair, so that he might get closer to a young woman whose ignorance of how the world worked was staggering. “My dear, do you know what the term ‘slander’ means?”
“It is when someone tells a lie.”
“Yes, it is a lie, but one told to others to the point where it damages another’s reputation. You have just repeated a slander against Mr. Darcy. We know who Wickham’s father was, and he was not Mr. Darcy. So if you or Wickham should repeat this, you will be sued by the Darcy family, and when you are found guilty, you will go to prison.”
For the first time since she came into the room, Lydia truly looked frightened. Wickham had assured her that the elder Mr. Darcy was his father, and that the younger Mr. Darcy would see them right. What would they do now?
“In light of all of this, I would suggest you return to your parents and hope for a new beginning. Wickham is a man completely without principle, and he will cause you great heartache if you should marry.”
“But you don’t know the real George Wickham. He is very kind and attentive, and he loves me so much that he was willing to risk everything to be with me.”
Mr. Bingley laughed, which sent a chill down Lydia’s spine. “He risked very little, my dear. It was you who risked everything. I shall say no more as your uncle will be here shortly to bring you to their home. I hope they can talk sense into you as the man you call ‘my dear Wickham’ is a seducer, a gamester, a liar, and a profligate, among other things. A leopard cannot change its spots, Miss Lydia, not even for you.”
When Darcy went to George Bingley’s office, he expected to discuss his old enemy’s demands, but Bingley made it clear that Wickham was not in a position to demand anything.
“If for no other reason, Wickham must cooperate with us, or he will be before a magistrate with regards to his outstanding debts quicker than he can say ‘Jack Frost.’ Marshalsea Prison is an unpleasant place on the best of days, and there are very few of those.”
“Have you received instructions from Mr. Bennet?” Darcy asked. “Is he insisting that Lydia marry?”
“It is my understanding that it is her father’s hope that she will return to her family unmarried. However, Mr. Bennet has signed a power of attorney giving Mr. Gardiner complete discretion in this matter.”
“Please advise Mr. Gardiner that I shall do whatever is necessary to assist Miss Lydia if she foregoes marriage. I own a small estate in Hampshire where she might live until the storm passes. Money is not an issue; all her needs will be met.”
“That is very generous of you, Mr. Darcy, but from the conversation I had with the young lady, I believe a marriage will take place.”
“Where is Wickham?”
“In Brighton, where he had unfinished business. As discussed, Wickham will go into the regular army. A commission has been purchased in a regiment quartered in the north of England, and the colonel is a childhood friend of mine and is known for his discipline. Wickham will find life in the army to be very different from the militia. We are in a time of war, so if he thinks he can up and leave his regiment as he did in the militia, he will quickly come to realize his error. Deserters are hunted down and punished. All of this will be made clear to Wickham.”
Darcy was then shown a document drafted by George Bingley and the Darcy family solicitor in which a trust was to be established for Lydia Bennet with funds provided by Mr. Darcy. The conditions for any withdrawal in excess of a designated monthly allowance were stringent, and anything out of the norm required the approval of Mr. Stone, the executor of the trust.