Amanda Grange - Wickham’s Diary

'You seem to hate him. Has he injured you so badly?' she asked, looking at me closely.

'Oh. Yes, he has injured me very badly, and in very many ways,' I said, my mood darkening. 'As a boy he treated me as a servant, someone who would spend my life waiting on him, and then when we were grown he was always trying to tell me how to behave, until at the end he destroyed my life entirely by robbing me of my living.'

'Why? How did he do that?' she asked, agog.

'By refusing to honour the express wishes of his father. The old man had liked me very much and he had provided for my by giving me a good education and then leaving me a living in his will...'

'You don't mean a religious living?' she asked in astonishment.

'Yes, I do,' I said. 'It was a very valuable one at that, with a gentleman's residence attached to it, a very fine rectory in large grounds, and a good income. But Darcy refused to honour his father's wishes. Can you believe it, Belle, the self-righteous prig told me I wasn't fit to hold the living and that therefore I must do without it?'

She burst out laughing.

'Oh, George, I'm sorry, but really it is too ridiculous! You! A clergyman! Standing up in church, giving sermons, and telling other people how to live their lives!'

'I would have made a very good clergyman,' I said, annoyed. 'I can give a sermon as well as anyone else, yes, and tell them what to do, too. I can do everything else the clergy do as well. I can eat too much and drink too much and collect my tithes... but the living was denied me,' I ended bitterly.

'Ah yes, I remember now, I seem to think I heard you talking about it. But I thought you said you gave it up in return for some money?'

'I gave it up temporarily,' I said, 'being in low funds and needing something on account with which to pay my bills. But when it became vacant—'

'—And you found you needed some money again—'

'—I said that I was ready to take it. Darcy refused to give it to me, even though

he knew my situation was desperate and even though I asked him for it several times. At last I gave up asking for it and we have not spoken since.'

'And now you are in a position to secure your future by running away with his sister,' she said slowly.

'With your help, yes, I am. I will have a good living, far better than the one he refused me, because I will not have to do anything for it: no reading or writing of sermons, no dressing soberly and pretending to care about everyone in my parish. Well, Belle, are you still going to help me?' I asked her, putting my bad humour aside and turning towards her with a winning smile.

'Of course I am,' she said. 'Never you mind, George, what's done is done, and you're right to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past. I'll help you catch your heiress, and gladly.' I squeezed her hand and she smiled at me. 'She's a lucky girl. I only wish I had a fortune and then I'd marry you myself. You're a handsome man, George, and you know how to make yourself attractive to a woman. It will be easy. I will help you by encouraging her romantic notions—'

'Let her read Romeo and Juliet.'

'A good idea. And I will talk to her about the romance of elopements: a carriage ride through the night, the moon up above, a rosy-cheeked blacksmith in Gretna Green, and a marriage over the anvil. Two people plighting their troth, making their vows to each other in a private ceremony that celebrates everything that is real and good without all the fuss of a society wedding, where half the people do not even know the bride and groom. I might even tell her that I eloped myself, and that I never regretted it, because the memories are amongst my most cherished.'

I smiled at her.

'It must be fate that brought you to me again,' I said. 'I don't mind telling you, Belle, I thought I was done for. I had no money and no chance of getting any. But now, the future looks rosy again.'

'I reckon fate brought you to me again, too. I was feeling restless and beginning to wish I'd never taken on the job as a companion; it was too staid for me. But you've injected some fun into it. You always were fun, George,' she said, leaning forward to display her ample bosom and then brushing my cheek with her hand. 'What do you say? Once more, for old times' sake?'

'You know I could never resist you,' I said, catching her hand and kissing it.

'I have a set of rooms just round the corner.'

She gave me the address and then she left. I waited a few minutes and then I followed her and we resumed our happy friendship.

I went to the tailor's today to order a new coat and then stopped at the jewellers to buy a diamond pin for my cravat. I had to go to the less fashionable establishments where I was not known, otherwise the shopkeepers would never have given me credit, but what do I care about such small matters now? All that was in the past. Before long I will have credit everywhere again, not only as a wealthy man. courtesy of his wife's fortune, but also as a member of the Darcy family. What a wonderful thing fate is! Not only is it going to bring me a wealthy bride, it is going to make me Darcy's relation. In a few weeks time, he will no longer be able to regard me as a servant; he will have to call me his brother-in-law!

I had a letter from Belle this morning. She and Georgiana are settled in Ramsgate. As they do not know anyone, there will be no danger of anyone seeing me paying my addresses and no one to interfere. Darcy has no plans to visit, being too busy with business at the moment, and so it is time for me to put my plan into action. I am looking forward to it. Revenge and riches! What more could a man want? The summer promises to be an interesting one.

A fine day, exactly the sort of day I wanted, with a smiling sea, a gentle breeze, a blue sky and white clouds floating across it. The poets themselves could not have designed a better day for my purposes.

At eleven o'clock exactly I set out from my lodgings. At a quarter to twelve, I saw Belle walking along the promenade towards me with her charge. I was elated to see that Georgiana was even more beautiful than I expected. Her figure was light and pleasing, her complexion was clear, her eyes were dark and lovely and her hair was thick and lustrous.

I carried on walking and we drew level and then I feigned a look of surprise and said, 'Why, if it isn't Georgiana! Or Miss Darcy I should say.'

I turned the full force of my charm on her and she exclaimed, 'George!'

The delight in her voice went straight to my heart, or I should say, straight to my pocket.

Belle, playing her part magnificently, said to Georgiana, 'Do you know this gentleman, Miss Darcy?'

'Oh, forgive me, Mrs Younge. Of course you do not know him, but yes, I do. I should not have spoken to him if we were not acquainted, I do assure you. This is...'

'Mr George Wickham, at your service, ma'am,' I said, making Belle a low bow.

'An old friend of the Darcys.'

'Oh!' said Belle, her voice warming. 'You are known to Mr Darcy?'

'I am indeed.'

'George grew up with Fitzwilliam,' said Georgiana. Then she hesitated, as though remembering that recently we had not been friends.

Belle took her opportunity, however, and said, 'In that case, you must join us for dinner, Mr Wickham. If you are willing to take potluck we will be honoured to see you. Will we not, Miss Darcy?'

'Oh, yes,' said Georgiana, overcoming her brief anxiety. 'Yes, we will. It is nice to see a familiar face.'

'And a friendly face,' I said to her. Then, turning to Belle, I said, 'Thank you for the invitation. I would be delighted to accept.'

'Then we will see you at six o'clock,' she said.

I bowed and walked on, returning to my lodgings by a circuitous route.

It was not until a few hours later, at two o'clock, that I learned how Georgiana had reacted to our meeting; Belle, on pretence of ridding herself of a headache, had excused herself from her charge and once again taken a walk by the sea.

'Where is Georgiana?' I asked.

'Practising the pianoforte. Have no fear. She will not discover us. She is very obedient and will not venture out of the house without my permission.'

'You did well to seize the moment and invite me to dinner,' I said. 'I saw her wavering and I thought we were undone. Has she said anything to you about me?'

'Yes. She said that she was not sure her brother would like you joining us for dinner because the two of you had argued. I said that she should not trouble herself about it, that men were always arguing about politics or business or world affairs and that it meant nothing. She relented at that and said that the girls at her seminary were often arguing as well, but that the arguments were soon forgotten. Then I sealed the matter by asking her if her father had approved of you and she said that yes, you were a great favourite of his. So I told her that, in that case, she was right to offer you hospitality and extend to you every courtesy. You have only to flatter her a little and look at her appreciatively and the thing will soon be done.'

'Good. The sooner the better. We do not want Darcy ruining our plans. He has no intention of coming here, I hope?'

'He intends to call at the end of the month but not before, so you need not worry about it. By then your work will be done and you will be in Scotland.'