Page 29 of Compromise & Consequence
“He did nothing to break your fall?”
“He did break my fall. With his knee.”
“You know what I meant. I never thought he would be so callous to a lady”
“He did say he had hoped I had stopped throwing myself at him.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam cursed under his breath.
“Even if you did compromise him, he should still behave as a gentleman.”
“I did not compromise him, sir.”
“He begs to differ. Many have tried, but it appears you were the only successful one.”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, you do not know my character, but I can assure you I did not willingly compromise your cousin. Mr. Darcy is the last man on earth I would ever have prevailed upon to marry.”
She felt a mild bemusement at his obvious surprise.
“Does he know this?”
“Would that require him to engage in a civil conversation with me?” The colonel grimaced and then gave an elegant shrug of his shoulder. “You know your cousin well. Since that night, he has been in high dudgeon, making outrageous demands only for the sheer satisfaction of ensuring that I am as uncomfortable, and as unhappy as he is. Sadly, prior to the incident, he had been quite solicitous. Indeed, the night of the incident, when we wereoutside on the terrace, he worried I had become chilled. Then he said the name Wickham, and his whole demeanor changed.”
“Do you know why he said that?”
“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. “You are acquainted with Mr. Wickham?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” The colonel practically growled out his answer.
“Are you aware Mr. Wickham claims your cousin cheated him out of his inheritance?”
“Is he still spreading that old manure?”
“Manure! I may not have believed everything told to me, but I would hazard a guess there were elements of truth to his story.”
“You may be the first person I know who did not fall completely for Wickham’s sad tale of woe.” Colonel Fitzwilliam fixed his gaze on her. “George Wickham was gifted one thousand pounds outright by my Uncle Darcy. Wickham then told my still grieving cousin he did not want to take orders and so, in lieu of the living, accepted three thousand pounds. I was witness to his barely legible scrawl on the legal documents and was surprised there were not drool marks from him salivating over the amount of money he would soon have in his pockets.”
“Four thousand pounds. Such a sum! I did not know.”
“And why would you? Darcy does not spread gossip, unlike Wickham. Did you also know he had the audacity to demand the living when it became vacant?” At the mute shake of her head, he continued. “Knowing that his old childhood friend is a prolific womanizer, Darcy could not in good conscience have him become a rector, so he denied him.”
“I would hope so,” Elizabeth said.
“Now you know why my cousin has nothing good to say about George Wickham.”
“I do, but what has me confused is why he keeps insisting I was somehow involved with Mr. Wickham that night at Mr. Bingley’s ball. He was not even in attendance.”
“You know this for a fact.”
“I do. Lydia was absolutely heartbroken thatdear Mr. Wickhamwas not there to dance with her.”
“My cousin is known for his implacable temper, but once he knows you have no involvement with Wickham, I am sure he will be quite solicitous to your needs and ensure your married life is a happy one.”
“Should he not be solicitous from the advent?” Elizabeth raised her hand to stop him from replying. “Believe in our future marital felicity if you must, Colonel. I know for a fact that his good opinion once lost is lost forever. I expect to live in a cold marriage, made colder by the fact I have to subsist on a paltry sum of money to take care of my needs. Fifty pounds does not go far in this economic climate.”
She had no intention of telling her husband’s cousin that she did not need Darcy’s funds. The colonel seemed sympathetic to her cause, but he was family to Mr. Darcy, not her.
“Fifty pounds a month is extremely generous.”
