Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Read online

  “My youngest sisters, Lydia and Kitty, being the outrageous flirts that they were, introduced us to Colonel and Mrs. Foster and to all of the officers who had attended the ball. And, as I said before, Lieutenant Wickham was among them.

  “It was the day after that same ball that Elizabeth and Jerome told us that she had just discovered she was expecting their first child due at the end of January. She had miscarried twice during the previous year, so the fact that she spoke of being with child at all made us hope for a more successful outcome this time. That was the one thing Lizzy had always desired.”

  With a fond glance in her sister’s direction and a soft smile, she stressed her point. “Perhaps more than anyone I have ever known, she deeply wishes to be a mother.” Then, furrowing her brow, she continued. “Throughout my courtship, Lieutenant Wickham and one or two other officers would call at Longbourn about as often as Mr. Bingley, and we would try to chaperone as frequently as possible. Indeed, after our engagement in September, Mr. Bingley became a bit more active in trying to curb my sisters’ flirtatiousness, as they would soon be his sisters as well. They thought of it as insouciance. We knew better and were keenly aware of the risks involved.

  “Mr. Bingley and I married in November of that year. When Elizabeth abruptly went into labor at the end of December, almost a month prematurely, the baby’s birth distracted my younger sisters for a while. Although they often visited us at Netherfield without the officers, Lieutenant Wickham and another officer, Lieutenant Sanderson, continued to call on them at Longbourn.

  “My father died in mid-February, and a distant cousin, Mr. William Collins, inherited Longbourn through an entail and promptly turned my mother and sisters out.”

  Georgiana gasped, “William Collins was a curate at Hunsford, the parsonage at Rosings Park, the estate where my aunt, Lady Catherine, and my cousin, Lady Anne de Bourgh, live. The rector, Mr. Grover, was growing quite old when Mr. Collins became the curate shortly after finishing his religious training. My aunt liked him exceedingly, but my Cousin Anne thought him to be a sycophant and was instrumental in seeing that he did not get the living at Hunsford when Mr. Grover died. When the new rector, Mr. Whitehill, was appointed the living, he soon took Mr. Collins’ measure and turned him away with Cousin Anne’s assistance.”

  Clasping her hands below her chin, in part to try to control its quiver, she continued, “Jane, I am so sorry to know that such an odious man had any connection with your family and that he was so heartless as to turn out your remaining family.”

  With the same sadness mirrored in her own face, Jane softly resumed her story.

  “My two youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia, came to live with me and Mr. Bingley at Netherfield, and our third oldest sister, Mary, along with our mother, went to live with Lizzy and Jerome in London.

  “Kitty and Lydia visited with Jerome and Lizzy in London for a couple of weeks, but soon became desirous of returning to Netherfield. Lizzy was never one to be played for a fool, and would not allow them to roam freely in London. Anytime they went out, she insisted they be accompanied by a matronly chaperone and an older footman to look after them.

  “In March, having returned to the neighborhood and Netherfield, and being very unhappy with the rules we had put in place, they consented to an elopement with Lieutenant Wickham and Lieutenant Sanderson.”

  Georgiana could scarcely believe what she was hearing. She bounded from her chair, barely able to breathe. Her thoughts screamed in her head, “Am I the reason for all of the torment Wickham inflicted on Jane and Elizabeth’s family? Did I cause all this?”

  She knew that it was only in an effort to save her reputation that Darcy and Richard had not made known what kind of person George Wickham really was. “If his character had truly been made public, surely this could not have happened,” she thought, remorse flooding her mind. Somewhat surprised by the vehemence of Georgiana’s behavior, and since she knew nothing of this history, and Georgiana said nothing aloud, Jane continued.

  “We were awakened by Colonel Foster beating on our door sometime after midnight to discover that both Lydia and Kitty were missing from their bedchamber. Mr. Bingley dressed quickly and accompanied Colonel Foster and several of his men as they raced along the road that led from Meryton to London. They soon found both Kitty and Lieutenant Sanderson.”

  Looking from Mrs. Wyatt to Georgiana, she lowered her eyes and spoke with a slight catch in her voice. “They were at the bottom of a steep ravine where their carriage had careened and run off of the side of the road. Both were dead. Mr. Bingley and Colonel Foster searched the surrounding neighborhood looking for Lydia and Wickham, but they were not to be found.

  “Colonel Foster and a few of his men returned with Mr. Bingley to Netherfield with Kitty’s body while the others continued their search for the pair as far as the outskirts of London.”

  As if to gather the wherewithal to go on, Jane paused and gently stroked Elizabeth’s hand with so much love that it was almost palpable.

  “Colonel Foster later discovered that Wickham and Lydia were lost in one of the worst parts of London. Early one morning about two weeks later, an indolent and filthy youth knocked on the door of Jerome and Lizzy’s house saying that he had a note to deliver directly to the master of the house. The butler directed the boy to a small private sitting room and had two footmen wait with the youth while he went to find Jerome. When he came into the room, the youth handed him a note and, in a simpering manner, said that he was to wait for an answer.

  “Jerome took the note, read it, and left the sitting room. He forthwith sent a footman to ask that Mr. Stanley Fleming come immediately to his house and then went to talk to Lizzy. The note stated that for £3,000 Wickham would direct them to where Lydia could be found.”

  “£3,000,” thought Georgiana, “that is exactly the amount that Wills paid him for the living at Kympton.”

  Jane continued: “Lizzy tried to put her emotions aside and to think of a reasonable way to handle the situation, but she could not. Through their business association, Mr. Fleming had become a friend to both Jerome and Lizzy, and he knew of the tragic happenings with our younger sister. He suggested that they write a response letting Wickham know they would pay the ransom and include a possible meeting place for the exchange. He knew that Wickham would want a meeting place of his own choosing, so there would probably be at least one other note to provide alternate directions for whatever place he selected.

  “Mr. Fleming knew a network of ragamuffin street urchins who live near the docks that he wished to hire to follow the youth as he returned the note to Wickham. Jerome and Lizzy agreed to both plans. After the response was written, and the youth set off, the street urchins followed him through the underbelly of one of London’s poorest and most undesirable neighborhoods to find where Wickham was thought to be living. It was in some rundown sort of hotel owned by a reprehensible woman named Mrs. Younge.”

  “Mrs. Younge!” The scream echoed through Georgiana’s mind. She was having great difficulty controlling her emotions. White bursts of light blurred her vision and a looming darkness threatened her consciousness. Emotional bands sought to constrict the flow of air to her lungs. But she knew that she had to hear the end of the tale.

  “When the street urchins returned with the information on Wickham’s location, and over Lizzy’s protests, Jerome took £3,000 from his safe, placed it in an envelope, and tucked it into the interior pocket of his greatcoat. Then along with Mr. Fleming and a couple of Mr. Fleming’s associates who worked at the docks, he went to the hotel. They found Wickham at one of the small tables in the very back of the hotels dining area. Having anticipated that his messenger may have been followed, he was eating with one hand and holding a pistol aimed at the front door with the other.

  “As Jerome advanced slowly into the room with Mr. Fleming by his side, the two associates from the docks each stepped to either side of the door and slowly edged along the wall, stopping short of Jerome’s position.<
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  “Wickham waved his gun in Jerome’s direction and the men came to a stop. Looking from him to the others in the room and then back, he simply said, ‘So you decided to advance the meeting date did you? Did you also bring the money?’

  “Over Mr. Fleming’s objection, Jerome took the envelope from the pocket in his greatcoat and, holding it just out of reach of Wickham’s hand, he asked, ‘Where is Lydia?’

  “Wickham smirked and said, ‘Up in our bedchamber, of course,’ as he indicated the stairs with a slight tilt of his head.

  “Then, as Jerome and the two associates turned their heads and looked over to the stairs, Wickham fired his gun and grabbed the money from Jerome’s hand. Mr. Fleming charged him, but he had overturned his table to block the entrance to the hallway as he ran toward the back of the hotel and disappeared.”

  Softly crying, Georgiana almost fell into her chair, while Mrs. Wyatt placed an arm around her shoulders. Jane continued with her story, knowing that if she did not finish now she might not be able to continue later, since feeling more than a little discomfited by the strong reaction she was witnessing.

  “Mr. Fleming went to Jerome, while his two associates quickly found Wickham’s room and Lydia. She had been repeatedly beaten and abused sexually. She lay in her own waste in the bed. Mr. Fleming’s associates quickly wrapped her in an as unsoiled a blanket as they could find and placed her in Jerome’s carriage. One man took her to Lizzy, while the other went for the police and the magistrate.

  “I cannot begin to tell you how Lizzy managed to find the wherewithal, but with Mary’s help along with Mr. and Mrs. Upton, her butler and housekeeper, she dealt with all that she had to face with an inner strength I know I do not have.”

  Hot, fat tears ran down her cheeks unchecked as she continued.

  “When Mr. Fleming’s associate came through Lizzy’s door with Lydia, our mother went into hysterics. Mrs. Upton promptly sent a footman for the doctor, and, looking knowingly at Elizabeth, she took Mother to her bedchamber and assigned a maid to sit with her and quietly keep her out of the rest of the house while Lizzy dealt with Lydia.

  “Having taken one look at Lydia wrapped in that disgusting blanket and knowing that the smell was not coming from the dockworker alone, Mrs. Upton sent a maid to heat and fetch bathwater to the suite of rooms that Lydia had shared with Kitty when they had come to visit in times past. By the time the dockworker who carried Lydia reached her room, one of the maids had spread a thick blanket on top of the bed and he laid her on it.

  “As he turned to leave, with the mixture of compassion and strength that is her trademark, Lizzy placed one hand on each of his forearms, and thanked him profoundly for his help. He simply nodded his head to her and left the room. As they unrolled the blanket from

  Lydia’s body, two of the maids gasped and started to sob, while another barely made it to the chamber pot before retching. When Mary appeared in the doorway, Mrs. Upton watched silently as Lizzy tried to keep our sister from coming any farther into the room. Instead, Mary folded her into an embrace and insisted, ‘Lizzy, you cannot continue to protect us from the horrors of this world forever. I need to help you, and I need to help Lydia.’

  “Resolute as she may have been, though, when Mary turned to look at Lydia, her face paled and her body shook as she quietly sobbed. Steeling herself, she took a pair of scissors from the sewing basket beside one of the two chairs in the bedchamber and began to cut away the filthy clothing.”

  Smoothing her own skirt with her now shaking hand, Jane took a deep breath before she went on.

  “I cannot begin to tell you what she looked like at that time, because neither Lizzy nor Mary would ever tell me. I do know that footmen carried water up to the room for most of the afternoon. It took three full baths before the filth was finally washed from her body and her hair, and she could be nestled under the clean sheets. Mary had wanted to burn the clothing and the blankets, but Lizzy knew that the magistrate would need to see all.

  “As the last basin of bathwater was being removed from Lydia’s room, our Aunt and Uncle Gardiner came with Mr. Fleming as he brought Jerome’s body home. Somehow Lizzy had known that Jerome was no longer alive. She had pulled Mrs. Upton aside shortly after Mary had come into Lydia’s room and asked her to prepare to receive Jerome. Mrs. Upton was beside herself. She and her husband had been taking care of Jerome’s home for more than ten years, and they both cared a great deal for him. What is more, they cared even more for Lizzy and the baby. Mrs. Upton had hoped almost beyond hope that Lizzy was incorrect about Jerome, but deep in her heart, she felt that something was wrong when he did not arrive with our sister. Further, the dockworker who had delivered Lydia had not said one word the whole time he was in the house.

  “It was late evening when Mr. Bingley and I arrived at Lizzy’s home. Until that time, I had never known my own strength.”

  Raising her voice slightly and looking directly at Georgiana, Jane explained: “Lizzy has always been the strength in our family. Father and Mother often failed us in one way or another, but even from an early age, Lizzy was always our stalwart.” Tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear, she glanced over to where Elizabeth lay, smiled and continued. “She looks so small lying there, but of all of us, she is truly the pillar, such small shoulders for us to depend upon so much.”

  “On this particular day, though, as soon as I looked at Lizzy as I walked through the door, I knew that it was my turn to be the pillar and that, along with Mr. Bingley, I had the strength to do it.

  “I folded her into my embrace, and for the first time that day Lizzy started to cry. In the beginning she sobbed softly. But soon, her entire body began to quake almost violently and she broke into the most wrenching gasps I have ever heard. Mr. Bingley picked her up and carried her to her bedchamber and laid her on the bed. I stayed by her side for a couple of hours, until I thought that she had cried herself to sleep, then I went to Lydia’s room.

  “Mary had stayed behind to be with Lydia, and she rose and came to me as soon as I entered the room. I must admit I was glad, because I seemed to be frozen to the spot, totally stilled by what I saw when I looked at my youngest sister. Her honey golden hair lay across the pillow, but that was all that I could recognize of her. Her full lips, which I had most often seen in a pout, were swollen large with gaping splits in several places. Her eyes, which were always bright and wide, were bruised and swollen shut. It seemed her entire head and neck were covered in bruises in all stages of healing. Some were weeks old, but most looked new, an ugly dark purple in colour. Mary tried to keep me from seeing the rest, but I had to know all that Wickham had done.”

  Georgiana’s face had grown somber, and she realized that she, now, needed to know what Wickham had done just as Jane had on that horrible day. As if to somehow mute the pain, Jane spoke mechanically.

  “With Mary standing beside me, I pulled the bedcover aside. The nightgown in which Lydia was dressed came up to her neck and had long sleeves. I untied the ribbons at the neck and wrists and with the aid of one of the maids pulled the gown over her head and off her body. I almost fell to the floor gasping at what I saw. Her entire body was covered in bruises every bit as menacing as those on her face and neck.”

  Jane could no longer look at Georgiana as she continued, but Georgiana reached over and took both of the young woman’s hands into her own.

  “Deep, ugly, vicious bite marks covered her breasts, down over her stomach, the interior of her thighs and . . .”

  Jane did not have to finish her description. Georgiana folded her into an embrace and gently rubbed her hands up and down Jane’s back in a soothing manner. After a few moments, Jane regained herself and, calmly pushing away, she said, “I do not know if Wickham was personally responsible for the depravation done to Lydia, or if it was those to whom he sold her, but I know that I had never hated anyone until that time. I had never been so shocked in my entire life nor had my sensibilities been so assaulted.”

  With
quiet resolve, she continued, “While the maid redressed and covered Lydia, Mary and I clung to one another for long desperate minutes. As soon as we were able to regain ourselves, we removed to Lizzy’s study, where we were soon joined by our Aunt Gardiner. Mary told us that the doctor who had examined Lydia had been so shaken he could barely say anything, especially after Mrs. Upton showed him the filthy clothing that had been cut from her body.

  “Mary said, ‘Dr. Morton examined Lydia with the utmost care. It seemed that he made himself move with extreme gentleness. The examination took a long time, and he could not find any broken bones. But he could not be sure about the damage inside her body. He gave me a bottle of laudanum for pain whenever she should wake, but he was gravely concerned for her mental state whenever she did.’

  “I looked from my aunt to Mary as she continued, ‘The doctor also pointed out that she has not had any nourishment for two or possibly three days. Mrs. Upton has been trying to feed her some broth without her choking, but with little success.’

  “Mary stood and paced the study floor as she spoke. ‘Oh, Jane. I fear that she may not want to wake up after what has been done to her.’