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“To own the truth,” Wickham said, “I am aware that the second eldest Bennet daughter, Miss Elizabeth, has been a guest of your aunt Lady Catherine’s vicar—that ridiculous Mr. Collins.” Wickham smiled in remembrance of his time spent in company with Elizabeth. He went on to say, “Miss Elizabeth is a charming woman, dare I say a tease as well, although she hides her motives better than her silly sister. I am also aware of you being in Kent. Perhaps you became caught up in Miss Elizabeth’s spell. As it was with your own sister, you now feel compelled to rescue her sister.”

Wickham knew his former friend too well not to know how affected he was by this assertion. “That is it, isn’t it, Darcy? You fancy yourself in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Well, I wish you better luck with that one than I enjoyed. On the other hand, you do find yourself in possession of a rather large fortune, which must surely eliminate any objections she might have in giving herself to you. As a point of fact, I believe you ought to be thanking me for what I have done in sullying her sister. Indeed, I have spared you the burden of marrying Elizabeth Bennet. What with her family’s disgrace, you can claim her as your mistress. Just think of all the money you will save. No doubt, such an arrangement will suit your cousin Anne perfectly well. That is to say nothing of the vast holdings that will be firmly under your control once you marry her. She might even allow you to move your lovely mistress into one of your homes along with all your little bastards.”

Darcy’s unyielding temper, which Wickham also knew all too well from firsthand experience, flared. He marched to where Wickham stood and grabbed him by the throat. When Darcy drew back his tight fist, Wickham covered his face with both hands. The last thing he needed was a sharp blow that might mar his good looks.

“What are you doing to my Wickham? Take your hands off of him!”

Both gentlemen looked around and saw a young woman strut into the room. Darcy had not expected to see a stout, well-grown girl adorned from head to toes in the finest riches money could buy. Could this be Miss Lydia Bennet?

Darcy released Wickham with force. Recovering himself, Wickham dashed to where the young lady stood. “Lydia! Where on Earth have you been, and what did you do with my money?”

“Oh, Wickham, you cannot possibly have thought that I would get married without a proper wedding trousseau. I spent the best part of the morning with the dressmaker, poring through all the fashion magazines, and when I was not doing that, I was busy picking out satins and linens and ribbons and laces—oh, and bonnets! I must have ordered at least a dozen bonnets. How jealous all my sisters will be when they see all my beautiful things; and the best part is that I’ll be a married woman, and I will not be obliged to share any of it with them. Just look at this lovely bracelet.” She held out her arm for inspection. “It is merely a trinket in comparison to some of the other fine jewels I ordered.”

“All of these useless things must have cost me a fortune!”

Lydia giggled. “Oh, more than that I assure you.”

“Where is the rest of my money?”

The young woman smiled. “As luck would have it, an intelligent looking gentleman approached me on the street as I was leaving the dressmaker, and he told me about a grand scheme to earn a fortune. But he impressed upon me that I must act without delay for if I did not the opportunity would pass us by.”

“Lydia, you silly chit! I hope you gave the gentleman no mind and instead went on about your business.”

“Indeed, I did not. The gentleman asked me how much money I had to invest in his scheme, and I told him. He said it was not nearly enough.”

“Thank heavens! Hand over whatever remains of my money this second,” Wickham demanded.

“That I cannot do,” she cried.

“Why ever not?”

“Well, the kind gentleman advised me that he would gladly take whatever sum of money I could give him, and he would make up the difference with his own funds. What is more, he assured me that he would give me every shilling of the proceeds. How could I possibly resist such a promising proposition?”

Wickham’s mouth gaped. “You handed everything over to someone on the street whom you had only just met? How could you be so … so⁠—”

“The gentleman may indeed have been a stranger at first, but look! He handed me his card. Oh, Wickham! Are you not so very proud of me?”

He snatched the card from her hand. Quickly perusing it, he crumpled it in his hand and tossed it across the room. “Do you know what you have done?”

“La! I have done a splendid thing, no doubt.”

His eyes burning with rage, he yelled, “Why did you take all of my money?”

“Silly, Wickham,” she squealed. “Need I remind you again that a lady dare not dream of getting married without a proper wedding trousseau? My mama would be terribly disappointed were she to suppose I went without all the essential things. How was I to know how much money I would need to acquire all the necessary things? I declare it is a very good thing for me that I had so much money at my disposal. Madame St. Claire remarked on what excellent taste I have, and she was most helpful in informing me of all the essentials that I neglected to recall on my own. Mind you, many of my purchases are to be specially made. I told Madame St. Claire that I have not a moment to delay, and she promised me that everything will be ready three days hence.”

“At least there is still a chance to put a stop to things and recover some portion of the money from the bulk of your wasteful spending.” Wickham grabbed the young woman by the arm. “You, young woman, are coming with me to get what is left of my money!”

Darcy, who had watched the unsettling exchange between the two with a disturbing mixture of disgust and dismay, intervened. “You are not going anywhere just yet. Not before I have had a chance to speak with Miss Bennet about what she has done.”

The high-spirited young woman wiggled her arm free from Wickham’s loose grip. “Do I know you, sir?”

“You might consider me an acquaintance of your family’s. I have spoken with your aunt and uncle Gardiner here in town. You ought to know how your behavior has been the means of throwing your relations’ lives into utter chaos, threatening to ruin your family’s name, and exposing them all to scorn, derision, and disdain. You must allow me to bring you to them as the first step towards salvaging whatever is left of your virtue and their respectability.”

Lydia placed her hand over her lips. “La! I am happier than I have ever been in my life living here with my Wickham. Soon, he and I will be married. It is what my mama has always desired for me—to be married to an officer. Not only will my Wickham and I be exceedingly happy, but we shall also be so very rich. That nice gentleman to whom I handed over all that was left of our money promised me.”

“Lydia, you fool,” Wickham shouted. “Are you too daft to realize all of my money is gone forever?”

Lydia gasped, no doubt taken aback at being spoken to so rudely by her lover.