Lydia was as unintelligent and rash as Darcy remembered, and he was hard put to believe she was related to either of the other Miss Bennets. After his initial confrontation with George, Darcy insisted on seeing Lydia. The insistence was in the form of a polite request, but one which Wickham knew was tantamount to a more dangerously worded order.
Lydia was pleased to meet Mr. Darcy and asked for news from the world. She was dreadfully bored in this London room but still excited about her prospects of marrying George. Darcy was tactful and artful in his arguments, but no amount of skill, logic, or even emotion, could penetrate the stupidity he encountered. Resigning himself to her obstinate nature, Darcy excused himself and addressed Wickham.
It was commanded that the gentleman and lady were to stay where they were until further arrangements were made. Should Wickham decide to vacate the area, Darcy would be immediately informed, and the matter of honour would be settled quietly. This was made clear to Wickham with no room for interpretation.
Darcy returned to his London home and set about designing a plan. His most fond hope was to separate Lydia from George and find a way to repair her reputation or at least limit the damage. Her stubbornness was cause for more trouble than he wished, but he decided her foolishness would become apparent to her in the coming years. If she was so desirous for this man then she would have him; it was at this point that Mr. Darcy set about arrangements for their marriage.
Debt reports would have to be called in, arrangements made for their settlement, Wickham’s commission dealt with, and affairs of Lydia’s entitlement. This solution required more complex arrangements than if Lydia were to come to some semblance of sense and return home; the more detailed plan would require the appearance of propriety and honourable intentionality of those involved. In the end, it was an interesting test of the current network Darcy was overseeing.
Wickham was made aware of the plans, and his displeasure was as apparent as it was irrelevant. Darcy applied to the scoundrel for a full accounting of his debts which were to be verified by financiers. Discrete runners were sent to villages that were unfortunate to have received Wickham recently, and an accounting of his debts in those locations was also collected.
Arrangements for the release of the commission were completed, and the official paperwork was dated and misaddressed. Apologies were sent to the regiment in Brighton for the confusion in hopes the clarification would allay any fears of misconduct. Official seals on the articles would certainly help with the intended effect.
George was very displeased to learn his former childhood friend intended for him to join the regulars; the idea actually shocked him.
“Dear, old friend, the work of the regulars is for the common man. You must have some pity on me and my future bride. Think how she will react to the housing arrangements of the regulars. This is no place for a lady.”
This was the first sign of resistance Wickham had shown to anything recently, and Darcy was not about to let it kindle into anything more. His eyes flared and anger tinged his voice.
“Old friend, I would have you in a jail cell if the situation allowed, under constant guard, and every move monitored or controlled; but I cannot, so I will control you through the regulars. Your silly wife will find sleeping on the ground and bringing her husband meals to be very beneficial to her personality development. Your pay will be adequate and its expenditures counted. If you cannot control your vices, then I shall employ the army to do it for you. And might I add, desertion from the regulars is a death sentence; choosing to disobey my edicts will be less pleasant than that.” And thus ended any resistance by Wickham.
The time came to inform the Bennet family of the arrangements. Darcy chose to approach Mr. Gardiner rather than Mr. Bennet himself; he believed Mr. Gardiner’s disconnection from the affair would allow for calmer consideration of the facts. It took a considerable amount of convincing, but Darcy was victorious in the end, at which point he was much more admirable of the Bennets and the Gardiners.
For Mr. Gardiner, he admired his insistence on assisting Mr. Darcy and for shouldering the financial burden. Mr. Gardiner was a well-to-do merchant and possessed the required finances, if only barely, and the sense of honour to wish to deal with his family’s shame, even if it was his niece and not his daughter. Darcy was hard pressed to convince the man that Wickham’s actions were a result of pride on his own part, and therefore he should shoulder the guilt and the penalty.
Mr. Bennet had impressed Darcy with his resolve, his resources, and his cunning. Elizabeth’s father had learned little of Wickham while in London, but that was in part due to Darcy keeping information from him. There had been more than one report of opposing inquiries into the location of Wickham, and Darcy had them traced back to Mr. Bennet. What Darcy found admirable was the skill and methods used for the inquiries; these seemed at odds with the expected skills of a simple country gentleman, but Darcy could spend little time in contemplation of their meaning.
The Gardiners, now with an understanding of the arrangements, were happy to take over the operation and insisted Mr. Darcy should rest. With the subtle and covert arrangements completed, all that remained was for the actual social niceties of the wedding and the proper arrangements between families. Darcy, being impressed with the skill and understanding of the Gardiners, quit London and returned to Pemberley for a relaxing visit with his sister and guests. He did not intend to return until the wedding day was fixed.
The wedding day did eventually arrive, and Darcy stood in the church with Wickham; it was a small affair consisting primarily of the wedding couple, the Gardiners, and Mr. Darcy. As the vows were exchanged, Wickham looked about as if searching for an escape. His displeasure was barely noticeable, and his smile ever present; except when his eyes met an individual in the church who returned his gaze with steely determination. Mr. Darcy, being no fool, had placed his people throughout the church in line of sight of any direction Wickham chose to turn. Over one shoulder he encountered Miss Dache, another direction was a man polishing a crucifix while glaring at the groom, even the altar was occupied by an altar boy who appeared menacing to George.
The wedding concluded and congratulations were given to the bride and groom; the former wishing her family were in attendance and that the affair had not been so small. With a sigh of relief, Darcy then reminded Wickham of the future arrangements. He was to visit his new parents, be polite, enjoy what little time he had, and then report for his assignment within a month. Wickham agreed and then assumed his normal jovial attitude, smiled to his new wife, and proceeded to act as if he were the happiest, luckiest man, in all of England. Darcy shook his head and whispered to himself regarding the brazen display of bravado.