Page 26 of Cousin Elizabeth
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam and his batman Sergeant Ratcliff rode all night and morning to reach Ramsgate before tragedy could befall his ward. When he got his hands on ‘Henry Blake’, his own brother, he….well…he was not sure exactly what he would do other than punch him right in the face and break his pretty nose.
Theo Fitzwilliam had gotten a late start that morning. He had slept well for the first time in weeks. Seeing Wickham hauled off, and likely never to be seen again, had left him feeling peaceful and oh so tired. It was now eleven in the morning, and he had just knocked on the door of Seaview Cottage, when he heard horses galloping up the road. “Richard!” He was happy to see his brother. He’d enjoy telling him all about Wickham.
Richard saw his brother standing in front of Seaview Cottage with a big smile on his face and waving at him. ‘What?’ He knew his brother well. If he was being caught doing something he should not, he always gave it away by standing up straight and looking haughty. He had not seen his brother smile like that in ages. He slowly got off his horse and looked at his brother with suspicion. “What are you doing here Theo? Father sent you off to Rosemont.”
“Now that is a story for the ages, brother! I received a note from Reggie that Wickham was here. I’ll tell you what happened to him when we are alone. I just came to check on our cousins.”
Just then the front door was opened by the butler. He saw Colonel Fitzwilliam and raised his brow at the well-dressed man standing slightly in front of him.
“Riley, my brother Viscount Rosemont. Is Miss Darcy at home?”
“She is staying with the Bennets at the moment. We do not know when she plans to return. Would you like to come in and refresh yourself? Shall we make your room ready?”
“Yes, please make my room ready, and take my brother to the parlor and serve him tea. Just tea. Ratcliff will be in shortly.”
Richard did not know what to think. Theo and Wickham had been fast friends for years, but they had a falling out some months ago. No one in the family knew what it was about, but their father’s investigator said they were no longer seen together. He needed more information, but most importantly he needed to see his ward, Gigi. There was still paper and ink at the desk in his room. He dashed off a note and handed it to a footman to deliver to Rock House, then cleaned up so he could go down and interrogate his brother.
Theo had been speaking for a good ten minutes before he came to the point. “So, I was down on the docks looking for the last gambling rooms on my list, when a carriage pulls up and Wickham is tossed to the ground by those massive twins who work for Darcy. I watched a couple of sailors haul him up and depart. Then this boy comes up and tells me he’s been impressed and will be off to India, likely never to return! And good riddance to him!”
“So, it was Wickham using your false identity who lost all that money at the gaming hells in London, and the creditors came after you, and you had to sell the greys and your carriage to pay them. Then he came here using the same false identity. Why did you never tell father all of this?!”
“I…Wickham knows some things I would prefer were kept quiet. He threatened me.”
“Were you helping him with the plan to abduct Georgiana?”
“WHAT?! NO! I came here because Reggie said Wickham was here using my false identity again! Wickham was going to abduct Gigi?!”
Either Theo had become a very good actor, or he really did not have any idea their cousin had been in danger. Richard believed him.
“Richard, where is Darcy? Is he with Gigi now?”
“You did not hear about the fires at Pemberley? He had an express come before they were supposed to leave London. He left immediately and I brought Gigi to Ramsgate. Our cousin, Elizabeth Darcy, is staying right down the road with her other cousins, the Bennets, so we figured she’d be safe enough. Now I’m wondering about those fires…”
“We have a cousin named Elizabeth Darcy? Since when?”
“Cousin by marriage, obviously. Where have you been? Mother told you about her. You refused to be introduced.”
“I havebeenin exile! No one in the family writes me. I have been nearly disowned! How would I know what goes on? I do not remember mama asking me to meet anyone…” Theo just looked confused.
“Well, let me catch you up…”
It took about twenty minutes for the brothers to catch each other up. Richard told about the missing Darcy family from America, and Theo explained about all the things Wickham had done using his persona and racking up debts. Wickham and Theo looked just similar enough that George was getting away with it, while Theo was blamed and blackmailed.
“It’s a good thing Wickham is already gone to sea, or I would have run him through. You should have told me, Theo.” Richard grabbed his brother’s shoulder and shook it.
Theo hung his head and nearly cried. He had been so selfish and reckless for so long. When he finally started to see the error of his ways, Wickham threatened him and tried to blackmail him. Theo threatened back and refused to see him again. That was when Wickham took his revenge by starting to use Theo’s false name of Henry Blake. He wracked up thousands of pounds of debt. The creditors found out Theo had used the false name of Blake sinceCambridge and came after him for it. Those creditors were very rough men and would not believe it was not the viscount who had run up the debts. His own father would not believe him, so he sold the greys and his carriage, scraped up all the cash he could get his hands on, and paid the money. The last weeks, he had been at his estate making sure his tenants were taken care of. He had stopped drinking, stopped gambling, stopped chasing loose women, and turned over a new leaf. Now, maybe with Wickham gone, his family would start speaking to him again.
Chapter Twenty-three
When Gigi received the note from Richard, she consulted with Mr. Bennet and Jane first. “Could we invite him here? It is going to be a very long and complicated story. I think everyone who was involved should be there for Richard to question. He will not be satisfied with a partial story.”
“Of course. I will send a note right away. Jane, you should tell cook to expect another person for dinner.”
Within half an hour Richard and Theo were welcomed into the big parlor with the best sea view. It was a warm day, and all the doors and windows were open allowing a pleasant breeze in. None of the Bennets nor Elizabeth Darcy’s party had met Theo, so introductions were made all around. Gigi gave Richard and Theo familial hugs and asked, “Theo, what are you doing here? I thought you were at Rosemont.”
“I heard that Wickham was here, and I came to see he stayed out of trouble. It looks like you and your friends had things well in hand though.”
The next hour was spent with Richard interrogating everyone for all the details. While he was doing that, Theo was trying not to stare at Miss Bennet. What a beauty! She had a serene look most of the time, but fire would flash in her eyes at certain points in the story, and she could look quite severe when the youngest, with the sullen look, became too animated in her part of the telling.
