Pride Prejudice and Perjury

The Letters

Chapter 10 ~ The Letters

It was but an hour or two past midday when Colonel Fitzwilliam found himself once again at Willowbank. When he was shown into the parlour, the three occupants were surprised to see him, but in little doubt of the business to which his second visit of the day must be due.

“My cousin has requested me to come as his emissary. He apologises for not coming himself, but he judged that at least one of the company would prefer not to see him. He requests that I read you the letter to which Miss Bennet alluded this morning. I am sure you will agree that, given its spurious nature, no breach of confidence can be attached to your hearing it.”

Upon receiving their assent, Colonel Fitzwilliam continued, “The letter is dated the fourth of October, 1812, and was written by George Wickham.”

“George Wickham?” exclaimed Elizabeth in surprise. “It did not occur to me that Mr. Wickham could himself be the letter's author. I thought only that he had come to learn of it. Please continue, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”

“Very well,” said the colonel.

“‘Dear Mr. Darcy,

Being greatly appreciative of the kind pecuniary assistance you rendered by way of assisting me into my recent marriage, I am gratified to find myself in a position of being able to return the favour in some small way, by the provision of some invaluable intelligence.

Please excuse me if I allude to matters which you might wish to remain secret, when I make mention of the prospect of the marriage of a third Miss Bennet – Miss Elizabeth Bennet – to none other than yourself.

Unfortunately, there is no way of stating this with delicacy. To put it as politely as possible: Miss Elizabeth Bennet preceded her younger sister, Miss Lydia Bennet, by some months, in ceasing to be a maiden.

Do you doubt me, Darcy? Of course there is only one way that a gentleman can be absolutely certain in such matters – and the pleasure of that certainty is mine. If you choose not to believe me, you will know the truth to your eternal regret, on your wedding night.

You may well wonder at my desire to enlighten you concerning Miss Bennet's loss of virtue. What reason could there be for my wishing to save you from what, doubtless, would be the greatest disappointment of your life – after all, we are not the best of friends – why would I wish to save you such suffering?

Due to various misfortunes, and much bad luck at the gaming table, I once again find my circumstances to be somewhat distressed, and am hopeful of receiving some small assistance, in appreciation of the exercise of my discretion. I imagine you might be rather anxious to ensure my silence with regard to Miss Bennet.

Even though all thought of marriage to the lady must now be dashed, I imagine that your feelings are such that you would not wish to see Miss Bennet lose her honour in so public and disgraceful a manner. What is my silence worth to you, Darcy? Three thousand pounds is not a great deal for a gentleman of your wealth to save from public disgrace and ignominious scandal, the woman whom once he loved.

You may perhaps even find that, notwithstanding her indiscretion, you still desire the lady. Miss Bennet cannot be entirely blamed for succumbing to the well-practiced wiles of so accomplished a master of the art of seduction as myself. If she can be blamed, it is for being naïve, and foolish enough to believe that we were clandestinely betrothed; and that I truly intended to marry her. She allowed herself to be persuaded that intimacies of the kind we enjoyed were in fact a formal seal of betrothal – which indeed they are at some levels of society – although undoubtedly not amongst those of your elevated rank.

Though marriage to a lady in Miss Bennet's compromised situation can no longer be a consideration, there are other possibilities for a gentleman in your circumstances – she would make you a fine mistress; to that I can most readily attest.

Were you to choose such an arrangement, you would still, I believe, wish me to keep my silence – not to preserve the lady's honour, but rather your own pride. I know you well enough, Darcy, to suppose that you would not wish the world to know that you follow in George Wickham's infamous footsteps.

Yours, etc,

George Wickham'

“I sincerely regret any embarrassment I may have unwillingly caused you,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam, noting the ladies blushing deeply, and staring intently at the floor. Even Bingley did not know where to rest his gaze. At length, Jane rang for tea.

“Mr. Darcy will, I am sure, likewise regret the mortification that this letter must cause you, Miss Bennet; but he believed it to be your right to know what falsehoods have been laid at your door – although, he assures me that until today, he has neither shown the letter, nor divulged its odious contents, to a single soul.”

“How could he have given credence to such slander?” demanded Elizabeth angrily. “What can have been his comprehension of my character that he would believe me capable of such immoral behaviour? Even were the author of the letter the most reputable of acquaintances, he should have dismissed it immediately as nothing more than a scurrilous slur. But to allow his faith in my respectability to be sunk by the testimony of a man whom he knows to be the most unscrupulous of rogues… is simply beyond comprehension!”

“He did not believe it, Miss Bennet; and indeed he has provided me with a copy of the reply which was sent immediately to Mr. Wickham. If you will allow me, I shall read it.

‘Mr. Wickham,

You shall receive not a penny from me. I offer you, instead, my word as a gentleman that should you put about the slanderous falsehoods contained in your repugnant letter, that I shall call you out. You may recall from our younger days that I was more than a match for you with the sword. It will be my pleasure to inflict upon you one final, and well-deserved, defeat.

Fitzwilliam Darcy'

“I think you will agree Miss Bennet, that my cousin's willingness to defend your good name can leave little doubt as to his opinion regarding Wickham's falsehoods.”

“How very noble it was of Mr. Darcy to offer to fight for my honour,” said Elizabeth scathingly, “when all of his behaviour since that time has demonstrated the total absence of the least shred of faith in it!”

“If I may be permitted to read them, Miss Bennet,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam, “there are two further letters, which may explain why my cousin's mind was altered. The first is from Mr. William Collins, the rector of Hunsford; and is dated the fourth of October, 1812.

‘My Dear Sir,

Please allow me to humbly acknowledge the great honour with which I find myself blessed in possessing the privilege of offering what I hope to be not an inconsiderable service to your noble and esteemed self. The honour of the above-mentioned service being greatly augmented, I believe, by your near relationship to my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Having thus dealt with the joy I feel on the occasion of this fortuitous opportunity of rendering you my service, I feel it incumbent upon myself to warn you that you may be displeased with the intelligence that I feel myself obliged to impart; and I beg that you will not blame me as the bearer of unwelcome tidings. As a diligent clergyman, I would never, for a moment, contemplate shirking that, which I know to be my duty, regardless of how it might harm my own self-interest – although I pray, that as a gentleman of the greatest intelligence, you will perceive that I am acting in what I most assuredly believe to be your best interests.

You are probably aware, although perhaps you are not, of my relationship to Mr. Bennet of Longbourn. Mr. Bennet and I are, in fact, cousins. You cannot be unaware, but perhaps you are, that my wife, Mrs. Collins, is the daughter of Sir William Lucas, a near neighbour of Mr. Bennet.

Thus, although my wife and I reside in Kent – which I am certain you must recall since you graciously deigned to visit our most humble abode at Hunsford on more than one occasion during your stay at Rosings Park last spring – in consequence of the above-mentioned connections existing between ourselves and Longbourn, and thereabouts, we are often recipients of reports from that part of Hertfordshire.

My letter concerns two such reports. I will begin with the latter which, as you will soon comprehend, must be mentioned first. The report reached us only a day ago, and it was to the effect that Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn was at the point of betrothal, and that the chosen partner of her fate may be reasonably looked up to as one of the most illustrious personages in this land – viz. yourself, most noble sir.

Naturally, I prepared myself to communicate to you the ineffable delight felt by Mrs. Collins and myself on this joyful occasion, and not least because it would be the means of forging a lasting relationship between ourselves, in consequence of Miss Bennet being the daughter of my cousin, which could only be of the greatest benefit to both our families.

My reason for not despatching these joyous felicitations, apart from the fact that news of the official announcement had not yet reached my eager ears, was on account of the earlier report, some months prior, of which I have already made mention, and to which I must now direct my attention. Though it is most exceedingly difficult for me to speak ill of any relative of mine, the excessive loyalty that I feel to my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and by extension to yourself, as her near relative, requires me to divulge information that I assure you, nothing else could prevail upon me to reveal.

You most certainly cannot be ignorant, although perhaps you are, of the infamous elopement of Miss Lydia Bennet with an officer of the Militia by the name of George Wickham. It was a most shameful business indeed! And though it was eventually patched up, and Mr. Wickham prevailed upon to marry the wicked young lady, as a clergyman I cannot approve. This, by the way, is not the earlier report itself, but merely some additional information pertaining to it, that sets the scene – if you will. The earlier report concerns the same gentleman, George Wickham, and an entirely different lady – Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I hope you take my meaning, most noble sir, when I tell you that it is commonplace knowledge, in the vicinity of Meryton, that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is not a respectable lady, which is to say that she is no longer a maiden – viz. she has lost her virtue. I hope you will not think me impudent when I venture to suggest that it would be entirely inappropriate for any gentleman – most especially one of your elevated rank – to have his revered named joined to that of a Jezebel (please excuse my strong language) such as Miss Bennet.

I once again entreat you, noble sir, to bear me not ill will on account of the nature of the intelligence which I have felt obliged by my office, and all that is owing to my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, to make known to you.

I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your esteemed aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and your cousins, Miss Anne de Bourgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam.

William Collins'

“It is worse, even, than one of his sermons,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam with a smile.

Elizabeth would indeed have laughed at her cousin's clumsy performance and obsequious grovelling, had it not concerned so serious a matter.

“It is distressing,” said Jane, “to witness a clergyman bearing false witness. I wonder what could have induced him to behave in so immoral a manner?”

“His esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” said Elizabeth harshly.

“Surely not,” pleaded Jane. “Can you truly believe that Lady Catherine would ask a clergyman to commit a sin – to bear false witness?”

“Oh yes, without a doubt! Although our stupid cousin probably believed what he wrote in his letter to be the truth. His claim of receiving a report from Hertfordshire that Mr. Darcy and I were to wed is almost certainly true. He wrote as much in a letter to our father. But as to the second report, though it is inferred, he does not explicitly claim to have received it directly from Hertfordshire. I believe he received it from a much nearer source – Lady Catherine, who doubtless obliged him to write of it to her nephew. The absurd language is clearly Mr. Collins', but the subject matter is unquestionably hers.”

“Surely a lady of her rank and position in society could not behave in so unprincipled a manner?” objected Jane.

“Allow me to read the final letter; it may assist you in arriving at the answer to that question,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “It is from my aunt, and is dated the fifth of October, 1812.

‘My Dear Nephew,

A report reached me some days ago that, in all likelihood, you would very soon become engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn.

As a consequence of the connections of my rector, Collins, and his wife, with that part of the country, I was made aware of an infamous elopement, some months ago, between Miss Elizabeth Bennet's youngest sister, and none other than George Wickham – who was ultimately prevailed upon to marry the shameful young woman in a patched-up business, at the expense of her father and uncles.

It is my belief that such disgraceful behaviour must very likely be the consequence of bad blood or a faulty education – or both. Be that as it may, when such frailty exists in one sister, it will, in all likelihood, exist in the others.

I pride myself on being a scrupulously fair-minded person, and would not wish to condemn anyone, simply upon the grounds of association. However, you will readily comprehend my anxiety at your making such a match – if the elder Miss Bennet was, in fact, similarly tainted. I therefore engaged the services of a Bow Street officer who, I had been informed, readily undertook private commissions in addition to his police work.

I asked him to make a private investigation into Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and within a very short time I received a report confirming my worst fears. A liaison had taken place earlier in the year between Miss Elizabeth Bennet and George Wickham. The Bow Street officer assured me that the evidence was incontrovertible, and that the liaison was unquestionably of the most shameful nature.

If the reports of your impending engagement to Miss Bennet are true (and I sincerely hope they are not) then I am sorry if I cause you pain. I take comfort, however, in consoling myself that in so doing, I am saving you from far greater suffering, which would plague you your whole life long.

Yours, etc,

Lady Catherine de Bourgh'

“As you may imagine, Darcy is utterly devastated to discover that our aunt, Lady Catherine, has so shamelessly deceived him. We have known her all our lives, and while we found some of her eccentricities of character disagreeable, we never imagined, for a moment, that she would ever behave immorally. On the contrary, she has always placed great emphasis on honesty and integrity.”

“Your aunt paid me a visit at Longbourn, only days before these letters were written,” said Elizabeth. “Her object was to elicit a promise from me that I would not marry her nephew. I would have refused her impertinent demand regardless of what were my inclinations. Her final angry words were these: ‘Very well. I shall now know how to act. Do not imagine that your ambition will ever be gratified. I came to try you. I hoped to find you reasonable; but, depend upon it, I will carry my point.'

“Having learnt something of my determined character when she made my acquaintance in Kent, Lady Catherine, I believe, anticipated my refusal, and had matters in hand, ready to be employed, in the likely event that she did not receive the promise she demanded of me.”

“What do you mean, Lizzy?” asked Jane. “Surely she had nothing to do with Wickham writing that odious letter to Mr. Darcy; he was simply attempting to obtain three thousand pounds.”

“No,” said Elizabeth, shaking her head. “It is clear that Lady Catherine orchestrated everything, including Wickham's letter.”

“Surely not!” exclaimed Jane.

“Oh, yes!” insisted Elizabeth. “Lady Catherine oversaw the writing of Wickham's letter – and that of Mr. Collins. Lady Catherine was entirely serious, and utterly determined, when she said that she would carry her point. She was obsessed with having Mr. Darcy marry her daughter, who she must have known was not an attractive marriage prospect, except to a gentleman seeking a fortune – something her nephew already possessed.

“I imagine,” conjectured Elizabeth, “that she had her spies – perhaps even a Bow Street officer – maintaining a watch for possible competitors. Caroline Bingley's ambitions would very easily have been discovered. And when Lady Catherine determined that I was also a prospective threat to her plans, she cunningly enlisted Caroline's help. She was probably unaware that Lady Catherine knew of her own ambitions, and believed that she must be furthering them by assisting her Ladyship in discrediting me.”

“Do you think that Caroline was aware of Lady Catherine's hopes that Mr. Darcy would marry her daughter?” conjectured Jane.

“Certainly – otherwise Lady Catherine's determination to prosecute so extraordinary a deception would have made no sense to Caroline – who, I imagine, was equally intent on discovering competitors. Her keen observation of Mr. Darcy very likely convinced her that Anne de Bourgh was not a serious rival.”

“But surely you do not believe that my sister was responsible for the unprincipled stratagem of Wickham writing Darcy that repugnant letter,” demanded Bingley.

“No, not for a minute,” said Elizabeth shaking her head, decidedly. “It was all Lady Catherine's plan. She undoubtedly determined the content of the letter – although the words are Wickham's. Miss Bingley's part was dealing with George Wickham, and persuading him that Mr. Darcy would willingly pay him three thousand pounds. Lady Catherine, at least, would have been well aware of what her nephew's response would be.”

“I wonder if Lady Catherine foresaw that Wickham would demand money to preserve his silence after Darcy refused him?” pondered Bingley.

“I imagine so,” replied Elizabeth, “and had Wickham not demanded money, she would have instructed Caroline to offer it – although, doubtless, it was unnecessary.”

“What? Why would my aunt wish to pay money to Wickham? Her views on charity were hardly liberal,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam.

“To further compromise Caroline Bingley, who was also a threat to Anne,” replied Elizabeth. “Lady Catherine would have had no direct dealings with Wickham; it was all done by Caroline. From what Lydia revealed, it seems that Wickham believed that it was Miss Bingley's money that was purchasing his silence. He was almost certainly ignorant of Lady Catherine's involvement in the affair. The provision of a legacy in the will was necessary to ensure that Wickham continued to receive his money, and so remain silent, as long as Mr. Darcy remained unmarried.”

“But what I do not understand is how any of this could have prevented my sister from marrying Darcy if he made her an offer,” said Bingley.

“Once the scheme was in place, Lady Catherine almost certainly informed your sister that should she become engaged to her nephew, the money for Wickham would stop, and that if Wickham did not himself guess that he'd been duped into discrediting me to Miss Bingley's advantage, then she, Lady Catherine, would ensure that he received the information anonymously. Wickham would become enraged with Miss Bingley, who had not the considerable funds that would be required to mollify him, and thus he would reveal all to Mr. Darcy, ending Caroline's hopes. Even were Mr. Darcy to learn of his aunt's authorship of the whole deception, he would never have forgiven Caroline her complicity. Lady Catherine will have made certain that Caroline was aware that she had it in her power to ruin her marriage plans.”

“An excellent piece of deduction, Miss Bennet,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam in admiration. “Your powers of reasoning would do a Bow Street officer proud. And though I am mortified to learn that my own aunt was the author of this utterly repugnant and reprehensible deception, I find myself unwillingly marvelling at her cunning and ingenuity.”

“Oh, yes, indeed,” conceded Elizabeth, “and the final proof of her guile is that even from the grave, she has succeeded in destroying Miss Bingley's hopes.”

“Indeed she has,” agreed the colonel. “I learned only yesterday from Darcy that he and Miss Bingley have had an understanding for some time; but, at her suggestion, they resolved to postpone the announcement of their engagement until our aunt had passed away. Darcy considered it to be an indication of Miss Bingley's kindness and consideration; whereas she was, in fact, simply playing for time, waiting for Lady Catherine's not unanticipated demise. The betrothal was announced within two weeks of my aunt's passing. Miss Bingley, being aware of the legacy in Lady Catherine's will, knew that she must continue to pay for Wickham's silence until after she is wed.”

“But Lady Catherine must have also made Caroline aware that the legacy would end when Mr. Darcy weds. What did she imagine would happen when the payments to Wickham ceased?” asked Jane.

“They would certainly cease,” replied Colonel Fitzwilliam, “for it would not be possible for her to continue the payments after she was married, without my cousin becoming aware of it.”

“Yes, that is true,” agreed Elizabeth. “Caroline most probably assumed – quite rightly, I imagine – that Wickham would not dare to speak against her once she was Mrs. Darcy, for fear of being challenged to a duel of honour.”

“And killed,” added the colonel. “Miss Bingley thought that by wedding my cousin as soon as our aunt was gone, she would be safe, but Lady Catherine outwitted her. She appointed Darcy as an executor of her will in October last year – at the very time that the deception began. Her intention is manifest – it was to ensure that upon her death, Darcy would immediately learn of the bizarre legacy to Miss Bingley, which would undoubtedly prompt him to check the banker's records and discover the payments that had already been made to her. Even without the benefit of Mrs. Wickham's report, he would very soon have come to suspect a connection between the payments and Wickham's letter, and would realise that Miss Bingley had been involved with Wickham and his aunt in deceiving him.”

“Miss Bennet,” said Bingley earnestly. “It grieves me beyond measure that a sister of mine could have behaved so despicably – and to the sister of my own wife! I refuse, henceforth, to admit her into my society, or to ever see her again!”

Colonel Fitzwilliam tied the letters together and rose from his chair. “I must return to Pemberley and inform my cousin of the details that have been pieced together concerning our aunt's despicable scheme. I shall be much surprised if he does not dispatch a second letter to Miss Bingley today – to inform her that he is breaking off the engagement. In that part of her scheme, at least, Lady Catherine has triumphed.”

“Oh no, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” disagreed Elizabeth, vehemently, “Lady Catherine's victory is entirely comprehensive, for she has unquestionably succeeded in both parts of her scheme – it is all exactly as she intended. All that is now wanting is for Mr. Darcy to offer himself to her daughter, Anne, and then her triumph from the grave will be complete.”

“Whatever do you mean, Miss Bennet?” remonstrated the colonel. “Mr. Darcy no longer has the least reason to think ill of you.”

“But I have every reason to think ill of him!”