Cunning and Compromise

By Morgan A Wyndham

Mr. Darcy's world turns on its head as he discovers at the Netherfield ball that he has misjudged everyone's motives: Mr. Wickham is more honorable, Miss Bingley more conniving, and Miss Elizabeth more resentful than he'd given any of them credit for.

Caroline Bingley views the Netherfield Ball as the perfect opportunity to demonstrate her skills as a hostess to Mr. Darcy. If that fails to elicit a proposal ... well, Caroline was prepared for that contingency too. When Mr. Darcy wanders into her trap, will he be forced into marriage? Or will a dashing rogue and an impertinent heroine intervene?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morgan A Wyndham
• Release date: Aug 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463727874

Book preview

Cunning and Compromise

Published by Morgan A. Wyndham at Smashwords

Licensing: Copyright 2019 by Morgan A. Wyndham under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. This is a free culture license that allows you to share, modify, or remix this work under the conditions that you give attribution to the author (Morgan A. Wyndham), and release any derivative works under the same license with no further restrictions. That being said, a lot of time, effort, and creativity went into the creation of this novel and the author appreciates your support in purchasing this ebook. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer.

Attribution: This work is based on on characters and story lines from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which is in the Public Domain. Quotes from Jane Austen are integrated into the text and an index of quotes used is available at the end of the book.

Cover Art: Francois Gerard, Madame Barbier-Walbonne, 1796, oil on canvas, Louvre. This painting is in the Public Domain.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 – 24th of November

Chapter 2 – Netherfield Ball (first two dances)

Chapter 3 – Netherfield Ball (third dance)

Chapter 4 – Netherfield Ball (fourth dance)

Chapter 5 – The Entrapment

Chapter 6 – The Aftermath

Chapter 7 – Out in the Open

Chapter 8 – Oakham Mount

Chapter 9 – Pemberley

Epilogue – Happily Ever Afters

Index of Quotes

Summary

Mr. Darcy's world turns on its head as he discovers at the Netherfield ball that he has misjudged everyone's motives: Mr. Wickham is more honorable, Miss Bingley more conniving, and Miss Elizabeth more resentful than he'd given any of them credit for.

Caroline Bingley views the Netherfield Ball as the perfect opportunity to demonstrate her skills as a hostess to Mr. Darcy. If that fails to elicit a proposal … well, Caroline was prepared for that contingency too.

When Mr. Darcy wanders into her trap, will he be forced into marriage, or will a dashing rogue and an impertinent heroine intervene?

Chapter 1: Meryton, 24th of November

Lieutenant George Wickham peered across the rows of products with a studied negligence. To the common observer he appeared to be a bored gentleman and officer casually browsing cravats, gloves, and stick pins. Internally he was plotting his next step. Happening upon Denny in London had been his saving grace. Since his disappointment that summer in Ramsgate, he had been surviving off of his charm alone, drifting around among his friends and acquaintances as a house-guest, earning his bread with his dazzling wit in company. Friends, however, were growing scarce. Credit was growing scarcer. If he hadn't left London when he did the whole jolly farce of his life would have come crashing down on him. A lucky night at the card tables had won him enough ready cash to purchase a commission in the –--shire Militia just when Denny presented him the opportunity. At the moment the fresh line of credit granted to him by the unsuspecting merchants of Meryton gave him a cushion but he knew it wouldn't last. Credit never lasted long. The meager pay of the militia was not enough to keep him in the style of his peers. Although a commission in the regulars would have offered more ready blunt, he was far happier dodging creditors in England than dodging French cannonballs on the continent. Try as he might, the solution to his problems always circled back to the same place: marriage. There was nothing for it but to procure an heiress and her fortune.

His musings were interrupted by the opening of the shop door followed by the quick pace of military trained boots on the floorboards. Blast. Lieutenant Carter. He quickly ducked behind a display of voluminous fabrics to avoid his new friend. While the gullible merchants of Meryton would not require him to settle his debts for the foreseeable future, debts of honor were another beast entirely. He had meant to keep his head last night, drink little and gamble cautiously. However, despite his best efforts he still ended the evening sorely light in the purse and with a sizable debt to Lieutenant Carter. If word spread around the barracks that he did not settle his gaming debts, then this particular house of cards would fall even faster than usual. His newly begun military training suggested that the only wise option was evasion until this could be resolved.

Peering through a conveniently located swathe of sheer Organdy he saw two elaborately dressed women enter the shop. He could immediately tell they were not of the local set. Himself a fan of sartorial extravagance, he recognized that their gowns were of the first stare of fashion, undoubtedly made by a premier London modiste. The excessive trims, flounces, and jewels spoke to money. The kind of money he needed. The looks of cold disdain they shot around the shop were no doubt intended to ward off interaction, though the near-empty shop hardly warranted such measures. To his great satisfaction they regally sailed toward the back of the store where he was hidden away. Oh Louisa! sighed the taller woman, I despair of finding anything in this dreadful town to tempt Mr. Darcy. He's seen all of my current gowns and I do want to make an impression at this ball.

Her companion responded with a bored murmur of too true that implied a lifetime of complacent agreement. Wickham's interest further piqued by the mention of his former friend, he remained hidden, silently observing their interaction.

Of course, I have taken measures to ensure that he will be unable to avoid me at the ball. When he slips off to the sanctuary of the library, which he is sure to do when the company becomes too demeaning for him, I shall be there to follow him.

Oh, Caroline, you know how fastidious Mr. Darcy is! He will simply retreat immediately!

Ah, but this is where my cunning comes in to play. I have rigged the lock to malfunction once the door is shut. We will be trapped in the library together. Of course, you, my dear sister, will come looking for me and send up the alarm that we are quite alone. My reputation will be lamentably ruined and Mr. Darcy, being the honorable gentleman that he is, will of course offer for my hand.

But are you sure? Worried the shorter of the sisters as she ran a length of satin from the display through her hand. Wickham inched back as she came perilously close to unveiling his hiding spot. A scandal of this proportion will not die easily among the ton.

I regret the subterfuge, but needs must, said Caroline as she snapped open a fan from a nearby shelf. Darcy has put off offering me for far too long. As the sister of his dearest friend, who has a higher claim on him than I? The only reason I agreed to this misguided foray into the wilds of Hertfordshire was to gain the intimacy of a small house party, yet he has been woefully distracted by that chit Eliza Bennet. EERgh! She threw the fan down in a fit of frustration.

Too true, said her sister in a disinterested voice.

Well, in the end, the ton will not dare rebuke Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley for long, Mr. Darcy is far too rich and respectable, Caroline said as they walked away. Her parting words echoed in Wickham's mind as he watched the two elegant snakes slither away. She was right of course; the names of Darcy and Pemberley had bailed him out of the worst of his scrapes for most of his life. Although he did not have the pleasure of these ladies’ acquaintance, they clearly must be Bingley's sisters. In fact, he had yet to meet any of the Netherfield party due to his strained relationship with Mr. Darcy.

A quick scan of the room told him that Carter had left the store while his attention was fixed on Miss Bingley's scandalous plot. As he emerged onto the street he ruminated on his history with the Darcy family. He had been raised at Pemberley. Mr. George Darcy, his namesake, had been his godfather and benefactor. His son, Fitzwilliam Darcy, had been his playmate and friend, almost a brother. But as they aged their lifestyles began to tear apart their friendship. Wickham had grown more gregarious, lively, and passionate as Fitzwilliam retreated into rigorous propriety, duty, and dullness. Wickham had tried to help socialize Fitzwilliam and get him to live his life and have fun, but his rigid morality would not bend. He often wondered how any man with a pulse could live the way Fitzwilliam did, but regrettably, impulse control had never been one of Wickham's strong suits.

When his benevolent patron died, old Mr. Darcy had planned to provide for Wickham's future as a parson with a living in the village of Kympton. Fitzwilliam had decided that a debauched parson would be no asset to the neighborhood and instead forwarded the blunt to start Wickham off in the law. At the time, he had happily agreed but diligent study, again, was not one of his strong suits. His legal career fizzled out before it even began and Darcy's money burned quickly through his purse. With an empty stomach and no means of supporting himself, he rejoiced when the paper announced the death of the incumbent parson at Kympton. Writing sermons had to be better than debtor's prison. Fitzwilliam, however, adamantly refused to give him the living.

Georgiana's heart proved to be far more tender than her brother's. In his hour of need, the sweet girl offered him salvation. The thought of a London season and the whirlwind of the ton frightened the poor girl. He proposed a mutually beneficial solution: if they married, she would be spared the throngs of society and he would be able to live the life of a gentleman off of her sizable dowry. Using his strongest assets, his wit and charm, he convinced Georgiana and her companion that it was the best solution for all involved and they’d planned to elope while she was visiting Ramsgate. Upon discovering their plan, Fitzwilliam failed to see the sensibility of the match. Without a care for Georgiana's feelings or Wickham's purse, he cruelly separated the two and cut off all ties between Wickham and the Darcy family. Since this event, his social credit had been quickly dwindling.

Of course, the account he had given the lively Miss Elizabeth Bennet of this history was a bit more bitter. He had not expected her name to factor into Caroline Bingley's machinations. He had heard that the two eldest Miss Bennets had stayed at Netherfield during Miss Bennet's convalescence. He wondered if Miss Bingley had picked up on Darcy's true attachment or if she was seeing competition merely to explain Darcy's lack of interest in herself. Despite Wickham's continued resentment of Darcy, they were raised almost as brothers and Wickham retained some latent sense of brotherly affection towards the pompous prig. Why, his knowledge of Miss Bingley's nefarious scheme may provide salvation from his current financial troubles and a means to save Darcy from an unwanted marriage. Normally, Wickham would not resort to forcing an unwilling lady's hand – especially when seduction was far more fun – but would it be so bad if the lady's own trap was set against her? Wickham had planned on being conveniently absent from the ball at Netherfield, but armed with this new information, it might be worth the risk.

Chapter 2: First Two Dances of the Netherfield Ball

The Netherfield Ball, 27th of November

Caroline Bingley was making her final rounds ensuring that everything was perfect for the evening's festivities. This was her chance to dazzle Darcy with her finely honed skills as a hostess. As she sampled the food from the kitchens, inspected the plate and silver in the dining room and re-positioned the decorations in the ballroom just so, her confidence rose that Darcy may just be so impressed with her prowess as a hostess that her stratagems may not be necessary. Then again, she thought as she proceeded down the hallway to the library, it never hurts to have insurance. Her preparations in the library were no less crucial than those in the ballroom. If her and Darcy were to spend an evening here, she would make it as comfortable and cozy as possible.

When Charles first proposed letting Netherfield Park she was thrilled at the opportunity it posed for her to be in close confines with Mr. Darcy. As her brother's hostess, she would have the opportunity to demonstrate her ability to manage a household to Mr. Darcy. In the wilds of Hertfordshire they would no doubt have little company or distraction. As their stay dragged on she was increasingly disillusioned of this scheme. She may enjoy playing the hostess to her brother at his rented estate but this was nothing compared to her coveted role as mistress of Pemberley, the jewel of Derbyshire. She had labored through years at one of England's finest finishing schools, bearing the taunts of her peers. She smiled placidly as the impoverished daughters of earls coolly snubbed her. Her family had far greater assets than