There are some characters we simply love to hate: Lady Catherine, Miss Bingley, Wickham.
I hope you enjoyed Lady Catherine’s comeuppance in Shannon Winslow’s post the other day. So delicious!
A few years ago, I posted a couple of short stories where I poked fun at Miss Bingley. If you haven’t read them, these links will take you there: An Eventful Morning and Miss Bingley’s Last Picnic.
Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine are such perfect targets, with their airs and graces and their noses in the air!
The one I’m struggling with is Mr Wickham. In many of my books, I’ve done my best to avoid writing about him. Lydia too. I might as well come clean and say that it bores me silly to write about their elopement. Especially as it causes so much trouble for our dear characters! Even if the original timeline is tweaked a little and they hear of the elopement once they’ve already reached their understanding, it’s still a drag to write about Wickham and Lydia when I’d much rather write about Elizabeth and Mr Darcy’s engagement, moonlight walks at Pemberley and stolen kisses.
Bath Festival, 2014 (Photo J. Starnes)
Now, moonlight walks and stolen kisses aside, I’m guessing that there’s another side to the problem: maybe I’m struggling to write about Mr Wickham because I’m conflicted 😀 . As you can imagine, I’m picturing all the usual suspects as I write, and here’s the thing: in real life, Adrian Lukis is unfailingly charming, and not in the least bit like the character he had portrayed in the P&P miniseries. I’ve heard that from various people who had the privilege of meeting him and working with him, and a few years ago I could see that for myself (and I also discovered that I have more than a little bit of Lydia in me. Or of Mrs Bennet. Or both. But there we go).
Still, I couldn’t keep Mr Wickham out of all my P&P re-imaginings. He was very busy in A Timely Elopement, for instance. And then I discovered that I couldn’t keep him out of my current WIP either. He is central to the plot and keeps popping up in the first chapters (but I hope you’ll be pleased to hear that Elizabeth discovers early on that he’s not to be trusted).
I haven’t had to worry about him for a while (the middle of the story is 100% Elizabeth and Darcy, which suited me just fine 😛 ). But now I’ve reached the last few chapters (says she hopefully) and it’s time to deal with the whole ‘Lydia situation.’ Gah!
I can’t bring myself to go down the original route, so I won’t. I can’t help thinking that it would be nice if the Darcys didn’t have Wickham as a thorn in their side forever.
So, how forgiving are you? What sort of a comeuppance would you like for him? Mild? Middling? A lifelong posting on St Helena or the Falkland Islands?
I must confess that I was in a bit of a savage mood at one point (the lockdown must have had something to do with it) so I thought of a scene where Wickham might foolishly push Darcy too far.
It leads to something like this:
Suddenly lightheaded, Darcy grew but dimly aware of the tremor in his muscles, reminiscent of last night’s bodily response to illness and fever. The molten lead in his gut was new, as was the wisp of incandescent heat that ran down his spine, urging his gloved hands to tighten into fists. The soft leather stretched, but not enough – it was not meant to accommodate outbreaks of fisticuffs – and its resistance made him aware of the close fit over his protruding knuckles. He slowly unclenched his fists, spread out his fingers, flexed them again, and focused on their movements – flexion… extension… flexion… – as he marshalled the chaos in his head into one coherent thought: he had been on the verge of inflicting violent physical harm upon Wickham.
Still was, in fact. But by now the voice of reason, however thin and weak, was able to break through and make itself heard.
Not worth it. The blackguard was not worth it. Hard to credit just now – aye, too true, it was impossible to credit – but a vicious outburst of rage would not make him feel a vast deal better. And he would come to regret it. Not for the vermin’s sake – Lord, no! For his. He was better than this. He would not stoop to brawling! Least of all in his coachman’s presence, and possibly under Miss Bingley’s eyes or whoever else might have been watching from the many windows of Netherfield. WIP © 2021 Joana Starnes (the title is a work-in-progress too)
What do you reckon, should Wickham go ahead and push Darcy over the edge? Just a teensy-weensy bit? Or more than a little bit?
Please vote Aye or Nay,
and I can’t wait to see what sort of a comeuppance you’d like for Mr Wickham instead of his ill-gotten £10,000 (or more) and a commission in the regulars.
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That is an adorable photo of you with Mr Wickham, Joana! 😉 I think perhaps a broken nose from Mr Darcy for insulting Elizabeth, followed by a long visit in debtors’ prison, would be an appropriate way to give Wickham his comeuppance…without besmirching Darcy’s impeccable reputation too much!
Author
Thanks, Katie! Ah, the years gone by…
LOL a broken nose would do nicely, wouldn’t it? 😀 And my thoughts entirely re. the debtors’ prison and not besmirching Darcy’s reputation (not too much, anyway). The last bit was the only thing that held me back on my savage-mood day 😀
Take care and thanks for reading!
He deserves a crimp and a trip thousands of miles away.
Author
One way, preferably 😉
Thanks, Denise
Have a pair of shady loan sharks/gamblers who Wickham has cheated come across him on a dark street in London. Our dear Wickie will be found in a sad condition floating in the morning tide in the Thames with the other refuse
Author
Cheating more dangerous crooks than he sounds like something he’d be dumb enough to do, doesn’t it? And they wouldn’t take it lying down.
Thanks for reading, Kathy, and have a good weekend!
Hello Joana,
I think the best punishment for Wickham is a bang on his head after he had to marry Lydia, only to find out the devoted wife dosn
t love him anymore because of his lies. He falls in love with her and cant charm any other women any longer. He cant play any longer on the gambling table too. He has a tick and twinkle his eye every few minutes. Lydia is disgusted and he is unsure of the child shes having is his, after he found a love letter from another man.To make a man, who is so cooksure of himself to make a helpless man is the best punishment. To have him go far away is to easy on him.
Lovely picture from you and Adrian Lukis, It
s look like you had a lot of fun together.m not sure, I read the short stories.Thank you for the links, I
Have a nice day.
Author
😀 😀 So funny! This should be a stand-alone story with a twitching, lovelorn Wickham 😀 Love it!! And loved what you said next: ‘To make a man, who is so cooksure of himself to make a helpless man is the best punishment. To have him go far away is to easy on him.’ So true!
Have a nice day too, and thanks for reading!
Such a difficult question early in the morning!!!!!
I like the idea of Kathy Wallace so these have also their “fun” and the world is rid of GW.
Have an amusing time 🙂
Author
Thanks for stopping by to read the post and chat, Doris!
Take care and have an amusing time this weekend too.
I must admit that I would prefer Wickham getting the beating he deserves (even if not all at Darcy’s hands, enter Colonel Fitzwilliam!)
THEN, either transportation or debtors prison please?
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed from my response but I’m definitely not Wickham’s greatest fan and as bad as Lydia is I’m not sure she deserves to be married to him.
I reread the vignettes so thank you again 🤣😂.
Stay safe and enjoy your writing!
Author
LOL Glynis, I know what you mean. I had to hold back and remind myself that Darcy is a cool and collected gentleman, not a woman of a certain age who’s getting more and more bloodthirsty because she’s been kept away from her favourite people & favourite places for long enough. I’ll have to google the Marquess of Queensberry Rules to see what counts as allowable and what doesn’t.
Same here about Lydia too. I keep thinking that she’s just a mouthy 16-year-old, and we’ve seen plenty of those who turned out well with the right encouragement. (But I’m still chortling about Simone’s idea. Maybe that would tick all the bokes 😀 )
Take care, stay safe too, and keep well!
Oh that made me laugh Joana, I was reading your post on my mob and as I scrolled down and came across your picture with Adrian Lukis my immediate thought was ‘hmm… very coquettish!’ 😅
But I have to agree, I often skim over the Wickham and Lydia scenarios…. mainly because I find them it bit tedious and boring and also because I want to give Lydia a big slap and no one else does!!
Add far as punishment for Wickham goes I feel Miss Austen has it correct and Lizzy and Mr Darcys dignified response is apt as it probably winds Wickham up, he would like to see the cool facade drop! A very quick realisation by Lydia that her ‘dear Wicky’ is a cad and liar and what a dreadful mistake she had made would suit them both!
Author
Oh, Sarah, you make such a wonderful point! ‘…I feel Miss Austen has it correct and Lizzy and Mr Darcy’s dignified response is apt as it probably winds Wickham up, he would like to see the cool facade drop!‘ He would, wouldn’t he?
Right, so I guess the brief is: gentlemanly, cool, calm, collected, not bloodthirsty (pls see above 😀 )
Take care and thanks for reading and chatting!
Darcy is THE gentleman, so it can not be from him.
I too like what Simone says.
Let Wickham truly fall for Lydia with full jealousy.
Let Lydia’s eyes open. She can destroy him.
Author
‘Let Wickham truly fall for Lydia with full jealousy.
Let Lydia’s eyes open. She can destroy him.’
Oh, Linda, this reads like a poem! And oh my, I think she could (and then some!!). I love the sound of that. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!
OMG! Someone is blushing in that photo!
As for the post, I’m keeping “But now I’ve reached the last few chapters”. I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know, one of the Darcy traits I don’t love is that he’s way too gentlemanly for my tastes. He’s thinking of social etiquette and his image (in this passage he thinks of his coachman and Miss Bingley witnessing his outburst) and holds himself back when in reality every sane person in the world would applaud him if he gave Wickham a good thrashing. (I don’t want to imagine his reaction when he caught Wickham with Georgiana…)
On the other hand, he has this remarkable self-control that is so darn sexy at times (better than spreading punches all around) and I do LOVE that!
I also know that you have him breaking his own rules choosing violence (in “The Unthinkable Triangle” for example) if there’s a need so I trust you completely in this.
Whatever you’ll have him do, it won’t fall from the sky as an out-of-character reaction or a cold, aloof response. So the only thing I can do at the moment is to focus on the “ now I’ve reached the last few chapters” and wait!
Author
LOL Alexandra, oh, yes, someone totally is 😀
Thanks so much for this! (And I’ll try to write faster 🙂 ).
Wickham really is going through the whole book (THE book, I mean, the original) positively begging for a really good thrashing! I guess it’s another sign of Darcy’s decency and nobility of spirit that he didn’t do what most of his less noble-minded peers would have done, like having someone else thrash him, or handing him to a press-gang (especially when he caught him with Georgiana).
But same here, I find Darcy’s remarkable self-control darn sexy too. And also I think (or I’d like to think) that it’s hard-won, which pushes the ‘darn-sexiness’ level up a notch (or several 😉 ).
Huge thanks for the vote of confidence, and I’ll do my best to get on with it already!
Take care and have a lovely weekend!
Send him to the Falklands!! Do something clever with Lydia.
Author
😀 That should be far enough, shouldn’t it?
Lydia’s such a handful and desperately annoying, but I think so too, even she deserves better.
Enjoy the weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Awww, Joana! Did you giggle too? Blushing aside….🤭
As far as comeuppences go, I think I always enjoyed when the person applying it is the one they didn’t see it coming from, ie: Miss Bingley’s from Darcy and Whickham’s from Elizabeth…. And yes, the punch in the nose could do nicely🤛
Along with some ‘divine’ remedy against his sins: some desfiguration and/or disease !
I don’t really think he would ever redeem himself so I don’t really enjoy the stories in which he repents and change his ways.
On the other hand, married to Lydia is punishment itself. Add some visits from Mrs Bennet and a lot of boasting about the Darcys…
I am sure I’ll enjoy whatever you have in store for him in this year’s 🤪 WIP!
Author
Oh, yes, blushing, giggling, the lot. Total embarrassment 😀
So true, the comeuppance is so much more fun when they don’t see it coming, esp. when it’s coming from the least expected source. Hmmm. Thinking in terms of Cluedo now. Mrs Bennet in the hallway with a frying pan 😉
Thanks for reading and for stopping by to chat!
Oh, please, just one punch! Wickham has earned it. LOL! Like everyone else, I do love that picture of you with Adrian Lukis. I have a tendency to put faces to characters as I’m reading, and Adrian is almost always Wickham for me. He has an easy, swaggering charm that some of the other actors playing George Wickham cannot replicate. I am very happy to read that you are at the last few chapters of your latest WIP. Thank you for the little excerpt, and happy writing!
Author
‘Oh, please, just one punch!’ LOL Robin, I loved that!!
He does have the swaggering charm down to a T, doesn’t he? I loved Tom Riley as Wickham in ‘Lost in Austen’ too, but the plot twist must have won him some extra points, it was delicious. I think the only Wickham that was a shock to my system (and not in a good way 😀 ) was the one in the 1940 adaptation. What were they thinking??
Thanks for this and for your good wishes, and have a fun weekend!
I enjoyed that! And that photo with you and Adrian Lukis is perfection!
I always dream of someone writing that Wickham gets press ganged and we never hear from him again—or maybe shows up years later, a changed person, or worse, comes for more revenge.
Author
Aww, Christina! Thank you! It was a sweet moment (even if I went into silly giggle mode 😀 )
I’d love to see Wickham press-ganged into one of the lowliest positions on a ship bound to the East Indies or thereabouts. Haven’t thought further than that. He might get rich and become reformed, finds inner peace somewhere, but oh no, it doesn’t bear thinking that he might come back bent on revenge. After a trip such as that, he’d be an unstoppable beast!
I am truly a nicer person than this, but my thought is a well-deserved castration, which he survives. After all, he has no compunction in taking the virtue of women, ruining their future opportunities .
Author
I think he’d try the patience of a saint, Betty! Jeanne and I were talking a while ago about a scenario where dozens and dozens of the women he had wronged come to Meryton with their children in tow to find him. That should have given the locals something to talk about. And the look on Wickham’s face would’ve been priceless 😀
Wouldn’t it!
I, too, get bored hearing of Wickham and Lydia and getting pulled from Elizabeth and Darcy and like some change. I prefer Wickham not get rewarded with money and like it when he does something just bad enough to get permanently removed from the story in some way. And I don’t mind Darcy hitting him first. 😉
Author
LOL TC Thanks, that’s good to know 😀 And an awfully tempting outcome it is, too. It’s so galling to see Wickham rewarded for bad behaviour time after time! His debts paid at least on two occasions, Lydia’s topped-up dowry, the new commission, the continuous sponging on the Darcys and the Bingleys…
Thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend!
Absolutely go ahead and push Darcy over the edge. Wickham deserves a good pummeling. I have no problems when he ends up dead in any variety of ways hahahaha. I hate to see Lydia saddled with him.
Author
Thanks, Kris! He does strut about asking for a pummelling. And Lydia is such a pain, but a lifetime as Mrs Wickham sounds awfully grim (unless Wickham’s fate takes a turn and goes the way Simone and Linda suggested :D)
Have a good weekend and thanks for reading and voting!
I think you are blushing, Joana, in the photo! I vote “aye”.
Author
LOL Eva, yes I am 😀
Thanks for voting and all the best!
I vote aye – but just the little bit. I believe Wickham should stand before the people he owes or hurt. I feel he gets to creep away and not face the music/pain that he has inflicted.
Author
So true, Madenna! He always slinks away and leaves others to pick up the pieces.
Thanks for stopping by to read the post & vote.
My favorite Lydia/Wickham endings have GW banished somewhere and LB pushed into a marriage with someone more worthy. I like to see Lydia grow up and be accountable for her own choices, even if her mother taught her to be as she is.
GW in India, attacked by tigers and bitten by a Cobra while his tiger wounds were being treated sounds about right to me. Not that I am a blood-thirsty person or anything!
Author
LOL Rose, no indeed, and neither am I (well, not always 😀 ), but the tigers & cobra group effort is priceless!!!
I think so too, it’d be so nice to see Lydia grow up and realise what a spoilt brat she’d been. I’d love to play with that a bit more, but I think I’ll have to keep it short in this WIP and deal with the Lydia-Wickham situation pretty quickly. It’s a long book already, and the monster keeps growing!
Lovely picture, Joana. Well, I wanted Darcy to give Wickham a smack-down, and yet, after Darcy calmed down… I had to agree with his decision not to inflict bodily harm. Grrr! I wanted Darcy to knock that smirk right off his face. I’m sure there was a smirk… there always is. So, we have to do something that is even more painful to Wickham but not physical. Hmmm, let his buddies know he cheats at cards? Alert the merchants no credit should be allowed to Wickham? Caution parents of daughters that he should not be trusted? Let Uncle King hunt him down for attempting to mess with Mary King. Yeah, let Uncle King be the bad guy. I bet he is someone you shouldn’t mess with. LOL! I’m sure by now you have come up with something delightfully delicious. I look forward to seeing what you do to him. Good or bad. Blessings, stay safe, and healthy.
Author
Uncle King could do a brilliant job! There’s no need for him to have Darcy’s scruples, so goodness knows what helping hands he might hire 😉 . Thanks for reading this and sharing your thoughts! And I remember that delicious idea of yours, the one with the army of Wickham’s past conquests and his many children coming to find him in Meryton. That would be such a sight to see 😀
Blessings to you too, dear Jeanne. Stay healthy, take good care of yourself and thanks for chatting!
I think Dearest Wicky should go on a drinking binge that lasts a few days. When he finally “comes to semi consciousness” he finds: he is legally married to Lydia, and a couple of his enemies had caught up with him and injured him in a way that he was no longer capable of consorting with the fair sex. Karma.
Author
Karma indeed, Detra 😀
Have a good weekend and thanks for reading and stopping by for a chat.
I found this in my email so late last night I didn’t have a brain cell left to comment. Reading others’ comments this a.m. has gotten me to thinking. If the book I’m reading portrays Wickham as a real nasty sleazy snake, then sending him on a very long one-way trip to New South Wales works for me. And getting Lydia married to someone older and firmer (not abusive) to help her mature works for me too. I too appreciated Simone’s ideas.
Since it’s so easy to put yourself into the character you are reading, like Mr Darcy when dealing with ol’ Wickie you (depending on your anger level and self-control) may indeed want desperately to give him a broken nose. But personally (I’ve wanted to land that punch myself) I hate seeing Darcy lose his dignity with anyone other than Elizabeth. I like seeing all his passion turn to love and desire for her.
My favorite punishments for Wick have him reformed and humbled somehow, under difficult circumstances. Like you said though, you need a quick solution now since you are so close to the end of your WIP….hip hip hurrah, hip hip woo hoo!! So I vote Nay. Let Darcy give Wic the calm ‘I don’t give a damn’ look and turn around and walk calmly away while planning to ensure he is sent into action in Europe, or is it 1812 yet? then the States.
I got my usual ‘too shy by half’ feelings when I saw your picture. You wouldn’t have caught me dead in a photo shot like that. I get stupidly struck numb and dumb when seeing a celebrity. But you look adorable!
Author
This is wonderful, Michelle! Thank you! I’m so glad that reading all the comments got you thinking and made you write this beautiful analysis! As for this line, on my!! ‘I hate seeing Darcy lose his dignity with anyone other than Elizabeth. I like seeing all his passion turn to love and desire for her.‘
Huge thanks too for the hip hip hurrah, hip hip woo hoo!! I’ll try to get on with it already, and sorry for the wait! The last stretch might be the most fiddly (a bunch of loose ends to tie up) but fingers crossed. With any luck, I won’t forget any of them 😀
Take care, thanks again and all the best!
Aye
Author
Thanks for stopping by to read the post and vote, Meg!
What a wonderful photo of you and the ‘charming’ Mr. Wickham! Oh, I mean Mr. Lukis! You certainly didn’t need any ‘blush’ that day! LOL! As for Mr. Wickham’s comeuppance, I wish he had been given over to the Navy after Mr. Darcy caught him with Georgiana in Ramsgate! I’m sure Darcy would have had connections in the area, or put a word in someone’s ear about an able-bodied male need an ‘occupation’! Then he would never have met Lydia! But you would still have the problem of dealing with her if she still went to Brighton. Someone really needs to take that child in hand! She needs a complete set down to or be placed in a situation where she realizes how unimportant she truly is. She needs the blinders taken off. Glad to hear you are coming near the end! WhooHoo!
Author
Hi, Carole! So lovely to chat with you again! LOL ah, yesss, the priceless look on Wickham’s face if he were to find himself swinging lightly in a hammock below deck, and then stumble out to catch the last glimpse of Old Blighty’ vanishing in the morning haze 😀
And Lydia too! I loved what you wrote! ‘Someone really needs to take that child in hand! She needs a complete set down to or be placed in a situation where she realizes how unimportant she truly is. She needs the blinders taken off.’ Indeed!
I am coming near the end, but I should not wish to excite your anticipation 😀 I’m not sure how long this’ll take, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a quick and plausible fix to everything that’s still in limbo.
Thanks again and I hope you’re keeping well. Take care and all the best!
I read all the other comments and had to LOL at the “castration” one. I don’t think I would like Darcy to strike a blow and lose his “cool”…but turning him over to the Colonel has always seemed like a good idea to me. However I do like the idea that Wickham be gang pressed. I also like the idea that he is sent away to the worse Debtors’ Prison with lice and diseases galore…Marshalsea. I also like stories where he is sent to the continent and dies in combat. I like the idea that all those women he has seduced and children he has abandoned gang up on him. If each one made a small scratch upon him he could bleed to death. (Not very Christian of me.) He really does need some punishment but reality is that many men (and women) like him get away with worse…even in the modern world.
Lydia is very young and needs to be sent to a seminary where the rules are very strict. I believe there is a story written to that effect already. Wickham falling in love with Lydia seems unrealistic as he is so in love with himself.
Love the photo of Adrian and you. I have read much about him as he seems to show up as a speaker or guest at many events…especially Jane Austen ones.
Stay safe and healthy. I got my two vaccines – Yay!
Author
Ah, Sheila, that’s such a glorious thought too! A nice long holiday in Marshalsea for Wickham, complete with mud baths and everything 😀
Hehe, yes indeed, ‘If each one made a small scratch upon him…’
Some strict rules could be the making of Lydia. Yes, that was the premise in Maria Grace’s ‘The Trouble to Check Her.’ Was that the one you were thinking of?
I’m so glad you had both doses of the vaccine, that’s wonderful news!! Take care and keep well!
Lovely post, Joana! You have depicted Darcy’s internal struggle so well. I love that image of the leather gloves, stretching as Darcy clenches his fists in anger. As much as I’d love to see Wickham get his comeuppance, I’d vote for Darcy keeping his cool (in spite of his struggle). Maybe a passerby — or better yet, Miss Bingley! — can appear out of nowhere and punch him instead! 🙂 Have fun writing!
Author
‘Miss Bingley with the parasol in the garden’ 😀
Have they ever made an Austen-themed Cluedo yet?
Thanks so much for your kind words, Christina!! Have fun writing too, and lots of inspiration!
Such a nice picture Ms Starnes!!! Thank you for sharing.
I vote for GW to push Mr. Darcy further (then he can get what he deserve after 🙂
Looking forward to your upcoming book.
Author
Thank you for reading and voting. I’m so glad you’re looking forward to the book. All the best and I hope you’ll like it.
Aye!
Author
Thanks for stopping by to read the post and vote, Stephanie!
Aye! I’m feeling “anti-Wickham” today, Boy deserves a beat down for ALL the abuse Darcy has had to deal with on ol’ George’s behalf. You have your gloves on D. That’ll help protect your knuckles. Jab Jab Uppercut! 😉
Some great ideas posted here for Wickhams comeuppance. Very 👍🏽 nice!
Hmmm, I’m thinking 🤔 in the church before the vows are spoken between George and Lydia, the three huge brothers of a young blacksmith’s daughter stroll up the aisle waiting to drag George back to make amends for his…transgressions. The Colonel just happens to be in attendance with his arms crossed wearing a huge grin on his face. Denny is by his side and ready to step in the grooms place. Not very imaginative I know. Rather just have Darcy beat the bejeezuz out of Wickham.
Can’t wait for your new book! 🥰
Author
Hi Chris!
Oh dear, so sorry about finding this so late! I should’ve ticked the ‘Notify me of comments’ box :((
LOL ‘Jab Jab Uppercut! 😉’ I loved that, sounds perfect! Ooh, and the huge brothers of the blacksmith’s daughter! That’s even better. They can step in and ‘Jab Jab Uppercut!’ every time he upsets their sister (which he’s bound to do repeatedly, until he decides he’s had one ‘Jab Jab Uppercut!’ too many 😀 )
Best wishes and enjoy the summer!
Haha, I love that photo, it looks like you’re thinking “Isn’t my husband a fine horseman?!” (In a Lydia voice). 😀
I just finished reading a JAFF that had Wickham die from an infection after Lydia bit him defending herself from his too aggressive advances… 😀 😀
Personally, though, I prefer Austen’s way of dealing with the situation, in that Lydia’s punishment is her husband, and his will be his wife.
I always found it interesting that while women might marry for fortune without love (like Charlotte Lucas) and it was seen as merely prudent, a man like Wickham was despised as a fortune hunter… In fact Elizabeth Bennet says something about this double standard to her Aunt Gardiner, doesn’t she?
Although perhaps the difference in attitude is because a man could earn his living and had other options than a loveless union, while a woman’s only choice was marriage if she had no fortune of her own…
Is Wickham’s besetting sin simply laziness, then? He isn’t evil, he is just a spoiled young man who learnt at Darcy senior’s knee how to take advantage of people to get whatever he wants and continues that all his life.
So the question is, what punishment is most fitting for a lazy man? Being forced to take the king’s shilling and hard labour aboard a ship, maybe?
Author
Hi, Abi! Again, so sorry I hadn’t ticked the ‘Notify me of comments’ box!
OMG I was laughing my head off when I saw this 😀 😀 . ‘“Isn’t my husband a fine horseman?!” (In a Lydia voice).’ I always knew I had a bit of Lydia in me (or worse still, Mrs Bennet 😀 )
So true about Lydia and Mr Wickham, they are each other’s punishment.
And the double standard! I haven’t noticed that before, I just thought that Lizzy was starry-eyed and infatuated when she defended Wickham to her aunt. But she has a point, starry-eyed as she might have been.
It must be just as you said, the explanation for different attitudes: Wickham and others like him are despised as fortune hunters because, unlike women, they can go into the world and earn a living. Poor Charlotte could only hire herself as a governess.
And lastly, I *love* your most fitting punishment for a lazy man!! That’s exactly where I went with it. Bon voyage, Mr Wickham, and good riddance 😀
All the best and I hope you’re having a lovely summer.