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For possibly the first time in his life Darcy did not know what he was to do, and it was so very far from what he had expected here in this little corner of Hertfordshire that it took every scrap of the little manners he had left to not declare propriety be damned, turn on his heel and walk as far away from Elliot Bennet as he possibly could!
Nineteen
Neither Marc nor Jack had seen anything amiss in Darcy’s behaviour. Had they thought him a little strange, yes. Wasn’t he always a little strange, also yes. But they hadn’t picked up on what Elliot had the moment Darcy had spotted Mr. Wickham.
Anger.
A most passionate anger.
And Elliot wanted to know why.
It took Elliot the better part of three days to arrange an invitation from their uncles to Mr. Wickham but in such a way that no one realised it had been his idea. In the lead up to the dinner Elliot tried to gather as much information from Jack and Marc as possible, but they had very little to give him. Darcy had not attended the dinner following their meeting in Meryton, and besides, they wondered, why was Elliot so concerned about Mr. Darcy’s behaviour?
Elliot refused to answer that question to them or to himself and instead focused on Mr. Wickham, who was already drawing the attention of the eligible men and women in Meryton—and even those who were not eligible! He was uncommonly handsome and in such a way that he drew the interest of everyone in the room. It was not the same sort of handsomeness that Jack enjoyed. It was far less innocent and far more exciting. They all felt it though Elliot perhaps less so than some of the others given he was more concerned in ferreting out information than repining over someone’s good looks!
Happily, Elliot was seated next to Mr. Wickham at dinner, something he had also arranged in advance, with Louis on the officer’s other side. Louis was quite pleased by this given his current fascination with officers in general and he spent the first part of the dinner monopolising Mr. Wickham completely, unknowingly giving Elliot time to consider how he could ask after the history of the other man’s acquaintance with Mr. Darcy. He had to do it in such a way that didn’t arouse suspicion in anyone as to why he was asking. Elliot would be beyond mortified at any suggestion that his interest in Darcy was anything more than mere curiosity!
That curiosity, however, was unexpectedly relieved when Mr. Wickham began the subject himself before the main course was even brought out. He shifted in his seat slightly, the light from a nearby candle glinting off the golden buttons of his officer’s uniform, and favoured Elliot with a smile. Once satisfied that Elliot had picked up on his interest, he inquired how far Netherfield was from Meryton and after receiving Elliot’s answer, asked in a slightly hesitating manner how long Mr. Darcy had been staying there.
“Some weeks,” Elliot said, and then in an effort to keep Mr. Wickham talking said, “He is a man of very large property in Derbyshire, I understand.”
“Yes,” replied Mr. Wickham. “His estate there is a noble one, given his grandfather through his mother’s side. Lady Anne, was the daughter of an earl. They have always been alphas. He has a clear ten thousand per annum.”
Mr. Wickham’s summation was so direct that Elliot couldn’t help but say so.
“You could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information on Mr. Darcy than myself,” Wickham said, though he found a moment to favour Elliot with another smouldering sort of smile. “For I have been connected with his family since my infancy.”
Elliot couldn’t help but look surprised given their previous interaction and the memory of just how angry Darcy had looked. It was just a flash, in his eyes, in his manner, but it was clear to Elliot that there was a history between them, though he had not considered it might be a history going back to infancy. He was just forming the words to say as much, and in as considered a way as possible, when Mr. Wickham again came to his rescue.
“You may well be surprised, Mr. Bennet, at such an assertion,” he said. “After seeing, as you probably might, the very cold manner of our meeting earlier in the week. Are you much acquainted with Mr. Darcy?”
“Barely,” Elliot said. “We have spent a handful of hours together is all.” He looked down at his plate as he said that, as he had not realised until that moment how sparse their acquaintance actually was. Elliot paused for just a moment to consider that before speaking again. “He can be quite disagreeable!”
Wickham laughed softly. “I have no right to give my opinion as to his being agreeable or otherwise. I am not qualified to form one. I have known him too long and too well to be a fair judge. It is impossible for me to be impartial. But I believe your opinion of him would in general astonish.” He paused to give another smile. “And you will forgive me if I suggest that perhaps you should not express it quite so strongly outside of your own family.”
“Astonish how?” Elliot asked.
“Darcy is very well liked in Pemberley,” Wickham said.
“We are not in Pemberley,” Elliot said. “And the opinion of him here is quite different.”
“That is interesting indeed,” Wickham said slowly. “But not one I can pretend to be sorry about. The world is usually blinded by his fortune and consequence, or frightened by his high and imposing manners, and sees him only as he chooses to be seen.”
“How does he choose to be seen?” Elliot asked.
Mr. Wickham shrugged. “He is an alpha. He would be seen in a positive light of course.”
“Perhaps our society is more discerning,” Elliot suggested but even as he spoke, he couldn’t help but think that Darcy’s behaviour did not match Mr. Wickham’s description. From the moment Darcy had arrived at Netherfield he had made no effort at all to be seen in a positive light.
“I wonder whether he is likely to be in this county much longer,” Wickham said.
It was something that Elliot had wondered about also. “I do not know,” he said. “I have not heard that he plans to move on anytime soon, though I have wondered if his own estate does not need his attentions?”
“Darcy has a full complement of staff. Many have been with him since Lady Anne’s time and could run the estate for years without interference. They are highly competent. Believe me, I have direct experience of this.”
“As you have known each other from infancy?”
“Yes, though we are not on friendly terms, Darcy and I, you have seen this,” Wickham replied, and he did so in a soft sort of voice, as if reluctant to share his information. “And it always gives me pain to meet him. Whenever I do I have a feeling of such very great ill-usage, and most painful regrets.”
