Lydia bunched her chin like a toddler. “La, you are disagreeable today. You will not stay when I want you to, and you insist on leaving me at Longbourn instead of the church to see my sisters marry. I have as little desire to see stuffy Mr. Darcy as you do, but I do so wish to see Jane’s and Lizzy’s gowns.” She patted her stomach again, and Wickham struggled against the urge to tighten his grip around her fleshy elbow. Only the knowledge of his plan granted him solace.
A few more minutes. Then Lydia would be her father’s problem, not his. It was for her own benefit. The doctor had said so.
He mumbled, “I am sorry, my love. Knowing I must leave you has made me cross.”
She snuggled against his arm, giggling. “I ought to have known. My poor, dearest George, missing me already.”
He forced a smile and continued walking.
“Let us peek through the windows, at least,” she pressed. “Now that my sisters are married to rich men, they will have no use for their old gowns, and if I am not there to claim them, they will all go to Kitty and Mary.”
Wickham did not slow his pace. “As I told you before, we must arrive at Longbourn while your family is away.”
“But why?”
He took a deep breath. “Consider how your sudden, unexpected arrival at the church would affect yoursisters. This is their grand day, but you would be certain to overshadow them with your presence. Then, they would resent you and you would not benefit from their kindness.”
Lydia gasped. “No! I had not considered that before, but I daresay you are correct. What with all the news I have to share, I would be certain to get all the attention. You are so clever, George. So what if Kitty and Mary get their dusty, old gowns? Lizzy is sure to invite us to stay at Pemberley, and she will be rich enough to spare me several new gowns. And Jane is generous to a fault. I know she will not refuse me when I ask her to lend me money.”
Wickham, too, hoped his wife’s sisters would be as generous as Lydia believed. He was in desperate need of funds. However, he thought it best not to point out the futility of Mrs. Darcy ever inviting them to Pemberley to his wife. It would sooner freeze in late June than Darcy allow the Wickhams to set foot on his precious estate.
Carriage wheels rattled and harnesses jingled behind them. Wickham tucked his head down and pulled Lydia closer to the side of the road. The foolish girl turned and waved openly.
Wickham prayed it was not her family. It ought not to be. He had deposited his wife at the inn with a plate of cucumber sandwiches while he crept behind the carriage house to ensure the Bennets had departed. It had taken him longer than he had wanted, but thefamily had made two trips in their carriage, he supposed, to save the ladies’ gowns or to save the carriage from suffering an accident with its heavy burden. Accidents happen all the time. And when one least expected.
He had not seen Darcy.
If only Darcy knew what he planned, he would thank him.
Miss Elizabeth must have bewitched him completely for the grand gentleman to willingly attach himself to such a family. Mr. High-and-Mighty with his fortune and connections would be grateful to him once he realized the burden from which Wickham planned to free him.
Perhaps, in the future, he would look upon Wickham with more favor. With more generosity.
Longbourn came into view and, with his relief imminent, it became easier for Wickham to think more kindly of his wife. Slowing his pace and pressing her hands against his heart, he looked upon her with the charming regard which had won him the hearts of many maidens. “It distresses me greatly to depart so suddenly, my love. I think only of your welfare. I must stay on good terms with my commander. It simply cannot be helped.” He stroked her smooth cheek, trailing his fingers down to trace the outline of her lips.
She rose up to her toes and leaned against him.
This had always been Lydia’s most redeeming trait.She was affectionate. He crushed his mouth against hers, kissing her as though it might be their last.
When he released her, she stepped away, her hand over her heart and her chest heaving for breath. “My sisters would be shocked to be kissed with as much passion as I am accustomed to.”
Her constant comparisons between herself and her sisters had grown tiresome months ago, but Wickham prided himself that in at least one area he was superior to Darcy with his cold manners and repressed emotion. Even when Wickham had nearly managed to elope with Darcy’s little sister, he had suppressed his anger. He had not called Wickham out, nor had he challenged him to a duel. Not one blow or shove. Darcy was the personification of passionless self-possession. And he was soon to be in Wickham’s debt.
Resting his forehead against Lydia’s, Wickham said, “I must depart before your family returns. They will be delighted to see you, and I hope you will give them my best regards as well as explain the difficulty of my position suitably.” Dragging her by the shoulders, he turned her around and sent her down the path to Longbourn when a thought occurred to him. Calling after her, he said, “Wave to me from your bedchamber window once you gain entrance.”
Lydia smiled at him and skipped toward her house. Minutes later, a window toward the front facing the carriage house slid open, and his wife leaned perilously over the edge so carelessly Wickham held his breath.Only when she retreated inside did he turn around and begin his sojourn back to the village.
He made certain to greet the villagers he passed all the way into Meryton. He made certain he was seen hopping onto the back of a cart on the road to London. And he made certain nobody observed him hop off the cart a couple of miles down the lane and cut across the fields.
CHAPTER 4
Elizabeth looked across the carriage at her father. They were partway to the church now, and every turn of the wheels taking her closer to her new life also reminded her of how much she would miss her father.
Unwilling to give in to sad sentiments, she teased, “Your bees are bound to be happier than Mr. Collins’ and shall reward you with more honey for your exertions on behalf of their hive.”
Papa chuckled. “I have not yet devised a manner by which to collect their honey without destroying their habitation, but I hope to hear from the Polish beekeeper soon. As for Mr. Collins … I will own that his negligence is a powerful incentive for me.” He rubbed his hands together, adding with a twinkle in his eye, “I believe I shall send the very first of this summer’s honey to him and Mrs. Collins.”
“As a gift?” Elizabeth arched her eyebrow, watching her father. “Or as proof of your success over your distant relative?”
