“Then I do not understand why you would desire to speak with me about him. Perhaps you should address Mr Darcy to learn what you wish.”
“No…” He pursed his lips and studied her face. “I have already learned a great deal. Have you spoken often with Mr Wickham?”
“Some. He appears to wish to be friendly with me, but after I understood… certain things about his character, I decided to remain more circumspect.”
He laughed, but the humour did not touch his eyes. “Few are the women who hold to such a resolve when it is George Wickham working upon them. I know none who do not eventually fall to his charms.”
Elizabeth lifted her chin and shifted the book in her arms to one side. “I submit to you that you do not know me, Colonel. Excuse me, please.”
He stepped aside and allowed her to pass, but then turned after her. “Pray, Mrs Wickham, one more thing, if I may.”
Elizabeth stopped and drew a long sigh before turning back. “Yes, Colonel?”
“My wife and my sister—what are your opinions on them?”
She glanced away and wetted her lips before answering. “I beg your pardon, Colonel, but I am merely employed here. I do not have the luxury of opinions.”
“Aha, but you have formed them, nonetheless! I can see it in the way you clench your teeth whenever they speak.”
“I think you are mistaken, Colonel. My one responsibility here is to be a friend and counsellor to Miss Darcy. It is a duty I take seriously, and one in which I am determined not to be found wanting—at least, not more so than I was already. If I should seem ill at ease, it is all due to concern for her, not myself.”
The colonel nodded slowly. “You have a sharp tongue, Mrs Wickham. That alone does not recommend you to your current post.”
“A fact that Mr Darcy must surely regret. I understand you perfectly, Colonel.”
He raised his brows. “You do, do you? Hmm.” He raised a finger to stroke his upper lip, then gave one more terse nod. “Well, Darcy must know what he is about. I imagine matters will change rather soon, and Georgiana will no longer have need of a companion.”
She tilted her head. “Of what do you speak?”
“Why, when Darcy marries, of course. He has been reluctant coming to the point—some nonsense about trying to avoid marrying back into certain family connections—but his feelings and intentions would be obvious even to a blind man. We will have a wedding this winter, I wager.”
Elizabeth turned away, her cheeks hot and her stomach crawling oddly. “Good evening, Colonel,” she managed.
“Are you not taking the book you selected?” he called after her.
She glanced down and discovered that at some point in the colonel’s revelation, she had pushed the precious book back on the shelf and now stood empty-handed. She looked at it longingly—if only it could settle her! “No,” she decided. “I am no longer in the mood for reading. Good night.”
Fifteen
“WhendidyousayBingley was coming back?” Colonel Fitzwilliam helped himself to a decanter of brandy from the sideboard and sauntered back to the billiards table.
“I did not say, but I expect him tomorrow. I was rather surprised he is not here already.”
“And you believe he will offer for Mrs Wickham?”
Darcy twisted his cue, adjusting to the feel of it as he lined up his shot. “It would serve them both well if he did.” He missed and stood back in mind frustration.
Fitzwilliam retrieved his own cue and studied the table. “She would suit him handsomely. Better than fair features, seems to be a loyal sort of woman, and she has a bit of spine. But what say you, Darcy, how do you think of a couple where the wife is the more determined of the two? What chances have they for success and happiness?”
Darcy watched Richard drop his mark and considered. “Many men would take issue with a woman who is both clever and stubborn, as Mrs Wickham is. I think it nonsense, for a man would be fortunate to have such a stalwart partner in life. Bingley could do with a bit of direction, and is so easy in general that Mrs Wickham could hardly find anything in him to run against.”
“Just so. But what of the lady’s preferences? How do you think she would fare without a bit of flint upon which to sharpen her blade?”
Darcy smiled and made his next shot. “Even in retirement, you still speak as a soldier. You make Mrs Wickham out to be some she-devil, but I assure you, she is not.”
“Aye, but mark my words; she will become dull within a twelve-month. A woman such as she likes a man who can go toe-to-toe and eye-to-eye with her. Now, if she married Bingley, I’ve no doubt that she would think herself well contented and have every reason for satisfaction—in the beginning. She may even grow fat, producing one chubby red-haired babe after another. She would take up embroidery and table decorating, or whatever it is matrons do with their days. But count on it—she will also take to drinking in the closet and gossiping with the maids out of sheer boredom. That clear-eyed doe will soon be an indolent old badger.”
Darcy snorted. “What know you of women, Richard? The light-skirts who follow the drum, the maids who pour your ale, and your ill-tempered wife have taught you little about a true lady’s character.”
