Elizabeth finished reading the letter out loud to her husband and merely hung her head for a moment before he kissed her temple. “That was not so bad, was it?” he whispered.
She laughed at his understatement. “Perhaps notsobad, but I hope you know she is wrong in every particular. I amnotashamed of you, and you are clearlynotill-favoured,”—she blushed, as did he—“but nor do I desire to have you dragged around to meet all our neighbours in Hertfordshire so Mama might parade around her married daughter. We will not do as she demands and will remain at Longbourn long enough for you to meet my family, and then we will begin our journey north.”
“I would not mind staying longer, love, if you prefer it,” he answered.
“I do not prefer it,” Elizabeth insisted. “Staying at Longbourn for longer than a few hours is more than I can stand at present. Mama’s demands will not persuade me. She does not deserve such attention from us, and I do not want to start by immediately giving in to her demands. I am married now, and by necessity, our relationship must change. I no longer owe her my loyalty.”
Before he could say more, she read Jane’s letter. As she expected, it was full of insincere congratulations. She laughed in particular at one paragraph, which she read out loud to her new husband:
I congratulate you on managing to ensnare a husband, although I imagine you will outlive him by a great deal, and I can only hope your marriage settlement provides well for your future. You should not expect our parents to continue to support you, as you have chosen to marry away from home. Surely such an action has made you happy, since, as usual, you have thought only of what benefits you. I will continue to attempt to placate Mama, as she is most upset at the nature of your marriage. Should I also congratulate you on the child to follow? As Mama has frequently said, ‘The first child can come anytime after the marriage, all the rest take nine months.’ Do you have other news for us, my dear sister?
“Before I left for London, I would have never imagined my elder sister saying such a thing to me, but after Mary’s letter when they mocked the very idea of my having a suitor, my eyes have been more opened to her true character,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I believe by not telling her of my intentions ahead of time, she had been more open in revealing her true feelings toward me.”
Once again, Fitzwilliam reassured his wife before she opened the letter from her father. His letter was short, offering his congratulations on the match but little else. He did not seem distressed she married without his permission and had left his care. In truth, his letter seemed relieved Elizabeth had not yet requested the one hundred pounds per annum she was entitled to, as this would free up funds for the rest of his family. Elizabethexpressed to her husband he would likely spend the funds to purchase additional books for his library. For that reason, she was inclined to request it, for the simple fact doing so would require her father to be at least a little less indolent.
However, she had already told her husband she did not want the funds and was well provided for. “But you could arrange for those funds to aid Longbourn’s tenants, should you wish. I am certain we could find a way to make that happen,” Fitzwilliam offered.
“I will consider it,” she replied. “My Uncle Phillips is the solicitor in Meryton, and surely he would be able to help me establish a fund to ensure the tenants have what they need. Our housekeeper, or rather Longbourn’s housekeeper, could help by dispensing the funds as needed.”
“Does your father not employ a steward?” Fitzwilliam asked.
“He does, but he already has so many responsibilities. Perhaps he could take ten pounds a year for himself as payment for managing the funds,” Elizabeth suggested.
“We could speak to him and the housekeeper to see what they think would work best before speaking to your uncle to make the arrangements. If it would make it easier, we could spend one night at Longbourn, which might placate your mother while allowing us to make the arrangements we need to do,” he replied.
Elizabeth sighed. “We should not have to solve the problems of my father’s estate while we are on our honeymoon, but I do hate to leave the tenants of Longbourn without any assistance. Mary is already on her way to London—you will meet her at the ball tonight, although she will not dance and will spend mostof the evening in your sister’s company. Without either of us at Longbourn, no one else in my family will do anything for the tenants. The steward has always done what he could, but this is the first time neither Mary nor I will be at home to ensure they have what they need.”
Fitzwilliam pulled Elizabeth more tightly into his embrace. “We will do what we can, love. And I am certain you will care for the tenants on our estate just as assiduously. Now, we have spent quite enough time this morning on correspondence, and you have one last letter to read. Finish it, my dear, and then we will retire to rest until it is time to prepare for the ball.”
“Will,” Elizabeth teased her husband, “since we have married, little rest occurs whenever you suggest we rest. Do you have a different definition of ‘rest’ than I do?”
He laughed and whispered a rather suggestive definition of rest into her ear. She quickly read Mary’s letter, sharing a few lines with her husband before he pulled her upstairs to their chambers to enact his suggestion.
It wasthe height of the season, and although Fitzwilliam’s inheritance was not yet known in theton, the fact that the younger Darcy son had married and Lady Anne was hosting a ball brought many guests to Darcy House that evening. Since it was in their honour, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth had to endure standing in the receiving line, and before it was over, Elizabeth’s dance card was nearly full. Fortunately, Fitzwilliam had alreadyclaimed the first, supper, and last dances, defying propriety by frequently dancing with his wife. His brother, cousin, and uncles had also claimed a dance with her, leaving only a few spots open. These were filled mainly by Fitzwilliam’s friends, meaning Elizabeth had only one dance with one who was truly a stranger.
This was also the only dance Fitzwilliam was genuinely uneasy about. Somehow, a former friend of Fitzwilliam’s had managed to approach Elizabeth when she was not with her husband and requested her only remaining set. George Wickham had maintained a friendship with the elder Darcy as children, but Fitzwilliam had never liked the man or boy. The two had been in school together when the patriarch had sent the young Wickham to school as a favour to his father, whom the entire Darcy family had respected. George Wickham may be a profligate and a rake, but where George Darcy merely played at these habits, Wickham had made a career of them.
Fitzwilliam and Wickham had shared a room their first year at Cambridge, and Wickham’s habits were so bad, with women coming into their rooms at all hours and his constantly violating the rules of the dorms, Fitzwilliam outright refused to room with him in subsequent years. His father had questioned this declaration, and when Fitzwilliam had explained his objections, the elder Darcy believed ‘young Wickham’ was merely ‘sowing his wild oats’ and would settle down soon enough.
Fitzwilliam and his father had never had another conversation about the man, and the following year, he had used his own allowance to clear up debts around their school at the end of each term. He did write to his father of these debts, and his father had replaced the funds, but Fitzwilliam was unaware if his father had ever said anything about the behaviour to either Wickham. However, the following year, Wickham’s debts hadbeen cleared up without Fitzwilliam’s influence, leaving him to wonder if his father had arranged to cover any debts he acquired or if he had been commanded to stop such behaviours.
Elizabeth enjoyed the ball, especially the dances with her husband. The only dark spot in her evening had been the dance with Wickham, who requested a dance on the claim of a lifelong friendship with her husband. He had been overly bold and flirtatious during the dance and had, on several occasions, allowed his hand to linger too long on hers or on her waist. He made her uncomfortable with these touches and even his words on occasion. Elizabeth knew she had been sheltered much of her life, and while being married had made her more aware of certain things, Wickham’s words seemed almost lewd at times and undoubtedly improper.
It was late in the evening when the dance concluded, and only a few dances remained in the ball. Wickham deliberately directed Elizabeth away from her husband and toward the open balcony doors in the ballroom. Fitzwilliam saw this and began moving that way, eager to intercept his wife, as he did not trust Wickham whatsoever. Richard also noted this and started to move in the same direction, ending up closer to the pair when they left the dance floor. Richard arrived sooner than Fitzwilliam and overheard her protests.
“Mr. Wickham, where are you taking me?” she had whispered furiously at her escort. “My husband is in the opposite direction. Please unhand me.”
“No, my dear Elizabeth, you are overheated and do not know what you are saying,” Wickham said to Elizabeth. “Allow me to escort you to the balcony so I might aid you.”
“I do not need your assistance, Mr. Wickham. If I appear overheated, as you say, it is because I am angry at being manhandled by someone who refuses to release me despite my request for him to do so. I do not know why you believe you have the right to address me as informally as you have, but I am Mrs. Darcy and not your dear anything. Release me now!” Elizabeth stomped her foot in her anger, and if Wickham had not moved it quickly, she would have landed on his foot.
Richard arrived first and had heard quite enough. He stopped the pair with a heavy hand on Wickham’s shoulder, forcing him to release Elizabeth. “Wickham, are you attempting to abscond from the ball with my cousin’s wife? I have heard her ask you twice to release her, and I would have thought you would have learned some manners by now. I can assure you, if you need another lesson, my cousin and I would be happy to provide you with one.” He indicated Fitzwilliam, rapidly approaching the group, and George Darcy, not far behind.
George Darcy spoke first. “Why did my new sister look so uncomfortable during your dance with her, Wickham? I once believed you to be a friend to my family, but your actions of late have made me question your motives. I am uncertain how you even came to be at this ball since we stopped being in each other’s company some time ago.”
“I, uh, I received an invitation,” Wickham stuttered, his bravado fading in light of the four people glaring at him.
“I am certain you did not,” said Lady Anne as she approached the group. “I had believed George invited you since I knew you were not on my list, but if he was unaware of your attendance tonight, then surely that is not the case. Will you leave willingly, or will you require a footman to escort you out?”
