“Derbyshire, eh?” Mr. Bennet asked. “My second daughter just married a man from that county. Perhaps you know the family. She married a man named Darcy.”
“Darcy,” Wickham cried in pretend surprise. “I am very familiar with the name, as the late Mr. Darcy was my godfather. His sons, George and Fitzwilliam, are well known to me, although we have not been in company lately. George Darcy is a rather dissolute gentleman, although his younger brother, Fitzwilliam, is often lauded as respectable. But who is to know what such a man is truly like, as it is rather easy to pretend to be respectable.”
Mr. Bennet frowned. “Are you saying my new son-in-law is not respectable?”
Wickham held up his hand. “I am not saying anything of the sort, sir,” he protested. “I am merely saying that it is easy to appear one way. I attended school with Fitzwilliam Darcy, and we roomed together for one year, but then his father separated us in subsequent years. I have rarely been in his company since, but I know what kind of man his elder brother is.”
Mr. Bennet’s brow remained furrowed. “My brother is well acquainted with my son-in-law; I have only met him once, and he quickly took my daughter away after my wife …” he trailed off in thought before shaking himself and recalling their purpose. “Come, let me call my man to assist you with your clothing andthen we can all have supper. I can arrange for my carriage to take you into town after the meal.”
So saying, Mr. Bennet pulled the bell cord. Mr. Hill, who acted as the man of all work for the Bennets, serving as both butler and valet as needed, escorted his guest to a side room and assisted him in brushing his coat and pants to remove the dirt and dust. Something about the man unsettled Mr. Hill; however, he did as asked and showed him into the family parlour when he was done.
Mr. Bennet looked up when Mr. Wickham was shown in. “Mrs. Bennet, daughters, let me introduce you to Mr. Wickham. His horse unceremoniously deposited him on the doorstep, and he will join us for dinner. Mr. Wickham, my wife, and my daughters, Jane, the eldest, and then Catherine and Lydia.”
“And did you not say you had one other daughter married to a Darcy?” Wickham asked after acknowledging the introductions, watching the eyes of the three girls as their sister was mentioned.
The eldest looked piqued while the younger two narrowed their eyes at the question. Something about the way he asked made them wonder about his intentions.
“Yes, our second daughter married Fitzwilliam Darcy in the spring,” Mrs. Bennet answered. “And we have another daughter in London with my brother and his wife.”
“I believe I met your daughter in London,” Wickham replied. “I danced with her at the ball celebrating her wedding to my old friend.”
“You are friends with the Darcys?” Jane asked.
“I am not certain friends is the correct term,” he replied carefully. Other than at his wedding ball, we have had very little time together recently. And since university, we have found we have few things in common. After Fitzwilliam became a barrister, we went our separate ways.”
“So what do you do now, Mr. Wickham?” Mrs. Bennet asked.
“I was destined for a career in the church, but when my godfather passed away, his son denied my rightful claim to the church living,” Wickham falsely claimed. While the late Mr. Darcy had indeed recommended Wickham for a church living, Wickham refused it and accepted compensation in return. Even now, if the living were offered, Wickham would not have taken it as he had no desire to spend his life catering to old women or listening to the complaints of others.
“Who was your godfather?” Lydia asked.
“Mr. George Darcy,” Wickham replied. Just then, the housekeeper, Mrs. Hill, entered the room to announce that dinner was ready to be served.
The entire family started making their way toward the dining room, but Kitty and Lydia lingered in the parlour for a moment after the rest had departed. In a hushed tone, Lydia remarked, “There’s something not quite right about that man. I don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I,” Kitty whispered back. “He seems far too interested in the connection to the Darcys.”
“What should we do?” Lydia replied.
“We should speak to Maria the next time we see her,” Kitty suggested. “Perhaps she can mention something to Charlottein her next letter. Charlotte can speak to Lizzy about him—he claims to have met her at the wedding ball hosted by the Darcy family.”
Just then, Mrs. Hill poked her head back into the room. “Best hurry up, girls, or your Mama will not be happy with the two of you.”
They agreed and followed the housekeeper out of the room to join the rest of the family.
Wickham was invitedto stay the night, and both Lydia and Kitty watched him carefully as he appeared to cosy up to Jane. Mrs. Bennet looked on happily, convinced Jane’s beauty was again doing its magic with a gentleman.
Wickham posed numerous questions regarding the Bennet family, some of which were overly intrusive to Kitty and Lydia. However, neither of them was inclined to voice their reservations about the gentleman in the presence of their mother and elder sister. In addition, he subtly sowed seeds of discontent in the minds of Mrs. Bennet and Jane, especially concerning the Darcy family, particularly related to the character of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. His remarks were always artfully framed to avoid being overtly negative, yet they contained enough insinuation to foster doubt in the mind of anyone susceptible to negative perceptions of the gentleman. They considered speaking to their father privately about theirimpressions; however, they were uncertain how Mr. Bennet might react.
In due course, the entire family retired for the night. While Kitty and Lydia each had their own rooms, they shared Kitty’s room this evening. Their decision stemmed from their apprehension regarding their houseguest and their desire to strategise on how they might expose the gentleman they suspected to be a fraud.
CHAPTER 22
Trouble Brewing
Although Wickham departed from Longbourn the following morning, he gathered as much information as possible about the recently married daughter. Jane found it irritating that Wickham consistently redirected the conversation toward her sister though he showered her with enough compliments, she soon forgot her annoyance and was charmed by his attention.
Wickham claimed to have business taking him to London for a day or two, although he promised to return soon. Kitty and Lydia noticed when asked he spoke of a denied living and did not mention specifics of this mysterious “business” taking him to town. When he departed from Longbourn, lingering beyond the noon hour and, in Kitty and Lydia’s opinion, making a pest of himself, the two girls walked into town, though their real destination was Lucas Lodge.
