She wondered at him repeating himself. Did he particularly want to know her? It was flattering, she supposed, given his good looks and happy manners. If she had not seen the way he and Mr Darcy acted towards each other, she might have found him engaging.If there was no Mr Darcy, or if I still clung to my hatred for him, I probably would be rather pleased with Mr Wickham’s company. But now…I wishhewere here instead!
There was nothing she could think of to say to Mr Wickham, so she smiled and sipped from her cup, hoping he had not noticed that it was already empty.
“I spoke to your younger sisters—Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia. Such lively girls. Delightful company.” He paused as though waiting for her to respond, so she thanked him. “They told me that your family lives at Longbourn and have for some generations.”
“That is true. The Bennets have occupied the land for well over a century.”
“I look forward to seeing it, and to meeting your father. I regret that he was not able to attend tonight.”
So was Elizabeth; she was interested to know what her father would think of the young man, given his evident intention to make friends with everyone he met—perhaps especially the young ladies. Mr Bennet had not yet found any of the officers agreeable except for Colonel Forster, and that, she suspected, was because he had lately married. This evening, Mr Bennet, Sir William, and several of the other neighbourhood gentlemen were occupied with a meeting whose purpose she could not recall. She understood it was the same one Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley were attending.
“He will be happy to make your acquaintance,” she said politely. “You must not expect too much from Longbourn. Although I love it dearly and think it is everything it should be, it is hardly a grand estate. It is nothing to Netherfield Park, which is the largest property in the neighbourhood.”
“Ah.” He nodded and took a long drink from his glass of wine. “That is the one Mr Bingley has taken. He has not been here long, I believe?”
Would he mention Mr Darcy too? Mr Wickham must know that he was staying with his friend. “Only since Michaelmas. He is here with his sisters and the husband of the elder, Mr Hurst. Do you know them?”
He responded by shaking his head. “I have met Mr Bingley once or twice. Informally, you understand. I do not believe we have ever said more than two or three words to each other. As for Darcy… Well, you must have seen that he wasnotpleased to discover I am nearby.”
“I take that to mean you are more familiar with him than Mr Bingley. I had presumed as much,” she admitted,keeping her tone even so as not to betray her wish for him to tell her everything about their connexion, despite it being unconscionably rude and intrusive.
He chuckled. “We are not friends, which an intelligent young lady such as you must also have noticed immediately. I should say we are no longer friends. I understand you and he are not either.” He leant closer and lowered his voice. “Denny, you see. He told me about my old friend insulting you. I wish I could say I am surprised.”
Elizabeth felt a flash of annoyance and was certain it showed in her countenance.
Before she could say anything, he continued. “Oh, not because ofyou, I assure you. The moment we met, I was struck by your loveliness, if you will excuse my boldness, and any fool would see that you are a delightful young lady, one any man would be pleased to know and dance with as often as possible. Darcy, however, is a fool—an arrogant, impossible to please fool. I am sorry you had the misfortune to encounter such a man, and I pray he has done you no lasting injury.”
“No, not at all. I ought to—” she said, intending to make an excuse to leave his company; she was suddenly uneasy. She hated him referring to the assembly—and hated hearing him insult Mr Darcy even more. If only she could deliver a set-down such as the one Mr Darcy had given Mrs Best! But she was wary of saying too much, of drawing attention and creating gossip, especially when everyone else was finally beginning to speak less ofthat night. Her feeling of protectiveness for thegentleman was shocking in its strength, and she was determined to question herself about it later.
To her regret and irritation, Mr Wickham interjected and spoke as though he had not heard her. “I have known him all my life, and he has always been a proud, disagreeable fellow. Thus, he was as a boy, and thus he remains. His father liked me, even preferred me. As a child, I wondered why, but now, I see it was because he approved of my character and could not like his son’s. I am a simple man, Miss Elizabeth, with simple desires—good friends, pleasant conversation, and a laugh or two.” He chuckled sadly. “To earn my way in the world respectably. Darcy has always been jealous of me. The end of it was that he robbed me of the inheritance his father wanted me to have, which included a valuable living in Derbyshire. Instead of being a poor soldier with an uncertain future, I should even now be living near where I grew up. I do love Derbyshire, and I would have loved to be a parson, to be settled in that fine county, and be doing some good for the people there. Oh, I am extremely glad to have a place in Colonel Forster’s regiment—excellent man, I could see that at once—but it is not what I had dreamt I would be doing with my life.”
“I am sorry for you, Mr Wickham, but I am glad you are satisfied with your present situation.” Her speech evidently pleased him, and before he could say more, she succeeded in excusing herself, truthfully claiming a need to speak to Lydia and Kitty, who appeared on the point of arguing with each other yet again.
She quickly dealt with their petty disagreement and spent the remainder of the party with them or Mary,having lost interest in idle chitchat. Mr Wickham continued to delight everyone, and she heard more than one person express how glad they were to have met him. Elizabeth kept him in her sights all evening, mostly to ensure he stayed away from Kitty and Lydia, who she suspected would quickly decide they liked him above all other officers simply because he was better looking.
Elizabeth considered talking to Jane about what Mr Wickham had said, but she decided against it. It was possible there was some truth in what he had disclosed, but she wanted to believe better of Mr Darcy. A month ago, she certainly would not have; she would have considered Mr Wickham’s portrayal of him exactly what she expected of the gentleman she had encountered at the assembly. But after witnessing how much effort Mr Darcy was putting into rectifying the errors he had made that night, seeing what an admirable gentleman he was, she could not. Briefly, she wondered how Mr Denny had come to tell his friend about the assembly—he had not been present, after all. She supposed he was aware that the two men knew each other and, having heard the gossip—and plenty of people were still talking ofthat night—had thought it an amusing story to share.
Elizabeth fervently hoped that people would forget the assembly had ever taken place! If they must, they should think only of meeting Mr Bingley. If he and Jane fell in love, as they seemed set to do, it might become a romantic tale of how they had met and known at once that they were destined to spend their lives as husband and wife. What the neighbourhood needed was another event that they could speak of enthusiastically,recounting details again and again because they were so delicious. She did not know what form this event might take, but in her dreams, it was one in which there was no discord, only endless moments of pleasure and cheer.
At Longbourn, Elizabeth retired immediately, assuring her family that she was well, just excessively tired. In truth, she was still vexed with Mr Denny and Mr Wickham and anxious to see Mr Darcy. Silently, she prayed that they would meet the next morning and that she might convince him to tell her more of the newest member of the militia.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Two days after seeing the Miss Bennets in Meryton, Darcy went for an early morning ride hoping he would encounter Miss Elizabeth as he had previously. As soon as he had seen Wickham, he had been overtaken by a twin yearning to kick him and pull her away in order to protect her, determined that he would not fail her as he had Georgiana. This strong desire had faded into a more reasonable decision to advertise something of his history with the scoundrel so that the Miss Bennets and other young ladies would be on their guard. He would begin by speaking to Miss Elizabeth and then Mr Bennet or some other gentleman.
He coaxed Budge into joining him, believing Miss Elizabeth would be pleased to see him again. When the ridiculous dog had been unwilling to leave his comfortable spot by the fire, Darcy had stooped to whisper that he might see her if he did. It had to be coincidence that Budge had then stood and shaken himself, making his white fur look even more unkempt than usual.
“Well, there is nothing for it,” Darcy had said, scratching his faithful companion’s ears. “Fortunately, she is not the sort of lady whose feelings for you depend on your looks.” It was yet another of her admirable qualities; he was discovering that there were a great many.
Any attempt to make Budge more presentable might be the difference between meeting Miss Elizabeth that morning or missing her. It was important that he speak to her before Wickham had a chance to spread his usual lies. He would have liked to have done it sooner—immediately—but circumstances had not permitted it. Darcy hoped he had done enough that people would find it difficult to believe the worst of whatever his former friend said, though it was always possible, even probable, that Wickham would make up ever more outrageous stories in his quest to ensure he was loved and Darcy was hated. Although he did not want anyone to think poorly of him, the person whose opinion most mattered was Miss Elizabeth. What had begun as a wish to make her think better of him had altered into something far greater, and it was increasingly difficult to overlook that he liked her more than any other lady of his acquaintance.
Sure enough, when they were about halfway to Longbourn, Budge barked several times and ran off; Darcy found him with Miss Elizabeth a moment later. Once again, she was crouching, giving the dog the attention he apparently desperately needed—as suggested by his frantically wagging tail and enthusiastic attempts to lick her face.
“Mind your manners!” Darcy cried; he tried to pull Budge away from her, but she only laughed.
“How could I object?” she asked. “I am seldom greeted so gleefully. You will spoil me, noble Budge, and make me think entirely too well of myself.” She kissed the top of his head and accepted Darcy’s offer of a hand to help her stand.
They strolled, the exercise necessary in light of the November chill and the shaded path they were on. He listened with growing anger as she told him of her conversation with Wickham at her aunt’s house the previous evening. Sure enough, he had told her the usual lies.If he feels she did not believe him, at the next opportunity, he will add that I gamble excessively and have been known to prefer less than respectable company.
