by Anna Harlow
“She has yet to stand or walk, but has invented ways to arrive at her destination by other means.”
Now, the light of amusement came on in full force at this disclosure, transforming his face from sorrow to pleasure in the blink of an eye. Elizabeth marveled at the change in him, and could see clearly that Bingley was right.
“And I’ll warrant you look forward to those first steps daily,” she said, amused in her own right.
“I do,” he agreed. “But—”
“Yes?”
“I find myself wishing—well, considering—that I ought to find her a mother. For Georgiana certainly will not wish to be always in charge of her; she will wish to find a husband and situation of her own. And I—well, I am sure, Miss Bennet, that I need not explain the problems of entailment to you.”
Another glance at Mr. Collins. This time, he was watching her, and when she looked up he smiled and waved at her. Elizabeth blushed, though with embarrassment rather than pleasure, and Darcy noticed.
“Has he been like that the entire time?”
“Most of it, yes, though at first he did it to us all,” Elizabeth explained. “I cannot fathom what I have done to become favored among the five.”
“You do not share his interest, I take it, Miss Elizabeth?” asked Bingley with an amused smile.
“I do not, sir,” she replied. “I do not think I am meant to be the wife of a clergyman. My nature is much too independent. If I ever marry, I should wish it to be for love.”
Bingley smiled. “Certainly, we all would prefer it, would we not, Mr. Darcy?”
“I believe loving your spouse would greatly increase one’s chance at happiness, yes,” he agreed in as stoic a manner as possible. Elizabeth was beginning to think the gentleman would never be more open. How could he endure such a placid attitude?
“Mr. Darcy would have you believe he is neutral on the topic, yet after all that he has gone through, in a marriage that lacked the ingredient, I am certain he will not desire to endure such a match another time.”
“Leave off, Mr. Bingley, if you please,” said Darcy, blushing slightly.
Elizabeth smiled. “Sir, I do not blame you, if that is how you feel. It cannot be easy, or even agreeable, to be in a loveless marriage. I can only compare it to how I would feel if I married my cousin just for the sake of keeping this house. Though my mother would wish for it, I could never agree.”
Darcy nodded, and the subject moved on to other things. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the company of her sister and the two gentlemen, until it was time for them to leave. It was Miss Bingley who decided, for she stepped over to tell them she was fatigued.
“It has been most enjoyable, ladies,” said Bingley as he shook each sister’s hand and stood up to join Caroline. “We must assuredly have a dinner party at Netherfield in the near future.”
“Will you gentlemen be attending the parade to welcome the officers tomorrow?” Jane wanted to know.
“We have made no plans to do so,” said Bingley. “Indeed, we had heard nothing about it. Pray tell, what do you mean?”
“A regiment of officers shall be encamped in Meryton for the greater part of the summer, sir,” she explained. “It will be of great benefit to the entire village, that they should be here. There are far too many young ladies compared to gentlemen, if you had not noticed, and officers shall certainly round it out.”
“Let us hope, then, that these officers will not behave in a manner unbefitting their uniforms,” said Darcy with a little frown. “For I know at least a few of them do not deserve to wear them, you can be sure.”
“Come now, Darcy, must you find fault with everything in your world?” Bingley cajoled him. “Your own cousin is an officer, is he not?”
“An officer, and a bit of a libertine,” Darcy persisted. “He does not care whose heart he crushes with his good looks and seductive smiles. Thank goodness I have heard nothing of him to indicate he takes anything beyond flirtation, or I should box his ears myself.”
“In such cases, sir, I am certain it would be just as much the fault of the lady, for allowing herself to be taken in,” Elizabeth pointed out. “Do you not think so?”
“That may well be, but the lady would not be someone I know, madam, and in any case, no gentleman would ever raise his hand to a woman, even if she were the basest one of them all.”
“I’m pleased that you think so,” said Elizabeth as she stood, and he followed after her. “I have discharged my duty well, I believe. I promised to keep you from missing home all night, and I fancy that I have done so.”
Darcy smirked. “Amply so, Miss Elizabeth. I thank you.”
As she watched them go, Elizabeth’s smile fell when Mr. Collins immediately stepped to her side. “Ah, my dear cousin, though the guests are leaving, there are still plenty of us to continue our entertainments without them. Would you care to partner me at another table?”
“Sir, forgive me, but I am overtired,” Elizabeth replied. “I believe I walked much more today than usual, and must soon close my eyes. You and Mary seemed to do well, however. Perhaps she would continue partnering you tonight.”
“Yes, well, I suppose that you ought to rest up, since tomorrow will be a very busy time,” he said with a sigh. “I was almost an officer myself, you know? But I found I did not have the stomach for such violence as would be required. I do not think I could every shoot another person, and I am much happier with the Church.”
“I am much happier when church is over,” said Elizabeth, rolling her eyes. “Good evening, Mr. Collins.”
Chapter Ten
Elizabeth found herself sympathizing with Mr. Darcy as she stood in the crush of people who had come out of the woodwork to watch as the officers arrived. Lydia, Kitty, and their mother were fawning over all the redcoated masculinity, and even Mary did not look completely bored. As for Mr. Collins, after arriving in Meryton he had gone off with another clergyman somewhere, not that Elizabeth minded in the least. Her expectations for a dismal afternoon in his company were summarily ended, and she was now quite enjoying herself.
She was so hot, she pulled out a kerchief and was using it to fan herself. A stray wind kicked up and blew it away, making her shout with dismay as she began to give chase. Suddenly, she crashed into a pair of sturdy legs. She would have fallen backwards if the pair of strong arms that went with them had not prevented it.
“Miss? Yours, I believe.”
Elizabeth stood up, and found a handsome officer hovering above her, still much too close for comfort. She backed away from him, placing a proper distance between them even as she gasped.
“Forgive me, madam, for my unintended impertinence,” he said, smiling impishly at her.
“Oh, Lizzy, you have met Mr. Wickham!” Lydia said excitedly. “He picked up my kerchief, too. Did you drop yours on purpose? Mr. Wickham, you are the most handsome officer here—and so very kind, too.”
“Miss Lydia Bennet, is this yet another of your sisters?” asked Mr. Wickham, his amusement growing. “Are all the Bennet girls so very beautiful? How shall a gentleman choose between you? I am completely enchanted, my dear.”
“Elizabeth,” she supplied. “And how many Bennet girls have you seen, sir?”
“But three now, but I have been told there are two others.”
“And you shall certainly see them all, sir,” said Aunt Phillips from somewhere behind them. “At my dinner party this evening. I will not take no for an answer.”
“I should be delighted, madam,” he said agreeably.
“Come, Lydia, Kitty, it is much to close here, and I long to escape the crush. Shall we not walk along the lake near the edge of the town? I am certain it has been left completely alone today.”
“If that is your wish, perhaps I might accompany you,” said Mr. Wickham. “After we broke ranks, we were told we are not needed at the barracks until tomorrow. I am completely at your leisure.”
“I shall not go to the lake,” Mrs. Phillip
s said then. “My door is but a short walk, and I grow weary. You must return to my house in a couple of hours at most, my dears, and bring along your friend.”
Jane and Mary were easily found, and the six together headed for the southern end of the village, where a large lake took up a portion on one side of the road leading out into the fields. As Elizabeth had predicted, the place was completely abandoned, with every citizen in the county milling in the streets to the north.
“It is a lovely prospect,” said Wickham. “I believe I shall favor it, once I’m settled.”
Elizabeth smiled. “It is one of my favorite haunts, to tell the truth. I come at least once a week, once the weather is warm.”
While they spoke of this, the thunder of horses’ hooves distracted the party, and all of them looked up to see Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy riding along the road.
“Mr. Bingley!” Lydia called out to him. “You have come too late for the parade, sir. You have missed all the best parts. The officers have all dispersed, and we have befriended but one of them.”
“All of them but Mr. Wickham, of course,” Kitty added, catching the gentleman’s hand to pull him forward.
Darcy reacted as if he had been slapped across the face. Wickham’s own reaction upon seeing him was to straighten his shoulders and stare at him as well. There was definitely something wrong. Without any word of greeting, Darcy turned his horse around and rode back the way he had come.
Bingley looked after him, then back to the girls. “We were coming to Longbourn to issue a dinner invitation personally. Next Tuesday. But—I fear that plan must be tentative at the moment. Pray, forgive me. I do not know what is wrong. I will see you girls later.”
While the rest of the girls stared after the parting gentlemen, Elizabeth’s eyes fell upon Wickham instead. “Sir, that was most singular. Would you care to explain it?”
“Clearly, you have surmised that Darcy and I know each other,” said Wickham with a grimace. “I am the son of his late father’s steward. We played together as boys, and after my father died, his father took me under his wing. Raised me like a son. Loved me like a son. We were both there on the day his father died—when he told me that he wished for me to enter the church as my profession, and take the rectory on his estate when the position fell vacant. Yet, when the time came, and the position fell vacant, Mr. Darcy refused to give it to me.”
“Mr. Darcy did that?” Elizabeth gasped, shaking her head at him. “Oh, but I cannot believe that of him. Why would he do such a thing, sir?”
“Jealousy,” said Wickham. “His father—well, he loved me better, and Darcy could not stand it. Since that time, we have never spoken to one another. I was forced to buy my way into the army, and eventually worked my way up to my current rank. So you see, even though he clipped my wings, I have still learned to fly. Yet, I shall certainly keep my distance. Pray, who was the gentleman he was with? Bingley, did you say? I know the name, but I have never met him.”
“Mr. Bingley is the recent owner of Netherfield Park—a large estate to the north of Meryton,” Elizabeth explained. “The acquaintance is quite new, in fact. We have only seen the two men on three different occasions.”
“I see,” said Wickham. “Listen to me, Miss Elizabeth, you must not judge Mr. Darcy on his dealings with me. In all other matters, he has ever been an exemplary gentleman. Most people who know him agree that he is the best of men. It seems only to be me who has incurred his wrath.”
“This account gravely upsets me, sir,” said Elizabeth as she began to pace. “All I know of the gentleman so far is the fact his wife has died. I never would have guessed at such perversity from what has passed between us.”
Wickham frowned. “Forgive me, Miss Elizabeth. I had no notion that anything at all had passed between you, since your acquaintance has been so brief. I beg that you will forget what I have said, or keep it to yourself. It can hardly matter what went before, since everything is settled irrevocably now.”
“But sir, if he has denied you the inheritance you should have received, and did not offer the living that should have been yours, he is the worst sort of person, and he ought to be exposed.”
“Perhaps he will be, someday, but not by me.”
“I hope that discovering his presence here will not affect your own plans to remain in Meryton, sir?”
“Oh no, I shall not be forced from my position another time,” Wickham scoffed. “If the gentleman does not wish to see me, he will be the one who must leave the area, not me. For he comes but idly, and I am here to train for service. If the war continues another year, this whole regiment shall sail. Though, in truth, I hope very much that the war shall soon be over. Do not think I am a coward, Miss Elizabeth, but I have no desire to take a bullet for my country if I do not have to.”
“I could hardly blame you for such a sentiment, sir. I would not do it, and surely I am as loyal to the crown as the next person. I have never understood the need for wars. Would that grown men would settle their differences with words, instead of resorting to battles! I believe we might have had a great many more young men in the area if they were not all being sent out to be killed. If only somebody would simply shoot Napoleon, I should not be sad to see him no longer in the world.”
He laughed. “I see you share my sentiment precisely. What an arrogant, short little upstart. I do not see how he has gotten any sort of a following. And yet he commands armies and runs a country with a will of iron. In a way, I will be sorry if he does get himself killed, as he is quite an interesting character. Maybe, though, instead of England, he ought to attack Italy.”
“Come along, you two, it is time to return now,” said Jane. “I’m sure you can continue to talk at dinner.”
Chapter Eleven
Bingley discovered Darcy along the side of the road examining the hoof of his black stallion, Greco. He stopped and dismounted beside him.
“What’s happened?”
“I believe he’s picked up a stone,” Darcy replied with some annoyance. “It’s my own fault, I suppose. I was not particularly watching the road.”
“Darcy, you are the most careful rider, and the most level-headed person I know,” Bingley told him. “Pray tell, what was the cause of this sudden burst of emotion?”
“You remember when I told you I had to run off a gentleman who was trying to marry Georgiana to get at her fortune?”
“I do.”
“That was the gentleman. Mr. Wickham—who should have been my friend for life, if he had not turned out so reprehensible. As it is, I cannot abide to look at him,” Darcy said, hunching his shoulders as he gave Greco a reassuring pat on the withers. “Come on, old fellow. It looks as if we’ll be walking from here.”
“I will walk with you, if you would like,” Bingley offered. “Though I know how much you like to be alone when you’re feeling bedeviled.”
“No, sir, I believe I have indulged in my megrims quite enough.”
“You like her, Darcy,” said Bingley then. “Just admit it.”
“I—hardly think it matters, if she chooses to be with Mr. Wickham.”
“They can only have just met, sir, surely you cannot find fault with any of the Bennet girls simply for being polite,” he pointed out. “They were just as kind to me, if you will remember. I see no harm in it, when they are all together. Wickham certainly will have no chance to defile them en masse.”
“The very fact that he has singled out a group of females at his earliest convenience can only be concerning. While in your case, it just happened to be females along the road, rather than males. In his case, he most certainly went hunting for them specifically. Surely you must see the difference.”
“Darcy, there are always such men in the world,” Bingley told him. “But, if you really like her, you must not allow Wickham to charm her away from you. What do you know of Miss Elizabeth Bennet that Mr. Wickham cannot yet have learned?”
“She enjoys walking alone in the mornings—though of course, I warned h
er against such a thing,” said Darcy speculatively. “And, she has the kindest heart I have ever seen.”
“Perhaps you should indulge in your own penchant for walking more often, Mr. Darcy?” Bingley suggested, smiling devilishly.
Darcy gave only a slight smirk in response, but his amusement clearly showed in his eyes. “Yes, perhaps you are right. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow. For, if she will persist in placing herself in danger, somebody has got to protect her from it.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Bingley, thundering him on the back. “There may actually be hope for you yet.”
*****
Each morning, for the next three days, Darcy stepped out for a walk in hopes of encountering Elizabeth, yet his efforts yielding no results. Frustration, ever present within him in general, redoubled with every failure, so that on the fourth day, even though Greco was not yet able to be ridden, Darcy saddled up one of Bingley’s spares. It was foolhardy, to say the least, to take an untried horse into a full canter, and yet Darcy was in no mood to be rational.
