by P A Hill
“In the attempted elopement with Miss Darcy he was after Miss Darcy’s inheritance which is a considerable sum. Now my cousin and I believe he is after one of the Bennet girls.”
“I do know that family. The two eldest are known beauties around Meryton.”
“The two younger sisters, Lydia and Catherine, who they call Kitty, are always flirting with the officers. From what I have heard, Miss Lydia has taken a liking to Wickham. I do not know what is to be done but I have spoken to Mr. Bennet about Wickham and he will not let his daughters go anywhere close to the man.”
“Our regiment will be leaving Meryton soon to go to Brighton and my wife is considering asking Lydia to come and stay a few weeks with her as her particular friend. After what you have told me about him I will not allow her to come into my house and be a temptation for George Wickham. Even if you had not come today, I still would not have allowed her to come to Brighton.”
“You must have strong reasons,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said.
“I do, and I shall say you have come here at a convenient time. Just yesterday Wickham was seen kissing Mr. Fletcher’s daughter in the man’s very small storage room in the back of his store. The girl is but fourteen years and Wickham was fondling her. The man chased him away while beating him with a broom. Presently your man is restricted to the camp, and after you leave I have meetings with three more merchants who have grievances with him.”
“He should be locked up, though it appears he is working on that very hard. Wait until all his debts and his debaucheries become known in Meryton.”
“He has a rude awakening ahead Fitzwilliam, but I shall ensure he keeps away from the Bennet girls. My men are still investigating Wickham and it is likely he will be in serious trouble with the civilian authorities as well as with the army. Frankly I wish he were not in the militia. Men such as him are bad for morale and reduce the efficiency of the regiment. Do not fret my friend, and please give your friends my best wishes.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam now had the information he needed and prepared to return to town in two days, but first he went to Longbourn and met with Mr. Bennet and told of his meeting with Colonel Forster.
“Thank you for informing me of these things, Colonel Fitzwilliam. The best thing that could happen now would be for Lydia’s Aunt Phillips to come to tell Mrs. Bennet about Wickham’s escapades with the young girl in Meryton. That might make Lydia glad to get rid of him.”
Later that afternoon Lydia’s aunt did come to Longbourn and met with Mrs. Bennet, her sister. There she told of Wickham being caught kissing and fondling the young girl in her father’s store. That night at dinner, Mrs. Bennet told of this news of Wickham and immediately Lydia suspected the girl’s identity. Because it was a girl that she disliked, her feelings against Wickham turned the other way and now she hated both him and the girl. Elizabeth and Jane sat quietly but only stared at each other in amusement.
The next morning Elizabeth went for an early walk, for she had slept poorly the night before and wanted time alone to think through her new feelings. Thanks to her and Darcy, Jane and Bingley were now back together. They had been inseparable since he returned to Netherfield and it seemed as if his unexpected return to town after the ball had been forgiven. Jane had her man again but to Elizabeth it felt as if she had lost Mr. Darcy. Now she paused and thought of this. Mr. Darcy was not her man. At best, she had despised him and had turned down his offer knowing that he would never offer her again. Elizabeth loved her sister more than anyone but now felt she might never have a good man’s love.
Since Rosings she continued to think of his proposal and how hurt he looked when she refused him, but now he was a different man, and she understood him better. Elizabeth was convinced he had asked his cousin to come to Netherfield to discern her feelings and she knew he would report back that she had asked of him and his sister and had given them her best wishes. There was nothing more that she could do for she had spoken to Colonel Fitzwilliam about George Wickham and he would surely tell Darcy of her changed opinion of that man. All that was left was for Darcy to process this news and hopefully he would understand that her opinion of him had changed for the better.
Never, had she considered Darcy might be in love with her, but what hurt her the most was she now understood she never gave him a chance. From the very start she had been prejudiced against him for his remark about her beauty at a dance, but now she understood the circumstances of his return on the very day of the assembly. He had appeared at times to be rude and arrogant but he was no monster. As much as she once wanted to blame Darcy’s inexperience with women as the reason for her rejection of his suit, now she came to realize that she too was naive in matters of the heart. All she needed to do was to be friendly to him but she rarely took the time to talk with him and treat him as a friend. It would have been easy for her to have spoken with him months ago about George Wickham but she did not. She also could have written to Darcy or even visited him along with Jane in town and pressed him on his reasons for leaving Netherfield, but she did not.
Elizabeth was disappointed that she had misjudged Darcy all these months and wanted to see him again.
CHAPTER 7
Darcy’s butler, Mr. Simmons, next came into the study barely ahead of Colonel Fitzwilliam to announce his cousin. It was a game that Darcy’s cousin had played for years with the elder butler who usually acted troubled by the colonel’s actions, even as he truly liked the man. Mr. Simmons had known both men since they were small lads.
“Thank you, Simmons and please send him in. Cousin, it is good to see you again. You look better than the last time we met.”
“My mission is complete, Darcy, and I can say that Bingley and Miss Bennet are an item again and I expect he will soon ask to court her.”
“This probably has picked up the spirits of many of the Longbourn ladies. Tell me about Miss Elizabeth. Have her spirits improved?”
“She is happy for her sister but is depressed about something. You know Darcy, I believe she cares for you. We have spoken of Wickham and she told me of how foolish she had been to think good of him and then she said that you have all the goodness while Wickham only had the appearance of goodness. I believe she would like to see you again. Georgiana and you should visit soon, so what say you Darcy?”
“I suppose she has continued taking her long walks about the country.”
“Darcy, she does walk a great deal but Miss Bennet told Bingley that she is walking more now than ever. Perhaps she is getting ready for the next dance in Meryton. Before I left I met with Sir William Lucas and he said there would be a dance in a fortnight and that the Earl of Elkton would attend.”
“I know Lord Elkton from my visits to White’s but I cannot conceive of his going to Meryton unless he has family or friends nearby.”
“Darcy, he may have heard about the pretty young women at Longbourn. I believe that Bingley and you have enjoyed the presence of the Bennet ladies so perhaps he has heard of their beauty and Sir William has encouraged him.”
“That does bother me, cousin because he is a shallow sort of man who I would compare to a very rich George Wickham and he lives the good life as he calls it, in the pursuit of willing ladies. The last thing the Bennet’s need is for him to prey on their daughters for he has a reputation for taking advantage of pretty young women.”
“It seems you are jealous Darcy. Whom do you fear he will seek of the Bennet girls?”
“Elizabeth, of course. I can see it now as Sir William certainly told him that Miss Elizabeth spurned an offer from Mr. Collins. Perhaps he is trying to broker a marriage between Miss Elizabeth and the man since his daughter has married Mr. Collins.”
“Though I have never met him, I see he might be a problem at the assembly. Sir Lucas said the man is a year older than you and that he is looking to marry. He will be at the dance so I suggest you attend as well. We cannot have that man flirting around Miss Elizabeth. You need to plan to leave for Netherfield and see her and bring Georgia
na with you.”
Darcy continued to not answer his cousin about returning to Longbourn.
“Wait cousin, so he is advertising that he is out looking to marry. This makes no sense at all. His playground is among the women of the town and he would not consider marriage unless it was to a very rich young woman of beauty and rank. He would not find such a woman in Hertfordshire. No, he is coming into Meryton for some mischievous reason. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Darcy, I must leave the morrow but I should be glad to stay the night and visit with you and Georgiana if it is convenient.”
“Of course, I thought I offered you to stay. You know you are always invited to stay at Darcy House.”
“Thank you, my friend. It will just be for one night this time.”
“Cousin, I heard you mention my name. You must stay and tell me all about your visit at Netherfield. My brother has promised to take me back with him when he visits Mr. Bingley.”
“Georgiana,” he said, “let us save the discussion for dinner and later in the study. I just arrived and need to get ready for dinner.”
At dinner he did speak about his visit and told of the Bennet family. “You will like meeting the young women, Georgiana. The eldest, whom they call Jane, is Mr. Bingley’s friend, while the next oldest, Elizabeth, is the woman who was at Rosings recently. You will have an opportunity to meet all of them and others as well. I was telling Darcy when I arrived that there will be an assembly in Meryton in a fortnight, so it should be an interesting time, though I will not be able to attend.”
“I suppose I must ask more questions to learn why the dance will be so special, cousin.”
“First, Georgiana, you will be present. It will be a trial run of your Coming Out. Then, you may have the honor of dancing with Lord Elkton, your brother’s friend.”
Georgiana laughed as Darcy exclaimed that the man was no friend of his. “I suppose I should keep my brother separated from this man all evening, do you not agree cousin?”
“Yes, but your brother is more concerned with keeping you away from Lord Elkton.”
“Yes, he should be if what I have read in the gossip section of the paper is even half true. Lord Elkton is written up in the paper as a rich and handsome bachelor who preys on young women.”
“Is he really that bad brother?” Georgiana thought of how George Wickham had attempted an elopement with her when she was but fifteen years and knew how close she had come to being ruined. She would certainly not be interested in such a lewd man as Lord Elkton.
“Georgiana, I think Lord Elkton likes very young women, or perhaps I should say girls.”
Georgiana processed this intelligence and seemed shocked at learning of this. They discussed other things that evening but the conversations always turned back to the ladies at Longbourn and one lady in particular.
“So Miss Elizabeth turned down Mr. Collins offer of marriage. Did either of you notice how she got along with her cousin when they were together? It seems like that was an uncomfortable position to be in, to have been refused by the woman and then act as if everything was fine. What do you think brother?”
Darcy almost choked at the question but soon gathered his thoughts as he colored. He used his choking as the reason for his discomfiture but his cousin was reading something else into Darcy’s reaction. Darcy’s reply now convinced Colonel Fitzwilliam that Darcy, like Mr. Collins, had offered Miss Elizabeth and had suffered the same fate.
“Georgina,” Darcy said, “I do not believe Mr. Collins was torn with grief. It is obvious that the man was not in love with Miss Elizabeth. Had he been in love with her, that would have been devastating.” It was mere days later that he offered Miss Elizabeth’s friend, Charlotte Lucas, and she willingly accepted. For my part I think he did very well for himself and Lady Catherine is pleased with his choice of wife. She would never have been pleased with Miss Elizabeth.”
“Still, with her home entailed away from the female line, Miss Elizabeth had an opportunity to bring happiness to her family and security too after Mr. Bennet passes. She threw it all away and probably will never receive another offer.”
Again Darcy colored and his cousin had his answer, though he would not speak of this to anyone. Darcy never could keep a secret from his cousin but now was not the time for his cousin to boast about having figured out Darcy’s secret. His plan was to be helpful to Darcy and try to get him together with Miss Elizabeth. All he needed to do was to get him to Netherfield before the dance and let the two interact.
***
Back at Longbourn Mrs. Phillips arrived and told Mrs. Bennet about the dance that had been planned for the assembly and about Lord Elkton’s planning to attend. There was not a big reaction from Mrs. Bennet but once she was told that the man was looking to marry, Mrs. Bennet roused the entire house to proclaim the gentleman’s attendance will be so good for her girls. Later Kitty told of reading stories of Lord Elkton’s amorous adventures in town. “Mama,” she said, “the man may be wealthy and handsome but he has a reputation for using young women. Indeed, I suspect that he may be circulating the story of wanting to marry to set the stage for another seduction.”
Mary congratulated Kitty on her assessment but Mrs. Bennet was not to be deterred. “Kitty, you should spend less time on reading that gossip. The man is probably looking for a wife and who better than one of you girls. I think you, Lydia, may suit his fancy. Most men like a little play thing.”
“Mama,” Elizabeth said, “we should not count our chickens yet. We do not know what the man’s reaction will be to our little assembly, as Sir William Lucas describes it.”
“Coming from you, Lizzy, do you really think he will utter those words that you and your sisters are just tolerable? The man is an Earl and I suspect he is a better gentleman than your Mr. Darcy. Why Lizzy, he has not even apologized for leaving Netherfield the way he did last November. I cannot stand Mr. Darcy, though I tolerate him when he comes with his friend Mr. Bingley.”
Later Elizabeth went for another long walk toward Oakham Mount. She cared nothing of the dance unless Mr. Darcy would be there. This would be an opportunity for him to set things right between them and to change people’s attitudes. He was no longer the same man from months earlier. Though she did not miss him so much when she last saw him at the Netherfield Ball in November, she was glad to see him at Rosings and again could not take her eyes off of him. Even his disastrous proposal left her with some feelings for the man and they had grown since she now understood him better. He had help persuade Bingley of Jane’s affections and had shown himself to be an honest and good man of principle and a good friend. Each day she was away from him brought her more pain and she did not know what she would do if he decided not to return to Netherfield.
CHAPTER 8
Darcy’s coach arrived two days before the assembly and that afternoon he and Georgiana went into Meryton. After visiting a few shops they went into a bookstore where Darcy had earlier bought some books for Bingley’s library. As Darcy was standing at the end of an aisle of books a young woman came around the corner and walked into him. “Mr. Darcy,” she exclaimed as she tried to catch her breath as she steadied herself after he released his hold. “Please forgive me for being so clumsy. I should have watched where I was going.”
Immediately she colored and her discomfiture was evident but she saw Darcy smile at her. He had been quick to steady her or she would have fallen. Elizabeth was nearer to him than she had ever been and his man’s fragrance of spice was pleasing and his arms were strong. She still felt the heat from his touch as he grabbed hold of her waist to catch her fall, now she braced for his manly voice that sometimes raised the hair on her neck and her arms.
“All is well, Miss Bennet. Will you allow me to introduce my sister? She has come to Netherfield to visit for a few weeks and to attend the dance.”
Elizabeth felt the hair on her arms and neck rise as he spoke but soon looked into his smiling eyes. “I would be honored to meet your sist
er, Mr. Darcy, thank you.”
“In that case Miss Bennet, this is my sister, Georgiana. As the two curtseyed Darcy suggested they might want to speak outside of the bookstore whilst he perused the shelves.”
“That is an excellent plan, Mr. Darcy. Your sister and I will be just outside.”
The ladies spoke of much and Darcy kept watch through the window. He thought that Georgiana would like Elizabeth but now he saw that it was a mutual attraction. When he did come outside Elizabeth said she and Georgiana wanted to go into some other shops so they planned to meet him back at the bookstore in an hour. As he watched the two women he loved more that any other, he smiled as they walked away arm in arm. Darcy had a good feeling about how his visit might play out.
After the visit Elizabeth and Georgiana met with Darcy. “Brother, Miss Elizabeth has invited me to join her at Longbourn and we are going to walk back now. I would like for you to come and get me at six if you can.”
“Yes, Georgiana, but it has already been a long day. Do you think you are up for the walk?”
“I feel excellent brother and there is much I wish to speak about with Miss Elizabeth.”
Later that night Jane and Elizabeth spoke of their day but Jane asked first of Miss Darcy.
“She is quite lovely, Lizzy. It seems she and her brother care for one another a great deal.”
“That is the same impression that I have. She asked me many questions of what I think about her brother, but I do not blame her.”
“Does she expect that you like him, Lizzy? Were her questions along this line?”
“Jane,” Elizabeth said as she held Jane’s hands in her own, “Georgiana hopes I care for him. She said he has never had a woman friend in a romantic way and that he is twenty-eight and needs to settle down. I made some comment that I cannot remember and finally I told her that I would like her and I to stay together at the dance and that I would help her with her hair before the dance.”
