Darcy was about to relay his shock at such a suggestion when he saw the glint of mirth in her eye.
“I do not think society is ready for the sight of a woman riding astride, Miss Bennet,” he said in a playful scold.
Darcy likes to see Elizabeth smile. It relayed her genuine pleasure in something, or he hoped…someone.
Suddenly remembering he had a gift for her, Darcy reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.
Fascinated, Elizabeth watched as Darcy carefully unfurled the cloth and then proffered its contents to her.
“I picked this from Bingley's hothouse.”
Elizabeth looked down at Darcy’s gift. A single, red rose bud, its petals on the brink of bursting open. The universal symbol of love.
“It…it is a truly beautiful specimen, sir, I thank you.”
“There may be many flowers in a man’s life, Elizabeth, but there is only ever one rose.”
Elizabeth knew if she looked up into Darcy’s eyes at that moment, he would kiss her.
Darcy waited, hoping she would offer him a gesture of affection. But when Elizabeth looked up, it was clear her smile and thanks were all she was prepared to give him, today at least.
Darcy returned her smile and accepted defeat with good grace.
Happy they were parting on good term, Darcy bent over her hand once more.
“Until tomorrow, Elizabeth.”
“Until tomorrow, Mr Darcy.”
Chapter Eight
With Mr Darcy on his way back to Netherfield, Elizabeth found herself unexpectedly free for the rest of the day. Walking towards her father’s study, she heard voices coming from the front parlour.
Pushing the door open, she saw Lydia, Kitty and their mother talking to Mr Wickham and his friend, Mr Denny.
This was the first time she had seen Mr Wickham since Mr Darcy had spoken to her about him.
Committed to greeting them, Elizabeth entered fully, saying,
“Mr Wickham, Mr Denny, this is a surprise. What brings you to Longbourn?”
Wickham and his friend stood as she entered, saluting her with a half bow. Then, Wickham let his chocolate brown eyes linger on Elizabeth’s mouth briefly, before raising his gaze to meet her eyes.
“A pleasant one I hope,” Wickham said smiling warmly. “The cold weather has driven both men and officers into their lodgings. We were in desperate need of some good company. Where else would we find a welcome as warm as the one afforded to us by, Mrs Bennet and her charming daughters? Take pity on us, Miss Elizabeth, as country boys, we cannot abide large crowds, is that not so, Denny?
For the first time. Elizabeth felt uncomfortable in Wickham’s presence. He appeared the same, as did Denny, but something had changed. She had changed. Darcy’s words, whether true or not, now made her look at Wickham from a different perspective. Admittedly, if you ignored his flattery, his smiles, his boyish good looks…there was something not quite…decent, about his overt friendliness, particularly towards women.
“Will you join us, Miss Elizabeth?” Wickham asked with an outstretched hand.
“Oh, yes, Lizzy, do come and sit down.” Then leaning in closer to the officers, Mrs Bennet said, “Lizzy spends far too much time with her nose in a book, much better for her to come and share her time with some officers, and such handsome officers too,” and she blushed like a teenager.
“Mamma,” Lydia pouted, “Wickham and Denny have come to see Kitty and me. Should you not be speaking to Mrs Hill or cook about menus or something? Besides, Lizzy is here now, may she not chaperone us?”
As no-one raised any objections or rallied to Mrs Bennet’s defence, she left the young people alone, albeit reluctantly.
Mr Wickham remained standing, waiting until Elizabeth had chosen her seat before moving to sit next to her.
Lydia was annoyed to see Wickham mooning over her sister, especially as she considered herself twice as pretty as Lizzy.
Only later, would Elizabeth and Lydia realise the havoc the young woman’s next words would set in motion?
“Lizzy, do not think to keep Wickham all to yourself. You have Mr Darcy now, so Wickham is mine.”
The way Wickham next looked at her, with disbelief and suspicion, sent a shiver down Elizabeth’s spine.
As there had been no announcement about her engagement, this was clearly news to Mr Wickham.
A full ten seconds elapsed before he asked,
“Can this be true, Miss Elizabeth, you are to marry Darcy?”
A flush of colour rose to cover her cheeks, and Elizabeth silently berated Lydia for sharing her news.
“Yes, Mr Wickham. Mr Darcy and I are engaged to be married. Although it is not a secret, we had not intended to announce it until Mr Darcy had informed his closest relations. Lydia was a little premature in revealing it, sir.”
Wickham’s mind was racing. When Mr Bingley had deserted Jane Bennet to return to the city, and Darcy had followed only one day later, he had thought to woo and wed one of the more refined Bennet sisters himself. But having checked with a less desirable lawyer friend in London, he had been dismayed to discover that there was an entail on the Longbourn estate. Undefeated, with a little more digging, his lawyer uncovered a well-hidden clause stating that the entail on the Longbourn could be passed on to a male grandson. Though even this loophole had a drawback. The child must be born while Mr Bennet still lived.
Though it was no Pemberley, Wickham coveted the prospect of being the master of an estate with two thousand a year. It was almost as appealing as the delightful Miss Elizabeth. But now, this news had changed everything. So, Darcy wanted Elizabeth Bennet as his wife? Somehow, there must be room for him to extort a sum of money from the situation. Probably nowhere near the thirty thousand pounds, he could have claimed as Georgiana husband, but Darcy should be good for ten thousand if he thought Miss Elizabeth was in danger of being compromised.
Elizabeth could not deny that she still thought Mr Wickham, a handsome man, but as he stared at her, with a broad smile on his lips that did not reach those dark eyes of his, she almost wanted to shudder. For the first time, Elizabeth believed Mr Wickham quite capable of trying to despoil a young woman for monetary gain. Thank goodness, she and her sisters had no fortune.
“I cannot deny that I am shocked to hear such news, Miss Elizabeth. Having confided to you how poorly Darcy treated me, I am surprised that you would even consider binding yourself to such a man. May I be impertinent and ask when he gained your affections?”
Elizabeth did not like to lie, but somehow, she could not bring herself to tell him the truth.
Trying to evade the question, she smiled and said,
“Upon my word, Mr Wickham, that is an impertinent question.”
Wickham would not be sidelined and persisted with his questioning.
“I felt sure your regard for Darcy reflected my own sentiments. Tell me, am I wrong, Miss Elizabeth?”
This was a statement too far for Elizabeth. She stood up and wrung her hands in an agitated manner.
“My regard for Mr Darcy is a personal matter, of no concern to anyone but Mr Darcy and me. Now, if you will all excuse me.”
Forgetting himself, as Elizabeth turned to leave, Wickham reached out and grabbed her hand.
“I had hoped…” before he could finish his sentence, Lydia jumped up and in a raised voice, asked,
“Wickham, why do you hold Elizabeth’s hand so? I thought you had come to see me? We are meant to be making arrangements to…”
Dropping Elizabeth’s hand, Wickham took a step towards Lydia, and said hastily,
“…arrangements for a winter picnic, yes, I did, but now it will not be a surprise, my impatient girl,”
Elizabeth looked from Lydia to Wickham and then to Kitty and Denny. None of them spoke, but they looked to one another before they all focused on Wickham.
Not convinced by Mr Wickham’s brash attempt to silence Lydia, Elizabeth turned to Kitty, the weakest of them all, and asked,
<
br /> “Tell me, Kitty, is that the purpose of Mr Wickham and Mr Denny’s visit this morning, to arrange a winter picnic?”
Sensing Kitty’s indecision, whether to be truthful or tell a lie, Elizabeth pressed her.
“Come now Kitty; I am your sister, I will not be angry.”
Kitty felt three pairs of eyes burning into her as Wickham, Denny, and Lydia willed her to lie for them.
“I…I…” unable to please everyone, Kitty burst into tears, “I don’t know what I am supposed to say, Lydia?” Her sister turned her face from her with a scornful look.
Kitty turned back to Elizabeth, and said,
“I don’t think so, Lizzy, but Lydia said I must say that it was so or…”
“Kitty!” Shouted Lydia, as the final word fell from Kitty’s mouth,
At this point, Kitty could take it no more and run out of the room sobbing into her sleeve.
Elizabeth turned to look at Lydia, silent, yet accusing.
“What?” Lydia asked defensively, “I don’t know what she was talking about, Lizzy. We were arranging a winter picnic, and now, thanks to you, the surprise is spoilt. You spoil all my fun, Lizzy. You are just as boring as old Mr Darcy.” Then Lydia’s followed Kitty’s example and storm out of the room too.
The two redcoats stood awkwardly in the room, looking from one another and then to Elizabeth.
With pursed lips, Elizabeth turned on Wickham and Denny, saying,
“I believe you gentlemen were just leaving?” Elizabeth said, making sure to emphasise the last word.
“Miss Elizabeth, I…that is we…”
“Good day to you both,” Elizabeth said dismissively, cutting Wickham off midsentence, then she moved aside, leaving their exit path clear.
The instant she heard the front door close behind them, Elizabeth rushed into her father’s study, desperate to explain the scene she had just been party too.
With his usual desire, not to be involved in household squabbles, Mr Bennet asked,
“What are you accusing them of Lizzy, plotting to entertain us all in a novel way. I don’t see your point, my dear. Are you angry because they did not involve you, is that it?”
“No, Papa, don’t you see, I am sure that the picnic plan was a ruse, and Kitty seemed to know nothing about it either. You know Lydia, Papa, she never does anything unless it is of benefit to her. Besides, if it were truly a picnic they were planning, why did Mr Wickham react so?”
Seeing her papa raise his brows and purse his lips, Elizabeth implored him again.
“Could you at least speak to her, father?”
When Elizabeth called him father instead of Papa, he knew it was something she felt passionately about. Although he was still certain it was an innocent misunderstanding.
“And say what, child?”
“Ask her for details about this supposed picnic. It is December after all, and soon the snow will come. So, when was this picnic to be held, and where? Ask whom they were going to invite, have they spoken to cook about preparing the food?” Elizabeth said in exasperation.
Closing his book, Mr Bennet said,
“Very well, Lizzy, send her to me, but if I am satisfied she is telling the truth, there’s an end to it.”
The slamming of the music room door heralded Lydia’s arrival, and Elizabeth ceased playing and waited expectantly.
No doubt Lydia had come to berate her for speaking to their father, but Elizabeth was not repentant. Lydia often acted and spoke without thinking first. She remembered how Lydia had embarrassed poor Mary at their Aunt Phillips supper by insisting she played a different tune, so she could dance with the officers. Most people were content to mingle and talk.
“I hate you, Elizabeth Bennet,” Lydia stormed, “Papa said I can only walk into Meryton if you or Jane chaperone me. Well, Jane has not ventured further than the garden since Mr Bingley left, and all your time is spent being wooed by Mr Darcy. So, when am I ever to go out of this house again? I want to see the officers?” and Lydia stamped her foot in childish frustration.
Elizabeth remained calm through the entirety of Lydia’s tirade. Her words were spoken in anger and said to provoke an argument. Elizabeth would not oblige.
“Lydia, I have recently been made aware of a defect in Mr Wickham’s character. If it is proved to be true, it is most alarming. I was…I am, merely seeking to protect a much-loved sister from befalling a terrible fate.”
Seeing Lydia’s folded arms and her deep frown, Elizabeth knew the girl was not willing to be appeased.
“Lydia, I know the story of a winter picnic was a falsehood. Your words and actions were not of someone being truthful. You knew that the real event you were planning would not meet with father’s approval, and so you tried to drag your sister into the lie as well.”
Elizabeth paused to see if there was any change in her sister's appearance, but she still wore the same stubborn scowl, with no hint of remorse or contrition.
“I expected you to continue with your deceit when Papa questioned you, but the fact that you are here and obviously angry, tells me that with him at least, you were honest.”
Lydia could contain herself no more.
“Defect of his character?” scoffed Lydia, “can you hear yourself, Lizzy? Mr Wickham is a gentleman and has never behaved inappropriately towards me, towards any of us. You are just jealous because you are stuck with dull, old, Mr Darcy. Wickham is ten time the man Mr Darcy is.” Having flung these final words at her sister, Lydia turned on her heels and stormed out.
The thud of the slamming door was still ringing in Elizabeth’s ears when Jane entered the room.
Lydia’s raised voice had reverberated throughout the entire house, and there could be no-one present that did not hear her diatribe.
Seeking to console her sister, Jane put a comforting arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder, and said,
“She is still young, Lizzy, her harsh words were spoken on impulse and out of anger and disappointment. She does not mean it.”
Elizabeth looked at Jane and gave a rueful smile,
“Oh, yes, she does, for the moment anyway.”
“Are you at liberty to share what you heard about Mr Wickham?”
Elizabeth recalled Mr Darcy’s words. He had mentioned no names, and so she did not feel as if she were betraying his confidence.
“If this is true, Lizzy, we must distance ourselves from Mr Wickham at once. Did you explain this to papa?”
“I had hoped it would not be necessary, but after today’s events, I think I must. Is father still in his study?”
“Yes, tell him now, Lizzy,” Jane agreed.
However, Elizabeth was waylaid by her mamma before she could make it even halfway to Mr Bennet’s study.
“I am not interested in hearing your excuses, Lizzy, but your interference will not curtail Lydia’s enjoyment. Now, Lydia wants to go into Meryton, and you must accompany her,” Mrs Bennet said with her arms folded across her heaving bosom.
Elizabeth knew that arguing with her mamma over Lydia was futile. She would do as she was bid, and walk into Meryton with Lydia, albeit reluctantly.
Chapter Nine
Even with her warmest coat and bonnet on, Elizabeth was cold. Lydia, who was still in a strop with her, had made a point of striding off in front of Elizabeth, ignoring all her attempts to engage her in conversation. Elizabeth could do no more than try to keep up with her and hope they did not run into Mr Wickham.
With the town centre in sight, Lydia quickened her step and then began to wave frantically.
“Harriet, Harriet,”
Harriet Forster, the new wife of Colonel Forster, waved back. Leaving her husband standing in the street, Harriet hurried forward to greet her new friend.
Elizabeth hastened after them, but as she approached, the two young women linked arms, began to giggle and scuttled off towards the haberdashery shop.
Determined not make an exhibition of herself, Elizabeth decided to walk over and greeted Colonel For
ster.
“Good day Colonel Forster, I think the weather may be turning,”
They exchanged salutes, and then Colonel Forster replied, in a genial tone,
“I believe you are right Miss Bennet. It would not surprise me if we had a dusting of snow before the week was out. Are you parents well, Miss Bennet, and all your sisters?”
“Yes, sir, I thank you, we are all quite well.”
“Mrs Forster is quite taken with Miss Lydia. They appear to have formed a firm friendship in these past weeks. They always seem to have their heads together, laughing and plotting some outrageous ruse to play on my officers,” he said good-humouredly.
Since Mr Darcy had divulged the near fate of his female acquaintance, Elizabeth could not help but eye all the officers with suspicion. Though she thought Colonel Forster above reproach, the officers under his command, such as Wickham and Denny, she now viewed differently.
“Well,” said the Colonel, “I had better go and pay for my wife’s purchases, though goodness knows why she needs more ribbons and bows.”
Having asked the Colonel Forster to tell Lydia she would wait for her in the bookshop, Elizabeth turned in the direction of the town square and made her way towards the small, almost hidden door, of the bookstore. It was one of the quirkiest shops in the town, with its entrance partially concealed behind the trunk of a large old beech tree, but Elizabeth loved it.
Unaware she was being observed, Elizabeth’s mood lifted at the prospect of buying herself a new novel or book of verse.
With her head bent to shield her face from the cold wind, and only ten feet from the warmth of the shop, Elizabeth did not see Mr Wickham when he first stepped out from behind the tree and blocked her path.
“Miss Bennet, may I speak to you?”
Raising her eyes, Elizabeth looked directly at the red coat blocking her way. Pursed her lips together, Elizabeth made no effort to conceal her displeasure at being approached by the officer.
In anticipation of her negative reply, Mr Wickham spoke before being denied.
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