‘I need some time to think things over,’ she explained. ‘So much has happened in such a short space of time and I do not know what to make of it all.’
He looked disappointed but said, ‘I understand. I will not press you today, but I will call on you tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Very well,’ she said.
There was time for no more. Caroline Bingley, who was unable to leave Mr Darcy alone for very long, appeared at the doorway. Her eyes flashed with anger when she saw that he was sitting with Elizabeth and she walked over to them at once, making some trivial excuse, and claimed Mr Darcy’s attention.
Elizabeth took the opportunity to slip away and find Jane, but when she saw that Jane was with Mr Bingley still, she went to sit with her mother.
It was not the most relaxing company, but she was used to ignoring her mother and she let the petulant words wash over her as she thought about everything she had learned.
Chapter Nine
‘I cannot believe it,’ said Jane, the following morning, when Lizzy told her what had happened. ‘Mr Wickham is married? No, there must be some mistake.’
The two young women were sitting in their bedroom, still in their nightgowns, brushing each other’s hair.
‘Do you think so?’ asked Elizabeth, seizing on this chance.
‘I am sure of it,’ said Jane. ‘Mr Wickham could not be so far lost to decency as to make love to you, knowing all the time he was married.’
Lizzy took Jane’s hand and kissed it.
‘I am so lucky to have you as a sister, I don’t know what I would do without you,’ said Lizzy. ‘I have been tossing and turning all night, wondering if I had imagined Mr Wickham’s attentions to me, and asking myself if they had not been just the ordinary friendliness of a charming man. I have been berating myself for vanity, for seeing an attachment where none existed.’
‘You did not imagine it,’ said Jane. ‘He has been most assiduous in his attentions, which is why I think there must have been some mistake. Mr Darcy has heard an unfounded rumour, perhaps, or been misled by someone up to mischief.’
Lizzy looked dubious. ‘He seemed very certain, and Mr Darcy does not seem like the kind of person who would be easily misled.’
‘If his information came from a reliable source he would not doubt it. Perhaps one of his acquaintance saw a marriage notice for Mr Wickham in the paper, but it was for a different Mr Wickham.’
Elizabeth brightened.
‘That is certainly possible,’ she said.
‘We will walk into Meryton this morning,’ said Jane. ‘We often meet Mr Wickham there and then we can clear up this misunderstanding.’
Jane seemed so certain it was nothing but a misunderstanding that Lizzy was convinced. The two girls dressed, and after a breakfast of hot rolls and chocolate they set out for Meryton.
George Wickham had spent an uncomfortable evening. He had not had the courage to attend the ball, knowing that Mr Darcy would force him to reveal the truth, and so he had remained in his room by himself. But now, after a night’s sleep, he was feeling more confident and although he felt he must soon leave the neighbourhood, he intended to do it in his own time and in his own way, and without revealing the truth about himself.
He smiled as he tied his cravat, looking at himself in the mirror.
‘You’re a handsome dog, Wickham,’ he smirked to his reflection. ‘You can still leave a trail of broken hearts behind you when you go.’
Elizabeth’s younger sisters had insisted on going into Meryton, too, and so the whole family walked into the small town. They went to the circulating library, where they often met the officers, and they were not disappointed. In particular, Elizabeth was gratified to see that Mr Wickham was there. She felt a trifle nervous, but she was a confident and courageous person by nature and when he came over to her and bowed she asked him what she needed to know.
‘He said that I was married?’ said Mr Wickham.
He was not in the slightest embarrassed, as surely he must have been if he had, indeed, been wed. Instead, he seemed hurt.
‘I thought there must have been some mistake,’ said Lizzy in relief. ‘Jane thought so, too. She felt sure Mr Darcy must have seen notice of it in the paper without realising that it was not the same Mr Wickham.’
‘Depend upon it, that will be it,’ said Mr Wickham. ‘Wickham is not an uncommon name and it is an easy mistake to make.’
‘But,’ said Lizzy, her brow furrowing as she recalled the fight she had witnessed, ‘why, then, were you wrestling.’
‘I am afraid I am to blame,’ said Mr Wickham.
When he did not go on, Elizabeth prompted him.
‘Very well, if you must know – and I am afraid it does not cover me in glory,’ he said ruefully. ‘ - But if you must know, Mr Darcy said as much to me. He said that I was married and that I was deceiving everyone in Meryton. Of course, I should have kept my temper and told him it was nonsense, but I was so angry with him that I called him some unfortunate names. He sprang on me and knocked me from my horse. The rest you know.’
It seemed only too likely. Far more likely than Mr Wickham lying consistently on such an important matter.
All of Elizabeth’s good feelings towards Mr Darcy evaporated. He had blackened Mr Wickham’s name without making sure his information was accurate and in doing so he had caused a great deal of unhappiness.
‘Can you forgive me?’ asked Mr Wickham charmingly.
‘There is nothing to forgive. At least, nothing which you have done. Mr Darcy, on the other hand needs a great deal of forgiveness, but it is a good thing he is not here now, for I would not give it to him. He has caused a great deal of trouble by his ill-considered conclusions.’
‘Indeed he has, but you must forgive him. He has been indulged all his life, and taught to think that he is always right. If he believes me to be married, then of course – in his opinion - I must be married; if he thinks I have deceived the entire town for weeks then of course I must have done. He finds it far easier to blame me for things I have never done, than to admit that he is wrong.’
‘I am sorry for it,’ said Elizabeth. ‘It must be a great trial to you.’
Mr Wickham shrugged. ‘I am used to it. He was the same as a boy. But let us not talk of Mr Darcy. I would much rather talk of you. Did you enjoy the ball last night – apart from the unfortunate time you spent with Mr Darcy?’
‘No, I didn’t enjoy it all, he ruined the evening for me,’ said Elizabeth.
‘I am sorry for it. But there will be other evenings,’ he said, giving her a soulful look.
‘Indeed there will. My Aunt Philips is having a small party tonight.’
‘Yes, I know. She has been good enough to invite me. I hope to see you there.’
‘I knew there must have been some mistake,’ said Jane, as they walked home from Meryton a while later. ‘Mr Wickham could not be so lost to all sense of decency that he would do such a thing.’
‘Which makes me an even worse person for feeling some sympathy for Mr Darcy, and for hoping he would win the fight.’
‘You are being too hard on yourself, Lizzy. Just because Mr Darcy made a mistake does not mean that he is a bad man.’
‘Jane! You are too good to be true! You always see the best in everyone!’ said Lizzy, hugging her sister.
‘I hope I only see what is there,’ said Jane. ‘Remember, Mr Darcy is Mr Bingley’s best friend so there must be good in him, otherwise Mr Bingley would not like him. I dare say Mr Darcy felt he was doing the right thing. And indeed, if Mr Wickham had truly been married, Mr Darcy’s actions would have been noble.’
‘Yes, they would,’ Elizabeth conceded.
‘So let us believe the best of both men. Mr Darcy had noble intentions and Mr Wickham is innocent of any wrongdoing.’
‘Oh, Jane, I wish I could be as good as you but I am still angry with Mr Darcy. And now I have to entertain him this afternoon, for he said he would pay a call.’ She shook her head.
‘I cannot do it. When I think of the harm he caused through his casual accusation, I cannot receive him civilly. I will be angry with him, I know I will. I think it is better if I put him off until I can talk to him in a civil manner.’
Jane had nothing to object to in this idea and, when Kitty, Lydia and Mary had finished their gossiping, the sisters returned home in a much happier frame of mind.
Mr Darcy, riding into Meryton to see Colonel Forster on a matter of business, was not so happy. He had hated to hurt Elizabeth the previous evening and only hoped she had recovered somewhat, now that she had had time to come to terms with things.
As he dismounted at the inn, he saw the object of his thoughts in the far distance, walking out of Meryton and back towards her home. He thought of mounting his horse again and going after her, but she was surrounded by her sisters and it would be impossible for him to have free speech with her. So he decided he would wait until the afternoon, when he had promised to wait on her. Then, he could perhaps find a way to have some time alone with her, or chaperoned only by her sister Jane, who would withdraw to a discreet distance and let them have some private conversation.
And so he left his horse in the care of the ostlers and continued towards Colonel Forster’s. But he had not gone far when he ran into George Wickham.
Wickham was looking very dapper – the complete opposite of the way he had looked when Darcy had thrown him into the river. He was meticulously dressed, a tall hat perched on top of his curls, his blue coat immaculate and his white shirt without a blemish. His cream pantaloons were similarly spotless and his boots were polished to a high shine. Instead of looking chagrined as he should have done, he looked instead complacent.
Darcy was at once alert. Something was not as it should be.
‘Ah, Darcy!’ said Wickham with an insolent smirk.
‘Wickham!’ said Mr Darcy, making an icy bow.
‘Come, come, now, Darcy, let us forget our foolish argument and be friends,’ said Wickham, holding out his hand for Darcy to shake.
Mr Darcy ignored it.
‘You are no friend of mine,’ he said.
Wickham shrugged.
‘A pity, but you cannot say I have not tried.’
‘You did not try very hard last night. You could have healed the breach by doing as I told you to do, and telling Elizabeth of your marriage.’
‘I was sore from your beating,’ said Wickham, his anger momentarily glittering through his smooth facade.
‘And so you decided not to come. Leaving me to tell her.’
‘That was badly done of you,’ said Wickham, his anger breaking through again. ‘You had no right to tell her.’
‘I had every right. I only hope you will apologize to her the next time you see her. After that, I hope you will have the goodness to leave the neighbourhood so that your presence does not act as a constant reminder of the way she was cruelly used by you.’
Mr Wickham laughed.
‘You sound like a character in a Gothic novel!’ he said with a sneer. ‘It might surprise you to learn that Elizabeth is not such a prude. She is a lively young woman with a good sense of humour and a sense of the ridiculous – and what could be more ridiculous than society’s laws, which force a penniless young man to marry an heiress and then expect him not to look at another woman for the rest of his life?’
Mr Darcy was baffled.
‘I don’t understand you,’ he said.
‘No, of course you don’t,’ said Wickham insolently. ‘You are unable to speak to women yourself and so you suppose that everyone is equally awkward. When you told Elizabeth about my marriage she was naturally shocked, because you broke it to her as if were a shocking piece of news. But once she had time to think about it, and once I told her my reasons – for I met her in the library just now - she understood them. She agreed with me that I could not do anything else. Her vanity was touched by my protestations of admiration for her, and she was soon taught to see that my marriage did not mean anything. Particularly when I persuaded her with a little extra attention.’
Darcy felt himself starting to boil again. Wickham knew exactly what to say to make him lose his calm.
‘What do you mean? Darcy demanded, although he knew he should not ask.
‘I mean that I pulled her into an alcove, out of sight of everyone, and kissed her.’
‘You cur!’ said Darcy, his fists balling of their own accord.
‘Not at all. She enjoyed it, and she is looking forward to more of the same,’ said Wickham with a smug smile. Then he laughed. ‘Don’t look so disgusted, it was only a kiss. I will not ravish her, if that is what you are thinking. Her father is indolent and careless of his daughters, but even he might make an effort in such a circumstance. And if not her father, she has two uncles. But a little fun to enliven my stay in the country – a little fun for both of us. What harm can there be in that?’
‘You have said enough!’ let out Darcy in a roar.
If he did not get away from Wickham, and quickly, he would throw him in the horse trough!
But he must not do so. To brawl in the open country was bad enough. To do it in the town, where everyone would see, was unthinkable. Mr Darcy had far too much pride. So instead he turned on his heel and walked away.
He was in no mood to pay a call on Colonel Forster and so he returned to the stables and reclaimed his horse. A hard ride over open country wore away the worst of his anger and by the time he reached Netherfield again he had calmed down enough to realise that Wickham was no doubt telling lies. He was sure that Elizabeth would never behave in the manner Wickham had suggested.
And so he played a game of billiards with Bingley, wrote to his sister and ate his lunch in a better frame of mind. Only to find, when he rose from the table, that a note had been delivered from Longbourn. Miss Elizabeth sent her regrets but she would not be at home that afternoon as she had a prior engagement.
Mr Darcy crumpled the note in his hand. It was an obvious excuse.
A prior engagement indeed.
With Wickham, no doubt!
Chapter Ten
Elizabeth had calmed down sufficiently the next day to think of speaking to Mr Darcy and letting him know of the harm he had done. Indeed, she was looking forward to humbling him, because Mr Darcy needed to be humbled. He needed to learn that everything he said and did was not right, just because he said or did it. He needed to learn to be more considerate of other people’s feelings.
But she soon learned that she was to be disappointed, for her mother said, ‘Thank goodness that odious Mr Darcy has left the neighbourhood. I am sure he did not look kindly on his friend falling in love with Jane – nasty, arrogant man that he is. We are better off without him.’
Elizabeth and Jane exchanged glances in surprise.
‘I did not know he had left the neighbourhood,’ said Jane. ‘This is very sudden.’
‘Your great men often do things on a whim,’ said Mr Bennet, who presided over the table. ‘He probably had business to attend to in town.’
‘I don’t know anything about that,’ said Mrs Bennet, ‘but Hill had it from the cook, who had it from her niece, who as you know is the kitchen maid at Netherfield Park.’
‘How long will he be there?’ asked Jane.
‘I hope he has gone away for good,’ said Mrs Bennet.
Such news must be discussed, and after luncheon Jane and Elizabeth donned their cloaks and bonnets and went for a walk around the shrubbery. The autumn leaves made a brown carpet beneath their feet and crunched as they walked.
‘Do you think he has really been called away by business, or do you think he has discovered the truth of the matter and is too ashamed to face me?’ asked Elizabeth.
‘Lizzy! I am sure Mr Darcy is not ashamed of making an honest mistake. Perhaps he does not even know he was wrong, for if Mr Wickham did not tell him so, then how should he learn the truth?’
‘That is even worse, for then I must wonder if it is my duty to tell him when nex
t I see him.’
‘I think not,’ said Jane. ‘Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham have known each other since their childhoods. Such a mistake cannot go undiscovered, now that Mr Wickham has been apprised of it. I only wonder he did not tell Mr Darcy of his mistake yesterday.’
‘Mr Wickham was angry, and rightly so. He thought Mr Darcy should have known that such a thing was impossible. High words passed between them, and we know where that ended.’
Elizabeth was assailed by a memory of the two men wrestling in the river and fell silent as she contemplated her tangled feelings.
‘Perhaps it is better Mr Darcy has gone, after all. It will give the two gentlemen time to recover from their resentment, without the danger of their running into each other again.’
Elizabeth agreed, but she could not help feeling sorry that she would not see Mr Darcy again. She did not like the man – no, far from it – but his company was stimulating and she would have enjoyed humbling him.
The thought of never seeing him again left her feeling unaccountably downcast.
She realised she had spent enough time talking about herself and Mr Darcy. She turned the conversation to Mr Bingley.
‘Oh, Lizzy, I love him more and more each day,’ said Jane with a smile.
‘Love?’ enquired Elizabeth.
‘Yes, Lizzy, love. I am sure of it. I am in love with him. And I think he likes me too.’
‘He does more than like you, Jane, he is falling in love with you, if he is not in love with you already, which I sincerely believe he is.’
She did not add, And perhaps Mama was right to be grateful that Mr Darcy has gone to town, but she thought it.
Mr Darcy was a proud man and Elizabeth had seen him look at Jane once or twice as if Jane were not good enough for his friend. Mr Bingley had looked anxious when he caught sight of Mr Darcy’s disapproving looks, and as he was a mild mannered gentleman it was possible he might have been swayed by Mr Darcy’s opinion.
Darcy and Elizabeth What If? Collection 1 Page 7
