“You are probably surprised to hear this considering how coldly he greeted me yesterday, but he and I have not been close for a very long time. There are good reasons for me to feel a strong aversion to him, so it came as a shock to find him in the neighbourhood which is now to be mine. I wonder if I might take the liberty of asking if you have an idea how long he is to be here. I understand he is staying with a friend.”
“I could not say how long he means to be here, but I have not heard him say anything of leaving.”
“How unfortunate,” Mr. Wickham said. “This will be awkward since he and I are not good friends. But I suppose he keeps to himself as he has always done. I see he is not here tonight.”
Elizabeth did not like to point out that her aunt’s house was already overextended by the size of the company, but she said that in fact Mr. Darcy was generally to be found at most gatherings.
“How condescending of him,” Mr. Wickham said, raising a fear that Mr. Darcy had been a very unpleasant person in the past. He had admitted to it himself, and it was a matter of concern to Elizabeth.
In spite of that worry, she came to his defense. “I am sure there is nothing of condescension in it. He seems to enjoy himself, and he is very well-liked.”
“It does not surprise me to hear that. Blinded by his fortune and consequence, or frightened by his high and imposing manners, the world generally does favour him.”
“High and imposing manners? That is an astonishing opinion. Here in Meryton, it is generally considered that he has the most agreeable temperament and warmth of manner. I do not speak of his being merely favoured; he enjoys exceptional popularity.”
“Does nobody mind his unbearable pride.”
This was not a word Elizabeth wanted to hear, but she bore it well. “Mr. Darcy has no pride. In fact, I must admire to having once suggested he was lacking in pride, but that was only when I first knew him. I am now of the opinion that he has just the right amount of it.”
“He must have changed a great deal since the last time I was in company with him, or else he is putting on an act for some purpose. It is my experience that he is much more capable of the latter than the former. Mr. Darcy, the owner of Pemberley, the grandson of the Earl of Matlock and the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has always been extremely proud of his consequence. If he is so very different, I would caution you, Miss Bennet, to be wary of his motives.”
Elizabeth felt that she understood Mr. Darcy’s motives well enough after so many conversations with him, so this warning meant little to her, but one part of what Mr. Wickham said was rather interesting. “Did you say Lady Catherine de Bourgh? Of Rosings Park in Kent?”
“The very lady. You know of her?”
“She is the lady who has recently given my cousin, Mr. Collins, a living. He speaks of her with the deepest gratitude.”
“I am sure she would not allow him to feel anything else. She is just like her nephew, proud and arrogant.”
“Mr. Darcy is not proud and arrogant,” Lydia suddenly exclaimed, catching this part of the conversation.
“That is what I have been trying to explain to Mr. Wickham,” Elizabeth said. “It is as though he knows a completely different man.”
“Clearly that must be the case,” Lydia said, giving the gentleman a severe look. “You cannot know our Mr. Darcy. I hope you will not disparage him any more in my hearing.”
Seeing himself in the presence of an ardent supporter, Mr. Wickham had the sense not to do so, and he managed to make himself reasonably agreeable for the rest of the game, but after the tables broke up, a desire to drum up support in a different quarter vanquished what little sense he had. Giving little credit to Elizabeth’s description of Mr. Darcy’s popularity, and certain that he would have looked down on the officers, Mr. Wickham decided that they would be interested to hear all about the woes he had suffered.
With great flair, he told the tale of a living denied and a godfather’s wishes ignored. They listened with both interest and sympathy, for he did not give the name of his persecutor until the end of his story. Then sympathy was swept away, and hostility fell upon him.
“Not our Mr. Darcy,” one of them cried. “It is impossible.”
“Mr. Darcy is the best of men,” another declared.
“A man of great character.”
“The most honourable gentleman.”
“An enemy of his is no friend of ours.”
“We cannot tolerate hearing anyone speak ill of him.”
Mary, Kitty, and Lydia added their voices to this crowd, defending their friend’s good name alongside the officers. Besieged, Mr. Wickham looked for a way out of the group surrounding him, and saw a breach, but Jane and Elizabeth, arm in arm, stepped into it.
“Mr. Darcy is a truly worthy person,” Elizabeth said. “He is amiable and sincere. I will not hear you speak a word against him.”
Behind them, Mr. Collins was just realizing what this was all about, and he struggled forward to make a contribution.
“I understand that you would defile the name of Mr. Darcy, nephew to my noble patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” he cried. “It is not to be borne. This is an offense against the lady to whom I owe my preferment, and I cannot acquit myself of the duty to testify my respect towards anybody connected to the family. Even though I have not yet had the honour of meeting the gentleman, I know that any relative of Lady Catherine’s could only be a most illustrious person.”
The officers cheered this little speech, largely out of relief that it did not go on any longer, but Mr. Collins’s face shone with gratitude at this unusual appreciation for his wisdom.
The final word fell to Captain Carter as the senior officer present. “If you wish to join the regiment, you must retract your accusations against Mr. Darcy and promise never to insult our very good friend again,” he said with his fellow officers nodding all around him.
Mr. Wickham suddenly found that he did not wish to join the regiment after all. Muttering that it seemed he and they were not a good fit, he withdrew from the company and left the house without even thanking Mrs. Phillips for her hospitality.
“A deplorable lack of manners,” Captain Carter said. “You must allow me to apologize for his ungentlemanly behaviour, madam.”
“And me,” cried Mr. Denny. “Indeed, I must apologize to all of you for having been so mistaken in Mr. Wickham’s character. I very much regret having brought him amongst you.”
He looked most contrite, but the captain clapped him on the back and told him that there was no ill feeling toward him.
“A fellow cannot help sometimes making an error in judgement,” he said. “Besides, we have some cause for gratitude. That was likely the finest battle any of us will ever fight.”
A rousing cheer went up, which nearly brought tears to Elizabeth’s eyes, for she was feeling more attached to Mr. Darcy with every passing moment. Mrs. Phillips smiled with great pride at being the hostess on this fine occasion, and in the street on his way to the inn, Mr. Wickham was mortified at hearing the sound and made up his mind to get out of this town as fast as possible.
CHAPTER 17
Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny. On the previous evening, it had looked as though a bout of wet weather was on its way. The temperature had dropped and the sky was heavy, but during the night the clouds had been whisked away by a sudden wind.
Mr. Darcy looked upon the unexpectedly fine day with great pleasure and decided to make good use of it by going for a long walk, in the course of which he happened to meet up with Elizabeth, so it was from her that he learned what had happened. It was he who started the subject, for Wickham’s appearance in town and the possible consequences had been very much on his mind. He had guessed that sooner or later there would be trouble.
“I do not know if your sisters have said anything to you about Mr. Wickham,” he began, particularly wishing for her to know how things stood.
“They have not, but if you mean to tell me that Mr. Wick
ham has some sort of grievance against you, there is no need to say anything. I am already aware of it, and from his manner of speaking coupled with his determination to rouse public opinion against you, I am inclined to believe that the situation was all of his own making.”
“Public opinion?” he asked in confusion.
“There was a gathering at my aunt’s house yesterday with a number of the officers in attendance. Mr. Wickham was among them. At first, he seemed an agreeable person, and I believe there was a general liking for him, but then he made the error of attacking you. He made some accusation, which I did not completely hear, but there was mention of a living.”
“It was a living which he turned down when it was offered to him, asking for money instead. Then last year, desperate for money, he wanted the living after all. I refused and felt myself quite justified in doing so.”
“I am sure you were. Nobody believed Mr. Wickham when he said otherwise. There was an uproar.”
He smiled. “It is pleasing to know that his lies were not believed, but I presume that you use the word uproar in jest.”
“I do not. It is a very apt word for the response which Mr. Wickham received. All of the officers spoke up at once and with great indignation. I wish you could have heard it. You would have been proud to hear them defend your honour. They all displayed a very strong loyalty to you.”
“Perhaps it was best I was not there. That might have brought me to tears.” He felt close to it right now, just from hearing that he had been vindicated by his loyal friends.
“It nearly brought me to tears,” she said. “My sisters were fiercely loyal to you, my aunt said that she has never met anybody so agreeable as you, and even my cousin, Mr. Collins, spoke up in your defense.”
“A complete stranger?”
“He felt the slight to your aunt, who has recently given him a living.”
“That makes it more understandable. My aunt has a tendency to excite gratitude.”
“Mr. Collins has a tendency to feel gratitude in excess, so it seems that they are well suited to each other.”
“Did you speak up for me?” he asked.
“I certainly did. I was quite generous to Mr. Wickham when we first spoke, even in spite of understanding him to have a poor opinion of you. I was once guilty of the same, so I allowed him a chance to see the error of his perception, but he would not take it. Even though I represented to him how well-liked you are, he was apparently quite determined to slander your good name. I believe it is a mistake he will not make again. At any rate, he will not be making the same mistake in Meryton. He has decided not to join the regiment after all.”
“He has left?”
“I presume so. If not, it is certain that he soon will. He was made to feel very unwelcome.”
“I cannot believe that I had so much support.”
“Can you not? You have earned it by being a good friend to them. After Mr. Wickham left, all the conversation was about you. Every person in that room had nothing but praise for you. The officers do not just like you because you are amusing and fun-loving. There is a definite value for your good-humour, but they also spoke of finding you a decent man with sound opinions, and a few said that you had given some useful advice to them at one time or another. I comprehend that it was your real self which they have come to value.”
“You must say no more. I think I am going to be overcome in a moment, and that would be most ungentlemanly.”
“You would only set a new standard for gentlemanly perfection,” she assured him. “Everything you do is considered perfection.”
“I am far from perfect. You know the truth of all my errors. The truth of many things, in fact, and I would like to share one more with you and tell you all about my past with Mr. Wickham.”
“Is it true then that he knows you well as he claimed?”
“Very well. We practically grew up together.” He told the whole story, trusting her also with the details of the distressing event which had indirectly led to his engagement.
“How terrible this is,” she cried. “I hope Mr. Wickham has not yet left so that I can give him a piece of my mind before he goes. To think that I was initially so tolerant with him last night. I wish I had given him a swift set-down as Lydia did. I must confess that I listened in part out of curiosity. He described you as proud and arrogant. I told him it was not so, yet you have said the same yourself.”
“It is true I was once that way, but no more. This change in my character may have come out of the oddest circumstances, but it is not a fleeting thing. My values have changed for the better in recent weeks. I shall be more dignified from now on, but never proud and arrogant.”
“I gather as much. I am guessing that you ended the engagement.”
“I did.”
“So in the end, you did not choose pride over happiness.”
“I made the choice which was right for me, and with reference only to my own feelings. Aside from any other considerations, I decided that pride had nothing to offer me.”
“Is Miss Bingley giving you a difficult time?”
“Not at all. She has gone back to London.”
“What of Mr. Bingley? Is this not awkward for him?”
“He is the one who sent his sisters away. I told him everything and he was very angry with Miss Bingley. I do not like to come between brother and sister, but she brought this on herself. I hope, however, that she may come to see the error of her ways and eventually mend her relationship with him.”
“I think you hope for a great deal.”
“Perhaps, but I do not like to see dissent in families.”
“What of your family?”
“It seems there will be no lawsuit, again thanks to Mr. Bingley. That also had something to do with family and a threat which had great effect upon his sisters. Everything has been settled very well. Perhaps not from Miss Bingley’s perspective, but if she should happen to learn from this experience, there may be some benefit for her as well.”
“I hope she will learn. Her use of you was disgraceful.”
“It was, yet I cannot help feeling almost grateful for it. If she had not put me into that situation, I would now be the same as I always was. I might have heard her rude remarks to your mother at the assembly with some disgust, but if I had not been engaged to her, I might not have felt such a strong desire to disassociate myself from her and been compelled to ask you and your sisters to dance. In the past, I did not care for dancing with strangers.”
“What rude remarks do you mean?”
“I had forgotten. You were not there at the time. It was a few minutes later that I met you. When we met your mother, she mentioned having five daughters out at once and Miss Bingley made some disparaging comments on the subject. I saw that your mother was affronted and tried to make amends, which took the form of insisting that I must dance with all five daughters. Your mother was pleased, and it was from that moment that my life changed.”
“That was why you decided to dance with us? I attributed everything to selfishness, but your original motive was kindness.”
“It was, but then when I saw Miss Bingley glaring at me, that was when I decided to make the best of an opportunity to annoy her by making a fool of myself. I am not proud of that, but I soon found that I was genuinely enjoying myself, and that led me to reassess all of my arrogant opinions and my former seriousness.”
“You were serious as well as proud and arrogant? I am forming quite an astonishing picture.”
“I was much too serious, as well as arrogant, so you see Miss Bingley has done me a great favour. The last month has given me the opportunity to realize that I have been proud and selfish all my life.”
“I wish I had understood your original motivation. I had the idea that you had formed your plan from the moment of meeting my sisters. Perhaps if I had realized the truth, I might have quarreled with you less.”
“I never thought to mention that fact in my defence, but I was still in the wrong, an
d hearing it from you was an important moment. That set into motion some serious soul searching on my part, of which I was much in need, and some other events which may have far-reaching consequences for your sisters. I have told them everything, by the way, and apologized for taking advantage of them, but I am completely forgiven.”
“You have something to do with their secret,” she cried. “I believe the change in their manners and their reading material began at about that time.”
“I am involved,” he admitted. “I have helped them to work toward some improvements. Do not ask me to say more. At this point, it is their secret more than mine, and the moment of revealing must be of their choice.”
“I was already thinking the same thing. I found some of their books, but I am patiently waiting for them to tell me all when they are ready.”
“I expect they will do so very soon.”
Their walk had brought them within view of Longbourn, and they now saw Mr. Bingley emerge from the house. Jane and Mrs. Bennet walked out with him. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy could make out exceptionally happy expressions on all three faces.
“I do believe my friend has spoken at last,” Mr. Darcy said. “He has been working up the courage for ages. The day after the assembly he could talk of nothing but your sister. I thought then that it was a marked interest, and it has been increasing ever since. Miss Bingley was opposed to the match, but I opposed her opposition.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Those words perfectly sum up your interactions with her, but I hope you do not approve Mr. Bingley’s choice merely because his sister disapproved.”
“I did not. That aspect gave me some amusement, but I mainly opposed her because I could see that Bingley was greatly attached and that your sister returned his feelings. Those things meant nothing to Miss Bingley. She only cared for consequence, much as I would have done in the past. It is a very good thing I am a changed person. I shall enjoy the celebration of this event.”
The celebration began with dinner at Longbourn that evening, an occasion on which Mr. Collins was very much affected by the honour of meeting Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Darcy Dances: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 12
