Elizabeth nodded. “I understand, dear. I will be nice.”
Charlotte laughed. “You are always nice, darling.”
As if he knew his timing was perfect, a knock at the door prompted both women to look up. After a moment Charlotte’s butler opened the door and he entered.
Both women stood up. Mr. Wickham stopped a respectful distance from the women, removing his tall hat and bending at the waist. “Good afternoon, ladies. I was not expecting to see two beautiful ladies this evening.” He grinned at Charlotte. “I was only expecting to see one. What a treat for me.”
“Please come and sit, Mr. Wickham.” Charlotte held out one hand to the couch on the other side of the coffee table from where the women were sitting. He sat down, resting his hat on his knees. He was dressed in an officer’s uniform, which looked smart and gentile. Elizabeth thought he was a handsome man from the start. He had a curly mop of silken brown hair atop his head and flashing brown eyes. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular chest. She wondered what he did to maintain such an intimidating stature. Remembering that he was in the army, she chided herself for being silly. Darcy was at least as tall as Mr. Wickham was, but he was not built the same.
“I do hope you two are enjoying your afternoon so far.” He leaned forward, thanking Charlotte when she poured him a cup of tea.
“Yes, so far it has been a pleasant visit.” Charlotte returned to her seat. “The cookies are delicious. Please take some with you when you go.”
“I will do that, thank you.” He grinned at them both.
“I am sure you know that I asked you here because I have a few questions for you,” Charlotte said in a firm voice.
Elizabeth looked over at her in shock. Her eyes moved to Wickham, hoping he could hear her telling him with her mind that she did not know what was going on here.
He moved his eyes from Charlotte to Elizabeth and back again. “Oh dear. Have I done something wrong? I only just came in.”
Charlotte smiled. “No, no, not at all. I only say it that way so that I garner your full attention.”
“Oh you have it, my lady! What are your questions?”
“This is my dear friend, Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth, this is George Wickham.”
He nodded at her. “Bennet. Are you related to Miss Lydia Bennet?”
Elizabeth frowned, softly. “Why, yes, I am. Do you know my sister?”
“I have spoken to her on occasion, yes, when she visits Meryton. She and your sister, Kitty, are very popular with my fellow officers. They are quite amusing girls.”
Elizabeth did not know whether to take that as a compliment or not. “What do you mean? They are entertaining to you?”
Mr. Wickham realized his mistake and shook his head. “I mean nothing bad by this, Miss Bennet. I am sure I have just used the wrong words. They visit Meryton, where their…your aunt lives and we frequently see them out for strolls. They do like to talk to us and we to them. It is all very innocent.”
“I did not know that,” Elizabeth said. “I will have to speak with Lydia and Kitty about speaking to strangers.”
“Oh, they are not strangers to us, it was your uncle who made the introductions. We all consider them our friends. They are very nice girls.”
“I am glad to hear you say that.”
“Can we get back to the subject, please?” Charlotte said gently. She looked from one to the other, feeling the tension in the room rising. “Tell us what you know about Mr. Darcy. He has his eye on our Miss Elizabeth here and I want to know more about him.”
George pursed his lips. “I might not be the best one to ask about Mr. Darcy.”
“I was told you grew up together, that he is your benefactor.”
“This is true, yes,” Wickham nodded. “But Darcy and I are no longer close. He is…he did me wrong. It is nothing you ladies need to worry your heads about. I am sure he is a fine gentleman to the women.”
“I want a better explanation than that,” Elizabeth exclaimed, trying to keep her temper down. “In what way did he hurt you? Financially? Is that what you mean?”
“Yes, miss, that is what I mean.”
“Tell me about it. Explain it to me. I want to understand.”
He seemed to be gathering his thoughts. Finally, he said, “As I grew up, I could always count on the elder Mr. Darcy to care for me and provide for me. He made me into the man I am today. I am happy to say that my childhood was good because of him. He deserves all the credit for my life. After his death some years ago, Fitzwilliam Darcy, the younger, did not stay with that arrangement.”
“How did he infringe on the arrangement?” Elizabeth asked, thinking that Mr. Wickham was lucky to have had the elder Mr. Darcy provide anything for him.
He looked at her as if she shouldn’t know any business terms at all and he could fling any words he wanted to and she would not understand them.
“He purchased my commission into the army, and he kept up the payments for a time and then he stopped. No matter what I said, he would not resume the payments that assured him his father agreed would be guaranteed for a lifetime.”
“Perhaps the funds in that account were used up?” Charlotte supplied, looking at Elizabeth.
“Yes, that could be,” Elizabeth said just as Wickham began to shake his head.
“No. That had nothing to do with it. From the few sources I had, I know Mr. Darcy had the wealth to spare and he could afford to continue them.”
“It does not sound like he swindled you out of money to me,” Elizabeth huffed. “It sounds to me as if you did not go out and invest the money the Darcy’s gave you into a worthwhile business.”
“I tried,” Wickham said. “Darcy was always in control of the accounts. I would get a certain amount to spend and he would use the rest to pay for my living expenses. Then he cut off payments. I do not know if I will ever know why.”
Elizabeth frowned. Could she be wrong? She thought about the children in London at the orphanage Darcy had mentioned. Were they real? If so, was he trying to use this venture to forgive himself for abandoning Wickham in his time of need?
Chapter 23
Elizabeth returned from her visit with Charlotte with more thoughts going through her mind than she could handle. She hadn’t been looking for proof of Darcy’s trustworthiness, but now suspicion had been thrown up in her face.
She arrived home the same time as a carriage from Netherfield. Jane stepped down from the carriage and ran up into the house with her hands bundled up in her skirts. She did not respond when Elizabeth called out to her.
Elizabeth went in the house and up the stairs to Jane’s room. She pushed open the door to see Jane had thrown herself face first on the bed and was sobbing uncontrollably. She rushed to be by her side.
“Jane. Jane, are you all right?” She dropped to her knees on the side of the bed next to where Jane was laid out.
“I just want to be alone, Lizzie,” Jane sobbed.
Elizabeth lowered herself so that she was laying on top of her sister, but still holding up so all of her weight did not come down on her. “Now, now, you know it is best when you are not alone. Not feeling like this. Tell me what’s happened. Maybe I can help.”
“You cannot help, Lizzie. I just want to be alone!”
Elizabeth moved off the bed and stood next to it, her hands up slightly. “All right, I am sorry, dear. You come to my room if you need me.”
She took the few steps to the door and when she reached it, she heard Jane say, “Lizzie, do not leave. I need you.”
She turned around and was back on the bed in only a few seconds, wrapping her arms around a now sitting up Jane. Jane hugged her back, crying softly on her shoulder.
“Lizzie, why does he not love me as I love him?”
“You must be speaking of Mr. Bingley.”
“Of course I am. There is no one else I could be speaking of in that regard. I try to tell him how I feel but he brushes it off or he stops me before I can truly express my
self. I am afraid to love him. I should not be afraid to love him.”
“You are not afraid to love him. You are afraid he does not love you. And that is a human emotion. You should not feel ashamed of it.”
“I am worried. I really am. Why am I so worried?”
“Can you recall ever feeling this way about anyone else? Is there any other man who has made you feel this way?”
“No. I really cannot say there has been anyone else who has made me feel so…so alive…so beautiful. He is so complimentary, Lizzie. And it feels so good when he says those things to me. I cannot help but love him for it.”
“I understand, dear. I do. What is making you think he does not feel the same way? It sounds like he is saying all the right things. What is he doing to cause you doubt?”
“He has been taking frequent trips and he will not tell me about them. He will not tell me when he is going and I do not hear from him for days. I miss him, that is all. Itis because I miss him. It makes me think he does not think about me.”
“Have you any other reason to doubt him?” Elizabeth thought there must be more to the story. Her sister could not possibly be this upset because Bingley was doing the same thing he had done before meeting Jane. His life otherwise did not end when he met her. If he went on trips before, he would go on trips after, even if he was married to Jane.
Elizabeth said none of this. She suspected there was something more to it.
“I…I do not…”
“Please tell me what you are thinking, Jane. I cannot help you if you do not open up to me.”
Jane nodded. “I know, Lizzie. This is just hard for me. I want to trust him, but…well, I know that sometimes he has not told me the truth about where he has gone and what he has done.”
“But does he owe you an explanation of those things? You two are not betrothed or even courting at this point. You are getting to know him.”
“But I already feel as though we will be walking down the aisle anytime, Lizzie. It is only up to him to ask me.”
“Do you think he will? Do you truly think he will?”
“If Mother and Papa try to make me marry Mr. Collins, I will be the one begging for his hand before that can happen.”
Elizabeth tried not to giggle. At least her sister had not lost her sense of humor.
“I feel the same way about Mr. Darcy.”
Jane looked at her as if she was happy to have something that would take her mind off her own pain. “How is that going? Has Papa released his grip yet?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I wish I could say different.”
“But you still feel the same, do you not?”
“There is no reason why my feelings would have changed. I have not been able to see him for nearly two weeks.”
“Oh, I am sorry, dear.”
“I must say, I miss him. I did not think I would. But I do.”
“Perhaps more than you should?”
The girls sat on the bed in silence for a moment, contemplating their futures. “I do not know what is going to happen, Lizzie,” Jane said quietly. “I am worried about whether I should wait for Bingley to make up his mind or forge ahead with someone else.”
Elizabeth gazed at her. “Do you have someone else in mind?”
Jane shook her head. “No, no. I do not. I was just thinking…am I wasting my time?”
“I do not think you are wasting time. Even if things do not work out with you and Bingley, you will have learned a valuable lesson.”
“Oh, Lizzie, I do not want to learn a lesson.” Jane giggled. “I want to find love. What are you thinking?”
Elizabeth laughed, too. “I am sorry. I know what you are feeling. I promise.”
“I know you do.”
The sisters hugged each other again.
“I do not want to see you crying about Mr. Bingley anymore, all right? I want you to be strong. Pray for guidance. You can talk to me whenever you need to. You know that.”
Jane nodded. “I know. I am so glad to have you, Lizzie.”
Elizabeth wondered if she should tell Jane about the pact she and Darcy had made to bring their families back together.
“Jane, have you read Romeo and Juliet?”
Jane pulled back. “Yes, I have. You know that. It is Shakespeare. Who has not read it?”
“Tell me, sister, how would you feel if you wished to be involved with a family your own family despised? Because of some ancient feud?”
“You are talking about Darcy. Do you really care for him, Lizzie?”
Elizabeth hesitated. She did not want to confront the subject directly, but her sister was forcing her to do so. “I… I do not even know yet. That is my problem, Jane. I wish to find out as much about him as I can so that I can determine how to feel. I cannot rely on my feelings right now. They are mixed with other emotions that are difficult to control.”
Jane nodded. “I understand, Lizzie. I feel that way, too. Even though Bingley is not part of the feud you are talking about, he is associated with Darcy very closely. Papa has had a talk with me about it. He does not approve.”
“The Bingleys are extremely wealthy, as is Darcy,” Elizabeth said. “Papa is letting his stubborn pride get in the way of the success of our family.”
“I do not know. It is hard to tell what Papa is thinking sometimes. At times, I feel like we are just an afterthought to him. Then, other times, it’s like there is nothing more important to him. I do not understand him sometimes.”
“I suppose there’s no way we can know how it feels to be the father of five girls,” Elizabeth said.
“No, I suppose not.”
They were quiet for a moment. When they resumed their conversation, they spoke of everything they could think of besides the men in their lives. Later that evening, during dinner with their family, they cast side glances at each other, knowing what the other was thinking.
Elizabeth said good night to her sisters and went in her room to think about her day. She had met someone new, learned something new, and comforted her sister’s aching heart. It was a day of accomplishments for her. She slipped off into sleep without much effort, her heart calm and at peace.
Chapter 24
It was another week before Elizabeth had the opportunity to see Darcy again. Christmas was approaching swiftly. The days seemed to fly by.
Elizabeth liked Christmas season in Hertfordshire and Meryton. There were decorations everywhere and people seemed to be in a better mood. The people were usually friendly, but during Christmas, there was a light-hearted feeling that seemed to spread from one passerby to the next.
She walked down the street, flanked by her sisters, Lydia and Kitty, and Catherine, who followed along discreetly as they looked in the windows of the shops they passed. They were heading to her aunt’s house, but Lydia and Kitty wanted to look around first. Elizabeth knew what they were looking for. They wanted to see if any new officers or military men had arrived.
She knew her initial assessment was correct when she saw George Wickham approaching with several other officers and the two girls began giggling.
“Hush, you two,” Elizabeth hissed. “You are acting like a couple of giddy goosecaps. Do you think that is attractive to a military man? I do not think so. Act your age.”
Kitty stopped giggling immediately. Lydia had to hide her smile until the young officer’s were closer.
“Hello, gentleman,” Elizabeth said. “It is good to see you again, Mr. Wickham. How have you been?”
Wickham gave each of the girls a dashing grin. “Well, look what we have here. Three beautiful ladies of the Ton. You must allow me to reserve a dance with each of you at the next ball.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Wickham,” Lydia said, excitedly. “I will definitely do that.”
“As will I,” Kitty said.
Elizabeth knew she was not the only one who saw Lydia shoot a hateful look in her sister’s direction. Elizabeth shook her head.
“I will certainly try t
o do that, Mr. Wickham. Have you any news?”
Wickham gave her a confused look. “News? Regarding what?”
Elizabeth could not think of anything he might have news about. She shook her head. “I was curious. Nothing more.”
He shook his head. “No, I have no interesting news to entertain you with. But if you would like to walk and talk, I am sure we can find something fascinating to talk about.”
“Do you think so?” Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, ignoring the sour look Lydia was giving her.
Wickham gave her a big smile. “I do.”
“Shall we walk then?” Lydia said loudly, grabbing Wickham’s arm and linked elbows with him. He looked at her, sly satisfaction on his thin face.
“Yes,” he replied. “We shall. The weather has been lovely, has it not? No rain for several days.”
“It is so nice when it is not raining.” Lydia smiled up at him. “Do you not think so?”
He nodded. “I am quite used to it, you know. I have lived here in England all my life. You cannot expect different weather from this country.”
“That is a very good point!” Lydia smiled. “I definitely agree with you.”
Wickham gave Elizabeth a look over Lydia’s shoulder and she knew they were thinking the same thing. There was probably nothing that Lydia would not agree with Wickham on. It was obvious to everyone in the group.
Elizabeth hung back with Kitty, Catherine, and another officer, who did not speak to them other than to greet them. He was standing with a straight, stiff back and walked with his hands clasped behind his back. Elizabeth wondered if the man ever relaxed. She imagined him sleeping in that stiff, rigid position and had to cover her mouth to keep in the giggle. She wanted to tell Kitty and vowed that she would as soon as the gentleman left.
Lydia chattered on with Wickham, who was beginning to look somewhat uncomfortable and regretful of his suggestion of a walk. Elizabeth had to take pity on him. She stepped forward and touched him on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, Mr. Wickham, may I speak to you for a moment?”
Lydia shot her an angry look. “I was in the middle of a conversation with him, Lizzie. Wait your turn.”
Elizabeth and Darcy: A Romeo and Juliet Twist: A Pride & Prejudice Regency Variation Page 12