by Lori Light
Henry Wortham was a handsome man, with light brown hair that hung just over his collar. His dress was fashionable, and his manners reflected the highest breeding. He was the eldest son and heir of Albert Wortham, who owned a large estate in Essex. Not having yet come into his inheritance, the younger Wortham enjoyed a lavish lifestyle at the expense of his father, unburdened by the responsibilities of running an estate. He was good-humored, outgoing, and well-liked wherever he went.
The day after his arrival at Netherfield, Bingley asked Wortham to accompany him to Longbourn. Caroline, who still harbored hope that Bingley would eventually overcome his infatuation with Jane Bennet and call off the wedding, was determined to keep Wortham from Longbourn, lest his attention be attracted by one of the other Bennet sisters, in particular Miss Elizabeth, who had proven to be such a distraction for Darcy.
“Charles, please do not impose on our guest. I am sure our dear Mr. Wortham would rather relax here at Netherfield to recover from his journey. Surely you would not have him suffer the company of that household!”
Despite Caroline’s protest, Wortham insisted that he was well-rested and eager to meet his friend’s betrothed. So not long after breaking their fast, the two men departed on horseback. When they arrived at Longbourn, they met Elizabeth just returning from her morning walk, her cheeks rosy from the exertion. When the gentlemen expressed regret that they had not joined her in time for her walk, Elizabeth laughed and said that she was always willing to walk further. Without delay then, Jane was collected and the four set out down the lane by which Elizabeth had just returned. They had not gone far when Bingley and Jane fell behind, and Elizabeth and Wortham became embroiled in a lively discussion on whether walking or riding was the best way to see the countryside. Wortham was sure that riding was superior, as it allowed more ground to be covered, but Elizabeth was just as adamant that walking was best.
“From the back of the horse, the rider is far removed from the objects of his admiration. For who can pick flowers or feel the softness of the grass from atop a horse?”
“Yes, but who can jump a hedge or cross a creek without a horse?” Wortham countered.
“I am not sure that I could jump a hedge with or without a horse, to say the truth, Mr. Wortham, but as to crossing a creek, in this area one does not need a horse to do so.” Wortham looked at her with raised brows, and Elizabeth continued. “One must only take off one’s shoes and wade across the shallow areas or jump across on a few well-placed stones. Besides, I would much rather smell the flowers than smell a horse.”
Wortham laughed heartily as he imagined this lively woman jumping from stone to stone. Who of his many female acquaintances in the ton would admit to such an adventurous spirit? Elizabeth Bennet was clearly a special woman! He had never met anyone so lively or so quick to laugh.
In the weeks that followed, Wortham and Elizabeth were often spotted in the company of Jane and Bingley, and soon there were rumors that the Bennet household would have more than one wedding in the weeks to come.
Chapter 9
Jane had never been the type to willfully interfere with the plans of others, but, although she had not realized it at the time, in setting her wedding date in August, two sets of plans were inadvertently thwarted.
First, Lydia was to be summoned home from Brighton, where she had been the guest of the wife of Colonel Foster ever since the removal of the militia from Meryton some weeks before. Lydia’s return was a great relief to Elizabeth, who considered it dangerous to allow the silly and flirtatious girl to spend so much time in the presence of the officers. Although she had adamantly argued against the trip from its inception, Mr. Bennet had ignored her advice. He had allowed the plan because he could not be bothered by the nagging of his wife and the whining of his youngest daughter. It was Mrs. Bennet’s idea to summon the girl home, not because of any perceived dangers, nor because of sisterly affection, but because the impending wedding and all the social events leading up to it were likely to draw rich, eligible bachelors to Meryton.
Little did Mr. Bennet know when he sent the carriage, servant and note for Lydia that he was interrupting plans of an elopement. Lydia was heartbroken. She was to have met Wickham that very night at midnight and had even written the note that she was to leave for Mrs. Foster. At first, she refused to go home. But, poor, stupid girl that she was, she flung the note to the floor in a fit of temper in her protest of the arrangements. As soon as Colonel Foster became aware of its contents, he confiscated the note and set into motion plans to arrest Wickham. Foster had recently become aware of that young officer’s numerous debts and character flaws and was not surprised to learn that Wickham planned to desert his position. But that the scoundrel had dared to use a young girl, and especially one who was a guest of his wife and therefore under his responsibility, infuriated the colonel! Such behavior under his command was not to be borne!
Nor did the colonel neglect his duty to scold the foolish girl. “What were you thinking? To abandon your friends and bring ruin on your family! To allow yourself to be fooled by that worthless rogue!” he shouted.
Lydia protested at first, but in seeing that she had no support from Mrs. Foster, who agreed with her husband on this point, Lydia reluctantly gave in. In later learning from Denny that Wickham had no true intentions of marrying her, and later hearing Wickham himself berate her for letting his plans be known, Lydia finally saw through to Wickham’s evil. Her protests turned to tears of betrayal and shame. Thus, it was a milder and more reticent version of Lydia who was returned to her family.
The second set of plans that were upset by the wedding were of a much more benevolent nature. The Gardiners had planned to take a holiday to the Lake District and had invited Elizabeth to join them. They had planned to ask Jane to take care of their children while they were away. This would obviously be impossible, and they would not miss Jane’s wedding for the world, so of course their plans must be postponed.
The weeks before the wedding brought a flurry of activity to Longbourn, where every facet of the ceremony and of the wedding breakfast was meticulously planned by Mrs. Bennet. Not one detail was left to chance, and every member of the household had a myriad of tasks assigned. Netherfield was bustling as well. A ball was planned for the week before the wedding, along with picnics and other activities to entertain the guests that were arriving almost daily.
Darcy had used every excuse to decline his friend’s invitation to Netherfield. As happy as he was for his friend’s felicity, he could not bear to see Elizabeth again. Yet, the thought of staying away was torture also. The more he tried to forget Elizabeth Bennet, the more obsessed he became. Memories of her smile, her laugh, the lift of her eyebrow intruded into every thought. But he could not, would not let his infatuation with this slip of a girl overcome him! He became desperate to drive her from his thoughts. While in London, he had accepted more invitations to balls, dinners and social events than ever before, hoping to find someone to take her place in his heart. But the ladies of the ton were so different from Elizabeth. They did not have her wit and vivacity. Their smiles were less genuine, and their laughter expressed malice more often than true joy. They seemed no more than dressed up dolls, hiding emptiness within. No substance. No playfulness. No challenges to his intellect. No tugging of his heart.
So, he returned home to Pemberley, where he buried himself in his work, initiating projects and improvements to his properties and to his tenants’ homes. When he was not working, he spent many hours riding, fencing -- anything to exercise away his frustration. He did make time to spend with Georgiana, but she could tell that something was wrong. She worried for him. And ever since his strange behavior at the theatre all those weeks before – his discomfiture at meeting Miss Elizabeth, staring at her throughout the performance and then refusing the suggestion to invite the party to Darcy House afterward – she suspected that her brother’s disposition somehow involved Elizabeth Bennet.
Georgiana saw the wedding invitation on Dar
cy’s desk. “How delightful!” she cried. “When shall we leave?”
“I do not plan to attend, Georgiana,” her brother replied. “There is too much work to be done here.”
“That is nonsense, Brother. Bingley is the best of friends. You must attend his wedding. Whatever demons you are hosting, you must not be so selfish as to take it out on Bingley. Do you care not for his feelings? Have you no loyalty for his friendship?”
“Selfish,” Darcy thought. There were those words again. “Selfish disdain for the feelings of others.” How long would he continue to hear her voice? Had he not promised himself to take to heart her admonishments and change his behavior accordingly? Georgiana was correct. Bingley would take his absence personally. He must not disregard the most important day of his friend’s life. He could not.
Darcy sighed. “We will leave the day after tomorrow,” he said to his sister. We will attend the ball on Friday and the other events next week.” He picked up his pen to write a note to Bingley, accepting the invitation and informing his friend of their travel plans.
Chapter 10
The ball at Netherfield was even more splendid than the one held the previous November. After all, it was an engagement ball! Most people in attendance would have agreed that Jane was the most beautiful bride-to-be that they had ever beheld. But to some eyes, her younger sister, Elizabeth, was even more delightful. How Darcy wished he could ask her for a dance. But he was certain that she would refuse, and he could not bear it if she did.
The first dance began, and Darcy’s blood turned cold to see that Elizabeth, his Elizabeth, was dancing with Wortham. Darcy had known Wortham since their days at Cambridge. He was a pleasant sort of man. He scraped by with minimal effort – never failing, but also not excelling at any of the academic subjects. Yes, he was passable at cricket perhaps, and mediocre at rowing, but he never put in enough effort to be competitive at anything. Still, he was a good enough chap. But to see him dancing with Elizabeth, laughing with Elizabeth! He is not good enough for you, Elizabeth, he thought. He cannot appreciate your passion, your zeal. But what could he do? He had missed his chance with the woman. Well, at least he could prove to her that his manners were improved. At least he would dance.
He danced the first set with Georgiana. Not being yet out, she would only be dancing with him, or at most with Bingley, who had been a long-term family friend. She had agreed to retire for the evening immediately after dinner. At least he would have her as his dinner partner. He would feel less awkward in his sister’s company than he would have in dining alone.
For the second set, he thought to fulfill his obligation to dance with Caroline Bingley, the hostess, and set out to find her. Surprisingly, as he reached Caroline, she was accepting the arm of Wortham. Well, that was certainly less disconcerting than seeing Wortham dance with Elizabeth! In fact, he would have been relieved, except now he must find another partner. He must continue to dance! He would not be accused, once again, of refusing to dance when gentlemen were scarce, as they always seemed to be at these occasions. He looked around the room self-consciously. He noticed that Mary Bennet, the quietest of the Bennet sisters, and the one most likely to be sitting out, was standing alone some distance away. Approaching her, he bowed politely and asked her for the dance. He overheard a few whispers as he escorted her to the dance floor, but he was determined to ignore such murmuring. Mary was a surprisingly good dancer and he actually grew comfortable with her. From across the room, Elizabeth caught his eye. Her raised brow and quizzical look showed her astonishment. His slight nod was almost imperceptible, and although he smiled politely, his smile did not reach his eyes.
He danced the next set with Caroline, who appeared to be thrilled to have the attention of the two most eligible bachelors at the ball. Caroline had been disappointed to have taken second place to Elizabeth in Wortham’s attentions, but at least she was ahead of that Bennet chit in Darcy’s esteem! After all, he was the bigger catch! She smiled broadly at Darcy and cooed her affections. “Mr. Darcy, you are such an elegant dancer,” she exclaimed, but Darcy seemed not to hear her.
After the set, Darcy was approached by Bingley. Jane and Elizabeth were nearby. “Darcy, as best man, you must have a dance with the maid of honor.” Bingley was nearly shouting, and Darcy suspected that he had had a bit too much to drink. Darcy was startled and a quick glance at Elizabeth told him that she was as shocked as he at the suggestion. But this may be his only chance at dancing with Elizabeth. Quickly, he regained his senses. Seriously, he turned to Elizabeth and said, “It would be an honor, if the lady would accept me as a partner.” Surely Elizabeth could not refuse him so publicly, could she? He held his breath as he awaited her reply.
“I accept, sir,” she stated softly. Unfortunately, her face did not reveal pleasure, Darcy noted. Though neither did it reveal the sheer hatred it could have. Darcy guessed that she was embarrassed, as was he. Quietly he offered his arm and led her to the dance floor. His heart was pounding as he stared straight ahead. He could not bear to meet her gaze. He noticed that her hand was shaking. Bold Elizabeth, whose courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate. Suddenly he felt guilty for having put her in such a situation.
“I am truly sorry, Miss Elizabeth for making you feel uncomfortable. If you would rather not dance with me, I understand. I could not find fault with you if you walk away.”
“No, sir. I have no desire to walk away.”
“I thank you,” Darcy replied. As the dancing began, Darcy tried to work up courage to speak more to Elizabeth, but nothing came to mind. Then he remembered her words at the last Netherfield ball. After making some slight observation on the dance, he then remarked, “It is your turn to say something now, Miss Bennet. I talked about the dance and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room or the number of couples.”
Elizabeth, recalling having said the same words so many months before, looked up at Darcy and smiled. “Actually,” she said, “I was trying to work up the courage to say thank you.”
“Thank you?”
“For what you must have done for my sister…for whatever you said to Bingley to make him return.”
“Not at all. I only did what must be done – what integrity demanded. Once I was aware of your sister’s true feelings, I simply told Bingley the truth. The decision to return was his alone.”
“I must ask whether you were surprised by their engagement, so soon after his return?”
“Not at all; I felt it would happen soon.”
“That is to say, you had given your permission.”
Darcy exclaimed at the term. “You overestimate my influence!”
“Do I?”
“I am sure,” Darcy replied evenly. “Bingley is most unaffectedly modest, which allowed my previous opinions on the matter to sway his actions in so anxious a case. However, my assurance that Miss Bennet had not been indifferent to him, as I had supposed, was enough to overcome his diffidence.”
“That must have been difficult for you to admit. Was Mr. Bingley angry?
“That your sister had been in town three months last winter, that I had known it, and purposely kept it from him certainly angered Bingley. But his anger, I am persuaded, lasted no longer than he remained in any doubt of your sister’s sentiments. He has heartily forgiven me now.”
Darcy smiled slightly, glancing down at his partner. Elizabeth returned his smile.
“In any case, I do thank you,” she said.
“Then, you’re welcome.”
“I also owe you an apology.”
Darcy looked at her questioningly. “Apology?” His heart pounded.
“For believing Wickham over you. Having considered myself a studier of character, I should have recognized his deceit. I am sorry.”
Darcy’s throat tightened and for a moment he could not speak. After a moment he said quietly, “You had no reason to suspect him, and every reason to think the worst of me.”
Elizabeth shook her head slightly
and started to reply, but the dance had come to an end and her next partner – Wortham! – was coming to meet her.
Wortham had secured two sets – the first and the supper dances! Darcy’s heart dropped. It was all he could do to relinquish Elizabeth’s arm to his friend. As she walked away on Wortham’s arm, Darcy realized that he had missed his chance to ask for another dance. Slowly, he walked away to find Georgiana to escort her to the dance floor.
After the dance, Darcy escorted Georgiana to the dining room. At least in a sense, he escorted her. In actuality, Georgiana was practically pulling her brother through the crowd, as she hoped to secure a seat near Elizabeth. She had talked with Elizabeth earlier and Georgiana was determined to further the acquaintance. Georgiana managed to secure a seat directly across the table from Elizabeth, and Darcy wondered at his sister’s growing assertiveness. His heart pounded at Elizabeth’s proximity and at the attention Wortham, seated next to her, was so obviously displaying.
Throughout the meal, Elizabeth divided her attention between Wortham and Georgiana. Darcy was impressed at how easily Elizabeth drew Georgiana into the conversation. Since the episode with Wickham, Georgiana had not felt comfortable with anyone so quickly. How he wanted Elizabeth and Georgiana to be close! With Elizabeth as her friend, Georgiana would blossom. She would be the Georgiana he used to know, before Wickham had destroyed her confidence.
When she was not talking to Georgiana, Elizabeth was talking to Wortham, who was sitting beside her, across and two seats away from Darcy. Darcy could not make out the conversation, but he could hear Elizabeth’s laughter ring out. How he wished he could make her laugh so! Obviously, Wortham was enamored, and Elizabeth seemed to return his regard. Darcy was physically hurting as he watched. For one fleeting moment during their conversation while dancing, Darcy thought there was hope for a second chance with Elizabeth. Now, watching Wortham and Elizabeth, he realized with pain that he was too late.