by C. J. Hill
Lydia, while greeted cordially by her friends, was given no hint of their knowledge, or otherwise, of her personal scandal and she felt the gap in their confidence her enforced illness had made – she could contribute nothing to the current conversation - but when there was a lull while the ladies sipped their drinks, she ventured to ask if Wickham or Denny had been seen at any of the previous evenings’ entertainments. Lavinia Armisted, a very amusing person slightly older than Lydia, laughed knowingly.
“You must be referring to the gentleman who carried a certain young lady home from the Assembly several nights ago! The tall, dark and very handsome Mr. Wickham was indeed at a card party last night; he was thoroughly engaged in the play for a while but left quite early before anyone else. Do you enquire so as to ascertain he has not carried any other young lady home in your absence, perhaps?”
“Certainly not, Miss Armisted, but merely wished to enquire after his well-being; as you perceive, he was so gallant in carrying me home when I felt unwell, it cannot have been easy for him over such a distance. I hope to see him this evening and repeat my thanks for his assistance.”
“Oh, he looked quite well last night, I assure you. It did not interfere with his card hand, at any rate. But he is a distant fellow, is not he? Almost taciturn, reluctant to speak to any lady present. I wonder; does he have a wife, perhaps, that he avoids female company so assiduously? It is such a waste of a handsome young man’s company; with his male friends he appears all ease and friendliness.”
“He is quite unattached, I assure you, Miss Armisted. He has shown a preference in the past for my own elder sister, Lizzy, but nothing came of it; and he almost became engaged to another young lady in our village until her uncle removed her to Liverpool. At that time, he was utterly charming to every person, female and male, but his disposition has certainly changed since then. It is quite disappointing for, if you had known him during the Christmas period just passed, as I did, you would have seen quite a different Wickham than the one presented here in Brighton.”
“Well, he is handsome, to be sure, and his reticence makes him more than a little intriguing! Perhaps I shall venture to engage him in conversation tonight and see what I can make of him. If what you say is true, Miss Bennet, then there is a willing husband beneath that cold exterior just waiting for the right lady to steal his heart! But of course I must know more of his connections and family before I fall violently in love with him!” She laughed merrily at the thought.
Lydia bit her lip in frustration. Now she had ruined everything through her desire to show her superior understanding of Wickham! Now she had caused another, much more affluent and experienced lady to find him attractive. Wickham, she knew, could be easily swayed if a substantial fortune was on offer and just as unaffected when there was not.
Harriet and she bade a cool goodbye to Miss Armisted and their other friends and continued to walk along the sea-front until, reaching the site of her evening’s assignations, Lydia asked her friend to sit with her and offer some idea of what she should do now.
“Do not concern yourself, Lydia.” Harriet consoled. “Wickham will not hold Lavinia’s interest for long once she realises just what his connections are – she said so herself, did not she? She merely wants to annoy you, my dear. She knows how you feel about him – good Lord, everybody other than Wickham knows by now how you feel about him! - and amuses herself with the option of taking him from you; she is a spiteful person and not worth your concern. She has been spreading the news about your assignation with Pratt amongst all her acquaintance, you know, and her spite is driven by jealousy of your ability to attract not one, but two officers on the same night! Give it no more thought, Lydia, and let us decide which event we will attend tonight. The Colonel will not be joining us as he is engaged to dine with some other officers, and so we can please ourselves. Let us go into the Library here and see what is on offer for two young ladies in search of entertainment.”
“What is the point if the officers are already engaged to dine with your husband, Harriet? Wickham will not be in attendance anywhere, will he? We might just as well stay at home. Ohh, it is all so unfair!”
“Not our officers, Lydia! Other officers from other regiments. Do not ask me which, for I do not know, but Wickham will certainly be about tonight. We must decide where he might be and attend also, must not we?”
“You are a good friend, Harriet, to endure my constant moaning and pining. You must decide and only choose something to which you wish to go, without consideration of me, or my unrequited love life.”
Harriet smiled at this strange, unselfish wish of her friend and agreed that, perhaps, she would choose something they would both enjoy without consideration of whether a certain young soldier would be in attendance. Therefore, her choice of a musical evening hosted by one of the Colonel’s personal acquaintance could not be frowned upon by Lydia; she had said that her friend should choose for herself, and so could not question her final choice for the evening, but did rather wish that it had been a card evening chosen.
The company exceeded all expectations in its dullness: a collection of sensible citizens and elegant young ladies anxious to display their talents; talents of such an average quality, even to Lydia’s ears, so used to her sister, Mary’s, mediocre skills, that many listeners were reduced to gossiping in quiet whispers to relieve their boredom. Harriet was requested to play, and she agreed willingly if Lydia would turn the pages for her. Her playing was happily the equal of or exceeded those who had gone before and she acknowledged the appreciative applause with a smile before turning to Lydia and enquiring if she would care to take the piano stool?
Lydia laughed. “Only if you want the entire company to leave the room! I do not play other than for my own amusement, Harriet, and even then I very rarely amuse myself. I have not the patience to practise, nor the desire to improve beyond my current limited talent. I leave it to you and my sisters to carry that distinction. Ugh! Shall we leave now before another lady feels the urge to perform? I think we have suffered enough for one evening, do not you? There must be something else more entertaining we can call in upon, surely; it is still quite early. Let us make our thanks, and escape.”
Upon gaining the street, the friends laughingly linked arms and quickly set off down the street in search of another source of entertainment; Miss Armisted was at home that evening, they knew, and would happily receive them. Their conversation about the party they had just left caused them a great deal of merriment as they reminded each other of the more amusing attributes of the various guests and performers; attributes those persons were entirely unaware of possessing.
As they passed the corner of the Kings Road, their jollity attracted the attention of a group of officers just leaving the Inn; these were strangers to the two women, but a man in uniform always promised to be the most entertaining sort of person and they allowed themselves to be intercepted and introduced. Harriet’s position as the wife of a Colonel drew immediate respect from the officers and included Lydia in that reserve. Here were not two unprotected young ladies as first thought but ones who demanded a modicum of deference.
After enquiring why they were not in attendance at some party or other, and enjoying the various animated reasons why not from Lydia, the officers suggested that they accompany them to a card party being given by a friend of theirs; no one would question the ladies’ presence. It promised to be a much more amusing evening than the one to which they had recently been subjected.
Harriet demurred, becoming rather uncomfortable with their situation, and how her husband would feel about his wife visiting strangers unaccompanied.
“Oh, do come, Harriet!” Lydia pleaded. “We are each other’s chaperones this evening, are not we? Pretend I am your lady’s companion or some such; there would be no awkwardness there for us to visit, and I shall be quite protected by my married friend’s supervision, will I not now? Oh, do say we will go, for even Miss Armisted’s has the tinge of boredom where new friends a
re to be made.”
Reluctantly, Harriet agreed; she could not argue against Lydia’s logic although she still felt some deep-seated feelings of reluctance in the matter. Lydia delightedly accepted the arm of the most handsome officer, setting off down the street with him before Harriet could change her mind.
After a short walk they arrived at a house where lights were blazing from every window, loud music played, and the sound of merriment spilled out onto the street where they stood waiting for the door to be answered. Lydia looked back at Harriet over her shoulder and smiled excitedly.
“Who is your friend, did you say?” enquired Harriet to one of the officers.
“A Mrs. Bracecourt; she has only the best parties and the best company every night. We are assured of a grand time whenever we attend. She rather encourages the military in particular, says we give her gatherings some colour and sparkle with our uniforms and tales.”
Harriet let out a shocked breath and Lydia looked at her again, but crossly this time.
“Harriet! We are here now and it would be very rude not to go in even though we know of Mrs. Bracecourt through rumour. Is it true her events are very exclusive?”
The officer laughed. “Oh, yes! Very exclusive, especially if you have no money or clever talk. But do not concern yourselves on that score, ladies. You are our guests this evening and you will be very welcome here; we shall ensure that nothing terrible will happen to you, you have my word upon it. There is nothing to be feared here more than at any other gathering in Brighton. But perhaps you would feel more comfortable if we escorted you back to your previous engagement this evening? I am sure they have not missed you yet; you have been gone only twenty minutes, after all.”
His offer fell on deaf ears as, with his words, the door opened upon such a scene of revelry and amusement that Lydia’s attention was entirely caught up with the sight before her; she certainly was not going to refuse to go in, even if Harriet was. The ladies were the most elegant either girl had seen so far in Brighton; their dresses of silk and lace and satin gleaming under the many chandeliers. The gentlemen, to a man, were tall and handsome and at great ease with each other. How delightful! Lydia soaked it all up with eager eyes in order she would not forget a single detail for her letter to Kitty in the morning. Here was Brighton at its best and finest, and she was finally amongst it!
While the officers left to find the hostess and announce their arrival, Lydia took Harriet’s arm, almost pinching her in her excitement.
“We are in the infamous Mrs. Bracecourt’s, Harriet! Should we be very scared, do you think? Will we survive the experience? I do not see anything terribly shocking here, do you? It all seems very glamorous, to be sure, but nothing out of the way for the Colonel to have refused his men access to it. Oh, look, here comes that nice officer again with a very elegant lady at his elbow: Mrs. Bracecourt, I presume! Smile Harriet! We are here on sufferance, not by invitation; we do not want to be removed for not being entertaining enough.”
Harriet could barely manage a smile, such was her discomfort at the situation she found herself in; her husband would take a very dim view of it, of that she was certain, and she sincerely wished they were both back in the previous drawing room listening to another sonata, than being here. But smile and curtsey she certainly did, and waited to be introduced, a very complicated affair since the officer was as unaware of their names as she and Lydia were of his. The only known person in the group was the astonishingly beautiful Mrs. Bracecourt who had quickly sized up the situation, smoothed over the introductions, and quickly taken the two young ladies under her wing and away from the more predatory males in the room. She deposited them with a group of rather staid older gentlemen who were delighted to have such youth and beauty thrust upon them, but had nothing much to entertain them with, and, after making the usual general enquiries regarding family and length of stay in Brighton, returned to their interrupted discussion about the War and the French.
Lydia, determined not to be put aside in this manner away from the excitement, surveyed the room and caught Harriet’s arm.
“Ooh, I think I see some familiar acquaintance, Harriet. Do let us go over and greet them.”
Harriet, all confusion, made her hasty excuses to the gentlemen, who were not at all put out at their loss, and followed her friend across the room and into another where cards were being played at several tables placed about the room. Many gentlemen were in here, both gamblers and observers, and much noise was being generated as money was won or lost in what appeared to be great amounts and in very short periods of time. Some ladies were observing also, and two were actually playing! Lydia stared, entranced at the scene before her, and at one person in particular who had caught her eye. She squeezed Harriet’s arm in her excitement.
“Look Harriet! Wickham! Do you see? Over there with his back to us. Oh! I would know that slant of shoulder anywhere. Come we must have him notice us; how surprised he will be! He will not be able to say anything for he is as guilty as are we in being here!”
Harriet tried to deter Lydia once again from her object but she would not be moved; she had Wickham in her sights and meant to make the most of it. They gradually made their way across the room smiling and nodding to those they passed as if perfectly at home in such an environment until they managed to gain admittance to the circle gathered about the table at which Wickham was playing. And playing he certainly was, but as far as Harriet could tell, not very successfully judging by the large pile of coins and notes in front of several of the other players and the meagre display under Wickham’s nervous fingers. She tugged Lydia’s sleeve.
“Lydia! I do not think it would be prudent to make ourselves known to Mr. Wickham tonight. He is not having a successful evening; it will make him self-conscious if he knows we have seen him. Do not embarrass him, Lydia.”
“Oh, nonsense, Harriet! Why should he care about that? He should be only concerned that he has been spied in a place that he has been warned against; we could make serious trouble for him, so he must be gracious towards me for once.”
“He could make serious trouble for us, Lydia, if he chooses to tell that we were here tonight. No, please let us leave now before everything goes wrong, as I fear it most certainly will. You have had your glimpse into the world of Mrs. Bracecourt and it should satisfy you that there is nothing so different about it that warrants any further consideration on our parts. Let us leave now, Lydia, please.”
“You may go, if you must, Harriet, but I certainly shall not. This is the best company we have had all the time we have been in Brighton and you wish to take it away from me? Well, I shall do as I please and you cannot stop me.”
Harriet looked at her friend and then around the room considering.
“If that is how you wish to behave, Lydia, then I shall not be the one to stop you. I expect that you will manage to inveigle a chaperone for your return home and so I shall leave you to your fate and whatever excitement you expect to happen. But I shall not lie to the Colonel about your whereabouts, if he should ask. I shall tell him where you are and that you refused to leave with me when I asked you to do so. I shall ask one of the officers to escort me home now; take care, Lydia, for you must look after yourself.” And with those words, Harriet made her way into the next room where the officers were to be found.
Lydia watched her friend’s retreating back for only a moment; inveigle a chaperone indeed! What nonsense! Wickham would be her escort home once he knew she was there and he had finished his game. And casting all doubts aside, she slowly made her way around the table until she was standing in Wickham’s line of sight; he could not miss her if he would only raise his eyes from the cards!
She stood there, smiling expectantly, her figure turned to advantage, watching with a full heart as the man of her dreams played his remaining cards. How she wished she were those cards being so gently caressed as he made each decision! His colour was up and he had loosened his cravat against the heat; the glimpse of bare neck quite a t
hrilling surprise for more than one lady observer. He was becoming more and more uncomfortable, running his fingers around the edge of his collar and pulling at his shirt sleeves in turn.
Lydia, whose eyes were fixed upon his every move in ardent admiration, suddenly noticed an unexpected flash of white appear between Wickham’s fingers before he closed them around the cards in his other hand; then he smiled slightly and placed them all upon the table amidst groans and loud protestations of disbelief. Lydia, amongst the other onlookers, blinked in astonishment.
“Wickham! How did you manage that hand, sir?”
“We thought you were quite finished and out of luck this evening!”
“Well-played, sir! You had us all fooled; such a turnaround!”
Wickham accepted their congratulations with smiling modesty, gathering the money from the centre of the table before announcing his intention to stop while he was ahead; an announcement met with great regret by all and not some little annoyance by others who would have liked to have the opportunity to win back their losses. But Wickham was adamant: he was not supposed to be there in the first place; his Colonel had made his views on gambling known and he must return to barracks before he was missed. His civility impressed all who heard him, and they wished him a goodnight before dealing another hand to his eager replacement.
Lydia, nonplussed, excused herself as she hurried around to follow Wickham’s hasty retreat from the room; how he could have missed seeing her was beyond comprehension but his sudden reversal of fortune and obvious desire to escape while he could, appeared to be uppermost in his mind. It became obvious from his purposeful manner that he had no intention of remaining within Mrs. Bracecourt’s any longer that evening, and Lydia, not even waiting for her wrap, followed him out into the street.