The Challenge of Entail

by Jann Rowland

  “The invitation mentions an evening of dinner and cards,” said Mr. Bennet. He shook his head and chuckled. “She must be busy preparing for the evening, for usually she brings invitations in person.”

  “Well, I believe I shall stay at home,” said Mrs. Bennet. “Agatha may do without me for the evening, for I believe I have a little headache.”

  “Papa, may Kitty and I go?” pleaded Lydia.

  “We shall be ever so well behaved,” promised Kitty.

  “A party at your aunt’s house would do no harm, I suppose,” said Mr. Bennet, giving a fond look to his youngest. “But you must listen to Mrs. Garret and your elder sisters and behave yourselves!”

  The two girls promised they would, and looked to Elizabeth and Jane, who shared a glance. When Jane shrugged, Elizabeth turned to Mary, and finding her willing, fixed her gaze upon her youngest sisters.

  “We may go to Aunt Phillips’s card party, then. I believe we could all do with a little society, and Aunt Phillips’s home is not of sufficient size to have invited many others.”

  “Sometimes you are so strange, Lizzy,” said Lydia. “I do not understand why you would wish to avoid company.”

  The youngest Bennets had remained unaware of the recent intrigues with the officers, and Elizabeth was not about to illuminate their understanding. It was not difficult to distract Lydia to the subject of the upcoming party, and in this way the rest of the day passed until it was time for them to depart.

  It was, Elizabeth reflected after the fact, something they should have considered before accepting the invitation. Mrs. Phillips, their aunt, was much like their mother had been before the entail had been ended—delighting in gossip, fond of company, and invariably silly, though not a slave of her nerves as Mrs. Bennet had been. This fondness for company often resulted in parties at her house which boasted more attendees than her small home could easily accommodate. On this occasion, there were many in attendance, including those whom the Bennet sisters—or at least the eldest three—wished least to see.

  The first sign of trouble was the sight of several jackets of the brightest scarlet, and Elizabeth soon realized their mistake. The second was the smirking countenance of Mr. Wickham, surrounded by what Elizabeth thought of as his coterie of hangers-on. He must have been lying in wait for them, for as soon as they entered the room, he stepped forward and bowed over Jane’s hand.

  “Miss Bennet,” said he, not reacting in the slightest when Jane retracted the appendage before he could kiss it. “How wonderful it is to see you.” His smile at Elizabeth and the rest of the sisters was almost predatory. “And all your sisters. I have had little opportunity to come to know the youngest Bennets—I hope to speak to you all before the evening is concluded.”

  Lydia giggled at the man’s forward behavior, but Mary, sensible girl she was, herded them away from the officers and towards her aunt. The look she threw at Elizabeth suggested her intention of staying near them that evening and keeping them out of trouble. It was fortunate the youngest Bennets enjoyed their games as much as they did, for she saw them gazing longingly at any man wearing red before their attention was diverted.

  “Shall we join the rest of the company?” asked Mr. Wickham of Jane while extending his arm for her to take. “It seems your aunt has devised amusements for us aplenty.”

  “It is nothing more than a card party,” said Elizabeth, as Jane remained rooted by her side, ignoring Mr. Wickham’s offer. “We have been to such parties here many times.”

  “We almost did not come,” said Jane, in what was, for her, a daring statement.

  “Then we are all fortunate you did,” said Mr. Wickham with his usual gallantry. “It would not be the same had you not.”

  “Had we known what awaited us,” said Elizabeth, looking in the man’s eyes, “we would have reconsidered.”

  Mr. Wickham’s eyes glittered though his smile never wavered. “It is my hope the evening turns out better than you expect, Miss Elizabeth. I would not have thought to encounter such reluctance to visit the home of a beloved relation.”

  “It is not our aunt who causes us pause,” said Elizabeth. “Only her choice of company.”

  Then Elizabeth grasped Jane’s arm and pulled her away from the officer, whose smile had turned brittle. She had made an enemy of the man, it seemed, a consequence that did not concern Elizabeth a jot.

  The rest of the evening was spent in wariness. Elizabeth was always aware of Jane’s position in the room, and she attempted to remain equally apprised of Mr. Wickham’s whereabouts, a difficult endeavor, considering he was dressed the same as a quarter of the room. His height was something that marked him, though there were a few others who could boast the same, though his sinuous, yet dangerous, grace was also a feature for which Elizabeth could watch. For the most part, she took the simple expedient of staying close to Jane’s side, which by itself foiled the man’s designs. That did not mean he was willing to acknowledge defeat.

  “Shall we not join this game?” asked Mr. Wickham of Jane not long after their arrival. “I believe your aunt requires a partner, and while there is no other position that I may take, I shall watch and advise you.”

  “No thank you, Mr. Wickham,” said Jane. “I find I am not eager to play cards tonight.”

  “Then one would wonder why you have attended a card party,” said the officer with a laugh. “What else does one do at such a function?”

  “Perhaps we come for the company of my aunt and uncle,” said Elizabeth. “Or perhaps our aunt has lured us here with the table my aunt sets, which has been called fine.”

  “Very sensible,” said Mr. Wickham. “But hardly what one normally sees. Would you attend a ball and spend the entire time speaking, rather than dancing?” The gentleman turned to Jane. “That is a pleasure I have not had in some time. Do you know when the next assembly will be held? I should dearly love to dance with you again.”

  “I do not,” replied Jane.

  “Even if we did,” added Elizabeth, “there is every possibility we would not attend. And if we did, the prospect of dancing has lost its lure of late. It would be more rational to stand and talk. As a woman, it is much easier to avoid those with whom you do not wish to associate if conversation is the order of the day rather than dancing.”

  When they were alone again after this exchange, Jane leaned to Elizabeth and said: “That was bordering on discourteous, Lizzy.”

  Elizabeth turned an arch look on her sister. “Yes, but the man is deserving, is he not?” Jane’s quiet chuckles informed Elizabeth she agreed with the sentiment without reserve. “Mr. Wickham is not deterred by open indifference, so perhaps rudeness will prompt him to reconsider.”

  The sisters looked across the room to where Mr. Wickham had taken himself—he was now in low conference with Mr. Denny, his glances across the room betraying the subject of his discourse if it had been in doubt. Jane shook her head and turned back to Elizabeth.

  “Do you think we might return home early tonight?”

  “Kitty and Lydia will complain,” replied Elizabeth.

  “I can endure their protests,” replied Jane. “It is Mr. Wickham’s attentions which are becoming intolerable.”

  Grasping her sister’s hand and squeezing it to show solidarity, Elizabeth replied: “I would not wish to offend Aunt Phillips. Perhaps we shall partake of dinner with the company and then make our excuses soon after?”

  “Very well,” said Jane with a nod.

  It might be expected the Bennet sisters’ precautions that evening would protect the eldest from the depredations of the rogue officer, and for a time, that prospect was born true. Though Mr. Wickham did not cease his attempts to garner Jane’s company for himself, Elizabeth—or Mary—was always nearby. Though Elizabeth thought she saw the man’s frustration rising much more quickly than it had in the past, to the gathering, he presented the same façade as he always had.

  After some time of this game, the man seem
ed to think retreat to plan his next move was the best option, for he sat down with several others to a game of lottery. That was also worrisome, as both Kitty and Lydia were also present in the group. After a moment of watching with a critical eye, Elizabeth decided there was little need to concern herself, for there was at least one other player between Wickham and each of her sisters, and they all seemed to concentrate on the game. Elizabeth determined to maintain her vigilance, for she knew the man was slippery as an eel, but for the moment a sense of relief came over her.

  “Lizzy,” said Charlotte Lucas when she approached only a few moments later. “I have enjoyed your maneuvers this evening, as they have been rather well-coordinated. The reason for them, however, has quite puzzled me, for you seem to be intent on keeping Jane from the company of the officers. How can you account for this behavior?”

  A glance to the side told Elizabeth that Jane was still standing nearby, next to another lady of the neighborhood. Confident for the moment there would be no enemy incursions into their territory, she turned back to Charlotte.

  “What do you know of Mr. Wickham?”

  The question surprised Charlotte. “Only what we all know. He is from the north, joined the regiment recently, and is known to have smooth manners and a charming façade.”

  “That is exactly what it is, Charlotte—a thin veneer. I am convinced there is nothing genuine about the man, and he is intent upon paying his addresses to Jane.”

  Charlotte’s glance found Jane, much as Elizabeth’s had a moment ago, and her friend was of such intelligence that she understood the thrust of Elizabeth’s complaint. “Your suspicions of his motives. I understand them, but I was not aware the matter had progressed any further.”

  “Mr. Wickham will not leave her alone,” replied Elizabeth. “The man is a silver-tongued devil. It would not surprise me if he would descend deeper than attempting to court a woman who has no interest in him. That is why Mary and I are always attending Jane—I will not give him the opportunity to hurt her.”

  “Tell me what has happened,” said Charlotte. “I have not seen you in days and have heard nothing of this.”

  So, Elizabeth did, relating the full of her family’s recent experiences with Mr. Wickham, knowing Charlotte could be trusted to keep her confidence. Charlotte was shocked at some of the things she related and had heard little more than rumors of Mr. Collins’s visit, which tied into Jane’s troubles of recent weeks. What Charlotte had been doing in the intervening time, Elizabeth was uncertain, but her mind was so full of their trouble with Mr. Wickham that she did not ask.

  “That is an interesting tale, Lizzy,” said Charlotte when Elizabeth had ceased speaking. “There is little enough hint of Mr. Wickham’s intentions that had it been anyone other than you, I might have questioned whether you were seeing shadows where none exist.” Charlotte gave Elizabeth a fond smile. “Fortunately, I know you and your powers of observation, and I have no doubt of what you say. I do wonder, however, at this Mr. Wickham, and I am concerned. If he is a man intent upon seducing a woman, it does not speak well to his character. What other vices is he hiding?

  “I will own I had not considered that,” confessed Elizabeth, worrying at her lip in thought. “I have been consumed with thoughts of protecting Jane.”

  “You should speak with your father,” said Charlotte. “Given Mr. Wickham’s poor behavior, he can bring the matter to the colonel’s attention and see that Mr. Wickham is controlled.”

  “I have already done so,” said Elizabeth. “Papa is watchful, but he has not seen enough yet to give him true alarm.”

  “Lizzy!” hissed a voice close by, and Elizabeth turned to Mary, who was white and agitated. “Look!”

  Following Mary’s gesture, Elizabeth looked to the side of the room, noting that Jane had moved away, and was now in a corner, Mr. Wickham looming over her and speaking intently. Mr. Denny had taken Mr. Wickham’s place at the lottery table. Jane’s distress was unmistakable, as she caught Elizabeth’s eyes, her gaze beseeching her for rescue from the man’s wiles. While distracted speaking with Charlotte, it seemed Elizabeth had allowed her vigilance to lapse.

  “Come,” commanded Elizabeth to each of her companions, her determined stride taking her toward the pair. The only word to describe Mr. Wickham’s posture was menacing, and Elizabeth decided the only thing to do was to intervene directly.

  Mr. Wickham jumped back with surprise when Elizabeth wormed her way between him and Jane, an oath almost escaping his lips. When he saw who it was, his mouth changed to the rictus of a frown, then disappeared altogether in favor of his customary pleasant smile. But his eyes—oh, his eyes! They rested on Elizabeth, hard as diamond, and about as forgiving.

  “Miss Elizabeth!” said he with a jovial note in his voice. “I see you have discovered us. Your sister and I were just exchanging some thoughts regarding the evening. I very much enjoy speaking with her, for I know no one so kind and gentle as your sister.”

  “There is no need to speak of my sister’s qualities to me, for I am aware of them.”

  “Ah, yes, I suppose you must be. Given your constant attendance on her whenever in company, one might be excused for mistaking your diligence for lack of knowledge. Your sister does not require such constant supervision.”

  “Perhaps she does not,” said Elizabeth, her eyes boring into the man before her. “But there are, unfortunately, many who would take advantage of her good and caring nature. If they would leave her be, I would be well-pleased.”

  Mr. Wickham did not miss the innuendo in Elizabeth’s words, for his jaw became slightly tighter. “It may be best if you take care, Miss Elizabeth,” said he. “Young ladies who insert themselves into matters of no concern to them often find themselves mired in situations detrimental to their wellbeing. If you put your hand in the fire, you cannot be surprised when it is burnt.”

  Mr. Wickham turned and departed, his contempt for her shown in his failure to even take his leave. Silence descended on the four women remaining behind, Charlotte in shock, the other two Bennets in slight fear, and Elizabeth in blazing anger. Then she turned to Jane.

  “What was he saying to you, Jane?”

  Though shaken, Jane essayed to respond. “He was making some improper statements to me.”

  “What statements?” demanded Elizabeth. “What were they?”

  “Comments about his intentions toward me,” replied Jane, still speaking slowly. “He said I would not be allowed to escape from him; that he intended to make me his wife. Then he pressed me to state my love for him, and when I would not, he began to demand it, saying I owed it to him.”

  “A short time ago he warned me to stay out of his way,” added Mary. “His manner was intimidating.”

  “What is the nature of this man?” asked Charlotte, bewildered. “Does he believe he can issue threats and insinuations and not be challenged?”

  Elizabeth, so angry she could hardly reply, found Mr. Wickham where he was sitting across the room, speaking with Kitty, who was blathering away without a care. The mocking smile with which he favored Elizabeth, and the way his eyes darted to the girl by his side, seemed a warning—if she tried to interfere the consequences would be dire. But he had not reckoned with Elizabeth Bennet. Not by half.

  “Mary, go sit beside Kitty,” commanded Elizabeth, startling her sister. Mary, good girl that she was, obeyed with alacrity. Elizabeth turned one more disdainful glare at Mr. Wickham and turned away, beckoning her remaining companions to follow her. Their object was her uncle.

  “Uncle, there is a situation of which you must be aware,” said Elizabeth when they had reached him.

  “Yes? What is it, Lizzy?”

  Their uncle was a portly man, affable and pleasant. But he and his wife had never produced any children, and as a result, they were protective of all their nephews and nieces, though more especially of the Bennet sisters, by virtue of their home being much closer than the Gardiners, who lived in London.
Elizabeth endeavored to explain in as brief a fashion as possible what had occurred, including a little background of their history with Mr. Wickham. The more she spoke, the darker became Mr. Phillips’s countenance.

  “Your father has informed me of some of this, Lizzy,” said Uncle Phillips, “but I had not heard to what extent this man has carried his actions. He shall do so no longer in my house.

  Motioning them to stay where they were, Mr. Phillips turned and marched to where Mr. Wickham was still plying Kitty with his false charm, Mary sitting close by observing them. Though he appeared to have fixed his attention on her, Elizabeth was certain Mr. Wickham knew what was happening in the room. At her uncle’s approach, Mr. Wickham shot her a glare, looking more murderous than ever.

  “Kitty, Mary,” said Uncle Phillips, interrupting whatever was being said, “go join your sisters while I speak with this gentleman.”

  Though Kitty appeared startled, Mary nodded with grim satisfaction, and took her sister’s hand, leading her away. Mr. Wickham rose, his movements indicating a certain lazy confidence which seemed to infuriate her uncle all that much more.

  “It seems you have been busy, Lieutenant Wickham,” said Mr. Phillips. “Tell me, do you make it a habit of insulting, offending, and threatening young ladies in their uncle’s home?”

  The frown with which Mr. Wickham responded was equal parts surprised and aggrieved. “There must be some misunderstanding, sir, for I have issued no threats.”

  “Do you think me witless, young man?” Mr. Phillips’s voice cracked like a whip. “I have complete confidence in my nieces’ honesty, and I have noted your attempts to approach Jane. You are a man who is seeking a comfortable situation for himself, and it becomes increasingly evident you have no scruples as to how you obtain it.

  “I am a man who will protect my nieces, and you may be assured their father is the same.” Mr. Phillips glared at the man before looking about. “You all have my apologies, but tonight’s entertainment is at an end. Mrs. Phillips, the rest of your guests may stay for dinner, but I require the officers to depart at once.”