Mrs. Bennet developed a wistful look in her eye and Lizzy could tell she had not been adhering to a word her daughter had been saying. “How lovely it would be to have all my girls settled and cared for. What a load it would be off my mind! My poor nerves are stretched thin caring for all of you and managing the household. To not have to worry anymore- what bliss that would be!”
Lizzy protested, “You don’t need to worry now! Jane, Mary, and I are all self-sufficient. It’s not as if you have to pay for us.”
Mrs. Bennet set the last slice on a plate. “Your father and I would like to enjoy our golden years, Lizzy, with little grandchildren running around. What better way to ensure that than to see you all married? You would do well to think of more than just yourself. William is a nice man with a steady income and a wealthy benefactor. You could do far worse.” She gathered up as many plates as she could carry and trotted back into the dining room, leaving Lizzy to stare after her, bewildered.
How did one respond to such a ridiculous statement? Especially when it issued forth from one’s mother? For the first time in her life, Lizzy really wondered about her mother’s sanity. Was it more important that her daughters be married than it was that they be happy?
The very thought was ludicrous. But that seemed to be what Mrs. Bennet wanted. As much as she didn’t want to disappoint her mother, Lizzy would never marry except for love, and she would especially never marry a man she could not respect. It would be tantamount to building a home on sand. Any good relationship needed a good foundation, a solid rock mass on which to build.
She and William Collins would never have that. Her mother would have to wait to see her married. Lizzy did not plan on settling, even if it meant she had to live out the rest of her days as the maiden aunt to her sisters’ children.
She picked up the rest of the plates left on the counter and followed her mother into the dining room.
She made her escape soon after, joining Jane at Netherfield Park with no small amount of relief.
The sisters were safely and happily ensconced in their office, while Lizzy regaled Jane with a long and detailed account of the evening’s entertainment.
“I would not believe it if I had not seen it for myself, Jane,” said Lizzy. “It was the most ridiculous spectacle, with Mamma fawning all over him and him lecturing on and on about his beloved benefactor.”
“It certainly sounds very dull,” said Jane. “It cannot be as bad as you say. I find it hard to believe that any man of this day and age would say such things about a woman and her career.”
“You may not believe it, but it is only because you are too inclined to like people in general. You always wish to think the best of them. When you meet him tomorrow you will see that I am in the right.”
“I will have to beg leave of you to wait until tomorrow, then, to express my opinion.”
“Oh, I give you leave, Jane. In fact, I am quite looking forward to it.”
Charles popped his head in their open door at that moment. He grinned a greeting at Lizzy, but he had eyes only for Jane. “What are you quite looking forward to? I do hope it is my party?”
Lizzy laughed. “No, indeed. We were speaking of a friend of my father’s that has come to visit. But I know I speak for both of us when I say we are looking forward to your party with the greatest of anticipation, Charles. It is already the talk of the town, and certainly of the Bennet household. It is all Lydia and Kitty speak of.”
He wandered in to take a seat. “Good. I would hate to say that one of my parties was met with lackluster enthusiasm. Tell me, have you two ladies been shopping for a dress already?”
“Not yet,” said Jane with a teasing smile at her sister. “It takes a lot of encouragement and nagging to get Lizzy into a dress shop and I have yet to muster up the courage to convince her.”
“Perfect!” exclaimed Charles. “I am glad you have not because I have a proposition for you. Or rather, more of a request. Since you two have been so instrumental in turning this project around, I should like to thank you by making the night extraordinarily special. You shall be representing my company for the night, so I would like you to take the company credit card and go out and buy whole new outfits for yourselves- dresses, shoes, the whole nine yards. Then do whatever it is you women do- manicures, pedicures, hair styling, and what not.”
Jane gasped. “We could not possibly take advantage of you like that. It is too much!”
“No, it is not. Not after all the work you two have put into Netherfield Park. We would not have made it this far without you.”
“Still, we cannot accept your offer.”
“I had a feeling you might say that, and so I have come up with an offer you cannot refuse. Whatever you spend, I shall match the amount and donate it to the charity of your choice. So there, you see, you cannot refuse me.” He sat back in his seat, well satisfied with himself.
Indeed, Jane could not, as much as she would have liked to. As much pleasure as she would get from the excursion, the knowledge that it would bring help to others made it impossible for her to refuse to do as he asked. Lizzy, upon observing the light in her eyes, could do no less. For the sake of her sister, she would brave the dress shop again and hopefully find a gown with as little trouble as she had before.
Jane, though, could not be completely content with the situation as it was. She insisted that Caroline was to accompany them and benefit from her brother’s generosity, as well. It was a stipulation Charles did not hesitate to agree to, although Lizzy would have been much happier if he had refused.
As the grand opening was only about a week away, Charles insisted that the girls take off the next day to do their shopping.
Lizzy was not fond of the idea of spending the entire day with Caroline, but as Jane was overjoyed by the unexpected gift, she went along with the plan.
She could be polite for Jane’s sake.
They spent all morning shopping for dresses, trying on one gown after another. Caroline complained incessantly about the quality and selection of dresses available and waxed poetic about the advantages of shopping in London and having access to all the best designers. Lizzy tuned her out to the best of her ability, spending inordinate amounts of time in the dressing rooms playing games on her phone, while Jane listened politely and tried to appear interested in what she said.
By morning’s end, they had each managed to pick out a dress. They headed to the café for some quick refreshment before continuing on their shopping spree.
The lunch crowd had not yet hit, so the mid-morning lull was still in full force and the café was nearly empty. Jane and Lizzy were fairly regular customers, and Lydia and Kitty attended university with many of the baristas, so they were acquainted with most of the people that worked there.
“Hello, Denny,” Lizzy greeted the young man behind the counter. He was one of Kitty and Lydia’s favorites, and they were forever hoping to run into him. All things considered, Lizzy did not think too badly of the fellow, for all that her sisters seemed quite fond of him. He was good natured, with a ready smile and an easy going personality.
The other young man behind the counter was not so familiar to her. Denny introduced him as George Wickham. “He’s joining our graduate program next semester.”
George gave her a friendly smile and held out a hand for her to shake, but included them all in his greeting. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ladies.”
Denny took their drink orders and Jane and Caroline found a table in the corner while Lizzy waited for their coffee.
Lizzy chatted with Wickham while they worked. “So, Denny said you were joining the graduate program in the new year. What do you plan to study?”
“I have not quite decided, because I have so many interests and they are so varied, but I feel very fortunate to have been accepted to the university here in Meryton. There are so many options, and the programs are well-recognized for their excellence.” He said it all with a very genial smile as he bustled about
helping Denny prepare their drinks.
“They are indeed,” said Lizzy. “I studied in the architecture program myself.”
“How remarkable! That is one of the options I am considering!” He leaned against the counter to whisper conspiratorially, “Tell me, what professors do I need to watch out for? Who is notorious for springing pop quizzes or giving out homework over the holidays?”
She laughed. “Professor Long, for sure. He does all of the above and also puts obscure architecture trivia on the tests.”
“Oh, what a bobbin he is. Let me guess, that was a hard won A.”
“It was.”
A tinkle of the bell over the door announced the arrival of more customers. George and Denny handed over her drinks.
“Lizzy,” came Lydia’s voice at her elbow, “Lend me some money.”
Lizzy glanced at her sister by her side and noticed Kitty at the cash register flirting with Denny as she ordered. Lizzy said, “No, Lydia. You owe me twenty pounds already for that top you saw online and just had to have.”
Lydia wasn’t listening. She was ogling George with a flirtatious grin. Lizzy resisted the urge to roll her eyes and introduced the two, since that was what her sister obviously desired.
Lydia pouted prettily, twirling a lock of her flowing hair with her index finger. “George, please tell my sister she is being a horrible meanie. It’s only one coffee. What is a couple pounds?”
“When you are working, you will understand the meaning of those couple pounds,” Lizzy started, before George Wickham stopped her with a smile.
“It’s on the house, Elizabeth.” He turned his attention to Lydia. “What would you like?”
Lizzy shot him a grateful look and took her drinks back to the table for Jane and Caroline while Lydia rattled off her order.
As much as Lizzy loved Lydia, she wished the girl would be more responsible, especially with her money. Still, it wasn’t every day that Lizzy managed to avoid those pleading eyes. Lydia was her baby sister after all. Sometimes it could be very difficult to say no. She was glad George Wickham had saved her from caving in to Lydia’s demands, for she almost invariably would have. That was why Lydia had gone to Lizzy with her request. She knew her sister was a pushover. Nearly all of them were. Only Mary succeeded with any real regularity, although Kitty sometimes managed to as well. That, though, Lizzy thought was due to the jealous competition between the two of them. Lydia and Kitty swung unpredictably from best friends to mortal enemies, depending on which young men were attracting their attention at the moment.
Kitty and Lydia joined them at the table only a few minutes later, much to Caroline’s annoyance, and then Denny and George a couple of minutes later, as the lunch crowd had still not materialized and they had a few minutes to enjoy a break.
The conversation was easy and comfortable between the group, with the notable exception of Caroline, who grew increasingly bored. Lizzy found herself studying the newcomer, George Wickham, as she sipped on her coffee and listened to the conversation flowing around her.
He was a handsome young man, with a charismatic disposition she couldn’t help but compare to the taciturn Darcy. His smile was ready and bestowed upon them all with ease and equal opportunity, but she caught him glance in her direction more than once when he thought no one was looking.
That little fact had her smiling into the lid of her coffee cup. It did something to a girl’s confidence when a man showed a little interest in her. Especially after the beating her pride had taken thanks to Fitzwilliam Darcy and his comment about her being barely tolerable.
Not that she was hung up on that, because she wasn’t. Her self-esteem did not depend on one man’s opinion, even if he was the most handsome man of her acquaintance with the intelligence to match. If only she could respect him.
But since that was unlikely to ever happen, she could enjoy the attentions of the charming Wickham without guilt and recognize them for all that they were- a harmless flirtation. A man who wasn’t even sure what he wanted to major in for his graduate studies was not looking for a serious relationship. And that was okay with her, because she wasn’t looking for a relationship either.
While everyone was busy chatting, the bell over the door rang again, signaling the arrival of the beginning of the lunch crowd. Lizzy glanced up and noticed Charles and Darcy walking through the door.
The instant Charles’ eyes lit upon their little gathering, he changed direction. Darcy, who had his head down as he scrolled through his phone, looked up to find Charles had abandoned him in his quest for the counter. He looked around in confusion until his gaze finally found his friend in the corner with the rest of them.
He came over to join them, since it was evident there was no one behind the counter to take his order anyway. He was trying to keep his eyes from fixating on Lizzy, like they wanted to, when his gaze fell on the stranger in their midst.
Lizzy happened to glance up as Darcy and Wickham’s eyes met. Both changed color; one looked red, the other white. George, after a few moments of prolonged eye contact, just barely managed to give Darcy a nod, a salutation Darcy managed to return. Then Darcy spun on his heel and stalked out of the café, leaving Bingley behind.
Elizabeth was astonished at the effect of the meeting. It was impossible to know what it meant, and impossible not to wonder. A minute later, without seeming to realize what had happened, Charles took his leave.
Then the lunch rush really did begin, and Denny and Wickham had to take their places behind the counter. The girls finished their coffee and gathered their things to leave. Lizzy, Jane, and Caroline returned to their shopping, and Lydia and Kitty went back to their classes.
Even though they quickly immersed themselves in shoe shopping, Lizzy couldn’t get her mind off Darcy’s reaction to seeing Wickham and Wickham’s reaction to Darcy.
As they discussed shoe choices, Lizzy related to Jane the scene she had witnessed between the two men; but though Jane would have defended either or both, had they appeared to be wrong, she could no more explain such behavior than her sister.
Chapter 7
A few days later, Lizzy had to run into Meryton to pull some permits and stopped in at the café to grab a cup of coffee while she was there.
This time it was just George Wickham behind the counter. He greeted her and took her order with his trademark good cheer. As the café was empty except for them, Lizzy took a seat at the counter to chat, although she could not hope to be told what she really wished to hear- the history of his acquaintance with Darcy. She didn’t even dare to mention his name.
He unexpectedly relieved her curiosity by inquiring how far Netherfield Park was from Meryton. When she had answered, he asked in a hesitating manner how long Darcy had been in town.
“Almost two months,” replied Elizabeth, and then unwilling to let the subject drop, added, “He owns a large property in Derbyshire, I understand.”
“Yes, he has a wonderful estate there, called Pemberley. I can tell you about that myself, for I have been connected with his family from my infancy.”
Elizabeth couldn’t help but look shocked.
“You may well be surprised, Elizabeth, at that assertion, especially after the manner of our meeting yesterday.”
“I admit to being confused by it.”
“Are you very well acquainted with Darcy?”
“As much as I ever wish to be. I’ve been working with him since the beginning of October and have spent several nights in the same household. He can be very disagreeable.”
“I probably shouldn’t give my opinion about whether or not I think he is agreeable or otherwise. I’ve known him too long and too well to be a fair judge. But I believe your opinion of him would surprise most people. You might not express it quite so strongly if we weren’t alone in here.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I think you will find that I give my opinion decidedly, wherever I may be, except for perhaps in Netherfield itself. He is my employer after all.”
; “I can’t pretend to be sorry about that,” said Wickham. “I don’t think it’s right for any man to enjoy a good reputation that he doesn’t deserve, and unfortunately it seems to happen more often than not with Darcy. People are blinded by his fortune and consequence, or frightened by his imposing manners. Many only see him as he chooses to be seen. Do you think he will be in the country much longer?”
Elizabeth replied, “I do not know. I know he will be here at least through the completion of their project. I hope your plans of going to university here will not be affected by his being in the neighborhood.”
Wickham responded adamantly, “Oh no! I won’t let him drive me away. I love Meryton and I have really enjoyed getting to know the people here. If he wants to avoid seeing me, then he will have to be the one to go. We are not on friendly terms, and it is always difficult to see him, but I do not have any reason to avoid him except what I can be open about- a sense of ill-usage, and my regrets that he is what he is. His father was one of the best men that ever lived and the best friend I have ever had. I can never be around Darcy without remembering his father fondly and recollecting a thousand wonderful memories. Darcy’s behavior to me has been nothing short of scandalous, but I really believe I could forgive him anything and everything, rather than know he disappointed the hopes and disgraced the memory of his father.”
This speech only served to increase Elizabeth’s interest in the subject. She listened intently, but she could not consciously inquire further on such a delicate subject.
In the end, there was no need. After a few moments speaking on more general topics, Wickham said, “I am glad to be back in university, working on my doctorate. It has always been my goal to have it, and I would have by now if the scholarship I had been promised was given me by Darcy. As it is, I’ve had to take off several years to earn the money to pay for more schooling.”
“Really?” asked Lizzy, with some surprise, for Darcy seemed the type of person who would encourage higher education.
Pride and Precipice Page 10