As she sat and contemplated who she would or would not like to see, at the top of the latter list was one Lieutenant Wickham. She was proud of the fact she and her father had come to the conclusion he was not to be trusted, and not just with respect to his tale of woe regarding Mr. Darcy. The night they had arrived back at the estate Elizabeth had been summoned to her father’s study after he had dealt with Lydia.
She could still remember the conversation as if it were occurring at that moment.
“Sit Lizzy, would you like me to call for something hot to drink?” asked her father.
“No thank you, Papa. Notwithstanding having to listen to Mr. Wickham’s prevarication, I was able to drink and eat enough at the Philipses,” she replied.
“It is that dishonest man I would like to discuss,” her father stated.
“He must be used to holding sway over those who will not analyse his statements too closely. I would venture he thinks his handsome countenance and charm stops anyone from parsing his statements too deeply.”
“I think you have the right of it, Lizzy. I lost count of the number of contradictions in his speech, never mind that he would share something so personal with one he barely knew.”
“That, Papa, I believe was the point.” Papa had looked quizzically. “Do you agree most people would never share anything like that with a new acquaintance unless their aim was…”
“To have the information disseminated to blacken someone’s name and reputation while keeping their own hands clean. Did you not say when the two men met in Meryton Mr. Wickham seemed afraid of Mr. Darcy?”
“That I did. You, Jane, me, or any other decent person would never make a disclosure like he made unless the person was an intimate friend, and then it would be made in a very private setting, not at a card party when anyone who cared to could have heard.”
“You will not hear me dispute what you said.”
“The man thought he had found in me a dupe, one who would do his work for him and spread the story far and wide. He could not have been further from the mark! Anyone who knows me is aware of my abhorrence of gossip.”
“We are of one mind as far as Mr. Wickham and his ill intentions go.” Papa had gone quiet and stared at the blackness outside his window. “Could you imagine one like that and the damage he could have wrought on Lydia and our family through her if we had not decided to take her in hand?”
“I shudder to consider us all being ruined because of something like that.”
“Back to what I wanted to ask you Lizzy. In my mind, as we have determined he is a dishonest man who is not to be trusted, we should warn both other families in the area to be wary and the merchants not to issue credit.”
“With one caveat, I agree with you.”
“What would that be?” Papa had enquired with raised eyebrows.
“Rather than name him specifically, in case we are wrong about his intentions, we should warn the merchants and families in the area we have heard that some among the militia are untrustworthy and it would be better for the former not to issue credit to any of the members of the regiment, other than the Colonel and the latter something similar. Based on the general intelligence we gleaned, it would be a good idea to keep their daughters close at hand.”
“You have proposed a very sensible solution which will achieve our aims without defaming any one man in particular. You will accompany me in the morning to speak to the leading merchants who will then make sure the information reaches all the rest. I will visit Sir William after. Once I have spoken to him, it will not be long before word will be passed throughout the community.”
Elizabeth snapped herself out of her reverie. They had done what they planned the next morning and it soon became known not a single tradesman in Meryton would extend credit to anyone in the regiment other than the Colonel.
The strategy of telling Sir William worked just like Bennet and his second daughter knew it would. Lady Lucas was not the only member of that family who vastly enjoyed gossiping.
Unlike the lying Lieutenant, Bennet and his daughter knew who to speak to in order to have information spread about, the difference being, they did it for good.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The morning of the ball was cloudless and somewhat warm for an early December day. By the time Elizabeth struck out for Oakham Mount, the paths—for the most part—were no longer muddy. She made a concerted effort not to step in any patches still a little wet as contrary to the belief of some—namely Miss Caroline Bingley—Elizabeth did not relish being covered in mud.
After just over three days of being confined to the house, Elizabeth walked at a very fast pace on her way to the mount. Thanks to a weak sun at that time of the morning, Elizabeth untied her bonnet strings as she walked. After removing the garment, she retied the strings so she could easily carry it in one hand.
Without the bonnet to restrain her curls, many escaped her ineffectual attempt to pin her tresses in place. Being on her father’s land combined with the time of the morning, Elizabeth did not think she would be observed so she made no effort to try taming her free-flowing locks.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Having been trapped for three days complete in a house where Caroline Bingley resided, Darcy was up at the crack of dawn. Not ringing for his valet, he dressed on his own and was soon in the stables tacking Zeus himself.
A groom approached him but Darcy waved him off. When he had the time, he preferred to do this with his own two hands. It was not a matter of not trusting the grooms, rather it was a bonding experience with his stallion he had enjoyed since the first day Father had presented the horse to him on his sixteenth birthday.
Zeus hungrily munched on the apple Darcy proffered him. Once his horse had completed his treat, Darcy led him out of the area of the stables into an adjacent field. With one fluid motion with his foot in the stirrup, Darcy was on his horse’s back.
