Elizabeth was angry at his persistence.“And who else’s responsibility would it be, if not Mr Darcy’s?”
Mr Wickham stopped on the dirt road. After a moment, she turned to face him. The rest of their party continued on as if they had forgotten all about the pair.“I would think any man would count it an honour to be your husband.”
The way he looked at her set her stomach to fluttering with butterflies again, even as it had the night of the ball, when she had thought about Mr Wickham asking her to dance. But this was not at all appropriate. Why was he seeming to flirt with her when he knew she was engaged to another man?
Elizabeth frowned but said nothing. She was too flustered to say anything that she would not regret later. She hurried to catch up with her sisters and the other officers, linking her arm with Jane’s for safety. Mr Wickham did eventually catch up with them as well, but Elizabeth barely looked in his direction.
What was he thinking? And what kind of man was he? When she had been single, he had seemed to have some interest in her, but had remained silent. Now that she was engaged, he had shed his silence and was trying to tell her something that she did not want to hear. Perfidious man! Or were all of the male half of the species this way?
“Are you well?” Jane whispered as they neared Longbourn.“You have been quiet the whole way home.”
Thankfully, Mr Wickham had gone on ahead, leaving her and Jane to bring up the rear of the group.“I am troubled, Jane. But I would rather not discuss it here. Mr Wickham confuses me.”
Jane frowned slightly.“Really? I cannot imagine Mr Wickham doing or saying anything to upset you. He is such an amiable man. And he seems to hold you in such high regard.” Thankfully, she had been careful to lower her voice, so the others would not overhear.
“Too high,” Elizabeth murmured.“I cannot be certain, but it seemed almost as though Mr Wickham was trying to flirt with me. He spoke very familiarly.”
“Surely not!” Jane said.“You are betrothed to another. No man would act with such impropriety.”
Elizabeth said nothing to this. Jane was a little too apt to trust everybody, and to think the best of them — even those that did not deserve it. Once, Elizabeth would have said that Mr Wickham was the most deserving of men. She wished she might think so still. And yet his tone had been too markedly flirtatious to ignore. Elizabeth knew she had not imagined it.
“Look how attentive he is to Lydia and Kitty,” Jane asked, pointing ahead to where Mr Wickham had come between the girls and offered each of them an arm as they had to traverse a small rivulet that cut across their path.
Elizabeth watched the group with some concern. Lydia and Kitty were giggling, and Mary walked along quietly as the rest had a rip-roaring time. The officers seemed wholly smitten with the younger Bennet girls, but Elizabeth wondered what their motives were. Few of the officers could afford to marry a wife with so small a dowry. It was all too likely they were bent on nothing more than flirtation, and Kitty and Lydia lacked the judgement to know when to stop. The situation was dangerous indeed.
Elizabeth hated to be so distrusting of people, but then again, if she did not watch out for her family, it seemed that no one would. Her father was too engrossed in his books and his collections of various flora and fauna, while her mother was too eager when any gentleman came to call. Indeed, she would have jumped at the chance to have Mr Collins as a son-in-law, no matter how miserable it would have been to be his wife.
“You say that I do not worry enough, Lizzy,” Jane said, intruding on her private thoughts.“But perhaps you worry too much sometimes. Mr Wickham is not the sort of man who would toy with a woman’s emotions. We have gotten to know him too well for any of us to think that of him.”
Elizabeth again held her tongue. Did they know him? How well could a person truly know another? She had thought that she knew Mr Darcy, but his actions had shown her she had been wrong in her judgements against him. He had stood up and said he would protect her, no matter the consequences to himself. Never in a thousand years would she have guessed him to be so generous, so selfless, so ready to sacrifice all pride for what he felt was right.
When they reached the gate, they said their goodbyes to the officers, and they moved off down the road, heading back toward town and the barracks that had been set up outside Meryton. Mr Wickham waited at the gate until Elizabeth was about to walk through.
“I hope I did not cause you undo offense, Miss Elizabeth. I only meant to offer some comfort in the very difficult situation in which you find yourself.”
Elizabeth nodded.“I will not pretend to be ignorant of what you mean, Mr Wickham. However, I would prefer not to dwell on things that cannot be changed.” It was a half-truth. Her escape from her unwanted marriage with Mr Darcy was all that occupied her thoughts. But it was not something she would willingly discuss with Mr Wickham.“I bid you good day.”
Elizabeth bowed and was about to walk through the gate when Mr Wickham stepped in front of her path.“Please, Miss Elizabeth.” He captured her hand and raised it to his lips before she could think of pulling it away. Heat immediately rushed into her cheeks. She knew he would misunderstand her angry flush for flirtatious embarrassment.“I want to help you if I can. Just think about it, if you please. It would give me the greatest pleasure to be of service to you.”
She tore her hand away and clasped her hands tightly in front of her.“Thank you, Mr Wickham, but I am not in need of any service you might provide. Good day,” she said curtly and turned. As she did, she caught sight of someone coming up the road from the opposite direction. Her heart nearly stopped its wild beating when she saw who it was. Mr Darcy strode toward them, his face utterly furious.
Elizabeth drew in a deep, shuddering breath. To judge by the rage on Mr Darcy’s brow, she might get her wish and escape an unwanted marriage, after all.
Yet such a wish would leave her unprotected. And not only her, but the whole Bennet family.
Chapter 10
Earlier that day
“You shall never guess what my sister and I observed in Meryton this afternoon,” Caroline Bingley announced, her tone carefully arch as she joined Darcy and Bingley in the formal drawing room.
Though Darcy chose not to reply, Bingley could hardly do the same. “What was it, Caroline?”
“The Bennet herd walked by with a slew of officers in tow,” Miss Bingley said, likening them to sheep, no doubt. Easily led. Easilydistracted. Darcy did not care for her tone, but tried to ignore her dig.
Miss Bingley sat down with a huff, careful to keep her back straight. Only the most elegant slander would do for Miss Bingley. Choosing not to see her brother’s frown, she went on with mock concern.“They are not very selective in the company they keep, I must say. I should be quite ashamed to be always walking here and there with a great pack of militiamen.”
“Perhaps they are grateful to the officers for their service, as we all ought to be,” Bingley replied. “After all, Caroline, someone must put on the red coat and defend England, and I am sure I should not like to.”
