“It does not surprise me, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, almost in a whisper.
“Do you know the gentleman well?”
“I do. It may come as a surprise to you, seeing me in such a low condition now, but I grew up on the Pemberley estate. Indeed, Mr Darcy and I were brought up almost as brothers, you might say.” Mr Wickham gave a sad shake of his head.
Elizabeth could not conceal her shock. “You and Mr Darcy? What happened?” she asked, hoping that Mr Wickham would not think the question impertinent.
“My father was the late Mr Darcy’s steward. He took a liking to me, brought me under his wing, and even planned to give me a living after I finished university. But Mr Darcy’s father died before he could bestow the living on me — it was a small parish near the estate.” He gave another sad smile, lookingacross the room and out the window, where a light spring rain had begun to fall. “I had my heart set on joining the church.”
Elizabeth’s heart went out to him. “What happened to keep you from receiving the living?” she asked, fearing she already knew the answer.
“After his father’s death, Mr Darcy refused to give it to me.”
Elizabeth’s stomach fell, twisting with anger. “He refused? Why?”
“Jealousy, I suppose,” Mr Wickham shrugged. He shook his head, his face grim. “Well, his father loved me better, and Darcy could not stand it, I imagine. So now, I am reduced to being a lowly lieutenant in the militia. Too lowly even to be noticed.” He gave her a sad smile.
He was not so unworthy of notice as all that, Elizabeth thought. But of course it would be impossible to say so. “I am sorry, Mr Wickham. I had a general dislike for the man, but I did not know he was so very bad as this.”
“He is generally disliked by his tenants, I am afraid. And it is no wonder. His father was very lenient and understanding. But it is all business with the current Mr Darcy. I think he was born without a heart.”
Elizabeth looked around quickly, hoping that no one else had heard. Mr Wickham’s resentment was understandable, of course. It seemed he had only too much reason. Yet it was not quite suitable to slander a man so publicly, and on so little acquaintance with his audience. To her relief, the others did not seem to have noticed anything Mr Wickham had said. They were well-cloaked by the sounds of the piano, and Jane and Mr Bingley were entirely lost in each other’s eyes.
The rest of the visit passed much too quickly. When the gentlemen’s half-hour was up, they walked them to the door and watched them walk down the drive together. They parted ways, Mr Wickham heading toward Meryton and the barracks beyond, and Mr Bingley mounting his horse and riding to Netherfield.
“I am sorry to see them go, but I do hope they will make a regular practise of coming to call on us,” their mother said. She turned away and went to prepare herself for Lady Lucas’s visit and share all the delicious gossip and news from having two such handsome gentlemen under their roof.
Jane gave a forlorn sigh, then turned away as Mr Bingley disappeared over the rise. Elizabeth smiled. Jane and Mr Bingley were increasingly in love, and she was very happy for her sister. For herself, she knew not what the future held — only that it suddenly seemed brighter than it had for some time.
Chapter 14
Mr Wickham had proved as constant as he was charming. In the weeks since their first meeting, Elizabeth had met with him nearly every day. As her mother had hoped, he called at Longbourn several times, and they had also met several times in Meryton.
Mrs Bennet had not hesitated to call him smitten, even madly in love with her.Thatwas obviously nonsense, and premature to boot — and yet Elizabeth could not help thinking that he did seem more than commonly interested.
“You should press for a quick engagement,” her mother urged.
Elizabeth was not at all tempted to agree. Charming as the man was, she could not think of love until she might claim to truly understand his character, to find it as worthy as his manners. Nor could she imagine that Mr Wickham was truly in love with her — not yet.
One circumstance had greatly increased her respect and admiration for him. Upon learning of Elizabeth’s legacy to come, he had not changed his behaviour in the slightest. Alone among all the men who had suddenly claimed to admire her since that fateful express had come to Longbourn, only Wickham seemedto value her for her own merits, not because she was in line to inherit a grand fortune.
One afternoon, a letter arrived for them from their Aunt Gardiner in London. Their father broke the seal, all of them hovering around to hear the news. “What does it say, Papa?” Lydia asked breathlessly.
“I can’t quite make it out —”
“May I, Papa?” Elizabeth asked, holding out her hand for the letter. She had become an expert in deciphering her aunt’s flowery hand.
Her father handed it over without hesitation, and Elizabeth began to read aloud.
∞∞∞
My dear family,
It is with great excitement that I write to you this afternoon. Forgive me for the unusual shortness of my letter, but Mr Gardiner and I have come up with an idea that I hope will delight you as much as it does ourselves. We would like to invite our eldest nieces, Jane and Elizabeth, to come to us for an extended visit. Surely the girls would enjoy the diversions of Town for a time, while we would benefit from their assistance with the children. Their cousins miss them terribly.
We will provide all that is needed for their travel to and from Town. Please write as quickly as possible, as we should be most grateful to have them here by the first week of next month.
With love,
