“What I have already related,” said Elizabeth. “He spoke of the living and how Mr. Darcy had thrown him off for little more than caprice, then when I asked, he told me that you were proud and disagreeable.”
“Wickham spoke of Georgiana?” demanded Mr. Darcy.
“Only because I asked him what sort of girl she was,” said Elizabeth. “Perhaps I should not have asked, but I was curious.”
“I was not so proud and disagreeable when Mr. Wickham coveted my fortune,” said Georgiana.
“No, I do not suppose he was,” agreed Elizabeth.
“The question is, what are we to do about him?”
“I shall not allow him to continue as he has,” said Mr. Darcy. “But first, I wish to protect my sister’s reputation.”
“That is understandable,” said Elizabeth, a notion occurring to her.
“Do you have some other idea?” asked Georgiana.
“I might,” acknowledged Elizabeth. “For the moment, please leave it with me. Mr. Darcy, if you wish to speak with Colonel Forster and advise him about Mr. Wickham’s conduct, I shall not stop you. But I may have another way to ensure the entire neighborhood knows what sort of man he is.”
Though Mr. Darcy regarded her for several moments, he nodded in the end. “Then go to it, Miss Elizabeth.”
Chapter X
Though she kept it to herself, Elizabeth had more than a notion of what to do about Mr. Wickham. She knew how to handle it—she only needed the right opportunity to put her plan into motion. Fortunately, she had another matter that needed to be rectified, a matter she had allowed to fester too long. This business gave her the perfect occasion to deal with both at the same time.
Before she could do this, however, Elizabeth had the rest of the evening to endure, knowing her thoughts would plague her with all her misconceptions. Jane was no help—her happiness with Mr. Bingley was nearly complete, and Elizabeth would not intrude upon this time of joy. The rest of the family would remain equally ignorant for the moment, for they would either lecture, minimize, or insist that Mr. Wickham was far too handsome for any such tale of him to be true.
Foremost among Elizabeth’s thoughts was how courageous Georgiana had been to share such a secret with her. In truth, she thought Georgiana’s courage was far more substantial than what Mr. Darcy had shown. Elizabeth was humbled that her friend had shared such a traumatic experience with her and determined that she would not put her friend’s reputation at risk. Her feelings for Mr. Darcy were more complicated.
Elizabeth still viewed Mr. Darcy with annoyance—he was proud, often disagreeable, and held those who did not meet his idea of proper breeding with contempt. Yet, she could not blame him for wanting to protect his sister. It was complicated, she supposed, all of it—the history he shared with Mr. Wickham, the desire to remove himself from Mr. Wickham’s intrigues, the responsibility he felt for Georgiana. Though she could not condone the gentleman remaining silent and offering nowarning to the neighborhood, he had not acted to ruin Mr. Wickham for caprice.
When Elizabeth finally retired that night, she hoped for—though she did not expect—a night of uninterrupted sleep. Upon opening her eyes the following morning, she was surprised and gratified that shehadfound rest. That day, she woke with a new determination, an unshakable intention to ensure Mr. Wickham could not do in Meryton what he had done in other places.
At the start of visiting hours, Elizabeth presented herself at Lucas Lodge’s entrance, asking to be shown to them. There were only two she needed to see, but she had not been there in several days, since before she argued with Charlotte. Thus, she appreciated the opportunity to visit them again.
“Elizabeth,” said Lady Lucas when she entered the room. “How good of you to visit. Why, I declare we have not seen you here for far longer than usual.”
“Good morning,” said Elizabeth, smiling at her dearest friend’s mother. “I am glad to be in your company again.”
What pleased Elizabeth even more was that Charlotte had not shared the details of their disagreement with her mother. Had she considered it, she would not have supposed that Charlotte would do such a thing. Lady Lucas possessed a similar character to Elizabeth’s own mother—she would not have appreciated Elizabeth’s disapproval. Charlotte, who was standing with her mother, peered at Elizabeth as if trying to discover her motivations, but Elizabeth only smiled back at her friend.
The first few moments of her visit passed in the usual manner. Maria spoke of the officers, Lady Lucas regaled Elizabeth with tales of her recent doings, and Sir William, who was present, spoke of his pleasure for the Netherfield party’s return—or at least those who had graced the district with their presence again. Elizabeth participated, laughed, andcommiserated as required, waiting for her opportunity to speak to Charlotte in private.
As she had known it would, that opportunity came within fifteen minutes of her arrival. Lady Lucas, knowing of the firm friendship between Elizabeth and her daughter, excused herself not long after, taking Maria with her, while Sir William departed for his study. When the friends were alone, Elizabeth turned to her friend, noting Charlotte’s curious look.
“Charlotte, my friend,” said Elizabeth, taking her friend’s hand. “Please allow me to apologize for the unconscionable words I said to you when last we met.”
Though Charlotte searched her eyes and did not speak at once, Elizabeth noted a certain tension in her shoulders ease. Elizabeth did not wait for her to speak.
“I was wrong to say such things to you about your fiancé. Long have I known the differences between us, and while I will own that Iwassurprised by your announcement, I should not have said what I did.”
Charlotte expelled a long breath, though Elizabeth did not know if it was relief or vindication. “Thank you, Lizzy. I confess that I have missed your company and regret what passed between us.”
“If my approval is required, you have it.” Elizabeth offered her friend a smile. “You know enough of my nature to understand that I would never wish for a marriage such as that you have agreed to enter.”
Charlotte laughed and patted Elizabeth’s hand. “Well do I know it. I was not surprised that you rejected Mr. Collins, Lizzy. That he would be willing to propose on so short an acquaintancewascurious, but I never expected you to agree to anything he offered.”
Now Elizabeth was interested. “Then you conceived of the idea to draw him to you when you came to Longbourn that morning.”
