Page 92 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“Miss Cece, are you not happy that I brought Mr. Johnson?” Lydia continued, clueless as to the general distress.

“Miss Lydia, I am Lady Barrington’s companion. All her ladyship’s guests bring me equal happiness,” Cece replied sternly.

Mr. Johnson looked at her with apparent interest.

“Although, I hope Mr. Johnson and the other gentlemen have come of their own accord. It would be unusual for a man to be brought by a young lady of fifteen.”

Mr. Johnson and his friend, Lieutenant Baxter, exchanged a disconcerted look. Wickham, Denny, Lydia and Kitty began to laugh.

“How funny that is! I told you Miss Cece is very clever!” Lydia exclaimed. “Wickham said a black woman cannot be as clever as I described but I told him he was wrong! Try! Ask her anything!” She challenged Wickham.

“Lydia, enough!” Elizabeth interjected severely.

A moment of deep embarrassment followed for those who understood the offence. Then suddenly, Mr. Johnson stood up, followed by his friend.

“Lady Barrington, I beg your forgiveness. We were under the impression that your ladyship was expecting us, but I was wrong. We shall leave now. It was an honour to meet you all.”

“Oh come now, Johnson, sit! We are amongst friends, there is no need for such solemnity.” Wickham said impertinently. “Besides, where would you go? We came in the same carriage!”

“We will wait for you outside. I am afraid we have overstayed our welcome and we cannot impose further. Good day!”

Pleasantly surprised by the polite manners so opposite to Wickham’s rudeness, Elizabeth nodded to them.

“We were pleased to meet you too, gentlemen. We hope to meet both of you again, at a more proper time.”

Her words showed her benevolence and the two men bowed again, in a respectful farewell, then left.

“You must excuse them, they are army men and have not often been in genteel company,” Wickham said. “I brought them only because I believed Miss Cecilia would be pleased to have some company—someone like her to talk to.”

“There is nothing to excuse, the two gentlemen showed impeccable manners,” Elizabeth said.

Before she continued, Cece interjected. “May I ask, sir, what do you mean by ‘someone like me’? Someone black, I presume? Do you always match people by the colour of their skin, or their eyes or hair? Or just in this case?”

Her apparent upset was elegantly hidden behind a civil tone and a polite smile.

Wickham laughed, as if it was a joke. “I always aim to see people happy around me, Miss Cecilia.” Then, with much audacity, he moved to the sofa next to Elizabeth. She cringed and struggled to keep her composure.

“Lady Barrington, I have come only for the pleasure of seeing you. Please let me know when I can return so we can talk at length. Perhaps I could accompany your ladyship on a carriage ride to show you Brighton?”

She gazed at him. Sitting next to her, they were only inches apart. His smile, his handsome features, his friendly voice that had once induced her to believe his lies, were all there. So was her anger and her resentment.

“Mr. Wickham, I am afraid we have few subjects of conversation. However, I would like to hear more details about the compensation you received for the living you rejected, about your change of mind regarding your career and about your favourite ways of employing your time. But not today.”

Wickham froze, turned pale and withdrew from her. Elizabeth had spoken in such a calm, reasonable tone and the others were oblivious to its true meaning.

“Yes, well...I…”

“It was very kind of you to accompany my sisters back home, but we understand if you must hurry to leave. You cannot possibly let your friends wait outside,” she continued with a condescending smile.

“Indeed. I am afraid we cannot stay longer. I wish you all the best. Come Denny; we must go,” he called to the completely confused lieutenant, who was caught in an amusing conversation with Lydia and Kitty.

The younger girls opposed the gentlemen’s departure vehemently, but Wickham could not be deterred from his decision. With apparent distress, he said a quick ‘good day’ and left with Denny, who mumbled an excuse.

“Lizzy, what happened? What did you tell Mr. Wickham to make him leave?” Lydia cried.

“Lydia, stop and listen to me. You too, Kitty!” Elizabeth replied with a severity that silenced the girl. “How dare you bring strange men here, without notice? And how dare you speak of Miss Cecilia in front of strangers, without her permission? Do you ever reflect on what you are saying or doing? Do you realise how much embarrassment you cause and how you put your reputation in danger?”

“But Lizzy, I said nothing wrong about Miss Cecilia—quite the contrary! When I saw Mr. Johnson, I told Wickham you had a friend who is also black and he told Mr. Johnson! What have I done wrong?”