Chapter 1 #2
The prospect of Mr. Wickham now being the standard by which she compared every gentleman of her acquaintance was not without its disadvantages.
Whether nostalgia or idleness was the cause of the empty place inside of her she could not rightly say.
Again, she smiled. If her heart had been wounded by Wickham’s easy defection, it would surely be mended in the company of the colonel and Mr. Darcy.
When the Rosings party went into the dining parlor, Elizabeth was seated next to Mr. Darcy at the lavishly adorned table.
Of the two of her new gentlemen acquaintances, she had much rather she were sitting opposite the younger man, and the colonel was sitting next to her.
Under such convenient circumstances, she might enjoy pleasant dinner conversation as well as steal the occasional glance at the handsome Mr. Darcy, whose brooding air merely added to his good looks.
Despite his exceptionally good looks, she did not think she had ever met anyone who was so taciturn in her life.
Determined to draw him out, she said, “Mr. Darcy, I am in the fortunate position of claiming an acquaintance with another gentleman who hails from Derbyshire. Perhaps you know him as well. His name is Mr. George Wickham.”
The disturbance in Mr. Darcy’s theretofore unreadable expression was palpable. Apparently he did not appreciate the topic, but Elizabeth could not find it in herself to regret causing him discomfort. Any reaction on his part was better than nothing.
He sat up straighter, taller. His voice seemingly restrained, he finally uttered, “Wickham!”
“Indeed, I had the honor of making his acquaintance in Hertfordshire.”
“Wickham is blessed with such happy manners that he is sure to make friends wherever he goes. Whether he is capable of retaining them is rather unlikely.”
Surprised that the decidedly reserved gentleman would speak so harshly of another to a perfect stranger, Elizabeth arched her brow. “Oh my! Has the gentleman been so unfortunate as to lose your friendship?”
“He most certainly has,” Darcy declared.
Lady Catherine said, “What are the two of you discussing, Darcy?”
He cleared his throat. “Nothing of consequence, I assure you, Lady Catherine.”
“Nonsense. Did I hear you mention that wild George Wickham’s name? Tell me at once, for I insist upon having my share in the conversation.”
Darcy pretended not to hear his aunt, which only encouraged Elizabeth. “Mr. Darcy and I were discussing my having made Mr. Wickham’s acquaintance in Hertfordshire. He is most agreeable—would you not say so as well, Charlotte?”
Charlotte, a plain-spoken woman, stiffened a little as though being drawn into such a contentious debate was the last thing she wanted, but as Elizabeth was her guest, she could not reasonably hold her tongue.
She dabbed her crisp linen napkin at her lips before speaking.
Her voice measured, she said, “Mr. Wickham made quite an unforgettable impression upon all of us when we made his acquaintance last autumn.”
Lady Catherine said, “I find it entirely insupportable that such a man should be received by any decent family—regardless of their standing in society.” She looked at Elizabeth pointedly. “You are aware, young lady, that his father was the late Mr. Darcy’s steward, are you not?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Having just made Mr. Darcy’s acquaintance, I can rightly say I did not know that before now, but I do not know what any of that signifies.
What can his father’s occupation have to do with Mr. Wickham’s reception into the homes of decent people, your ladyship?
He is, after all, an officer, which must surely open doors that might otherwise be closed to him.
” Here, Elizabeth looked at the colonel.
Along the course of the evening, she had discerned that he was the son of the Earl of Matlock—Lady Catherine’s brother. The second son.
“I will only say that such a man is not to be trusted,” Lady Catherine affirmed. “I know not the particulars, but that ungrateful young man used my nephew Darcy very ill. Is that not true, Nephew?”
“I will say, despite our being raised together at Pemberley as though we were of the same blood, what with his being my own father’s godson, that gentleman and I suffered an irreconcilable parting of the ways.”
Elizabeth saw him toss a furtive glance at his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was now rather silent. Darcy continued, “And that is all I will say on the matter.”
Her ladyship seemed content with her nephew’s strong stance and thus chose to further instruct Elizabeth on how she ought to act.
“You must write to your father and tell him that George Wickham is never to be received in his home ever again, for his daughters’ sake as well as his own.
Do I correctly recall that you are the second eldest of five siblings—all daughters? ”
“Indeed,” Elizabeth answered, lowering her eyes, feigning greater interest in her dish than was called for.
“The same must be said of all your family. They are not to receive George Wickham. You have two uncles I believe I heard Mr. Collins say.”
“Indeed, your ladyship. I have one uncle who lives in Meryton and another who resides in town.”
“An uncle who resides in town? Yes—I suppose he keeps a house in town as most gentlemen are wont to do.”
“Actually, my uncle lives in Cheapside near his warehouses.”
Lady Catherine’s countenance tightened with dismay. “Cheapside? Do you mean to say you have relations who earn their living by trade?”
Pretending to take no notice of the disturbance her declaration had incited in the air, Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, your ladyship.”
Jerking her head in the vicar’s direction, the proud lady declared, “Mr. Collins, when you spoke of having made the Bennets’ acquaintance in Hertfordshire, you said nothing of this to me.”
Collins tugged at his collar. “I beg your pardon, your ladyship,” said he, his complexion turning a deep shade of red.
Lady Catherine went silent for a moment, no doubt to digest this troubling tidbit. She tasted her food and seemed pleased to find it to her liking. After another moment or two, she declared, “I do not suppose everyone can claim the privilege of leisure—unfortunately for you, Miss Bennet.”
“How so?” Elizabeth exclaimed with energy. Remembering herself, she continued, “If I may ask.”
“Why, being burdened by such relations must necessarily diminish the chances of you and your sisters attracting men of consequence as husbands.”
Keenly feeling the sting of such an impertinent remark, Elizabeth formed her lips to respond in kind. Heeding a pleading look from her friend Charlotte, Elizabeth held her tongue.
If such is to be the nature of the conversation, it will surely be a long evening after all.
After dinner, the women gave up the room leaving the gentlemen to their port.
Finally, Darcy felt an overpowering need to exhale.
Whoever this Miss Elizabeth Bennet was and wherever she had come from, she had nearly taken his breath away when he walked into his aunt’s parlor earlier that evening.
The intelligence that she had relations in trade now made sense.
There was no longer any wonder her clothing was simple and expensive jewelry did not overly adorn her body as commonly exemplified by all the young ladies of his acquaintance.
This bewitching creature with her amazing, dark eyes and her light, pleasing figure had rendered him utterly speechless.
That was until she began boasting of an acquaintance with that scoundrel George Wickham.
What impertinence, Darcy began to consider in recollection of her earlier retorts to his aunt as well as to himself.
Does that young lady not comprehend what an honor it is for someone of her standing to dine here at Rosings?
How impolitic of her to utter a single word in defense of George Wickham when it was made perfectly clear to her how thoroughly that man is abhorred.
Darcy’s mind was so full of the impertinent stranger in their midst that he hardly attended a word his cousin and that ridiculous Mr. Collins had to say.
In no time at all, it seemed, it was necessary to reunite with the ladies.
The possibility that Darcy would come back to the parlor alongside his aunt’s vicar was unsupportable. As a consequence, he and his cousin languished behind until the parson was no longer in view. The colonel questioned his cousin’s hesitance.
“Why would I wish to afford such a courtesy to such an inconsequential man?” Darcy folded one arm over the other. “It is insulting enough that we should be forced to be in company with our aunt’s sycophantic vicar, but having to endure his impertinent relations is beyond the pale.”
“Darcy, old fellow, I would not be as fastidious as you for a kingdom. What objections can you have to the man’s relations? His wife is very pleasant.”
“That she may well be, but one cannot help questioning her thinking for marrying such a foolish man.”
“No doubt, the lady was guided by prudence. Since when is a woman’s soundness of mind to be questioned for her decision to marry for security?”
Darcy shrugged. “Fortunately, I have never had reason to think of such matters.”
“Indeed, but you will acknowledge that not everyone is so fortunate as you—present company included. But other than her friend being Mr. Collins’s cousin, how might you possibly object to the charming Miss Elizabeth Bennet? Is she not lovely?”
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me or to excuse her impertinence.”
Completely unbeknown to the gentlemen, their conversation had been overheard.
Elizabeth, in her desire to eschew the company of Lady Catherine at least until the gentlemen had rejoined the party, had made an excuse of wanting to refresh herself.
Not wishing to be accused of deliberately putting herself in the gentlemen’s paths, she had quietly slipped inside an empty room when she heard them approaching.
Retreating farther into the room, Elizabeth braced herself against the wall.
She placed one hand on her chest and the other she pressed to her lips.
And these are the words of a gentleman—the words of someone whom I admired mere hours earlier, she considered, admired in spite of his dour nature and even his ill regard for the amiable Mr. Wickham.
Why, I had even begun to fancy the gentleman more handsome than Mr. Wickham.
I am now given to consider that Mr. Darcy is not so handsome after all. Smiling a little inside at this new resolve, Elizabeth rallied her spirits. Not only is he not handsome enough to tempt me, I further declare that he is the one who is impertinent. What is more, he is not even tolerable.