Chapter 7
The appearance of the last two gentlemen fell like thunder in the drawing-room. The bewilderment was so generally felt that nobody said a word for several long moments.
Darcy’s first glance was towards Elizabeth and, being caught unguarded, she met it with concern, so he frowned, worried that their unannounced call was unwelcome.
Bingley had insisted on briefly checking up on the Bennets, after their disappearance the previous day.
He did not wish to let Jane believe he had left because he did not enjoy her company.
Darcy had opposed such a notion, although he too would have liked to see Elizabeth.
Fighting his wishes, he suggested they send a note to Mr Bennet.
But since they were engaged to meet Colonel Forster and other officers in Meryton, Bingley prevailed. They arrived at Longbourn intending to stay less than a half hour.
When they entered and saw Wickham pleasantly conversing with the Bennets, a heavy burden fell on Darcy’s shoulders. He knew Wickham noticed his distress for the smirk on his face betrayed his satisfaction. Wickham had not changed and he likely never would.
Darcy sensed a new sort of danger in Wickham’s presence at the Bennets.
He looked at the young women, wondering if Wickham could find a victim among them.
The younger ones were obviously the picture of his usual target.
However, he soon chased away his own worries–the Bennets’ lack of fortune and connections would be their best protection against Wickham’s rapacity.
“Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy! What a lovely surprise! Please come in!” Mrs Bennet finally uttered. Bingley glanced at Jane–who blushed–then at their hosts, then at the other guests.
“Thank you, ma’am, but we cannot stay,” Bingley answered. ”We are expected by Colonel Forster. We only stopped to greet you briefly.”
His superfluous explanation demonstrated one more time how unwilling he and Darcy were to be in Wickham’s presence.
Wickham did not miss the opportunity to point it out.
“Mr Bingley, I hope you are not in haste to shorten your visit because of us. We can leave if necessary, so you can stay,” Wickham said.
The tone of his apparently polite words was so rude and patronising that Jane, Elizabeth and Bingley paled, glancing at each other.
Behind Bingley, Darcy’s visage darkened with ire and the struggle to control his fury put a grimace on his face.
Whatever had occurred between the two in the past, Wickham’s audacity and his repeated attempts to offend Darcy were glaringly obvious.
The younger sisters and their mother, together with the other two officers, were oblivious to any hidden meaning in his statement, but Mr Bennet’s eyes narrowed with anger.
“Well, how fortunate that we have you to organise the schedule of our visits, Mr Wickham. I truly appreciate your care in arranging our daily programme, but please do not burden yourself with such a responsibility,” Mr Bennet replied sharply.
“Now, are any of you gentlemen willing to drink something?”
The sharp rebuke perturbed Wickham, whose expression changed again.
Bingley was confused for a moment, looking at Jane again. Darcy watched Mr Bennet with silent contentment.
“We would be happy to–on another day,” Bingley finally responded. “If that is convenient to you, sir.”
Mr Bennet only shrugged. “It is convenient whenever you like. I rarely leave my library.”
“Then we shall return soon. Good day to you all,” Bingley bowed, his glance lingering on Jane a moment longer.
Darcy followed his example, but instead of taking with him a last glimpse of Elizabeth’s eyes, he met Wickham’s stern glare.
The visit had been a failure and only left him with more worries and no indication of Elizabeth’s opinion of him or of Wickham.
Perhaps it was time to put aside any restraint and to enquire directly.
With Wickham, any subtlety was both useless and hazardous.
“Would you rather have stayed longer?” Bingley asked once they resumed the ride towards Meryton.
“Not at all; I am grateful for the way you handled the situation, Bingley. I am sorry you did not have more time with Miss Bennet,” Darcy answered.
“It is fine; there will be plenty of time later. Hopefully, with no disturbance around,” Bingley concluded.
At Longbourn, as soon as the two gentlemen had left, Wickham turned to his hosts with equal concern and distress.
“Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet, I deeply apologise if my intervention sounded inappropriate to you. My genuine intention was to avoid any unpleasant circumstances, therefore I offered to leave. As you all saw, it is obvious that Darcy cannot stand my presence, so it is my duty to be certain we shall never be in close company again.”
“Mr Wickham, you should not distress yourself to accommodate Mr Darcy’s preference,” Mr Bennet said, still with sharp mockery. “If he does not wish to be near you, he will surely find a means to avoid it.”
“Indeed,” Mrs Bennet interjected. “From what I observed, your behaviour was beyond reproach.”
“Oh, I hope you will not miss the ball, only to avoid Mr Darcy,” Lydia exclaimed. “We are all counting on seeing you at Netherfield!”
“You are too kind,” he replied, with a lovely smile and proper bow. “That drink is still waiting,” Mr Bennet repeated and finally the three officers followed him into the library.
Half an hour later, with a brief farewell, they left, leaving the ladies with more subjects for discussion and speculation.
∞∞∞
“Papa, what do you think of this story about Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham?” Elizabeth asked her father later that day when they were alone in the library.
“What do you think of it, Lizzy?”
“I do not know what to believe… Their past dealings must have been harsh and painful, as they obviously have strong and uncordial feelings towards each other.”
“Well, on this we all agree, I am sure,” Mr Bennet jested. “But… which one do you think is telling the truth? Did Mr Darcy say anything at all?” Mr Bennet asked.
“No… what I mean is … do you believe Mr Wickham has been honest with us?” Elizabeth enquired, with equal curiosity and distress.
“What do you believe, Lizzy?” her father repeated the question, raising his eyebrow in challenge. “From the little I have seen, it is clear that Mr Wickham favours you over the other young women in the village.”
She rolled her eyes. “Papa, stop teasing me… I must confess, however, that Mr Wickham is the most pleasant man of my acquaintance.”
“Yes, he is. A very fine fellow; he seems to love us all, just as much as we love him back.”
“Papa, do be serious! Are you not interested to know if Mr Darcy is as cruel as Mr Wickham describes him? Or if Mr Wickham has tried to deceive us?”
“Which one do you think is the truth, Lizzy? Let me hear your opinion and afterwards, I will share mine too.”
“Well, Papa, I believe the late Mr Darcy left his godson a living … however, since Mr Darcy chose not to give it, could it have been only a recommendation? If such a wish was put in a will, I doubt Mr Darcy would have disobeyed it. Am I correct?”
“Most likely, my dear.”
“So, from this point on, we only have two paths to take. Either the living was left under some condition that Mr Wickham did not fulfil and he purposely has concealed it from us, or Mr Darcy is truly a cruel, dishonourable man who ignored his father’s wish out of contempt or resentment,” Elizabeth concluded.
“My child, I would say that your examination is quite accurate and I totally agree with it. So toward which one do you lean?”
“I am still very puzzled, as I do not know enough of either gentleman. But there could also be a middle ground; perhaps both have a share of guilt and innocence. However, what troubles me…”
“Yes?” Mr Bennet asked her to continue despite her hesitation.
“I wonder why Mr Wickham would share such a private story with us, on such a brief acquaintance. And even more so, he shared it with Lydia and Kitty even yesterday. That was very…unwise of him,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Yes, that is what disturbed me too. He sounded like Mr Collins, praising Lady Catherine only minutes after we met. Wickham did the same–only in the opposite way. The annoying result was similar, though.”
“Papa!” Elizabeth laughed and embraced her mocking father.
“Now, now, Lizzy–here is a most perfect scenario: Mr Collins will return soon and he will talk about Lady Catherine, while Mr Wickham will talk about Darcy. And all along, both Collins and Wickham will fight to gain your favour. Perhaps we will even have a duel; wouldn’t that be just wonderful?”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in reproach. “Papa, you are simply impossible. How can you make sport at my expense? Do not mention Mr Collins gaining my favour ever again, or I will tell Mama that you insisted on me rejecting Mr Collins!”
Mr Bennet stared at his favourite daughter in disbelief. “Surely you cannot be serious!”
“I can and I will! If you are decided to use Mr Collins to torment me, I can easily do the same! After all, everybody knows I take after you,” she declared fiercely.
They faced each other in challenge, both on the edge between laughter and anger. Eventually, Mr Bennet rolled his eyes and opened his book.
“You are wild and insolent, Lizzy. No man would want such a disrespectful wife so you will remain a spinster. Ask your sister to let you teach her children to play the pianoforte as ill as you do! Now go and leave me alone, I have had enough distractions in the past few days to last me an entire month.”
Elizabeth laughed, kissed her father’s cheek and left.
∞∞∞
Over the following two days as the ball was approaching, the weather took a turn for the worse. Rain, wind, hail, cold, clouds–kept spirits low and the girls indoors.