Chapter 7 #2
Mr Bennet tapped one finger lightly against the arm of his chair as he considered her. “You surprise me, Lizzy. I did not know you had taken so strong an interest in the moral character of our acquaintances.”
Elizabeth felt her patience strain, though she did her best to remain composed. “It is not curiosity that concerns me,” she said. “It is Lydia and Kitty, as well as the other young women of our neighbourhood.”
Mr Bennet looked faintly puzzled.
“Lydia and Kitty,” Elizabeth continued, “have already shown themselves very eager to seek the company of the officers, perhaps too eager. If Mr Wickham is not a man of honour, I fear that such acquaintance might encourage conduct that would not be wise for them.”
Her father regarded her with thoughtful calm. “Do you imagine,” he asked mildly, “that Mr Wickham is more dangerous than the rest of the regiment?”
Elizabeth did not answer immediately. “I cannot say that with certainty,” she admitted. “But I believe there is reason to exercise caution.”
Mr Bennet’s amusement returned. “My dear child, caution is an excellent quality in theory. In practice, it is rarely welcome in a house governed by your mother.”
Elizabeth leaned forward slightly in her chair. “Even so, Papa, you must surely see that it would be better to prevent trouble if it can be prevented.”
He smiled. “You ask me to become a sort of moral detective, Lizzy. I confess the profession has never greatly appealed to me.”
Elizabeth bit her lip, feeling the urgency of persuading him. “I ask only that you consider the possibility that Mr Wickham’s conduct may not deserve the confidence that everyone has placed in him.”
Mr Bennet regarded her quietly for a moment. “And if I did consider it,” he said at last, “what then?”
Elizabeth hesitated only a moment before answering. “If you were satisfied that there was reason for concern,” she said carefully, “it might then be possible to discourage Lydia and Kitty from pursuing the acquaintance.”
Mr Bennet leaned back comfortably in his chair and regarded her with quiet amusement. “Discourage Lydia?” he repeated. “My dear Lizzy, you propose an enterprise of heroic difficulty.”
Elizabeth did not smile. “It would not be impossible if it came from you.”
“You give me far more authority in this household than I possess in reality,” he replied, folding his arms with an expression of mild amusement. “Lydia’s spirits would scarcely survive such restraint, and your mother would consider it a personal injustice.”
Elizabeth leaned forward slightly in her chair. “Surely, Papa, Lydia’s spirits cannot be of greater consequence than her safety.”
Mr Bennet lifted his brows and regarded her with calm curiosity. “My dear child, Lydia is in no danger beyond the ordinary dangers which attend every young woman who enjoys dancing, flirtation, and a red coat.”
“If Mr Wickham is not the man he appears to be,” Elizabeth said, struggling to maintain her composure, “those dangers may not be so ordinary.”
Mr Bennet studied her expression for a moment, tapping one finger lightly against the arm of his chair. “Even if I were to accept your suspicion, I do not see what practical step you imagine I should take.”
“You might at least inquire whether his circumstances are as respectable as he claims,” Elizabeth replied, trying to hold back her exasperation and speak with proper respect.
Her father’s reluctance was infuriating, for it was only too clear that it was not the uncertainty of Wickham’s guilt that held him back, but only his own disinclination to pursue any employment that held no prospect of amusement.
“If he has contracted debts, or behaved improperly elsewhere, such information would surely reach the ears of someone who knows him.”
Mr Bennet shook his head slowly. “My dear Lizzy, you are asking me to undertake a great deal of trouble in pursuit of what may prove nothing more than a rumour.”
“It is not a rumour,” Elizabeth said quietly.
He regarded her with a faint degree of curiosity. “You speak with remarkable certainty for someone who admits she does not know every particular of the case.”
Elizabeth paused, knowing she could not explain further without betraying a confidence that was not hers to reveal. “I know enough,” she said at last, “to believe that caution would be wise.”
“My dear child,” Mr Bennet replied with a small, indulgent smile, “if I were to investigate every officer who pays attention to my daughters, I should have little time left for anything else.”
Elizabeth felt her patience begin to fail. “I do not ask that you investigate every officer. Only one.”
“And if I were to discover that he has indeed been foolish or imprudent,” he said lightly, “what then? Should I forbid him the house?”
Elizabeth hesitated before answering. “If it proved necessary.”
Mr Bennet laughed softly. “You forget your mother.”
“Please, Papa,” Elizabeth insisted, “you might at least discourage Lydia and Kitty from seeking his company so eagerly.”
Mr Bennet shook his head again with easy resignation. “My dear Lizzy, Lydia would consider such advice an invitation to do precisely the opposite.”
“Father,” Elizabeth pleaded, “please do listen to me. I believe the danger to be considerable. It is a difficult situation, to be sure, but that is all the more reason you should act.”
But even this plea left Mr Bennet unmoved.
Though he looked on his daughter with a gentle smile, still he shook his head.
“Do not fret, Lizzy. I believe you have let your fears run away with you a little. Do not forget that your sisters have no dowries to speak of. They can hardly be at risk of falling prey to a fortune-hunter, if such Mr Wickham is.”
Elizabeth sat back slowly, the last of her hope beginning to fade. “You will do nothing, then.”
“My dear child,” Mr Bennet replied, reaching for the book he had set aside earlier, “you distress yourself unnecessarily. Mr Wickham is a charming young man, and if he has been a little imprudent in the past, he is hardly singular in that respect. I see no reason to suppose he intends any mischief here.”
“I cannot share your confidence,” Elizabeth said grimly.
Mr Bennet opened his book again and glanced down at the page. “Then you must console yourself with the reflection that Lydia and Kitty are in no greater danger than any other young ladies who enjoy the society of a militia.”
Elizabeth remained seated for a moment after her father resumed his reading. The quiet rustle of the turning page seemed to confirm that, for him at least, the matter was entirely concluded.
She rose at last and stood beside the desk.
“Thank you for hearing me, Papa,” she said with composure.