Chapter 1.5 #5
“He did, did he? So you discussed the subject with Mr Darcy? You truly amaze me, my child. And pray tell me, what did Mr Darcy have to say?”
“Not very much, in fact. To be honest, I reproached him for his mistreatment of Mr Wickham, and he said the story was too unpleasant to inflict it upon me. He offered to answer any questions I might have on the subject.”
“And did you have any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, I might have some. But we were talking of Mr Wickham, not Mr Darcy. Now please help me to elucidate that problem, for I am afraid I do not have the pleasure of understanding you. You said you met Mr Wickham four days ago. Would you tell me exactly how that happened?”
“It was the day we all walked to Meryton with Mr Collins. There we were introduced to Mr Wickham, and while we talked to him, Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley appeared. I could not help but notice the odd reaction between Mr Wickham and Mr Darcy.”
“I see. And then…?”
“Well, I met Mr Wickham again a day later at my Aunt Philips’s, and he told me his story. That is all.”
She looked at her father, waiting for his reaction, but he was searching her face with great interest.
“So am I correct in assuming that Mr Wickham knew little of you on your second meeting? He could not have known what kind of person you were nor could he possibly have reason to trust you.”
“You are correct, sir.”
“All right, now I come to the point: If he did not have any reason to hold you in special regard, why did he choose for you to hear his story? You were no more special to him than any other young lady. Then why you? Were you the only one available? Were all the other ladies dancing or otherwise occupied? I must confess I do not understand.”
“I…I do not know, sir.” She was embarrassed by now, and those thoughts, loudly expressed by her father, made her feel the weight of her blunder.
“And how could he know you were not a friend of Mr Darcy?”
“I…I might have mentioned my dislike for Mr Darcy.”
“Aha…now I think I understand. Mr Wickham asked your opinion of Mr Darcy, and after you expressed your dislike for the man, he began to tell you the story. Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir. I suppose it is.”
“I see. Well, my child, I can see only two reasons for Mr Wickham’s acting in such a manner. Would you like to hear them?”
“Of course, Papa.”
“Well—either Mr Wickham was deeply and totally in love with you from the first moment he saw you and instantly decided to put his whole life history in your hands—in which case I can only wait for him to come to me and ask for your hand—”
“Papa!” Her serious voice interrupted him. “I beg you not to say such things, even in jest, sir!”
“So that cannot be the truth?”
“No, sir!”
“Well, that is a relief, because I should have been forced to refuse him my consent in any case.”
“And the second reason, Papa?”
He looked at his beloved, witty daughter and smiled. “My dear girl, I am sure you can apprehend for yourself the other reason. You have sense and judgment, and I expect you to use them.”
“Well, Papa, Mr Darcy expressed that opinion, as well!”
“Really? And what exactly did Mr Darcy say? He also called you ‘my dear girl’ I presume?”
“Papa! Now I understand what Mama means when she says you delight in vexing her!”
They laughed, but Mr Bennet was by no means finished.
“So, my dear, Mr Darcy told you pretty much the same things as I did. And pray tell me, when did you have the opportunity to talk about such a delicate subject—on your way home in the rain?”
Elizabeth, stunned in front of her father, her eyes and mouth opened wide, was attempting to find something to say. “I… We…”
Then, mortified at being caught in a lie like a child, she decided to tell her father the truth. “Papa, I am truly sorry I concealed the truth from you. You have every reason to be upset, but please believe me: I did it only because I did not want to give Mama any mistaken ideas.”
“Well, I am ready not to be upset and to hear you out if you decide to tell me the truth.”
Still embarrassed, she told her father everything he needed to hear. When she finished, she expected to see her father displeased, but to her great surprise, he was merely serene.
“Lizzy, I have a question, and I want a truthful answer. Did anything happen between you and Mr Darcy? Did he compromise you in any manner?”
“No, Papa! How can you say that? He was a perfect gentleman and exceedingly helpful, even though I must confess I was quite rude to him at times. I reproached him for so many undeserved things.”
“Well, that is another surprise. Your opinion of Mr Darcy seems to have improved. Did you forgive him for not wanting to dance with you? Perhaps he decided to pay for his fault by asking you to dance tomorrow night?” He was teasing her, expecting her to be embarrassed, but she returned his smile.
“You are correct, sir. Mr Darcy apologised for his comments on that evening, and since my own behaviour towards him was not above reproach, I did forgive him. And my opinion towards him has indeed improved.”
“Well, in that case it is my turn to confess something to you: Mr Darcy already told me the truth about your meeting. He considered that I, as your father and the head of the family, had the right to know what transpired. I must say my own opinion of him is quite high at the moment!”
Elizabeth watched her father in disbelief.
Was he only making fun of her all this time?
She grew furious with him and with Mr Darcy for not respecting her decision to keep the truth of their meeting private as she had asked him to do.
She was about to leave the library when her father stopped her once more.
“My dear, do not be upset, and I beg you not to be angry with Mr Darcy. What he did was indeed proof of his worthiness. He seems to be a very responsible and honest young man. Come, Lizzy, let your father kiss you before you go to bed. You must be very tired.”
Elizabeth turned, smiled and embraced her father who kissed her forehead.
“Papa, after hearing everything, would you tell me your opinion of the story between Mr Wickham and Mr Darcy? Is one of them deceiving us?”
Mr Bennet waited a few seconds before answering. He was not able to form a sound opinion yet and did not want to influence his daughter in any way. He wanted her to find her own answers.
“My dear, I cannot tell for sure. As I said, Mr Darcy seemed to be very honest, and it is hard for me to believe that he would intentionally disrespect his father’s wishes.
On the other hand, Mr Wickham could not have invented such a story without there being at least some truth in it.
So if you want a guess, perhaps the living was left to Mr Wickham by the late Mr Darcy but only under some conditions that were not fulfilled.
That might very well explain the present tension between them. ”
Thinking of Darcy’s reaction in the cottage, Elizabeth knew it must have been more than that, but she could not discuss the matter any further, not even with her father—at least not at the moment.
“I could not help but notice that you seemed to disapprove of Mr Wickham this morning.”
“My dear, I do not disapprove of Mr Wickham. He is a pleasant fellow, and your younger sisters seem to be very desirous of dancing with him at the ball! And certainly he has good taste in liking you. However, Lizzy, if I were you, I would keep the conversation with Mr Wickham to less exciting subjects…like the weather or dancing perhaps?”
“I shall do that, sir. Thank you!” she answered, smiling at her father.
Elizabeth kissed him once more and went to her room, eager to be alone and put her thoughts and feelings in order for the next day.
What will happen tomorrow? she mused.