Page 36 of Unwillingly Mrs. Darcy
“That is true,” Kitty said, “but Georgiana said that Mr Wickham was never truly grateful for this. To the late Mr Darcy, he was more than grateful, at least on the surface, but he used those gifts, attention, and affection to taunt our Mr Darcy. It was quite unkind of him.”
This was not what Mr Wickham had told her. He had said that the late Mr Darcy had been kind to him and shown him affection, but he had never said that he had favoured him. It must have been galling, she thought, to be the only son of a great man and to find oneself having to share his affection and attention with someone one so deeply disliked.
Elizabeth did not want to think on the matter anymore. But if this was true—if Mr Wickham had not only turned down the living in exchange for financial assistance to read the law—then that meant he had lied to her. He had already exaggerated when it came to Georgiana. She had looked upon him more kindly in that regard, for recollections she knew, could vary. And perhaps he truly saw Georgiana as high in the instep. Maybe she had been when she was a small child. After all, one could never know how someone perceived another person. Her perceptions of both Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham appeared to have beenwrong. Mr Darcy’s perception of Jane had been wrong. But if Mr Wickham had, in fact, taunted Mr Darcy, been favoured by his father, and then lied about the living, what did that mean for anything else he had said?
If everything Mr Wickham had told her about Mr Darcy was lies, then the only true objection she could hold onto against the man was his actions against Jane. And even that he had already admitted to and was attempting to remedy.
In fact, what she hadn’t told Kitty about the letter was that Jane had written her that Mr Bingley was making regular visits to Netherfield, travelling from London for long weekends with frequency.
And he always called on Longbourn. He always brought baskets with sweetmeats from London, expensive marmalade and curd, and imported fineries, which he presented as gifts to Mrs Bennet and Jane, as well as everyone else in residence, from the maids to the physician and his nurses.
He would bring medical journals he found and talk to the physician to ensure Mr Bennet’s care. This was probably something he had arranged with Mr Darcy, but in any case, Jane appeared genuinely pleased by Mr Bingley’s affection and attention.
She could not think about this anymore. She could not allow the wall she had built around her heart when it came to Mr Darcy to crumble entirely. She had to hold onto at least some of her defences. She could not allow herself to feel affection for the man only to be disappointed again.
Or could she?
Chapter 20
Elizabeth
31st August 1812
“Elizabeth!” Georgiana shouted as she and Mary giggled on the sidelines, “Hit it harder!” Elizabeth raced to keep up as her sister Kitty batted the shuttlecock with her racket, sending it soaring into the summer sky.
Elizabeth ran backwards. She barely managed to hit the birdie, catching it on the outer edge of her racket. It spiralled awkwardly across the net Kitty had begged the footman to set up earlier. The shuttlecock just managed to clear the top before dropping onto the ground on Kitty’s side.
“Victory!” Elizabeth declared, raising her arms in mock triumph.
“That was hardly fair,” Kitty huffed, running to retrieve the birdie. “You hit it with the edge. That doesn’t count.”
“Does it not?” Elizabeth asked, turning to Mary with an exaggerated look of enquiry. “What say you, umpire?”
Mary raised her fan to shade her eyes from the sun and pondered the question dramatically. After a moment, she agreed wholeheartedly with Elizabeth, earning a glare from Kitty.
Elizabeth chuckled, surprised at how carefree she felt. It had been a long time since she had felt so at ease. Being away from her parents, and Jane had been difficult, but therecent good news from Longbourn had lightened her spirits. The past weeks spent here at Pemberley had helped her feel more hopeful.
Just as Elizabeth bent to pick up the birdie and switch sides with Kitty, the door to the house opened. Mr Darcy stepped out into the sunshine.
“It’s Fitzwilliam!” Georgiana cried, waving enthusiastically in his direction. “Come play!”
Mr Darcy walked towards them, dressed in a pair of light trousers and a waistcoat with a matching coat. His attire was less formal than usual, likely owing to the summer heat, but it suited him well.
Mr Darcy had accompanied her on walks around the lake in the mornings before the heat became too oppressive. Though their conversations had remained polite and far from serious, those moments had given her an opportunity to know him better—to appreciate him in ways she never had before.
“Elizabeth,” Mr Darcy said as he neared. “I must confess I disagree with your sister. I think you clipped the birdie rather unfairly.”
“Do you?” Elizabeth replied, planting her hands on her hips. “I was unaware that was against the rules.”
“You must be playing by Bennet House rules,” Mr Darcy teased with a smile. “I assure you, I would not let you get away with it.”
“Is that a challenge, Mr Darcy?” Kitty asked as she joined them. “It certainly sounds like it.”
Mr Darcy chuckled. “I think not. I am not dressed for sports.”
“Come now, Fitzwilliam,” Georgiana said, bounding over to him. “You love shuttlecock! Why not play doubles? You and Mrs Darcy against Kitty and I. Mary can stay on as umpire.”
Mary fanned herself gracefully and gave a serene nod. “I am in full agreement. I would rather enjoy my spot here in the shade.”
