Page 18 of Fitzwilliam Darcy Undone
Later that evening, while they enjoyed their port after dinner, Bingley asked why he’d stopped him.
“Charles, I have no desire to speak of Wickham with anyone. He’s a plague upon this earth and his ego is so inflated... If he even heard one whiff of news that we’d discussed his presence in this small market town, he’d feel obliged to stay and make my life a misery.”
“I never thought of it that way.” He thumped the arm of his chair. “You can count on me. I shall not breathe a word of his person to anyone, except Miss Bennet as she was there. And Miss Elizabeth. And their sisters−”
“Bingley! You can speak with them, the elder Bennet sisters are models of genteel comportment. I only ask that you not blurt out every thought in front of your sisters and the staff. Gossip is a fleet footed monster and can run rampant if not checked before the words leave our mouths.”
~~oo0oo~~
Elizabeth let her gaze roam about her Aunt Philip’s parlor, satisfied her sisters were behaving with a modicum of decorum. Other than a slight fatigue at having to remain on guard over their antics, she sought reprieve by conversing with Jane for a few minutes. How she loved her elder sister. She was a calming port within a sea of chaos, although how she maintained such a serene facade when Lydia whooped out loud at winning yet round of lottery tickets, baffled her.
The only fly in her ointment was the fact that Mr. Wickham was one of the invited guests. She hadn’t yet figured out why he unsettled her so much. He seemed a happy man with agreeable manners and almost every female eye turned to him more than once during the course of the evening. That he chose to settle himself beside her when Jane vacated her seat set her further on edge. However, she endured his company for what she chiefly wished to hear, that of his acquaintance with Mr. Darcy and the strange exchange between them yesterday. Although she dared not mention the gentleman, Mr. Wickham began the subject himself.
“How far is Netherfield from Meryton?” he asked in a casual manner.
“About a mile.”
“And how long...,” he hesitated in a most charming manner, “has Mr. Darcy been here?”
She’d have believed his hesitation and uncertainty if she hadn’t seen what could only be called a shadow chase across his eyes. Too quick to be sure she’d witnessed anything strange, the chill which caused the small hair on her arms to raise told her otherwise. Her gloves were a small mercy as they hid her physical reaction.
“About a month,” she replied. Wanting to see how far Mr. Wickham wished to take this conversation, she added, “He is a man of very large property in Derbyshire, I understand.”
“Yes, his estate is a noble one. There has been a Darcy on those lands since the eleventh century. Very noble estate, and you could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information in that regard than myself. I have been... connected to his family in a particular manner since my infancy.”
She itched to flee his presence, yet there remained a malignant feeling, as though something dark pressed upon her and it was somehow connected to Mr. Darcy. The taciturn man from Derbyshire wasn’t her favorite person, but he also didn’t make her want to run and scream like Mr. Wickham. Instead, she expressed surprise.
“You may well be surprised, Miss Bennet, at such an assertion after seeing the very cold manner of our meeting.”
Now she truly was surprised and remained silent for a brief moment for two reasons. For one, he assumed she’d witnessed their silent behavior when everyone else in her party had not, and two, she dared not let this man know she ‘saw’ things differently from her family.
“I cannot say that I did, although if what you say is true about your greeting, that may explain why Mr. Darcy left so abruptly.”
She thought she detected quiet dismay on his part, as though he’d expected her to reply in a different manner. Truly, everything in her demanded she leave his presence. As her courage always rose to diverse situations, she waited for him to carry on the conversation.
“Are you much acquainted with Mr. Darcy?”
“As much as I ever wish to be -obviously, given the dreams I have- I spent four days in the house with him and he behaved, at times, disagreeable.” That much was true, although most of his disgruntled behavior had been directed toward Miss Bingley. Mr. Wickham did not need to know that part of the scenario.
“Ah, Miss Bennet. I cannot be an impartial judge of his behavior as I have known him far too long, and I’m sure if you were not here amongst family your opinion may differ.”
“Mr. Wickham. Rest assured I have no qualms of telling others what I think of Mr. Darcy. His character was set the first night he appeared when he insulted a young lady by claiming she was tolerable, but not handsome enough to dance with.”
“He said that, within hearing of the young lady?” Wickham sat back and laughed out loud. “I cannot pretend to be sorry that the citizens of Meryton were treated to his true personality the first time he pranced amongst them. I’d like to meet his young lady to ensure for myself his pride did not ruin her vanity.”
“You have met her, Mr. Wickham. In fact, you are enjoying a lively tête-à-tête with her this very moment.”
She forced herself to grin at him when his mouth dropped open in surprise.
“You? He said you were only tolerable?”
“Aye. His very words. He couldn’t be bothered to partner with a woman who’d been scorned by other gentlemen.”He also apologized in a most charming way. Charm that came naturally, not contrived as yours, Mr. Wickham.She took a sip of her punch and cast a glance around the room to see how her sisters fared.
“This gets better and better. I am so glad someone else has seen his true colors,” he said, after a short interruption. “The world is blinded by his fortune and few speak against him. They’re too busy currying his favor or frightened by his high and imposing manners.”
“I have noticed, at times, he can be an ill-tempered man.”Directed toward Miss Bingley, mind you.
Her musing was cut short by Mr. Wickham.
