Page 13 of Wickham Likes 'Em Young
Her blush did not stand out; both Lydia and Jane were blushing, as well. Mr Wickham was looking at all three of them with such open satisfaction and admiration, and with such a wide and appreciative smile, it was no wonder they blushed. But no matter how beautiful the young man looked, Elizabeth could never forget his ungentlemanly and drunken approach, nine years ago, and the misdeeds to which Mr Darcy had referred.
She politely told her uncle, “We must be on our way; we were with Kitty and Mary, and they are at the milliner’s.”
He replied with the wish that they would all come to his house later to visit their aunt. Elizabeth promised to do so, and she fairly dragged her sisters away. Again, she was reminded of her dream.
“Mr Wickham is the handsomest man I have ever seen!” Lydia stated. “Or that I ever shall see, I warrant.” She spoke a bit too loudly, and Elizabeth could not help but wonder if the men had heard her.
“Please moderate your voice, Lydia,” she muttered.
Jane seemed to be completely stupefied. Finally, when they entered the milliner’s shop, she herded Elizabeth into an empty corner and asked, “That is the man, is it not? The blond and blue-eyed gentleman we saw in London?”
“That is indeed the man who was drunk in public and tried to approach us in a most improper manner.”
Jane widened her eyes in what looked to be exasperation. “Oh, Lizzy, how can you be so judgemental?”
“Well, at the time, I was quite frightened at his approach, and I was so happy that two true gentlemen came to our rescue.”
“I know not if I would ever wish to be rescued fromhim!” Jane whispered.
Elizabeth was deeply shocked. Of course, she remembered that, all those years ago, her sister had been overly focused on Mr Wickham’s person, and not concerned enough about his behaviour. However, she would have thought that a young woman aged two and twenty would process that memory with more maturity; more to the point, Jane seemed far too stirred by Mr Wickham’s beauty than she should if she was in love with Mr Bingley.
In a whisper, Elizabeth warned, “Mr Wickham is extremely handsome and looks like a gentleman, but I assure you that he is a scoundrel. And I am not speaking of one occurrence of public drunkenness. He is disreputable in several important ways. Mr Bingley is twelve thousand times the man Mr Wickham is.”
She had hoped that speaking Mr Bingley’s name would snap Jane out of whatever spell Mr Wickham had cast, and she seemed to be right. Jane coloured prettily and said, “Of course you are right,” and she demurely joined the rest of their sisters.
Elizabeth took a few moments to wonder if Mr Wickham and his boss, Mr Nelson, were in Meryton only for a few hours or for a longer visit. She decided to take action in case they ran into Mr Wickham again. After the purchase of several ribbons, Elizabethasked her sisters to gather in the back of the shop. Speaking in a low voice, she said, “There is a young man that Lydia and Jane and I just met. His name is Mr Wickham, and he is an uncommonly handsome man. I encourage you all to enjoy his beauty as you would a statue or painting, but I must warn you all that I know from several sources that he is not the gentleman he appears to be. Even if his manners seem proper, he is guilty of many misdeeds and is a danger to young women and even girls. Please do not speak to him more than is necessary, and do not go anywhere with him or…allow yourself to be alone with him.”
Kitty and Mary seemed amazed. They had never before heard this sort of warning from Elizabeth. Lydia seemed inclined to scoff, but Elizabeth said to her, “Younger women and girls are especially in danger from him. Please heed my warning.”
Jane’s face looked serene, but Elizabeth supposed it was just a mask, and she had no clear idea what Jane was thinking.
She led her sisters out onto the street and was quite pleased that she did not espy Mr Wickham’s dark green coat. “Uncle Philips has asked us to visit,” she explained to Mary as she led the way to their uncle’s solicitor’s office and then up the back stairs to the living quarters.
Of course, it turned out that Mr Wickham and his boss were there. Kitty and Mary were introduced, and everyone chatted for a few minutes. Mr Wickham bowed and, as he rose, put one hand onto his chest as he said, “I find it difficult to understand that there are even more lovely Bennet sisters. I should love to never leave the town.”
Aunt Philips offered tea, but Elizabeth firmly turned it down and made their excuses to leave.
As they walked home, the girls excitedly whispered to one another about how very handsome Mr Wickham was, and every time a sister would ask Elizabeth to tell them something of whatshe knew about Mr Wickham, she hissed, “Not until we reach home.”
In her own brain, she was cataloging what she had seen of Mr Wickham. He seemed pleased to meet each and every sister. She felt that the pupils of his eyes had grown when gazing at Lydia and Kitty—and she was not certain if that was a sign of approval or disapproval. She felt like his attention was, over and over again during the brief visit, turned towards Jane. She could see no sign of surprise or recognition from a drunken day nine years ago, so all of that attention was almost certainly in response to her beauty.
Strangely, she felt like he gave her, Elizabeth, almost as much attention as he did Jane—and that he had directed most of his smiles to her.
She had attempted to appear cool but polite. She would have thought that he might have shown some concern regarding her chilly demeanour, but that did not seem to be the case. Perhaps her disapproval amused him. Or perhaps he was a man who loved a challenge and was motivated to woo any who looked to spurn him.
When the Bennets reached home, Elizabeth made an excuse and went to the empty back parlour to write to Miss Darcy. She felt compelled to send a message to Mr Darcy about Mr Wickham’s presence in Meryton. After all, the mine situation might be resolved sooner than expected, and Mr Darcy could make plans to return to his friend’s estate, not knowing who might be still in the area. Even worse was the possibility that Mr Darcy might decide to bring his sister!
Of course, Elizabeth felt the need to keep her promise to her father about not writing to Mr Darcy himself. She felt incredibly awkward about asking a younger girl who she did not even know to relay her message, and in consideration of the possibility of Mr Wickham having harmed Miss Darcy in some way, Elizabethhoped that writing about the man’s disturbing appearance without using his name was acceptable.
After penning a few nice words asking about the Darcys’ health and Derbyshire’s weather, and assuring that the Bennets were well and Hertfordshire remained clement, Elizabeth wrote, “I am sorry to ask this of you, but please tell your brother that the man your brother saved my sister Jane and me from, long ago in London, has come to Meryton. Tell him that I do not know how long he will stay. This could be very important to your brother.”
Then Elizabeth proceeded to speak to the things of which Miss Darcy had last written. In closing, she thanked her for giving her brother the important message.
Elizabeth then hurried to Hill to see if her message could be sent out that day. Hill let her know that she had already had James take the outgoing mail into Meryton. “Is it important, miss?” Hill asked. Elizabeth nodded and was happy that Hill responded by nodding decisively and calling out the kitchen door to James. “I have another errand for you!” she called.
Elizabeth was so grateful that Hill consistently displayed trust in her, and she thanked the faithful servant most fervently.
She felt glad to have warned the Darcys, thus keeping them safe from having to deal with a person who had plagued them for so long. Elizabeth squared her shoulders, ready to try to keep her family and all of Meryton safe, as well.
