Page 15 of Wickham Likes 'Em Young
Jane looked mildly exasperated and said, “Oh, Lizzy, you are ever sceptical!”
“Well, certainly, if Mr Darcy had no valid reason to deny the living to Mr Wickham, there could be a remedy in the courtroom, and I wonder if Mr Wickham tried to sue. In fact, I do not think we know enough about the situation to judge it one way or the other.” Again, Elizabeth was dissembling—she wanted to know more, but she was certain it could be judged firmly in Mr Darcy’s favour.
But Jane, of course, was judging in favour of Mr Wickham: “I do feel sympathy for Mr Wickham, Lizzy. He told me that he has made a few mistakes, but he is trying to be so well-behaved, now, and it breaks his heart to be whispered about as if he were a blackguard.”
And Elizabeth saw with dismay that her sister, who had been so very dreamy-eyed about Mr Bingley for several weeks, looked very dreamy-eyed, now, about Mr Wickham!
CHAPTER 7
31 October 1811
How on earth could Elizabeth keep Jane safe from Mr Wickham?
She could speak again to her father, tell him of Jane’s disbelief in and disregard of his warning—but she disliked the idea of being a telltale. If she were honest with herself, she also hoped not to give her father access to an alternative (and false, she was certain) narrative of Mr Wickham’s dealings with Mr Darcy. Plus, if their father’s already-delivered strong warning about Mr Wickham being able to ruin the entire family did not persuade warm-hearted Jane to spurn the man, Elizabeth was not convinced that anything anyone said within the confines of Longbourn would be able to do so.
The only other possibility she could see was speaking to Mr Bingley. But surely, if she spoke to him of Jane’s possible infatuation with a villain, he would be more likely to halt his attentions to Jane, in disgust over her fickleness, than to protect her. No, Elizabeth could not possibly betray Jane by speaking with Mr Bingley about her not heeding the warning against the newcomer.
But…what if she dedicated herself to accompanying Jane on all walks, and not only attempting to curtail any acquaintancewith Mr Wickham, but to also maximise her time spent with Mr Bingley? Even if Mr Bingley were not mature enough to be good husband material at this stage of his life, he was at least an honourable man. He may have had a habit of thinking himself in love, but he was not in the habit of ruining ladies and girls.
She wondered if the Bingleys and the Hursts had been warned by Mr Darcy about Mr Wickham. She could speak of his presence in Meryton, and perhaps they would censure the man in Jane’s hearing.
Elizabeth carefully thought through this plan and decided that there was no downside.
Since it was a fair day, Elizabeth assumed that Mr Bingley would call that afternoon, and indeed he did. Unfortunately, his sisters did not join him in his call, and there was no opportunity to casually mention Mr Wickham.
Still, Elizabeth noted that Jane and Mr Bingley seemed as friendly as they ever did, and it soothed her to see Jane’s enjoyment of the man.
During Mr Bingley’s visit, Elizabeth visited her father in the bookroom and arranged to use the carriage for a call to Netherfield the next day. He looked surprised and asked, “Matchmaking, are we?”
“I believe that the match may have been made without any influence from me, Papa.” Elizabeth grinned and added, “I just wish the chance to spar, you know, to keep in training. I believe that Miss Bingley is an ideal person to help with my training goals.”
Her father flashed her an answering smile and asked, “Pugilism, eh? Please do not come home with a black eye. I am afraid that your mother would never stop wailing about such.”
“Oh, Papa, you know very well that I will be trading words, not punches. And I promise that I will not tell Mama about any metaphorical black eyes. I am positive that she will never know of any damage that I take.”
He chuckled but also waved his fingers in a silent “off with you” message. When she returned to the parlour, she said to Mr Bingley, “Tomorrow Jane and I finally have access to the carriage—our horses are not needed on the home farm—and we plan to call on your sisters. I trust they will be home?”
Mr Bingley looked ever so pleased, and he confirmed that he and his sisters would be home. Jane looked ever so surprised, but she sweetly smiled at Mr Bingley’s eager responses to the idea, so it looked as though she was happy enough with Elizabeth’s machinations.
The next morning passed slowly. Mary’s practicing on the pianoforte was a rather plodding background to the rapid-fire arguments between Lydia and Kitty, and Jane’s precise embroidery was a contrast to Elizabeth’s inconstant stitches. “I wish I had your patience, Jane,” she said as she pulled out most of what she had done that morning.
“Jane, Lizzy!” Elizabeth turned to her mother with a smile as she asked, “Girls, had you not best eat an early luncheon so that you can make your call?” She seemed as eager as Mr Bingley had shown himself to be the day before.
“Yes, Mama,” they chorused. It was not long before the two eldest Bennet sisters found themselves fed, fussed over, and farewelled.
“This is a first, Lizzy.”
“The first time we have made a formal call without Mama?”
“Well, yes, I suppose that is the best way to put it.” Jane smiled. “I was going to say that it was the first time for us to ride in our carriage without our parents.”
Elizabeth nodded. “We are grown now. It is hard to imagine that I might soon be setting up my own household, hopefully with my own carriage, because there are not many suitors in Meryton…but I can quite imagine thatyoumight soon be doing so.”
Jane smiled, looking quite happy at the thought. She murmured, “And who do you see as my future, Lizzy? Is it to be Mr Bingley or Mr Goulding?”
Elizabeth had suffered a stab of disquiet when her sister had said the wordor, hopingnotto hear the nameMr Wickham. She was equally relieved and surprised to hear Mr Goulding’s name, and she repeated, “Mr Goulding?”
Jane’s cheeks became rosier as she said, “At the assembly, during our dance, he declared that he had every intention on calling on me, but he explained that his father had arranged for him to visit his uncle’s estate for a month, so his attempt to court me would not begin until the middle of November. Which is almost upon us.”
