Page 44 of Wickham Likes 'Em Young
“Thank you so much. I appreciate you alleviating my greatest fear.” Elizabeth signalled that the meeting was over by standing.
Mrs Nicholls scurried away, leaving the door open. Darcy hurried to close the door and held out his arms. Elizabeth burst into tears again but gladly moved straight into his embrace.
Eventually, he asked her, “Are you well?”
She had stopped crying a while ago, but she never wanted to leave his embrace. She said, “I find myself wondering if Mr Wickham might have….”
She did not wish to finish the sentence.
“I have had that thought as well,” he said.
“On the other hand….”
“You are thinking that some engaged couples…anticipate their vows?”
“Exactly.”
“It is not a problem we can solve, nor that we should solve. I wonder if I could do anything, however, to make your parents feel a bit better about this situation…if indeed it is the situation facing your sister.”
“You just said we cannot and should not solve it and then you speak of trying to solve it. Fitzwilliam, you are a saint, but I rather think that we should just remain out of it. Is it going to be terribly difficult not to say anything to Mr Bingley?”
“No. I feel that honour dictates that Inottell him.”
“It could not be Mr Bingley’s child, could it?”
There was a silence. Darcy finally said, “Well, it is of course possible, from our standpoint. I would like to think that Bingley would be able to categorically say that it isimpossible, butwecannot know that.”
Elizabeth sighed. “You are so very honest. I love that, although a tiny part of me wishes you capable of fudging a bit to make the world feel a little more knowable, and a little more comfortable.”
He said, “I wish I could make you feel better.”
And her answer was, “Actually, you know very well that you could make me feel better, as well as exactly how that could be achieved.”
And so he tried and achieved that worthy goal.
CHAPTER 19
27 November 1811
The next day Elizabeth was quite startled when her mother said, “Your father has sent a note to Mr Darcy alerting him to the fact that we will be quite busy this morning; actually, we will be from home. We invited him and his sister to eat dinner with us at 4:30 ”
“Oh. Well, thank you for writing to him; it would have been unfortunate for them to come so far if we were from home.”
“Exactly.”
“And should I know where it is we are going? Am I dressed appropriately?”
“You look well, Lizzy. You are a good girl.” Elizabeth was surprised when her mother gave her a peck on her cheek. “Please go see to Kitty and Lydia. I let them know we were leaving in half an hour, but I still have not seen them downstairs, and I should like them to eat a bit before we leave.”
It was not long before Elizabeth found herself in her family’s carriage, with her entire family squeezed as usual onto the two benches. Jane faced forward, as usual, but she held a large bowl in her hands. She looked pale, and she was eating bites of dry toast that her mother gave her from the smaller bowl she held.
Jane was wearing one of her nicest gowns, a pale blue one that brought out the blue of her eyes. Unfortunately, with her skin currently so pale, the blue gave her a bit of a sickly look. Elizabeth loyally thought that she still looked beautiful—just more of an ice-queen sort of look than one would hope for.
Elizabeth had a feeling that Jane might be getting married that day. Everyone else wore ordinary day dresses, but Jane wore a gown.
If she truly was with child, it made quite a bit of sense to marry quickly and quietly. She wondered what curious neighbours would be told.
She hoped that, if her sister was with child, it was Mr Goulding’s.
