Page 51 of A Most Beloved Sister
The coach made good time to Meryton, and soon Elizabeth was seated near the fire at her aunt’s home. Lydia and Kittywere deep in a game of cards with some of the officers who were already present, while Mary played a somber tune on the piano.
The officers arrived no more than ten minutes after Elizabeth herself. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself.
They spoke of the weather and other generalities for a few minutes before Wickham casually said, “I must admit, I was quite surprised to see you here this evening, Miss Elizabeth. I had imagined you would remain at Netherfield with your elder sister.”
“I had planned on doing so, but Jane was doing so well today that Mrs. Hurst and Mr. Darcy both insisted I take advantage of the situation to spend time with my family and friends.”
The purpose in her explanation was to see if she could evoke any kind of reaction to Darcy’s name, and her attempts did not disappoint. Wickham’s face pulled into a tight frown briefly, and he asked in a hesitating manner how long the gentleman had been staying at Netherfield.
“About a month,” said Elizabeth, and then, unwilling to let the subject drop, added, “He is a man of very large property in Derbyshire, I understand.”
“Yes,” replied Wickham. “His estate there is a noble one. A clear ten thousand per annum. You could not have met with a person more capable of giving you certain information on that head than myself—for I have been connected with his family, in a particular manner, from my infancy.”
Elizabeth could not but feel astonished.
“You may well be surprised, Miss Bennet, at such an assertion, after seeing, as you probably might, the very cold manner of our meeting yesterday. Are you much acquainted with Mr. Darcy?”
“As much as I ever wish to be,” cried Elizabeth warmly. “I have spent a week in the same house with him, and I think him very disagreeable indeed.”
“I am very sorry to hear that, although I must admit to being unsurprised.”
“Has he always been this way, then?”
Wickham looked around the room, then leaned in closer to Elizabeth. “Perhaps, but perhaps not. You see, he has always been a quiet, reserved man. Even as a boy, he preferred to observe as opposed to participate. But then something happened—something that changed everything.”
“What?” she asked breathlessly.
Chapter 14
Wickham sat back and shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know all the details, so anything I say might be more akin to gossip than anything else.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Elizabeth said, her voice laced with disappointment as she sat back.
“Although, I was witness to some of it firsthand. It may not be fit for a gentlewoman’s ears however, so perhaps it’s best I not say anything at all. After all, the world is blinded by his fortune and consequence, and anything I might say against him would not necessarily be well received.”
How unfair it was of the Major to say something like this without actually revealing any information! Propriety demanded she not push any further, but Elizabeth’s curiosity burned deep inside of her.
Carefully, she said, “I cannot speak for the entire world, but Mr. Darcy is not at all liked here in Hertfordshire. Everyone is quite disgusted with his pride.”
Wickham nodded, but then he began to speak on more general topics: Meryton, the neighborhood, and the society. He appeared highly pleased with all that he had yet seen, and he spoke of the latter especially, with gentle but very intelligible gallantry.
“It was the prospect of constant society, and good society which was my chief inducement to be transferred to Hertfordshire from the Regulars. I was injured quite badly in the Siege of Almeida—”
“Good heavens!” exclaimed Elizabeth. “I remember reading about that battle in the papers. Were you near where the explosion occurred?”
Wickham grimaced. “I was just to the south of the magazine that blew. Fortunately, I only took shrapnel in the arm. It was enough to send me home for good, but I was still strong enough to pull several men to safety, including many of my commanding officers. We were then able to hide before the fortress was surrendered to the French.”
“How brave you were!”
“Well, it allowed me to keep my field promotions, for which I am very grateful. You know, I wouldn’t have even been there if it hadn’t been for the Darcys.”
“Really?” Elizabeth did her best to mask her interest.
“Indeed. A military life is not what I was intended for, but circumstances have made it necessary. The church ought to have been my profession—it was what I was brought up for. I was promised a valuable living, but that promise was broken by the late Mr. Darcy.”
“Indeed!”
“Yes, he was my godfather, and he was excessively attached to me. Fitzwilliam and I were born just a few months apart in the same parish, within the same park even! The greatest part of our youth was passed together: inmates of the same house, sharing the same amusements, objects of the same parental care. We were practically raised in the same nursery, spending endless days together in fun and amusement.”
