Chapter 14: Meeting Mr. Wickham

When Elizabeth arrived back at the house, she learned that Jane and Caroline were waiting to take her shopping. She ran upstairs to put her camera gear away and came back down to join them.

Caroline watched as Elizabeth came down the stairs wearing the same clothes she wore while running around in the woods. "Eliza, we can wait a few moments longer if you would like to go in and change. We are not in such a hurry that you must wear the same clothes as you wore before."

It must have escaped Caroline's notice that Elizabeth had let down her hair, and changed her top while she was upstairs. She smiled, "Thanks, but I'm ready, we can go," Elizabeth told them as they all walked out and got into the car.

"Charles and Darcy will be meeting us for lunch at the mall. I told him he might like to come and try Luigi's," Jane told Elizabeth.

"Oh, I love Luigi's, it's such an amazing place. I can't believe you two have not been there together yet?" Elizabeth told her.

Jane was just about to answer her sister when Caroline interrupted them. "Well if you want to have truly gourmet Italian food then you need to go to Mario's. It's simply the best food, and they cater to the finest clientele. It does have the added advantage of not being in a shopping mall."

Jane smiled, she did her best to ignore Caroline's snide comments, "Charles has taken me to Mario's twice. It was wonderful, but Luigi's just has a homey feel to it that I really like. It's a favorite among the locals."

"Oh, my dear Jane, you are just not used to the finer things in life, so you settle for less," Caroline scolded her. "Mario's pasta is made fresh when your meal is ordered. The chef has studied in Italy, and his wine sauces are amazing. I don't even mind the calories when I eat his pasta because it's just that good."

"I think that a restaurant like Luigi's is very charming and I prefer them to some of the more elaborate and snobbish restaurants of London," Elizabeth said.

"Well of course, you would prefer some place like that," she said sarcastically. "You did mention before how you like the simpler things in life. As I recall you told me you wouldn't mind living in a small cottage either."

Elizabeth was just about to say something more, but she saw the look on Jane's face and decided to change the subject instead. She tried to think of a safe topic to bring up that would not cause any trouble for her sister and would be agreeable to their hostess. "Charles said that you are in the middle of redecorating your townhouse in London. How is that coming along?"

Caroline turned to her and smiled, "Oh it's coming along wonderfully, thank you for asking." She gushed about all the modern furniture she was buying. She told them in detail how horrid the place was when she bought it, but how perfect it would be once her designer was finished with it. "I can't tell you what a relief it is not having to worry about the day-to-day details. My interior designer is handling everything. I swear I would be lost without her." Elizabeth smiled and nodded as Caroline went on about her expensive new home decor. She was very relieved when the driver finally pulled up at their destination. She let out a small sigh and followed Jane into the shopping mall. They both waited for Caroline, who changed topics and was now complaining about the lack of decent retail shops the countryside had to offer. "Really Jane I don't know how you survive out here in the country. I honestly think I would die if I had to live out here. I'm so glad that Charles has only taken out a lease on this house and not actually bought it."

"It's not as bad as all that," Elizabeth told her. "Some of the stores here are very nice, and most carry the latest trends."

"Elizabeth, I think the reason you are so easily satisfied with the shopping here is that you haven't truly experienced some of the more upscale shops that London has to offer," Caroline admonished her.

Elizabeth laughed, "That might be true, but I find some of the latest fashion trends to be ridiculous. I never really see anyone wear the clothes that the models wear on the runways."

"Perhaps that's because of the circle of friends you keep company with," Caroline said in a smug voice. "I know that anyone who is anyone wears only the latest trends. You would be amazed at what a really good fitting pair of slacks and a tailored top could do for your figure."

Elizabeth bit her tongue to keep from saying anything more. It seemed that no matter what topic they discussed Caroline was going to disagree with her. She smiled and was about to change topics again when her younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia came up to them laughing loudly and talking all at once.

"Lizzy, Jane…" Lydia shouted as she came across to them. "Look who we have found."

Jane and Elizabeth turned to see their sisters with three young men. Two of them they recognized, the other guy was obviously a friend of Denny's who must have been new to the area. Elizabeth smiled, "Hello."

Lydia continued with her laughing and carrying on, "Jane ...Lizzy, this is George Wickham. He's a friend of Denny's. We are all going over to the pub for some lunch. Will you come join us?"

Jane shook her head, "We can't Lydia. We're meeting with Charles and Mr. Darcy for lunch."

"Mr. Darcy!" she called out loud, "Is he still here? I feel so sorry for you both, having to put up with that snobbish man is the worst!"

Elizabeth scolded her. "Lydia, please lower your voice," she said feeling embarrassed. She knew Caroline heard every word she was saying.

"Why should I?" she said. "Mr. Darcy was so rude the other night, and you know it. Everyone talked about how he insulted you, Lizzy. Why on earth are you defending him?"

Elizabeth tried again to quiet her sister, "Lydia try to remember that Mr. Darcy and Charles are very good friends," she reminded her sister. "You need to be mindful of what you say for Jane's sake."

Lydia laughed at her. "I can say whatever I like. Besides I haven't said anything more than what everyone else has said about him!"

Before Elizabeth could say more, Lydia's attention was distracted by some jewelry she saw in a nearby shop window. She grabbed Denny by the hand and pulled him after her. Kitty followed as did Tommy and George.

Jane turned and saw Charles and Darcy walking toward them. She breathed a sigh of relief that her younger sister's attention span was so limited. "Lizzy... Charles is here," she told her as she made her way down towards him.

Elizabeth watched as her younger sisters headed into the music shop with all three young guys following behind them. By the time she turned back toward Jane; she was already talking with Charles, Caroline, and Darcy. She walked over to join them. She wasn't focused on the conversation though. Her thoughts were occupied with the handsome young man she just met with her sisters.

"Did you hear me, Eliza?" Caroline asked her again.

"No, I'm sorry. I must have been lost in my thoughts," Elizabeth told her.

"I asked if you noticed that nice looking fellow that came over with your sisters?" Caroline repeated making a point to be sure Darcy overheard her as well.

"Yes, I did. I guess he must be a friend of Denny's. I haven't seen him in the neighborhood before today," Elizabeth told her. She looked over in the direction they went, but they were out of sight now. She did think him handsome, and he had a very nice smile.

"And what was his name again?" she asked pretending not to know. "I didn't hear your sister when she introduced him."

"I believe his name was George," Elizabeth told her.

Darcy turned his attention towards her. "Was his last name, Wickham?" He thought that it was George Wickham when he first walked in and saw him, but he wasn't sure.

Elizabeth nodded her head, "Yes, I think it was, do you know Mr. Wickham?"

Darcy didn't answer her. Instead, he walked away and took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Excuse me please, I have some business that can't wait. Go ahead to the restaurant. I will join you momentarily."

Caroline watched as he walked away. Her eye's narrowed just a bit as she smiled to herself. Now that Darcy knew Jane Bennet and her sisters were friends with George Wickham, he would be more supportive of her efforts to separate her brother from Jane and her ill-mannered family. The sooner they were away from Meryton and Jane Bennett, the sooner she could once again have Darcy all to herself.

Elizabeth kept her eyes on Darcy too. She wondered about his reaction to George Wickham. His demeanor changed the instant he heard the man's name. She wondered who it was he had to suddenly call and if it did have anything to do with her sister's new friend or not.

Darcy wasted no time in calling his cousin, "Yes Richard it was him. At first, I wasn't sure only having seen him for a moment from a distance, but Elizabeth confirmed that his name was George Wickham."

"Darcy, maybe you should warn Charles and his sisters, as well as the Bennet family about George. He can be very deceiving. I would hate for anyone else to suffer at his hands," Richard told him.

"I can't come right out and tell people what kind of man he is without exposing Georgiana to more heartache. Charles knows that George Wickham and I had a falling out some time ago. I believe he trusts my judgment enough to stay clear of the man," Darcy said. "I'm sure Charles will pass on what I have shared with him to Jane. That should be good enough. I do wonder what he's involved with now. It can't be just coincidence him showing up here?"

"My guess would be that he ran up so many gaming debts in London and needed to find a place to lay low for a while," Richard told him.

"Yes, that's probably it," he said. "Do me a favor, though will you? Keep an eye on Georgiana. If he has run up debts again, he may be looking for ways to get his hands on more money. I don't want him anywhere near her."

"I will," Richard told him before he hung up.

Darcy let out a heavy sigh. He wondered how it was possible in such a big world that his path kept crossing with the likes of George Wickham. He put his phone back in his pocket then he went inside to join the others. As he came through the door, he found Caroline waiting for him.

"Darcy, we were wondering what happened to you?" she asked him, pretending to be concerned. "I do hope that everything is alright."

"Yes, everything is fine." he told her.

"I wonder," Caroline said. "Was that the same George Wickham that you had the falling out with from your school days? Charles mentioned something about it before."

"Yes, I believe it was," he told her not wanting to say too much to her about it.

"May I speak with you honestly about some concerns of mine?" she asked softly.

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Darcy asked her.

"Well judging from what you shared with Charles about this man's untrustworthy and deceitful behavior, I must say that I'm astonished to find him here with Jane Bennet's younger sisters," she told him. "Can you still have doubts that any kind of serious involvement with this family would be a tragic mistake considering who they call friends?"

"It's entirely possible that they have no idea of his character, Caroline. After all, didn't Elizabeth say she just met him?" Darcy reminded her.

"Yes, but even still," she said. "Just think of what is going on here, the youngest sisters are running around town alone with a guy like that. Lydia can't be more than sixteen years old, and most of those men are older than she is. Whatever could her parents be thinking letting her be running around with older men? Would you want Georgiana exposed to such wild, reckless behavior?"

"No, I certainly would not," he told her. He found himself wondering if he made a mistake in allowing a friendship with Elizabeth to begin after all.

"Then please talk to Charles. He's your friend, persuade him that this relationship is a mistake. It's clear the parents have no control over their younger daughters, and honestly, I hate to see my brother being played. Mrs. Bennet has made it very clear she wants Jane to marry for money. Jane is a lovely girl, but she seems to do whatever her mother tells her too. I just hate to think my brother could end up in a loveless marriage with those kinds of people as his closest relations," Caroline pleaded with him.

"I will talk with him," Darcy told her as they went to join the others inside the restaurant.

Darcy was lost deep in thought and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. He kept thinking over what Caroline said to him about not wanting Charles to fall prey to the likes of George Wickham. He still didn't like involving himself in his friend's personal life, but he wanted to protect Charles too. If the Bennet's were friends with Wickham, then there was another reason to separate his longtime friend from Jane. Knowing George was in the neighborhood and thinking he must be up to something, he found himself too distracted to eat his lunch.

Several times he glanced over at Elizabeth and wondered if he could trust her with his secret concerning Georgiana. There was a part of him that wanted to warn her about the kind of man her younger sisters had befriended. While he wanted to believe that Elizabeth could be trusted, he did just meet her a few days ago. If he told her the truth about how close his little sister came to falling victim to the likes of Wickham, she might be tempted to sell the story to one of the scandal magazines. He hated thinking she might be capable of such a thing, but money did make people do very cruel things. He pushed his plate of food away from him, just thinking on the matter made him lose his appetite.

Elizabeth hadn't missed the fact that Darcy seemed distracted the entire time they were in the restaurant. He seemed uncomfortable and distant. Caroline attempted to get his attention, but he barely gave her answers. She wondered if it was because Luigi's wasn't up to the usual five-star restaurant that he was accustomed to in London. She couldn't resist the temptation to ask him, "Don't you like the food Mr. Darcy?"

He glanced up at her, then back down at his plate. "No it's not the food," he told her honestly. "My mind is on business, something that came up and I'm afraid I just don't have much of an appetite. It is a lovely little restaurant, though. It reminds me of the one we have in Derbyshire. Georgiana and I often go there when we are home. I like it very much."

Caroline took the opportunity to promote London as superior. "This place does have a certain charm to it. But you must admit, Darcy that Mario's is much nicer, and London has so much more in the way of fine dining to offer than you could ever find in the country."

"I have never really cared for Mario's," Darcy said. "It can be loud and is often overcrowded. I prefer this kind of place personally. It feels homey and has a certain charm to it that just feels good."

Elizabeth forced herself not to laugh. The look on Caroline's face was priceless. She had to admit, thanks to Darcy she was very much enjoying herself. So, it wasn't the restaurant that had him distracted it must be something to do with George Wickham she decided. She thought about asking him again if he knew the gentlemen but decided against it. The rest of the afternoon went very well. They finished their lunch and then headed back to Netherfield. Elizabeth noticed that Darcy still seemed agitated and excused himself so that he might go to his room and finish some work that needed his attention. Jane, Charles, and Elizabeth decided to go for a walk while Louisa and Caroline relaxed by the pool. It ended up being a very pleasant afternoon.