Chapter 11
"Do we have to go visit the Bennets for Easter Mother?" William Darcy asked somewhat petulantly the day after he returned from Eton.
"Yes, we are going William. When will this nonsense of you not wanting to be around Elizabeth end? Robert Darcy asked pointedly. "You are sixteen William, not a little boy any longer." "What you did five years ago has been forgotten by everyone except the two of you," Lady Anne told her son.
"You seem to enjoy your debates with her Son," Darcy pointed out.
"She is intelligent, far more so than I would expect from a little girl, but she does not like me," William complained.
"Have you allowed her to know you the way we do? For whatever reason, she is the only one that when you are around her, some of your old arrogance makes an appearance." Lady Anne looked at her son quizzically. "The rest of us know the month you spent in the stables after we returned from Holder Heights in 1795 chased the last of your improper pride from you, so why can you not relax around Lizzy?"
"I am not sure Mother," William answered honestly. "Mayhap it is because she makes me nervous, and I do not know why."
"You will need to get over it William," Darcy instructed. "We will be there three weeks. You have not met the science and maths masters, Mr. May and Mr. Deacon yet have you William?"
"No Father I have not," William owned.
"You like astronomy do you not?" William nodded. "So does Lizzy and I have yet to meet one more knowledgeable than Mr. May. That may a good way for the two of you to bond and become more relaxed one with the other," Darcy suggested.
"You are good with maths William, that is another area of commonality you have with Lizzy. I am sure you will learn from Mr. Deacon while we are at Netherfield Park," Lady Anne told her son.
"Then there is the love of books you to share," Darcy added.
"It is true, she does love the library at Pemberley does she not," William agreed.
"You two have far more in common than not," Lady Anne pointed out. "The only problem is you are two of the most stubborn people I have ever had the pleasure to meet."
When William Darcy thought about the situation between himself and Elizabeth Bennet he had to admit that there was no real reason for the distance between them other than neither was willing to give and inch to the other. Mayhap it was time to change that dynamic.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
"Will Uncle Freddy be with us for Easter Mama?" Lydia asked. The family was breaking their fasts.
"No Lyddie I am afraid not, he has to spend it with his family in London," Fanny shared.
"You mean with the King, Queen, and the other princes and princesses?" Elizabeth asked.
"That would be his family Lizzy," Fanny agreed.
"I too will miss Uncle Freddy Lyddie," Elizabeth informed her younger sister. "He is always fun to be around, is he not?" None of her sisters or brother disagreed with her.
"The Darcys and Fitzwilliam arrive this afternoon, so we will not be alone for Easter," Fanny related. "Uncle Edward and Aunt Maddie will not be able to join us, but Uncle Frank and Aunt Hattie will, as well as the Lucas, Goulding, and Long families on Easter Day." Fanny looked at her son, "You may go to Nick or have him here as much as you want so you have a boy to play with."
As the children departed the breakfast parlour, Fanny put a restraining hand on Elizabeth's arm. "Please remain Lizzy, Papa and I want to talk to you."
"How many years has it been since William was rude to you—all of us—at Pemberley?" Fanny asked once the other children had departed.
"About five years," Elizabeth owned.
"Then for what reason are you still standoffish with him?" Bennet asked. "He has not been rude to you since, has he?"
"No Papa and Mama, he had not been thus," Elizabeth confirmed.
"Then what is it Lizzy?" Fanny pushed.
He…he always thinks he is right about everything," Elizabeth got out. She was not happy at her parents who laughed at her response. "What is so funny Mama and Papa?"
"Do you know who you have just described Lizzy?" Bennett asked as he wiped his eyes.
"Yes, William Darcy!" Elizabeth insisted.
"Mayhap, but also another, do you know who that would be Lizzy?" Bennet asked as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes.
"I am sure I know not who you mean Papa." Elizabeth gave a sniff and would not look directly at either of her parents. Neither of her parents were fooled; they knew she knew exactly to whom her father was referring.
"Lizzy, if you look in the looking glass you will see one who dislikes being told she is wrong as much as—if not more than—William," Fanny said gently as she took her daughter's hand.
"Neither of you are right all the time, and neither wrong all the time. The truth is, if you would both listen to what the other is saying more closely then you would both benefit from learning together," Bennet told his daughter. "You know, sometimes William has a valid point when you are debating, do you not?" Elizabeth nodded. "Just as I am sure he recognises the same in you."
"If you two would move past your stubbornness then I believe you will enjoy each other's company," Fanny opined.
"You have my word, Mama and Papa. I will try and be more open to William's points of view," Elizabeth allowed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Georgiana was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement as she saw the Darcy coach coming to a halt in from of the entrance to Netherfield. She loved being with the Bennets, but in the just over three weeks she had been with the Bennets, she had missed her family.
As her father exited the carriage and before he had a chance to hand out his wife, his daughter launched herself into his arms blond ringlets flying as she clamped onto her father in his arms. William helped his mother out of the conveyance and as soon as Lady Anne was on solid ground, Gigi was in her arms. William was not overlooked for one of her hugs.
"Only a few more months and it is off to Cambridge Wills," Georgiana stated. "I have missed you."
"And I you Sprite," William said as he hugged his sister to himself again.
"How many years has it been since you saw Wills, Gigi?" Andrew Fitzwilliam asked after he, his brother, and parents greeted their hosts.
"I last saw Wills when he was home for the Christmastide break Andy," Georgiana informed her cousin.
"And you did not miss Rich and me?" Andrew teased his young cousin.
"If Gigi did not miss you, we did," Mary informed Andrew.
"You were missed as well Andy and Rich," Georgiana stated firmly, "I just missed William more!"
"You cut me to the quick Gigi," Richard said with fake hurt as he drastically placed his hand over his heart. His action earned him a punch on the arm from both Andrew and William.
After he greeted the rest of the Bennets, William turned to Elizabeth. "Hello Elizabeth," William said as he gave her a half bow.
"William," Elizabeth returned his bow with a half curtsy.
"It is my understanding that there are new masters who teach science and maths," William stated as he tried to engage Elizabeth in conversation.
"Yes, Mr. May is very knowledgeable in the sciences, but especially astronomy," Elizabeth related animatedly. "Mr. Deacon used to teach at Oxford and is also very skilled in his field."
William did not miss the knowing looks from his parents as well as hers who knew that it would not be hard for them to converse about mutual interests. "From what I hear, you have a physician on staff now." William stated.
"We do, Mr. Taylor. Mama told me it is because Uncle Freddy is here so often," Elizabeth told William innocently.
William wondered why the doctor stayed at Netherfield when the Prince was not in the area. He decided not to mention his question, especially as it would not be one of the Bennet children who would know the reason—if there was one beyond what Elizabeth had told him.
"And the new singing master?" William asked. "Do you enjoy your lessons with him?"
"I, we all, do," Elizabeth told William enthusiastically. "Mr. Mercury has one of the best voices I have heard on a man. Signore da Funti introduced him to Mama and Papa." Elizbeth paused and added, "Sometimes the masters and the doctor get together and play music. It is ever so good to hear them play, especially when the Signore plays the pianoforte with the rest of them."
As they followed the rest indoors, both William and Elizabeth accepted their parents had been correct, it would not be hard to relax and be in each other's company.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When his son George was the age of fifteen, Mr. Lucas Wickham him that he was to be sent to a carpenter just outside of York to be apprenticed with him. George had begged and pleaded for his father not to send him away.
"George, how do you think you will support yourself if you do not learn a trade?" Mr. Wickham asked.
"Mr. Darcy will take care of me," George replied, his tone surly.
"How many years has it been that Mr. Darcy has not allowed you into the park, never mind at the manor house?" Mr. Wickham asked and George turned away. "No matter how much I have tried to counteract the lies your mother told you, you have refused to heed my words and it ruined your chances of a gentleman's education which Mr. Darcy would have provided for you. Before you start blaming one and all for your lot in life, for once in your life be honest with yourself. Your choices alone have set you on the path you are on."
"How can you say that about my mother, she was…" George began to say when his father cut him off.
"She was delusional George. Not only that, but she was also a liar, a gambler, and a spendthrift. Do not become like her, always wanting what others have and not willing to work to gain that which you desire. If you become covetous like your mother was, it will lead to nothing but ruin for you," Mr. Wickham told his son who was getting angrier by the minute.
"You lie! My mother told me you would never allow her to have an allowance; that is why she had to gamble to make some money," George spat back at his father.
Lucas Wickham stood wordlessly and pulled a ledger from a pile on his desk. He handed it to his son without a word. It was titled 'Helen Wickham – Allowance' on the cover. George opened it and there he saw each and every month his mother's allowance recorded with her signature next to each one.
"Why would she lie to me?" a confused George asked.
"Your mother did not tell the truth about much I am afraid Son," Mr. Wickham told his him. "If I had not had to cover so many debts she ran up in Lambton and Kympton, as well as her gambling debts, I would have had the money to send you to school and university without Mr. Darcy. Your mother's profligate habits all but destroyed my savings. In the years since her death, I have tried to rebuild my savings, but I am still far off what I used to have. If I am lucky, I will have enough to leave you a small legacy one day."
George Wickham felt as though his whole world was crashing down around his ears. If his mother lied about this, what else did she lie about. "How did mother die? You did not tell me at the time."
"In childbirth," Wickham senior shared. He hoped his son would not ask more as he did not want to disparage his late wife any more in his son's eyes than had been done already.
"I would have had a brother or sister, and you another son or daughter?" George asked.
"You would have, I would not," his father averred. Lucas Wickham could not lie to his son any more about the mother the boy idealised.
"What do you mean Father?" George demanded.
"George, you are an intelligent young man. If you want me to say it, I will but I think you know well what I mean," Mr. Wickham replied sadly.
"How do you know she was unfaithful to you?" George asked.
"Things had not been well between your mother and me for a long time and she had refused to do her duty to me for more than a year before she passed," Mr. Wickham informed his son. He was mortified to tell his son these things but if it helped break the grip his late wife held on their son from beyond the grave he would not shy away from doing so. "When she became with child, she tried to convince me we had been together, and I was in my cups and did not remember. Although I knew it was not true, I chose not to provoke a confrontation. Have you ever seen me in my cups even one time in the whole of your life George?"
"No Father, I have not," George admitted.
"On her death bed, your mother took pleasure in telling me she had been sharing her favours almost from the beginning of our marriage," Mr. Wickham shared the fundamental truth of his late wife with his shocked son.
"D-does that mean I may not be your son?" George asked the question he was petrified to hear the answer to.
"No Son, it means you may not be my natural son; however you are, and always will be, my son. Whatever your mother did or did not do was not your fault and I love you now as much as I did before she made her dying declaration to me." After he avowed staunchly his love of his son, Lucas Wickham stood and pulled his son, who was in a stupor, into his arms for a hug, something he had not done since he was a small boy. George Wickham cried into his father's chest, also something he had not done since he was a small boy. His father handed him his handkerchief to dry his eyes when the tears ceased.
"It seems I have a lot to consider," George stated stoically. "I will accept my apprenticeship with good grace Father. Carpentry may not be for me, but I will try and see if it is a trade I will enjoy."
"What you have learnt here today could have broken a lesser person George. I am very proud of you," Mr. Wickham told his son sincerely. "The direction of your life is your choice Son. Just remember, you and you alone are responsible for the choices you make. Lastly, there are consequences to every decision we make; whether they are good or bad depends on those decisions."
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
"It is good to see that the coldness between your Lizzy and our William seems to have been set aside," Lady Anne observed one evening when the three sets of parents were seated together in the drawing room after dinner.
"We spoke to Lizzy before you arrived," Fanny shared with her friend, which led to both Lady Anne and George Darcy to smile widely.
"It seems we had the same idea as we spoke to William before we departed London," Lady Anne informed the group.
"In my opinion you both showed sagacity as those two would have not corrected things on their own; they are both too stubborn," Lady Elaine opined.
"Fanny have you decided what to do about Jane's coming out and London?" Lady Anne asked.
"Not yet Anne, although I am leaning towards Edith's suggestion we have her ball at Holder Heights as they are her godparents," Fanny averred.
"Do you think Jane will object to her ball not being held in London?" Lady Elaine asked.
"I do not believe that is in Jane's character, and she is well aware how much Thomas eschews the Ton—present company excepted—and Town," Fanny explained.
"It seems my aversion to society in London is very useful," Bennet drawled with jocularity.
No one disagreed with his statement. "What if Jane asks why her ball cannot be in Town?" Darcy asked.
"Then I will explain the true reason to her," Fanny replied without hesitation. "She will be eighteen and I do not believe it will change how she feels towards Lizzy one whit. Even now, Jane is like a steel trap when one shares a confidence with her that she is asked not to share."
"Given how protective she had always felt for Lizzy and her siblings, I dare say you are correct in your estimation Fanny," Lady Elaine stated.
The conversation halted as they were joined by their children. It was pleasant to see Elizabeth and William enter the drawing room deep in conversation and seemingly one enjoying the company of the other with ease. The moue of distaste which had been seen in past interactions between them, for all intents and purposes, was banished.