Chapter 5
The pleasure Elizabeth had experienced, despite her worry for Jane, in the charming company at Netherfield was a direct contrast to the painful social interactions she had been subjected to upon returning home.
A day after Jane and Elizabeth returned to Longbourn in Mr. Bingley's carriage, much to the consternation of Mrs. Bennet who had wished them to stay at Netherfield a full week, their mother saw an even more unwelcome arrival to her household in the form of a cousin by the name of Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins was the heir to Longbourn and was a dull, pompous man whose company they all found trying in very short order.
Elizabeth had hoped to escape his presence that day by going to visit her aunt and uncle Phillips in Meryton but was foiled by her own father who desired to have Mr. Collins as removed from his company as possible for the duration of the visit and had thus invited the man to accompany his daughters into town.
Mr. Collins had been paying particularly pointed attentions to Mary, presumably at Mrs. Bennet's direction, but as Mary had declined to join the rest of her sisters on their walk, Mr. Collins now directed the chief of his conversational efforts in Elizabeth's direction.
Being a foolish, but extremely talkative man, Mr. Collins tried her nerves to the extreme, and only iron self-control and the desire not to be hurtful had kept her from being very rude to him indeed. Still, while she was not pleased that he was accompanying herself and her sisters on their walk to Meryton, there was relief in leaving the house and enjoying the cool breeze. A few unsubtle hints about Lydia's (nonexistent) interest in theology were finally enough to encourage Mr. Collins into attempting conversation with Kitty and Lydia, and Elizabeth was left blissfully alone to enjoy the walk in silence. She let out a happy sigh, feeling more at peace than she had been since returning to Longbourn.
The matter of why she had been feeling out of sorts since leaving Netherfield and the company therein was best not lingered over for too long, or even thought about at all. That way led only to vulnerability and mortification.
Upon arriving in Meryton, Lydia and Kitty gave up all pretense of civility towards their cousin and ignored him completely in favour of searching for officers of the militia. Their objective was soon met in the form of a soldier by the name of Mr. Denny who was accompanied by a man of good looks, whose heroic demeanor was complimented by a roguish-looking eye-patch over his left eye.
Elizabeth was, perhaps, less excited at the prospect of meeting a handsome new gentleman than she would have been before Mr. Darcy had shown up in Hertfordshire; but was still pleased at being introduced to a man with every appearance of charm and bonhomie. Her pleasure turned quickly to horror, however, upon hearing the man introduced as Mr. Wickham. She knew, of course, that there could be more than one man by the name of Wickham in the country, but his height and colouring seemed to match the brief glimpse she had had of the man assaulting Georgiana, and a sinking feeling in her chest told her that this man could very well be the villain she had heard so much about.
Elizabeth hardly knew how she maintained her countenance, but she was deeply afraid of the man, and was aware of the need to keep out of his notice. She smiled as best she was able, and examined his features carefully for any sign of recognition as the woman who had foiled his plans regarding Georgiana.
He paid her no particular notice above her sisters, giving no indication that her face was familiar to him, but Elizabeth had already enough knowledge of Mr. Wickham to be sure of his excellent acting skills, and could not be easy. It was a relief when Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley turned up, riding down the street, and moved in their direction to exchange the usual civilities.
The moment Mr. Darcy laid eyes on Mr. Wickham, however, his face reddened with anger, while the other turned white. Immediately after, Mr. Darcy darted a glance at Elizabeth, but thankfully seemed to realize her need to avoid Wickham's notice. He followed her example of feigned indifference, and rode away after Mr. Bingley, shooting only one last look behind him.
The interaction between the two men confirmed to Elizabeth her suspicions that this was indeed the same Wickham who had tried so hard to hurt the Darcy family. It was all she could do to remain calm as she stared at Mr. Darcy's retreating back while he rode away.
They were escorted to the house of their uncle and aunt by Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham, and while Elizabeth had enough control to keep from exhibiting the fear and disgust she felt towards their new acquaintance, she was not in command enough of herself to maintain her usual teasing manner and light-hearted conversation.
Her uncharacteristic silence was noted by her sisters, and once they parted from the soldiers and entered the house of their relations, Elizabeth was subjected to much teasing by Lydia. "Why, Lizzy, you were so taken by the handsome Mr. Wickham you were positively struck dumb! I have never heard you silent for that long before, not even around Mr. Darcy, and he is excessively handsome!"
Elizabeth was in such a state of confusion, that she could only stutter and gape at such an accusation, which seemed to confirm the opinions of the others that she had taken a fancy to the dashing young man.
An argument was begun between Lydia and Kitty over whether the eye-patch added or detracted from Mr. Wickham's looks, and many sly glances were thrown Elizabeth's way, but she was too out of sorts to put a stop to their speculation. The hour that was passed in the house of their aunt and uncle seemed interminably long, and it was with great relief that Elizabeth got up when they finally took their leave and began to head back to Longbourn.
She was entirely insensible to Mr. Collins' conversation on the walk back home, but the man seemed to need no encouragement. Indeed, beyond an occasional nod or noise of assent, Elizabeth said not a word, while Mr. Collins spoke continuously of the generosity and kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. This state of affairs suited them both perfectly.
As they approached the road leading to Longbourn, Elizabeth announced that she had not yet had her fill of walking and would continue down the road in another direction. Mr. Collins offered to accompany her, but was told quite firmly that his company was unnecessary. As the parson was unused to the type of vigorous exercise their walk had provided and was quite weary, he capitulated with no further protest.
Elizabeth herself was beginning to tire of walking as well, but she felt it necessary to talk to Mr. Darcy as soon as possible, and so was resolved to walk to Netherfield. It was with much relief then, that upon having walked for no more than one minute in the direction of Netherfield, she came across Mr. Darcy, standing by the side of the road, and obviously waiting for her.
Elizabeth felt something coiled tight within her unwind at the sight of his familiar figure turned towards her. Dear, steady, reliable Mr. Darcy. She had never before been able to rely on another for help with her problems. Her mother was out of the question, her father too prone to indolence and with a tendency to laugh at her troubles, Jane too given to naivety and sweet complacence, her aunt Gardiner too far away.
Mr. Darcy, though, had probably been waiting for at least an hour, and stood, ready to shoulder her burden. She felt that she ought to have known he would be there, patiently waiting for her to come and discuss the problem of Wickham, and she felt the sudden urge to continue walking towards him until they were toe to toe and rest her head on his broad chest for only a minute.
She did not, though. She was too well bred for such a thing. She walked until they stood at a polite distance, curtsied, and said "Mr. Darcy, I am very relieved to see you. Have you been waiting here this whole time?"
He bowed. "Not this whole time, no. Immediately after seeing Wickham I knew I needed to speak to you, but did not wish to call his attention to you or to our association by initiating a conversation in his presence. I sent Bingley back to Netherfield ahead of me, and lingered in town on the pretext of visiting some shops until I espied you and your sisters exiting the house you had entered. I rode ahead, and have been waiting here for a few minutes, in order to give you time to overtake me and return to Longbourn. I would have then called upon you at home and spoken to you under the pretext of conveying a message from Georgiana. It appears my plans were unnecessary, though, as you obviously wished to speak to me as well."
"I thank you for your attention," Elizabeth replied. To her horror, she heard her voice waver a little, as the fear she had suppressed earlier caught up with her.
Mr. Darcy frowned and examined her features carefully. "Are you well, Miss Elizabeth?"
"No ill has befallen me," Elizabeth answered, "but I cannot pretend that I am not shaken. I was so worried that he would recognize me as the woman who kept Georgiana away from him. I know too well what he is capable of, and what he might seek to do in retribution. You do not think he recognized me, do you? He could only have seen me for a split second before that plank came flying at his face."
"I am confident that he did not recognize you," Mr. Darcy assured her. "He would not be able to hide it if he did. You saw how pale his face became when he laid eyes on me. It has always been so. He may be able to control his features, but his blushes give him away. It is the reason he is constantly losing at card games. Well, that and he does not well handle his liquor. One or two drinks, and he loses all inhibitions."
Suddenly he stopped, and reddened. "I hope you will pardon me for my indelicate speech just now. We have spoken of personal matters before, and I have become accustomed to speaking honestly when in your presence. I should not have said anything regarding Wickham's habits of drinking or gambling."
Elizabeth waved him off. "Never mind that now, Mr. Darcy. He is a scoundrel of the worst sort. Better to speak of indelicate matters now than to be witness to them first hand in his company."
"Then there is another matter you may find shocking that I wish to disclose to you. I dearly hope that it will not cause you undue distress, but I feel it necessary to tell you now, so that if the subject may come up you will not be caught flat-footed." He then proceeded to tell her about the visit of the constables to his house the day he and Georgiana departed from Ramsgate.
If he had expected her to faint, or indeed show any signs of distress over the gruesome violence she had inadvertently done to the man, his expectations were disappointed. She merely remarked evenly that if that had been what prevented Wickham from chasing after herself and Georgiana she could not be sorry for inflicting such an injury. Darcy was once again reminded that she had more steel in her spine than most men he knew. She had, after all, come to his sister's rescue with no weapon more than a rotting plank against a man twice her size.
The problem that was next addressed was the fact that Mrs. Phillips had promised to invite Mr. Wickham along with the other officers to the supper she would host the next evening accompanied by a game of lottery tickets. "I do not trust myself to maintain an appearance of ease around Mr. Wickham for a full evening," Elizabeth explained. "I would beg off attending the dinner, but I fear even more leaving my sisters alone in his company. They are used to the safe and confined society of Meryton and would not even think of the need to be cautious."
"I doubt Wickham would try anything in a room full of people," Mr. Darcy replied, after considering this. "And, begging your pardon, Miss Elizabeth, but your sisters' fortunes are not significant enough to make them targets for his schemes. If you, quite justifiably, feel uncomfortable at the prospect of going to the gathering, you ought not go. No harm can befall your sisters there in your absence."
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy, for your advice. I had not wished to attend, and your words have eased my mind on the matter."
"I am glad to be of some help," he bowed. "And, in return, I must ask for your own advice. I am quite at a loss. I might as well tell you, though it was meant to be a surprise, that I have invited Georgiana to join me here in Netherfield so that two friends as good as you might reunite. It seemed a wonderful idea when I issued the invitation only a few days ago, but Wickham's presence here changes everything. I am now deeply worried about the prospect of bringing Georgiana to where she might meet Wickham, and think it might be best to have her remain in London. The only thing which gives me hesitation is the fact that she will be very disappointed to miss the opportunity to see you, and the fear of how much the news of his nearby presence might distress her. What is your opinion on the matter?"
Elizabeth considered for a moment before replying. "While I will admit that the prospect of again seeing Georgiana is all things lovely, I would never wish to bring my friend into a distressing situation simply for the pleasure of seeing her a bit sooner than I might otherwise have. Still, I do believe you may be borrowing trouble prematurely. Mr. Wickham might yet decide to leave town, now that he knows you are here. He must be aware of the fact that you have the ability to expose him for what he really is. Would it not be wisest for him to forgo the danger and seek his fortunes elsewhere?"
"You would be surprised by the impudence of that man," Mr. Darcy said darkly. "He might leave, but it is very possible he will not, and I do not wish to take the risk."
"We will take no risk, Mr. Darcy. I will ask Lydia to find out tomorrow night if Mr. Wickham intends to quit the neighborhood or stay. If there is gossip to be had, Lydia will know it. You may wait one day to act until you have information regarding his plans."
"Very well," Mr. Darcy conceded. "Will you meet me here the morning after next, and tell me what you have learned? Or, rather, it is probably best for you to avoid walking about alone while Wickham is in the area. Perhaps I might wait for you outside of Longbourn instead?"
"I should prefer that, I thank you," she replied. "Shall we meet at eight?"
"We shall," he replied, bowing. "Until then, Miss Elizabeth."
She curtsied, and he watched her walk away until she had rounded the bend and was out of sight.
Lydia's mistaken conception that Elizabeth admired Mr. Wickham worked in Elizabeth's favour. Upon her older sister begging off attending supper at the Phillipses, citing a headache, Lydia was not in the least bit surprised to be asked by Elizabeth to try and find out whether Mr. Wickham intended to stay in Meryton for long. She merely giggled, and promised to investigate and tell all upon her return.
The rest of the sisters left, thankfully taking Mr. Collins with them, and Elizabeth remained to await their return with the intelligence she sought. She bore the wait with such impatience, that Mrs. Bennet scolded her for fidgeting, and accused Elizabeth of trying her wrought nerves.
It was a relief when the sisters finally returned, and Lydia had hardly walked through the door before Elizabeth pulled her aside to interrogate her over what she had learned.
"Ooh, Lizzy! It is all juicier than I had ever dared to hope!" Lydia exclaimed with relish, when questioned by Elizabeth about her evening. "Wait until you hear what I learned about Mr. Darcy!"
"Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked. "What has he to do with anything?"
"Mr. Wickham has told me everything. I sat down next to him, you know, for the whist, so that I might be able to ask him about his plans."
Elizabeth sighed. Since her sister was lacking in all subtlety, perhaps it was not surprising that she chose to ask the man directly about his plans, forward though it was. She only wished Lydia had not drawn his attention towards herself. Now was not the time for a lecture, though, and she allowed her sister to continue in her narrative.
"Well, I was just about to ask him about his plans for staying in the neighborhood, when he began the conversation first, and asked me if I know Mr. Darcy very well."
This did not surprise Elizabeth. "What did you say?"
"That I have seen him in gatherings and such but did not speak to him at all, for the only people he speaks to are the members of his own party and yourself. I said that I do not like him much, as he does not care to dance, and I bet none of the other girls like him either. I did tell Wickham that Mr. Darcy is sweet on you, but that I do not think you return his regard, since you asked specifically about him- Wickham that is."
"What makes you think that Mr. Darcy is sweet on me?" asked Elizabeth, not quite succeeding in sounding casual.
Lydia gave her a look that said how little she thought of Elizabeth's intelligence.
"I've seen the way he looks at you, Lizzy. If I had a man who looked at me that way, I would swoon right into his arms! Ooh!" She fainted dramatically onto the sofa.
"Lydia, focus!" snapped Elizabeth, trying to pretend that she was not blushing. "Did Mr. Wickham say anything after that?"
"He looked very grave, and said that he needs to warn you about Mr. Darcy. He told me all about it!"
"Warn me?" asked Elizabeth sharply.
"It is really the most scandalous thing!" Lydia exclaimed. "Apparently, Mr. Wickham's father was the steward of old Mr. Darcy- the father of the current Mr. Darcy, that is. Well, he was ever so fond of Wickham, he liked him even better than his own son- your Mr. Darcy. Old Mr. Darcy wanted to make sure Wickham was taken care of after his death, and said in his will that he should be given a living in the church. Mr. Darcy was very bitter, though, that his own father liked Wickham better, and refused to obey his father's wishes and give Wickham the living. I cannot be sorry, for he will look ever so much better in regimentals than in a parson's garb, but I am shocked by the wickedness of Mr. Darcy. I always knew he was a cold-hearted man, for he does not care to dance, but I had never imagined him to be this evil!"
"Perhaps he felt that Mr. Wickham would not be suited to serve as a man of God," suggested Elizabeth coldly.
"Oh, but I have not yet told you the worst of it! Just after Wickham asked Mr. Darcy for the living and was refused, he was set upon by a group of thugs who beat him so hard he lost use of his eye- that is why he wears the eye-patch. He fought them off bravely, even though there were three of them and he was just one person, but they did enough damage that the eye could not be saved."
Elizabeth resisted the urge to snort. Instead she asked- "What has that to do with Mr. Darcy?"
"Well, they never found the people who did it, but Mr. Wickham suspects that they were sent by Mr. Darcy. He says that it was probably a threat from Mr. Darcy to warn him away from trying to pursue legal redress over the living. Is that not the most horrid thing you have ever heard?"
"It is indeed horrid," Elizabeth replied, shocked by the nerve of that man. "But surely if Mr. Wickham believes Mr. Darcy capable of such evil, he would not wish to stay in Meryton, where his very life might be in danger?"
"I asked him about that myself, but Mr. Wickham is far braver than we gave him credit for! He had declared that he will not let Mr. Darcy intimidate him, and if his presence causes Mr. Darcy discomfort by plaguing his conscience, then it is Mr. Darcy who must leave!"
Elizabeth was almost shaking with rage when she related the conversation to Mr. Darcy the following morning.
"How dare he slander you so?" she demanded, upon concluding her tale. "Such vicious, pernicious lies, told so shamelessly; it defies belief!"
"When you have known Wickham for as long as I have, Miss Elizabeth," he replied, "you will find that no action of his can defy your belief. I am aggrieved to hear this account, but not surprised."
"Has he no fear of you?" Elizabeth demanded. "Surely he has the sense to know that you can expose him for the scoundrel that he is!"
"I had not before now," Mr. Darcy admitted. "Out of respect for his faithful father, I did not expose his sins when they consisted only of dissipation and unpaid debts. How he can think that I retain even a sliver of sympathy for him after what he has attempted to do to my sister is beyond me. Perhaps it is best that he has decided to remain here. Here, I can warn the community of his habits and put them on their guard. Were he to move on, he would simply target a new and unsuspecting population."
Elizabeth sighed. "It is still possible that he will do just that. If the society in Meryton were to turn against him, he may simply decide to try his luck elsewhere. If he were to do so, there would be nothing to be done on the matter, short of following him around for the rest of his life, warning people everywhere he goes."
Mr. Darcy gave an amused huff. "If only it were possible to permanently mar his reputation as you have marred his looks, so that all who look at him may know that he is not to be trusted. I wish I had not subtracted the amount I had used to pay off his debts in Lambton from the sum I gave him in lieu of the living. If I had not, I could have made a case to have him thrown into debtor's prison."
Elizabeth considered this for a moment. "You may not be able to have him thrown into debtor's prison, Mr. Darcy," she finally said, "but the idea of having him locked up is too good to give up on. After all, think of all the innocent people to whom harm might be prevented by such a step. Perhaps, then, we can go about it a different way. Consider this: A man convinced that he is being persecuted by a childhood friend and an upstanding member of society who has no reason to harm him might be the victim of paranoid delusions. Perhaps a case might be made that he must be locked up in a madhouse for his own good."
Mr. Darcy considered this for a moment. "I do like the idea of having him hoisted by his own petard," he admitted, "but I am not sure it is possible to have someone committed on the basis of spreading ridiculous rumors. Admittedly, I know very little about the process."
"There could be no harm in trying," Elizabeth pointed out, and Mr. Darcy nodded and conceded that that was true.