Chapter 5

To Darcy, it felt as if they had been walking in silence for hours. Every so often, he would glance at Elizabeth, hoping to catch her eye and be able to start a conversation, but she was always gazing at her feet. Finally, he could take it no more.

"I'm glad you agreed to join me on this walk. I'm afraid your father and I were not making as much progress as I would have hoped. A break will do us both good, I feel."

At this remark, Elizabeth turned sharply towards him and glared quiet fiercely up at him.

"Oh, are you unwilling to accept the terms that my father feels I'm worth?"

Darcy sighed heavily. How had he been so blind to her obvious dislike of him? It was visible in her every interaction with him!

"On the contrary, the sticking point seems to be my desire to settle two properties on you: One for you mother and any unmarried sisters you should have, should your father pass away, and one for you, should I pass away suddenly, as Pemberly will always pass to our children, or, should we not have any, Georgiana's. I also offered to increase your sisters' dowries, but I'm afraid I offended your father with that request."

Darcy stopped walking. Elizabeth, who had been rendered speechless at this revelation, looked at him incredulously.

"Miss Elizabeth, I have to ask, why do you seem so eager to always assume the worst of me? What have I done to earn such scorn from you? I care for you deeply, but it is becoming increasingly clear to me that you merely felt that I was the lesser of two evils when compared with your cousin!" Darcy knew that Wickam was the root of the problem, but he really didn't want her to know that he had been eavesdropping. As unintentional as it was, she would take offense.

Elizabeth, needing a moment to gather her wits, led them to a bench under a tree. Darcy followed, and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Elizabeth finally took a deep breath, and explained her feelings towards him. She began by explaining her initial impression of him at the assembly: that he was cold, aloof, and rude. She told him of overhearing his conversation with Mr. Bingley, and consequently, his comment about her.

"I am willing to admit that I had formed an opinion of you based solely on my first impressions, without truly getting to know you. However, that opinion became fixed when I heard how abominably you treated poor Mr. Wickam!"

It was all Darcy could do to not lose his temper completely. Damn that man! Was he ever to be free of him? He closed his eyes, and for a moment, Elizabeth thought she may have physically caused him pain.

"Miss Elizabeth, I will tell you of all of my dealings with Mr. Wickam, but I must ask that you not interrupt me. I will answer any questions you have once I am finished. It is still very difficult for me to speak of some of this."

"Mr. Wickam and I grew up together. His father was my father's steward, and we were raised as brothers. When his father passed away, my father continued to support him, and sent him to Cambridge with me. George is everything that I am not. He has an ability to please people, conversing easily in all situations. I struggle with strangers. I find it very difficult to be in new situations with those I don't know. My father adored George, and truly, if the inheritance of Pemberley was not fixed, I am not certain that it wouldn't be George sitting here as the new master of Pemberley instead of me."

Elizabeth felt a small sense of victory at this statement. She felt certain that what Wickam had said must be true: that Mr. Darcy was jealous of him and had disregarded his fathers wishes.

Mr. Darcy proceeded to tell her how his father wished for him to enter the church, and have the family living, but after his behavior while they were at Cambridge, the church wasn't the best option for Mr. Wickam. The story continued, and when he reached the part about Georgiana, Mr. Darcy had to stop to gather his emotions.

"Georgiana hasn't been the same since the event. I wish I knew how to help her... I am unsure how to help her trust men and their intentions again. So, you see, I do wish to have revenge against Mr. Wickam, but not because of my father's attachment to him, rather, for the way he attempted to ruin my dear sister."

Elizabeth could feel the tears gathering in her eyes. Part of her wanted to cling to her previous views of both men, to declare that Mr. Darcy was lying, that Mr. Wickam would never do such a thing, and that Georgiana must have encouraged his attentions. The rest of her knew better. Her sister Lydia was the same age, and no amount of flirtation on her part would excuse a man that attempted to elope with someone so young.

"Mr. Darcy, I know not what to say. It has been a very trying day, and I find myself quite fatigued. I appreciate your attempted generosity with regards to the marriage settlement, but perhaps it would be best if you returned tomorrow to finish working out the details. I am going to return to the house now. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon."

And with that, she quickly stood and, as quickly as proper etiquette would allow, rushed to the house. Darcy would do nothing but stare after her. She had given him no indication that she believed him, and this caused him great worry. He agreed with her: it had been a very trying day. He would return tomorrow, and hopefully, she would be more amiable towards him.