Chapter 15
After waking from his turbulent nap, William preferred to work at the small desk in his bedroom. Also, he decided to eat there to avoid meeting Caroline and Louisa.
That evening before the wedding, Mr. Hurst and Colonel Fitzwilliam, after dinner, went to play billiards with Mr. Bingley to accompany him on his last night of bachelorhood. William, who did not want to be locked in his room, joined them and enjoyed playing and laughing with Richard's witticisms.
Mr. Wickham excused himself, implying that he wished to rest, though Richard assumed it was to avoid him. In any case, no one missed him because of the entire group, only Mr. Bingley respected him.
But the real reason Wickham did not play billiards was that he had other plans. At dinner, he heard that Louisa and Caroline were busy and Georgiana would practice the piano before retiring. Moreover, he knew the men would be distracted playing and drinking brandy, so no one would notice that he was with Georgiana.
"Dalton, what is wrong with you? Of all the times we have played before, this is the first time I have beaten you. Not that I am complaining; for my part, you can keep losing all you want," Richard said with a laugh.
"The other night we played, he beat Hurst and me in less than half an hour, but we thought it was just good luck," Mr. Bingley added.
"The problem is this vest; I need to wear a more comfortable one to play billiards. If you give me five minutes, I shall go change, and you will see how I can beat you," explained William. Despite the protests of his opponents, William went to his room to change clothes.
Georgiana was very focused on the difficult piece of music she was playing. Mrs. Annesley gave her a new music sheet and explained she could not teach her more and would ask Mr. Darcy to hire a teacher. Georgiana's abilities were far superior to those of Mrs. Annesley.
"My dear Georgiana, what beautiful music you are playing. Without a doubt, every day, you improve your skills more. Let me help you with the score, so I may have the pleasure of listening and being close to you."
"Mr. Wickham, there's no need… I am just practicing, and then I shall retire to my room," Georgiana replied, flustered.
George Wickham sat next to her and said with pretend regret. "My dear, why do you call me Mr. Wickham? To you, I just want to be George. You know, it has been a long time since I cannot stop thinking about you, and at night I dream about you and…."
"Mr. Wickham, please do not talk to me like that..."
"Why not? Do you want me to lie or hide my true feelings for you?"
"You are like a relative to me; please do not talk to me like that because you make me feel very uncomfortable…."
"But we are not family; I'm a man, and you're a woman…." Wickham said as he kissed Georgiana's hand.
As William returned to the billiard room, he heard a beautiful melody on the piano. Fitzwilliam had told him how well his cousin played the piano, and William wanted to congratulate Georgiana. But as soon as he entered the music room, he saw how Wickham was bothering her and immediately interrupted the awkward moment.
"Miss Darcy, allow me to congratulate you on how well you play the piano. Your cousin Fitzwilliam did not exaggerate your talents at all."
"Thank you, Mr. Dalton," Georgiana replied with more relief. However, she was still very nervous because George Wickham held her hand.
Wickham was furious because he thought everything was going great with Georgiana until that stupid fool came in and interrupted them. He believed that his godfather's daughter was deeply in love with him and rejected him out of modesty.
"That's right, Dalton. My dear Georgiana is very talented, and she knows very well that the only way to become better is by constant practice. And, of course, for me, it is a pleasure to accompany her." Wickham wanted to leave them alone and stop meddling in his affairs.
But William saw Georgiana's pale face and knew he had to do something immediately. Besides, he would later talk to Richard about what he had seen. "Miss Darcy, tomorrow we will have a hectic day and must get up early. So I suggest you leave your piano practice for another time and rest."
"You are right, Mr. Dalton," Georgiana replied, and she stood up. "Good evening, Mr. Wickham." She felt a great relief to get away from the unwanted company of that man who seemed more unpleasant every day. But before leaving the music room, she smiled at William and whispered, "Good night, Mr. Dalton, and thanks for everything."
They looked at each other for a few seconds, and William smiled warmly at Miss Darcy. There was something in that girl that caused him a profound tenderness. "Sweet dreams, Miss Darcy."
As soon as William was sure Georgiana was far away and she could not hear him, he said without hesitation. "You are disgusting, Wickham. How can you take advantage of Miss Darcy's innocence to disturb her like that? Don't you realize that she is almost a girl?"
"If the lovely Elizabeth Bennet had had a dowry of thirty thousand pounds as Georgiana has, rest assured she would be my wife by now. Oh, I would enjoy all her charms whenever I desired, and she would not have to marry an idiot like you. You will never make her happy as she deserves."
"Do not ever talk about my betrothed again, or I will punch your face, Wickham," William said menacingly.
George Wickham knew it was better to leave everything there, but that proud man provoked an irrational hatred. He found something insufferable about him and wanted to make him feel that he had neither respect nor fear. "I am sure that when you make love to Lizzy, she will think of me, but since I am generous when you go on business trips, I will have her in your bed, and I shall show her how a man…."
Wickham was unable to finish speaking as William grabbed him by the neck and hit his face so hard that Wickham fell to the ground. Fortunately, the other men arrived and stopped him from hitting him again.
Richard took William to the library, and Mr. Hurst told Wickham to lock himself in his room and not dare to come out again while Mr. Bingley went to ask one of the servants to bring cold water and a towel to Mr. Wickham's room.
"Why do I have to lock myself in my room if it was that savage who hit me?" Wickham asked indignantly.
"Do not play innocent with me, Wickham, for I know you perfectly well. Don't you dare come out because I will not let you ruin Bingley's wedding," Mr. Hurst said, ensuring Wickham went to his room for the rest of the evening.
Meanwhile, Richard served William a brandy in the library to calm him down. William did not tell his friend everything the scoundrel said; he only told him that he had offended Elizabeth.
"William, that idiot did it to provoke you, and I do not blame you for hitting him because I have felt like doing it on more than one occasion. When we were children, I fought with him on more than one occasion because he has always been an abuser and a cheater. I still remember how he liked to play horrible jokes on my cousin Fitzwilliam because he was smaller and shyer than he. Also, Wickham knew my cousin would not say anything to Uncle George."
"I did not know Miss Darcy had a brother," William said more calmly.
"My cousin… he passed away when he was five," Richard explained sorrowfully.
"I am sorry, I did not know," William replied.
"Do not worry; that was a long time ago."
Once William had drunk the brandy, he told Richard what he had witnessed between Wickham and Georgiana. "I have a feeling that man has no good intentions with Miss Darcy."
"I am going to tear him apart," Richard said, almost out of control.
"If you need help, let me know. But before taking care of that wretch, you should talk to your cousin first and then your uncle. For now, you must keep him as far away from Georgiana as possible."
"I think you are right. Besides, I do not want to ruin Bingley's wedding. The good thing is that tomorrow we will return to London, and I shall not have to see the face of that hateful rat anymore."
Once William and Richard had relaxed, they retired to rest. Richard went to talk to Georgiana, and she confirmed everything he had already suspected. The colonel was so worried that he decided to sleep in the armchair in his cousin's sitting room because he thought Wickham would do anything to get what he wanted. Richard feared that he would do something to compromise his cousin and get Georgiana's dowry now and Pemberley when his uncle died.
P&P
For her part, Violet had noticed that Mr. Bennet was becoming more and more withdrawn and that he avoided discussing her son's engagement with Elizabeth at all costs. So, the day before Jane's wedding, she pulled the strings to ensure everything went well for William.
After dinner, Mr. Bennet retired to a corner of the drawing room to read a book, ignoring his wife and youngest daughters.
"What are you reading, Mr. Bennet?" Violet asked.
"A philosophy book, Mrs. Dalton. I doubt you'd be interested in the subject," Mr. Bennet replied, still looking at his book.
"I imagine you know my family has owned bookstores for many generations. So believe me, I know a lot about books, including philosophy."
Mr. Bennet stopped looking at the book and incredulously asked Violet. "And what is your favorite philosophy book?"
"I have always liked the classics, the Greek philosophy on which our modern thinking is based."
"In that, you are right; it is difficult to understand any modern philosophical thought if the classics are not well understood."
Mrs. Bennet overheard her husband talking to her new friend about things she did not understand and decided to intervene. "Mr. Bennet, how do you talk about such boring things with our dear Violet?"
"I don't think Mrs. Dalton is bored, my dear."
"Mr. Bennet, how do you think she will not be bored listening to you talk about those books that no one understands."
Mr. Bennet preferred not to continue arguing with his wife and responded sarcastically. "So what do you want me to talk to Mrs. Dalton about so she does not get bored?"
Before Mrs. Bennet could reply, Violet intervened and said. "We can talk about our children's wedding. I know they want to get married soon."
"There is no reason to rush the wedding. I think they should get to know each other better before they get married." Mr. Bennet would only sign a paper if William guaranteed him a minimum period of six months of courtship.
Violet took advantage of the moment to do what she had planned, but not before apologizing to her dear Aaron for behaving in a manner he would not approve. "Dear Fanny, my son is a rather impatient gentleman, and if Mr. Bennet delays..."
Before Violet could finish, Mrs. Bennet reacted indignantly. "Mr. Bennet, when Mr. Dalton approaches you about the marriage settlement, I hope you don't dare tell him that he must wait many months..."
Mrs. Bennet talked for more than ten minutes about how much her nerves would suffer if Elizabeth lost the chance to marry a good and wealthy man. Finally, Mr. Bennet understood that if he wanted peace, he must allow Elizabeth to marry whenever she wanted.
Early in the morning, Violet sent her son a note to assure him that he and Elizabeth could marry whenever they wanted. William was content because, after the wedding, he and Elizabeth would announce their wedding date and begin the preparations. Fortunately, Violet was a practical and organized woman, and she had assured her son that in four more weeks, they could get married without any problems.
P&P
William had realized that his mother had won over Mrs. Bennet's trust and that she was her best ally for the wedding to take place as soon as possible.
His mother had convinced Mr. Bennet to give his authorization. But, in addition, she had somehow managed to control the thoughtless and vulgar behavior of Elizabeth's two younger sisters. But Violet knew that the moment she left Longbourn, everything would probably return to how it was before, so she also had plans for the future.
William noticed how Elizabeth's father took advantage of her and delegated part of his work to her. But he also saw how Mrs. Bennet undervalued her by making derogatory comments about her character and appearance. As a result, he did not want Elizabeth to continue living in Longbourn because he wanted to protect her from everyone, including her family, if necessary.
Besides, he had managed to explain the episode at the river to Elizabeth. For nothing in the world he wanted her to find out about his nightmares or the deep fear that being near a river caused him. Elizabeth had accepted him despite knowing he was an adopted orphan; the last thing he wanted was for her to feel sorry for him or think he had some problem or mental illness. He had promised himself not to lose control like that again, and he was sure that Elizabeth believed he was nervous that day, so he reacted like that.
Caroline got up early to make sure everything was as she had arranged. William had also gotten up early and was waiting for the Colonel and Georgiana because he would ride with them to the church. He wore an elegant suit that he had worn only once the previous year when he attended the wedding of the son of one of his father's business partners.
When Caroline entered the drawing room, she thought her brother was there, and she was astonished when she saw William Dalton looking out the window. He looked more handsome than ever and seemed immersed in his thoughts. Since he did not realize she was there, Caroline took advantage of looking at him without him noticing. She noted every detail of his face and the attributes of his bearing. Caroline wondered what would have happened if he had been a wealthy gentleman instead of a tradesman. She probably would have fallen madly in love with him and never allowed Eliza Bennet to come between them.
William was thinking about everything he had to do in the next few days to be able to get married at the end of the month when he sensed that someone was looking at him. Turning around, he found Miss Bingley's eyes fixed on him and was quite surprised, but he was even more shocked when she asked him an awkward question.
"Mr. Dalton, do you think this dress is too refined for a wedding in a place like this?" Caroline asked as she turned around so William could better look at her.
"I am sorry, Miss Bingley, but I know nothing about fashion. I think you should ask your sister. Now if you will excuse me, I think I forgot something." William bowed and withdrew from there. If he were not sure that this woman hated him, he would have been convinced that she was flirting with him.
"Of course, sir," Caroline replied, furious with herself for trying to get the attention of such an insignificant man.
"Do not waste your time with him, dear Caro. He is the boring type of man who only loves one woman," Wickham said in a mocking tone.
"How dare you call me by my name, insolent…." Caroline replied furiously.
"Alright, Miss Bingley. I just wanted to warn you that this Dalton and Eliza Bennet will meddle in your brother's life, and you will never have free access to his wallet again," Wickham said.
"Was it Mr. Dalton who gave you that black eye, Wickie?" Caroline asked mockingly.
"Today, I do not feel like arguing with anyone; I just want to tell you that if you need help putting Dalton in his place one day, don't hesitate to ask me."
Wickham looked at Caroline with a smile. But she preferred not to continue wasting her time with him, and she went to see if Louisa and Mr. Hurst were ready.
An hour later, they were all in the church waiting for Jane. When she finally arrived, everyone admired how pretty she looked even though her dress was inconsistent with her traditional style. Finally, the parson declared Mr. Bingley and Jane man and wife, and they were both happy and excited.
Elizabeth did not like to be estranged from her dear sister. So, after the wedding breakfast and before Jane and Mr. Bingley began their honeymoon journey to Ramsgate, she approached her beloved sister and said in a full voice of emotion.
"My dear Jane, you do not know how happy it makes me see you married to the man you love. I am sure you will be very happy together," Elizabeth hugged Jane and caressed her cheek tenderly.
"Thank you, Lizzy. I hope that when you get married, you can be as happy as I am," Jane said with a smile that did not reflect true joy. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to say goodbye and thank Caroline and Louisa for everything they did for me."
"Yes, of course," replied Elizabeth, disappointed.
Jane went to where her sisters-in-law were and hugged them both with great emotion. She did it mainly because she knew that Elizabeth was watching her.
William observed the whole scene and fully understood what the new Mrs. Bingley was doing. He had never trusted people who smiled too much, and ever since he met Elizabeth's sister, it seemed to him that she was not as loyal or well-intentioned as everyone believed. Obviously, he would never speak ill of Elizabeth about her sister, but he would be alert because he would not allow Jane to play with the feelings of the woman he loved.
"Are you all right, my dear?" William asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, it is just that I feel like Jane's wedding has ended a part of my life. I do not know if you understand me," Elizabeth tried to explain.
"Of course I understand you, but I have faith that this new stage of your life, which will include me, will be happy and full of adventures," replied William, kissing Elizabeth's hand. Then with his handkerchief, he dried the tears of what would soon be his wife.
Before the wedding breakfast concluded and before the closest friends left, Mr. Bennet called for the attention of all the guests and solemnly said, "Dear friends and family, at the end of this month, we will have another wedding at Longbourn. My dear Lizzy will marry Mr. William Dalton."
William took a small box from his tailcoat pocket and put a beautiful ring on Elizabeth's delicate finger. All attendees greeted the couple with great affection.
"Thank you, William, I love you," said Elizabeth excitedly.
"I love you too, my dear and beloved Elizabeth."
P&P
Thanks to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows the story. I love reading your thoughts about the plot because it keeps me motivated!
To those who read this story in Spanish through the translator, have you noticed the changes and all the scenes I added?
In the next chapter, we will have another wedding :)
Saludos,
Yo