Chapter 1: Meet Mr. Wickham
Elizabeth and Jane Bennet woke together one morning in time to watch the dawn lights. It was such a pleasure for the two devoted sisters to spend this time together each morning, and they were thankful that their three younger sisters did not share their room. They talked of various topics, including the neighborhood gossip. While they talked pleasantly, Jane could not help thinking of Mr. Bingley, and her pleasure at seeing him at Lucas Lodge the other day. He was new to the area and had only been seen a couple of times, but Mrs. Bennet insisted that Jane would catch his eye. Whether she had succeeded is still in doubt, but it was clear that Jane was willing to accept his addresses.
Talk of Mr. Bingley brought forth a discourse over guests of Mr. Bingley. While Jane liked his two sisters, Elizabeth knew better. They were conniving, sophisticated women who did not care for Hertfordshire society. To make matters worse for Mr. Bingley, he had a terribly sour friend staying with him. Mr. Darcy may be staying with his friend, but nothing could make him act agreeable to the neighborhood. He even went so far as to insult Elizabeth at the assembly within her hearing, although he may not have been aware of his audience at the time. Whenever they began to discuss Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth brought up his way of always watching her.
Jane kindly looked to her sister. "I know you believe he dislikes you, Lizzy, but I think you may be mistaken. If his purpose were only to find fault, he would be looking elsewhere all the time, for it is hard to find fault with you. I know there are better examples of impropriety than you, even if you do think so ill of yourself."
"Oh Jane, how can you be so kind to me? We both know that you are the perfect one. I am too impertinent for Mr. Darcy to admire me, as you say. No, I think you are wrong. I am interesting to him because he does not understand how someone can behave like myself, impertinent and independent."
"While I do not believe you, Lizzy, I find I do not want to argue. What plans does Mama have for today?"
Elizabeth noticed the pain in Jane's face. Jane never liked arguing and was glad to change the subject. "Lydia wants to go into Meryton. Mama is sure there will be another assembly soon, and she wants us to have some ribbons to refresh our dresses and bonnets. At least it is something to do, and we will not have to listen to Mary play the pianoforte all day. Of course, the real reason Lydia and Kitty want to go to Meryton is so that they can look at the officers. They have been here for three days, and it is still all they talk about. At this rate, it is going to be a very long winter." Jane laughed with her sister. At that moment, the sun crested over the distant hills. The two sisters faced the sun with their eyes closed. The heat was refreshing after the cold night. Jane snuggled closer to Elizabeth, to savor the warmth as much as possible.
They were silent until Jane's stomach rumbled. After a short laugh, Jane said, "Lizzy, we should prepare for the day. Father will want to spend some time with you before we go into town. Let us go eat some breakfast before our sisters interrupt us."
Elizabeth quickly agreed and rose from her seat. The two sisters helped each other to dress quickly. While they did have a maid to help them, their younger sisters usually claimed her for themselves. Jane was always too kind to argue with her sisters, so Elizabeth and Jane learned to help each other. The two sisters were so close that they really enjoyed the time spent together. Jane was beautiful, kind, and always willing to think well of everyone. Elizabeth was very pretty, not classically beautiful, but she had a lively nature, sharp wit, and sweet impertinence that caused her mother's nerves to quiver many times over. The two suited each other very well, and no one ever admitted to seeing any two sisters who were closer.
Even though they had to help themselves prepare for the day, they were still the first of their sisters to make it to the breakfast table. Their father was sitting in his seat, but their mother and younger sisters were nowhere to be seen.
"Good morning, Papa." Elizabeth walked over to his place and kissed his forehead before taking a seat next to him. Jane sat on the other side, and the three made a merry party until they all jumped at the sound of Lydia and Kitty fighting on the stairs over a bonnet. Both were claiming that it was theirs, and that it would be ugly on the other sister. If it was not a standard argument, the three at the table would have been very concerned. As it was, the three of them returned to their tea. Lizzy was the only one bold enough to roll her eyes at such behavior. The sound caused Mr. Bennet to retreat behind a newspaper for the rest of the meal. When his wife finally arrived, Elizabeth had already departed for her walk, Jane was finishing her meal, Mr. Bennet was invisible behind a newspaper, and Kitty and Lydia were still fighting over the bonnet. In short, nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Oh, Kitty. Just let Lydia wear it for a day. She will return it when she is done with it."
"But Mama! She only returns it after it is ruined. It is mine. Make Lydia save her money and buy her own bonnet. I saved two weeks for it. You always let her have what is mine."
In response, Lydia stuck out her tongue at her sister. "Only because you are too plain to look well in it. We would not want to bore the officers. I cannot wait to go out this morning. As soon as Lizzy is back, we shall be ready."
Mr. Bennet spoke up before another burst could shoot out of one of their mouths. "I will be in my library for the day, and am not to be disturbed." He rose and moved into his sanctuary, thrilled to be blocking out most of the noise. He picked up a book and read for a while before turning to his business matters.
Elizabeth returned before Lydia was ready to depart, and so the four were able to walk to Meryton together. Lydia and Kitty, as always, were leading the pack, while Jane and Elizabeth stayed back to enjoy the walk, keeping an eye on their sisters to make sure they did not get too far ahead. They quickened their pace before they reached Meryton, and were almost caught up to Lydia and Kitty as they greeted Mr. Denny, one of the first officers they met when the regiment moved to Meryton. He was walking with another gentleman, not in uniform. Kitty and Lydia were completely ignoring the unknown man.
"Good morning, Miss Lydia Bennet, Miss Catharine Bennet. I have just returned from London, and I brought this gentleman with me." He paused as Elizabeth and Jane arrived. "Good morning, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth. It is a fine day for a walk. I was just telling your sisters, this is Mr. Wickham, who is to join the militia." He proceeded with proper introductions.
Lydia suddenly looked at Mr. Wickham. "Well, if you will be in uniform, then you will be very charming, I am sure. A man looks nothing without regimentals."
Elizabeth was shocked that her sister would act so shamefully in front of a stranger. Unfortunately, she also knew that an admonishment would not help, and it was better to change the subject. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. You are welcome to Hertfordshire. I hope you like it here."
"Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. I am very glad to be here as well. I hope to see you again soon, but I must be off now, to see the colonel of the regiment."
Elizabeth spoke quickly, hoping that her sisters would not have any input. "Have a good day, Mr. Wickham, Mr. Denny." She took Lydia by the arm and turned her towards the milliner. Lydia huffed as she was led away, but agreed to go.
"Lizzy, you never let me have any fun. I hope they are at our Ant Phillips' house this afternoon. It will be merrier if the officers are present." At that moment, Kitty caught up to them and took Lydia off to look at ribbons. Jane and Elizabeth went to the other side of the shop and looked at some gloves for their mother. It was always best to let their younger sisters move through the ribbons before they attempted to look, as they would certainly steal from another sister if they found anything worthwhile. When their purchases were complete, the four began their walk home.
They were not five steps toward the road when Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy caught up to them on horseback. Mr. Bingley dismounted immediately to greet Jane and her sisters, but Mr. Darcy remained on his horse. Elizabeth nodded to the gentleman, and he returned the civil greeting. Refusing to waste her time on such a dour man, Elizabeth turned to Mr. Bingley. She enjoyed that he was smiling at Jane, but then a commotion behind them caused everyone to turn around. A door opened quickly, and Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham came out of the colonel's office. Mr. Denny smiled and moved to greet the Bennet ladies again, but Mr. Wickham stood still as he observed Mr. Darcy on his horse, staring at him with anger in his eyes. Elizabeth, ever the observant lady, was the only sister to notice the exchange.
Without warning, or any attempt at civility, Mr. Darcy turned and quickly rode out of the village. Deciding that something must be very serious to cause Mr. Darcy to act in such a manner, Elizabeth turned to Mr. Wickham, who was now white as a ghost and still stood in the doorway. Mr. Darcy may have appeared angry before he ran away, but Mr. Wickham looked quite scared. Thankfully, Mr. Denny did not notice and engaged the ladies in a discussion of bonnets while Mr. Wickham recovered. He slowly walked toward the ladies but did not enter into the discussion. Before the ladies could excuse themselves, Mrs. Phillips happened by and invited the Bennets and the officers to a card party that afternoon. Mr. Denny accepted for him and Mr. Wickham, while Jane accepted for the Bennet family, and she said that they would return home for dinner and meet her aunt later.
Lydia and Kitty were reluctant to return home but acquiesced after Jane's gentle prodding. The four walked home in much the same manner that they had walked to Meryton. Kitty and Lydia in front admiring their new ribbon, and Jane talking to Elizabeth, who was not much in the mood to talk, as she could not help thinking over the exchange she had witnessed. Mrs. Bennet was delighted to hear at dinner that her daughters had met with another eligible officer, and was glad to hear of all that Lydia and Kitty would tell her. At the right time, they departed for Mrs. Phillips' house to play cards.
Lydia was the first to enter her aunt's house and she immediately threw herself into a conversation with a group of redcoats around a table of lottery tickets. She had a full purse and she meant to spend every shilling, to the delight of the officers. While she and Kitty were thus occupied, Elizabeth scanned the room to see who else was present. She met eyes with Mr. Wickham, who joined her at the sidebar as she selected some tea and cake. He took some coffee for himself and sat with her at a table.
They began with the topic of the weather. Elizabeth, eager for information about Mr. Darcy, hesitated bringing the topic up. She was very relieved when he did so himself. "I am hoping you can help me. I know that you saw the way Mr. Darcy and I reacted in the street earlier today. Can you tell me if he has been in the neighborhood long?"
Elizabeth smiled calmly. It must be hard for him to bring up such a delicate topic, and she had to credit the small blush upon his cheeks as his desire to not push her for information. "He has only been here for a few weeks, and almost the entire town dislikes him." She sought to put him at ease and it worked. His blush disappeared.
"That is a rare occasion, I suppose. Would you be surprised to hear that he and I have been connected almost since infancy? We grew up together, although I doubt he would recognize the connection."
"You are correct in my surprise. He is from Derbyshire, is he not?"
"His estate is Pemberley, a very dear home. My father was his father's steward. We grew up together, as I stated before. His father supported my education at Oxford and later at Cambridge. While my scores were not as great as Mr. Darcy's, I did very well. I never really knew why he was jealous of my accomplishments, when his were always better. He turned everything into a competition, as though we were fighting for something."
Elizabeth's curiosity was piqued. It was not normal for a gentleman to speak so openly about his past and Elizabeth was eager to hear it. "Did the elder Mr. Darcy never try to import manners to his son?"
"He could not from such a distance as Pemberley. Shortly after we finished school, the unthinkable happened. Mr. Darcy's father passed away. He had been ill. With my education finished, he had hoped I would enter the church, and left a provision for me in his will. But, as you can see, that never came to pass."
Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "What happened? Why could you not take orders?" In her curiosity, all her manners and thoughts of propriety were dropped.
"His son did not honor the will when the living became vacant."
"How could he be so dishonorable?" Elizabeth shrieked, sounding very much like her mother for three seconds. The room stilled, as there had been a pause in the card games, and everyone stared at her. She bowed her head and waited for the other conversations to resume.
Mr. Wickham eventually began again in a lower voice. "Mr. Darcy is very honorable, Miss Elizabeth. Do not mistake my meaning. The terms of the living were such that Mr. Darcy could choose to ignore it if he wished. There were no legal methods I could take to change the outcome. I resigned myself and found another way to make my living. It is not so bad as one would suppose in the militia. If I had not joined this regiment, I would have never met you, so I cannot repine."
Elizabeth was astonished that he could be so charming after such a revelation. It was another three minutes before she could respond. "But I do not understand what could make him behave so badly."
"Jealousy can make anyone change their ways and behave badly when they see fit."
"But how could he be jealous of you. He inherited the estate and the money."
Wickham interrupted with a gleam in his eye that went unnoticed by Elizabeth. "But not his father's love. I was named in his will with affection. He was only listed as the heir. His father loved me better, and he could not stand it."
Elizabeth would have responded, but one of the officers at the whist table called for Mr. Wickham, and he made his excuses. He asked for her silence in the matter, for he could not dishonor the father by exposing the son, before departing from her side. Left to her own devices, she stewed over everything Mr. Wickham had said. He was so sincere and feeling in his expression that she could naught but believe him. With her temper heightened, she dared not approach anyone other than her sister Jane. Jane always calmed her down.
When they walked home together at the end of the party, Elizabeth recounted what she had learned. It sounded terrible to the kind creature that was Jane Bennet. She tried to pass it off as a misunderstanding that could be rectified, but Elizabeth was adamant that it would not work. "Only one can be without fault in this instance, and I am inclined to think it not lie with Mr. Wickham."
That night, Jane and Elizabeth slept very ill. Both tossed and turned as they tried to make sense of the disturbing news. The next morning, Elizabeth was put out to find that Jane's presence was requested at Netherfield. Apparently two sisters who had always spent their days together could no longer do so without Jane. The gentlemen would not be at home. It was only this fact that Elizabeth allowed the scheme.
After some scheming of Mrs. Bennet's, Jane was on her way to Netherfield on the family horse. Fifteen minutes later, the rain began, fast and heavy. Elizabeth was distraught, for there was no way Jane was already at Netherfield. She knew she would not be able to go to Netherfield to find out how Jane fared, but not knowing grated on her nerves. Finally, a note came from Netherfield stating Jane would stay the night. Elizabeth's fears began anew wondering how Jane fared, but since the note did not imply any distress, no one else in the family bothered to think on it.