Thanks for your feedback Colleen's , Lizzie Bethel, Deanna 27
In this chapter marks the arrival of Wickham, with this the interests intersect, how will it affect the plot...?
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Chapter 11
Encounters and Spells
Only two days after Collins arrived, the house became small for Elizabeth, the man did not leave her in the sun or the shade. The rain had reduced chances of escaping outside, his attention was already irritating for her. She thanked heaven when the rain abated a little and taking advantage of the proximity of the dance, the ladies asked permission to go to Meryton for some ribbons that were missing to complete her wardrobe, Elizabeth of course was part of the excursion, but without being invited or requested his obnoxious cousin offered to escort the ladies, which was approved by Mrs. Bennet.
The ladies' plan to go to Meryton was carried out and Mr. Bennet thanked the plan too, who wanted to get rid of his relative and have the library all to himself; for there Mr. Collins had followed him several times, interrupting his sanctuary. Before leaving, all the ladies performed the concealment spell, which his cousin immediately noticed, he did not stop talking and between pompous and bland phrases, on his part, and courteous nods, on the part of his cousins, they went all the way to reach Meryton.
Since then, the younger sisters no longer paid any attention to Collins. They had eyes only to look for officers in the streets. And short of a really fancy hat or a really new muslin, nothing could distract them.
The attention of all the damsels was instantly captured by a young man they had not seen before, who had the appearance of quite a gentleman, and who was walking with an officer on the opposite side of the street. The officer was Mr. Denny; Lydia immediately beckoned to them and they came over to greet them. They were all impressed with the stranger's bearing and wondered who he could be.
Kitty and Lydia, determined to inquire, Mr. Denny turned to ask them to introduce his friend, Mr. Wickham, who had come from London with him the day before, and had been kind enough to accept a posting in the Corps. The eyes of the young Bennets shone. Belonging to the regiment was the only thing missing to complete their charm. His appearance said a lot in his favour, Wickham was handsome and slender, very affable. The introduction made, Mr. Wickham began a conversation very easily, with the utmost correctness and without pretense.
They were all still standing there chatting pleasantly, when a sound of horses attracted their attention, and they saw Darcy and Bingley riding down the street on their mounts. Spotting the young women in the group, the two gentlemen went over to them and began the customary greetings.
Bingley talked more than anyone as he tried to control his horse, which like horse Darcy's was for some reason very nervous. Bingley said
We were going to Longbourn to greet yours-
Darcy confirmed this with a bow in time, keeping his hand steady but casting a spell on his horse that he could barely control without magic, trying not to fix his gaze on Elizabeth, when suddenly he froze at the sight of the stranger.
Elizabeth, seeing their faces as they looked at each other, was very surprised at the effect the meeting had had on them. The two changed color, one turned pale and the other red. After a little hesitation, Wickham raised his hand to his hat, which Darcy deigned to reciprocate, but Darcy's gaze was grim and his anger caused a cold wind to surround them, which in turn caused the animals to neigh. and they will be more restless than before.
Lydia shrieked –= Apparently you forgot to change your scent Lizzie and this weather has those animals crazy–– in the midst of his ignorance
Mr. Darcy fixed his gaze on Elizabeth, he did not understand Lydia's comment, but he could not help alerting her to Wickham and I speak to her mentally -Stay away from that man-
She raised her eyes in defiance and could see how his eyes showed a cold determination darkening his face. Darcy spurred his horse and the animal that was practically grateful that they took it out of there started without further qualms. A moment later Bingley, seeing what had happened, took his leave with one last warning glance at Wickham, and went on with his friend.
Denny and Wickham continued to walk with the girls until they reached the door of Mr. Philips's house, where they bowed and left but not before being invited to join them for dinner with the Philipses, the aunt kindly extended the invitation and of course she told her nieces that they would be welcome too, so they agreed, and Mrs. Philips offered them to play the lottery and then have a hot supper.
The prospect of such delights was magnificent, and the girls happily went home to share their aunt's invitation. Elizabeth thought about the reaction of the gentlemen Wickhman seemed friendly and relaxed before them there was something between the men for Darcy's warning or rather order, but what would it be? It was impossible to imagine, but it was also impossible not to feel a great curiosity to know.
—-
The Philips house was filled that night with red coats who showed off, the smiling ladies flirted with him. Wickham was interested in knowing more about those Bennet sisters, they were all beautiful, the younger ones seemed a bit insignificant to him and the older ones were more interesting, not only did they look nicer but they showed magical qualities of value although their features were diffuse, in addition a one of them had Darcy's attention, and he wanted to know if it was just because of their peculiar beauty.
Lydia tried to get the attention of Denny and Wickham but the latter decided to approach Elizabeth who had just left the card table for a snack; Mr. Wickham was the lucky man to whom most female eyes turned; and Elizabeth felt lucky when he came to take a seat beside her, Wickham started the conversation so pleasantly, although he only said that the night was wet and that it would probably rain a lot throughout the season, Elizabeth felt realized that the most common, the most trivial and the most hackneyed topics can be interesting if they are said skillfully.
With rivals like Wickham and the other officers hogging the ladies' attention, Collins seemed to sink into insignificance before Elizabeth, trying to sit next to her when she sat down to play but she strategically took a table with only one seat, He stayed close to her but she didn't show the slightest interest in holding his attention. Wickham noticed the attentions of Collins and could see that Elizabeth aroused enough interest in the gentlemen, something had to have more than her beauty.
Collins caught the attention of Mrs Philips who was listening to him and also Mary who had attended and trying to overcome her own shyness tried to join in the conversation about London, Rosings or even Cambridge. Collins completely ignored Mary's attention to him, in part because a pristine Mrs. Phillips saw to it that he lacked neither coffee nor pastries, but his attention and gaze was on Elizabeth, who had hurried away from him and was now attended to by that blond officer.
Just as the sirens call the sailors with their song, Wickham bewitched with his charm, he really did, he flattered the lady and admired her beauty, he was unleashing his magic on her, and Elizabeth was eager to listen to him enveloped by her, she was not cautious because one part was taking the refusal to Darcy and another part for knowing the history of her relationship with Darcy; she did not lose hope that he would tell her, however she did not dare to mention his name. But he didn't have to wait long, his curiosity was unexpectedly satisfied.
- It's unusual to see ladies like you but so pleasant -
-Like me, what do you mean?
- Wolf mage of course- said with seductive voice
-I'm not a wolf mage- she said as she showed her bracelet although, she knew she was lying-
-Very curious although the multiforms can turn into wolves, the horses only stir at the smell of an alpha wolf, just as it happened this afternoon-
She smiled and said- Many of our ancestors were wolves and I think that of my sisters I am the one who has that quality in most of them but I am not a wolf- she said, disguising the truth a bit
-Uhm it also happens with the Hilmens-
Elizabeth looked at him and smile, she looked at his hands, and knew that he wasn't a hilmen, therefore He couldn't know that she was one, so she decided not to confirm his veiled question but to divert it so she could know about Darcy. - Then it can hardly be be riders-
After hearing Elizabeth's answer and after a few seconds of hesitation, Wickham smile and suggested-They certainly manage to be like Darcy, I miss seeing him here by the way-
She just smiled and he continued with his inquiries
-You know it's rare that He frequents a town like this before London, by the way, how long has Darcy been in this area? -
-About a month - Elizabeth answered. And anxious that the subject would not end there, she added: –I believe that this gentleman owns large estates in Derbyshire––
With the door open Wickham began his climb ––Yes ––replied Wickham ––his estate is important, it provides him with ten thousand pounds a year. Nobody better than me could give you authentic information about Darcy, since I have been particularly related to his family since my childhood-
Elizabeth could not help showing her surprise and curiosity.
–You will be surprised at what I say, Miss Bennet, having seen, as you probably saw, the coldness of our previous meeting. How well do you know Darcy? ––
––Just a little ––answered Elizabeth
He made an effort to tell his relationship with Darcy, he told her that he was the godson of Mr. George Darcy, that he had been deprived of the inheritance that he bequeathed to him, he was separated from the dearest Georgiana who was like his sister, humiliated and victimized by an ostentatious and cold Darcy, who thought himself superior to everyone just because he was a Hilmen.
––It's shameful! It deserves to be discredited in public–. Elizabeth said
–One day or another his time will come, but I will not be the one to discredit long as I can't forget his father, I can never challenge or expose him.-
Elizabeth honored him for such sentiments and found him more attractive than ever as he expressed them. –But,- She continued after a pause, –what can be the reason? What could have induced him to act with such cruelty against you?-
-A deep and energetic antipathy towards me that I can only attribute to a certain extent to jealousy. If the last Mr. Darcy hadn't loved me so much, his son would have put up with me better. But the extraordinary affection his father felt for me irritated him, I think, from his earliest childhood. Being a Hilmen did not allow him to have the character to resist that kind of rivalry in which we found ourselves, nor the preference that his father often gave me. Besides, I have a fiery temper, I am indiscreet thanks to my nature as a multimage, and I may have expressed my opinion about Darcy a few times, and even about himself, with too much frankness. I don't remember anything else of which I can be accused. But the fact is that we are very different and that he hates me.––
––I remember hearing that he bragged about the implacableness of his feelings and his unforgiving character. His way of being is appalling–she confirmed
He laughed mentally he was almost done, and continued ––I must not talk about this subject– Wickham replied feigning regret––it is difficult for me to be fair to him. Darcy knows how to please when he feels like it, he doesn't need to make an effort. He can be a company of pleasant conversation if he thinks it's worth it. Among people of his position he is very different from what he is with inferiors. Pride never leaves him, but with those who are of benefit to him he adopts a liberal mentality, he is fair, sincere, reasonable, honest and perhaps even pleasant, due in part to his fortune, his presence and of course his magical quality––
She looked at him while assimilating his words and he struggled to finish his spells, all the time while he spoke to her it was filtering into Elizabeth mind in a subtle way, he knew perfectly well how to make others see what he wanted them to see, hear and think what he wanted too. He was a very cunning multimage and seeing that there was some apprehension in her mind towards Darcy, he cast his spell and began a subtle manipulation on Elizabeth who did not notice or perceive how Whickam skillfully read her mind and worked on it, he managed seeing confused thoughts around Darcy, also the memory of what seemed like a magical practice, but he couldn't go any further because he was interrupted by Lydia who asked him to dance.
Elizabeth encouraged him to go to Lydia, who wanted her attention, this action annoyed Mary who watched, seeing that Elizabeth helped those who did not need help while not redirecting towards her the attentions that she did not want but that Collins continued to give her, hurt and jealous Mary decided to make her own way if necessary, she offered to play, thereby achieving some praise, but she did not get the ones she wanted.
Collins after Elizabeth finished talking to the officer once again tried to get her attention but she evaded him, however he felt the magic flowing in the place strongly about her, but Collins could not distinguish where such magic came from. Wickham was clever and knew how to go unnoticed even before the trained eye of Collins, in addition there were other magical beings there which made him doubt if that officer had done magic on his cousin, definitely Collins could see that there was something deceitful in Wichkam and also saw how his goal was also of interest to him.
Elizabeth was ruminating on Whickham's words, although the concealment spell they used also prevented her from perceiving his magical actions on her, it also served to prevent one of Wickham's spells from being fully linked in Elizabeth's mind, he had managed to make a good bond and Elizabeth already began to magnify Darcy's flaws.
—-
Everything that happened in the town in the following days took place around the newcomers, so that Friday before the dance in the afternoon they were talking about the importance of good relations with the neighbors, everyone participated in the conversation.
Collins seized the opportunity and displayed his knowledge of the family estate properties, emphasizing Cambridge due to its similarity to Longbourn. Due to his ability to magically manipulate the earth, he talked about the crops, the gardens and how he had intervened in them, of course he always sought Elizabeth's opinion, who answered him with monosyllables, unlike Mary who followed his rhythm.
At one point, in fact, Mary showed him some seeds, pretending not to know their properties, and Collins, using magic, made them germinate until they blossomed, which caught the attention of all the ladies who watched carefully as he magically and skillfully manipulated the plants, once in flower gave one to Elizabeth, she appreciated the gesture but returned her attention to her book. Mary looked on with some disappointment.
Collins went on to talk about the properties of plants such as using the leaves in certain spells and eventually gave Mary the leaves so she could experiment with them. Although not everything went as expected, Mary felt a little pleased and satisfied, she knew very well the properties of those seeds and could magically manipulate them as much as Jane or Elizabeth, however the intention was to capture the attention of her cousin, let him This will show his skills and receive his interest in the activities that she was doing.
Collins's eyes and attentions used to fall on Elizabeth, but Mary noticed how her sister was not very courteous, she hardly showed any interest in the gentleman. However, Elizabeth used to be like that, friendly but not very open about her interests, unlike Lydia or her own mother.
Mrs. Bennet, in fact, made her plans clear to her daughters that afternoon, taking advantage of the fact that Collins went to pay attention to Mr. Bennet
––My dear, it is time that they ensure their future, Jane, you must not miss the opportunity with Mr. Bingley, tomorrow at the dance you must be very attentive to him, make him feel valued, you're a beautiful girl but show your assets a little more–she said, winking and moving coquettishly
Jane blushed furiously, and Elizabeth answered indignantly ––That you're saying mother, it is well known that Jane has been friendly and pleased with Mr. Bingley, she has nothing more to show–
Mary looked at her mother, and the minors laughed out loud
–– You do not know how to please a gentleman– – Mrs. Bennet said –– a look, a light touch, and even a suitable blush says much more than words, in fact, you should learn that sometimes it is better to keep quiet because a gentleman looks for a lady who takes care of his house and of him, to take care of the gentleman is to have how interested and satisfied, you will understand later–
Elizabeth went to ring, but Jane answered ––Okay mom–
––Your Elizabeth must assure your cousin, with your actions you are not exactly encouraging his interest, I remind you that it is the heir to this house, you will be the next owner of this house and you will ensure the future of all of us, he came to this house looking for a wife it could have been any of his sisters, but he is interested in you so you should stop fooling around and ensure the come from everyone–
Elizabeth snorted and everything in the room began to tremble
––Control your temper, and stop those nonsense–– his mother hissed
––Mother she likes is Mr. Wickham––smiling Lydia said––
—I understand that you like him, he is an extremely nice man, but he is not the heir to this and all the family properties, so although Collins may not seem as affable as Mr. Wickham, you must assure him that he proves that you are truly intelligent––
––I think that no one should rush, you have to be sensible and prudent, we are talking about a life partner–– suggested Mary with some shyness
––Nonsense, you must ensure the future and that of your family , if they make good marriages they will ensure the path of their sisters, remember well you must take advantage of the dance, a touch, a smile, a graceful movement –- sentenced Mrs. Bennet and left her daughters to her thoughts.
The next dance would then be, according to Mrs. Bennet, the golden opportunity to secure her future and she would not allow any of her daughters to contradict her.