Chapter Six: First Time in Meryton

Mrs. Bennet was sipping her tea when she heard the dreadful news from Jane. She put her teacup down, and she shrieked. "What?! Mr. Bingley will not be there?"

Jane let out a sigh. "No, Mama, he will go shooting with Mr. Darcy today. Caroline Bingley informed me so in her letter."

Mrs. Bennet scowled, then resumed eating her breakfast angrily.

Jane looked at her with entreating eyes. "Can I have the carriage then, Mama?"

"Certainly, not. You can go on horseback."

"But Mama!" Jane protested.

Mrs. Bennet cast her a stern look. "I will not hear it, Jane. You will go on horseback. Your sisters need the carriage. They are going to Meryton."

"But they can walk to Meryton."

"No, they cannot."

Lydia was extremely pleased to hear this. "Thank you, Mama. Oh, how nice we will look in the carriage, especially that the village is now full with Red Coats. All the eyes will be on us. Say, Mama, can we take Lizzy with us?"

"Lizzy? Whyever so?"

"Mama, it will be good for her to visit Meryton. She has fond memories there. Maybe going through it will help her."

Mrs. Bennet seemed hesitant. "I do not know, Lyddie. I do not want to tire her. What do you say, Lizzy? Would you like to go?"

Elizabeth nodded eagerly. "I think that I would, yes."

She actually wanted to go and explore. It was true that she has come to cherish her life during the Regency Era, but people had very little to do, and time passed excruciatingly slowly on some days. Her sisters provided her with some books to pass the time, and they tried to teach her embroidery, but she had no patience for that.

Mrs. Bennet noticed her daughter's enthusiasm, and she smiled. "Alright, then dear. Lyddie, Kitty, take good care of your sister, and do not let her out of your sight."

"Why, of course, we will Mama."

Elizabeth, Mary, and Kitty took the carriage to Meryton. Before leaving, she bid Jane farewell, and wished her good luck on her Netherfield visit. "Make sure to tell me everything when you get back."

Once in the carriage, all that Lydia and Kitty talked about are the regiment. They seemed "pre-in-love" with officers. "I will let you in on the secret arts of how to get an officer Lizzy. First, you drop your handkerchief, and if they pick it for you, it means they like you."

"Then, what happens next?

"What do you mean what will happen next? Next, you fall in love."

"Well, that seems …" irrational, she wanted to say. But she reminded herself that Lydia was merely fifteen years old, and she did not want to upset her. "It seems exciting."

"Oh, and Lizzy, you will love Meryton. We used to walk her to visit our aunt and uncle."

"The Philips?" She remembered meeting them already when they called on them at Longbourn.

"Yes. We actually like them very much, especially Aunt Philips. Wait, we are here already. Look Kitty, the streets are full with officers."

The trip did not take very long indeed. Elizabeth asked their driver to go back to Longbourn, lest Jane might need him.

The driver shook his head, a little embarrassed. "I cannot Miss Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet asked me to wait for you here."

Elizabeth wanted to protest. "But it seems like it is going to rain."

Yet, the driver was adamant. "All the more reason Miss. You would need me here."

Elizabeth did not argue much. She knew that her orders cannot override those of her mother. She did not need to be babied really. She has survived on conditions much coarser and harsher than these. But she enjoyed the feeling that she was being looked after. So, she sighed, and went on her way.

As Elizabeth entered Meryton for the first time, she was struck by how small and contained the village felt. It was nothing like the sprawling modern cities she had known, where towering buildings rose high in the sky. Here, the buildings were squat and modest, with houses leaning slightly into the street.

The main street wound through the village, lined with quaint shops and market stalls. The windows of the butchers and bakers displayed their goods, their signs painted with simple, sturdy lettering. There were no flashing neon signs or polished displays, just the refreshing scent of freshly baked bread wafting through the clean air.

Elizabeth could not help but smile at everything. She admired the simplicity surrounding her. But more than everything, she admired the architecture style of the houses and shops. For a moment, she stopped to take it all in.

This was not her city of concrete, traffic, and endless noise. People walked here instead of rushing everywhere. She could not explain how it felt foreign and familiar all at once. She allowed her sisters the time to admire the officers, as she herself went to admire the merchandise displayed on the windows, with each item speaking the individual skill of its maker.

She was suddenly interrupted by an officer who handed her a handkerchief. "Here you go, ma'am, you seemed to drop this."

"That is not mine, sir."

Lydia hurried to the scene. "Oh, officer, thank you! That is my handkerchief. I am Lydia Bennet. These are my sisters Catherine and Elizabeth Bennet."

"I am pleased to meet you ladies. I am officer George Wickham, here to serve you."

He bowed, and they curtsied. Elizabeth was new to this curtsying thing, but she followed what her sisters did.

Lydia cast him a wide grin. "Oh, thank you, officer. Well then, will you accompany us to our aunt's house? It is not very far from here. We are to have luncheon there before going back to Longbourn."

Mr. Wickham bowed again, this time with a charming grin. "It will be my honor ma'am."

Mr. Wickham was drawn to Elizabeth. On their way to the Philips house, he tried making conversation with her. Elizabeth, growing up in a city and raised to be very cautious of men approaching her suddenly on the street, was wary of the man. He started by asking her about Meryton, as his regiment was recently stationed there. He entreated her for more insights about the area.

Elizabeth, eyed him cautiously, then she answered. "I am sorry to disappoint you on this matter, Mr. Wickham. I am also somehow new to this place myself."

Lydia nodded, her facial features full of sadness and concern. "Oh, yes, officer, Lizzy went through a tragic incident recently. She fell from a balcony and she lost her memory. This is her first time in Meryton since that terrible incident."

George Wickham's smile dropped, although his eyes did not reflect any genuine concern. "I am extremely sorry ladies, for stirring back this dreadful memory. Miss Elizabeth, please accept my sincere wishes for your prompt recovery."

"Thank you, sir." Said Elizabeth with a curt nod.

They kept quiet for a while. But Lydia added with an air of annoyance. "The dreadful thing is that she woke up next to Mr. Darcy and not her family. Maybe if she saw us first, she would not have to go through these hard times."

The officer's eyes widened. "Mr. Darcy you say?"

Lydia stopped to look at him. The she exclaimed; her voice full of contempt. "Oh, yes, Mr. Darcy of Pemberley. Do you know him?"

"Forgive me for saying this, ladies, but I will have to say that I have been unfortunate as to make his acquaintance."

"Oh, why so, officer?"

"Well, it is a long story." Mr. Wickham did not say more, but his eyes betrayed his eagerness to recount his story.

Lydia protested, wanting to hear the full story. "But …"

Elizabeth intervened. "Lydia, Kitty, didn't you say that you needed ribbons? Here we are near the ribbons shop. Are you not going to buy some after all?" She truly did not want to hear whatever gossip Mr. Wickham wanted to spread about Mr. Darcy.

Lydia, remembering how much she wanted new ribbons, eyed the store. "Oh, yes, we should Lizzy. But you will be waiting for us here?

Elizabeth nodded, smiling. "Do not worry dear. We will be here."

After Lydia and Kitty went in. Mr. Wickham did not waste any more time to tell his story, uninvited to do so. He told her about knowing the Darcy family since his childhood. How the late Mr. Darcy favored him, and left him a living, only for the current Mr. Darcy to begrudge him this. He told her how the Darcy children were arrogant, and how they perceived everyone beneath their social standing as vermin.

All this time, Elizabeth was thinking: Why are you telling me this? I did not ask. Gurl, you seem obsessed with the Darcys, and I ain't your therapist. She was mildly interested when he mentioned the haughty Mr. Darcy, and how he thought that he was above every one else because he was a very wealthy gentleman. She did not know that he was rich, and he certainly was not boasting about it.

Her eyes narrowed. The Mr. Darcy she met at Netherfield did not fit this description. And he certainly did not deserve to be spoken about in such manner in a random street, and behind his back. "Mr. Wickham, forgive me for interrupting you. As my sisters told you, I recently hurt my head, and I still have throbbing pain in my head. Forgive me, but my state is still too precarious to tolerate lengthy conversations. Besides, when I met Mr. Darcy, he seemed humble and nice, and thus, I do not know what you are talking about."

Mr. Wickham was saved further humiliation by the sudden reappearance of Lydia and Kitty from the shop. Luckily, they were not very far from the Philips house, and hence, he bid them farewell and wandered off.

Her sisters were pouting for being separated from the charming officer so early. Elizabeth on the other hand did not miss the presence of the man. She did not trust him from the beginning. His obsession and endless critiques about the Darcys also threw her off. When people talk about other people behind their backs, they are usually fabricating stories about them. Otherwise, they would not just burst out to strangers on random streets about personal and intimate matters.

They did not stay in their aunt's house for long. They hurried for Longbourn, as they saw that a storm was about to erupt.