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Elizabeth had departed Longbourn with hope swelling in her breast, wondering what adventures might await her in London.

It was a fine, sunny day the afternoon she arrived.

And while she was allowed the rest of the evening and the following morning to rest from her journey, her aunt and uncle wasted little time in seeing that she was thrust upon society.

Considering the result, it might have been more appropriate to say that society was thrust upon her.

On the afternoon of her third day in London, her aunt took her on her first round of calls to their particular friends in the neighbourhood, then on to a party in the evening.

Elizabeth felt as though she had met the whole of the English gentry in one night, but upon saying so to her aunt on the carriage ride home, Mrs Gardiner assured her it was only the beginning.

The following day, Elizabeth sat in the parlour with her aunt and her two eldest cousins while the others napped in the nursery.

Elizabeth was helping Eloise, her ten-year-old cousin, to improve her reading voice when a knock suddenly came at the front door.

Her aunt rose gracefully and went to the window to see who had come to call.

“I dare say, Lizzy, do you know anyone in His Majesty’s armed forces?” Her aunt looked back over her shoulder at Elizabeth with an inquisitive look on her brow. “Quite a handsome fellow, I declare.”

“Mrs Gardiner!” Mr Gardiner said in mock surprise. “I thought you said there was no man so handsome as I!”

Mrs Gardiner waved him off and shot him a mischievous grin. “Yes, dear, but he is much younger than you. Now, children, you are full young for company. Back to the nursery with you.” Mrs Gardiner sent the children from the room before their caller could be announced.

Their caller was an enlisted man, and a very handsome one…

Elizabeth could not help but wonder if it might be Mr Wickham.

Much as she would have enjoyed the resumption of his society, it did not seem likely.

Mr Wickham had asked permission to call on her in London, but surely he would not visit so very soon — not when he was called away from the militia by the illness of his relative.

He would have more important things to do than to think of her.

The next moment proved all Elizabeth’s careful conjectures to be entirely mistaken, for when the visitor entered, it was indeed Mr Wickham. He gave her so charming a smile that her heart skipped a beat.

“How do you do, Miss Elizabeth? It is a pleasure to see you looking so well,” he said after a bow. He greeted her aunt and uncle after she made the introductions, and they all sat down together.

“How delightful that you could spare the time to visit, Mr Wickham,” Elizabeth said. “You must be very busy. Will you need to return to Meryton soon?”

“Not at all,” he replied with a wide smile.“Colonel Forster was very generous with my leave, I am pleased to say.”

That was a pleasant surprise, for Elizabeth had been under the impression that an enlisted man would have very little freedom to leave his regiment.

She had imagined that Colonel Forster might grant him a few days, perhaps, but not such an unrestricted span of time as Mr Wickham seemed to imply.

But perhaps Mr Wickham’s relation was closer to him than the mere family relationship would imply.

“And how does your cousin fare?” Elizabeth asked.

“My cousin?” he asked, looking utterly bewildered. His face brightened, and he slapped his knee. “Oh, yes, my cousin. She is still very ill, but we hope she is past the worst of it.” He sighed heavily. “It was so good of you to remember.”

He turned the subject, doubtless not wishing to cast a pall over the party.

To Elizabeth’s great satisfaction, he clearly valued her uncle as he deserved to be valued, asking a number of intelligent questions about his business.

Some men, at least, would not disdain a respectable man for supporting his family through trade.

They were even then speaking of current events. “Have you heard of this hubbub about the Galbraith Trading Company?”Mr Gardiner asked Mr Wickham.

“Oh, yes, I think I did hear of it. They were a shipping company, were they not?”

“Yes, indeed. The operative word being ‘were’. They recently lost their entire fleet of ships to the French, and are now bankrupt!”

“Terrible, terrible,” Mr Wickham agreed. “Mr Gardiner, I hope your holdings are safe from the French.” He took a sip of tea.

“We have trading ships, of course. But I have been careful to diversify my holdings.” Mr Gardiner clicked his tongue. “I know Mr Galbraith. It will be a hard road ahead for him and his family.”

“It is a misfortune indeed,” Mr Wickham said. “I do not think any of us can get through this life without being scarred by some tragedy or another,” he said, his face turning serious.

“Oh? I hope you have not endured such hardship as the Galbraiths, Mr Wickham.” Mrs Gardiner placed a hand on her heart in deep concern.

“Unfortunately, I have, as I have mentioned to your niece.”

At that, her aunt and uncle looked curiously at Elizabeth. “It is a dreadful story,” she said quietly. “Mr Wickham, we would not press you, of course. Please do not feel that you need say any more than you might wish.”

“How kind you are,” he replied, looking soulfully into her eyes.

An instant later, Mr Wickham seemed to remember himself.

Such intimacy was hardly suitable. He cleared his throat.

“No, I have no objection to speaking of it. It would rather relieve my feelings. I do not suppose you have ever heard of a man called Mr Darcy?”

Her aunt and uncle exchanged curious looks. “Indeed, we have. Of the Darcys of Pemberley?”

“The very same,” Mr Wickham said with a shake of his head. “It pains me to tell the story, but I was in line to receive a handsome living from the late Mr Darcy, which the son refused to relinquish after his father’s death.”

Elizabeth’s heart went out to him again. He had been reduced to a lowly militiaman but had borne up under the reversal with perseverance and courage.

“Indeed?” her uncle asked, raising his brow.

“Yes, it is all too true. However, I count it a great blessing to have friends such as the Bennets and the other families around Meryton.” He met her gaze steadily. “They have shown me that riches are not only found in monetary gain, but in the warmest friendship.”

Elizabeth could hold his gaze for only a moment before thinking it prudent to look away. It was so good of Mr Wickham to put such a value on simple empathy, and yet she thought it unwise to betray too much feeling.

The remainder of the visit seemed to fly by. Elizabeth was sorry to see him go after his prescribed half an hour, feeling as if the light had somehow been diminished in the parlour after his departure.

“Well, he is a very charming fellow, is he not?” Mr Gardiner said as they settled back in their chairs.

“Do you like him?” Elizabeth asked. She winced at her self-betrayal. She had spoken, perhaps, a little too eagerly.

Mrs Gardiner looked out the window at Mr Wickham’s receding form. “He is nice enough. But I would caution you with such a man, Elizabeth.”

“Whatever for?” she asked, almost laughing at what must surely be a jest. But her aunt’s face remained sombre.

“Did you not think it was indiscrete to share such a private detail about his dealings with Mr Darcy? Especially on the first meeting?” she asked.

Elizabeth only laughed. “Aunt, he showed no indiscretion. He is merely open-hearted and comfortable with us. As you know, he had already told me about the incident before. Likely he thought nothing of it, since we are family.”

Mrs Gardiner nodded slowly, but added, “Even so, you must be cautious, Lizzy. He is a very charming man, but perhaps too charming.”

Elizabeth had little time to dwell on the interesting call in the several days of whirlwind engagements that followed.

Her days were filled with either making calls or receiving them, and the evenings were spent at various supper parties, musical performances, and soirees.

It was all so exciting and different from the life she led in Meryton, and while she would have said she would never shirk away from an adventure, she was beginning to feel a little homesick for Jane.

Though her aunt was excellent company, but she wished she had Jane to talk to after the long nights were over.

There were so many charming gentlemen, she hardly knew how to keep them straight.

Still less how to tell whether any of them were genuinely interested in her or if they were only interested in her fortune.

Elizabeth was grateful that she had her aunt and uncle to help her keep her head. Without their gentle, tactful warnings about which gentlemen spent more time inquiring about her inheritance than her character and accomplishments, it all would have been more overwhelming still.

The second week of her visit saw Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner going out to their most elegant engagement yet.

The Greenwoode ball would have been rather beyond the Gardiner’s social circle, had Mrs Greenwoode not been an old friend of her aunt’s, and eager to help Mrs Gardiner’s niece find her feet in society.

Elizabeth warmed to the older woman immediately.

She was, as her aunt had told her earlier in the carriage ride, an important member of the ton , but she did not carry herself with arrogance or condescension that so often distinguished those with money or position.

Elizabeth felt entirely at home in Mrs Greenwoode’s grand salon, standing to the side and being told helpful hints and delicious gossip about the various gentlemen in attendance.