Page 10 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Jane’s Bedchamber

Midnight

Jane curled comfortably in her fireside chair, the ties of her nightcap tickling at her chin. She yawned at her fire, comfortably at peace, sleepy but not yet ready to lie down in bed. Her mind was occupied pleasantly with various swirling thoughts, most of them involving the handsome and generous and kind Mr. Bingley of Netherfield.

She did like him so very much, and she was now confident that he liked her, too. At every opportunity to speak together, the pair discovered more that they had in common, more shared joys and pursuits and pleasures and beliefs.

It was obvious to all with eyes in their heads that Mr. Bingley had no interest in any of Jane’s sisters. Mrs. Bennet’s insistence on throwing Elizabeth at Mr. Bingley was embarrassing, as no one could genuinely that Elizabeth would be a good wife for the master of Netherfield. Lizzy was clever and bookish and witty and lively in so many ways that Jane was not, and she would be impatient with Mr. Bingley, while he would be overwhelmed by her. Jane knew that Lizzy liked him well enough as a friend and neighbor, but she felt no romantic attraction towards him whatsoever.

Jane considered the brief conversation in her father’s library, where he had kindly enjoined her to persevere despite her mother’s opposition to the match. “I would not have you squander a chance at happiness, sweet Jane, to assuage your mother’s fears. She and your sisters will be well cared for in the event of your marriage.” Jane was grateful for his support, as she truly did wish to encourage Mr. Bingley’s courtship. It was early, yet, to know anything for certain, but they would have weeks together to ascertain whether they would be a good match for marriage.

It was a shame that Mrs. Bennet stood in such strong opposition to the match. It grieved Jane to fret her mother so, but Mrs. Bennet would eventually calm, she hoped, when she discovered that Jane’s marriage would not steal Longbourn away from the family.

A familiar tap at the door pulled Jane from her thoughts, and she smiled, looking over.

“Come in!” she called.

The door opened to reveal the expected form of her second sister, and Jane said, “Lizzy, I thought you might wish to talk. Sit down by the fire, please! It is chilly.”

Elizabeth, who was warmly dressed in her night clothes, nonetheless hurried over to sit next to her sister on the settee, and leaned forward to enjoy the flames.

“It is chilly,” she agreed, and for a minute, both sisters were quiet. Jane knew what was on Elizabeth’s mind, but she chose to wait until she was ready to speak of it.

“I am very confused about Lieutenant Wickham,” Elizabeth finally blurted, her eyes fixed on the gyrating flames.

“What are you confused about?” Jane asked gently.

Elizabeth huffed and turned her face toward her sister. “Everything? Why did he not mention a twin brother? Why was Mr. Alexander awarded the church living and not his elder brother?”

“Has the lieutenant taken Holy Orders?” Jane inquired.

Elizabeth straightened in surprise, her forehead puckered in the wavering light, and said, “Well, as to that, I had assumed as much. Mr. Darcy could not have given Mr. Wickham a living if he had not been ordained, so he must have, mustn’t he?”

“Unless the elder Wickham was lying about almost everything,” Jane said.

“Jane!”

“Now Lizzy, you are always the one telling me that I am too trusting. The lieutenant was, without a doubt, deceptive in his story of his circumstances. What kind of man does not even mention a brother, especially one who is a clergyman? No, as handsome and silver-tongued as the lieutenant is, those are only surface qualities. We have no idea about Lieutenant Wickham’s true character, though we know far more now than we did a day ago.”

Elizabeth sighed deeply and quoted, “ For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart . I have been stupid, Jane.”

“My dear sister! Do not say such a thing. We all of us were fooled.”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and said, “I have long prided myself on my understanding of the characters of those around me, and I chose to believe the lieutenant’s story of the denied living without considering the obvious uncertainties associated with his tale. If he had taken Orders, given his good looks and pleasing speech, it seems likely he could have obtained a living elsewhere, and he did not. Therefore, he has not even obtained Orders, and thus Mr. Darcy could not give him a living, even if he wished to. It may be that Mr. George Wickham is a degenerate man, and Mr. Darcy, though overly proud, is in the right of the matter. Or maybe they are both unpleasant men, and the younger twin is the honorable man. I confess to being very confused by it all.”

“Well, that is perhaps a step in the right direction for both of us. Far better to wait and learn the truth than jump to further conclusions.”

“That is very wise, Jane.”

***

Netherfield

Tuesday, 26 th November, 1811

Caroline looked around the gleaming ballroom with pride, pleased with her own hard work. She had been up since dawn, ordering the servants to prepare everything as she wished. The previous day, the maids had swept the ballroom, and then scrubbed the parquet floor thoroughly. Today, the menservants had been busy for hours, polishing candlesticks and trimming the wicks of the real wax candles. The musicians from London had arrived almost concurrently with the hothouse flowers Caroline had ordered, and she had of course ordered the cook to feed them a fine dinner in the small parlor before they started work for the night. Now they were on the dais, tuning their instruments, the noise turning from discordant to pleasing as they did.

Caroline had worked to make the ballroom worthy of London musicians. She had not trusted anyone else with the arrangement of the flowers and had spent hours laboring over the vases. They sat in the most strategic locations around the ballroom in order to draw admiring eyes. Silver and china shone on the damask tablecloth, the punch in the bowl gleamed a deep reddish brown, and oranges sat glowing in a pyramid like a pile of golden coins. The food that the kitchens would send up would be of the finest quality, some of it ordered from Town.

It was all wasted on the yokels that comprised the local gentry, of course. Not one of them had the sophistication to appreciate her hard work and impeccable taste. It did not matter; she had not expended so much effort for their sakes. It was Mr. Darcy she sought to impress this evening. He would be able to contrast her own party to the insipid assemblies held in Meryton and see how dazzling a hostess she could truly be.

She was confident that she would thrill him, as she glittered like a diamond in the midst of these rough, simple folk. Surely Mr. Darcy would offer for her any day now, spellbound by her beauty and her wealth and her refined manners. They would be a perfect match.

Once they were married, if all went well, Charles would offer for Miss Georgiana Darcy, though he would have to wait a few years. She was a dear girl, if rather quiet, and Caroline was very fond of her. She was even blonde and blue-eyed, which was what Charles preferred. How glorious it would be to have their family so closely entwined with near relatives of an earl!

Behind Caroline, the ballroom door opened, and she turned expectantly. Her sister stepped inside and looked around with open admiration.

“It looks marvelous, Caroline,” Louisa said.

Caroline turned about one more time, her nose held high. “It will do, certainly. The ballroom is not as large as I might wish, but then again, there are not that many attendees, so it will be well enough.”

“Well, you had best go upstairs and change, Sister, as the guests will begin arriving within the hour.”

Caroline nodded and obediently left the room. The guest she cared most about was Mr. Darcy, and she had a gown laid away for tonight, a yellow creation with a cloth gold overdress, and she had even obtained a peacock feather hat a few months previously for just such an occasion. She had every confidence that Mr. Darcy would be enthralled by her appearance.

***

Netherfield

Later

The first dance of the evening was a country one, and Elizabeth was rather startled to find herself facing Lieutenant Wickham as the music began. She had wondered whether the lieutenant, having been shown to be deceptive regarding his twin, would have the impudence to attend the ball. That question had been answered within a minute of the Bennet family stepping into the impressively decorated ball room. There were many redcoats already present, and Lieutenant Wickham did not delay in hurrying over to ask Elizabeth for the first set of dances.

She accepted with a mixture of irritation and curiosity. It seemed bizarre that the man would seek her out with such enthusiasm, but she enjoyed dancing and thus said yes.

The first few minutes of the dance were carried out in silence between the partners, though Elizabeth caught Lieutenant Wickham looking at her with great care. Finally, George Wickham said, “We are fortunate that the weather is so fine for November.”

“We are indeed,” Elizabeth agreed.

Silence fell again for a few minutes, and then Wickham continued, “I prefer private balls more than public ones. What about you, Miss Elizabeth?”

Ordinarily, Elizabeth would not mind such banal remarks, but given the circumstances, she found herself mildly annoyed.

“I do like private balls. The music is generally better, and the refreshments as well. I am looking forward to supper. Oh!”

Wickham spun around twice and came to a halt in the dance. “Oh?”

“I see your younger brother has just arrived,” Elizabeth said. “I did not know that he had been invited but am pleased to see him, though I am certain you are even more delighted to spend time with your twin after so much time apart.”

She was watching intently and did not miss the brief expression of exasperation, which was quickly smoothed away into a look of placid pleasure. The movement of the dance separated them at this moment, and it was not until they had whirled and twirled for a further two minutes that they came to a halt, which permitted them to talk to one another.

“I feel I should apologize for hiding the existence of my brother Alexander,” Wickham said, his expression rueful.

Elizabeth was surprised at this, but she merely lifted an eyebrow and said, “I was certainly startled by his sudden appearance.”

“The truth is that Alexander has always been the more sedate, and while the elder Mr. Darcy liked me as much or more than my twin, the current Darcy has consistently preferred Alexander. As dreadful as it is, I confess to some jealousy.”

Again, the dance required them to undulate and spin, and Elizabeth waited until they had once more halted before asking, “Mr. Wickham, have you been ordained?”

Wickham grimaced immediately and shook his head. “I have not, but let me explain … I knew within a few months of old Mr. Darcy’s death that the current Darcy would never allow me to the Kympton living. I thus gave up all thoughts of the church, though I was rather upset when it was my brother who instead was given the living which old Mr. Darcy had promised me.”

He lapsed into silence and Elizabeth said, “I see.”

Again, the time came for them to dance, and dance energetically, and there was no more discussion until the end of the figures. Elizabeth clapped along with the rest and then said, “I confess to being very thirsty, Lieutenant. Would you be kind enough to fetch me some lemonade? I would like to sit down over there with my sister, Mary.”

“Of course, it would be my honor,” Wickham replied immediately, though his eyes were troubled. “Allow me to escort you to Miss Mary.”

He did so, and she took her place by her next younger sister and fanned herself absently as her own thoughts whirled. The story told by George Wickham disturbed her. What a strange creature he was, to be deceptive upon a first meeting and then attempt to explain it away as only jealousy toward a younger brother! Mr. Alexander had done the hard work to become a clergyman, whereas the lieutenant had done nothing to better himself for the last years, in spite of the gift of a handsome face, fine figure, and endearing speech. It was becoming more and more obvious that the elder Wickham was a wholly unreliable man.