Page 11 of I am Jael (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

“Dear Lord, the Bennet girls are here,” Miss Bingley muttered to her sister, gazing out the window at the carriage stopping in front of the great house.

“They are such encroaching females,” Mrs. Hurst complained. “I do not understand why Mr. Darcy and the Colonel do not see the danger of staying here at Netherfield.”

“At least Charles is not back from town yet,” Miss Bingley commented, leaning back slightly in her seat. She would not bother to rise until her guests were actually introduced.

A moment later, the sound of male voices changed her mind.

She rose swiftly to her feet and tripped out the door into the main hall, where Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were divesting themselves of their outerwear under the gazes of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Miss Bingley was disgusted to see that Miss Elizabeth had moved too close to both of the cousins.

Was she whispering something to them? Thankfully, both the Colonel and Mr. Darcy looked displeased.

Perhaps they were finally seeing what kind of hoyden Miss Elizabeth was.

“Jane, Miss Elizabeth,” Mrs. Hurst murmured.

“Louisa, Caroline,” Jane replied with a lovely smile. “It is such a pleasure to see you today.”

Miss Bingley gritted her teeth behind her tight lipped smile. She regretted, now, giving Jane permission to call her by her first name. It had seemed harmless enough at the time and Jane was a pleasant woman, but then Charles had foolishly fallen for her beautiful face.

“Shall we?” Mrs. Hurst asked, gesturing toward the sitting room.

All six entered and distributed themselves among the chairs. Miss Bingley, who entered first, was dismayed to see that Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam had chosen seats directly near Miss Elizabeth’s. This was not to be borne! Mr. Darcy was hers!

“Caroline, your gown is absolutely lovely,” Jane stated with admiration. “The blues bring out the color in your eyes.”

In spite of herself, Caroline preened a little, “Oh, this old thing? Why, thank you, Jane. To be honest, I rarely dress in my finest clothing here in the country. There seems little point.”

Jane’s smile did not falter, “You always look absolutely beautiful, Caroline. You have a remarkable sense of style.”

In spite of herself, Caroline leaned in slightly to continue this conversation. It was true that she was very fashionable. If Jane had a more well connected family and a reasonable dowry, the girl would be a fine sister-in-law. It was a pleasure to converse with her.

The discussion about the latest fashions continued for a few minutes until Caroline heard Miss Eliza raise her voice slightly.

“But Mr. Darcy, surely you cannot defend King Lear in any way! His decision to reject Cordelia based on her failure to speak her love of him was remarkably foolish.”

“I am, of course, not disagreeing. But Cordelia ...”

“Come now, Darcy, Miss Elizabeth,” Colonel Fitzwilliam interrupted with a chuckle. “We must find you a copy of the Bard’s work itself if you are to resolve this issue. You clearly have different recall of the passage in question.”

“I am certain I remember it correctly,” Elizabeth stated firmly, her eyes flashing.

Darcy shook his head, “I disagree, but the Colonel makes a sensible suggestion. I believe I saw a copy of Shakespeare in Bingley’s library. Shall we peruse the section in question?”

Caroline straightened in concern. Mr. Darcy could not go off alone with Miss Elizabeth!

“I will accompany you,” Colonel Fitzwilliam stated with a smirk. “If you cannot come to an agreement, I will be the arbiter.”

“Are you a Shakespearean enthusiast, Colonel?” Elizabeth inquired, rising to her feet.

“Not of the tragedies, no. I enjoy the comedies.”

The two men and one woman left the room, and Miss Bingley turned her attention back to Jane Bennet.

With both men accompanying the sly Miss Eliza, Mr. Darcy could not come to much harm.

Indeed, it would be an excellent thing if Miss Eliza continued to argue so vociferously with Mr. Darcy over Shakespeare.

Pert opinions and open disagreement were no way to win a man!

/

Elizabeth waited for the door to the library to shut, then turned to face the two cousins.

“You said there is news about Mr. Wickham?” Darcy inquired, his face stern.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded, “I fear so, Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Only two hours ago, my two younger sisters returned from Meryton with concerning news. There is a rumor flying through the town that Miss Darcy was once engaged to Mr. George Wickham and that you separated them, cruelly breaking their hearts.”

Darcy’s expression grew thunderous and Elizabeth found herself speaking quickly, “Of course, I do not believe such a lie, but I fear some will.”

Darcy sighed, visibly struggling to contain his emotions, “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. I am very much afraid for my sister’s reputation, however, if this gossip spreads.”

“Anyone who knows anything about your sister would realize she is still a young girl and very much under age. You would never permit an engagement to a much older man, especially to such a man.”

“That is true,” Colonel Fitzwilliam agreed gravely. “But it also true that there are those who relish in false stories.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, blushing uncomfortably. “I will speak to my sisters tonight and encourage them not to spread the story further, but I fear that my sisters are not always as restrained as I would wish.”

“It is not your fault, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy replied, pulling himself together. “I very much appreciate your coming here to warn us.”

“It was the very least I could do, Mr. Darcy.”

“And I believe you do recall the passage from King Lear correctly,” he continued with a strained smile. “I was seeking a reason for us to depart from other listening ears.”

“I loathe King Lear,” Elizabeth replied firmly. “I cannot think of another play where sheer stupidity was such a factor in the main character’s demise.”

“I believe this touches on our previous discussions about pride. His pride was not under good regulation. His pride required flattery and his two evil daughters were adept at stroking his ego whereas the daughter who truly loved him would not.”

“Or could not,” Elizabeth replied with a frown. “The passage in question indicates she was struck dumb by her great love for her father.”

“Come now,” Richard interrupted with amusement. “You could discuss this for hours, it seems, and Darcy and I have our own vital task in dealing with Wickham.”

“Indeed, we do,” Darcy agreed. He hesitated, then gazed directly into Elizabeth’s eyes.

“Again, Miss Elizabeth, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Would you be willing ... that is, I believe my sister would enjoy spending more time with you. She is currently practicing the pianoforte and today will be quite busy, but perhaps you would be willing to visit in a few days, after Mr. Bingley returns?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Mr. Darcy wished for her to spend time with his sister?

“I would be honored,” she stated sincerely.

/

“Lydia, Kitty.”

Lydia and Kitty Bennet looked up from their bed in surprise. It was rare for all three of their older sisters to enter there together. Jane led the way and sat down on the window seat, followed by Elizabeth, who sat down beside her. Mary took the lone chair by the rarely used desk.

“What are you doing here?” Lydia demanded in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“There is something wrong,” Elizabeth began, then hurried on at Kitty’s alarmed face. “Nothing that directly concerns us.”

“No one is ill?” Kitty asked in a faltering tone.

“No,” Jane replied swiftly, exchanging a contrite glance with Elizabeth. Kitty suffered from poorer health than her more robust sisters, and once had come close to death when an illness had swept the neighborhood. She obviously still worried about such things.

“It is about Mr. Wickham and Miss Darcy,” Mary stated.

“Mr. Wickham? What about Mr. Wickham?” Lydia demanded.

“A few days before the ball, we met Mr. Wickham by chance in the bookstore in Meryton,” Elizabeth continued. “Miss Darcy entered the shop a few minutes later and proceeded to verbally accost Mr. Wickham. She made it clear that she is on poor terms with Mr. Wickham.”

Lydia’s eyes were wide in indignation, “How rude!”

“Under ordinary circumstances, it would be rude,” Elizabeth conceded. “However, the conversation made it clear that Mr. Wickham has been deceiving us. He was not cruelly deprived of the living by Mr. Darcy as he claimed, though I am not certain if you had heard that rumor.”

“Of course we heard of it,” Lydia huffed indignantly. “Everyone in Meryton knows about it.”

Elizabeth frowned. Yet more proof, if proof were needed, that Mr. Wickham was a dishonorable man. He had pledged not to lambast the younger Mr. Darcy in memory of the elder, but had then proceeded to spread his false tale of woe far and near.

“It is not true. Mr. Darcy paid Mr. Wickham 3000 pounds in lieu of the living, and Mr. Wickham signed away all rights to it.”

“How do you know this?” Kitty asked suspiciously.

“Miss Darcy told us in the bookstore, and Mr. Wickham did not deny it,” Elizabeth explained.

“Perhaps he was merely startled that his former love was saying such things about him,” Kitty suggested tentatively.

“He was not startled, he was angry,” Mary said firmly. “I watched his countenance and he looked vicious. He also said he would ruin Miss Darcy if she spoke against him.”

“Ruin her how?”

“No doubt by lying about her so called engagement to Mr. Wickham,” Jane suggested sorrowfully.

“He is so handsome!” Lydia cried out in bewilderment. “Why would it ruin her reputation for him to speak of their love?”