Page 9 of I am Jael (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Colonel Fitzwilliam was, somewhat to Elizabeth’s surprise, a thoroughly enjoyable partner.

He danced well and conversed easily, and his conversation made it clear that he was a well-read man and a great traveler.

Elizabeth, who had never traveled farther than London, was fascinated by his descriptions of the Pyrenees mountains of Spain, where the Colonel had served in the British army.

The Colonel appeared to find her equally charming, which was a balm to her still slightly bruised spirit. Mr. Darcy might find her impertinent and unattractive, but the man’s cousin showed every sign of appreciating her company.

Mr. Darcy, standing diligently by a wall, scowled furiously as his cousin and Miss Elizabeth swirled past. Why did Richard have to be so likable? He had inspired Miss Elizabeth to actually laugh, and the joy in the young woman’s eyes only accentuated her beauty.

Not that it should matter. It was, of course, impossible for him to ...

No, he could not think of such a thing. Even now, the matriarch Mrs. Bennet was loudly proclaiming her expectation that Mr. Bingley would marry the eldest Miss Bennet.

Even now, the youngest Bennet girls, who should not be out yet, were tearing around the edges of the ball room, flirting outrageously with the assembled militia officers, most of whom seemed all too ready to act in an overly familiar manner with the very young women.

At least Wickham was not in attendance. If he had dared to show his smirking, handsome face, Darcy was not sure he could have restrained his fury at his former friend’s betrayal at Ramsgate.

The previous night had been long on pondering and short on sleep, which did not help Darcy’s current mental state.

Nevertheless, Darcy had come to the conclusion that Georgiana and Richard were entirely right about Wickham.

His father’s godson and favorite was a genuinely evil man.

He had attacked a maid and conspired to steal Darcy’s own beloved sister.

Darcy had tried kindness, he had tried lecturing, and he had tried ignoring Wickham. Now he must act.

Marshalsea was a death trap, yes, but if Wickham continued his path, there would be more like Jenny Reynolds.

Most likely, there would be another Georgiana Darcy.

Wickham was almost certainly in pursuit of another heiress to marry, and being married to Wickham would prove a most unpleasant fate as the man would no doubt run through his wife’s money in short order and then abandon her, penniless.

The dance ended, putting a stop to Darcy’s dark thoughts.

He watched as Richard guided Elizabeth off the floor and over to Bingley, who had just finished a dance with Miss Bennet.

A moment later, Elizabeth was introducing the Colonel to her older sister and Miss Lucas, who had apparently sat out the last dance.

There was more smiling and chuckling and Darcy watched gloomily as Fitzwilliam bowed over Miss Lucas’s hand, no doubt asking her for the next dance.

Why, oh why, did Richard have to be so charming?

Grimly, he watched as Miss Elizabeth was swept away by one of the red coated members of the militia and Mr. Bingley led Miss Bennet out onto the dance floor.

Darcy firmly shifted his gaze from the lovely, laughing Elizabeth and focused on his friend Bingley.

Given the chatter in the ballroom, led by the Bennet matriarch, there apparently was a general expectation that Bingley and Miss Bennet would make a match of it.

That seemed most unlikely; he had often seen Bingley ‘in love’ before this time, and every relationship had ended quickly. And yet ...

Thoughtfully, Darcy gazed at Bingley. The man was gazing down at the woman in front of him with veritable stars in his eyes. He did seem more strongly attracted to Miss Bennet than he had been to any of his previous ‘angels’.

The master of Pemberley glowered heavily. Miss Bennet was a sweet woman, but she did not love Bingley. His friend deserved a woman who loved him.

Colonel Fitzwilliam had learned, during his time in the army, to do multiple tasks at once. At the moment, he was conversing pleasantly with Miss Lucas as he kept a surreptitious eye on his cousin’s dark countenance. What was wrong with Darcy?

/

Georgiana smiled slightly to herself as her hands glided over the keys of the pianoforte. A month ago, this movement from Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 had been impossible. Now, after hours of practice, she had almost completely conquered it.

She missed a note and stopped, sighing to herself. She had almost conquered it.

“You performed that very well, Miss Darcy,” Mrs. Annesley said encouragingly. Her companion was seated on a nearby chair and was busily working on a piece of complex embroidery.

“Thank you, Mrs. Annesley,” Georgiana replied, her eyes shifting to gaze out the window. The weather was lovely today, if chilly, with the sun shining brightly down onto the well-tended grass.

A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was nearly noon.

Idly, she wondered what her brother and Colonel Fitzwilliam were doing, though she felt a comfortable lack of urgency about their activities.

After all, it would take some days for the messenger to reach Pemberley and return with Wickham’s bill receipts.

Thus, there was a welcome lull in her war against George Wickham.

She left the room with Mrs. Annesley at her heels, and was drawn to the sitting room and slightly raised voices. She glanced in concern at Mrs. Annesley, hesitated at the door, and then entered when Richard gestured for her to come in.

“We must go, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bingley claimed, her voice more shrill than usual. “Surely you see the need to leave at once! Miss Bennet is a lovely girl, but her relations are crude and unrefined, as well as having ties in trade. It would be catastrophic if he were to make her an offer!”

“I see no reason for such an abrupt departure,” the Colonel interrupted in a repressive tone. “Miss Darcy and I only arrived a few days ago.”

“But the society here is unrefined and dull!” Miss Bingley replied. “Surely you and Miss Darcy would prefer to return to the delights of London!”

“Perhaps,” Darcy murmured hesitantly, “we should indeed depart for London. I am concerned about Mr. Bingley’s attraction to Miss Bennet as well.”

Georgiana stared in horror at her brother, who rigidly refused to meet her gaze.

“Darcy, may I speak to you for a few moments?” Colonel Fitzwilliam inquired in a steely tone which did not allow for a negative answer.

/

Darcy glanced around the library wearily before focusing in on Richard. The Colonel looked more stern than was his wont, and Darcy felt a twinge of anxiety at the man’s displeased countenance.

“Tell me the truth, Darcy. Is this about Miss Bennet or her younger sister, Miss Elizabeth?”

Darcy’s sudden intake of breath was, he hoped, not noticeable, and he schooled his features into their usual rigid lines, “I do not know of what you speak, Richard.”

The Colonel stared at his cousin and sighed, “It is truly incredible, Darcy. I value you as a man, a friend, and a cousin, but at times your arrogance is beyond bounds. It is in this case.”

“How can you say such a thing?” Darcy demanded angrily, beginning to pace up and down in the nearly empty library.

“You have been here but a few days, Richard, but you must have seen how her family acted at the ball; her mother loudly proclaiming to the world that Bingley would soon marry the eldest daughter, her younger sisters hanging on the words and arms of the members of the militia. Even her father, who is apparently a learned man, is so indolent as to refrain from constraining his wife and younger daughters. The family is a disgrace!”

The Colonel’s brows furrowed disapprovingly, “None of that changes the fact that Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth are absolutely charming. They are beautiful, intelligent, and graceful. What does it matter if the rest of the family displays poor manners on occasion? They are still delightful companions.”

Darcy sank into a nearby chair, his gaze fixed on Richard. Could it really be that simple? No, of course it was not. Richard clearly did not know all the details.

“She has family with ties to trade,” he said flatly. “Her maternal uncles are a lawyer and a tradesman in the city. Given Georgiana’s actions with Wickham, it is even more important that I marry extremely well.”

Colonel Fitzwilliam coughed suddenly, his eyes suddenly flaring wide, “What?”

“I cannot marry Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy said in frustration, running his hands through his usually well trained locks. “I must marry well. I am a Darcy …”

Richard interrupted him without compunction, “Do you mean to say you admire Miss Elizabeth?”

Now Darcy was bewildered, “Of course I do! I am, I admit, very strongly drawn to her but I know that my … “

He trailed off, starting in confusion at his cousin, “What did you think we were talking about, Richard?”

Richard stared at his cousin for a long moment and shook his head, “I thought you despised Miss Elizabeth, Darcy. I thought you loathed her so thoroughly, for some demented reason, that you were looking for an excuse to leave Netherfield to get away from her.”

“What would make you think I despised her?” Darcy demanded incredulously.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Richard drawled. “Maybe because at the ball, you spent a remarkable amount of time glowering at her. Maybe because according to Miss Bingley, the first time you were in company with Miss Elizabeth, the young lady tried to force you to dance with her, and you gave her a well-deserved snub by saying that she was ‘not handsome enough to dance with’. Maybe because …”

“Miss Bingley told you I said that?” Darcy asked in utter horror. Surely not. Miss Bingley had not been nearby when he had made that remark to Bingley!