Page 26 of The Talented Daughters of Longbourn

The Phillips’ Home

Meryton

That Evening

The room was hot, filled as it was with people as well as the fire roaring in the hearth.

Sir William stood with a cup of punch in one hand, talking to a knot of red-coated officers and occasionally bursting out in a roar of genial laughter.

His wife was gossiping busily with some of the other matrons of Meryton, Maria beside her, and yet more officers swirled through the room.

“Go in, my dears, do go in,” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, ushering Kitty and Lydia ahead of her. “Do not stand around in the doorway so!” But there was no rancor in her voice; oh how happy she was! To think, of all her daughters, it was Mary who wedded first!

Behind her and the girls, Edward Gardiner took in the scene with a sweeping glance. He would be certain to watch his nieces carefully this evening, with so many unknown men about.

Their hostess stepped forward, her rather plain face animated by excitement and affection .

“My dears!” Mrs. Phillips exclaimed, beaming at her relations. “Oh, how happy I am for Mary! Such a lovely bride! Now do come and meet Mr. Wickham, my loves! He is quite the most handsome officer present!”

Lydia and Kitty exchanged pleased looks, and then obediently followed their aunt over to a throng of officers, who were gathered around a blond-haired, blue-eyed gentleman of medium height, whose figure and form were perfect.

Lydia could not help but heave out a sigh of admiration.

Mr. Wickham truly was a very handsome man; if he could act, he would be a marvelous Edward IV in the play Richard III !

“What is my role?” Kitty whispered into her younger sister’s ear.

“Stay close to me, and bat your lashes at him,” Lydia whispered back.

“Mrs. Phillips!” the blond gentleman exclaimed, bowing dramatically. “I must say that your table and your company are quite the finest I have seen in many months. I am so grateful for your invitation.”

“Oh, Mr. Wickham, you are too kind,” his hostess replied, turning pink with pleasure. “Now I must introduce my youngest nieces to you. Kitty, Lydia, Lieutenant Wickham. Lieutenant, my two nieces, Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia Bennet, daughters of my sister Mrs. Bennet. ”

Wickham turned to regard the ladies and allowed his eyes to brighten and his mouth to quirk up in what he knew to be a charming way.

“Ladies, it is such an honor to meet you!” he declared, bowing a little more than was strictly necessary.

“Oh, Mr. Wickham!” Lydia squealed and showed her even white teeth. “Oh, it is such an honor to meet you as well!”

Kitty also batted her eyelashes at the man, though she was not certain that their new acquaintance noticed her.

She was not bothered; she knew herself to be pretty, but Lydia was far more outgoing and charismatic.

The youngest Miss Bennet was, in fact, a force to be reckoned with, though naturally, none of the officers knew that she had come in search of information.

“Shall I obtain a glass of punch for you both?” Captain Carter asked.

“Oh, thank you, Captain!” Lydia exclaimed, and then turned toward her sister. “Shall we cross over to the sitting room, Kitty? It is such a crush here. I can hardly hear myself speak!”

“Pray lead the way,” Wickham replied, and the two girls walked out of the drawing room, across the hall, and into a room made up in blues and greens.

Lydia sat down on a loveseat and gestured for Kitty to sit down next to her.

Wickham waited until the ladies had seated themselves before he sat down across from them.

A minute later, Captain Carter appeared with two glasses of punch, which he handed over to the girls with a bow.

“Oh, thank you,” Lydia cried out. “You are too kind, Mr. Carter. Now, Mr. Wickham, I do hope you do not think me terribly forward, but Meryton is such a dull place, you know, and we rarely have such interesting visitors. Kitty and I are so excited to have such fine gentlemen to speak with! Pray do tell us, where are you from? Have you ever been to London?”

Kitty clenched her teeth to keep from chuckling aloud. Lydia did such a superb job of acting the innocent, naive country girl!

“Why yes, Miss Lydia, Miss Kitty,” Wickham said, smiling tolerantly at them both. “Indeed, I spent the last several years in London, though I was born and raised in Derbyshire.”

“Oh, like Mr. and Miss Darcy!” Lydia declared, and Kitty flinched a little. Yes, her sister intended to learn about Wickham’s relationship with the Darcys, but was it wise to introduce the subject so quickly, so crudely?

Kitty, who was watching Wickham carefully over the top of her punch glass, observed a flash of concern on the gentleman’s face, which swiftly gave way to a solemn look, even as Mr. Carter, who had taken his place in another chair, sighed aloud.

Wickham shot a remonstrating glance at his fellow officer and then said, “Yes, like the Darcys. Indeed, I grew up at Pemberley, which is the Darcys’ estate. My father was the steward there for many years.”

“Oh!” Lydia exclaimed, opening her eyes a little wider. “What an amazing coincidence! Is Pemberley a fine estate?”

“Yes. It is large, well maintained, and wealthy. Darcy earns ten thousand pounds a year, at least.”

“Well,” Lydia said, as she rolled her eyes, “I was planning to ask what you think of Mr. Darcy, but given how very proud he is, I am certain you do not know! He would hardly deign to spend time with a steward’s son, I suppose, no matter how charming and handsome.”

Kitty saw Captain Carter open his mouth, and then close it without speaking.

“You are, of course, quite correct, Miss Lydia,” Wickham said and smiled charmingly. “I fear the Darcys take great pride in both their wealth and their heritage; their uncle on their mother’s side is an earl.”

“An earl!” Lydia cried out. “How extraordinary! And rather unfortunate, I think, since it gives him even more reason to be arrogant! ”

Wickham hesitated and then pasted on a smile. “I presume this means you are not an admirer of Mr. Darcy?”

Lydia wrinkled her nose and said, “Did you hear that the very day we met Mr. Darcy, he insulted my sister, Elizabeth, by saying that she ‘was tolerable, but not handsome enough’ to tempt him to dance? Poor Lizzy, to be only just tolerable!”

Wickham noticeably relaxed and said, “I am sorry that my godfather’s son has displayed himself so poorly among the fine inhabitants of this town, but it is no surprise. He has always been terribly haughty and inclined to think better of himself than others. Indeed, once…”

/

Longbourn

The Next Morning

Elizabeth stifled a yawn as she descended the stairwell from the west wing.

She had not slept much, but given how poorly her father was doing, she had been unable to stay in bed for more than a few hours.

Jane was currently sitting with Mr. Bennet, and Elizabeth would eat before taking her place.

Not that she was especially hungry, but she – they all – needed to keep up their strength.

She stepped into the breakfast parlor and was mildly surprised to find her youngest sister there. Lydia, Kitty, and Mrs. Bennet had returned late from the Phillips’ party, and she had expected them all to stay late abed.

“Good morning, Lydia,” she said, hurrying over to the buffet in search of sustenance.

“Good morning, Lizzy,” Lydia replied from her place at the table. “How is Father?”

Elizabeth sighed, poured herself a cup of coffee, and took a sip. “He is worsening. Jane is with him now, and Mr. Jones might be there as well.”

“You look very tired.”

“I was up with him until three o’clock in the morning. Jane took over then. How was the party at our Aunt Phillips’? Did you learn anything about Lieutenant Wickham?”

Lydia hesitated. In truth, she had learned a great deal, but given that their father was dying, was it appropriate to speak of a gentleman of no direct concern to the Bennets?

“Do go ahead, Lyddy,” Elizabeth said. “I am so weary of thinking and worrying about Father that I would appreciate some kind of distraction.”

Lydia smiled gratefully, and after taking a bite of toast, chewing, and swallowing, she said, “Maria Lucas is correct that Mr. Wickham is very good looking. He is blond with clear blue eyes, and he has a very fine figure. He is also charming, both in his speech and his tone.”

“You like him, then?” Elizabeth asked.

Lydia sipped her tea and then said, “I do not pretend to know his true character. He is an actor. Not professionally, of course, but I recognize him for what he is. It is all an act. He is playing the part of the captivating gentleman with nothing to hide, with a slight flavor of the orphaned youth who has been persecuted by the evil Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”

“What did he say about the Darcys?” Elizabeth demanded.

Lydia put down her cup and leaned back. “It took rather a while to obtain the whole story, but the substance is as follows; Mr. Darcy’s father was very fond of Mr. Wickham and was, in fact, his godfather.

Mr. Darcy was jealous of Wickham because his father liked Wickham better than he liked his own son.

When the elder Mr. Darcy died, the current heir refused to give Mr. Wickham a valuable church living which the elder Mr. Darcy intended for his godson.

Now Mr. Wickham is poor and struggling, but always nobly and ever so bravely. ”

Elizabeth could not help but smile at the sarcasm in her sister’s tone. “What of Miss Darcy? Did he say anything about her?”

“He said only that she was proud and arrogant, which is, of course, not true.”

“Indeed it is not,” Elizabeth agreed. She considered for a long moment and then said, “I am rather surprised at Mr. Wickham’s courage – or idiocy – in saying such things to you.

According to Maria Lucas, Mr. Darcy physically attacked Mr. Wickham.

It seems unwise to gossip negatively about a man who is wealthy, well connected, and willing to use his fists to defend his name. ”

“Oh, Mr. Wickham was hesitant at first, but I told him about Mr. Darcy’s initial insult of you, and acted the young and idiotic innocent, and he was entirely taken in!”

“Are you quite certain?” her elder sister asked worriedly. “Perhaps he recognized the actress in you!”

“I am certain he did not,” Lydia said promptly.

“Uncle Josiah has long said that I have good instincts about other people. I am certain that Mr. Wickham does not think much of women in general, and flirtatious young ladies in particular. No, I am confident he thinks I am a vapid fool who can be led to believe whatever the lieutenant wants me to believe!”

Elizabeth shook her head with disapproval. “Given his lies about Miss Darcy, he seems an unpleasant person and not safe at all. You and Kitty must be careful in his company.”

“We will be, I promise you. And we were entirely safe last night, because Uncle Gardiner kept a close eye on us.”

“I am thankful,” Elizabeth said, just as the door opened and Mrs. Bennet bustled in, her blue eyes bright, her lace cap tied becomingly over her still blonde hair.

She had been a transcendent beauty in her youth, and even now she was an attractive woman when her face was not set in peevish or anxious lines.

“Well, my dears, one of you is safely wed, and the party last night was truly enjoyable! The new lieutenant, Mr. Wickham, is a most handsome gentleman, is he not? I saw you and Kitty speaking at some length with him, Lydia. Do you know if he has a good income?”

“I fear he does not, Mamma,” Lydia said before taking a bite of ham.

“Oh, what a pity!” her mother exclaimed. “Well, in any case, you can enjoy his attentions. I heard that Colonel Forster is planning to host a ball soon, and the officers are all good dancers!”

The door opened again and Jane entered with the apothecary, Mr. Jones, at her heels, and the expression on Miss Bennet’s face was such that Elizabeth found herself on her feet, her hands clenched, her eyes bright with tears.

“Is Father…?” she croaked.

“Yes,” Mr. Jones said gently. “I am most grieved to inform you that Mr. Bennet breathed his last some ten minutes ago, and he is now with our Savior in heaven.”

Silence fell for a full thirty seconds, and then Mrs. Bennet began screaming.