With Mr. Bingley coming to Longbourn every afternoon, it wasn’t but a day or two before the subject of Mr. Wickham arose, and Jane was able to share with Lizzy what she had learned.
“Charles said that in all the time he has known Mr. Darcy, the name ‘Wickham’ has come up only once. It was when they were discussing how powerful people attract enemies. Mr. Darcy said he knew of his having only one enemy, the son of his late steward, and that Wickham had ‘injured his family.’”
“He said ‘his family,’ not just himself? Then this must have something to do with his sister.”
“When Charles realized Mr. Wickham was included in the invitation to all of the officers,” Jane continued, “he offered to speak to Colonel Forster. But Darcy told him that it was unnecessary, saying, ‘He will not come. He is a liar, and you cannot lie about a fellow if he is in the same room with you.’
“Charles was all praise for Mr. Darcy, and although it is never discussed, he is aware that there were some in London who criticized Mr. Darcy for his friendship with a man whose fortune was made in trade. Charles emphasized that the most important person in Mr. Darcy’s life is his sister, which is the main reason he travels so frequently to town, but there is another reason for his visits. Because the heir to the Darcy estate must be a male, Georgiana Darcy cannot inherit. Therefore, Mr. Darcy must take a wife and have a son. During this past season, he seemed to settle on Miss Letitia Montford, the daughter of Sir John Montford, and the granddaughter of the Earl of Darent.”
“If he intends to make Miss Montford his wife, why did Mr. Darcy come to Hertfordshire for such a lengthy visit?”
“Because Mr. Darcy has little enthusiasm for the match, and Charles said it is getting worse, not better. Although he honored Miss Montford with his attentions during the season, when everyone went back to their country estates, Mr. Darcy went to Derbyshire with his sister. For the whole month of August, while Miss Montford was in the country with her family, he never visited her.
“I also learned Mr. Darcy’s name was once linked to Mrs. Conway, the widow of a Whig Member of Parliament. She is a few years older than he is, but because there was no issue from her marriage to Mr. Conway, Charles believes marriage was never a consideration. He added that Mr. Darcy would not even consider what he calls ‘the latest crop’ of eighteen-year-olds, as he craves mature conversation and debate. He likes to be challenged.”
“And Miss Montford is lacking in that area?”
“Apparently. But even so, after the ball, he is to return to London to begin the courtship in earnest or he risks hearing from Sir John that he is playing loose with his daughter’s affections by his inconstant attentions.”
“To a man like Mr. Darcy, such a charge would be insupportable, so there is little doubt he will marry Miss Montford.”
Jane looked at her sister and thought what Lizzy could not say. She was in love with Mr. Darcy, and in all likelihood, Mr. Darcy was falling in love with her. But they were destined to be separated because of class differences.
“Do not look at me like that, Jane. I already have a plan. I shall ask Mr. Bingley to introduce me to some of his wealthy friends, but from a less lofty position in society than Mr. Darcy. However, if I do not find a husband, I shall live in an attic room at Netherfield and become the governess to your many children.”
Jane took her sister’s hand in hers and smiled. “Lizzy, I would never make you live in the attic, and you have my permission to teach the children how to play the pianoforte but, please, no French. Your accent is worse than mine.”
Although the two sisters laughed, Jane could not continue to appear cheerful when she was not. The thought that there would be no Mr. Bingley in her sister’s life made her profoundly sad.
“Please do not trouble yourself on my account,” Lizzy said. “I shall go to the ball and position myself in such a way that Mr. Darcy will be forced to ask me to dance. I shall write at length about it in my diary, and then I shall turn the page and write of other things. As I have repeatedly told you, I am of a practical nature, and I never imagined that it would end in any other way.”
Georgiana wished she could fall asleep in a carriage the way her lady’s maid, Mrs. Brotherton, and her brother’s man-servant, Mercer, did. But the rocking of the carriage that lulled them to sleep kept her awake as she could not block out the sound of the grinding of the wheels or the sound of the whip. With her companion in a deep sleep, she looked to her brother for conversation.
“Will, when you visited Miss Montford, did you notice her new coiffure?”
Darcy shook his head. This disappointed Georgiana because it was she who had encouraged Letitia to adopt a softer look. “Because her face is so angular, I suggested she not wear it so high and to have curls around her face to make it look rounder.”
“You know I do not pay attention to such things, but I promise to take notice when I next see her,” and he turned his attention to the passing countryside.
“May I ask when that will be?”
“As I have said, after the ball at Netherfield.” Looking at his sister with a quizzical expression, he asked, “Is that why you have come along—to drag me back to London to court Miss Montford as soon as the ball is over?”
“Of course not,” she answered quickly. “I would never try to force you to do anything.”
Darcy could see he had hurt his sister’s feelings, and so he gave her his full attention. “We have already established that Miss Montford is all that a young lady of twenty-two years should be, so why are you so concerned?”
“Caroline Bingley.”
“Surely, you do not think I am in danger of being ensnared by Miss Bingley.”
“Not Miss Bingley in particular, but someone like her. For example, Augusta Selridge, who is very beautiful…”
“…and a viper. You look surprised that I know her true nature. That is why I move slowly and methodically, so I am not taken in by someone like Miss Selridge.”
“You are my darling brother, and all I want is for you to marry someone who is sweet and kind and who will be a good wife to you.”
“Then you will be comforted to know that when I placed the advertisement for a wife in The Times those were my exact specifications.”
Her brother’s good humor seemed to reassure Georgiana, and despite claims that she never slept while on the road, she dozed off, leaving Will to his thoughts. He suspected that returning to Hertfordshire was probably a bad idea, as any hope of his coming together with Elizabeth Bennet collided with the reality of their situations. But he had to see her one more time. In that way, it might be possible to banish her from his dreams.
When Georgiana awoke, her brother informed her that they were within a few miles of Netherfield, and his sister, who loved meeting new people and visiting new places, asked about the neighborhood. After hearing Will’s description, she decided it was little different from the village of Lambton near Pemberley.
“It is a market town, Georgiana, so if you need ribbon or hose, you will be able to find it easily.”
“But what of the ladies? Are there many pretty girls here to tempt a gentleman?”
“A few. There is a Miss King, who has pretty red hair, a Miss Long, who has lovely hands, and a Miss Robinson, who is attractive in profile,” and Will tapped his teeth to indicate her defect.
“And what of Miss Bennet’s sisters?”
“They are an attractive family. The eldest and the three younger sisters are light of hair and comely. Only the second eldest has dark hair, which is very curly and difficult to restrain, and she is always putting it back in place. She has luminous dark eyes, almost like onyx, that reflect the light, and a very pretty smile.”
Unrestrained curls? Onyx eyes? For a man who said he did not notice such things about a lady, that was a very detailed description, Georgiana thought.
“What is her name?”
“Did I not say? Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But you will have an opportunity to meet all of them at the ball. We are very near to Longbourn, so you might gently nudge Mrs. Brotherton.”
“Longbourn? I thought the name of the estate was Netherfield Park?”
“I meant to say Netherfield Park. Longbourn is the Bennet estate.”
“I am looking forward to meeting all of the Bennet sisters,” Georgiana told her brother, and she was most especially interested in meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet.