George Wickham was the talk of the village. Within three days of his arrival, everyone knew the basics of his biography. He had been brought up on a great estate in Derbyshire. After attending Cambridge, he had planned a living in the church, but his dreams went unrealized because the money that should have been available for such a purpose had been denied him. However, being a gentleman, he would not name the person who had caused him so much personal suffering, and the Darcy name went unmentioned. Fortunately, he explained, he had many friends, among them Captain Denny, who had assisted him in securing a commission in the militia.
Because he was so handsome in his regimentals, gracious in his manners, and possessing a fine baritone voice, Wickham had been inundated with invitations to dinners and card parties. As a result, he had appeared almost nightly at some social event in the Meryton neighborhood, including a card party hosted by Mrs. Philips, the wife of the local solicitor, and the sister of Mrs. Bennet. Out of curiosity, Lizzy decided to attend.
As Elizabeth watched the gentleman move about the room, it was easy to see why he had the village all abuzz. He showed a genuine interest in his company, and with his deep, resonating voice, he had a way of conversing that created an intimacy that had some of the girls, as well as their mothers, all aflutter. Lizzy made no attempt to engage him. She was there to observe, not to be charmed, but as soon as she had stopped playing cards, Mr. Wickham sought her out.
“I did not think you would ever quit the whist table, so that I might seek an introduction,” Wickham said, after sitting on the sofa next to Lizzy.
“But you did not seek an introduction, sir.”
For a brief second, Lizzy saw a flash of displeasure before he stood up and asked Mrs. Pritchard to do the honors.
“So, Miss Bennet, now that we have been officially introduced, I am no longer at risk of being denied the pleasure of your company.”
They chatted about topics that Mr. Darcy would have found to be tedious: the weather, Meryton, the next assembly, the vicar and the important role the church played in the lives of its parishioners, and other such drawing-room topics. After those subjects were exhausted, Mr. Wickham mentioned Mr. Darcy.
“I believe we have an acquaintance in common, Miss Bennet: Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”
“Other than that he has an estate in Derbyshire and a house in town, I do not know very much about him. He is of a taciturn nature and says but little.”
“I know Mr. Darcy very well, as I was brought up on the Darcy estate. My father was the steward at Pemberley, a truly wonderful man, as was the elder Mr. Darcy,” and as he said this, his tone softened to great effect. “I wish I could say the same for the son.”
With Mr. Darcy’s warning echoing in her mind, she sat quietly, giving him no encouragement, but Mr. Wickham was determined to have his say.
“You might ask why I do not hold the son in the same regard as the father.” Fearing that Lizzy might not ask, he continued, “It was my greatest desire to study for the church, and the elder Mr. Darcy, recognizing my calling, left me a bequest sufficient to purchase a living. However, his son gave the living to another.”
“That is a truly shocking statement, Mr. Wickham,” Lizzy said in genuine amazement. “For Mr. Darcy to go against his father’s wishes, I assume you and the son had quarreled.”
“I wish that were the case. Then I could understand his actions.” Mr. Wickham went quiet and a look of sadness came over him, and Lizzy had the impression she was watching a performance. “We were friends all through our childhood. Although it was true we did not see each other much while at Cambridge, when we were in each other’s company, I sensed no rancor.”
“If you remained friends while you were at university together, how do you account for his subsequent actions?”
“Many a night I have lain awake trying to come up with a reason, but with little success. Possibly because of his superior rank and being free of his father’s guidance and supervision, he became conceited and arrogant. There might also have been some jealousy involved as his father made no attempt to hide his affection for me. When Mr. Darcy died, his son sought to diminish my importance by denying me the living I so ardently desired.”
“As I said, Mr. Wickham, I know little of the gentleman.”
“From what I have heard in the time I have been in Meryton, Mr. Darcy made a very poor first impression.”
“That is true,” Lizzy said, and her remark made Mr. Wickham smile. Wickham, who was used to women hanging on his every word, was unhappy with Lizzy’s reaction to his comments. Why was she not asking for more details about the injustices he had suffered? “However,” she added, “realizing he had slighted many, he made a real effort to begin anew.”
“That is typical of Mr. Darcy. He offends and gives the appearance of amendment. But I can assure you it does not last, and his true nature eventually emerges.”
“As to his true nature, at the moment he has succeeded in hiding it. He has been our guest at Longbourn on several occasions because his friend, Mr. Charles Bingley, is engaged to my sister Jane.”
This information startled Wickham, and he quickly looked about the room to see if Mr. Bingley was present.
“Mr. Bingley is not here, Mr. Wickham. He is at Longbourn visiting with my sister, and Mr. Darcy is in London with his sister. The two men are very close friends, and considering your description, I am surprised to find Mr. Darcy developed a friendship with someone not of his sphere. Do you know Mr. Bingley?”
“I do not. But do not be surprised by his friendship with someone who is his social inferior, as he is most comfortable when surrounded by subordinates and sycophants.”
“In light of all that you have told me, you will be happy to know that Mr. Darcy will be returning to London following a ball being hosted by Mr. Bingley at Netherfield. All of the officers have been invited. Will you be attending?”
“No, Miss Bennet, I will not. My temperament is such that I do not seek confrontation. If Mr. Darcy was to see me in his friend’s home, it might put him in a foul mood, and that would ruin the evening for others.” And that was his final word, as he stood up, bowed, and moved on in search of a friendlier audience.
When Lizzy returned home, she related the whole of the conversation to Jane and asked for her thoughts.
“I do not see how Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy could be friends if Mr. Darcy is so very bad, but Mr. Wickham’s recollections are so detailed.”
“I thought about that, and to my mind, he supplied too many details, especially in light of Mr. Darcy supplying none. Instead, Mr. Darcy relied on my knowledge of his character to make up my own mind.”
“But do you think there is any truth in what Mr. Wickham said?”
Lizzy quickly ran the events of the evening through her mind, as well as her last conversation with Mr. Darcy, and shook her head. “No, I do not. In fact, I suspect the injury was to Mr. Darcy and that is why Mr. Wickham is so eager to have us all think ill of him. In that way, we will be distracted from an examination of his character.”
“When I next see Charles, I will ask him what he knows about it.”
“Please do. Although Mr. Darcy has his faults, I do not think he is in any way dishonest or vengeful.”
“Lizzy, think of how much your opinion about Mr. Darcy has changed since that first meeting at the assembly.”
“Yes, my opinion of him altered when he came to Longbourn to apologize for his unkind words, especially since I would have thought I would have been beneath his notice.”
“You certainly are no longer beneath Mr. Darcy’s notice. All during the celebration of my engagement to Charles, Mr. Darcy was looking at you.”
“Jane, I like him very much, but you know very well that I am of a practical nature. I know that the Mr. Darcys of the world do not court the daughters of gentlemen farmers.”
“But by that measure, a man such as Charles, who could marry practically anyone because of his wealth, should not be interested in me.”
“I wish to take nothing away from Mr. Bingley, but he is not a Darcy and that may be a good thing. Unlike Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley is not burdened with a legacy that extends back to the Conquest and who must marry a lady of a rank. It is sad to think that with all of his money, his name, and his elevated position in society that happiness might elude him because he may have to marry a woman he does not love. On the other hand, it would be difficult to truly be miserable when you take into consideration the enormity of his wealth, his large estate in Derbyshire, and a house in town.”
“Elegant carriages and paintings by the Masters,” Jane said, adding to Lizzy’s list.
“An invitation to Almack’s.”
“Tickets to the opera.”
“A stable full of horses…”