If Only In His Dreams (10 page)

Darcy nodded his head.  “I look forward to spending time with the Bennet family, and I am certain that Mother will wish to join us.”

Lady Anne
agreed as she accompanied her son up the stairs and to his sitting room. 
After the door closed behind him, Darcy found his mother attempting to refrain from laughing aloud.  “You realize that Miss Bingley is quite jealous of Lizzy.  She fancies herself as perfect to be your wife.”

“And she has been told time and again that it will not happen.  No matter if I had ever met Lizzy or not, I still would not have been tempted to marry her.”

“She is a harpy and thinks she is of royal birth from the way she behaves.  I would love to see her go up against Rose Higgins and see how she measures up in society.”

A gentle laugh escaped him.  “Mother, you are far too cruel.  Mrs Higgins would devour Miss Bingley for a midday snack.  But I, too, would love to see the set down she would give Miss Bingley.  Better yet, allow Aunt Catherine to enjoy a chance to do the set down.  It has been quite some time since she has done so, all we would have to say is Miss Bingley is remarkably similar to Lord Matlock.”

“And you dare call me cruel.” 
Lady Anne
began to laugh in a very unladylike manner.  “
My dear boy, I have missed you these past weeks, as I have not laughed as much while you were gone.  Georgiana has been quite busy with her lessons and by dinner has been consumed; she is fatigued and ready to make her way to her rooms and sleep.”

“Are you certain that she is well?  Is this normal for her to tire so easily?” Darcy was quite concerned for his young sister.

“Do not
fret, William.  I spoke with Doctor Henderson.  He agrees that between the lessons, the exercise that she and her governess do each morning, and the fact that your sister is growing again, sleep is a normal requirement for someone of her age.”

“I worry for both of you, Mother.  You know that I cannot stand the thought of losing either of you.”

Lady Anne
placed a gentle hand on her son’s cheek.  “William, Georgiana will never be of a strong constitution as you.  She is not as frail as I, though she is not as robust as Lizzy.  Georgiana will always require a little more care, though she is not a porcelain doll either.”

“I will attempt to remember this, though it may be difficul
t to remember not to coddle her.  She is still such a child; I am sure that I will always think of her as my baby sister, no matter how old she is.”

“So, tell me of your urgent mission to speak with your beloved.  What happened that you need to go there tonight rather than tomorrow?” 
Lady Anne
was watching her son for signs of what had happened.

Darcy walked across the room, and, as was his common practice, stared out the window.  “After we spoke of Aunt Catherine and all she endured because of Uncle Henry forcing her to marry Sir Lewis, I realized that
to some degree, I had behaved as
reprehensible to Elizabeth.  Her brother and I made the arrangements and agreed to a marriage without even consulting her.  She was not asked if she wished to marry me, she was told she would be doing so.  Remembering Aunt Catherine, all that she suffered, I knew in my heart that I was wrong to behave as I did.  I love Elizabeth, with all of my heart, and would not be pleased if she were to
allow resentment to fester and overtake our relationship.  I wish to have her love.”

“There is a great deal of difference between you and Sir Lewis.  You would never lay a hand on Lizzy in anger, nor would you threaten her life as Sir Lewis did to my sister.  You may have been high handed in approaching her brother as you did, and not conferring with Lizzy, but you have made great strides to correct this issue.  And from what I have seen in just the short time I witnessed you together, I believe there is a great bond developing between you.”

Turning to face his mother, Darcy had a lost expression on his face.  “I told her that I would release her from the agreement if that is her wish.  I do not wish to force her into a marriage against her will.  I wish only her health and happiness.”

“Your love is strong if you
are willing to go against what you wish to honor her feelings in the matter.  What was her response?”

“She did not wish to be released from the agreement.
” A dimpled smile graced Darcy’s cheeks.  “I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I am to know she will still have me.”

“Then I will tell you what your grandfather told your father; never take her for granted and love her every day of your lives together.”

“I will do just that, Mother.  You can rest assured, I will always love her.”

Chapter 10

Elizabeth had walked to Meryton with her friend Charlotte the following morning.  Charlotte’s sister, Maria, accompanied them, for she wished to find some new ribbon for her gown.  As they neared the millinery, two young men, dressing in regimentals were walking towards them.  The one man was known to Maria.  “Mr Denny, how pleasant to see you today.” The girl remarked.

“It has been near a week, Miss Maria.  And who might these young ladies be?”

“This is my sister, Charlotte Lucas, and our dear friend and neighbor, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  Ladies, this is Lieutenant Denny, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Long’s home last week.”

Denny bowed to the ladies.  “And this is my friend, Lieutenant Wickham, who has just joined our regiment.  I am certain that he will be quite a favorite amongst the ladies in the neighborhood.”

The ladies all curtseyed to the men.  “
So, Mr Wickham,
have
you
been
in the militia before, or is this a new career?” Charlotte inquired.

“I have
not.  But mine is a sad tale, due to some difficulties with a former friend who has treated me ill.”

“How sad for you.” Elizabeth found the young lieutenant to be handsome, though there was something about his manners that made her curious.  “And where do you call home when you are not in the militia?”

“I am from Derbyshire, Miss Bennet.  I was born there and lived there until I was near twenty five.”

“Derbyshire?  Why, I have been to Derbyshire, for my aunt spent her youth there in the village of Lambton.”

“Do say.  What a coincidence this is.  When were you there?” Wickham was slightly nervous at the news.

“It has been several years now.  I found it
quite beautiful;
the natural beauty was
so breathtaking.  Where in Derbyshire to you hale from?”

“I was born and raised at the estate of Pemberley, not but five miles from Lambton.”  Wickham stated.  His behavior became somber.  “If it were not for the current Master of Pemberley, I would be there still.  His father, God bless him, was a kind and loving man.  He had left me a valuable living at the parish in Kympton.  But the son refused to acknowledge his father’s wishes, out of jealousy and spite.”

Maria gasped.  “How cruel a man. For this man to behave so against a man who would do the Lord’s work, it is truly appalling.”

Elizabeth had a feeling that she knew the answer to her question before she even asked it.  But she felt it was necessary to ask.  “And who is this Master of the estate that has done you such harm?”

Not knowing that any of the Darcys were in the area, Wickham felt free to make his claims.  “Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy is the man.  His father treated me as a son and loved me more, and because of it, the son
has been cruel towards me.  He denied me the living which would have allowed me to live comfortably, forcing me to place my life in jeopardy in the militia.”

“How did you come to know the Darcys?” Elizabeth asked.

“My father was the steward for the late Mr Darcy. 
I grew up with the current Mr Darcy, even went to school with him, as his father wished for me to have a gentleman’s life.”

“Why, there is a Mr Darcy here in the neighborhood.” Maria replied.  “I believe that he is from Derbyshire.  Eliza, is that not where Mr Darcy and his family are from?”

Nodding her head, Elizabeth replied.  “Yes, Mr Darcy, his mother, Lady Anne, and his sister, Miss Darcy, are from Pemberley.” Turning towards Wickham, she continued.  “The Darcy family is staying with Mr Darcy’s friend at Netherfield Park.”

“And Mr Darcy is courting Eliza.” Maria said with a smile.

Shocked to hear that his stoic friend was finding the charms of a young lady, especially th
is young lady before him, to be acceptable, Wickham took a greater interest in Elizabeth Bennet.  Though she was pretty, and had a luscious figure, from what he could tell, she was a country miss.  Wickham had expected to see Darcy settled down with some daughter of the elite of the Ton.

“How interesting, Miss Bennet, as I was led to believe that Mr Darcy was engaged to his cousin, Miss de Bourgh.”

Having already been told of his uncle’s demands that Darcy was to marry Anne de Bourgh, Elizabeth was not surprised at the statement.  “No, Mr Darcy has never been engaged to Miss de Bourgh, it was only a wish of his uncle, Lord Matlock.  Miss de Bourgh is actually engaged to Mr Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.  Do you know that gentleman?”

“Indeed.  He was very close to Mr Darcy, spending a great deal of time, during their youth, together.  The man can be quite intimidating.”
             

Charlotte smiled.  “Well, as he is a colonel in His Majesty’s army, being intimidating may be a good thing.”

Elizabeth began to laugh.  “I so agree with you, Charlotte.  What good would he do if he appeared welcoming to his
enemies?
”

“Well, I believe we should be on our way, as we have some shopping to do before heading home.” Charlotte said, looking at her friend who gave a small nod of her head.
Looking back at the men, she continued.
“
It was a pleasure to meet you both.  I pray that you enjoy your stay in the neighborhood.”

“Wit
h such fine young ladies as you,
I am quite certain that we will.” Wickham smiled as the men bowed to the ladies before they left towards the mercantile.

Maria could not control her curiosity.  “Such inte
resting information of Mr Darcy,
whatever could be his reason for treating poor Mr Wickham so cruelly?”

“Maria, you have only heard Mr Wickham’s tale, and though he seems kind, the fact that he so willingly spoke of his ills to us after only moments of knowing us is surprising indeed.” Charlotte was level headed in her thinking, and could always be counted on to look at issues from many views.

“But Charlotte, Eliza is being c
ourted by this man, how can we not be concerned for our friend’s safety?”

Elizabeth looked at Maria.  “Believe me, Maria, if Mr Darcy was a cruel and heartless man as Mr Wickham implied, it would be a concern.  I have come to believe that Mr Darcy is one of the best men I have ever known.  There is more to
this story with Mr Wickham than
he is claiming.”

Having found the items they were shopping for, the ladies left Meryton to make their way to their homes.  What was not known to them was the fact that they were being watched.  Wickham was intrigued to know more of the lady who had won Darcy’s heart, and
he began to imagine ways to get even with his old friend.

What Wickham had failed to speak of with his new friends was the fact that Darcy had given his former friend financial compensation for Wickham signing a release in regards to the living at Kympton.  Wickham had told Darcy he had no plans to take orders, and as such, he wished money instead.  Besides the one thousand pounds that had been designated in Gerald Darcy’s will to be given to Wickham, Darcy gave him another three thousand in lieu of the living.  A year ago, Wickham had returned to Darcy, stating his desire to take orders and wished for the living that was left to him by Gerald Darcy.  Darcy
refused
this request, and denied giving Wickham any further support.
  Wickham was furious, as he felt that Gerald Darcy would have given him money to support his life.  He also had convinced himself that he should be the rightful heir, that Darcy did not deserve the inheritance.