Page 20 of To Go Against Her Heart
“And our dearest Lizzy, second to Jane in both birth and beauty, will be the next to get married. Hopefully, when a suitable gentleman offers for her.”
Elizabeth held her breath, and her father saw her distress.
“Mrs. Bennet, I warn you not to discuss our daughter’s personal affairs with Mr. Collins now or in the future. I am not amused at the least by this conversation,” he glared at his wife.
Mr. Collins was alarmed by Mr. Bennet’s anger and went on for the next half an hour to apologize for causing it. Elizabethwitnessed something in her mother’s eyes that scared her, and she was certain that her mother favored Mr. Collins as her son-in-law for reasons quite understandable to her. She hoped against hope that the man would leave soon without causing her unwanted distress.
***
The same week saw another new arrival in Hertfordshire. Wickham was in a foul mood as he set foot in the village of Meryton, and the sight of his lodgings served only to heighten his displeasure.
If I had married her or at least gotten hold of some money by blackmailing her brother, I would never have to set foot in such lousy places. What am I to do in this wretched village?
He had joined the regiment, hoping to find opportunities to trap wealthy women with the status of an officer. But to his dismay, the head of the regiment, Colonel Forster, ran a tight ship, and he was unable to succeed in his pursuits. Nevertheless, he was not inclined to give up and endeavored to gain some understanding of the families in the neighborhood.
“I knew you would be interested in knowing about the pretty women in the neighborhood. Though it has been but a couple of weeks for us here, I enjoyed the company of many pretty girls. There is one, Miss Bennet, who is extraordinarily beautiful, a blonde. Her sisters are pretty as well and great flirts. There is Miss King, who is quite beautiful also, and she seems to have a huge dowry,” Captain Denny mentioned.
Wickham heard the details with little excitement.
“And there is the Bingley family, who have lately removed from town to Netherfield Park. Miss Bingley, I should say—though wealthy and elegant—looks upon us as if we were a plague.”
“Is that so? I wonder why.”
“I heard from her brother, Mr. Hurst, that she does not favor the country much.”
“Well! As much as the options seem very trivial for my standards, I am eager to get acquainted with all these ladies and try my luck.”
“I warn you again, Wickham. I had a tough time silencing the maid in town from reporting you to the Colonel; I hope you will not do anything to get into trouble. You need this position to save yourself from all your debts.”
“But if my pursuit would help me settle well, I am certain the risk is worth taking,” he said with resolve.
The very next day, he was thrilled to get acquainted with Jane and her younger sisters when he was invited to a gathering at Mr. Phillips’s house along with the other officers. He was quite taken by Jane’s beauty and quickly understood that her dowry was a meager sum that could never tempt him.
“Mr. Wickham, we are truly delighted to have you join us today, and I am certain the young ladies will mirror my sentiments,” Mrs. Phillips said.
“The pleasure has been mine, madam. It is very generous of you to entertain us with such delightful company,” he replied charmingly.
Lydia and Kitty were taken with Wickham and found him to be extremely handsome. Wickham, on the other hand, was greatly disappointed not to have met any woman whom he might be inclined to pursue. He felt a certain curiosity to see Elizabeth, having been told by his friend Denny of her remarkable beauty.
“Why is Miss Bennet’s sister not here?” he asked Denny.
“I do not know; I have seen her a few times in the village, but not in many gatherings. She is very beautiful; I can assure you that.”
While conversing with his friend, he overheard something that captured his interest.
“I hope the supper party at Lucas Lodge will provide good entertainment for the weekend. My husband mentioned that Mr. Bingley and his sisters are going to attend. He seems to miss the company of his friend after all,” Mrs. Phillips said to one of her friends.
“I do not know what he sees in that man; Mr. Darcy seems too proud to fit into our society.”
Wickham could not believe his ears when he heard Darcy’s name mentioned. As much as he was surprised, it made him very nervous to entertain the thought of facing Darcy after almost a year. He could not understand why Darcy had traveled to Hertfordshire, of all places in the country. However, he was able to get some insight into the matter from Mr. Phillips.
“What a coincidence it is to understand that you were also raised in Derbyshire. Mr. Darcy must have been delighted to meet you had you arrived a few weeks earlier. He was here to assist his friend Mr. Bingley, a wonderful gentleman, currently leasing Netherfield Park.”
“I see; yes, it would have indeed been a good occasion to see him and renew our acquaintance. Is he to return soon?” Wickham asked anxiously.
“I do not think so. Mr. Darcy declared that he had no plans of returning in the near future, and he seemed to miss his sister a lot. I assume she stayed with his uncle, the Earl of Matlock.”
Wickham nodded in relief. He was well aware that Darcy would explicitly avoid him if they were to meet, and he understood that he had narrowly missed being exposed to the world by his former childhood friend.
