Page 103 of A Most Beloved Sister
When she and Wickham came together for one of the moves, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I want to marry your sister.”
The shock of it made her stare at him, which in turn caused her to miss a step and nearly collide with Penelope Long. “Watch it, Lizzy!” Penelope cried out, nimbly spinning out of the way just in time.
Elizabeth apologized and regained her footing. At the next opportunity, she hissed at Wickham, “Lydia?”
“No, Kitty,” he responded before jumping away to join hands with another partner.
This too was a surprise, but Elizabeth was able to keep to her part in the dance without causing any further accidents. Fortunately, the steps changed, and she and Wickham were brought together again for the next several measures. Their eyes met with intensity as they spun around the room.
“You really had no idea this was coming?” Wickham asked her.
“None at all!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Even when she was asking me earlier about how to know if a man truly loved her, I didn’t think… that is, you seemed so interested in Lydia…”
He grimaced. “I can see we need to speak in more detail. Here, pretend to hurt your ankle.”
“What?”
Before she could process what he had said, he stepped left instead of right, causing her to stumble. “Oh, Miss Bennet!” he exclaimed in a loud voice. “How could I be so clumsy? Oh dear, you’re limping!”
Having not even taken a step, she gave him an exasperated look. He returned it with a raise of his eyebrows. “Here, allow me to help you to a chair.”
Once she was settled and the few well-wishers were shooed away, Elizabeth looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You were saying?” she asked coolly.
He took a deep breath. “Initially, I was drawn toward Miss Lydia’s lively nature. I quickly realized, however, that there was nothing of substance beneath it. She is simply too young, especially for an old soldier like me. What harm could there be, I thought, in some mild flirtation, especially when I was not in any position to wed a young woman of little fortune? I did make that extremely clear from the very beginning.”
She nodded slowly. “My younger sisters do not quite understand that handsome young officers must have something to live on as well as the plain ones. Daughters of gentlemen who are rumored to have little by way of dowry cannot expect to wed on love alone and still maintain a comfortable lifestyle when the man has no money.”
“Precisely. But then, as I spent more time at Longbourn and your aunt’s home, I came to know your sister Kitty better. There are hidden depths to her that get overshadowed by her younger sister’s…”
“Exhibitionism?” Elizabeth suggested.
A tinge of pink lit up his cheekbones. “She and I have had conversations in which I have shared things about myself that I never have with anyone. Herjoie de vivreis balanced with an empathy beyond her years, and for an experienced soldier, it’s the balm of Gilead.”
Elizabeth felt as though her heart would burst. “I think you need to speak with my father.”
He shook his head. “My pay isn’t enough to support a wife, even with Darcy’s generous gift; at least, not in the manner to which Kitty is accustomed.”
She glanced around the room. Another dance had begun, and they were mostly hidden by a plant. Leaning forward, she placeda hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. “We’re friends, are we not? Do you trust me?”
Wickham nodded slowly.
“Then do as I say. Go speak to my father. Right now. Tell him what you told me. I promise you, all will be well.”
Looking at her dumbfounded, he remained motionless. She leaned forward and urged again, this time more forcefully, “Go!”
He stood quickly from his seat and turned to face the room. His eyes scanned the crowd until he located Mr. Bennet on the other side of the dance floor with Mr. Phillips. Turning back to Elizabeth, he smiled at her in thanks. “Please excuse me.”
She held out her hand. He kissed it with affectionate gallantry; then he quickly made his way through the crowd.
Elizabeth sat back in her chair, her cheeks aching from the wide smile that had spread across her face. When Kitty had spoken of a young man hesitant about proclaiming his love, she had worried a scoundrel was soliciting favors. She was pleased to discover that the truth was just the opposite; he didn’t think he could marry her, so he didn’t want to engage her affections or risk her reputation.
Integrity of that sort didn’t come along every day. With the money her father had been secretly investing all these years—as well as Bingley’s refusal of Jane’s dowry—each of the four Bennet daughters would receive her share of the thirty thousand pounds upon her marriage from their father, as well as the five thousand pounds divided among them from their mother upon her death.
It would be more than enough for Major and Kitty Wickham.
To maintain the illusion of an injured ankle, Elizabeth sat out the following set as well before declaring her pain entirely gone. She enjoyed two more dances before Sir William stepped forward and motioned for the musicians to take another break.
“While these fine gentlemen are wetting their whistles, so to speak, I have the privilege—nay, the very great honor—of presenting Mr. Thomas Bennet, who has some announcements of no small import to share with all of you.”
