Mary Simonsen - A Wife for Mr Darcy

“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…”

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.