Unforgiving Temper (6 page)

Stiffening at the young man's attempt to
assist her, she turned an angry countenance to Darcy. “I am most
seriously displeased and I am by no means finished; you may depend
upon it!”

Darcy's inflexible silence and stony
expression did nothing to assuage her fury. Pushing aside the
footman, she stormed down the hallway and out of Burnham House,
muttering viciously, “You have made your choice, Nephew. Now I
shall make mine!”

* * * *

The avenue was nearly deserted as the elegant
chaise-and-four slowly made its way around St. James Park. Within
the equipage, Lady Catherine de Bourgh huffed with irritation.
This was the second time in as many days that she was being forced
to yield to another – something she was not accustomed to in the
least. She would have refused the meeting entirely had it not held
such alluring possibilities. A meeting with the devil himself would
be endured if she thought it could bring Darcy to his senses!

Forcing herself to concentrate on the matter
at hand, Lady Catherine sniffed delicately and looked out to
the green expanse of lawn. The slow, peaceful pace she had
instructed the driver to follow only agitated her impatience.

“What is the hour?” she demanded, giving a
sharp rap of her cane on the carriage roof.

Startled by the sudden outburst, the coachman
quickly consulted his pocket watch. “Five past nine o'clock,
m'lady.”

Exasperated, she opened her mouth to order
they leave at once, then snapped it shut as she spied the tall
figure she had been waiting for striding across the lawn in her
direction. Immediately, she ordered her driver to stop, allowing
the young man to quickly close the distance.

She sniffed again as he neared. It had been
several years since she last saw George Wickham, but he had not
changed in essentials. The young upstart still had a look of
inferior quality and lacked a certain air in the manner of his
walk. He was not the sort of man she was in the habit of engaging,
and she would not have condescended to this audience at all had
Darcy been more accommodating.

This was yet another unpleasant duty forced
upon her by the impudence of Elizabeth Bennet. Yesterday's failure
to secure Darcy's assurances against any alliance with the scheming
little fortune hunter had forced her hand. Lady Catherine's
fingers absently toyed with the piece of paper lying in her lap.
When Wickham's intriguing note had been delivered to her theatre
box the night before, she had viewed it as a means of last resort;
but now it was her only means of saving the family honor and Darcy
from himself.

“You are late!” Lady Catherine snapped
as Wickham entered the carriage.

“Yes, ma'am. I do apologize for my tardiness.
The St. Clairs were quite attentive this morning and I did not
think you would want any unnecessary notice drawn to our
meeting.”

“I do not want any notice at all, which is
exactly why I am here! You have offered your services in a most
impertinent way,” she said, lightly waving his note in the air. “As
a rule, I ignore such behavior for I am excessively attentive to
that sort of thing. Fortunately for you, the offer was made in
coincidence with the discovery of an especially vexing situation.
One in which you may be of some use to me after all.”

“I am very glad to hear that,
Lady Catherine. I am at your disposal. What would you have me
do?”

“You are a good looking young man, in a rough
sort of way. I imagine you are attractive to many of the more
common young women.”

“I have been told my company is not
unpleasant, my lady. Is there a purpose to your observations?”

“I merely wish for you to apply your
persuasions in the direction of a particular young lady. One who
should be no trouble at all for a man of your experience.”

“You want me to seduce a young lady?”

“You may do whatever you like as long as her
attention is distracted from Darcy. He has some how gotten himself
entangled in the girl's scheming plans to marry him.”

“Ah, yes. His attachment to
Miss Elizabeth Bennet, you mean? An interesting bit of news, I
must say.”

“How could you know her name?”
Lady Catherine gasped in alarm. “The tongues have wagged more
swiftly than I anticipated! That someone of your station should
know of the particulars is beyond belief!”

“Your nephew's misplaced fascination is being
viewed with great amusement all over town, madam. They are only
whispers at present, but soon there will be no way of containing
the humiliation. Unfortunately for you, when it is common
knowledge, Darcy will be deemed a fool and your daughter, Anne, a
jilted woman.”

“This is intolerable! Miss Bennet's arts
and allurements have made him forget what he owes to himself and
his family. I have appealed to Darcy, but he has refused to do his
duty. And now he makes ready to travel to Hertfordshire, doubtless
to pursue this ruinous alliance! It must be stopped – for his own
good. He must be made to see her for what she truly is!”

“Where persuasion fails, there are other
methods that can be applied. For example, if he were to find
Miss Elizabeth absent from Hertfordshire when he arrived, it
would be impossible to pursue an alliance, would it not?”

“You can do this? You can keep her away from
him?”

“I would be most happy to oblige,” Wickham's
mouth twisted into a smile. “Naturally, there would be
expenses…”

“Yes, yes, of course; as long as you prevent
them from meeting in Hertfordshire, or anywhere else. You must keep
her away until my nephew has regained his senses, and I do not know
how long that will be. Are you quite certain you can do that?”

“Quite certain. You say Darcy is preparing to
leave London? I should like to make preparations as well;
unfortunately, I find myself in an awkward financial position.
Perhaps if you could advance a small sum…”

“Very well! I shall instruct my banker to
have it ready this afternoon. For now, you shall be compensated for
your time and all expenses; however, if you manage to make the
separation complete, I am prepared to grant you an additional
10,000 pounds.”

Wickham's eyes gleamed with anticipation at
the mention of such a sum. Lady Catherine did not know or care
the current state of his finances, but she did know that 10,000
pounds would be enough to set him up for life. With that sum at his
disposal, he could do whatever he liked as long as it was in a very
distant part of the country.

A satisfied smile crossed her face. A man
like Wickham, driven by avarice and ambition, would be just the one
to see her wishes carried out.

“Tell me, Mr. Wickham, what exactly do
you propose to do?”

Wickham answered without hesitation, meeting
her wicked smile with one of his own. “I believe I have a plan that
will suit your ladyship's wishes perfectly.”

Mr. Bennet paced the floor as the clock
in the hallway struck six o'clock, his agitation growing with each
chime. Yet another feminine outburst sounded from above stairs,
deepening his impatient scowl and provoking a small grumble. He
could not abide being late. It was for this very reason he seldom
ventured out into Hertfordshire society with his entire family.
However, tonight was an exception. Sir William Lucas was hosting a
dinner party to welcome Mr. Bingley back into the
neighborhood. Mr. Bennet was not insensitive to the attention
shown his daughter the last time Mr. Bingley visited
Netherfield, and so for the sake of his Jane, he would go – that
is, if his family could get themselves downstairs.

Above him, the ladies of Longbourn continued
in a flurry of excitement. They had each met the extraordinary news
of Mr. Bingley's unexpected return and the subsequent
invitation to Lucas Lodge with varying degrees of concern.

Mrs. Bennet's excitement, as
anticipated, was barely contained at the prospect of
Mr. Bingley renewing his attentions to Jane, and she spent
every waking moment devising a myriad of schemes to bring the two
young people together. Her primary concern tonight was for how very
fine her eldest daughter should look when they met again.

Mary's concern was that she had to go at all.
Her unfortunate experience performing at Mr. Bingley's ball
had created such a reluctance to venture into society that she
nearly always preferred to stay at home with a good book. Tonight,
however, her mother had declared that every Bennet would attend,
and thus she reluctantly prepared for the ordeal.

It was no surprise that Lydia and Kitty's
concerns were for nothing but fineries, ribbons, and lace. The
invitation was merely another opportunity to enjoy themselves; and
the fact that several favored officers would be in attendance only
heightened their anticipation.

Jane had two concerns. The first was her
mother's excessive attention to every detail of her appearance;
and, the second was the endless whispers and sly glances she would
have to endure while the whole room assessed her chances for
Mr. Bingley's renewed addresses. For some time now she had
endeavored to maintain an indifferent expression whenever the
painful topic of Mr. Bingley was discussed. That feat had been
difficult enough; but now that the man himself had come, she was
not entirely certain she would succeed in her efforts.

Elizabeth's concern was for an entirely
different reason. While she was happy for Mr. Bingley's
return, she also knew that Mr. Wickham was among the officers
invited to Lucas Lodge. Lydia's recent teasings that
Mr. Wickham now preferred her own company above Elizabeth's
had stirred some apprehension, especially in light of
Mr. Darcy's account of the gentleman's misdeeds.

In the few weeks since her return to
Longbourn, Elizabeth had succeeded in avoiding Mr. Wickham's
company altogether. Now she would be forced to share the same room
with him for an entire evening. The only redeeming feature of the
dreaded affair would be the chance to observe Wickham and Lydia
together and determine whether the attraction was factual or idle
boasting. Any particular attention to a girl of fifteen such as
Lydia, by a man at least ten years her senior, would certainly be
cause for alarm.

Elizabeth's sense of justice cried out to
expose Wickham for the scoundrel he was, yet she could not.
Although Mr. Darcy had entrusted her with details of the
villain's despicable acts against the Darcy family, astonishingly
in spite of her impertinent words at Hunsford, he had not given
permission to make public such intimate knowledge – nor was he
likely to. She could not reveal the smallest part of Wickham's
deceit to anyone; it was not to be done.

* * * *

“Jane, prepare yourself,” Elizabeth murmured
cheerfully as she gazed over her sister's shoulder.
“Mr. Bingley is coming this way!”

“It is possible you are mistaken, Lizzy.
There are others in this part of the room as well, you know.”

“Yes, but he is not looking at the others. He
is looking at you! He has not taken his eyes off you since we
arrived. He looks a bit hesitant, but I would wager he is eager to
speak with you.”

“Truly?” Jane struggled to keep her rising
panic from showing. “Oh, Lizzy, I cannot do this. I thought I would
be able to face him, but I cannot!”

Elizabeth's reassuring hand shot out,
catching Jane before she could escape. “Yes, you can. I have the
feeling this will all turn out very well; but in any case, I shall
stay by your side for as long as you need me.”

Her hand remained on Jane's arm as
Mr. Bingley neared. Hoping to ease the awkwardness of the
moment, Elizabeth stepped forward with a welcoming smile.

“Mr. Bingley, how delightful to see you
back in Hertfordshire! Is it business or pleasure that brings you
back to the neighborhood?”

“Miss Elizabeth, Miss Bennet. It is
good to be back. So very good! I have come on some business, but I
hope to spend some time renewing old acquaintances as well. Some
time…I hope.”

Bingley's silent appeal to Jane for a sign of
encouragement was rewarded with a small, diffident smile. It was a
beginning!

Elizabeth cheerfully commented on the weather
and amused Mr. Bingley with tidbits of neighborhood news until
Jane felt strong enough to venture some remarks of her own. In a
very short time, the two were conversing comfortably enough that
Elizabeth made her excuses and left them alone. Walking away, she
could not help smiling for Jane. From the looks of it,
Mr. Bingley did indeed intend to renew old acquaintances!

At the announcement of dinner,
Mr. Wickham moved in Elizabeth's direction only to be diverted
by Lydia laying claim to his arm. Casting an enigmatic glance at
Elizabeth, he allowed himself to be pulled into the dining room.
While Elizabeth had no wish to be in his company, her sister's
flirtatious manner was fast becoming an object of great
concern.

Her troubled thoughts were interrupted when
Mr. Bingley approached with Jane firmly established on one
arm, and offered to escort the two sisters into dinner. Coming to
the table, Elizabeth worried that she would be forced to make
polite conversation with Wickham during the courses, but she soon
found her place far enough from him so as to make any conversation
impossible.

Happily, Lydia's place was also at a distance
which prevented conversation with Mr. Wickham. Elizabeth was
quite pleased with the arrangements until she observed that they
were not sufficient to prevent Lydia from catching Wickham's eye
and sending him a mischievous smile.

After the meal was cleared away, the
gentlemen remained for brandy and cigars while the ladies withdrew
to the salon. Elizabeth persuaded a reluctant Mary to play the
piano-forte and an unobtrusive melody filled the room as the ladies
talked of fashion and neighborhood affairs, Mr. Bingley's
return to Netherfield being the favored topic.