The way Mr. Wickham now peered at her, Elizabeth suspected he was growing suspicious. “You suggested that you thought better of Darcy after seeing him with his family. Is it his behavior with Fitzwilliam that led to this change? I doubt Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh can induce a lightness of character in him.”
“You have the right of it,” replied Elizabeth.
“Then I am pleased you saw something good in him.” Mr. Wickham affected nonchalance. “Perhaps he has improved, though I hope you will understand my opinion of him cannot undergo such an easy transformation.”
It was time to end this, but not give Mr. Wickham any reason to suspect her plans; she was tired of listening to him. For a moment, Elizabeth considered how best to do it, then decided on a dual approach.
“But you esteemed his father.”
A smile settled on his face, and Elizabeth might have thought it genuine if she did not already know the truth. “I did, Miss Elizabeth. As I said before, he was the finest man of my acquaintance. Unfortunately, his son did not inherit his character.”
Elizabeth watched him, her pique growing the more he opened his mouth. “Then I wish I could have known him, Mr. Wickham. I also appreciate your forbearance for not exposing Mr. Darcy when you have every reason to resent him. That is what you promised, is it not?”
The man grew uncomfortable again, alternating between peering at her and looking anywhere else. Elizabeth had left enough ambiguity to make him pause, but had said enough that he must wonder if she knew how much he had spread the story.
“Regarding Mr. Darcy,” continued she, “my opinion of him is better than it was before, though I still do not consider him a friend. Of Colonel Fitzwilliam, I have the warmest regard. He also spoke of Miss Darcy, who sounds like a wonderful girl.”
With a shrug, Elizabeth said: “Perhaps Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley will return to Netherfield. If Georgiana Darcy comes, I should like an introduction.”
At that moment, the officers spoke of their need to depart, sparing Mr. Wickham the need to reply. Though he bowedto her, Elizabeth could see his tension. She had given him something about which to think, not only about Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, but about his comments to her about Miss Darcy, which she now knew as false. As he departed the room, Elizabeth determined to put her plan into motion the following day. There was no sense in waiting longer.
“Lizzy!” Lydia’s whining voice broke the silence. “What do you mean by keeping Mr. Wickham to yourself? Do you not know that I want to speak to him too?”
“Perhaps you do not recall,” replied Elizabeth, “but Mr. Wickham approached me, Lydia, not the reverse.”
“And yet you kept him beside you and did not allow him to withdraw.”
“Mr. Wickham could have withdrawn the moment he chose,” replied Elizabeth. “To own the truth, I care little for his company and have no wish to have his attention.”
Lydia’s expression was openly skeptical. “Did you not praise him to the skies when he came? As I recall, he was your favorite until he started pursuing Mary King.”
“I have no notion of what constitutes a favorite, Lydia,” replied Elizabeth. “Perhaps I esteemed Mr. Wickham, but I did not miss his absence.”
“Mr. Wickhamisa handsome and amiable man,” said Mrs. Bennet, interjecting with a comment Elizabeth did not think quite proper. “I declare that I have never met a man so charming.”
“That is the problem, Mama,” said Elizabeth, deciding to reveal a little more.
Confused, Mrs. Bennet said: “What do you mean, Lizzy?”
“Only that sometimes the most charming men are those who possess the most facility for misdirection.”
Taken aback, Mrs. Bennet regarded her through wide eyes. “What do you mean, Lizzy?”
“Nothing in particular,” replied Elizabeth. “It just occurs to me that Mr. Wickham has portrayed himself as a charming and amiable man, but we know little of him other than what he has said himself.”
“You think him capable of falsehood?”
“Everyone is capable of falsehood, Mama,” replied Elizabeth. “All I suggest is that we reserve judgment until we have all the facts. Mr. Wickhamclaimsto be a good man, but I do not think it is sound to believe another implicitly.”
“Well, you may believe what you like,” huffed Lydia. “Such a handsome and amiable man cannot be false, so I shall continue as I have.”
That Lydia would say such a thing was not beyond Elizabeth’s understanding of her sister. A handsome face wasallthat mattered to Lydia. Had it been only the day before, Elizabeth would have thought the same of Kitty. The way Kitty watched the scene, her nod in response to Elizabeth’s glance told her that her second youngest sister was not bedazzled by Mr. Wickham’s white teeth and twinkling eyes. Kitty would do as she said—watch Lydia and intervene if necessary. Elizabeth was grateful she had an ally.
Protecting the neighborhood was Elizabeth’s prime concern, but a large part of that was preventing her silly sister from bringing ruin upon the family with Mr. Wickham, or any other man. The best way to do that was to expose Mr. Wickham to whatever consequences awaited him.
“I am curious, Lizzy,” said her father later that afternoon. “You appear to have experienced a change of heart toward Mr. Wickham.”
Though Mr. Bennet was not in the habit of enduring much society, she had noticed his presence in the sitting-room during the officers’ visit. Perhaps her father saw something of their behavior and wished to prevent anything overt from happening.That would be more effort than he usually expended, but not unwelcome.