Sudden Awakenings (The Other Paths Collection)

Chapter 28

Lydia, however, was determined to get out of Georgiana what she could about her feelings for a certain clergyman. Her appetite could not be sated until she had some fresh gossip, and as Kitty could neither confirm nor deny anything, she knew it could only come from the source. When the girls had retired to their bedrooms for the evening, Lydia knocked on Georgiana’s door.

“It is me, Lydia. May I come in?”

“Certainly,” Georgiana said, rising from her bed to open the door. Lydia bounded across the room and bounced onto Georgiana’s bed.

“Kitty has already fallen asleep, and she snores. And as her room is right next to mine, I have to listen to it all night long. Positively dreadful! Do you mind if I stay here for a while? I am not tired in the least!”

Georgiana was quite fatigued from their long walk, but she graciously nodded and settled herself gently on the bed opposite Lydia.

“I noticed you were absent from us a long while during our walk today,” Lydia observed.

Georgiana tried to hide the color rising to her cheeks. “Yes. I suppose I am not used to walking such long distances these days. City life has caused my limbs to atrophy. I used to take long rambles through those woods in my former days, however.”

“What did you and Mr. Wickham talk about for so long? I can only assume you did not walk in silence the whole way.” Lydia’s eyes, like an eager puppy's, were hard to ignore.

“We spoke of many things. I cannot remember everything,” Georgiana mumbled.

“Surely you remember some part!” Lydia pressed.

“Well, we spoke of how happy we are that he has settled near to us at Kympton, and…and whether he is thinking of taking a wife now that he has his income.”

Lydia scooted nearer. “And? Is he thinking of taking a wife?”

Georgiana let out an embarrassed laugh. “He said he wishes to marry, but his income is such that he requires a woman of fortune, in order to raise a family without falling into poverty.”

“A woman of fortune, eh? Did he mention any particular woman?”

“A Miss Silverman, but it seems she has chosen another.”

“And nobody else?”

Georgiana blushed further. “I think there is the hope of someone, but he did not mention any other names.” She could only wish it might be her he hoped for.

Lydia bounced on the bed slightly as she changed her position. “You know, Georgiana– I hope I am not being too free when I call you that– you happen to be a woman of fortune– quite a considerable one, I might add. Not that I am jealous or anything! Oh, no! Had I some money of my own, I am sure gentlemen would be lining up so quickly, I would have to fend them off with a stick! It would be quite troublesome. But it would have the advantage, I suppose, of granting some choice as to who one’s partner would be. You, for example, need not worry about what the gentleman’s income might be, for your own dividends must be good enough to support you both. ”

“That is true enough, yes,” Georgiana said, her mind turning with possibilities. “Do you– do you suppose Mr. Wickham might have me in mind?”

“Seeing how attentive to you he has been all these weeks, I have no doubts about it! His regard for you is evident, and your long standing connection makes it all the more probable that he should see you as a prospect. He might only be prevented from applying to you out of fear for your brother. Mr. Darcy can be quite fearsome, you know!”

Georgiana laughed. “Yes, he can.”

“So, do you like him?”

“Of course I like my brother.”

Lydia playfully swatted Georgiana’s arm. “Not him! Mr. Wickham, you goose!”

Georgiana’s face was beet red now. “I—I…”

“Well, do you?”

“Y-yes, I do like him. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Like him– as a friend and old acquaintance– or like him as something more?”

“More,” Georgiana said, almost in a whisper. “Much more.”

Lydia pressed. “Are you in love with him?”

Georgiana nodded slowly. “I think I am. I think I have been for a long time.”

Lydia sighed dreamily. “I knew it! Just by looking at you, I could tell. I am always able to discern these things, you know.”

“You will not say anything to him, will you?” Georgiana’s eyes were wide with concern.

“No, of course not! My lips shall remain sealed. It is not for me to blab about other people’s secrets. But you must keep me apprised of any developments.”

S

But of course, Lydia’s word could not be trusted as far as she could be thrown. It did not take long for her to pass a hint of what her friend had divulged to her. Some nights later, when Mr. Wickham and Mr. Kirby were again invited to dine at Pemberley, and they were all enraptured witnessing Georgiana’s performance on her harp after dinner, Lydia whispered to Mr. Wickham, “I see you admire Miss Darcy very much.”

“Who among her friends could not?” He whispered back.

“You must know, the feeling is mutual. Her regard for you is strong, though her shy disposition and sense of modesty prevents her from showing it freely.”

Hearing whispering behind her, Elizabeth turned her head and motioned for them to be silent, which ended Lydia’s discussion with Mr. Wickham. She felt satisfied, however, that her point had been carried, and determined she would leave it to the hands of fate as to what came next.

S

Mr. Wickham’s frequent presence at Pemberley and Kenshire did not go unnoticed by Mr. Darcy.

“I do not like his calling here so often, Mrs. Darcy,” he told Elizabeth one morning when they were together in the breakfast parlor before the others came down.

“I thought you held no objections to it, given he is a man of God and a longstanding acquaintance,” she replied.

“I told you before of his troubles at Cambridge, and my need to rescue him from his creditors. ”

“Yes, but all that is in the past. You fulfilled your father’s wishes and gave him a living, so he need never return to the life of a gamester. And it appears he has turned over a new leaf in the process.”

“I do not think he is satisfied with his life as a clergyman. There are rumors he has begun gaming again, and I’m told he spends far too much at the tailor and the haberdasher.”

“I did not think you were one given to unsubstantiated rumors, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth casually defended, taking a sip of her tea. “As for his clothing expenditures, well, you cannot expect him to dress in cassocks all the time! A man must have some outfit besides his clerical vestments. Even Mr. Collins does not solely dress in them, though he wears them with frequency even outside of his parish duties.”

“And there are his other spending habits,” Darcy continued. “Did you know he recently bought a new curricle and horse?”

“Is it a sin, then, to buy a new curricle to replace one’s old broken gig which has belonged to the rectory forever, and to invest in a high-stepping mare which can drive it without tipping it over? That old mare of his was ready to be put out to pasture. She was more used to pulling farm wagons than a gig or curricle. I find no fault in his wishing to purchase a new animal,” Elizabeth argued.

“I can see you are eager to find no fault with him,” Darcy said, unable to disguise the irritation in his voice.

Elizabeth raised her chin. “I am more than happy to recognize faults where they exist, but in this instance, you appear to be searching for something which is not there. Mr. Wickham might have dabbled with gaming in the past, but I give no credence to any rumors he has returned to that life without some proof of it.”

“Well, what of his courtship of Miss Silverman? He spent nearly three weeks there,” Darcy pointed out.

“What of it? ”

“You must know, Miss Silverman holds a considerable fortune, over twenty-five thousand pounds, almost equal to Georgiana’s dowry.”

“And you think Mr. Wickham was courting her merely for the money?”

“It would provide an explanation for his sudden interest in her.”

“To my knowledge, Mr. Wickham was there merely to visit with his friends. It is my understanding that he served as the curate there for a year, before coming into his present living. Surely the friendships he formed with that family were lasting and equal to his coming to visit, without suspicion of any designs towards Miss Silverman.”

Darcy persisted. “Even if that were true, I cannot condone his having such a close relationship with Georgiana. The intimacy they shared as children cannot be allowed to continue into adulthood. Sooner or later, Georgiana shall have to marry, and when she does, it will not be to Mr. Wickham.”

“My goodness, what a snob you are, Mr. Darcy!” Elizabeth exclaimed, in a tone so light, Darcy could not discern whether she were teasing him or seriously insulting him, or perhaps a bit of both. “I see no harm in their friendship. But your sister is in your charge. How shall you plan to diminish their ties? You cannot bar Mr. Wickham from calling here, nor hope to suspend their meeting each other at church or other places.”

“True. I have been giving it some thought as of late. Georgiana has mentioned her desire to visit her schoolmate, Miss Culpepper in Gloucestershire. With your sisters’ visit soon to conclude, I thought we might send Georgiana to her friends, if they are amenable, while you and I go to London for a month or two at the height of the Season.”

Elizabeth mused. “It is a plan, I suppose, albeit a temporary one. What shall you do when Georgiana returns here, and everything resumes as normal? ”

“I suppose it is a bridge I shall have to cross at that time, but my hope is by then, her infatuation with him will have diminished. Then after her next birthday, I plan to bring her out into society so we might introduce her to more suitable prospects.”

“If that is your wish,” Elizabeth said solemnly.