“Thank you, Miss Bennet! I have been here for only a month but my travel to the King residence has been frequent as of late and I thank you for showing me the shortcut.” Captain Wickham commented. “We are to be here until autumn and I am most anxious for the next weeks to pass quickly. I have been writing to Mr. Darcy often and I had last heard that they should be returning to Hertfordshire mid-June. I shall be most happy to see Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne again as they have been so generous. I had also been told that William is seeking a wife. Do you know anything about that? I know you and he have been good friends for years and I had been rather surprised that he had not married earlier. There was talk of an impending betrothal last year, I believe.”
Lizzy’s heart broke at the thought of her dearest friend but she took a deep breath, “I believe he is serious about an accomplished lady in town, Captain. I hope to hear his good news soon. It is certainly believed that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, is it not?” She smiled softly. “He deserves an excellent lady who will care for him for the rest of his days. He deserves the best.”
Wickham raised an eyebrow, “I have known him very closely since childhood and I am quite surprised that he did not pursue yo... a lady of a closer proximity, but I suppose the heart moves where it wishes without regard to long-standing friendships. I honestly thought he would be content with someone like yourself, Miss Bennet.”
“Oh?” Lizzy was surprised. “Why did you think that, Captain?”
“I saw the way he was protecting you when you and I first spoke at Pemberley. He shielded you from me as if you were the most precious thing in his life and I had never seen him so stern as that time. He must cherish you as close as he does his sister and if he is serious about another lady, she must be very lovely.” Wickham honestly answered. “Mr. Darcy had mentioned that William was guarded with ladies at outings but he must be ready to marry now.”
“I believe he is, sir. I wish him every happiness.” She stood up to take her leave. “I will give you the magnificent vista to enjoy if you would like to stay a while. I will return home now.”
“Should I escort you, Miss Bennet?” Wickham politely asked as he stood also. “I would like to be of service to you if you wish.”
“No, I will be fine, Captain Wickham.” Lizzy grinned. “I have my faithful stallion with me and I have been coming here since I was a tiny girl. I will be fine.” She began to take a step but Wickham had laid down his sabre next to their feet and she had not seen it. She tripped and Wickham instinctively caught her.
“Are you well?” He asked.
Lizzy nodded as she slowly fixed her feet and stood tall, “Yes, I am fine. Thank you for catching my fall. You have provided your gallant service and I thank you for it.” She curtseyed and mounted Snowflake to ride back to Longbourn. As she surveyed her surroundings and waved to the officer, she noted someone racing down the hill on an unfamiliar horse, as if being chased by the devil himself. She could not tell who it was but the man’s seat looked very similar to that of William’s.
Lizzy headed home to ask her father if he knew when William would return. She wondered if he had already returned home to Netherfield and how soon he would marry Miss Bingley when she arrived at Purvis Lodge.
~*~
William could not believe his eyes. He had been anxious to see Lizzy again and had been smiling to himself that Wickham had finally become a good man and that he would be marrying a worthy woman soon. Hope arose in his heart that if a man like Wickham, who had been a profligate and a gambler in the past, could now find a worthy wife, that he himself might have a chance to gain Lizzy’s regard and possibly her love. He was determined more than ever to beg her to forgive him and to take her to Ramsgate for a short holiday before Richard’s wedding. Lizzy had been invited to Kent and then was to spend the summer at Matlock with the viscount and viscountess, and he knew they would have to be cordial with each other at the wedding but he had desired reconciliation above all else.
Now, after hearing of Wickham's betrothal, then seeing that man and his beloved together under their tree at Oakham Mount, after seeing Lizzy in Wickham’s arms and burning with jealousy and disappointment, he knew he had lost Lizzy forever. That she could not accept him and love him was agonising, but he could not stay a second longer to witness the couple in further affections and he had ridden back to Netherfield in anger and in pain of the acutest kind.
He bellowed at his valet to pack up his belongings so he could journey to Pemberley that day. Poor Wilkins was in astonishment at the harsh manners that his employer exhibited for the first time during the entirety of his employment, but obeyed quickly to arrange for the travel north. William had no wish to return to the insipid friends in London and he could not stay in Hertfordshire. He did not know if he would journey to Kent for Richard’s wedding now, since she was to be there and he could not face her with amity.
He sat on his bed in a daze
