A Wife for Mr. Darcy

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