297AN: While writing No Good Deed, I had several comments from people who really wanted to see the story turned into a Dark Darcy, where he was actually setting up Wickham and had killed his own father. I could not do that for them, it is just not how it worked in my head. Then a commenter suggested wanting to see a story some time where Jane and Wickham were in collusion together. I went through the comments and can't find it to attribute the idea to the right commenter, but the thought stuck and then keep trying to write itself while I was finishing up NGD. I wrote part of the first chapter and then set it aside, waiting for the right moment. For those who have been reading Smoky Dreams, this is Jane's story and she has been a bit of a brat about it. Today I was trying to listen to Darcy in order to get down chapter 8 and she waltzed in and insisted I needed to listen to her for a while AND that I needed to start posting. So, here it is folks. We have 6 chapters plus an epilogue. We may get another chapter of SD tomorrow if Darcy wakes me early, or we may not. Perhaps now that this is up Jane will step aside for a few hours. Enjoy.
Chapter One – A Fortuitous Meeting
"This is quite shocking! He deserves to be publicly disgraced."
"Some time or other he will be—but it shall not be by me. Till I can forget his father, I can never defy or expose him."
(Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 16)
I smiled to myself at Mr. Wickham's words. From the beginning of his recitation to Lizzy I had suspected he was spinning a tale, but now I was certain. After all, what was he doing just then but defying and exposing the man he clearly hated, or at least held in jealous regard?
For a moment, I thought Lizzy might catch the contradiction, but she is too set against Mr. Darcy to think rationally where he is concerned. Or rather, she is too eager to hear ill of him to pay close attention to the source of that ill. Mr. Darcy had insulted her looks and appeal before they were even properly introduced, and she has not forgiven him for it, despite my attempts to alter her opinion.
Lizzy prides herself on her discernment and ability to read character, but she is really just as opinionated and quick to judge as Mama. In fact, she might be worse, for Mama is willing to adapt her judgments if she sees some form of personal gain in it. Lizzy is rarely willing to change her mind once she judges someone wanting. Fortunately, she is often correct in her judgments, but I do not think that is the case this time.
On my part, I felt something like a gleeful grin bloom inside my head. Had it shown on my face, it would be an expression far removed from the serenely smiling mask I habitually present to the world. Chance, it seemed, had finally placed the perfect tool within my reach. No matter what the risks, I intended to grab this opportunity with both hands.
Beneath his good looks and charming smile, Mr. George Wickham was clearly a liar and probably a scoundrel. This man had a reason of his own to discredit Mr. Darcy, the son of his benefactor and the man he claimed was a former friend. I could work with that and with him. After all, I had plans to change my life and future. Mr. Darcy was the only obstacle I currently could not overcome on my own. Now, if I managed the situation correctly, help was at hand and success possible.
As Lydia dragged Mr. Wickham away to join her playing lottery tickets, I considered how best to proceed. I could see Lizzy absorbing the information about Mr. Darcy and adding it to the catalog of his faults she carried in her head. I was glad I could count on her to remain reasonably polite to him despite her dislike of the man. She was doing her best to avoid offending him for my sake. Like me, she was aware of the control he could exert over his friend Mr. Bingley. Lizzy wanted nothing to interfere with Mr. Bingley's admiration for me and I heartily agreed. I wondered if she would be so accommodating if she knew I was encouraging his admiration for security rather than love. I do not think so.
My younger sister is far too idealistic for her own good, in my opinion. I may give the impression that I am the same, but I know the hard truths about our situation. Papa and Lizzy may laugh at Mama's frequent complaints that we will be thrown into the hedgerows upon his demise, but Mama has the right of it, inelegant though her expression of her fears may be. Our estate, Longbourn, is not a very prosperous one to begin with, bringing in only a little more than two thousand a year, but Papa's indolence and Mama's extravagance mean we retain almost none of the profits that should have been saved and invested for our futures.
I remember discussing the situation with my Aunt Gardiner during one of my first visits after she and my uncle married twelve years ago. I had learned even then that a smile was always better than a frown or complaints and no matter what I felt I should present myself with serenity and sweetness. I kept that gentle smile on my face as I quietly asked why Mama complained and Papa laughed.
"Do you know about the entail on Longbourn, Janey?" she asked me. Some of my family still used the childish nickname even then.
"Mama speaks of it often, but I do not understand it," I replied. This was not exactly true. I knew the entail was behind Mama's disappointment that all five of us were girls. If no brother came along to inherit the estate, then it would go to someone else when Papa died. I also knew that people tended to give more complete and revealing answers to my questions when I claimed ignorance, so I let her explain it all in her own way.
"The entail is an agreement your great-grandfather made to prevent your grandfather or father from breaking up or selling the estate. The land represents status in our society and if it is sold or divided among too many people then the position of your family is made less."
"Would our status be higher if Papa bought more land?"
"Some land is more valuable than others. It would have to be a purchase that made the overall profits of the estate higher for it to affect your family's status."
"So why does Mama complain about the entail? I know she is proud of our place in the community," I asked. I thought this was the part about brothers, but I also suspected there was more to it than that.
"The problem with the entail, from your Mama's point of view, is the requirement in the agreement that the estate can only be inherited by a direct male descendant of the family. Your great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all first-born sons and so the property descended through them. However, you have no brother to inherit the estate. If this is still the case when your father passes on, then the estate will go to the next most direct male descendant. Your grandfather had a younger brother who changed his name to Collins when married into the Collins family. That man is dead, but his son, your father's cousin, is the next person in line to inherit."
"I have heard Mama complain about Mr. Collins. Why does she believe he will send us all away from Longbourn?"
"From what your uncle tells me, the current Mr. Collins is a very unpleasant man. He thinks your father married beneath him and he has always disliked your mother."
"Why would he think Papa married beneath him?" I asked. Again, I suspected I knew, but I wanted to hear my aunt's explanation.
"It goes back to what I said about status. Your mother, her sister and your uncle are all the children of a country solicitor. He owned his own practice, but not an estate. His status was therefore lower than that of an estate owner like your father. Your uncle is considered lower still, since he is in trade, although he is wealthier than his father and possibly wealthier than your own father as well."
"So, it is all about the land?"
"Yes, that is what society dictates. I think your mother is correct that Mr. Collins would not hesitate to evict her, you and all your sisters as soon as the law allows once he inherits."
"Where would we go then?" I was becoming quite concerned.
"Most larger estates have a dower house where the widow and any children still at home can go when another family member inherits the estate. Longbourn used to have one, but it burned down shortly after your father inherited. Your grandmother had passed away before your grandfather, so it wasn't needed by anyone right away. Your father never bothered to have it rebuilt, so it is not available to you even if the entail documents give your mother the right to live in it. Your parents have saved little money over the years and, although your mother has a settlement, it is not enough for you all to live on. It is certainly not enough to afford the kind of house your mother wishes to live in or any of the other things she considers necessary. You will be very poor by her standards."
"Then why does Papa just laugh at her? Why does he not repair the dower house and save money for her to use when he is gone?" I was becoming frightened and angry, but still I kept my expression as serene as possible. Aunt Gardiner looked at me with pity in her expression, possibly sensing my fear, and she sighed.
"Your father is not a bad man, but he is lazy. In addition, he likes to feel superior to others and take enjoyment at their expense. Your mother, on the other hand, is somewhat foolish and very excitable. He has fallen into the habit of teasing and laughing at her no matter what she says. Furthermore, he knows he will not be around to be bothered by the results of his laziness. It is easier to do nothing than make the effort to rebuild the dower house and force your mother to stop spending so much money now in order to save for an uncertain future."
"Does he not care about us?"
"In his own way, I expect he does," she said with another pitying look. "His care is just not enough to prompt him to act."
I understood what she was saying. Papa would not change, and Mama would not change. That would leave me and my sisters to pay the price for their character flaws.
"I receive an allowance each month. If I save it, will that help with my future?" I had asked earnestly.
"It will not hurt to save as much as you can, Janey," she said, smiling indulgently at me. "If you save enough to make a difference, your uncle can help you invest the money and grow the amount a little larger."
I know she thought I would not save for long, but that was the start of a habit. Every month I saved at least two thirds of my allowance and sometimes I managed to put away even more. It helped that Mama often bought me the treats I might otherwise have spent the money on because I was her favorite and most beautiful child. My smile stood me in better stead than Lizzy's impertinence. She rarely received anything extra because she annoyed Mama. All the same, Lizzy also began to save after I explained the situation to her. Eventually Mary caught on and began to save as well, but neither she nor Lizzy was as concerned about our futures as I was. I knew what I was able to save was not nearly enough to support me, even with the gains from my uncle's investments over the years. As Mama often said and Lizzy took to repeating, at least one of us would need to marry well. As the oldest and most beautiful, that became my job.
I might wish for love, or at least happiness, in marriage, but that is not the primary concern. I know what poverty looks like. I have seen it in our village and I have seen it even more clearly in London. I do not want to live it. From the day of my fifteenth birthday, when Mama put me out in society, I have tried to make a good marriage. I might have succeeded sooner if Mama had not decided to help.
Twice I had almost managed to bring a reasonable prospect to the point of a proposal. Twice, Mama interfered, thinking she was helping the match along. She can be so vulgar and pushy. Both men were scared away at the thought of possibly having to support her and my four sisters after Mama brought up her complaints about the entail in company. Lizzy and I both tried to quiet her, but that is like trying to stop a raging flood with a handkerchief. If only we could have stuffed Mama's handkerchief into her mouth. It might have helped temporarily.
Now that Mr. Bingley has come and appears to like me, I have another chance. I am almost tempted to dose Mama's tea with laudanum now, but who knows what foolishness she would come out with under the influence. Since Papa will not go out into company with us I need her awake enough to be our escort. I cannot win Mr. Bingley's regard unless I am in his presence.
Mama's ideas are not all bad. Her insistence on sending me to visit with Mr. Bingley's sisters by horseback might have worked out better if I had not been drenched and caught a violent cold. All the same, it did allow me to spend several days in his house and gave me the opportunity for a few nearly private conversations with him away from Mama's interference. If only Lizzy had been willing to stay a few days longer I might have been able to leave Netherfield already engaged despite all opposition from his sisters and his friend. She is usually willing to do nearly anything for me, but not this time.
The problem all boils down to Lizzy's animosity for Mr. Darcy and his budding regard for her despite our lower social station. I have spotted it even if she has not. He has no idea she dislikes him, and he is trying so hard to hide his attraction and avoid raising hopes that he insults her without even realizing it. If he did not have so much control over his friend I would consider it amusing. I might even have given him a hint to help him along if there was a chance he would marry Lizzy and she would accept him. Ten thousand a year could support us all, even Mama.
Now, I had a plan that would take his influence out of the equation or bring it to bear on my behalf. It all depended on how much information I could obtain from Mr. Wickham and how cooperative I could convince him to be.
