Wickham's Diary (3 page)

The de Bourghs have arrived. The day being wet, Fitzwilliam and I were playing at billiards and so I was at the house when the carriage rolled up the drive. The de Bourghs went to their rooms to rest after their journey, but they soon joined the Darcys in the drawing-room and one of the servants came to request the presence of Fitzwilliam. I followed him quietly, effacing myself so that no one should notice me, and I watched him as he greeted his father’s guests. He was polite to Anne, but nothing more. He asked after her journey and said that he hoped it had not tired her, but then he retreated into his customary hauteur and said no more, unless Lady Catherine directed a question at him.

I went quietly over to Anne, without drawing attention to myself. I asked her about her journey and made a few remarks on the weather, then I pulled the screen forward to protect her from draughts—and to hide myself from other eyes: if they had noticed me they might have expected me to leave. I made myself agreeable to her, and she soon began to smile and then to laugh. She is really not so plain when she laughs. I found her easy company, expecting nothing, but taking a shy pleasure in my company and in my compliments. Poor girl! I think she has little enough attention from anyone else, unless it is to fuss over her health. I think I could do her good if I were her husband. I would amuse her and entertain her and make her happy, and in return I would have the position I deserve. I think I should like being married to Anne.

Mama was right; Lady Catherine does not consider me a threat and she smiles on my attentions to her daughter, seeing them as Miss Anne de Bourgh’s due. I overheard her remarking to Mr Darcy that I had excellent manners and saying that I would make a good courtier.

I wonder… George Wickham, courtier. George Wickham, knight.

If I was a knight I would be
Sir
George Wickham… Sir George Wickham of Rosings.

Yes, I like that very well.

Another wet day. After we had finished our lessons, Fitzwilliam and I were called into the drawing-room to entertain Anne. Fitzwilliam made a few cursory remarks and then fell silent, being in a restless mood. I could tell that he was longing to be out of doors, for he does not like to be confined, and wet days are a hardship for him. His restlessness made him more brusque than usual and, when Anne ventured to say that it looked as though it would rain all day, he was curt with her. She was downcast, but I soon lifted her spirits by saying that we must have some exercise and that, even though it was raining, we could dance. Her mother overheard me and said that it was a good idea, for Anne was an accomplished dancer. She then instructed Anne’s companion to play the piano. I made Anne a courtly bow and asked her for the honour. She blushed, but she took my hand readily enough and I led her out into the middle of the room. I took care not to dance too well, for I know that Lady Catherine likes rank to be preserved and I did not want to outshine her daughter. But I danced well enough to show Anne to advantage, covering for her small mistakes. Anne herself enjoyed dancing with me. Her face was flushed, and she looked sorry when the dance was over.

Lady Catherine then said that Fitzwilliam should dance with Anne. Poor Anne! Her face fell, and she watched him walking towards her with trepidation.

Fitzwilliam was scarcely any more pleased, for he is not used to falling in with the wishes of others, but he could not refuse. He took her hand reluctantly and danced well, but I believe that Anne enjoyed dancing with me more.

Lady Catherine was so well pleased with the afternoon that she suggested the Darcys hold a party ‘for the young people’ and that after a light meal there should be dancing.

‘It is time for Anne and Fitzwilliam to learn how to go on in public,’ she said. Then, addressing Fitzwilliam, she said, ‘You bear a great name, Fitzwilliam, and you must not disgrace it.’

The party was agreed upon, and when I returned home I told Mama all about it.

She clapped her hands in glee and said, ‘Excellent, George! This is just the kind of opportunity you need. You will have a chance to meet all the neighbouring heiresses and to impress them with your charm and good manners. Any friendships started now may well be continued, if circumstances are favourable, when you are of marriageable age. You will be able to bring yourself to their notice if you should meet them out in the world, for you will be acquainted. You can give them news of the Darcys and, the conversation being thus begun, you will know how to continue it. This party could be the start of great things for you. Now, we must look through your clothes and decide what you are going to wear.’

I arrived at Pemberley in good time for the party and I had the good fortune to pick up a handkerchief that a girl had dropped, later to discover that she was a Miss Layson and that she would have ten thousand pounds when she came of age.

I spoke to her again when I met her in the drawing-room, and she was friendly towards me. I bowed and moved on, and I was just congratulating myself on making such a useful acquaintance when I heard her friend sniggering behind my back. I could not hear what she said, but the words, ‘only invited because they were a boy short’ reached my ears. Mama had warned me that I would hear this kind of thing and that I must not mind it and so I took no notice, but set out to please each and every one of the girls present.

I did not neglect Anne, either, and I danced three times with her. She knew the first dance well enough but in the other two she was forever going wrong. Unlike the other boys I did not shout at her, I set her right kindly. At the end of the dance I told her that she danced well, for superior dancing consisted not only of performing the right steps but of dancing with elegance and grace. She smiled up at me shyly and I thought of the day when she and I would be opening the dancing at Rosings together as Mr and Mrs Wickham. This thought brought a smile to my face. But as I led her back to her mama I heard a snigger of ‘steward’s son’ coming form the girl who had laughed at me earlier. I was for a moment perturbed, but Anne squeezed my hand and said, ‘Ignore her, George. Melissa Harbridge has always been mean, and anyway she has no right to say such things, because her grandfather was only a blacksmith.’

I thought then that Melissa had done me a service, for she had won Anne’s sympathy for me. I continued to make myself agreeable to everyone at the party and I went home well pleased.

Mama was eager to hear all about it. At the end of my recital, she said, ‘Well done, George. We will have you at Rosings, just you see!’

The de Bourghs left this morning. I managed to see Anne before she departed, for I knew she would be taking a walk through the rose garden. I pretended that I had met her there by accident and, as I walked along beside her, I told her how much I had enjoyed her visit and that I hoped to see her again before very long. She said that her mama had no plans to visit Pemberley again for the time being, and that the Darcys would visit Rosings next.

I asked her about Rosings, saying, ‘Is it as big as Pemberley?’ to which she replied, ‘Oh, yes, it is just as big and just as fine. The gardens are better, for Papa liked flowers and so they are always very colourful. The Rosings park is also, I think, more beautiful.’

‘Shall you like to inherit it, or will it be a burden to you?’ I said.

‘I shall like it, I think. It means I will never have to leave, not even when I marry and I do not think it will be difficult to care for because I will have a husband to help me look after it.’

‘Then let us hope he knows how to care for an estate,’ I said, thinking that the fact of my father’s stewardship might be of some advantage to me after all.

‘I think he will,’ she replied.

And I wondered, Is she thinking of me?

She smiled at me and I smiled in return.

Perhaps she was making no more than a general remark, but even so, as I stood at the corner of the drive this afternoon and waved to her as she passed by in her carriage, I felt I had made the most of my opportunity, and when she waved back I went inside feeling well pleased.

Papa took me round the estate with him this morning and I paid attention to everything he said. I took a new interest in it. I might need to know how to run an estate, not as a steward, but as a landowner. Even if I do not marry Anne, I will surely marry an heiress, and one day I will have my own estate to care for.

Lady Anne’s brother and his family have arrived. Mama was very excited when they arrived, for Lady Anne’s brother is an earl and his coat of arms was emblazoned on the side of the coach. His footmen wore livery and so did the coachman. The whole procession made a splendid sight.

‘Henry is about your age,’ she said to me as she turned away from the window. ‘I want you to make friends with him if you can, George. He is interested in soldiering and he intends to go into the army. If you pretend an interest in the army, too, then perhaps he will invite you to stay when the Darcys go to visit him and his family.’

I pulled a face at this, for I have no interest in the army, and I knew it would be difficult to find something to say to a boy who was determined to become a soldier, but I promised to try.

I went down to the river, knowing that Fitzwilliam intended to take his cousin there, and I was soon one of the party. There were some other boys there, too, and I made the most of the opportunity. I worked my way round next to Henry and introduced the subject of the army, but as it soon became apparent that I knew nothing about the life of a soldier, I thought it would be better not to pretend any longer, so instead I was honest and said that the life would not suit me. Not willing to waste an opportunity, however, I said that I would prefer to go into the church. He did not seem to be interested, and he did not say anything about his family’s livings, as I had hoped he might, but there must be some, and when the time comes, perhaps my words might bear fruit.

I was practising my dancing steps with Mama this afternoon when Papa came in and said that Mr Darcy wanted to see me. Mama said that I must put on my best coat and change my cravat, and once that was done I set out for the great house.

I was shown in at once and Mr Darcy smiled at me and said that I should sit down. Then he said, ‘I understand that you have some thought of going into the church when you are a man.’

‘Yes, sir,’ I said.

‘Do you believe you could deliver good sermons?’ he said.

‘Yes, sir, I do.’

He nodded and said, ‘So do I. You have always had a clear speaking voice, George. It is pleasant to listen to and it carries well. Your masters tell me you have some oratory skills and that you have the ability to sway your listeners. You know, of course, that there is more to being a clergyman than giving sermons?’

‘Yes, sir. A clergyman is responsible for his parish and his parishioners. He must set them a good example and help them with their daily life as well as officiating at the usual ceremonies. I think I could do that, sir.’

He looked at me intently and then he said, ‘I believe you could. I have watched you a great deal lately, George, and what I have seen has pleased me, for I have seen that you care about people. I noticed you trying to please Anne when she was here, and that was good of you, because, as you know, she has been in low spirits since she lost her father. Then, too, you have always been kind to Georgiana. It is not every boy who would take the trouble to speak to a little girl and show an interest in her early attempts at needlework and other accomplishments, as I have seen you do. And I noticed you on the lawn a few weeks ago, helping her to learn to dance.

‘It is early days yet, you are still very young, but if you are of the same mind in a few years time, I will give you the means to train for the church. Once ordained, I will make one of the family livings available to you. The one at Church Cross will probably suit you, and if you do well there, I have other livings in my gift which will be yours in due course.’

I expressed myself surprised and grateful at his interest in my future. He smiled and said that he had always been pleased with my father’s stewardship and that he liked to reward those who served him well.

And there it was again, that word
serve
.

I hid my feelings, thanked him again for his words, and left his study. I went straight home, where I told my parents what had happened.

Papa was very pleased and so was Mama. In truth, I might do a great deal worse, but then again I might do a great deal better.

Both Anne and Georgiana like and trust me.

Who knows what the future might bring?

Papa lectured me this morning on the many pitfalls awaiting a young man on his going to university, the bad crowds he might fall in with, and the perils of gambling, drunkenness, and licentiousness. I listened with an interested air, but underneath I could not wait to be gone. Only think, two more weeks and I will be in Cambridge, with all the bustle, noise, and buildings; the air of wealth and importance; the fashionable vehicles and the finely dressed people!

‘This is your chance,’ said Mama to me this afternoon. ‘Make good friends, George, friends who can help you. You will need to drink with them and gamble with them but keep your wits about you. Never play cards when you are drunk and never compromise a young lady who has relatives to support her. Stick to women of the lower orders, pay them for their services, make yourself agreeable to anyone with wealthy sisters, and you should do well.’

‘I mean to, Mama. And when I have caught an heiress I will take you to London and you can shop to your heart’s content.’

‘I am too old to think of shopping now,’ she said with a sigh.

‘Nonsense, you are the prettiest woman in the neighbourhood even now, and I’ll warrant the prettiest in the country as well.’

She laughed, and I bowed and she curtseyed, and then she went to her escritoire and took out a purse. She opened it and I saw that it was full of money.

‘How did you come by such a large amount?’ I asked her in amazement.

‘I have been saving it for you,’ she said.

‘Saving?’ I asked incredulously.

‘My dear boy, see how I love you. I would even save for you! I knew your papa would not give you enough money to go away with and so here is some more. Spend it wisely. Throw some away to begin with—you are young and you need your fun like everyone else—but then think how best to spend it because it will not last forever. Clothes are important; they will mark you out as a gentleman, and, moreover, a gentleman of the right sort. See what the other well-bred young men are wearing and do likewise. Go to their tailors. Show them that you are one of them, and everything else will follow: invitations to country estates, dinner parties, balls, and all with the best families. Be friendly and open, but not too open: there is no need to mention what your father does for a living. If you are asked, it is enough to say that he is a gentleman.’

I took the money and put it in my portmanteau, ready for the day when I will go to Cambridge. Then I went out to the stables because the weather was fine and I was in need of some exercise, and I found Fitzwilliam there.

He has grown lately and he is now several inches taller than I am. It makes him look even more proud, for he holds himself well, and there is an air of being
someone
about him that I cannot match, no matter how hard I try.

Whenever we go to private balls he is always the centre of attention, even though he is only eighteen. I wish I could think that it is just because of Pemberley, but there is something else that attracts people to him. It is not charm. I have charm, which means that people are always pleased to talk to me and to dance with me whenever I ask them. But they would rather dance with Darcy. Their eyes follow him, even though he makes no effort to please them, for he is often bored and he does not trouble to disguise it. He walks about the room as though he wants to be somewhere else—anywhere else—and he will only dance if he is introduced to his partner in such a way that he cannot avoid it. He never puts himself out to please, as I do.

As I must.

‘Where shall we go?’ he asked, as he mounted his animal and waited for me to saddle my horse.

I was pleased that he wanted my company, for I do not spend as much time with him as I used to.

‘Down to the river,’ I said.

He turned his horse’s head and then he set off, leaving me to catch him.

‘Are you looking forward to going to Cambridge?’ I asked him as I drew level with him at the ford.

‘Looking forward to it?’ he asked. ‘What has that to do with anything? I am of an age to go to Cambridge, and so to Cambridge I must go.’

‘Do you not want to go?’ I asked in surprise.

He looked into the distance, at a spot on the horizon, but when I followed his gaze, nothing was there, and I had a feeling that he was looking inwards and not outwards.

‘Sometimes I do not know what I want,’ he said.

There was an air of restlessness and dissatisfaction about him and I looked at him curiously.

‘I thought you were happy to be a Darcy of Pemberley.’

He brought his eyes away from the distance and fixed them on me.

‘And so I am. But there is something missing, George. Do you not feel it?’ he asked, searching my gaze.

Yes, I thought, there is something missing. A large estate and larger fortune. But I did not say it.

And besides, those things were not missing for him.

‘No,’ I lied.

He looked away, over the estate.

‘There are no surprises in my life. It is all mapped out for me. Eton, Cambridge, marriage to some suitable heiress, an heir…’

‘If all you want is surprise…’ I said, and throwing myself off my horse and into the river, I caught hold of him and pulled him in, too.

He emerged, splashing and choking, a minute later, and for a moment I did not know if he would shout at me or laugh with me. I saw the boy inside him warring with the man he was becoming and for a moment I was not sure what the outcome would be, but then he laughed and ducked me and we emerged, dripping wet, and lay on the bank in the sun for our clothes to dry.