They were a very merry party and there was significantly less cringing than there had been before. The officers continued to call, but Mrs. Bennet planned no parties for them, and without Kitty and Lydia running into town and dragging home soldiers for tea, fewer of them ventured out of Meryton. Once it was made clear that Lydia would not be coming down at all and that Kitty was not formally out, the visits tapered down considerably.

There had been one officer, a Mr. Wickham, who had had a particular interest in Miss Elizabeth. He had shown her great attention and flirted and smiled with ease. She had received him with joy and had taken a certain feminine pleasure in being the object of such a man’s attention. He was a great favorite among many in the area, especially among the Bennet women. He had favored Elizabeth enough to tell her about his past and about a particularly difficult experience with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley’s friend who had visited the area in the autumn.

Mr. Wickham told Elizabeth that he had been the son of the previous Mr. Darcy’s steward and had grown up with Darcy, and that he was Mr. Darcy Sr.’s godson and had been that man’s favorite. He and the younger Darcy had been friends, but Darcy had grown jealous of his father’s affection for another and when his father passed and left a living for Mr. Wickham, Darcy had prevented the disbursement of it on some sort of technicality, and poor Mr. Wickham was reduced to poverty and forced to eke out an existence in the militia.

Elizabeth was greatly touched by his tale of woe, being of tender heart and vain spirit. Mr. Darcy had insulted her before they were even introduced, and in a very humiliating way, though there may not be another way to be insulted. At the first assembly he and his party had attended in the neighborhood, Mr. Darcy’s friend Mr. Bingley, an amiable and cheerful man, had suggested he dance with Elizabeth who was currently without a partner. Looking her over disdainfully, Mr. Darcy declared that she was not handsome enough to tempt him to dance. She! Elizabeth Bennet! Second of the Bennet sisters, famed as the most beautiful family in the county.

Elizabeth liked to think she was a fair lady, with good judgment and a kind disposition, but, oh, how she hated Mr. Darcy! She had laughed and told her friends the ridiculous story, for really she did not think he could have looked at her very closely, or perhaps there was something wrong with his eyes, or maybe he was accustomed to done-up women and did not appreciate simple beauty, and of course, she was not so vain, but it did sting. Yes, it did. She had decided then and there that though he may be rich, in her eyes, Mr. Darcy was most assuredly lacking.