Nature's Mistake Chapter 3

Dragons, Deceit, and Desire

Hello, Readers!

I’m struggling with this draft because my mind keeps wandering to incinerating Wickham and getting a believable lead-up to it and the ensuing deaths that follow. LOL

As always, pressing the heart [like] icon is appreciated.

Oh! Title suggestions will be appreciated. I’m currently leaning toward something with MUTANT in it. ;o)

I’ve been trying to pick a graphic for the cover based on either the prologue or the Meryton assembly and would like your feedback on which of the following might be better.

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Chapter 3

September 4-10, 1811

Darcy and Bingley called at Longbourn every day. Whenever the weather permitted, the party wandered through the gardens, though Darcy invariably contrived to steal a few private moments with his betrothed. Away from curious eyes, he held Elizabeth close and stole a kiss whenever opportunity allowed. He longed for the special license to arrive so nothing would stand between them. Each interlude made the wait more difficult.

While the eldest Bennet sisters enjoyed respectable courtships, Kitty and Lydia devoted nearly every afternoon to a walk to Meryton. Their reported destination was Mrs. Phillips’s house, where the officers of the militia were frequent visitors. They usually perused the shop windows and lingered in the town square before briefly calling on their aunt.

The younger girls had been taught that a red coat, an easy smile, and lively conversation were sufficient recommendations for a gentleman. Mrs. Bennet encouraged their flirtation, believing any officer with agreeable manners might become a suitable husband. She had never impressed upon them the importance of judging a man’s character, principles, or intentions.

Lydia, especially, delighted in attention. Barely fifteen, she mistook admiration for affection and compliments for sincerity. The honorable officers laughed at her jokes, indulged her vanity, and treated her more like an amusing child than a young lady. She accepted every smile as proof of friendship.

Several officers already knew how easily she could be persuaded into harmless mischief, and more than one regarded her innocence as an opportunity for less harmless mischief rather than something to protect.

Meanwhile, the two youngest Bennet daughters, Kitty and Lydia, encouraged by their mother, walked into Meryton every afternoon and spent their time near the town square or called upon their Aunt Phillips. The arrival of the militia had transformed the quiet market town into a place of constant excitement, and the girls rarely returned home without exchanging a few words with one officer or another.

Mrs. Bennet had encouraged their flirtation for years, believing an officer’s commission and a pleasant smile were recommendation enough. She had never taught her daughters to distinguish charm from character or to question a gentleman’s motives. Lydia, especially, delighted in any attention paid to her. At fifteen, she possessed far more confidence than judgment and mistook easy compliments for genuine admiration.

She already knew several officers by name when Lieutenant George Wickham first crossed her path in the town square.

“What a handsome gentleman!” Lydia exclaimed. She released her sister’s arm and hurried forward. She smiled up at the newcomer. “Sir, I do not believe we have met.”

Kitty, usually a complacent follower of her younger sister, was shocked that Lydia had sought to introduce herself to a stranger rather than wait for a proper introduction. Thankfully, she saw Lieutenant Denny was about to reach them. Kitty gave Denny an encouraging smile and surreptitiously beckoned him to hurry.

“Miss Catherine, Miss Lydia,” he said with a patient sigh, “allow me to present my friend, Lieutenant George Wickham.”

Wickham bowed with practiced grace.

“The pleasure is mine, ladies.”

Lydia curtseyed with surprising enthusiasm. Kitty curtsied with all the dignity she could muster.

Gazing at the handsome man before her, Lydia purred, “I hope we shall become well acquainted.”

Denny watched the exchange with growing unease. Wickham possessed a charming manner that concealed a calculating mind. He could read people within minutes and knew exactly how to win their confidence. Lydia, impulsive and eager to please, was precisely the sort of girl who would mistake his attention for sincere affection.

Before Wickham could continue the conversation, Denny stepped forward.

“Miss Lydia, I nearly forgot. I have a surprise for you.”

Her eyes brightened at once.

“You do? What is it?”

“If I tell you now, it will spoil the surprise.”

“Oh, please tell me!”

He chuckled.

“Meet me at the crossroads near Purvis Lodge in an hour, and you shall see for yourself,” he murmured

Lydia clasped her hands together.

“I shall be there!”

A glance at the church clock fixed the hour in her mind. She caught Kitty by the arm and tugged her toward the road leading to Longbourn.

“Come along, Kitty. We must hurry home.”

Kitty stumbled after her, nearly losing her bonnet as Lydia hurried down the street. Kitty was accustomed to her sister’s sudden whims and allowed herself to be pulled away without an obvious struggle. Once they were far enough from the officers, her complacency ended.

“Lydia!” she protested, pulling against her sister’s grip. “Must you drag me? I can walk perfectly well.”

“We have no time to waste.”

“No time for what?” Kitty demanded. “We have only just arrived.”

Lydia looked over her shoulder with an impatient sigh.

“I have something important to do.”

“What could possibly be so important that you cannot tell me?”

“Denny has a surprise for me! I must meet him in an hour to receive it!”

Kitty frowned and folded her free arm across her chest.

“It is always a surprise with you. You dash about as though the world will end if you are not the first to know every scrap of news.”

Lydia laughed.

“That is because I enjoy life more than you do.”

“I enjoy life very well,” Kitty replied, planting her feet for a moment. Lydia’s pull nearly upset her balance. “I simply wished to speak with Lieutenant Chamberlayne before we left.”

“Oh, you may speak to him tomorrow.”

“But he was looking our way.”

“So was everyone else.”

Kitty sighed in exasperation.

“You never think of anyone but yourself.”

Lydia released an exaggerated gasp and pressed a hand to her chest.

“What a dreadful thing to say! I thought you would be pleased for me.”

“Pleased?” Kitty raised both eyebrows. “You scarcely allowed Lieutenant Denny to introduce Mr. Wickham before you were smiling at him as though you had known him for years.”

“He is exceedingly handsome.”

“So are half the officers.”

“Not as handsome as Mr. Wickham.”

Kitty rolled her eyes.

“You have said the same thing about nearly every new officer who has joined the regiment.”

“I have not.”

“You most certainly have.”

Lydia tossed her head and resumed marching toward Longbourn, forcing Kitty to keep pace.

“You are only cross because no one has invited you to a surprise.”

“I am cross,” Kitty muttered, smoothing the wrinkles from her sleeve where Lydia had been gripping it, “because I should like to decide for myself when it is time to go home.”

Lydia only laughed and skipped ahead another few paces, leaving Kitty to follow with a weary shake of her head.

Once the girls had disappeared down the road, Wickham folded his arms and looked after them with amusement.

“You interrupted that conversation rather neatly.”

Denny shrugged.

“I merely postponed it.”

“You needn’t have bothered. We will meet again soon enough.”

“I daresay you will make certain of it.”

Wickham smiled, though there was little warmth in the expression.

“First impressions matter. People generally believe what they wish to believe.”

“They do,” Denny replied. “Country towns are different from London, however. News travels quickly, and reputations are difficult to recover.”

“Only if one allows others to tell the story first.”

The easy confidence in Wickham’s voice left Denny unsettled. His friend possessed every outward advantage: handsome features, polished manners, and an effortless charm that inspired trust. Those who knew him well understood how carefully that image had been crafted and the evil that lurked beneath the surface.

With a brief nod, Denny took his leave.

He first stopped at the haberdasher’s and purchased the bright yellow ribbon Lydia had admired several days earlier. His next visit was to the confectioner’s, where he selected a small box of sweets. Only after completing his errands did he leave Meryton and make his way toward the crossroads near Purvis Lodge to wait for Lydia.