Anniversary Celebration: Lydia and Wickham

AV anniversary gradientIt’s our anniversary, and we’re in the mood to celebrate! Throughout February, we’re commemorating the success of Austen Variations‘ first year by dropping in on some of our favorite Austen couples on their anniversaries. We started with the Darcys and the Bingleys on the 2nd. Today, we’re visiting Lydia and Wickham. I wonder how they’re doing after twelve months together. Does connubial bliss live on, or is the honeymoon definitely over?



Mrs. Bennet was busy making herself a new cap when Hill appeared in the doorway.

“Mrs. Wickham is here, madam,” said Hill.

LydaBennet05Mrs. Bennet uttered a loud cry, jumped to her feet and ran to the front door. Clutching her handkerchief to her bosom, she hurried towards the carriage just as Lydia was stepping out.

“Oh,” said Mrs. Bennet. “Oh, what a surprise! You should have written to tell me you were coming!” She put out her arms and Lydia launched herself into them. After a tight squeeze she set her daughter before her at arm’s length and examined her. “Let me look at you! To see you again so soon after your delivery! Where is little Charles? I cannot wait to see him.”

Mrs. Bennet looked towards the carriage expectantly.

“La, mama, you surely did not expect me to bring Charles on such a lengthy journey, though it breaks my heart to part with the little poppet. I have left him with the wet-nurse. If only you could have seen him! He has become so very handsome! I am sure he is the handsomest boy in Newcastle, but then of course with such good-looking parents, it is only to be expected. Wickham thinks he favors him, but I can assure you, he has my eyes and eyes are the most important thing, are they not, mama? Well, apart from other things, of course.”

“You get your eyes from me, my dear, and I can tell you, I had a few admirers in my day. But let us not linger. Let us go inside and you can give me all the latest news. But make haste, because we must call on Mrs. Philips to let her know you are here. She will be so jealous! Her daughters hardly ever visit her. How long are you staying? Sit down. Let me ring for refreshments. Mr. Bennet is out but he will be delighted you have come and I believe Mary has gone to consult with the curate about some church matter. I cannot believe you are here again. It has been so quiet lately. Your father disappears into the library for hours at a time, Kitty is always off visiting one of her sisters, and Mary is so very dull.”

Lydia gave out a little giggle. “Nothing has changed, then. You should go and stay with Lizzy, mama. If I could, that is what I would do. But Mr. Darcy does not like dear Wickham, so I cannot stay long. I cannot bear to be parted from my dear husband. You know, today is the first anniversary of our wedding.”

Mrs. Bennet beamed. “Is it indeed? I remember that day as if it was yesterday. Such joy! Such jubilation! You cannot conceive how pleased I was for you. The only blotch on my happiness was that I was not able to be with you when you chose your wedding clothes. But why did you not come with Wickham. If Wickham were here, I would have had a dinner party with dancing afterwards.”

Lydia sighed. “As to that, I am sure it does not matter if Wickham is here or not. Wickham is growing quite tiresome. He does not like dancing half as much as he used to. Every time we go to a ball, he disappears into the card room and I scarcely see him all evening. You must set up a few entertainments, mama, for I am dying to dance.”

The door opened and Hill appeared with tea and cake. “I see Cook is still making the same old Portugal Cake. I must ask her for a recipe. Dear Wickham has a sweet tooth.” She took a big bit and sighed contentedly. “Oh, it is good to be home.”

Lydia and Wickham

Mrs. Bennet bit into a piece of cake. “Yes, yes, I grant you that Cook makes a good cake, but why did Wickham not come with you? Then you would have been saved the effort of copying the recipe and we may have had a dance. Meryton may not be as big as Newcastle, but we know how to entertain ourselves. You should not have left Wickham behind.”

“La, I did not leave him behind,” said Lydia. “Wickham is always somewhere or the other, he is never still. He has so many friends and they are always inviting him to house parties.” She pouted. “I used to accompany him, but all they did all day was hunt and play cards, so I stopped.”

“So where is he now?” Mrs. Bennet was determined to satisfy her curiosity.

“He is in Town,” said Lydia, pouring herself another cup of tea. “He said he was going up to London to prepare a surprise for me for our anniversary. He was supposed to send for me, but the letter must have gone astray because I did not receive anything. The post is becoming more unreliable by the day. I plan to surprise him by going up myself. La, I shall have such a laugh when I see his face! He will be so happy to see me!”

“And so he will,” said Mrs. Bennet, smiling indulgently, “However, there is no hurry, I am sure, now that you are here. We will do very well together. You must give him time to miss you.”

Lydia considered her mother’s words. “I do believe you are right, mama. He has only been gone a month, and you know how things are in Town. There are so many distractions. Besides, he has had to look for lodgings, which is very difficult because we have limited resources. I have asked Lizzy repeatedly to approach her Mr. Darcy for funds, but she only sends me a small amounts which are scarcely more than pocket-money. I must admit, I am not very impressed with her Mr. Darcy after all. He is very miserly. I feel quite sorry for Lizzy, in fact. I am certain she has to beg for every penny. My Wickham is very generous when he has the money. Why, the other day he gave me his whole quarter’s officer’s pay. ‘Take it,’ he said, ‘or I will spend it on cards.’ Can you imagine anyone more generous? However, one  of the servants must have stolen it because the next day when I looked in the drawer where I had hidden it, it was gone. I am sure I have no idea what we will live on, so I wrote to Lizzy, then, but she did not reply. I suspect she is too afraid to ask Mr. Darcy.”

mrs. BennetMrs. Bennet looked around her to make sure she would not be overheard, then leaned closer to her daughter. The two heads were almost touching.

“You need not say anything further, for I declare I am quite terrified of Mr. Darcy myself,” she said, patting Lydia’s hand, her voice descending into a loud whisper. “I say this to you in confidence because I would not want to offend Lizzy, but I do not believe she chose wisely. I have never liked the man. He puts on such airs and struts about as if he owned the world, I cannot feel comfortable around him. I prefer your Wickham by far. Now there is someone who is a sight for sore eyes, especially when he is in uniform. He does not fancy himself something important. And such charming manners. As for Mr. Darcy…”

***

I’ve always loved writing about Mrs. Bennet, and though it isn’t her anniversary, I was happy to bring her in to the story. I could not resist the little ironic touch.

Sadly, it is the end of February and the end of our Anniversary series. I hope you enjoyed our look at what the various Jane Austen couples were doing a year later.

35 comments

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  1. Fun. It does not bode well if couple is not together for their first anniversary. I bet Wickham has a surprise for Lydia by disappearing on her. She gave him a very good head start as well as his pay to gamble away in London. Unfortunately, Lydia and Mrs. Bennet do not understand how truly horrible he is, and how awesome Mr. Darcy is.

    1. Patty — yes, it does look that way, doesn’t it?

    • Kathy Wallace on February 27, 2015 at 2:35 am
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    Mrs. B and Liddie are still as sharp as box of rocks.

    1. Let’s say their perspective is limited, Kathy!

    • Jane Odiwe on February 27, 2015 at 4:06 am
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    Hilarious, Monica! I loved this glimpse at Lydia’s anniversary-utterly perfect!

    1. Thank you, Jane. You are very kind to say so!!

    • Eileen on February 27, 2015 at 4:41 am
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    Those two! Feathers for brains! Would love to have them both “surprise” Wickham.

    1. A lot of fluff, Eileen! At least they’re consistent.

    • Mari on February 27, 2015 at 5:45 am
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    I love Eileen’s idea of Mrs. Bennet and her mini me both surprising Wickham. Shocking him would be more like it and it would have the added value of rendering all three speechless at the same time. Wickham would be caught doing something he couldn’t talk his way out of, and his wife and mother in law would be standing and staring as their jaws hit the floor. Of course, no one would be silent for long, which would be even more hilarious, as the accusations and excuses started to fly. Lydia is clearly even more clueless than her mother, which is saying a lot. I enjoyed this thoroughly, even though it is clear that Lydia is being conned by Wickham. She still hasn’t learned anything. I wonder what the second anniversary will bring!

    1. Mari — you’ve described a perfectly delicious situation — it would be a lot of fun to write the “surprise” scene!

    • Christa on February 27, 2015 at 5:59 am
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    La, Lydia is but the same as she ever has been!☺️ This has been great fun!

    1. Thank you, Christa! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, Lydia is the same as ever 😉

    • Deborah on February 27, 2015 at 6:12 am
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    This was so sadly funny. Lydia is clueless. She has no mothering instinct. She really is nothing more than a child herself. It would be so funny, but sad for Lydia to find Wickham in a seedy part of London. Maybe her eyes would finally be open. I wonder how many debts Wickham has racked up and if he’s planning on returning. How sad, but what we all expected, even if better was hoped for. I agree with Mari, I wonder what anniversary 2 will bring?

    1. There is a sad aspect to it, Deborah, I agree. Lydia is still a teenager struggling to come to terms with the world and it doesn’t help that her mother encourages her in her self-indulgence.

  2. That was delightful. Thank you!

    1. A pleasure, Barbara. Thank you for your kind words.

    • Stephanie L on February 27, 2015 at 9:13 am
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    *facepalm* They both need some sense shaken into them, but it would require so much shaking that it would certainly be illegal. *sigh* They are both just about useless. Poor Wickham and scary Darcy indeed. I agree with all the PP, she deserves what she finds by “surprising” Wickham in London. So many writers portray Wickham getting picked off at some point and I think it is very probable. All it takes is one particularly irate father, husband, or gambling partner and he is toast. Second anniversary…let’s see how many lives he has left.

    1. They do indeed need some sense shaken into them, but more likely it will make matters worse 😉

    • Carol Settlage on February 27, 2015 at 10:00 am
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    This has been a very clever and entertaining anniversary series that I’ve enjoyed immensely, and this last of Lydia and Wickham is just perfect! Thank you all for the lovely stories!

    1. Carol — lovely of you to say so. I had a lot of fun writing my post and reading what my coleagues wrote as well.

    • Sheila L. M. on February 27, 2015 at 10:53 am
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    I agree with Stephanie L. Will they make it to a second anniversary if Lydia manages to surprise him in London. After all London is very large and I cannot imagine he would give her his location. Does she know where Mrs. Younge lives? And, as Stephanie reminded us, many authors manage to get him killed off, either in battle, by an irate father or even an irate husband. And in one book Colonel Fitzwilliams manages to deal him a death shot as he runs from having kidnapped G. and then assaulting E. as she comes to the rescue.

    But your portrayal of both Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are “right on”! Dimwits to the end.

    1. Thanks, Sheila! So you like the idea of killing off Wickham, do you? Guilty as charged. I had him killed off in The Other Mr. Darcy. Wickham is the sort of person you know will eventually get into trouble, one way or the other.

        • Sheila L. M. on February 28, 2015 at 9:43 am
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        I have not yet read that one but it is on my Wish List. A slow painful death is the best fate I see for him…he caused so much pain to others.

  3. Oh my, still oblivious as ever! Hilarious and fun follow-up, Monica!

    1. Thank you so much, Sophia. Happy to hear you enjoyed it. We aim to please 😉

    • Julie on February 27, 2015 at 4:19 pm
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    Loved this, but saddened a bit, too. In my imagination, this has gone further – Wickham is gone – doesn’t want to be a father or a husband – took the last paycheck and skedaddled. Lydia may think she will surprise HIM, but it will be the other way around. If only she could count on him staying gone, she might be able to pass for a widow and start again… Alas, I don’t think that will work, either. There is nothing now but the shaming… She is clueless, but not wicked. So unfair. Oh, I have to stop thinking about this, hahaha.

    1. I agree, Julie — there isn’t a happy ending for Lydia and it is sad if you think about it. She made a mistake at a young age and now she’ll have to pay for it. She’s stuck.

    • Carol on February 27, 2015 at 6:14 pm
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    I cannot figure out if Mrs. Bennet has always been that blind about her youngest daughter’s husband or whether she just refuses to see him for what he is! She knew of his gaming debts, debts of honor, and seduction of young girls from her sister. Her and Lydia are dumb and dumber. I hope when Lydia goes to London, her dear Wickham shows more of evilness, and Lydia will see what a scoundrel he really is. I hope she shocks the s**t out of him. Money stolen by the servants, what is she thinking? Mrs. Bennet and Lydia blaming Darcy further exposes their complete stupidity. Those that Darcy helped with everything need to take her aside and Wickham’s signature on the document for accepting money instead of the living. His worthless daughter and son in law should be told enough already. First anniversary apart should tell her something’s not right. Clueless idiot for sure.

  4. There is a lot of blindness there, Carol. Sometimes people make so many excuses for those who hurt them because they don’t want to see the truth, but what is Mrs. Bennet’s reason for favoring Wickham? She at least should know better.

    • Anji on February 28, 2015 at 4:46 am
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    Oh myyyy! I can’t bring myself to say “Poor Lydia!”, really, I can’t. Servants stealing the money, indeed! And she thinks her husband was so generous in giving her the money! Sorry, there’ll be far too many exclamation marks if I continue in that vein.

    Like others, I wonder if there will be a second anniversary for the Wickhams. Will they ever be together again? If he’s disappeared off to London more than a month since, could he ever be found? I don’t suppose Darcy will volunteer for another search this time.

    My abiding thought is for poor Baby Charles. To have been born to such parents, who think nothing of abandoning him and going off, seeking their own pleasures, for an unspecified amount of time. It doesn’t bode well for his future.

    Thanks for such an entertaining story, Monica, and to all the other authors who’ve taken part in this series.

    1. Thank you, Anji. Baby Charles does have awful parents, I agree. At least you could say that Mrs. Bennet makes an effort to look out for her daughters. We just have to hope she’ll mature a bit as she grows older.

    • Carole in Canada on February 28, 2015 at 10:27 am
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    Lydia is burying her head in the sand and Mrs. Bennet has joined her! The poor baby will need to be rescued! That bothers me more than I can say! Wickham doesn’t care what happens to anyone and Lydia just refuses to admit it or accept it.

    By the way Monica, I re-read ‘Mr. Darcy’s Pledge’ and just finished ‘Mr. Darcy’s Challenge’. Loved them both but I could have literally strangled Mr. Darcy several times! I was holding my breathe at times and wondering what could go wrong next! Then to think I have to wait for the next book! Please say it won’t be too long…

    1. There’s a lot of sand around, too! Lydia’s clearly in denial and Mrs. Bennet is just too superficial.

      Thank you so much for you kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the two first books in the series. I’m working on the next 😉

    • TLeighF on February 28, 2015 at 10:42 pm
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    This was funny and so sad at the same time. I would say it is probably exactly how their anniversary would have gone. I just could never see that Wickham would have staid around all that long and Lydia still had so much growing up to do. I agree that the saddest thing is thinking about the baby. Poor guy! I hope one of his aunts takes pity on him or he will end up just like his father.

    I loved the month of first anniversary scenes and hope you make this a tradition each year with the second anniversary, third anniversary, etc.

  5. TLeigh, there’s still hope for the baby. It wasn’t unusual at that time for babies to be handed over to wet nurses who cared for them. The real test for Lydia will be what she does once little Charles has been weaned.

    We haven’t talked about the next anniversary yet but that sounds like a great tradition, TLeigh. It would be really fun to follow up each year on our couples.

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