Melanie: I don’t often write from Wickham’s pov, and I don’t generally use first person, so I thought I’d give both a go. Not edited, just for fun. Add or link your own versions or scenes if you like!
Wickham’s Point of View
Meryton, October 1811
I never expected to see him here. Not in this quiet, out-of-the-way corner of Hertfordshire, where I had taken refuge from certain . . . financial misunderstandings in London.
And yet, there he was. Fitzwilliam bloody Darcy.
For a moment, my breath caught. He was the same blasted figure of rectitude he had always been, even atop a magnificent horse. I would wager he had never let that stallion have its head, never felt the glory of running his mount as fast as it could go.
What was he doing here? Was he looking for me? No—impossible. Darcy wouldn’t trouble himself with that. He never dirtied his hands more than necessary.
Still, my pulse pounded. Had he seen me? Could I step into a shop or if I looked away would he ride past?
He did not ride past. His gaze caught mine and he stiffened. Scowled. And rode on.
I forced myself to breathe. Think, Wickham. Darcy was not a man of impulse. If he had any intention of calling me to account, he would not do it here, not in public. He would turn away, pretend not to know me, let his silence be punishment enough.
And just like that, the fear ebbed. I could use this.
“Denny,” I said smoothly but quietly, turning to my newest acquaintance, “you see that man across the way?” I nodded toward Darcy. “That is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”
Denny’s brows rose. “Bingley’s friend?”
“The very same,” I murmured, my voice weighted with something between regret and fondness. “We were once close—closer than brothers, you might say.” I sighed. “But time and fortune have a way of changing men.”
Denny tilted his head. He was curious. Good. He need not know any more yet. Better to let the questions linger, let him wonder. I gave a faint, melancholy smile. “Perhaps, in time, I will tell you the whole of it.”
Across the street, Bingley hurriedly followed his keeper. No confrontation. Just as I had expected.
I exhaled slowly. My path was still clear.
And it became clearer still when one of the little girls extended an invitation for tea and cards at her aunt’s house. A lively evening with Meryton’s society—the perfect setting to warm my welcome further. I demurred and waited on an invitation, which I was later given.
As I entered Mrs. Phillips’ drawing room that evening, I took in the faces around me, measuring my audience. Laughter, idle chatter, the easy camaraderie of people untroubled by past missteps. And then—her.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
She was lively, sharp-eyed, engaging—an elder sister to the one who had procured an invite for me. I watched as she teased her plain friend over a misplayed card, her dark eyes dancing with amusement. A beauty, certainly, but not the practiced, simpering kind. No, she had spirit. Intelligence. I must be careful, but she would do nicely.
A woman like that would want a story, and I had just the one to give her.
DO YOU LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE OTHER CHARACTERS IN YOUR VARIATIONS?
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Yes, I do because I like seeing the other characters’ viewpoints, especially of the original.
I really, really can’t stand Wickham! Always looking for the easy way out, always searching for his next conquest! Not caring who he hurt on the way! I’m afraid I can’t find any redeeming features in his character and I’m just sorry that Elizabeth was gullible enough to believe his unsubstantiated lies! 😡
Yes! Different perspectives, even Wickham’s give us better insight into the other characters.
Calling Lydia a little girl…lol.
I tend to not care as much about other character’s POV, but if it’s for brief portions of the chapter I don’t mind. It can actually be a bit helpful. But I don’t think I would enjoy an entire book from the POV from another non-main character. I care mostly about Elizabeth and Darcy’s POV. And because I basically hate Wickham, I definitely don’t want to be inside his head.
But this was an interesting snippet to read 🙂
Melanie. I do enjoy hearing another perspective in a story, though some might say Wickham’s mind should be easily read. He is the man we love to hate – for taking in Elizabeth. Yet, sadly, the fault really lies with Mr Bennet. He sought to sharpen her wit for his own entertainment, but didn’t teach her discernment to go with it.
I have enjoyed some versions where Elizabeth doesn’t swallow his story whole and is cautious enough Wickham doesn’t know it.
Sometimes a different perspective can be interesting, especially if a character observes an attraction or feelings D&E desperately try to hide, perhaps even from themselves.
However, I agree with Kaidi that it has to be only a brief part of a book generally centered on the perspective of ODC.