Chapter One
Pemberley, November 1811
Georgiana’s eyes were red. Her tears had come and gone many times and left a salty residue on her cheeks. “Please, please. Don’t make me marry him, don’t make me marry anybody. I beg you — anything, please, anything but that. I don’t want—”
“Georgie—” Colonel Fitzwilliam snapped harshly, “you ought to have consideredthatbefore you let your father’s beloved pleb get a child on you. Mr. Carteret will accept Wickham’s child. You shall marry him, and marry him fast.”
Georgiana knelt on the rug and embraced Darcy’s trousers as she broke into fresh sobs and begged again not to be made to marry. She trembled, and her posture hid the small bulge in his sister's body which grew more prominent day by day.
This was his fault. Darcy could not let Georgiana suffer for his failing. But what to do? He wanted to rip at his hair. Darcy took her hand and softly pulled Georgiana up to stand again. He saw his cousin’s annoyance at how softly he treated the girl, but Colonel Fitzwilliam had not been the one stupid enough to trust Wickham’s cousin Mrs. Younge with stewardship of Georgiana. The woman had always lived on Darcy’s land and appeared of good character, but he should haveknown.
Never again. He mustneveragain fail to ensure Georgiana’s happiness.
Buthow?
Until today he had assumed Georgiana wanted her reputation restored and protected by marriage to a respectable man. It had not been easy to find a trustworthy man who would accept a fifteen-year-old bride pregnant with another man’s child.
Mr. Carteret had four healthy sons, the youngest of whom would enter Oxford in a year, from a previous marriage and his estate earned a little more than a thousand a year. He would have been a barely allowable match for Miss Darcy, the debutante with thirty thousand pounds. Miss Darcy, the ruined and shamed girl, had different expectations. Darcy distantly knew Mr. Carteret, who was the much older brother of a friend at Oxford. They had been acquainted almost a decade and Darcy had little fear of him mistreating his sister.
Reason said he should make Georgiana marry him, now that Colonel Fitzwilliam had convinced Carteret to accept his sister.
“Stop crying. You will marry. You will be happier than you deserve, and you will no longer beourproblem.” Colonel Fitzwilliam wrinkled his nose and flapped his hands as if wafting the air coming from Georgiana away from him. “You gain far better than you deserve.”
Darcy pressed his hand over his eyes. He could not look easily on her pain. “Georgie, what do you want? What do you expect if you do not marry Carteret?”
“Don’t—” Fitzwilliam’s face screwed up savagely. “By God, don’t let her tears make you an idiot. She needs to marry.”
Georgiana’s pale blue eyes were wide and shot with red. Darcy ignored his cousin and brushed the tears off her face with his fingers. “Georgie, we will not force you — Fitzwilliam, we will not — but what hope do you have for the future if you do not marry?”
“I’m scared — he was so unkind after we…and it hurt, I never expected it to hurt so much — Fitzwilliam, I am so scared. Don’t make me face another man like that. He only wants my fortune as well. Maybe…maybe some far-off estate, and…and I would live there alone forever and never bother anyone again.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam rolled his eyes and sneered. “You are a child living out fantastical notions.”
Fitzwilliam was right. Just as they had proven incapable of caring for her, Georgiana had proven incapable of caring for herself. But she had once chosen wisely.
When Georgiana and Wickham arrived in Scotland two days ahead of Darcy’s pursuit, Georgiana had thrown herself at the knees of the vicar Wickham found to do the ceremony and begged all of the witnesses to keep her away from Mr. Wickham until her brother arrived.
Darcy hoped at first the damage from her elopement would be modest. Georgiana was gaunt and cried for weeks. She did not play her music anymore — though due to his anger at her, Darcy may not have permitted it during the first weeks. During those simpler days, he alternated between rage at his sister and a fiercer, deeper and truer rage at himself. He had decided they would go to Matlock so Georgiana could stay with her aunt and uncle for a few weeks, and be lectured about her bad behavior by a person who felt less guilt than he did.
Then Georgiana’s courses came late.
Now the situation was pregnant.
Darcy sneered in amused disgust at his pun. Georgiana had said nothing, so he had not thought her to be violated. Until Colonel Fitzwilliam returned from the continent with his regiment and a harsh new look in his eyes, Darcy’s prickly and proud efforts to find a husband for his sister had borne no fruit.
And now she did not want one.
“Georgie” — Colonel Fitzwilliam sneered again — “it surprises me not one damned bit—"
“In front of a lady?” Darcy cut his cousin off.
“Weeell…” Colonel Fitzwilliam dragged the word out. He curved his mouth into a hard smirk. “She abandoned such designation.” He patted Georgiana’s shoulder, and though usually affectionate, Georgiana flinched away. “An illegitimate child!Ladyis not the word customarily used.”
“I know I am no lady — but don’t make me marry.Please.” Georgiana looked at Colonel Fitzwilliam’s stony face.”
“It surprises me not adamnthat Wicky proved a bad lover. No woman ever accusedmeof such. A man can act with his tongue and fingers to make the act ecstatic for the woman. I will give Mr. Carteret advice on how to properly please a woman — with so many children from his first marriage, I doubt he needs it — we shall write into the marriage settlement that he must use that advice to enjoy the income from your fortune.”
Georgiana’s eyes and mouth popped wide. Darcy exclaimed, "Do not speak so crudely in front of my sister."
