“Good day, and congratulations, Georgiana — if your cousin might give you such.” Colonel Fitzwilliam — no Elizabeth had heard from Darcy that he had been made a brigadier — stood grinning and pleased.
Georgiana allowed General Fitzwilliam to embrace her. Then she studied him. “Did Fitzwilliam send you? What does he want me to know? Why could he not come himself?”
“Fitzwilliam? No, no. Not him. I am present to deliver myfather’smessage that you ought abandon your plan to debase the noble Fitzwilliam blood. We — you and I — descend from royalty on the wrong side of the sheets, and to debase this royal blood of sceptered kings with that of a bottom dwelling tradesman, who is not even ridiculously rich, is a stain upon our families, a blot. Your marriage is the inky darkness which will be used to obscure your name in the family tree. Your choice, he ordered me to inform you, will bring you nothing but deepest unhappiness and the universal despite. And so on and so on, and so on for a deuced long time — Aunt Catty was present, and the two topped one another for agreatlength in this vein. I took no notes, so I cannot do their rant justice, but if you should visit the old earl, he might repeat the choicest bits before having you thrown out upon your ear.”
Georgiana laughed. “I thought they finished with me long ago.”
General Fitzwilliam grinned and exchanged a knowing look with Georgiana. “Congratulations, Georgie. Congratulations. Deuced glad to see you show some spirit. You were too nice to Darcy for my taste when I visited Pemberley. But you had this sly plan in your mind already, did you not?”
Georgiana blushed. “I did.”
“Sly girl! I hope the man is worthwhile, but if Miss Bennet jilted my cousin over the matter, he cannot be a bad sort.” General Fitzwilliam bowed and took Elizabeth’s hand and kissed it easily. “Lovelier than ever. Pity my cousin’s pride and your temper ended matters.Iwould have delighted to call you cousin.”
“I thank you,” Elizabeth replied with a little stiffness. “Did he tell you the manner I ended it with? I would not have thought he would speak of it.”
“We are close. Again close. I am glad for that. Damned fool, Darcy. But he is my close cousin, and we care deeply. I owe you a deuced great deal, Miss Bennet. Darcy sent me a letter asking for a reconciliation — we had not been close since Georgie’s youthful indiscretion. I am very glad.”
“I hope for him to have friends.”
“He will not be alone — though he has lost you.” General Fitzwilliam lowered his voice so those around them could not hear, and he said with a sly smirk of approval, “Throwing the ring!”
“Not on this matter. I pray, laugh upon another subject. No laughter here. This still hurts.”
“I apologize.” Colonel Fitzwilliam bowed his head. “I might say I am a crude military man, unused to the society of proper women after so many years. But you would know that to be a lie. I sympathize too much with Darcy having seen his pain.”
“My uncle and your brother? How do they do?” Georgiana touched General Fitzwilliam’s arm to gain his full attention. “They of course are angry, but do they actually care that I am marrying Mr. Peake enough to be unhappy?”
“Unhappy? Delighted rather. It takes you away from Pemberley and Darcy. Aunt Catty is happier with yourbrotherthan she has been for many years.”
“Aunt Catty! Such a good name.” Georgiana snorted.
“She came to London upon receipt of the news — and she traveled to Pemberley with Anne to pushherupon Darcy again. I will travel to Pemberley as well, tomorrow. I do worry for your brother.” He glanced between the two women and cleared his throat. “I…well I hope to achieve a reconciliation. Darcy needs you. Both of you.”
“I hope so! I hope so!” Georgiana clutched her hands together and bounced in her adorable manner. “I desperately want to have him yet be my brother.”
“Do not count upon my success. Darcy is a proud and stubborn man.”
“If only he would still marry Lizzy.”
“Georgie, I have asked you,” Elizabeth said, “to give up any such hope. I will not marry him.”
“Are you a proud and stubborn woman as well?” Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled at Elizabeth.
“I am determined. In the future I will berational. I shall not be driven by passions into making a mistake.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam held his hands wide. “To ignore your deepest heart’s feelings. To ignore what chance you have for human happiness. To live in fear of what might go wrong, when you could be killed upon any happening. That is not rational.”
Elizabeth ground her teeth together, but before she replied the dinner bell rang.
Georgiana and Mr. Peake sat next to each other — the dinner was to celebrate their matrimony, so they must be seated together — and darted glances to each other. Elizabeth chatted with the gentlemen and ladies around her. She could not help feeling some jealousy and unhappiness at seeing Georgiana’s happiness. It was irrational, wrong to feel, but she still ached in that way.
It was late when the dinner finished. As the dining hall was less than a half mile from the Gardiners’ house on Gracechurch Street, and as the weather this evening was unseasonably mild, they bundled up and walked the short distance rather than waiting for a carriage to be brought round. Mr. Peake held Georgiana’s arm, while Elizabeth walked to the side and behind them. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner hurried together ahead of the slowly strolling couple, who admired the façades of the houses, the occasional street with trees along the road, and the light traffic as a few late carriages ran back and forth, with lamps hanging from every side.
Even though it was past midnight, neither Mr. Peake nor Georgiana were ready to sleep; it was just two days until they planned to marry. They settled into the drawing room to talk and enjoy a light late supper, while Elizabeth provided a chaperone. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, being older and wiser, went direct to sleep. Elizabeth yawned, and looked at a book while the couple cooed at each other. She did not mind staying up later, as her novel had reached its most interesting point.
Elizabeth smiled when the door was quietly snuck open.
Little Anne had apparently been woken by the noise. Georgiana picked her up and embraced her on seeing the girl, but after a few minutes Georgiana’s attention had returned to Mr. Peake, and Anne went to Elizabeth. She squeezed Elizabeth’s thigh and said happily, “Aunt Lizzy!”
