She bowed her head. “I did not stay in my bedchamber.”
“We are aware of that. You had your brother in the grips of panic, and me, too.”
Her eyebrows bunched together in the way they did before she cried. “I—I did not mean to worry you. I only wanted to think, to be on my own.” Twisting her fingers, she spoke rapidly. “Mrs. Annesley is not at fault. I told her I wished to sleep and arranged the pillows in my bed to make it look as though I slept. It was wrong of me, I know, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would have acted differently.”
Darcy took some comfort in her willingness to accept full responsibility for her actions, but it remained that she had been agitated enough to plan an escape. He had hoped that her heart had forgotten George Wickham by now, but apparently she had not.What else would trouble her so deeply that she would overlook propriety and her own safety?
She continued, her voice slower and repentant. “I regretted venturing out alone as soon as I lost sight of the house, imagining all the things that could go wrong and how foolish I was being. By then, I had scared myself beyond sense. Fortunately, that was when Archie found Remy and Elizabeth. They returned us to Netherfield Park safely.”
That was kind of Elizabeth, but who would see tohersafety? It was apparent that nobody else bothered.
Richard glanced at the clock in the corner. “Miss Elizabeth is likely within sight of Longbourn by now.”
Darcy had to believe it was so. She might feel comfortable walking alone, but if it were up to him, he would start taking long walks just to be with her and ensure she always made it home.
Georgiana wrapped her arms around herself. “She is a far better friend to me than I can be to her, and she was right.” She looked up, her eyelashes glistening with tears.
Both Darcy and Richard took a step toward her, ready to console, but she held her hands up. “I do not love George,” she blurted. “I am convinced that I never did.”
Darcy reached her before Richard did. Whether he held Georgiana up or she held him, he could not say. He was too stunned to know anything at all.
“Why, Georgie?” asked Richard. It was a question which could be interpreted a half dozen different ways,but any answer would give them more understanding than they had presently.
With a sniff, she pulled away from Darcy’s embrace, and he handed her his handkerchief. “I was lonely,” she said. “After Father died, you were so often occupied and away…”
Darcy bowed his head, guilt twisting his stomach. “I should have stayed with you.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “We just grieved differently, that is all. You missed him as much as I did, and you had more demands on your time. Other people depended on you.”
She gave him more credit than he deserved. It had been a relief to keep his mind and body occupied, riding between Pemberley and London and anywhere else he was required to be. Had he not been so selfish, he might have noticed how often Georgiana was alone. “You ought to have been my priority. You are my sister.”
“You did the best you could.”
Her kindness made it worse. “I failed you. Wickham saw what I did not.”
Fire burned in her eyes. “Do not compare yourself to him! He was good at making promises, none of which he ever intended to keep. You, on the other hand, are a man of your word.”
Except when it came to her painting. He still did not know what to do, and it killed him to disappoint her.
She returned his handkerchief, a little damper thanit had been, but none the worse for wear. “I know it is still two weeks more before you said we could return to Pemberley, but do you think we might find a reason to leave sooner? Maybe after Mr. Bingley’s ball?”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. I would very much like to return to London for a fortnight before we go to Pemberley.”
“To London?” asked Richard incredulously. London was south of Hertfordshire, farther away from Pemberley. It was a strange request.
“To bid farewell to Aunt and Uncle, of course,” she explained.
A strange request that would lengthen their journey.Well, if she was willing to sit longer in the coach, then Darcy would agree. “Whatever you wish. I only regret we will not be returning with your painting. Not yet.”
Far from looking perturbed at the news, Georgiana looked serene. She even smiled. “I have a feeling everything will be resolved satisfactorily.”
Darcy wished he could be so confident.
There was one thing he was confident he could do right, and he seized his chance. With a bow, he asked, “If walking is what you are fond of, it would be my pleasure to accompany you anytime you wish.”
“Anytime?” she teased.
