“Very good, sir.”
“Have Dr. Carson come meet Georgiana and myself in the nursery in one hour. Also, have the maid Lily attend us. She will be assigned to Georgiana until further notice.”
“Yes, sir.”
A quarter of an hour later, as Darcy was showing Georgiana some of the books he read himself as a child, a light scratching came at the door. “Enter,” he said loudly.
Lily, a young maid of about fifteen years of age, gently opened the door. She was very tall, with a thin frame, bright red hair, and freckles. She curtsied. “You wished to see me, Master Fitzwilliam?”
“Yes, thank you, Lily. Please come in and sit down. How is your family doing?”
The girl entered and sat gingerly on a stool before saying, “Busy. Pa is working hard to get everything ready for the spring planting. He says this winter was wetter than usual, and it has him a mite worried. Ma tells him since there’s nothing he can do about the weather, he needs to start talking less and start praying more.”
“They both have valid points. How’s your youngest brother, Frank?”
Her face sobered. “He’s still having a hard time eating, but his mouth is healing better.”
“Anyone giving your family—or him—any trouble over it?”
She shook her head firmly. “No, everyone has been right kind to us. They all seem to know someone else who had a bad mouth.”
A loud gasp interrupted the conversation, and Darcy and Lily both turned to look at Georgiana. The girl’s eyes were fixed on Lily, one hand up at the scarf around her face. She then turned and looked questioningly at her brother, who nodded. “That is why I have requested Lily to tend to you for now. Her brother was born with a harelip. You’ve seen her talk about her brother; what do you think?”
Before any response could be made, a loud knock came at the door, which was still open. Dr. Carson stood at the entrance to the room. “May I come in?”
“Ah, excellent timing, Doctor. This will save me the trouble of explaining twice. Yes, please come in and join us.”
As Dr. Carson came into the room and took a seat on one of the small chairs—prompting a giggle from Georgiana—Darcy made introductions between all four people. Once everyone was settled, he said, “Dr. Carson, I appreciate your willingness to come all the way from London with very little explanation.”
“You said that it would be something that would test me to my utmost abilities. I’d heard of your reputation long before you began to sponsor me, Darcy; I would have come if you’d asked me to treat your servant’s cold.”
Darcy gave a surprised laugh, and Lily beamed at the doctor. “Master Fitzwilliam is a much better man than his father, that’s for sure.”
“Lily!” Mrs. Reynolds’s scandalized voice came from the doorway, and the servant gulped at the stern tone.
“M-my apologies. I don’t know what I was thinking. My ma is always telling me my tongue runs away with me.”
Mrs. Reynolds’s face softened. “Well, considering the fact that Master Fitzwilliam is now Mr. Darcy—and that what you said is entirely accurate—I shall allow it to pass. But only because it was said in the present company. Any such comments to anyone else in the future, and I will not hesitate to turn you out on your ear, whether or not your mother is my sister!”
Lily gulped and ducked her head. “Yes, Mrs. Reynolds.”
The housekeeper turned to Darcy. “I daresay you will be the best landlord and best master Pemberley has seen in a long time, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy bowed his head in acknowledgment. “I can only hope to be the man my father raised me to be… before he went mad.”
The room fell silent; then Darcy turned to his sister. “Georgiana, I am going to ask you to be very brave now. We haven’t had much time to talk about this. I’ve asked Dr. Carson here because I believe he can help fix your mouth. Would you like that?”
Georgiana’s eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly. Darcy gave her a gentle smile. “That’s my brave girl. Now, we are going to talk about you and your appearance. I know it will be difficult to hear, but please remember that I love you very much. Mrs. Reynolds loved our mother, and Lily loves her brother. Dr. Carson cares about his patients. All of us in this room are here because we care. Do you understand?”
The girl paused, then nodded again, but this time with much less assurance. Darcy knelt next to his sister’s stool and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Now, I am going to remove your scarf so that Dr. Carson can see what needs to be done. Your looks may surprise the people in this room, but that is only because they won’t be used to seeing it on someone your age.”
Lily let out a soft gasp and glanced towards Mrs. Reynolds, who gave a slight nod. Darcy ignored the exchange, keeping his eyes focused on his sister. “Remember, I told you that there are people born like you but that they get fixed as babies? Our father wouldn’t allow it for you. Now that he is dead, I can try to make it happen, and that’s why Dr. Carson is here.”
Georgiana hesitated, and her eyes developed a shimmer of tears. But she squared her shoulders and slowly unwound the fabric from around her face. When the final wrap fell away, there was a collective gasp.
The young girl’s upper lip, usually the smooth, unbroken line in a child’s innocent expression, was instead marked by deep symmetrical splits, bilateral gaps that extended like delicate fissures from her softly pink lips up toward the base of her nose.
It was as though nature, in a moment of whimsical artistry, had drawn two crescent moons that mirrored each other perfectly on her face.
