Her nose, too, bore the signature of this design. The base, where one usually finds a smooth transition to the upper lip, was instead slightly elevated, giving her nostrils a morepronounced appearance. This unusual formation lent a certain distinctiveness to her profile, an interplay of shadows and contours that was both intriguing and unexpected.
As she shifted uncomfortably under the gazes of the adults around her, her small mouth opened with each breath, the divide in her lip becoming pronounced with her movement.
“My God,” Dr. Carson breathed. “A double harelip on a young lady of her years. How is she even alive?”
“Nanny,” Mrs. Reynolds and Darcy said in unison.
“Mother died two hours after Georgiana was born,” Darcy said. “Nanny took charge of her care, using one of the sponges dipped in goat’s milk that are used for orphaned kittens. She devoted hours to keeping her fed, day and night. Once Georgiana could sit upright, she could be given gruel with a spoon.”
“Why wasn’t a surgeon called for?”
Darcy shook his head. “My father… he wouldn’t allow it. There was… well, he had lost all reason the year before. I was only thirteen years of age when Georgiana was born. I pleaded with my father, just as I had the year before, but he refused to allow anyone except Nanny and myself to ever see Georgiana.”
“Good God,” Dr. Carson uttered, horrified.
“When I found him in his study four days ago, dead… well, I knew my sister could finally be free. I immediately wrote to ask you to go to Pemberley, even before I sent for my father’s own physician.”
Dr. Carson shook his head in disgust. “Well, you certainly meant it when you said this would test my abilities.”
He took a few steps closer to Georgiana, who was still sitting on her stool, watching the adults with wide eyes. She shrank back as he approached, and Darcy placed a hand on her shoulder.
Dr. Carson smiled gently at her. “Hello, Miss Darcy. I imagine you have had a rather difficult time eating and speaking.” Shedipped her head, and he said, “I would like to try to help you, if I may. Would it be all right to come closer and look at your mouth? I promise it will not hurt in the slightest.”
Georgiana dipped her head again, and this time, she did not flinch when he came towards her. Dr. Carson examined her lips from several angles, asking her to open and close her mouth, and even to blow her nose. After ten minutes, he said, “The very excellent news is that it is only her lip that is affected. The palate is entirely intact.”
“What does that mean?” Darcy asked.
“It means that the top of the inside of her mouth is not split open, which is often the case with a harelip. Since it is only the soft tissue, I believe I can repair it. It will be painful, however. It is why we do it in infancy; the baby does not remember the pain.”
Darcy looked at Georgiana, who nodded vigorously before he could even open his mouth to ask. “Are you sure, dearest? It will be painful.”
“I will need to cut the healthy tissues of the lip, then stretch and pull them down and sew them together. They will heal together, thus filling in the void that is missing between the nose and lip. It will cause two large scars that may never fade, but it will allow her to eat, and to eventually learn to speak.”
Georgiana nodded again, this time even more ferociously.
What followed were hours of surgery, days of laudanum, weeks of recovery, and months sobbing in pain as Georgiana’s skin was cut, stretched, and torn time and again to repair the harm their father’s madness had caused.
Through it all, Darcy had never left her side.
∞∞∞
Georgiana’s cries of pain echoed in Darcy’s mind until the water had long grown cold. It was only when he shivered that he realized how late it had grown. He stood from the bath, exhaustion setting in, and he stumbled from behind the screen and through the door into his bedroom.
Orange flames danced in the fireplace, and the room was comfortably warm. Darcy ignored the bed clothing that had been laid out for him. Too weary to bother with putting anything on, he fell onto his bed, completely naked.
The weight of the next day’s burdens pressed down upon him, almost suffocating him in the feather mattress. He wished Richard weren’t stationed so far away, and he whispered a silent prayer.God, You must bring him back safely. I cannot bear this burden alone.
Elizabeth’s face flashed before his eyes, and a quiet voice in his mind whispered,You don’t have to be alone.
As he drifted off to sleep, a pair of fine eyes and a pleasing figure appeared before him, equally unclothed, to plague his dreams.
Chapter 17
Louisa Hurst carefully closed the door to her chambers, holding her breath as the latch softly clicked into place. Her husband was a heavy sleeper—especially after a night of heavy drinking—but the oddest noises would wake him earlier than he would like. She had little desire to face him after his cruel words from the night before.
She sighed and gave a tug on the collar of her dress, attempting to hide the bruise on her collarbone. When she and Reginald were first married, he had treated her with such kindness. It was only when Caroline had come to live with them that he had begun to drink in excess, which in turn had revealed a cruel side to him that had surprised everyone—including himself.
Things will get better, she told herself.Caroline is gone, Charles will return and be married, and maybe then Reggie won’t imbibe as much. Just hold on a bit longer.
