Chapter 6
Georgiana thoroughly enjoyed having her good friend, Catherine, spend part of the summer with her, and she was sad, indeed, when she had to see her off in mid-July, but at least she could look forward to seeing her once again in September.
Over the next two years, the two girls continued to be the closest of friends. They shared all their secrets and sometimes even complained together about the uncomfortable process of growing from girls to women.
Georgiana did fear, at one point, that Catherine would leave school before she did. After all, Catherine was a year and a half older than she was. As it turned out, the two girls left school permanently at the same time.
In May 1811, Catherine was just shy of turning seventeen, and Georgiana had been fifteen for five months. Catherine’s mother demanded that she leave school for good and come out at home. Apparently, her older sisters had all come out at age sixteen, and her mother was tired of waiting. At the same time, Fitzwilliam was insistent that Georgiana begin to learn more about running an establishment of her own.
At the end of that month, both friends left Mrs. Gordon’s School for Outstanding Young Ladies for the last time. Catherine was to return home, and Georgiana was to move across the city to an establishment Fitzwilliam had set up for her, run by a lady named Mrs. Younge.
There were many tearful hugs and promises of frequent correspondence as well as hopes that they would be able to visit each other soon.
Georgiana liked her new home, and Mrs. Younge was kind and knowledgeable, but she felt isolated. After years of being constantly surrounded by girls, it felt odd to not have any friends nearby. She even missed Fitzwilliam. Though she was used to not seeing him often, she had hoped that would change once she left school. However, he had business at Pemberley for the summer, and he planned to attend a house party in Surrey once his business was complete.
In the middle of June, Georgiana asked Mrs. Younge if they could travel somewhere away from London, because the heat was stifling. Georgiana wanted to go to Brighton, since she had never seen it before, but Mrs. Younge declared that it was not a good place for an innocent, young lady. Instead, she suggested Ramsgate.
Not knowing much about either other than their basic locations, Georgiana agreed. She then wrote a letter asking her brother to arrange matters if he agreed to the plan.
He quickly responded in a most agreeable fashion, and two weeks later, Georgiana and Mrs. Younge set out for Ramsgate.
They had a lovely little house there, and the sea air was both bracing and refreshing, far better than the fetid air of London in summer. Georgiana was still mostly alone, but at least there was much to see and explore.
The little town had many pretty little shops crammed full of curiosities, both useful and decorative. The coast was divided between a sandy area for sea bathers and the harbor. Mrs. Young would not let Georgiana very near the harbor, but they spentmany days walking along the sands, searching for seashells or even seaweed.
A week after Georgiana’s arrival in Ramsgate, they encountered a gentleman who seemed to be her brother’s age and was a little familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.
He, however, seemed to recognize her almost immediately. “Miss Darcy,” he said, “I did not expect to see you here. I assumed you would be at Pemberley this time of year.”
He smiled at her, and Georgiana felt her heart almost stop. He was very handsome. When she did not reply, though, he seemed to grow concerned. “Do you not remember me? George. George Wickham, your father’s godson.”
“Of course,” said Georgiana, finally remembering she had seen him a few times at Pemberley. “I remember you. Papa always spoke highly of you, and you were always such good friends with Fitzwilliam.”
Mr. Wickham was startled at the mention of her brother, but it lasted so briefly that Georgiana couldn’t be certain why that would be. “Yes,” he said. “We were, though I have not seen him in a few years. How is he doing?”
“Fitzwilliam is visiting friends this summer. He had some business at Pemberley last month, but since it is complete, he decided to go to a house party.”
“I am glad to hear of him being so sociable,” said Wickham. “He hasn’t always been, you know.”
“I suppose,” said Georgiana. “The loss of our father hit him rather hard, and I think he threw himself into business to avoid thinking about it, but he has been much more socially active the last couple of years.”
“I would love to continue to reminisce with you. I do miss old Pemberley, you know. May I join you on your walk so thatwe may talk?” Mr. Wickham smiled again, and Georgiana felt so warm. It was nice to have a familiar face nearby after a month of seeing no one but Mrs. Younge.
“Of course,” she said. “I would enjoy that immensely.”
The two of them walked along the beach, trailed by Mrs. Younge. Georgiana felt she had never enjoyed a walk more. The sun was bright and warm, while the breeze from the sea cooled everything pleasantly. Mr. Wickham was charming and friendly, and she had been so lonely.
The next two days, she managed to bump into Mr. Wickham again, once while she was out shopping and once at the teahouse. Each time, he was kind enough to put aside whatever he was doing to accompany her for a while.
On the third day, Georgiana was disappointed when she did not see him during her outing. Somehow, without his presence, she felt more lonely than ever. She spent that afternoon writing to Catherine, telling her of all her adventures but also expressing how lonely she was and how much she missed her friend’s company and support.
The following day, Georgiana was once again fortunate enough to run into Mr. Wickham. After greeting him, she said, “I missed our conversation yesterday.”
Something in his eyes softened, and his expression made her feel warm all over. “As did I,” he said. “Perhaps, instead of leaving our meetings up to fate, we should simply plan where we shall meet again tomorrow.”
“Oh, that would be delightful,” she answered, clapping her hands together once. “Where shall we meet?”
“Is there anywhere you haven’t been yet?” he asked.
