“And then of course he demanded her dowry, which was doubtless his object from the start.”
“He must have been none too pleased when you told him that he could not have it.”
“I have never seen a man more furious. He leapt at me – or perhaps I leapt at him, I truly cannot recall – and the innkeeper ended up sending for the magistrate.”
“Who explained to you that Georgiana was of age and that there was not one damned thing you could do about it.”
“Exactly.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam thought about this for a minute. Then – “Might I hope that you blackened his eye, at least?”
“Bloodied his nose and took out two teeth.”
“Ruined his famous good looks, did you? Well, that is the one good thing I have heard. What shall we do?”
“Do? What is there to do? She is lost to us.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked at Mr. Darcy in disbelief. “Do you mean to just let her go?”
“What choice have I, Richard?” Darcy was suddenly enraged. “Yes, I did everything wrong. Yes, I should have checked Mrs. Younge’s references. Yes, I should have made certain Georgiana knew that Wickham was a scoundrel. But it is over! She belongs to him now; that has been made very clear to me.” His hands began to shake again.
“Have you any idea where they went?”
“I believe he said they would go to London.”
“London! You do realise he very likely has her living in the stews of Town, working for her bread, do you not? He may even have her earning her way on her back; did you think of that?”
Mr. Darcy growled at him. “Do you think I have thought of aught else since this began? Do you think I can even close my eyes without imagining what she is going through? Do you think I can even look at myself in the mirror without feeling such self-loathing that I can barely –“ And his voice broke.
There was a minute of silence. Then Colonel Fitzwilliam spoke, his voice soft. “I am sorry, Cousin. I know you well; you have been tortured by this and here I am, adding to your pain.”
“I deserve it, all of it, all the pain.” His voice was an anguished whisper.
“You were as much a victim as Georgiana,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said, shaking his head. “You must know that.”
“But I could have prevented it. There were so many things I could have done,shouldhave done, differently.”
“What matters now is how we move forward. I refuse to accept that there is nothing to be done. At the very least, we can find her and try to improve her circumstances.”
“You are right. Richard, I have been so melancholy that I have not been capable of coherent thought. I will leave directly for London.”
“It sounds like you are still not capable of coherent thought, Darcy. No, absolutely not. You must not show your face in Town until this has been sorted. The gossipmongers will feast on it.”
“Then…?”
“I will send messages to some…well, let us say some friends of mine, who will know how to look for her in the slums. In the meantime, perhaps I can spend a few days here in the country with you. I have spent days and days on horseback ferreting you out and I could use a rest. Also, Miss Bingley spoke at length about how wretched the local society is, which I have taken to mean that there are some pretty girls hereabouts; I would not mind a look at them. Is that agreeable?’
“I know not what I would do without you, Richard,” Mr. Darcy said, quietly.
“Just remember that the next time I ask for a bottle of your brandy.”
The two men rose. Mr. Darcy quickly embraced his cousin. Just as quickly, he released the surprised Colonel and led the way out of the library.
Chapter Eleven
Jane was well enough now to sit up in bed and ask for a supper tray. Elizabeth was delighted. “I will ask for a tray as well, Jane; we can eat together.”
“No, that would be rude, Lizzy. Go down to dinner with everyone else.”
