Georgiana was given a piece of cloth, a needle and some thread and was told to show Madame what she could do. Georgiana had quickly embroidered a rose, which was evidently acceptable to Madame, as she was offered a position immediately. Georgiana would stay in the back room and embroider designs on dresses per her employer’s specifications. Her wages would be a mere pittance, as she had already learnt from Mrs. Cartwright, but the money would, of course, be turned over to George. She was to start the following day at six in the morning.
“I will be gone all day, will I not, George?” she asked him as they headed back to the boarding house.
“Yes; I will escort you to Madame DuBois and then I will escort you home. I do not want my little Princess to come to any harm, do I?” His tone was nasty, and the grin he directed at her was evil.
Georgiana knew full well that George was not concerned about his wife coming to harm; no, he was afraid that Georgiana would find a way to get to Matlock House without him.
“I will not be able to clean the boarding house if I am gone all day,” she said.
“No, of course not. Evelina will have to do that herself, as she did before your arrival.”
So she had been doing Mrs. Younge’s work for her. The very woman that her husband made love to!
“Very well,” she said, meekly.
That evening, George and Mrs. Younge were talking in the kitchen while Georgiana cleaned the dishes. It sounded as if they were settling in for a good, long discussion; Georgiana took this opportunity to kick off her shoes and slip silently up the stairs and into Mrs. Younge’s room.
Georgiana had been giving a good deal of thought to the relationship between her husband and Mrs. Younge. She recalled that they had seemed very familiar with one another from the start, and that Mrs. Younge always seemed to be touching George. They had evidently known one another for a long time, as they spoke often of mutual acquaintances and past events. And then, of course, she had learnt that they didthatwith one another.
She went through Mrs. Younge’s drawers very quickly, looking for something she only suspected might be there. Her heart was pounding; she was terrified of being discovered. There was no telling what would be done to her if she were to be caught disobeying Mrs. Younge’s oft-repeated injunction to not pry.
But there, in the bottom drawer, under a pile of stockings, she found a document that read:
Evelina Mary Younge of this Parish
and George Phillip Wickham of this Parish
were married in Birmingham Chapel by Banns
This day of August the 24thin the Year 1809
By me, Curate Thomas Barnaby
It was signed by two witnesses.
George and Mrs. Younge were married, and they had been so for the past two years. Georgiana felt dizzy, but knew she had to leave before she was found. Tucking the paper into her skirt pocket, she tiptoed out of the room and returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning, but her thoughts were in an uproar. If George was already married when he had married Georgiana, then his marriage to Georgiana was invalid. No wonder Mrs. Younge had warned her again and again not to pry in the drawers!
She had to get away before Mrs. Younge discovered the absence of her marriage lines, but it was impossible for her to leave tonight. She would have to wait until George took her to Madame DuBois the following day.
When she was done with her kitchen chores, she went into the dining room, where Mrs. Younge and George were talking and laughing together. She wished them a good night, as was her usual habit. But they did not so much as look up at her, which was their usual habit.
She made her way slowly up the stairs, finally reaching the fourth floor. She was surprised to see Mrs. Cartwright waiting for her. The older woman clutched at Georgiana’s arm and whispered, “Is it true that you have wealthy relatives in town?”
Georgiana nodded, cautiously. What did the woman want from her?
“There is a back door that we seamstresses use. It faces the back alley, not the street. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
Georgiana had promised herself that she would not go to her relatives for help, but things were different now. Her marriage to George was not valid. She could not be forced to stay with him. So she nodded and whispered, “Thank you!”
Mrs. Cartwright scurried back into her room without a backward glance.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After the Bingleys’ hasty departure, Longbourn’s parlour was in an uproar. Mary was visibly upset, with tears in her eyes. Lydia was imitating Miss Bingley, walking about with her nose in the air, saying things like, “Oh, this air is far too foetid for my delicate constitution!” and “I cannot possibly drink that tea, I would doubtless die immediately!” She was egged on by Kitty’s delighted laughter.
Mr. Darcy could not help wincing upon hearing Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia. He was unaccustomed to seeing young ladies so – and once again, he stopped, reminding himself that he had no right to be critical of the behaviour of other young ladies.
Elizabeth could see Mr. Darcy’s disapproval of her younger sisters’ behaviour. “Mama, may Mr. Darcy and I walk in the garden together?”
