Mrs. Annesley left to retrieve her charge from the music room, as it was her hour to practice. The two returned some ten minutes later, with Georgiana looking very worried.
“Georgiana, I hear you have been meeting a friend in the garden,” Mr. Darcy began.
“It is only George,” she said, looking down at the carpet.
“Georgiana, he is not a good companion for you.”
“But why is he not?”
Mrs. Annesley said, gently, “Surely you understand, Miss Darcy, that you should not be alone in the company of any man. You are not a child with a playmate; those years are far behind you.”
“But he cannot come calling; he and Brother do not get along!” Georgiana said, her voice tearful.
“Georgiana, it is not that we do not get along –“
“He says you hate him, Brother!”
“Hate him? No, let me be clear. Idespisehim. I cannot tell you why, Georgiana, you are too young to understand. You are to stay away from him.”
Elizabeth saw the girl’s face; she looked stubborn, but she nodded and said, “Yes, Brother.” And then she walked away, briskly, followed by Mrs. Annesley.
***
But a few days later, Mrs. Annesley came to Elizabeth again, this time looking quite determined. “Despite my refusing permission, Miss Darcy has met with the young man in the garden again.”
“This cannot be allowed to go on.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Come, let us speak with Mr. Darcy again.”
This time, Mr. Darcy’s face filled with rage – and fear. “Bring her here,” he instructed Mrs. Annesley. When she left, he turned to his wife. “I will lock her up if I must.”
“William, you must tell her why she cannot see the man,” Elizabeth advised.
He shook his head. “She is too young to hear the truth.”
“Protecting her in this way is no true protection, William. I have four sisters; I know of what I speak.”
He sighed, as his sister and Mrs. Annesley entered the room.
Georgiana’s chin jutted out. “I know what you will say, but we are in love, Brother.”
“Oh, really?” Mr. Darcy’s tone was mild, but the undercurrent of anger could not be missed.
“Yes; George says you will not approve, but I do not care. I love him and he loves me.”
Mr. Darcy now rose to his full height and turned a hard gaze upon his sister. “I wanted to shield you from knowing the truth about him, but evidently there is no other route.”
“There is nothing you can say –“ she started.
He interrupted her, his voice harsh and hard. “Has he filled your ears with pretty words, Sister? Told you that your curls are spun gold, your eyes the darkest chocolate, your skin like porcelain? These are the words he uses to seduce young women, and he has used them many times. Know you Mrs. Warren, here at Pemberley?”
“She runs the still room, I think,” Georgiana replied, her voice beginning to tremble.
“Yes, and have you seen her little boy, Jason?”
“Oh, he is darling, but –“
“Jason is George Wickham’s son. I support the lad, as Wickham will not. Mrs. Warren, who is not actually married, was just fifteen when he approached her. Hold, I am not yet finished. Do you know Mr. Hatton, in Lambton?”
Georgiana was trembling now. She could not speak; she could only nod.
