“As are you, brother, as it was you who paid for everything!” she replied, laughing.
“You need not buy their friendship, Georgiana. They will love you for your own sweet self.”
“I know that, brother; but I think they can use a little kindness in their lives just now. And a little sugar never goes amiss.”
***
When they visited Longbourn the next day, Georgiana was delighted to present the Bennets with a large box full of sweets. “I did not know what each of you preferred,” she said. “So I got a bit of everything.”
There were a good many exclamations of delight and gratitude as the Bennet girls dug into the box, but Elizabeth turned a worried eye on Georgiana. “You do not need to buy us things, Georgiana,” she whispered.
“Oh, please let me!” was the reply. “I have had no one except my brother to buy gifts for, and you cannot imagine how difficult it is to think of anything to get him.”
“I can well imagine,” Elizabeth said. “Then I thank you, and I must say that it is much appreciated. My father does not care for sweets, and so any such purchase must come from our pocket money.”
Mr. Darcy soon asked Elizabeth to walk with him in the garden; Mary offered to chaperone them, but she wisely stayed well back so that the couple might speak in private.
“I am very concerned that you will break our engagement if Miss Lydia is not recovered,” he said at once.
“You are very direct today, Mr. Darcy! And, to the best of my knowledge, we are not engaged. There has been no proposal and no acceptance, and I must warn you that I cannot accept a proposal until I have settled in my own mind that it is right for everyone involved. For how can I willingly and willfully injure such a sweet creature as Georgiana?”
“But how can you injureus? You and me?” he demanded.
“And therein lies the difficulty. I asked Papa about saying that Lydia was dead from some dreadfully contagious disease and had to be buried at once; that is why there is no body.”
Mr. Darcy had the grace to wince.
“Yes, my father had the same reaction; it is a most distasteful idea. And then I realised that we would have to go into mourning all over again, but this time for a sister, so it would delay our marriage yet again.”
“But had he any better ideas?”
“No; he simply said that we had a good deal of time before we had to take such a drastic step.”
“Which was my point as well, you will recall.”
“I do recall it; moreover, I just cannot help but feel…well, Kitty says that she feels Lydia is still alive, and I have to say that I also struggle to believe that she is dead. And my idea is not such a good one, for if we put it about that Lydia died of some dreadful disease and then she comes back to us, then what? How do we explain that to our neighbours?”
Mr. Darcy had no answer for this; he sighed deeply. The couple turned back to the house.
***
On the way back to Netherfield, Georgiana observed her brother’s countenance. “What is it, William?”
“Oh, nothing that need concern you, Georgiana.”
“No, no, I have had enough of that! Mary says that nothing good comes of hiding what we know, and I think she is right. What is it? It must be something about Elizabeth that has you looking so glum.”
“You are right, Georgiana. The sad truth is that she is concerned that Lydia’s absence makes her unsuitable to be Mrs. Darcy.”
“Unsuitable! How it that possible?”
Mr. Darcy sighed. “If Lydia never returns, rumours will proliferate, and none of them will be kind to the missing girl. The reputation of the Bennet family will then be suspect, and that stain will spill over to our own family if she is Mrs. Darcy.”
Georgiana’s brow wrinkled. “But what will that matter? You and she will already be married!”
“Yes, but there is another member of my family who is not yet married, and whose prospects may be affected by Elizabeth’s reputation.”
Georgiana’s mouth formed a perfect “o” of comprehension. “Me? You mean she might not marry you because of me? But – but –“
