The Colonel blanched when he heard what Miss Bingley had said. “Of all the unkind, callous, heartless – ”
“Caroline is now confined to her room, by Bingley’s orders,”
“Good; then I will not have to see her. I would like to see Georgiana now.”
“So you have decided to let me live?” Mr. Darcy tried to be flippant, but the undercurrent of concern was evident.
“For now, but I advise you not to press me on the matter.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Netherfield Park
Georgiana was pale when she stepped back from the door to admit her brother and her cousin into her room. When the Colonel opened his arms to her, she did not run into them as she normally would; instead, she shook her head and said, “I do not deserve your affection, Cousin Richard.”
“You have it nonetheless, poppet,” he said, and he took her gently in his arms and held her close. She began to sniffle, and he said, gently, “It is all right, Georgiana. Go ahead and cry.”
She did; but Mr. Darcy did not hear the heartbroken sobs that he had heard at Pemberley. Instead, these were tears of – relief? Yes, perhaps. She is healing, he thought. At least a bit.
She stopped soon enough, and the Colonel asked if they might not all sit down. He sat beside her, holding her hand, and said, quietly, “Georgiana, I have come all the way from the continentin order to sit with you, hold your hand, assure you that I love you, and ask you to tell me what happened at Ramsgate.”
Mr. Darcy marveled at his cousin. Richard was a military man through and through; he was as accustomed to hardship and violence as Darcy was to excellent meals and fine wines. Yet Richard was as gentle with his wayward ward as if she were a baby lamb.
Georgiana relaxed visibly. Finally – finally! – she began to tell the story of how she had met George Wickham while walking at Ramsgate, and how Mrs. Younge had encouraged the rekindling of their friendship, had stated as a certainty that if Brother had not cautioned Georgiana against George Wickham then all must be well, and had then told Georgiana that she and her betrothed were permitted liberties. Here she hesitated and then stopped.
“What sort of liberties?” Richard asked, gently, quietly, as if the answer scarcely mattered.
Now Georgiana sobbed in earnest, and she answered, “He stuck his – his – in my – and – oh, it was disgusting!”
Mr. Darcy and the Colonel traded horrified glances as they comforted the sobbing girl.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Longbourn
It was not at all unusual for Lady Lucas, Charlotte and Maria to visit Longbourn. Whatwasunusual was that such a visit had not taken place for the past fortnight. There had been illness in the Lucas family, and the womenfolk of Lucas Lodge had been kept busy with nursing duties.
But the moment they were freed from those responsibilities, they came at once to Longbourn to catch up on what they might have missed.
“You met the mysterious girl at Netherfield?” Charlotte asked. “What is she like?”
“Her name is Georgiana,” Lydia announced. “She is not ugly or malformed, simply very shy!”
“And she must be very rich,” Kitty added. “She has lovely gowns and the most beautiful shoes, but she is not at all snobbish!”
“Which would mean that this Mr. Darcy is wealthy,” Lady Lucas said. She looked meaningfully at Mrs. Bennet.
“I think he is,” Mrs. Bennet replied. “Miss Darcy told us that they live on a large estate in Derbyshire. And we know that Mr. Bingley has five thousand a year, so it would not be at all surprising for his friend to be rich as well. Two single gentlemen of fortune in Meryton, heavens! But I must tell you, Lady Lucas, that Mr. Bingley has his eye on Jane. He scarce moves from her side when he visits.”
“No one could blame him for that,” Lady Lucas said, mildly. “But there is still Mr. Darcy, unless one of your daughters has caught his eye?”
“I do not think so, though he speaks to Lizzy more than the others. They are all coming for dinner on Tuesday, and I will seat them together.”
Maria Lucas could contain herself no longer. “Who cares about them? The militia are coming to Meryton!”
“The militia?” Several soprano voices chorused.
Mrs. Bennet turned to look at Lady Lucas. “Is this true?”
