Page 77 of Regrets

“She has to walk,” Kitty said. “We cannot carry her.”

“Georgiana,” Lydia said, sharply. “Listen to me!”

But Georgiana could only shake her head and cry.

Lydia bent down and slapped Georgiana hard across the face.

Kitty gasped, “Lydia, what –?”

But Georgiana stopped crying and raised a hand to her cheek, staring up at Lydia in astonishment. Then she said, in a strangled voice, “He would not let me go!“

“I know,” Lydia said, grimly. “Georgiana, you must stand up.”

Together, Kitty and Lydia managed to pull Georgiana to her feet. “Do not look back,” Lydia said, warningly.

“Is he dead?” Georgiana whispered.

“I do not know; I will look,” Lydia said. She turned back to the fallen man and pushed him, hard, with her foot. His eyes did not open. The gash on his head was big; he was bleeding profusely. Lydia could not help but notice that his trousers were open, and she could not resist a quick look. ‘Huh,’ she thought. ‘Not nearly so big as Jane said.’

Georgiana’s pelisse was there, but it was filthy and torn, so she left it on the ground. Turning back to her sister, she said, “I think he is dead, yes. He is far too heavy for us to move, so we have to take Georgiana away.”

“But where will we go? She cannot be seen like this,” Kitty hissed. “Look at her!”

Georgiana’s bodice was ripped down to the waist, her face was smudged with dirt and tears, and her hair was tangled with leaves.

“One thing at a time,” Lydia returned. “First, we get away from Wickham!”

Chapter Sixty-Five

Mrs. Bennet declared that refreshments were definitely in order, and she bustled into the kitchen to arrange for something special.

Mr. Darcy saw that Elizabeth looked at him with new respect, and something else – might it be affection? Her smile was dazzling. “I cannot thank you enough,” she murmured, leaving her chair and taking a seat beside him.

“There is no need,” he whispered, hoarsely.

“There is every need,” she corrected him. “You have healed my family.”

“I think it was just the right time,” Mr. Darcy said. Then he added, “But I will be glad to accept your thanks, Miss Elizabeth, if it makes you think better of me.”

She blushed and looked away. Then she looked back at him and said, mischievously, “Well, you no longer remind me of my father. And even if you did, I now think that would not be such a bad thing, after all.”

He loved that she could tease him! No young lady had ever teased him before. There was just so much to her! So much intelligence, so much sensibility, so much character! He had never met anyone like her, and he doubted he ever would again. There could be no doubt that he was in love with her. He had long known that he would require very particular qualities in a wife. How wonderful, how very wonderful, that he had found them in this lovely young lady! She was the daughter of a country gentlemen, so no one could say that she was not his social equal.

He would stay in Meryton, he decided, as long as it took to win her.

But once refreshments had been served, he knew it was time for them to leave. He realised he had not thought about his sister for the past two hours; he hoped she had not been in a good deal of discomfort.

A sharp rap on the front door caught everyone’s attention. They heard the murmur of voices, and Braddock appeared, most unexpectedly. He went straight to Mr. Darcy. “Mr. Darcy, a message arrived for you that was evidently so urgent that the messenger insisted that we bring it to you immediately, no matter where you were. The message is from Lady Catherine de Bourgh; I know her to be your aunt, of course, and so made the decision to interrupt you here at Longbourn. I apologise if this was the wrong decision, but –“

Mr. Darcy heard no more. He had taken the paper, opened it and read:

Darcy, your sister is in grave danger. She wrote to Anne that she was going to meet someone named George at the Netherfield fence by the road today at noon. Anne confessed to me that Georgiana thinks this George will propose to her. I have to believe that you know nothing of this.

Aunt Catherine

Mr. Darcy was white and his hands trembled. He looked up at Elizabeth. “What is it, Mr. Darcy?” she asked, softly.

Unable to speak, he handed her the paper. She read it and her eyes went wide with shock. “Oh, Lord! I know exactly where this place is! We must go at once!”