Page 81 of Regrets

“He was an evil man and he fooled all of us!” Lydia was suddenly angry. “I thought he was good because he was so handsome! You and I actually fought over him, do you recall?”

“I have known him all my life,” Georgiana said, slowly. “And I was completely taken in.” She was silent for a minute and then added, “He wanted me for my dowry, you know.”

“Did he say that?”

“Yes; he said that once I was ruined, my brother would beg him to marry me, and then my thirty thousand pounds would be his.” She began to tremble, and the tears spilled over.

“It is over, Georgiana,” Lydia said, firmly. “Do not think on it any longer.”

“How can I not? How will I ever explain this to my brother?” Georgiana buried her head in her pillow.

“He was terrified for you. His relief that you are well and unharmed will likely override any anger he may feel.”

Georgiana raised her head from the pillow. “He is well and truly dead?”

“Well and truly, yes. Kitty took your brother back to the place where it…where it happened, and he was dead. They left him there.”

“Tell me, Lydia…”

“Yes?”

“I could not see what happened. Will you tell me?”

Lydia winced. “I took a big rock and I smashed his head with it.”

Georgiana sat up, the quilt pulled up to her shoulders, and stared at Lydia. “That is the bravest thing I have ever heard. I do not know how to thank you.”

Lydia only shrugged. She had been stoic about her actions; in truth, it was only now that she fully understood that she had actually killed a man. Should she regret it? She knew that she should; yet how could she, if killing him had been the only way to save Georgiana? It was all very complicated.

Georgiana went on. “My brother once said that courage and confidence are important traits, but to be careful as to where they lead you. Mine led me to make a dreadful mistake, one that I will always regret; but yours saved me.” Tears started again in her eyes.

Lydia, who very much disliked any sort of sentimentality, said hastily, “In any case, you are to dress and come down for breakfast.”

Georgiana got up, slowly, still clutching the blanket to her chest. “I hurt all over,” she whispered.

“You are pretty bruised up but thankfully, nothing else.”

“I am not certain of exactly what he was trying to do,” Georgiana admitted.

Lydia opened her mouth to tell Georgiana exactly what Wickham had been trying to do, but then decided it was not her place to do so. “Your brother – or someone – will explain it,” she said, evasively. “I will help you dress.”

Between the two of them, they got Georgiana into the clothes that had been sent over from Netherfield. The maid had even sent a pair of shoes, which was fortunate, as Georgiana’s had been completely spoilt.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Mrs. Bennet came in. “You are dressed, good!” she said. “How do you feel, my dear?”

“Quite sore all over,” Georgiana admitted.

“Well, you were knocked about a good deal,” Mrs. Bennet said. “The thing now is to put a brave face on, as if nothing had ever happened. Do you think you can do that?”

“I suppose I shall have to,” Georgiana said.

They went downstairs to the breakfast room, and Georgiana was greeted warmly by everyone. Mr. Bennet rose and fixed a plate for her; Georgiana thanked him, gravely.

She had just finished her meal when Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were announced and led into the parlour. Upon hearing that her brother was there, Georgiana froze in her seat, and a tear crept down her cheek. Elizabeth knelt beside her chair and whispered, “Do not fear, Georgiana. He loves you more than anything; that is what you must remember.”

When the Bennets and Georgiana entered the parlour, Mr. Darcy rushed to his sister and clasped her in his arms. “Dear, dear Georgiana,” he whispered. “I cannot begin to tell you how terrified I was!”

“I am so, so sorry, Brother,” she whispered back, trying not to wince from the pain of her bruises as he hugged her.