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Elizabeth tried to reach Georgiana twice on Tuesday evening, but when she couldn’t reach her she called Jane, who told her Charles had gone to the arraignment of Wickham and Collins that morning. It had gone as expected; the men pleaded guilty and were being held without bail, due to the nature of the crime and because they were considered flight risks.
Elizabeth was relieved they were in jail—for the moment, at least—and then asked if Jane knew how Will was faring.
“Charles said he thought he’d have to physically restrain him. At one point, Wickham leered at Georgie, and Will nearly lunged across the courtroom. Charles said he's never seen him so furious.”
Elizabeth sighed. “This isn't going to be easy for either of them. I've tried calling Georgie, but there's no answer. I'm a little concerned.”
“Did you leave a message?”
“The first time, yes. Maybe she turned off her phone.”
“Maybe.” Jane paused. “Do you think you should call Will?”
“I thought about it. I called you instead.”
“But you want to know how he's doing, don't you?”
“I do, and you just told me.”
“But wouldn't you rather hear it from him?”
“Are you actually encouraging me to call him?”
“No. But if that's what your heart is telling you to do, you should do it. If talking to him is going to make you feel better, then call him.”
“What if he wants to talk about us?”
“Is there anusfor you to talk about?”
“I don’t know, but it's all I've thought about.” Elizabeth sighed. “Sometimes I think–I think Iwantthere to be an us, but then all the uncertainty and fear comes roaring back. But at the same time, I’m sotiredofbeing afraid. I've let that fear rule me, rule my life, for four years, until I took a chance with Will. And you know what? He was worth it. There’s so much about him, so muchinsideof him, that’s truly worth it. I have to give him the chance to fix himself, because then…maybe we can fix us. If I don't, that damnwhat ifwill haunt me for the rest of my life, I know it will.”
“So then why are you afraid he'll want to talk about it?”
“I don't know. Maybe because saying all of that to him will make it real. I'm not vulnerable if I don’t tell him.”
“Lizzy, come on,” Jane admonished softly. “You can tell yourself that keeping everything locked up inside will protect you, but the fact is you love him. Whether you speak the words or not doesn't change anything—you're still just as vulnerable. You need to talk to him. You need to tell him everything you just told me.”
Elizabeth sighed, knowing her sister was right. “I will. I'll tell him.”
* * *
Will'sbody jolted each time his fist connected with the solid weight of the heavy bag. With each blow, it was easy to envision either George Wickham's or Bill Collins's face on the receiving end. He’d already logged five miles on the treadmill; running before using the bag energized him—which was a good thing, since his goal was to pound the shit out of it.
He knew the arraignment had gone just as it was supposed to; Maggie had assured him of that. Still, it had been incredibly frustrating to sit in that courtroom and watch as George Wickham eyed his sister like she was a piece of meat. To add insult to injury, he had the audacity tosmirkat her. Collins was his cowardly self, and stared at the floor the entire time.
Stepping away from the bag, he grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face, chest, and shoulders, and after taking a long drink of water, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen. His arms felt like lead, and he realized a bit too late that he might have overdone it.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after five. Matt had come by to pick up Georgiana a little while ago, and he was glad for it. She needed the distraction, and Will was happy for some time alone to take out his frustrations on his exercise equipment. It worked; he felt calmer, more level-headed—and exhausted. The nights of getting only three or four hours of sleep were quickly catching up with him.
After a hot shower, he headed to his office to bury himself in work. His phone rang, pulling his eyes from his computer, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Elizabeth’s face flash across the screen.
“Hello?” he answered quickly.
“Hi, Will. It's Elizabeth,” she responded softly.
“Hi. I know it's you. Hi. How–how are you?” His heart pounded, and he felt like a boy on the phone with a girl for the very first time.
