Chapter 1 #3
The rest of the conversation was lost on Lizzy, who could hardly contain her eagerness to see her new friend again.
Although Mr Darcy’s presence at the inn lasted no more than a couple of minutes, his call impressed and puzzled the Gardiners, as well as Mrs Clarke.
Despite the universally high opinion of Mr Darcy, he was not known as a friendly man, nor one who sought the company of strangers.
One thing they all agreed on was that he loved Lady Anne and Miss Georgiana very much, and he was eager to do for them whatever provided them relief or happiness.
Regardless of the gentleman’s reason for such amiability, the next day when Lizzy arrived at Pemberley, she and her aunt faced another surprise.
The girl was invited to Lady Anne’s apartment and introduced to the mistress of Pemberley herself.
Georgiana was seated next to her mother, solemn as a young lady ought to be, though her joy of seeing her friend once again was visible on her face.
Her ladyship kindly asked questions, to which Lizzy replied with some restraint but honesty.
The conversation was short, and afterwards, the girls were invited to go and play.
Lady Anne seemed pleased to see her daughter content, and for a while, even her pale countenance showed some colour.
When it came to the hour of parting, Lady Anne demanded to speak to Lizzy once again.
“You have such bright eyes, my dear. One can easily see your soul and your spirit in them.”
At the age of ten, Lizzy hardly understood the meaning of the lady’s words, but the gentle voice and the little smile indicated it was something good. She thanked Lady Anne and attempted a curtsey, which was rather clumsy but charming nevertheless.
A few days later, Lizzy found she was already familiar with the Pemberley halls and gardens as she and Georgiana followed and chased the puppies from place to place, filling the rooms with gaiety, dispelling the sombreness of the house for a few hours.
On one occasion, however, they were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a young boy, who was several years older than Lizzy.
The boy cast a superior gaze at Lizzy and, after seeing her dirty shoes, looked away in disgust. His attention turned instead towards Georgiana, who seemed delighted to see him.
The boy’s countenance changed immediately into a friendly smile, and he beckoned her to come towards him.
Lizzy watched them, intrigued but not making much sense of what was happening.
“Did you take it?” the boy whispered. Georgiana nodded and pulled something from her pocket. “I hope nobody saw you…”
“No, I swear.”
The boy looked at what Georgiana had given him with a frown.
“Can you get more, do you think?”
“I can get more.”
“Good. You are a clever girl, Georgiana. Remember, you must keep it as our secret! Do not tell anyone.”
“Yes, Brother, it is our secret.”
“Our very special secret,” he said, then walked away with not a single glance towards Lizzy. As soon as he departed, Georgiana returned to her friend.
“Who is he? Is he your brother?” Lizzy asked. Even at her tender age, she could comprehend that she had witnessed something suspicious.
“Oh no. Fitzwilliam is not here. He is in London.”
“Oh…but you called him brother. Then who was that?”
“That is George. My father’s godson. But George is like a brother to me,” the girl whispered, as the two walked out into the gardens.
“What did you give him? And what is the secret?” Lizzy insisted out of childish curiosity.
The girl’s blue eyes shadowed, and she frowned.
“I cannot tell you that, Lizzy. I promised I would not say.” She took a deep breath and smiled, holding out her hand. “Come. I must show my kittens to you. Nanny Morris has them in a basket. She says we can play with them when they are older, but I am sure she will not mind us visiting them.”
Lizzy saw the young man again on several different occasions over the following weeks, but he continued to pay no attention to her, not once asking Georgiana anything about her.
Soon, Lizzy began to understand that he was making Georgiana remove items of value from the household and give them to him without anyone else’s knowledge.
While she witnessed it only in a few instances, it was clearly a habit the two shared.
But, since her new friend had said it was a secret, Lizzy did not betray it either.
Upon a subsequent visit, when Lizzy arrived with Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Clarke, she was already familiar with the grounds, and she sprung down directly from the carriage, running towards the lawn at the front of the house.
Georgiana, with her nanny and her governess as well as her two puppies, was at the edge of the lake, which was her most favourite place.
To Lizzy’s surprise, she was riding a pony, with George holding the reins.
They appeared to be at ease with one another, while the two older ladies were much engaged in a conversation on a bench a little way away from them.
Spotting Lizzy’s presence, Georgiana waved to her and asked George to release the reins so she could show off her riding skills.
The puppies ran towards Lizzy, then back to Georgiana, barking joyfully, which seemed to annoy George greatly.
Lizzy knelt to hug one of the puppies, and at that moment, a loud whistle, followed by what sounded like the lash of a whip, was heard, startling the pony.
The animal broke into a gallop, racing frantically away along the edge of the water with one of the dogs chasing him.
Georgiana was quickly jolted from her seat, and she fell into the mud before rolling several times and plunging into the lake.
The two women, who had only just noticed the commotion, ran towards her, screaming for help.
George approached the edge of the lake also but remained unmoving, watching in amusement as Georgiana struggled in the water, gasping for air.
Two male servants heard the noise and came running, but before anyone else could reach them, Lizzy threw herself into the lake, grabbing Georgiana with both hands.
She kicked the water wildly with her legs, unable to touch the bottom, her hands busy holding the little girl.
Their gowns, heavy with the muddy water, were pulling them both down, and Lizzy fought with all her strength to keep them afloat.
Georgiana was frightened, and that made Lizzy’s struggle much harder.
“Georgiana, do not move,” Lizzy cried in vain, struggling for air, as she felt herself pulled downwards once again.
Her effort was considerable for someone of her age, but she kept a firm hold on Georgiana’s arm, despite the girl’s frantic movements, which pushed her head under the water over and over.
It seemed like an eternity until the two servants arrived at the edge of the lake to pull both girls to safety.
Georgiana began crying almost immediately in the arms of her governess, as Lizzy attempted to regain her breath and remove all the hair that was stuck to her face.
As she stood up, all her limbs shaking, she saw George make a strange face that seemed to express his discontent at such a conclusion; however, once more people began to approach from the house, his expression changed to one of sadness and concern, and he moved to comfort Georgiana, pulling her into his embrace.
The girls were at last carried inside the house with much care, despite Lizzy’s insistent claims that she was perfectly well.
“We must thank God that everything turned out so well,” Lady Anne’s physician said once he had examined the girls in Georgiana’s chamber.
“Miss Elizabeth, it seems you saved Miss Georgiana’s life today.
You showed great courage. The greatest I have ever seen.
I shall tell Lady Anne the happy news at once.
She must be worried sick, and such torment is the last thing she needs. ”
Lizzy could not conceal her proud smile at such praise, and Georgiana, still trembling, hurried to embrace and thank her. Lizzy returned the affectionate gesture, holding the girl tight, while all the adults were fighting tears.
The rest of the day passed without further agitation at Pemberley.
Towards the evening, once they were fully bathed and cleaned, the girls were taken to Lady Anne, who wished to be certain they were both well.
The lady suggested, then insisted, that Lizzy be under the doctor’s supervision until the next day — something that neither Mrs Gardiner nor Lizzy herself considered necessary.
As the discussions went on, Lady Anne asked Mrs Gardiner to allow Lizzy to remain at Pemberley overnight, a suggestion that thrilled both Lizzy and Georgiana but left Mrs Gardiner doubtful.
“I assure you, Mrs Gardiner, that Lizzy will be treated like family. She will have her own room, and her maid and the doctor will be here to care for her if necessary.”
It was only Lady Anne’s sincere concern and her obvious tiredness that induced Mrs Gardiner to accept in order to avoid further debate. Therefore, a note was sent to Mr Gardiner at the inn, together with Mr Darcy and Lady Anne’s thanks and gratitude.
For Lizzy, spending an entire day and night at Pemberley, staying in an elegant room three times larger than the one she shared with Jane at Longbourn, being assisted by a maid, and having a formal dinner with Georgiana was half amusing, half intimidating.
However, she did enjoy the conversations with Lady Anne and Mr Darcy, who showed nothing but kindness towards her.
When the evening ended, Lizzy felt she knew all there was to know about the family.