Chapter 1 #4
They were excellent people whom she admired greatly, and as she was returning to her chamber later that day, she thought that if Master Fitzwilliam had been at Pemberley, she would have liked him greatly too.
After all, she had heard many good things about him; words of praise were not spared when the young Darcy’s name was spoken in conversation.
The opinion was unanimous. Fitzwilliam Darcy was going to be a great man, a kind and caring soul, with no affectations or arrogance.
He would be a great friend, a great brother, a great son, a joy for everyone to be around.
Lizzy accepted all this as fact.
Due to all the attention, activity, and novelty, Lizzy, however, found it difficult to find sleep that night.
The doctor came to examine her before she retired, and she took some time to become accustomed to the unfamiliar bed.
Then, around the hour of eleven, she felt her throat was dry.
The maid, who had been assigned to assist her, had left, undoubtedly summoned by other business of the household, so Lizzy opened the door to her chamber, hoping to find help in the hall.
Instead, she came face to face with George, who was just leaving a room nearby and mumbling a curse while pushing something into his pocket. When his eyes met Lizzy’s, he stopped for a moment, glaring at her defiantly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Me? What are you doing here? And how dare you question me? I have lived at Pemberley all my life, unlike you.”
His words were dismissive, and Lizzy felt her temper rise. “I saw you.”
“You saw what?” George said, for the first time with interest and maybe a little bit of panic in his tone.
“I saw you putting something in your pocket. What is it? Did you steal something? Or did you trick a little girl into stealing it for you?”
The boy’s expression changed to one of ire, and he stepped towards her.
“How dare you talk to me like that! You are a little nothing.”
Lizzy put her hands on her hips, ready for a confrontation.
“I might be a little nothing, but you are a big something! And I know you have deceived Georgiana. You are sneaking around. I saw you put something in your pocket!”
“So what? I do not have to tell you anything! You are nothing but a servant’s niece. You should not even speak to me!”
“Your father works for Mr Darcy, so you are a servant’s son! Besides, I am a gentleman’s daughter, and I do not lie or steal!”
“And I am Mr Darcy’s godson! He allows me to do anything I want!”
“Does he? Well then, I shall tell him what I heard of your conversation with Georgiana and see what he has to say!”
“Do not dare! You will regret it if you speak to my godfather. Do you think you mean something to him because you saved Georgiana? He will never believe you over me and will throw you out of the house like the little liar that you are!”
“At least I saved Georgiana, while you stood there like a fool and a coward! Your soul is wicked! I saw you! You were not even brave enough to enter the water. I bet you cannot even swim!”
“I can swim, you ninny, but why would I put myself in danger, since the servants were coming regardless? You were a fool to risk your life! You could have waited a little longer, and someone would have pulled Georgiana out. You think you were brave, but you were a simpleton.”
“Simpleton or not, if you do not stop your so-called secret with Georgiana, I shall tell Lady Anne. Or I might even tell Mr Darcy!”
George’s face flickered with anger, which turned into a smirk.
“And how will you do that?” he asked superciliously. “You will be gone in a day or two and will very likely never set foot at Pemberley again. I shall always be here, and I shall always have my godfather. He knows me better than he knows you.”
Lizzy knew it to be true on some level — what reason did the Darcys have to believe her. Still, she would not accept defeat, and when she spoke again, she strove to do so with great conviction.
“Leave Georgiana alone! Or I promise I shall tell anyone who will listen that you are taking things from this house. Someone will believe me.”
He brought his head close to hers. His thin lips were twisted into a cruel smirk, but in his green eyes and in the small crease between his brows, Lizzy could see a hint of fear. “You are an insolent, headstrong doddypoll! Do not threaten me, or you will be sorry!”
“You can call me names. I do not care! Leave Georgiana alone or I shall tell on you!” Lizzy concluded, but the young man had turned his back and left, cursing again loud enough for Lizzy to hear him.
Soon he was gone from her sight, and Lizzy returned to her room, determined to tell Lady Anne the truth of what she knew. Her friend Georgiana deserved it.
In the morning, Lizzy was woken by Georgiana’s governess with the news that Lady Anne was waiting for her in her private apartment.
She prepared herself eagerly, as she had things of her own to tell the lady.
She knew she was right to do so, and on the way to Lady Anne’s chamber, she rehearsed in her mind what she must say in order to be believed.
However, when she entered the chamber, her ladyship was resting in her bed with the doctor standing next to her and her personal maid and Mrs Reynolds watching over her every move.
Lady Anne looked weaker and paler than the previous day, despite the large smile on her face, and Lizzy’s little heart beat faster with worry.
“Come here, Lizzy,” the lady invited her, suggesting she sat on the bed. Lizzy hesitated, but Lady Anne smiled gently. “Do not be afraid, my dear,” she said softly. “I shall not keep you long. There is something I would like to give you.”
Mrs Reynolds handed her mistress a small box, and with trembling hands, Lady Anne opened it to reveal a necklace with a small cross filled with little red stones. Lizzy’s eyes opened wide in wonder.
“My mother gave this necklace to me,” the lady said in a warm yet weak voice. “I believe rubies are appropriate for your strength and brightness. Georgiana has one similar, only with sapphires.”
The gesture would have left anyone speechless, and Lizzy struggled to know how to respond.
“Lady Anne, I cannot accept it. It is too much. Mama says I am too young to wear jewels. And besides, I must tell you something I have found out…”
The lady stretched out her hand to caress Lizzy’s hair, which made the young girl pause from speaking her mind.
Lady Anne spoke gently, “Please allow me to speak first. You are a generous soul, my dear, and I wish you to have this. I shall give it to your aunt to keep for you until you are a little older. This is to remind you of your courage. And Georgiana, of course. God brought you into our lives.”
The lady’s voice made Lizzy tremble, and tears filled her eyes, which only happened very rarely.
She suddenly understood the meaning of this early morning encounter — a sort of farewell that pained her heart.
“My lady,” she suggested hopefully, as she gently took Lady Anne’s hand, “maybe you could keep it and give it to me when I am older.”
Lady Anne averted her eyes for a moment, trying to conceal her own tears, then turned to Lizzy again, the eyes of both glistening.
“That will not be possible, I am afraid. I shall give it to your aunt when she comes to visit. I am so sorry if I have upset you, Lizzy. All is well. Do not worry.”
“You are not well, Lady Anne…”
“I am not, my dear. But I am not afraid, for God is with me. Please, do not be sad. All will be well.” Her hand once again caressed Lizzy’s face, and her eyes rested on those of the child, who was now trying to appear brave.
“You have kind eyes, Elizabeth Bennet. I only hope you never allow them to lose their sparkle.”
For a moment, the two looked at each other, and the girl’s little heart beat so strongly, as if to compensate for the lady’s weakness.
She knew she could not tell her anything that would displease her, even if it meant allowing George to win.
Lizzy took Lady Anne’s cold, thin, pale hand and kissed it, while she felt the other hand tenderly stroke her hair.
“Lizzy dear, please return to Georgiana now. I am sure she is expecting you,” Lady Anne eventually pleaded, and Lizzy obeyed. From the door, she turned and gazed at the lady once more, but Lady Anne had already closed her eyes from exhaustion.
Never in her entire life had Lizzy Bennet felt such a heavy burden on her shoulders and such an ache in her heart as in the moment when she left Lady Anne Darcy’s chamber.
Mr and Mrs Gardiner arrived later that day and talked to Mr Darcy and Lady Anne.
Due to the circumstances, Lizzy was allowed to remain at Pemberley for three more days, and Georgiana’s joy was a sweet reward at that sad time.
The two girls spent every minute together, praying and comforting each other, but Lizzy never saw Lady Anne, Mr Darcy, or George again.
Four days after her meeting with Lady Anne, Lizzy returned to the inn. Guests were expected at Pemberley: the Matlocks, Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her husband, and even the young master Darcy arriving earlier than planned with his cousin.
When the devastating news of Lady Anne Darcy’s death arrived, it fell like a dark shadow over Pemberley, as well as over Lambton.
Lizzy and the Gardiners cried over the painful loss as though Lady Anne had been part of their family, but they never saw any of the Darcys again before they left Derbyshire.
Despite Lizzy’s pleas and even tears, she had no chance to see Georgiana again, as tragedy had closed Pemberley to everyone but family, and the desire of the two little girls to see each other was inconsequential to Lady Anne’s family under the circumstances.
As time passed, Lizzy asked often about Georgiana, and Mrs Gardiner provided her with news from Lambton from time to time.
The death of Mr Darcy, a few years later, was received with the same grief and sorrow, and the Gardiners and Lizzy knew that their ties with the family from Pemberley were now completely cut.
While she never forgot her little friend or Lady Anne, Lizzy — Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn — never had the opportunity to cross paths with Miss Georgiana Darcy again.
She wore the necklace only a few times, in the privacy of her room mostly, keeping it locked in a drawer, like a treasure she was not prepared to share with the world — just like her bittersweet memories of her time spent at Pemberley.