Chapter 20
Arriving in her room, Elizabeth needed a moment to catch her breath. She shivered and, assuming it was from the cold, sat in a chair near the fire, rubbing her hands.
Shortly after, a maid knocked and entered, bringing her several more candles, paper and ink, and some wine. As she was leaving, the maid reminded her once again that she only needed to ring for anything she might want.
Elizabeth thanked her, and as soon as she was alone again, all kinds of thoughts returned to trouble her. To avoid them, she began writing to Jane, which employed her time for more than half an hour. Afterwards, she decided to check on Georgiana before she finally tried to sleep.
She entered with infinite care, but a mere glance was enough to notice Georgiana turning her head towards her.
“What are you doing, my dear? Still not sleeping?” Elizabeth asked, moving closer. Even in the weak light of the fire, she observed the tears in the girl’s blue eyes.
“Georgiana, what happened? You have been crying!”
“It is nothing. Do not worry. Just another dream.”
“If these dreams prevent you from sleeping and make you unwell, I shall worry about them,” Elizabeth said, climbing into the bed. Georgiana seemed surprised but did not argue.
“You look tired yourself, Lizzy.”
“I am. But I shall stay with you until you fall asleep again. Do you mind?”
“Mind? No…but you should cover yourself. It is cold,” Georgiana said, and Elizabeth pulled the blankets over herself, then arranged them around Georgiana.
“Your hands are so cold, my dear. I shall put another log on the fire,” she said and left the bed again, only to return moments later.
“You are so kind to me, Lizzy.”
“I am not the only one, my dear. Is your brother not kind to you? And Mrs Annesley?”
“Oh yes, they are. Fitzwilliam is the best brother one could hope for. And Mrs Annesley is the perfect companion. And all the servants who take care of me. They always have, since I can remember. But you are kind in a different way. I do not know how to explain it…”
“I am just happy to be here, Georgiana.”
“And I am happy to have you here, Lizzy. Very happy. And my brother is happy too.”
To that, Elizabeth said nothing, only stroked the girl’s hair.
“You should sleep now, my dear. It is very late.”
Although silence fell in the room, broken only by the sound of the crackling fire, it took some time until Georgiana finally appeared to rest. Relieved, Elizabeth decided to stay only a moment longer, to be certain the girl had fallen asleep.
But against her will, tiredness defeated her too, and she fell into a deep sleep that lasted until dawn.
***
Darcy woke up early, as was his habit, even though his sleep had been less restful than usual.
The brief encounter with Elizabeth had stirred his senses in a way he had never before experienced.
If he had been free to do so, he would have asked her to sit, would have enquired how she was feeling, how she had fared since he had left Netherfield, how she felt about Georgiana — anything to start a little private conversation simply to have her near him.
But he was not allowed to do that. He had been careful about any gesture, any breath that might jeopardise her reputation while in his house.
It was a delicate enough situation that a young woman was living in a single man’s house, even if she was Georgiana’s friend and Mrs Annesley was there as a chaperon.
Elizabeth certainly did not need to worry about more gossip to repay her kindness.
His valet helped him prepare for the day, but he was still lost in his thoughts. Mr Bennet was expected to arrive around noon, and that was the perfect opportunity to take Elizabeth and her father on a tour of the house.
Darcy went down to his library, asking for coffee.
Lately, he had developed a habit and a fondness for that drink, which apparently had the power to compensate for poor sleep; at least that was the claim of his cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, Darcy mused with a smile to himself.
Until meeting Elizabeth Bennet, and before that low-life Wickham’s scheme with Georgiana, he had rarely needed anything to keep him awake and attentive to his duties.
The first meeting of the day was with his housekeeper. She came to ask for the day’s requirements and to provide him with a report of the previous day.
“Have you provided a maid for Miss Bennet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We are obligated to provide Miss Bennet with the same comfort as any member of the family. She is a gentleman’s daughter and the closest friend of my sister.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Please be warned that one evening soon we shall host a dinner party. There will be likely ten to twelve people in attendance. I am not certain when and if it will truly occur.”
“We can make preparations for such a small party at any time, sir.”
“Good. That will be all for now.” He hoped that Georgiana would agree to have a family dinner with only Elizabeth’s relatives and probably Colonel Fitzwilliam. However, the chance was small considering his sister refused to even have dinner or breakfast with him alone.
With concern and some strange anticipation, Darcy left his library to pay his morning visit to Georgiana. Except that, starting that morning, he would see Elizabeth too — a notion equally pleasant and distressing.
When he knocked and entered, he only saw his sister and Mrs Annesley, which caused him a slight — and unreasonable — disappointment. They greeted him, and he noticed there was a little more colour than usual in Georgiana’s cheeks.
“Miss Bennet has gone to dress for the day,” Mrs Annesley explained before he enquired.
“Lizzy was here the entire night,” his sister added. “I had a bad dream, and Lizzy was concerned and stayed with me until I fell asleep again. She is so kind to me!”
“It seems you slept better than usual, for you look rested,” Darcy said with a smile.
“Miss Darcy even ate quite well yesterday. Miss Bennet has a way of making us do as she asks. She is quite persuasive, which is commendable,” Mrs Annesley added.
At that moment, Elizabeth entered, and on seeing Darcy she stopped in the doorway. She held his gaze for a moment, then averted her eyes.
“Good morning, Miss Bennet. Mrs Annesley was just praising your power of persuasion. I hope you slept well?”
“My power of persuasion is what my mother calls obstinacy and stubbornness and does not find it praiseworthy,” Elizabeth replied with a nervous smile. “I did sleep well, thank you, sir.”
“I told my brother that you watched over me the entire night,” Georgiana added.
“I do not deserve any credit for that. My intention was to retire to my chamber, but apparently, I fell asleep too. Mrs Annesley woke me this morning.”
“I hope both of you rested well,” Darcy said. “Miss Bennet, your father will arrive later, and I would like to take both of you on a tour of the house if you agree. Perhaps Georgiana might join us?”
Elizabeth smiled in approval, but Georgiana paled.
“Oh, forgive me, Brother, but I would rather remain in my room. Please show Elizabeth the house by yourself.”
“Of course, my dear. May I hope you will join me at least for breakfast?”
“No yet. Perhaps tomorrow?”
“As you wish. My dear, there is something else I want to discuss with you. Before Mr Bennet returns to Hertfordshire, I would like to invite him and Mr and Mrs Gardiner to dinner. They are lovely people, and I know they wish to be acquainted with you. Richard might attend too.”
Georgiana’s eyes widened, and her face became even paler. She looked at Elizabeth, then back to Darcy.
“That would be lovely, Brother. I wish to meet them too,” she whispered.
“I shall leave you now, ladies. Have a good day.” He bowed and left.
***
Elizabeth scrutinised her friend with careful attention.
She felt Mr Darcy had somehow forced his sister into accepting the dinner invitation, but perhaps it would be helpful for the girl.
She knew her father, uncle, and aunt were loving and considerate people with no pretensions to make the girl uncomfortable.
“Oh, I forgot to ask Mr Darcy about my letter to Jane. I wrote it last night, and I would like to send it to Longbourn.”
“Would you like me to take it to the master? I am going downstairs,” Mrs Annesley offered. Elizabeth hesitated a moment. In all honesty, she would prefer to speak to Mr Darcy herself, but the chills she felt at that thought warned her against it.
“Yes please, Mrs Annesley. I shall fetch it in a moment.”
Several minutes later, Elizabeth found herself alone with Georgiana. The young girl’s anxiety was so obvious that she could not refrain from addressing it.
“My dearest, forgive me if I intrude, but may I ask why you are avoiding your brother? I know how fond he is of you, but you act as if you loathe his presence.”
The straightforward enquiry left the girl dumbfounded, her tearful expression revealing a profound distress which made Elizabeth regret her imprudence.
“I do not loathe my brother! Why would you assume that? I love him dearly, and I am grateful every day for his affection and support!”
“Georgiana, please forgive me for upsetting you! Your distress seems so deep that I would do anything to bring you some comfort.”
Elizabeth stretched out to grasp the girl’s hands, and Georgiana did not withdraw.
“I know you mean well, Lizzy.”
“I am just trying to understand what pains you, what frightens you so much that it has affected your health and your spirits.”
“It is certainly not my brother, Lizzy! But you are right, I do wish to avoid his company, because…”
“Yes?” Elizabeth asked gently to encourage her.
“It is I who hurt him! And I am afraid I shall hurt him even more. That I shall ruin his name and his entire life. He is a man of honour, and I do not know how he will live if… And my cousins, my uncle and aunt…all will be hurt and devastated.”
Emotions overwhelmed her, and she began sobbing, while Elizabeth embraced her, puzzled and helpless.
A few minutes passed with Elizabeth only holding her and stroking her hair, while the girl kept weeping.
The door opened quietly, and Mrs Annesley entered, then stopped in shock.
Elizabeth silently gestured to the lady to leave, as she was sure Georgiana had not seen her.
When she seemed to calm a little, Elizabeth handed her a handkerchief to wipe her face.
Heavyhearted and fearing rejection, Elizabeth breathed deeply and gathered the courage to speak.
“Georgiana, I realise we only met again yesterday after so many years, and I promised to wait patiently until you are ready to tell me what bothers you. But I cannot do that. I can no longer bear witnessing your sorrow and your brother suffering on your behalf while fearing the worst, without trying to help in some way. I do not wish to sound disrespectful to your grief, but I cannot imagine what you could possibly have done to cause the devastating outcome you imagine. A lady of your age, with your situation in life, watched by a permanent chaperon, could not do something evil even if she wished to! It simply cannot be!”
With every word, Elizabeth’s agitation grew, and her voice became more insistent, even demanding. Georgiana’s torment was apparent, but Elizabeth was determined not to allow the girl to fall back into her silent turmoil.
“My brother fears the worst? What worst?” Georgiana whispered fearfully.
The question took Elizabeth by surprise.
“What worst? He is frightened that you are sick from some strange illness, that you do not trust him, that he has failed you as a brother, and probably much more. A tragedy even. And now that I have seen you, I understand him. Please, my dear, tell me what tortures you so. I promise not to betray your secret to any living soul. Or to tell your brother. Or Mrs Annesley or one of your relatives. But you cannot keep it buried within yourself any longer, or it will break you completely!” Elizabeth pleaded.
After the loud and agitated outburst, a heavy, deafening silence followed, with the two ladies staring at each other wordlessly, barely daring to breathe.
“I do not dare tell my brother or Mrs Annesley,” Georgiana finally spoke, pale, her lips and voice trembling. “And certainly not my relatives. My cousin Richard is aware of some… He is my guardian, together with Fitzwilliam, did you know?”
“I did.”
“If you wish, I shall tell you. As I said yesterday, you deserve to know, so you have time to distance yourself from me before it is too late.”
“I shall never wish to distance myself from you, my dear. But I do wish you to tell me. Please!” Elizabeth begged once more, holding the girl’s hands again.
Georgiana nodded and cleared her throat, taking a deep breath, then started speaking.