Chapter 24
The carriage stopped in front of Mr Darcy’s house, and the coachman opened the door. It took a while for them to unwrap themselves from the blankets and for Georgiana to wipe her eyes and arrange her bonnet. When they finally stepped out, the cold winter air made them shiver.
As they approached the door, it opened, and Mr Darcy appeared, his handsome face transfigured by feelings Elizabeth could only guess. Behind him was Mrs Annesley, her countenance darkened by worry.
“Georgiana! Miss Bennet! Where on earth have you been?” Mr Darcy burst out. “Are you hurt? What happened? I was about to go searching for you around the town!”
His voice was louder and harsher than Elizabeth had ever heard it, and he allowed them no time to reply.
“Are you hurt? Either of you?” he repeated as they entered the house.
“We are not hurt, Brother,” Georgiana whispered. “All is well.”
“Well? You left after breakfast and have been gone all day!”
“We went to visit Mrs Gardiner. It was my wish and my request. Tom and John only obeyed my commands.”
Mr Darcy’s puzzlement was complete, betrayed by his wide eyes.
“Visit Mrs Gardiner? But why did you not tell me? You cannot deny something happened. I can see you have been crying! You are pale and look ill!”
“I am not, I assure you, Brother. All is well,” the girl repeated. “Please excuse me now. I am very tired, and I must sleep. Lizzy will tell you everything.”
“I shall help you to your room, Miss Darcy,” Mrs Annesley offered, gently taking her arm.
There were several servants gathered in the hall, including the housekeeper, and Mr Darcy’s eyes flickered towards them. He bit his lip, then took a deep breath.
“Miss Bennet, I would be grateful to you if you would come and speak to me whenever it is convenient for you. I shall be in my library.” He turned to the group of servants.
“I believe it is time for everyone to resume their duties. Standing around in the hall cannot be a task assigned to all of you.”
His fragile composure was clear, and the servants immediately disappeared. He continued to talk to his housekeeper.
“Mrs Penfield, I am sure my sister and Miss Bennet would like a hot meal and a bath. Please make sure they are properly attended to.”
The housekeeper nodded and excused herself, but Elizabeth stopped her.
“Mrs Penfield, a moment, please. Mr Darcy, I apologise for the distress we have caused, but I assure you Georgiana needs nothing but rest at present. She will sleep, and all will be well. If she needs anything else, Mrs Annesley is there. As for me, I would rather speak to you now to put an end to this unsettling situation.”
“Should I bring some tea and soup to the library?” Mrs Penfield offered.
“Yes, please,” Darcy replied. “Have Stevens bring in the tray,” he added while leading Elizabeth along the hall.
Once they entered, he left the door slightly ajar for propriety’s sake and invited her to sit in a large chair by the fire. His torment was apparent, and he paced the room in an attempt to calm himself.
“I apologise for acting so savagely,” he began.
“It might sound irrational, but I imagined the darkest scenarios. My sister has never been gone for such a long time without me knowing her exact whereabouts. Her desire to ride alone with you sounded alarming to me in the beginning. I could feel something was wrong. I am only requesting honesty, Miss Bennet. Have you truly been to visit Mrs Gardiner, or is my sister hiding something from me?”
His perturbation induced her calmness, knowing she had the answers which could soothe his distress.
“Both are true. We did visit my aunt, and we did hide something from you, sir. That is precisely why we did not reveal to you the purpose of our ride.”
He stared at her, incredulous and apparently hurt, while she continued.
“I can imagine you feel betrayed. I deeply apologise for upsetting you, but not for our actions. They were necessary in order to put an end to Georgiana’s turmoil. And yours.”
He stopped, frowned, and kept staring at her.
“Would you be so kind as to take a seat, sir? This is a most delicate and distressing conversation for me. One that I have never had before with any man. I shall try to be honest, but there are some disquieting details that I cannot express freely,” she said, averting her eyes while her cheeks burned.
He hesitated briefly, then fetched a chair and placed it opposite her, at a safe distance but close enough to increase their mutual anxiety.
“Since I arrived, I have struggled to understand what caused the alteration of Georgiana’s state. Her illness was real, though your physician declared her body was healthy.”
She paused and he waited. There was a knock at the door and Stevens entered with the tray. Mr Darcy took it, placed it on the table, and dismissed the man.
“Fortunately, I discovered the truth early enough ease her turmoil,” Elizabeth continued. “And yours too, since one of her main obsessions was that she had ruined your peace of mind and would destroy your good name and honour.”
“I see…” he said, standing up again. “I assume she revealed to you the attempted elopement. I hoped she had put the entire story behind her, that she could forget it. It was prevented without any harm coming to her. Why would she be concerned about my name and honour? My concern is her well-being, far above any other considerations.”
“You considered it over. To her, it was only the beginning of a devastating torment.”
“But why? How?”
Elizabeth paused again. “May I have some tea, please?”
“Yes, of course. Allow me to pour a cup for you,” he offered hastily.
In an obvious hurry, he filled a cup and passed it to her.
It was hot, and only then did she realise her fingers were cold.
She took the cup, and in doing so, their fingers touched.
The warmth spread inside her from that touch to her entire core.
She took a sip, then gathered herself enough to continue.
“Mr Wickham’s scheme with that Mrs Younge was more devious than you probably know. I have reason to believe they conspired prior to arriving in Ramsgate. It was an elaborate plan to induce Georgiana to mistake childhood affection for romance and agree to elope with him. Furthermore…”
“Yes?” Mr Darcy enquired, his anxiety clearly growing and his expression displaying the mix of feelings storming inside him.
“He…one evening they…during a dinner, they probably intoxicated Georgiana and…”
“And?”
“They led Georgiana to believe she had spent the night with Mr Wickham,” Elizabeth said, her voice barely a whisper.
“Oh…” he said, the subject clearly affecting him as much as her. “That is why…”
Elizabeth shook her head. “There is more. They convinced her she might be with child. Therefore, they had to elope and marry…”
Again, embarrassment caused her to pause, and he only replied with another. “Oh.”
“When you arrived unexpectedly, Georgiana could not bear to pain you, and she confessed to the elopement. But since then, she has lived with the fear of the shame she would cause your family if she had a child.”
“Dear Lord,” he uttered, pacing around. He rubbed his forehead, cast a few glances at Elizabeth, and finally spoke again.
“Even if that was the case, I would not have allowed her to spend her entire life with such a low life of a man. Even if she had a child, we would have found a way. She is certainly not the only one who…”
Elizabeth nodded.
“So, she is not… This is why she said all is well?” he enquired.
“No… Yes… I only found out yesterday, and since I have no knowledge of such matters,” she confessed, hiding her face in mortification, “I asked my aunt’s advice.
She was quite certain it was not the case.
But Georgiana was still doubtful, so today we visited my aunt, who asked for the assistance of her physician.
He was told Georgiana is my aunt’s niece, newly married. ”
“I see,” he said, though he looked dumbfounded, confused, hurt, restless. “This is why you planned this secret visit…”
“Yes. We could not have revealed the reason, until we knew the truth.”
“All these months…she could have been saved from so much suffering if she had only confided in me.”
“It is not a matter one would speak to an older brother about, sir.”
“Indeed. One would need a friend — a sister — to support her in such circumstances. My sister was fortunate to have you. We both were fortunate to have you, Miss Bennet, though I am aware you have done everything for Georgiana.”
Something in his voice touched her heart deeply.
“Not only for Georgiana, sir. I am fortunate too, for having a friend like her. And like you.”
Another small pause, and then she continued.
“Equally disturbing is that the two scoundrels convinced Georgiana to give them some money, as well as a brooch and a bracelet. She knows you will be upset about her foolishness, and rightfully so, but she was so young and innocent that she was an easy victim for those predators. I truly cannot fault her.”
“I care little about the money. My father and I were foolish enough in the past to give much more to Wickham for one reason or another. I cannot fault her for that either. Much more important is that she has tortured herself for such a long time…”
“Mr Darcy, forgive my boldness, but I believe some strong measures must be taken against both Mr Wickham and Mrs Younge. Considering their deception, the money and the jewellery Georgiana gave them was nothing but robbery. Forgive me. I can see you are calm and composed, as you should be, but I am becoming more enraged by the minute.”
“I am neither calm nor composed at all, Miss Bennet. I am just repressing my anger in order to protect you from witnessing it. Strong measures will be taken. You may judge me as you please, but I am a resentful man. I might forgive an offence against myself but not the suffering caused to a loved one. Especially my sister.”
“I am glad to hear that. I know this sounds very unladylike, but I am truly glad.”
He smiled at her. “Thank you for sharing my torment, Miss Bennet. And thank you for telling me the truth. I can imagine how difficult it must have been for you.”
“It was difficult, but not as bad as I feared. Somehow you eased my burden. Of course, I suspect tomorrow I shall die of mortification remembering the nature of our conversation,” she tried to jest.
“You have no reason to be embarrassed by anything you said or did, Miss Bennet. Quite the opposite. I promised not to thank you again, yet, I have already done so. So, I shall only repeat what my mother once said. You are a breath of fresh air in our lives, Miss Bennet. You have helped us breathe again.”
Instead of denying it, she simply replied, “I wish nothing more than to see you and Georgiana breathe and smile freely, Mr Darcy.”
“Will you stay longer? Now that everything seems to be resolved?” he enquired.
“Would you like me to leave?” she asked in surprise.
“No! Not at all…quite the contrary…I would wish you to never leave. But it is not my desire that matters — only yours.”
“Oh…” she answered, not knowing how to take his powerful statement. “Then I would like to stay. I do miss my mother and my sisters, but I would dearly like to spend more time with Georgiana if you do not mind.”
“I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours, Miss Bennet. In this case, the pleasure is mine. Please let me know how I can make your stay more comfortable.”
He sounded serious, even grave, and she felt shivery, although she was not cold any longer. To conceal her unease, she attempted to joke.
“I would like something to eat, if possible. I am truly hungry.”
“Of course! How silly of me! I shall ask for dinner to be delivered to your room. Is that convenient?”
“Certainly,” she agreed, puzzled. “I shall speak to Georgiana and Mrs Annesley, to see if they would like to come downstairs for dinner. If not, I may come, if you do not mind,” she said.
Her suggestion clearly surprised him, and his reply was delayed, as if he did not know how to answer.
She felt her face burning with shame for such boldness, which obviously had not pleased him.
“I would be happy for you to join me for dinner of course. However, if Mrs Annesley and my sister prefer to remain in their rooms, I may order dinner in Georgiana’s apartment, as usual. I fear that the two of us dining alone might cause rumours and speculation among the servants.”
“Oh…how silly of me…I apologise for such a lack of consideration. I must be tired since I neglected to see the impropriety of my suggestion.”
She got up from her seat, turning to leave. She felt like a simpleton and was ashamed to imagine what he thought of her.
She startled when she felt his hand on her arm.
“Miss Bennet, I must ask, even if my question is improper. Would you like to dine with me?”
She barely dared to meet his gaze, struggling to find a reasonable and proper answer. However, she was indeed too tired to think it through.
“I would. Since our conversation had become so easy and comfortable…I thought we might continue it during dinner. I did not consider that it might affect your reputation.”
He was still holding her arm when he answered.
“Miss Bennet, there is nothing I would like more than to spend time with you, either at dinner or in conversation. Besides my gratitude for what you have done for my sister, I cannot remember enjoying anyone else’s company as much as I enjoy yours.
My concern is not for my reputation but for yours.
As long as you are in my house, under my protection, my duty is to guard my actions. ”
“Oh…” she whispered, still puzzled, barely comprehending the meaning of his words.
She lifted her eyes and met his gaze one more time. This time she held it for a longer moment. Her heart was racing, as his closeness made her dizzy.
“It has been a long day. I believe it would be better if we had dinner in Georgiana’s apartment, as usual. Hopefully, from tomorrow, such a habit will change.”
“I look forward to it, Miss Bennet,” he answered. Against her will, she noticed the slight movement of his lips and remembered the sensation of the touch from the previous night.
To her equal pleasure and distress, she saw him taking her hand in his and bowing his head so he could press a brief, barely felt kiss on her palm — so quick that it felt unreal.
“Your eyes are truly sparkling, Miss Bennet. Good night.”
“Good night, Mr Darcy,” she answered, withdrawing her hand and stepping away, still dizzy and confused by his kiss and his last statement.