Chapter Thirty-Seven
Mr. Darcy was quiet on the carriage ride back to Netherfield Park. He was surprised that he had volunteered to become involved in Bennet’s business; it was not his usual practice to become entangled in the concerns of strangers.
He was also surprised at how rapidly Miss Elizabeth had understood what was, after all, a very complex legal maneuver. Bennet had said that Elizabeth was the cleverest of his daughters, and Mr. Darcy now began to think that she might be the cleverest young lady he had ever met.
She was also very attractive. That much he had realised during their two dances.
Her hair was thick and dark, and he imagined it took many pins to hold it up.
He then imagined himself pulling out those pins and letting all that hair fall down her back…
he imagined her smiling up at him, her pink mouth beginning to open in invitation, her eyes drifting shut, her breath coming fast…
and he felt himself begin to breathe more quickly in response to these images.
He quickly looked outside the carriage window to hide his unexpected response.
“Brother?”
“Yes, Georgiana?”
“Did you not hear me?”
“No; I was thinking about…something. What did you say?”
“Lydia Bennet said that Mr. Wickham had asked to call on her at Longbourn, and so I wondered…”
“No.” His tone was curt.
“No?”
“No, Wickham may not call on you at Netherfield. That is what you were about to ask, was it not?”
Georgiana’s lower lip stuck out. “It is Mr. Bingley’s house, after all, is it not? Mr. Bingley,” she began.
Mr. Bingley put his hands up. “Oh, no, Miss Darcy. Do not put me between yourself and your brother. He is your guardian, not I.”
Georgiana crossed her arms over her chest and sat back, the very picture of feminine disgruntlement. Mr. Darcy only shrugged and went back to looking out the window. Then he realised what Georgiana had said and he turned to look at her. “Wickham is to call on Lydia Bennet?”
“That is what Lydia says, yes; but why should she get –“
He interrupted her. “I should warn Mr. Bennet that Wickham is not to be trusted.”
Georgiana was aggrieved. “This seems most unfair, Brother. I thought you agreed to give him a chance to prove that he has changed.”
“I agreed, yes; but he must be carefully watched until he has proven himself. I would not want Lydia Bennet to become his next victim.”
Georgiana’s hand flew to her mouth. “Victim? Victim! I cannot believe that you think so little of our childhood friend!”
Mr. Darcy shook his head. “All I will say is that he is not to be trusted around young ladies.”
Mr. Darcy longed to tell Georgiana the truth of their so-called childhood friend, but he knew that young ladies should not be made to hear such things, so he bit his lip.
What was he to do? How could he protect his young sister when the truth was too terrible for her to hear?
He hoped, against all reasonable expectation, that George Wickham truly had changed for the better.