“Very well, he is not sensible. He made demands on Mr. Hill who was acting as his valet that one would not expect…”
“Such as?”
“For one, he wanted a portion of each meal brought to him before the family sat in the dining room so that he could determine if it was up to his standards. Of course, Mrs. Bennet wasnotpleased when she learnt that.”
“Oh my!”
“Nor was she happy when he requested Mrs. Hill instruct young Jerry count all the bricks on the chimneys. Some such to compare to his patroness’s estate. Poor lad had a rope tied to his trousers and was getting ready to scale the wall before Mr. Bennet put a stop to it. And—”
“Thank you, Sarah. That will be all.” The young maid nodded and left the room.What has Charlotte done by accepting such a man?“I must go at once and see him for myself.”
* * *
Pacing back and forth, Darcy attempted to control his voice and not scare the two girls sitting on the chairs before him. “Dear Georgie. Please tell me what happened?” They were in his private sitting room in Netherfield, hoping to arouse as little attention as possible from the other inhabitants of the house. “I love you, and as long as no harm came upon you, I will remain calm.”
Georgiana looked at Miss Katherine Bennet, who nodded gently at her before lowering her eyes and shaking her head. “Wills, I do not want you to think less of me. Please forgive me.”
“Poppet, you have done nothing wrong,” he said, praying his words were true. “You have remained constant to yourself and your family. Now, tell me the whole of it.” He smiled and hoped he looked genial. Miss Katherine squeezed her hand and Georgiana began.
“The night of Sir William Lucas’s party, Miss Katherine and I were here alone at Netherfield and were preparing to retire for bed, when Mr. Wickham walked in the room.”
“Unannounced?” Darcy asked, his breath barely coming out evenly.
She nodded her head. “Yes.”
“Where was Mrs. Annesley?”
“She had just retired with a headache. Miss Katherine and I had begged to stay up a few minutes more so that I could finish a sonata.”
He nodded his head for her to continue and attempted to look impassive as his emotions roiled within him. “And what did Wickham say when he learned you were unchaperoned?”
“He said he did not dare bother the servants and it was going to be our secret so we might surprise you. I did not feel it was appropriate for him to be here so late but he reminded me that he was like a brother and loved me as one.” She dropped her eyelashes to look at the floor, her cheeks turning pink. “He also told me I was more beautiful than he remembered and was a breathtaking woman.”
“Which you are,” Darcy said reaching for her hand. “But, a true gentleman who respects you will not sneak into the house when you are unchaperoned.”
“Yes. That is what Miss Katherine said. Before he departed, he spoke of Mother and Father. I miss them so much, and I loved hearing them spoken of. He informed me he was going to be in Meryton for an extended period, and we would meet again. But, I was not to apprise you of our meeting. That you would not like it—”
“And I do not!”
“—because you still viewed me as a child and not a grown woman. I guess I proved him correct, did I not?”
“Georgiana, you are not a child, but you also have not been exposed to people such as George Wickham has become.”
She began to cry and her quaking words cut him off. “Wills, he began to appear in the oddest places, whenever I was without Mrs. Annesley or you—in the garden, in the woods, walking to the stables. Yet, I believed I could trust him, I wanted to trust him…since he was like a brother to me. I would say, ‘You just missed Wills,’ and he would reply, ‘Remember, it’s our secret.’ I became exhausted from holding the truth back from you.”
“Tell him about three days ago,” Miss Katherine interrupted.
“What happened three days ago?” Darcy asked, leaning forward.
“I found a letter in my room asking me to meet him by the pond in Netherfield Woods. I met him and he professed his undying love for me. Claimed he could not live without me. He asked me to run away with him to Gretna Green before you came home from London.”
“And what did you tell him, poppet?”
“That I could not disappoint you. That I loved him too, but if he loved me as he said, he needed to speak to my brother.”
“That was very wise of you, Georgie.”
“I cannot claim credit for my words. Miss Katherine’s counsel from the day before was still fresh in my mind.” She clasped her friend’s hand with both of hers and said, “I will be grateful to you forever.”
