“Even still,” Georgiana said, standing up and beginning to pace in front of him. She chewed on the nail of her forefinger, as she always did when she was nervous, and did not say anything for some time.
All of a sudden, she turned to him so abruptly that she made him jump. “I want to visit them tomorrow and see for myself that they are all well.”
“Very well,” Darcy agreed. “I had wished to return myself. And I am sure a visit from you will bolster Miss Bennet’s spirits.”
The next morning, they set out for the Golden Lion, arriving as the last of a late breakfast service was being cleared away. The innkeeper’s wife went to alert the Gardiners that they had a visitor, and Mr Gardiner came out to meet them. He looked downtrodden, rumpled, and wholly exhausted. But he was alive, and unhurt. Mr Gardiner shook hands with Darcy and ushered them down the narrow corridor toward their temporary lodgings. “Forgive the mess, but we are all somewhat sitting upon each other.”
He opened the door and led them into a room in marked contrast to the tidiness and elegance of the drawing room now disappeared into flames. A sullen fire burned in the hearth,not really adequate to the chill of a damp spring day, and a solitary window would have been improved considerably by being washed. An adjoining door, now closed, must have led to the other room of the apartment.
Willing himself to show no sign of noticing any deficiency, Darcy bowed. “Forgive us for the intrusion, but when we heard of the fire, we had to come and see for ourselves that you were all well.”
Mrs Gardiner came to the door and pressed each of their hands. “It was so good of you to come. One cannot have too many staunch friends when one is thrust into circumstances such as these.” She motioned for them to come in, but there was nowhere for any of them to sit. The boys were already taking up the small bed, and Darcy would not have availed himself of it anyway.
Suddenly, the adjoining door opened, and Miss Bennet walked in, stopping abruptly in surprise when she perceived them.
Georgiana instantly rushed to her side and embraced her. “Oh, Miss Bennet! I am so glad to see that you are well. We were so frightened when we found out what all of you had endured!” She took Miss Bennet’s hands in hers. “Why did you not send word?”
Miss Bennet looked as bone-tired as Mr Gardiner. She was wearing a rumpled brown dress, which looked too loose to be her own. Darcy realised then that she must have lost everything in the fire, even her clothes. Indeed, the whole family looked as if they had had to find clothing from some ragbag or other. His heart broke to think that he had not come to their aid sooner, that he had not even heard of the fire until three days after it had occurred. Perhaps he ought to thank Miss Bingley,after all. How long might it have taken them to discover the tragedy if she had not shared the news?
“I am terribly sorry I did not think of it, Miss Darcy.” Miss Bennet gave them a weary smile. “It had not occurred to me that you might have learned of our misfortune.”
“We were told your house had burned down, and nothing more,” Georgiana told her. “We were so afraid for you all!”
“Iamsorry, then,” Miss Bennet said warmly. “It is terrible to worry over your friends.”
She met Darcy’s gaze, and a bolt of protectiveness coursed through him, startlingly strong and unexpected. “Our discomfort is nothing against yours, Miss Bennet,” he said quickly. “Would that we had known sooner, if only to offer aid sooner.”
“You are very kind,” she said. But the light and sparkle that had always been hers were no longer in her eyes. In her exhaustion, all the fight and life seemed to have gone out of her. It was only then that he noticed her right hand was wrapped in a bandage.
He stepped forward without knowing what he did. He only knew that he could not bear that she had been hurt, and he had not protected her. “Are you injured, Miss Bennet?”
She looked down at her hand and cradled it. “Oh, this? It is only a slight burn. I am well, I assure you.”
“Oh, yes, our Lizzy is quite the heroine,” Mr Gardiner told them. “Hattie, our young maid, was trapped in an upstairs alcove, and Elizabeth rescued her.”
“That is not how I was burned,” she protested. “I foolishly touched the doorknob, which was hot owing to the flames on the other side of the door. I should have realised —”
But Mr Gardiner would not let his niece deny her heroism so easily. “It was a selfless act of bravery,” he said firmly. “We are very proud of our Lizzy.”
Darcy nodded. “As you should be.” He met Miss Bennet’s gaze again. “As we all are.”
She dropped her eyes. “I only did what anyone else would in the situation.”
He let the matter rest, knowing that she was becoming embarrassed at being the centre of attention.
“Mr and Mrs Gardiner,” he said after clearing his throat. “My sister and I have another motive in coming to you today. It is true we wanted to ensure that all of you were safe and well. But we have also come with a proposition for you.”
“Oh?” Mr Gardiner asked.
“Yes,” Darcy said. He eyed Georgiana, giving her a signal to play along. Though the idea had not occurred to him before that moment, he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner. And Georgiana would surely agree in an instant when she heard his proposition. “We have come to offer you our home. Our return to Derbyshire is close at hand. We should very much like you to stay at Pemberley with us until your house can be rebuilt.”
The room was silent as they all took in the implications. Mrs Gardiner and Mr Gardiner looked at each other. “You cannot mean that,” he said. “There are seven of us.”
“I assure you I am quite serious. Pemberley can hold three times as many guests without the slightest inconvenience. Indeed, the greatest inconvenience would be yours, in having to travel so far from London. But if that is not too great, we would be delighted if you would accompany us to Pemberley and avail yourselves of the house for as long as you may need.”
As he had expected, Georgiana jumped in without hesitation. “Yes, please come. I should hate to think of you all crammed together like this, with no light or fresh air. Pemberley is more than large enough, and we have such woods, and such grounds! I will show you all the best walks, Miss Bennet, and we shall have such fun together.” She turned to the boys, who were sitting up straighter on the bed at the prospect of getting out of their cramped rented rooms. “And there are ponies in the stables that need to be run.”
The boys squealed with delight, and the girls giggled. Miss Bennet remained calm and collected, but her eyes had gone wide.
