Darcy was astonished.
“But Fitzwilliam,” she went on, “surely you know what Miss Bingley is. She detests any woman who dares to look at you too long.”
He smiled despite himself. “And how do you know this, Georgie?”
“Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst visit me once a week when they are in town. Miss Bingley cannot restrain her tongue; any thought that forms in her mind escapes her lips a moment later. I have heard her belittle every woman who so much as glances at you at a ball. Heaven help the one who dares to speak to you! And if you actually ask a woman to dance with you, she’s bound to have an apoplexy. I have been fearful that she would one day compromise you.”
She stopped speaking abruptly; the color drained from her face, and tears welled in her eyes. “Fitzwilliam, never tell me she hasentrapped you!” she gasped, pressing her hands to her middle as though she might be ill.
Darcy hastened to reassure her. “No, my dear girl. No, Caroline has not compromised me. I am quite safe from her.”
Georgiana’s eyes filled with relief, and she took his handkerchief when offered. She was drying her eyes, and he was trying to calm her when Richard burst in through the study door.
“Close the door, Richard,” Darcy said.
His cousin glanced at Georgiana and quickly obeyed, then sat beside her. She threw her arms around his neck. “Richard, I have suffered such a fright. I thought Fitzwilliam was going to tell me that Miss Bingley had compromised him.”
Richard turned sharply to look at Darcy, who raised a hand. “It is nothing of that kind. Well, perhaps something related. I have been compromised, and I am to be married on Friday. But not to Caroline Bingley. I am to marry a Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
The room fell silent. Georgiana and Richard stared at him.
At last, Richard spoke. “And?”
Darcy exhaled and, lifting both hands with palms up, began to explain. “I made a foolish jest about Miss Bennet and her mother in private. Caroline repeated it at a ball, in front of Bingley’s university friends, and in the hearing of the woman I insulted. Miss Elizabeth bore it well and was quick to respond with a clever quip that turned the laughter back on me. But she was wounded. She withdrew to her father’s side but eventually lost her struggle to remain composed, and she sought refuge in the empty library. Her cousin, her father’s heir, followed her. The heir had his hands on her arms, trying to comfort her as she wept, when a neighbor came upon them and cried‘Compromise.’ Her father had also stepped away to search for her. By the time I found them, the nosy neighbor was insisting she must marry her cousin at once.”
Richard’s brows rose. “And you?”
“I told them that she and I were already betrothed and therefore she was not free to marry her cousin.”
There was another long silence. Then Richard said quietly, “It seems to me you wanted her for yourself.”
Darcy took a deep breath. “Yes. I did. I do. I could not bear to see her fall into that man’s hands. He is not respectable. When he looks at her, she shivers. When she was told she must marry him, she fainted.”
“Poor Miss Elizabeth,” Georgiana murmured. “But surely she is comforted now, knowing you will marry her instead?”
Darcy chuckled. “Not exactly. When she heard me announce our betrothal, she fainted again. Fortunately, she was seated at the time.”
Richard broke into laughter. “So, she is not one of those who throws herself at you and hopes to stick.”
Darcy grinned. “No indeed. I have insulted her twice in public. She wants nothing to do with me, but given the choice between her cousin and me, she chose me, because, in her own words, I am respectable and not a scoundrel.”
Richard indulged in a loud guffaw. Georgiana did not understand what was so amusing but decided that, if they were laughing, all must be well.
When Richard sobered, he said, “So the great Fitzwilliam Darcy has fallen for a woman, and she is not certain she wants him. Do you want my father to release you from this?”
Darcy shook his head. “No, Richard. I wish to marry Miss Elizabeth. I shall not find another like her if I searched the world over. I count myself fortunate that Caroline opened her mouth, for after the insults I gave her, Miss Elizabeth would never have accepted me voluntarily.”
Richard began to laugh again. Darcy poured two glasses of brandy. “Georgie, shall I order lemonade for you?”
“Yes, Brother, and cakes. This sounds like an occasion to celebrate.”
Richard grinned at his little cousin. “That’s right, my girl. This calls for celebration. You will soon have a sister.”
Darcy's brows lifted comically almost to his hairline as he confessed. “Actually, Georgiana will have three sisters. Miss Elizabeth would not accept me unless I allowed her to bring along her two sisters while we deepen our acquaintance. She is feeling cautious about men, after enduring insults from the both of us.”
Richard grinned. “A clever girl, Darcy. The more you divulge, the better I like her.”
Darcy smiled wryly. “You needn’t crow over my delicate situation, Richard.”
