A female gasp from the doorway startled them both. Georgiana stood at the entrance to the wool-sorting room. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide with shock. How much had she heard?
“Miss Darcy, please excuse me.” Graham straightened to his feet, composing himself. “Is something amiss?”
Georgiana’s hands hid something behind the folds of her skirt. “I have something. Something I should have shown you months ago, but I was too frightened, too worried about the scandal…”
Elizabeth’s heart began to race. “What is it?”
Georgiana approached slowly, pulling out a folded paper. “Fitzwilliam wrote to me the morning he… the morning of his accident. He said he had married, but he gave no name, only that circumstances had forced his hand and he would explain everything upon his return to London.”
Elizabeth stared at the letter Georgiana now held out, her hand trembling as she reached for it. “You’ve had this all this time?”
“I’m sorry,” Georgiana whispered. “I showed the letter to Aunt Catherine as soon as Fitzwilliam went missing. But she said fortune hunters would try anything, that the letter wasn’t sealed by his signet ring. That without a name on the letter, it left it open for any woman to appear and make claims. I was frightened of making a worse scandal.”
Elizabeth accepted the letter from Georgiana’s hand, and her breath caught at the sight of Darcy’s bold handwriting.
My dearest Georgiana,
Circumstances have compelled me to marry with great haste. I know this news will shock you, but I beg you to trust in my judgment and know that my choice was made from both necessity and genuine regard for the lady in question. The particulars I shall explain upon my return to London, but rest assured that while sudden, this union is not unwelcome to me.
I go now to secure transportation for my bride and myself to London, where I shall present her to you with all proper ceremony.
Please give my love to our aunts and prepare them for news that may surprise but should not distress them. I have found what I did not even know I was seeking.
Your affectionate brother,
F. Darcy
The Red Lion Inn, Barnet
December 3, 1811
Elizabeth’s hands shook as she read the final line again.I have found what I did not even know I was seeking.The words were like water to someone dying of thirst.
“He was happy,” she whispered, touching the paper reverently. “When he wrote this, he was happy about our marriage.”
“It would seem so,” Graham said quietly, though his voice held a note of resignation. “But the letter does not provide proof of your marriage. No name is mentioned.”
“In case it was intercepted,” Georgiana replied. “My brother has always been discreet, particularly if a lady’s reputation were at risk.”
“The letter is precious to me.” Elizabeth pressed it to her chest. “It proves he was not ashamed or regretful. That he intended to bring me home.”
“Yes, and we pray that he would recover and complete his desire.” Graham offered his hand. “The shed is getting hotter and you require refreshment.”
“I feel so helpless,” Elizabeth confessed, the words torn from her heart. “He could be calling for me, wondering why I don’t come. He could be…”
The sentence was cut short by a sudden, sharp pain that took her breath away. Elizabeth gasped, her hand flying to her belly as the child seemed to shift and press downward with uncomfortable urgency.
“What is it?” Georgiana asked, alarmed.
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth managed, breathing through the discomfort. “The baby has been restless all morning, but this feels…”
Another pain, stronger this time, made her double over slightly. Had Graham not been at her side, she would have fallen.
Graham did not hesitate, sweeping her into his arms despite her protests.
“Miss Darcy, run ahead and inform Miss Mary to fetch the midwife,” he instructed, already striding toward the door with Elizabeth cradled against his chest. “Tell Mrs. Honywood to prepare the birthing room.”
It was too soon, and yet it was not. As much as Elizabeth wished to wait for Darcy, it was about nine months to the date from that storm-lashed night at the Red Lion Inn.
