“I am.” I smiled. “Are you his friend?”
A flush rose on her cheeks. “I don’t… well, we met in Austen Heights.”
My shoulders relaxed. If she was Darcy's friend, I could trust her. “Wait, Lizzy? Lizzy Bennet, I remember now. My brother told me all about you.”
Lizzy’s blue eyes widened. “Oh?”
“Yes. This is such a perfect coincidence.” I stood and walked to the sconce on the wall and pushed the release button. The bookshelf next to it slid open to reveal the adjoining room, my brother’s private office and hisorderlypersonal library, where he was working on some kind of research at his oversized mahogany desk. “Darcy, your friend is here!”
Darcy, my handsome—or so they say—older brother, wore the horrendous chunky bright red and green holiday sweater Aunt Eloise knitted for him. He spun around in his leather office chair, with a pen behind his ear, and holding a file onMoonrot. “Come again?”
“Lizzy Bennet, your friend. She’s right here.” I smiled at my brother, whose cheeks had grown bright pink… oh, helikedher.
I turned around to see Lizzy slowly backing away toward the library door. “I thought you were here to see Darcy?”
“Well, I was doing a piece about the art…” Her cheeks were just as pink as Darcy’s.
A laugh escaped my lips. At least something amusing was happening. Since I couldn't get myself to focus on the tumultuous world of Catherine and Heathcliff, I might as well help these two awkward souls out.
“Well, then. Welcome anyway.” I turned back to Darcy. He’d had finer moments, forgetting his manners entirely, staring at both of us, mouth slightly agape. I cleared my throat.
“Oh, right. Welcome to Pemberley.” Darcy's coherence returned, and he finally hopped up from his chair and made his way across the room. “My apologies. I wasn’t expecting company. What brings you here?”
Lizzy had backed to the library door. “I came with my aunt and uncle.” She was flabbergasted and gave a slight shrug. Poor girl.
“I see.” Darcy smiled, unbuttoning the bright red and green monstrosity he had over his polo and dropping it on the nearest armchair. I knew the look on my brother’s face. He could hardly believe his luck, but he was also raised to play the perfect host. “Well, I’d love to show you around.”
“Oh, right. Yes, that sounds good.” Lizzy looked between our faces, as if she wanted me to intervene.
Not a chance. At least one of us should have an adventure today.
“Enjoy your book, Georgiana.” Darcy nodded, obviously not interested in having me tag along.
The pair left me alone again with around 8,000 of my favorite books. I attempted to take solace in my cozy nest of stories, but it left me discontent after reading a love letter and watching Darcy spirited away by the girl he adored. At twenty-one, I needed tolive,too. Instead, I sheltered alone with my brother and our extensive staff in the New England countryside, miles from any excitement and unsure where I wanted to go with my future.
I sighed, picked up the book I’d dropped on the floor, and returnedit to the shelf.
Being home for Christmas used to be so magical. But my parents' accident a few years ago changed everything. Before she died, Mom used to make sure we had a schedule full of parties, shopping, and traditions. Even after that, I had Darcy and Wickham.
But since we’d had a falling out with Wickham, which I tried never to think about, Darcy spent most of his time doing research and travelling.
I touched the window’s paned glass and looked out over our property. Thickening fog covered the grounds, gardens, and surrounding forest. As a fae princess, I had a few gifts. Communicating with nature, particularly plants and some animals, was high on this list. But the outdoors slept through the winter. No meadows sang, no poetry floated through the ancient forests, and the world was quiet.
I shook my head. How ridiculous to be pouting in my enormous estate, just because Darcy had a romantic surprise visitor, and I didn't.
Riding would pull me out of this slump. I descended a hidden back staircase, stopped by my room to change into my riding habit, and continued down to the main level so I could exit on the stable’s side.
“Oh, Miss Georgiana,” our head butler, Oscar, called before I could make it outside. “You’ll want to be careful. There’s a storm rolling in, and we’ve got a lot of guests on the property. Watch for cars and all.”
I waved to Oscar. “Perhaps we should start sending guests away if the weather is too bad. But I’ll be fine. I’m taking Luna, and she can handle a storm.” Luna was the most reliable horse I’d ever owned. She could steer us back to Pemberley on her own, and she could easily run for miles even in the fiercest weather.
Oscar furrowed his brow and wrung his hands together. “Of course. Do be careful, though. The weather report said there may be a squall.”
I paused for a moment but shrugged it off because nature was never at odds with me. Oscar worried way too much, but he meant well. “I have a GPS tag on Luna’s saddle, my phone, and I’ll stay on our property.”
With that, I was off to the stables, where I found Luna dozing in her stall. I brushed her silky black mane and offered her an apple. “You want to go for a ride, pretty girl?”
Luna’s wild energy spread through me. She loved to run. My fae communication with animalspaled compared to my discourse with plants. But in a way, the primitive connection was stronger. Our emotional bond was undeniable, and it surpassed mere words.
