He raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, and realized it was trembling. Georgiana’s statement had shaken him to the core.
“Why did you not write to me, Georgie?” he said quietly. “You should have told me to come. You should have said you needed me.”
“I—” she stared at him in confusion. “It was not really like that. That is not how I felt all the time. Perhaps it is an exaggeration to say she saved my life. I suppose I said it to get your attention. Butit is true that I had a moment – just a moment—when I thought—. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “—that perhaps it would be better for all of us if I did not exist. But it was just for an instant,” she added hastily. “And that was when Miss Bennet found me.”
He strode over to his sister and pulled her into his arms. “You must never, ever think such a thing. Never.” He held her at arm’s length and looked into her face. “You are all the family I have. How could you possibly believe, even for one instant, that I would be happier without you?”
She buried her face in his shoulder. “I know. I am sorry, William, but I promise you I had no intention of doing anything.”
He heard the truth in her voice. It was a passing thought, nothing more. Interrupted, fortunately, by the appearance of Miss Bennet.
“So this is when Miss Bennet came upon you?”
“Yes, she must have seen from my expression that I was distressed, and she came up from the river to talk to me.”
“Up from the river? What was she doing there? Fishing?” Poaching, very likely.
Georgiana sighed. “I already told you what she was doing. Must I repeat it? How could she have been fishing without a fishing rod? You are determined to think the worst of her.”
Then a thought struck Darcy. He could understand that Georgiana was easily won over at a vulnerable moment, but how did they cement their friendship after that?
“So how long have you known Miss Bennet?”
“Not long at all,” she said, her face growing lighter at the direction of his questions. “We met this afternoon.”
“You have known her onlyone afternoon?”
He stared at her in shock. One afternoon, and Georgiana had invited her to Pemberley fordinner?
Georgiana shrank back at his sharp tone. “She was very kind to me,” she replied defensively.
Even if Miss Bennet waskind, that did not mean she could be invited to Pemberley, one of the most prominent estates in the Kingdom. She could come on a tour, yes, to be shown the treasures that had been collected, much like a museum, but for her to dine with the family!
He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. “Why don’t we sit down, and you can tell me everything,” he said, trying his best to sound encouraging.
Georgiana threw him a dubious look. But if she wanted him to believe Miss Bennet was not guilty of stealing, then he needed an explanation. Not that he really believed Georgiana would be able to convince him, but he was willing to listen.
“I would like to understand what happened,” he prompted.
Georgiana nodded and started to narrate what had happened. As she came to the part where the two of them sat on the grass, Darcy’s blood ran cold. His first impulse was to shout at Georgiana. How could she have revealed her secret to a complete stranger? Did she not understand that she had placed herself at this woman’s mercy? It would be so easy for a schemer or a blackmailer to use this knowledge to her own advantage. And they already knew this woman was a thief.
Since the event had occurred, Darcy had lived in constant fear that someone – notably Mrs. Younge or Wickham, would spread rumors about Georgiana. He had taken care of Mrs. Younge by offering her a passage to America and some funds to get by with when she reached there. Still, there was a small likelihood that she might write to him to extort more funds.
And as for Wickham – well there was no predicting what Wickham might do. So far, he had kept silent on the matter, which surprised Darcy. It also made him uneasy. Did it mean Wickham had not given up on the possibility of marryingGeorgiana yet? He could not pretend to understand Wickham and the way his mind worked. Darcy could only hope that he had lost interest after his failed attempt and was distracted by some other scheme. He sincerely hoped Wickham was not working his wiles on some other unfortunate heiress.
“William?”
He came out of his thoughts to find Georgiana waiting for him to say something. There was a more immediate problem to solve now. He took a deep breath.
“How much does she know?” Even though he tried to control his voice, he could not keep a harsh note from creeping in.
Georgiana recoiled. “I’m sorry, brother. I should not have spoken to anyone about—the elopement. Somehow, it all poured out. She was so sympathetic—” Her eyes filled with tears.
He felt immediately sorry. After all, Georgiana was carrying a heavy burden, and she did not have anyone she could talk to. Darcy had expressly forbidden Georgiana from speaking to Mrs. Annesley about what happened at Ramsgate, and she could not very well confide in the housekeeper. Which left no one for her to talk to about her troubles.
Once again, guilt burned inside him. He should not have sent her to Ramsgate with a stranger. He should have kept her safe by his side.
He stood, went over to her and stroked her head, as he used to when she was little and had hurt her knee.
