He only hoped he would not regret giving in to Georgiana’s demands. Two days after Richard had departed for Meryton, he went downstairs to breakfast to find Georgiana sitting there, pushing at her food. He stood for a moment in the doorway, his heart aching for her. She looked so fragile, so thin, and so pale.Then she looked up and she spotted him, and a mask came over her face.
At this point, he was prepared to just invite Miss Bennet and hope that she could help his sister.
“Have you heard anything?” said Georgiana
“Nothing. I wish I had asked him to send an express when he had news. I suppose we will have to wait until he returns.”
What if the news confirmed that she was a thief and a liar? How would Georgiana take it?
“You must promise me that, if he does not have good news, you will accept his verdict and agree to invite someone else.”
“I am certain he will return with a good report,” said Georgiana, firmly. “But if not, I promise I will accept his verdict.”
Perhaps he was doing the wrong thing by not telling her about his encounter with Wickham. He wanted to shield her, but was it fair to leave her ignorant? Would it not be better for her to be cautious, in case Miss Bennet tried to contact her?
“Georgiana, there is something I want to tell you—”
“If it is about Miss Bennet, I don’t want to hear it,” she said. “You never have anything good to say about her. You took an instant dislike to her. You don’t want me to be happy and to make my own friends. You want me to be miserable to atone for my mistake. Do not say a word against her, William! I will not listen!”
She shoved her plate away and stood up.
“Sit down, Georgiana,” said Darcy, using his most authoritative voice. “I insist.”
He had never spoken to her that way, but then, she had never really defied him either. Georgiana looked at him, shocked, and took her seat, staring down at her hands with a sullen expression.
“You cannot go through life blindly ignoring anything that doesn’t fit with what you want to believe. You must protectyourself, and the only way to do it is to face reality, even if it may be unpleasant.”
“And what reality do you want me to face? How do you know it is not a figment of a suspicious mind?”
“It is not a figment of a suspicious mind,” he said steadily. “I am sorry, Georgiana, I should have told you before.”
She stared at him. “Told me what?”
“Wickham and your Miss Bennet know each other.”
She paled. “No! It isn’t possible! How can you be sure?”
He did not want to tell her about his meeting with Wickham at the inn. It would frighten her to know he was so close to Pemberley. “I have my sources.”
She burst into tears and ran from the room, leaving Darcy deeply regretting what he had done. She was unhappy to start with, and now he had made her completely miserable.
Things were tense. Georgiana disappeared into her bedchamber for the whole day, and although he knocked and asked to talk to her, she did not respond.
The next day she ventured down, but shut herself in the music room, the closed doors sending a clear message to Darcy that he was not welcome. He retired to the library, but with Georgiana pounding out ‘Emperor’ by Beethoven with more than a few discordant notes, he soon began to develop a headache.
Even Mrs. Annesley seemed to have had enough.
“Mr. Darcy, I feel I have failed you. I am unable to persuade Georgiana to do anything with me. I have offered many suggestions, but she had turned them all down. I have tried to find out what ails her, but she does not tell me anything. Perhaps it is time to find someone else to take my position.”
Poor Mrs. Annesley. Darcy had put her in an impossible situation.
“You are not to blame, Mrs. Annesley, I assure you. I do not expect you to resolve this, just to be here and do what you can. We will just have to be patient.”
Late in the afternoon, the doorbell rang, and Darcy heard the door of the music room open with a crash, followed by the thud of running steps as Georgiana went to the door.
Darcy followed more slowly, though he was eager to discover the news. He did not want to seem too interested, but he had spent a sleepless night alternating between hoping Richard proved him right, and wishing Miss Bennet would be cleared of any wrongdoing.
“What news?” Darcy heard Georgiana say, as their cousin stepped in.
