The colonel laughed. “Be patient,” he said. “I have just come from a long ride. Would you be so kind as to order me some tea and refreshments? I will tell you about my trip once I have satisfied my hunger.”
“Yes, of course,” she said, sounding abashed at this reminder of her duty.
Darcy greeted Richard, then made his way to the parlor.
A silence fell over the room until the refreshments arrived, and Georgiana prepared the tea anxiously. Having fumbled with the tea caddy, she then spilled some of the tea into the saucers as she poured it. The two gentlemen looked away and pretended they didn’t notice.
The moment she had handed them their cups and plates, Darcy spoke up.
“Well, then. We are waiting for your verdict.”
“Excellent tea, Georgiana,” said the colonel, taking a sip.
Georgiana blushed. “I am pleased you like it.”
“Come on,” said Darcy. “Stop putting it off. Is it bad news?”
“Not at all,” said the colonel, taking a bite of his pie. “Mmm. This is good.”
Richard was toying with them, of course. Darcy decided not to give his cousin the satisfaction of asking again.
In any case, he did not need to. Georgiana spoke up this time. “Cousin, you promised to give us your report after I gave you refreshments.”
Richard’s eyes twinkled. “So I did."
He smiled as Georgiana gave out an unladylike huff. “Very well. I will give you my report. I enquired in Meryton and the neighborhood as well as at the inn where I was staying. Mr. Bennet is a respectable landowner whose family has owned the land for several generations. He is a gentleman. Not particularly affluent, but they manage well enough. Miss Bennet has four sisters, however, so their dowries are small. The land is entailed to a son, and with the youngest daughter now fourteen, a forthcoming heir is unlikely, which makes the young ladies’ situation precarious. Both Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her older sister are very well regarded. They are considered the beauties of the neighborhood.”
He looked at Georgiana. “In conclusion, from what I can tell, Miss Bennet is from a good family and is herself looked on very favorably by most of the people I talked to. I have heard nothing detrimental, except perhaps that she speaks her mind too frankly sometimes, and that some might consider her a bit of a bluestocking.”
Georgiana’s eyes were glowing. “Then there is nothing that should concern us?”
“Nothing at all. I also asked about—” he cleared his throat and looked at Darcy, who supposed he needed permission to mention Wickham and nodded for him to go ahead. “—about whether they knew a George Wickham. No one had ever heard of him. He is certainly not an acquaintance of the Bennets.”
“What about the aunt and uncle?” said Darcy.
“They live in London. The uncle comes from her mother’s side. I am sorry to say that he is in trade. He lives in Cheapside, I believe.”
Georgiana frowned and sent Darcy a worried look. He hastened to reassure her. “I have no problem with her connections with trade. It is not as if we are choosing a bride. The Bingleys come from trade, and they are perfectly acceptable. It is certainly a disadvantage if Miss Elizabeth Bennet wishes to marry well, but that is not my concern here.”
The colonel took up his cup and began to drink. “Good. I have found nothing objectionable about her. I see no reason why she could not be invited to spend time with you, Georgiana. In fact, I am dying to be introduced to such a paragon.”
Georgiana beamed. “Thank you, Cousin!” She turned to Darcy. “See, I knew it was a figment of your imagination.”
“What was?”
“That she is a friend of Wickham’s.”
The colonel shrugged. “We cannot be certain. Just because she is a good person, it does not mean Wickham has not gained her confidence, somehow.”
Georgiana looked stricken.
“I am sorry, Georgie,” said the colonel, “but it is the truth. He is very clever at manipulating others. Look how he had your father fooled. Many more experienced gentlemen are taken in by him, so it is not at all surprising that he hoodwinked you, too. It is not your fault. He is the villain in all this, and you are the innocent victim.”
“That is not how society would have viewed it, if I had eloped with him,” she said. “Everyone would have condemned me for behaving badly.”
The colonel shook his head. “There is no need to think about that anymore. You told your brother, and he put a stop toit. Enough said.” His military manner of speaking stripped the situation down to the essential point.
None of them brought up the elephant in the room. What if Darcy had not visited her in Ramsgate the day before the planned elopement? Would she have had cold feet? Better not to think about it.
