The girl looked up from the kerchief in shock. “With child? No!” Then she frowned. “At least, I do notthinkI am—” she looked thoroughly confused for a moment, then burst into tears again. “I do not know.”
“Being with child is the only reason I could think that you would even contemplate such drastic measures.” Elizabeth spoke gently, afraid to upset her. “I think we had better find a place to sit and talk.”
She held her breath, her body tensing in case the girl decided to walk away. Or worse, turn back towards the river.
After a long moment, the girl nodded. Elizabeth’s knees sagged with relief.
“We can go back to Pemberley. I know a secluded bench in the garden where we can talk.”
The young lady had inadvertently given away her identity. If she knew the grounds of Pemberley so well, she must unquestionably belong to the Darcy family. She remembered her aunt had mentioned that only two members of the Darcy family remained: Mr. Darcy and his sister.
“I take it you are Miss Darcy, then?”
“Yes,” said the young girl, flushing at being discovered.
“I am Elizabeth Bennet. I am visiting here from Hertfordshire.”
Elizabeth felt the weight of responsibility. She had younger sisters, but what if she did not understand the situation fully enough? She had promised the girl not to inform Mr. Darcy, but what if something were to happen? She was seized with a sense of urgency. She needed to make sure that Mr. Darcy’s sister would not do anything foolish.
“Let us stay here,” said Elizabeth. “Away from prying eyes and ears. You will not be able to talk freely in front of the gardeners, or if you are worried that someone will overhear.”
The young girl looked around her. “True. But there is nowhere for us to sit here.”
“I have always found grass will do well enough as a seat if it is available.”
Miss Darcy looked around her uncertainly. It was clear that she had been taught that it was improper for a young lady to sit on the ground.
“Did you never roll in the grass when you were a child?”
A smile lightened Miss Darcy’s face.
“When Papa was alive, he would take me to a slope near the estate, and I used to roll down.”
The transformation on Miss Darcy’s face gave her hope.
“It sounds like you loved your papa,” she said gently.
“I did. I was ten years old when I lost him, but I still have many happy memories of him.” She sounded wistful rather than dejected.
“Who has taken care of you since?”
“I have two guardians. My brother Fitzwilliam, and my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
Elizabeth noted the use of the name Fitzwilliam for both, proof of great pride in the family name. Perhaps two such proud individuals would demand very exacting behavior from a young lady to uphold the family reputation. She wished now she had asked her aunt more questions about the inhabitants of Pemberley.
She did not think it wise to ask Miss Darcy about her brother directly, and she did not in any case want to listen to a tirade about tyrannical brothers and guardians. It was Miss Darcy herself who was her concern. If she was indeed increasing, thenher situation was very difficult. It certainly put Elizabeth in an awkward position as to how to deal with it.
Elizabeth found a dry patch of grass by a large oak. She walked over and sat down, patting the ground beside her.
“Come and let us talk about your troubles,” she said.
Miss Darcy eyed the patch of grass uneasily. She appeared to be someone who followed the rules quite strictly. So how had she managed to do something so beyond the pale? Elizabeth could only hope that things would not end up very badly for her. There was in fact only one solution for Miss Darcy’s situation. She would have to be married off very quickly if they were to avert a terrible scandal.
Miss Darcy approached shyly and sat down self-consciously on the ground, looking around to make sure no one had seen her. She then proceeded to carefully arrange her clothing to ensure that there was nothing indiscreet about the way she was sitting. Once she was finished, she took to examining her hands.
“I hope you are willing to confide in me,” coaxed Elizabeth, giving her an encouraging smile. “I have three younger sisters, so I doubt anything you tell me would shock me.”
“I have done something terrible, Miss Bennet.” The words seemed to be torn from her, the despair returning full force. “My brother will never forgive me. I have been disgraced. He is disgusted with me and has left me alone here in Pemberley. He has gone away, and I do not know when he will return. I cannot bear it.”
