“If you want to stay,” he whispered, “then how do we do this?”
“I don’t know.” She reached for his hand and carefully threaded her fingers through his. Instantly, his fingers tightened around hers. “But we will find out together.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Elizabeth left the house early and told no one she was leaving, being sure to put two guineas from her last five pounds into her pocket. The sun was just up, and it was quiet this Sunday morning as she made the short walk to Berkeley Square to meet Georgiana.
She was waiting alone by the collapsing equestrian statue at the centre of the square. Elizabeth thought it strange to see a young girl all by herself in such a public space, but of course Georgiana was married now. Still, she must have come a long way alone. Wherever the Wickhams were lodging, they could not afford a house by Berkeley Square unless they were living with a generous friend.
“Good morning, Mrs Darcy,” she said sweetly.
“You may call me Elizabeth, or Lizzy.”
Georgiana grinned. “Oh, no. To be married is a great privilege for a woman. I find it such a relief. Do you not enjoy hearing yourself called ‘Mrs Darcy’? I do so love to be called ‘Mrs Wickham.’”
Elizabeth held back a flinch. Georgiana’s tone was so bright and proud, she had to find her patience. “Do you have many friends to call you ‘Mrs Wickham’ and wish you well?”
Georgiana’s expression fell. “No one has left their card, and former friends turned me away.”
“Your rank is now commensurate with your husband’s.”
“But they do not know him,” she insisted with a stamp of her foot.
She rather thought that they did. Had Wickham been a clergyman or a lawyer with a stellar reputation, many of Georgiana’s circle might accept her. But rumours of how Darcy did not approve and how Wickham was guilty of all manner of vice followed him into his new marriage. “Does that not give you pause as to the sort of man you married?”
She scoffed. “It is because the world pays too much attention to money. Wickham will sue my brother for my fortune and win, and when we have the money, more doors will open for us.”
Those were phrases Wickham must have said to her again and again. “That might be true, but what sort of friends are those who would overlook moral failings for money?”
“He has no failings,” she insisted. “Even if he drank and gambled when he was young, it is all in the past. He is devoted to me now. All young men are prone to vice, and then they devote themselves to their wives. We do not deserve to have my brother withhold my money. We are renting rooms and have so little of our own.”
“It is a consequence of whom you married, and in defiance of your family’s wishes. You have been rejected from society, held in contempt by all you knew and loved, just for the sake of a man we told you was no good. Even your brother’s good name is threatened by your choice. But he will withstand any scandal if you leave Mr Wickham?—”
“I am a married woman,” she said with a gasp. “Would you leave your husband if your father asked you to come home?”
She must have seen the answer in her expression, because Georgiana said, “Then why would I leave mine? Being married is all I ever wanted.” She looked about to cry, blinking and looking away. “This was a mistake. George said you would not help me, but I was so sure you were still my friend even though he chose me over Lydia.” Georgiana stalked off across the square.
“No, I want you to stay,” Elizabeth called after her. How could she get brother and sister to reconcile if she never saw Georgiana again? “I have brought some of the remainder from my personal expenses.”
Georgiana came back and dried her eyes before Elizabeth handed itover. “Perhaps you can now afford a better servant, or it will pay for the circulating library subscription. I fear you are being kept in a manner not?—”
“Thank you, Mrs Darcy,” Georgiana said, squeezing her hand. “We had so little left after going to Scotland.”
She wondered how much of that two guineas would be spent on Georgiana’s situation and how much would be spent on drink or cards or prostitutes. But perhaps Wickham would want to care well for Georgiana if he knew Elizabeth was in contact with her.
“I must get back before I am missed. I hope to see you again,” Elizabeth said. “I worry for you, and if you ever need a friend, you must send me a note.”
“If we have need of more money, I will write.”
That was not what she had meant, but Elizabeth gave a strained smile before walking back to the house. She supposed she could give Georgiana a little more money in the future. Every chance to talk with Georgiana was another chance to convince her to leave Wickham before she caught the pox or had her spirits entirely broken. She would make Darcy happy if she brought his sister home.
When she entered the house she startled the footman, which was not terrible, but at the same moment Darcy was coming down the stairs, placing his hat on his head. He gave her a confused look. “Were you just coming in?”
She hated to lie, but she was far from persuading Georgiana, and in the meantime Darcy would be displeased she gave his sister any money. Once she convinced Georgiana to abandon her immoral husband, Darcy would be so delighted to reconcile with her that he would excuse his wife’s falsehood and the few pounds spent. It was not done maliciously, after all, and he would have Georgiana safe as a result of it.
“I wanted to see how fair the weather was,” she said, running a hand down the sleeves of her pelisse. “I did not want to be cold on the walk to church.”
He smiled, holding out his arm for her to take. They walked to St George’s at Hanover Square, arriving from St George’s Street through the impressive porticoed and columned entrance. The building was asimpressive as its parishioners. As she and Darcy took their seats, she noted the titles and wealth of the people they passed.
