“He is not gone,” Georgiana said desperately. She clung to Elizabeth, letting her emotions take control. Elizabeth could only hold her and try to comfort her as best she could. She could do nothing but acknowledge Georgiana’s grief. All the pain that Wickham had caused could have been avoided, but there was no use trying to take back what could never be undone.
As Georgiana’s sobs eased, Lady Catherine and Anne came over to them. Anne helped Georgiana stand and took her over to the bench. Elizabeth rose with a slight effort. She stood with Lady Catherine, looking through the doorway where the men had disappeared. “Are you well, Lady Catherine? Would you like to sit down?”
“I think I should,” Lady Catherine replied. She leaned heavily on the wooden cane, but then she stopped and looked at it as if she were seeing it for the first time. “I did this —”
“No,” Elizabeth said emphatically. “You were trying to protect me. And Georgiana. No one will fault you for that.”
Lady Catherine looked off into the distance. “Take this away from me.” She handed her the cane, and Elizabeth took it. She helped steady her as she took her to sit on the bench on the opposite side of the hallway from Georgiana.
Lady Catherine sat down with a heavy breath. “We will have to send someone for the authorities.” She seemed tired to the bone. “I do not suppose they will take an old woman to gaol?”
“You are not going anywhere, except home to Rosings Park, if anywhere. We will make sure of that.” Elizabeth sat down beside her, still shivering from head to foot. She wantednothing more than to go to bed and sleep for as long as she wanted. Given the accident and the repercussions it must have, she suspected she would not be going to bed for some time.
“Are you well?” Lady Catherine asked. “Did Wickham…harm you?”
“No,” Elizabeth said. She rubbed her wrists, which were badly bruised and chafed raw from the rope. “Well, not much anyway.”
The gentlemen returned then, and Elizabeth looked up at Darcy, their eyes locking from a distance. She stood, but sat down again on shaky legs. “Wickham?” Elizabeth asked tentatively. Though she knew the answer, she needed confirmation.
Mr Darcy shook his head, but could not come to her. Georgiana flew into his arms and wept. He held her close, trying to soothe her, but there was nothing that could take this kind of pain away. Wickham had been a blackguard, but he had still been her husband.
Mr Wickham was left where he lay so that the constables could conduct their investigation, while Colonel Fitzwilliam stood guard so that no one could unwittingly tamper with the evidence. Almost overcome with shock and fatigue, Elizabeth at last retired to her room.
“Oh, thank the heavens you are safe!” Stephans cried upon seeing her. Correct as always, Stephans blushed at what she would see as her forwardness. “That is to say, ma’am, I am very glad you are well.”
Elizabeth smiled at her. “Thank you, Stephans. I should like a hot bath.”
Stephans shook her head, looking alarmed. “Mrs Darcy, you mustn’t! When a person has grown too cold, it is not safe to warm them so quickly. I have heard of people dying from such things. Oh, I am sorry to contradict you —”
“Very well, Stephans,” Elizabeth interrupted her apology. “You need not apologise for keeping me from doing what could be very dangerous, to be sure! What shall I do instead?”
“You must change into fresh things and get into bed,” Stephans said steadily. “Then you must drink some warm tea and rest.”
Elizabeth nodded. “That will do very well.”
Elizabeth quickly slipped into a warm nightgown, more than usually grateful for Stephans’s assistance. With a degree of fussiness even beyond her usual care, Stephans tucked her in between the sheets of her bed and added several blankets to the coverlet.
“I’ll bring some tea, Mrs Darcy,” she said gently. She poured a cup for her, and then helped her drink, still tucked underneath the blankets.
Elizabeth grew so warm and comfortable that she soon fell into a peaceful sleep. A considerable amount of time must have passed when Stephans gently nudged her shoulder, for Elizabeth was starting to sweat under the mountain of layers covering her. Elizabeth stretched and tried to sit up so she could throw some of the blankets off.
Stephans looked at her with concern, though her expression smoothed out a little as she perceived Elizabeth was doing very well, considering the event. “Mr Darcy has come. And a tray of food is being sent up,” she said.
Elizabeth sat up as her husband approached. “How is Georgiana?” she asked.
Stephans helped situate a pillow behind her back, and Elizabeth leaned against the backboard of the bed. Mr Darcy shook his head and brought a chair over from the sitting area. He sat down at her bedside and reached for her hand. Relief instantly flooded his face. “Your hand is warm.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed, wanting to reassure him. “And I can feel my toes again, too.” She squeezed his hand and asked again, “How is she?”
His eyes filled with unspeakable sadness. “She is as well as can be expected. When I was at last able to leave the constables for a time, I stayed with her until she fell asleep. The coming days and weeks will be very difficult for her.”
“I can only imagine,” Elizabeth said. “The shock of it all. To think your husband is a good man and to find out he is completely false…” She could not imagine what Georgiana was going through. “She must stay with us, do not you think? I cannot imagine it otherwise.”
Mr Darcy gave a short laugh, smiling down at her. “How very like you. I was going to ask if you would be amenable to her extended stay, but I can see we are of the same mind.”
“She should not be alone. And as she was not legally married to Wickham, you become her guardian once again.”
Mr Darcy shook his head in self-reproach. “I should have gone and checked on Mr Wickham’s affairs in London myself after the wedding. I might have been able to find out what we did today if I had only known to look.”
