“Then?” Georgiana asked, puzzled, as she and Anna began removing gowns, pelisses, shawls, bonnets, and hats from the wardrobe. They even discovered several exquisite evening dresses, fine enough to be worn at a ball.
“Everything here is ours,” Georgiana said. “Yours.”
“And you?” Elizabeth asked. Anna smiled discreetly and replied, “Miss Darcy has a wardrobe larger than this one.”
“You can choose from mine too,” Georgiana cried. Still, Elizabeth declined with a smile. “There are enough clothes here to dress half of Meryton.”
After half an hour, Elizabeth gazed into the mirror, scarcely able to believe how perfectly one of the morning gowns suited her. It was crafted from fine-woven linen in a cream hue and fitted as though it had been made specifically for her. The gown was a little long, but even this detail delighted her, for she had always wished for dresses that entirely covered her shoes. Now, however, she realised this preference was no mere fashion whim but instead born of a fear that the age of her shoes might be noticed. But this, too, had been resolved, as Anna had suggested she select a pair from the many that filled the bottom shelves of the wardrobe. Although the ones she chose were slightly large, the ingenious young woman had quicklyremedied the problem, and she was now watching her mistress with satisfaction.
With a shawl draped over her shoulders, Elizabeth reached Darcy’s door and knocked gently. She was greeted by such a startled exclamation of admiration that she cast him a reproachful look. The physician had expressly forbidden him from raising his voice.
“You look beautiful…but…from where—?” he began to ask, then stopped, a little worried. But Elizabeth laughed, for although he had frozen mid-sentence, she fully understood his puzzlement.
“You mean to say you immediately noticed that this exquisite gown and cashmere shawl did not come from my trunk.”
As he hesitated, unsure whether she might be upset with him for his misstep, Elizabeth continued, “Lady Anne saved me. Goodness, I hope you are not displeased that I dared—”
The expression on his face spoke before his words could. Far from being displeased, the man before her admired her, indifferent to the origins of her attire.
“It suits you beautifully…and, somehow, it feels like Mama is here with us.”
“It was Georgiana’s idea,” she said as a kind of exoneration.
“Oh, Georgiana,” he said indifferent to her worries. “I am so happy you are here and you will be her model in life.”
“She is already an accomplished young lady. You do not have to worry. I am in complete admiration of Georgiana,” Elizabeth said. “You described her as shy and diffident, shrinking from familiarity with others, yet I have discovered a lady remarkable in her strength and determination. Aside from the fact that she truly does not resemble you and is both modestand unaffected.” She laughed, looking at him, while he, amused, pulled a face at her words like a petulant child.
“I never thought you could make faces at me,” she remarked.
“You never thought many things about me—or rather, almost everything you thought was unfavourable,” Darcy replied. She fell silent, for it was true. Taking her hand, he continued, “Hard times strengthen character and can alter personality traits. Georgiana has endured two extreme trials in less than a year, each shaping her in its own way. Ramsgate stole the innocence that shrouds childhood, shielding one from the world's ugliness, but it also proved to her that she possesses the judgment to discern the honest path our parents wished us to follow. And…my accident…in an instant, reversed our roles.
“Georgiana awoke to find herself the mistress of the house, forced to make immediate and weighty decisions while maintaining her composure. I grieve for the timid girl she once was, yet I deeply admire this sixteen-year-old who has taken on such a formidable role and fulfilled it with grace. But I do not wish for her to bear the full burden, for I am not certain she would endure it. She needs someone. She needs you!”
He cleared his throat. “Go down and eat some breakfast,” he ordered her. Then, something unexpected by both of them happened. She leant down, kissed him lightly on the temple, then fled without looking back.
Yet she paused at the staircase, clutching her chest as a wave of pain momentarily overtook her. She could not bear the thought of going to breakfast without him, of leaving him behind, alone and undoubtedly melancholy. Resolving that she would share breakfast with him every morning in his room from then on, she steadied herself and continued down the stairs.
Entering the dining-room, she tried to mask her pain.
The colonel rose from his seat without a word and embraced her, then escorted her to the head of the table, where Georgiana had sat the night before. The intention was clear, silently declaring that Elizabeth would preside over the household from that moment on.
Elizabeth glanced at the young lady, now somewhat calmer, and smiled as a sign that she understood and accepted the message.
Chapter 19
“I cannot believe that such a thing is happening to us,” said the colonel as he set down his knife and fork. “I cannot eat!” he continued. “To see him lying there, propped up against the pillows… He used to pull me out of bed every morning.”
But neither of the ladies answered him, their silence engulfed in pain and unease.
“Tell me again why he must stay in bed, why he must remain like this, almost upright. What will his life become?” The uncertainty in the colonel’s voice echoed the fear that gripped them all.
Elizabeth and Georgiana struggled valiantly to maintain their composure. Still, in the storm the colonel had inadvertently unleashed, calm was hard to preserve.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth scolded, her voice steady yet stern, a clear attempt to restore some of the tranquillity that had reigned in the house before his arrival.
“I am sorry,” said the colonel, suddenly aware of his outburst. “I am desperate,” he confessed, his voice trembling with the weight of his emotions.
“We all are,” Elizabeth replied, “but this will not help Fitzwilliam.”
