Georgiana turned to the housekeeper. “Mrs. Nichols, please prepare a dinner tray for Mr. Kendall.” Then she asked him another question. “Sir, do you know where Mrs. Younge is? She had a part in this attempted kidnapping. Mr. Wickham used her set of keys to gain entry into my bedchamber.”
The solicitor replied, “No, I do not know where she is, but I intend to ask Mr. Wickham to tell me how she may be found.”
Hearing this, Elizabeth could not remain silent. “Why would he give you any information about his accomplice?”
Mr. Kendall answered confidently. “I will offer to pay for his meals in exchange for her address. If he gives false information, he will not eat particularly well in prison.”
“When you speak with Mrs. Younge, will you ask her when she first came to know Mr. Wickham, and when her loyalties turned to him? She and I grew very close. I trusted her, and so did my brother.”
Her voice faltered. “I look back over the past two years and cannot name a moment when her loyalties appeared to change.”
Mrs. Nichols returned then to show the solicitor to a small dining room to eat his dinner, and about an hour later, Wickham was removed from the house immediately after Dr. Curtis set his arm.
Dusk had fallen, but there was still sufficient light for the two young women to see him escorted out to the carriage. He was limping, and his broken arm was strapped to his chest in a makeshift sling.
Just before he stepped inside, he looked up toward the second floor and saw them standing at the window.
Then he turned away and entered the carriage.
Georgiana clutched Elizabeth’s hand.
“Did you see his eyes, Lizzy? They were… evil. And if he ever had his freedom again, he would take vengeance upon us both.”
“Yes, I saw them. They were pure evil. It sent a shiver up my spine.”
“Will you sleep with me in my room tonight? I am so afraid. I know all danger is past, but I cannot shake the feeling.”
“Of course I will. When morning comes, you will feel better. Georgiana, we acted to save ourselves. That makes us heroines. Heroines of our own stories.”
The young girl tried to smile. “Yes, we are heroines in our own lives. But I hope very much I shall never again be called upon to act with such courage, Lizzy. I do not think I could bear it.”
That night, as Elizabeth lay in the bed beside her young friend, she wondered whether she ought to send a note to her uncle, explaining what had occurred with Mr. Wickham. From there, her thoughts turned to Mr. Darcy. She saw his dear face in her mind's eye. He would be affected when he learned what Georgiana had suffered. She wished she could offer him the same comfort she had given his sister.
Then her mind returned to her uncle and the note. At last, she drifted off, having resolved not to write. Wickham was safely confined in the Marshalsea, and Georgiana needed her more than ever.
Chapter 21: The Influenza
The day dawned bright and fair, and Elizabeth delighted in the comfort of the spacious bed and the softest mattress she had ever known.
She turned toward her friend and saw that the young girl was still fast asleep. It seemed they had both had a good night. Elizabeth had not been troubled by the nightmares she feared might come, and perhaps Georgiana had escaped them as well, for she had not stirred or called out in the darkness.
As Elizabeth lay staring at the lace canopy overhead, she wondered what the day would bring. Surely the solicitor would send a note explaining how matters stood with Mr. Wickham and Mrs. Younge. She only hoped the news would not further distress her friend.
“Lizzy, are you awake?”
Elizabeth turned and smiled. “Yes. I believe the bright sunshine has woken me.”
Georgiana’s voice was filled with wonder. “All that we endured last night now seems like a dreadful dream, nothing more.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed, “especially in the light of a new day.”
“Do you think we shall hear from the solicitor?”
“I do. It is his duty to keep you informed.”
Elizabeth hesitated, then said, “Georgiana, perhaps we ought to go out today. We might do something to distract our minds.”
The young girl fell silent, considering.
