Unlike Anne, who had been trained for such a position since before she even left the nursery.
Lady Catherine shook that thought from her head. She had no wish to tie her dear child to a drunk, even in her regrets. It was a lingering irritation now, popping up from time to time at unwelcome moments. Other matters demanded her attention, and she would not be distracted.
Her chief concern was for her niece.
Abbott did not hear anything in her trips downstairs about Georgiana, but she was a clever woman. She had peeked into the kitchens and counted the number of trays that had been cleaned and set out for breakfast in the morning. Miss Darcy was certainly in residence at Pemberley. Lady Catherine was suspicious of her nephew in many ways, but she trusted his assurance that his sister would remain at home. It was pleasant to find out that hewasstill trustworthy.
Well, then.
Lady Catherine checked her hair one last time and then walked purposely from her room. She knew which room was her niece’s. In a house full of hangovers and sleeping souls, she was sure to find dear little Georgiana.
Elizabeth and Darcy were downstairs. Lady Catherine had graciously sent word that she would not see them until dinner time - a welcome reprieve, but one that made them feel rather foolish for their panic in the study. It was irritating to wait like supplicants in their own home but given that the alternative wasto face almighty judgement, they were content to retreat to the parlour and pretend to be reading.
This feigned serenity was shattered in an instant when a scream ran through the house.
Darcy made it up the stairs first, running before his ears even understood the sound. The screams were hoarse and loud, not the thin shrieks of a young lady but those of a grown woman. There was only one person who would scream like that, and only one thing that would have provoked her.
He saw that Georgiana’s door was open and bolted through. He almost barrelled into his aunt. The squawking woman was clutching one of the bedposts like a lifeline, keening and wailing at the top of her voice. Her eyes, red and bulging, were fixed on the chair beside the window.
Georgiana stared back, her chest rising and falling in panic. At her side, like a stoic sentry, Mary had one hand on Georgiana’s elbow and the other one raised towards the intruder.
“Calm down!” she was shouting almost as loudly as the screams, “For God’s sake, stop that noise!”
“Aunt!” Darcy grabbed Lady Catherine’s arm and spun her around to face him. Her fingers dug into the post, her nails gouging strips. She stared wildly at him. “Stop it this instant!”
She did.
The silence rang. Lady Catherine’s face was wet with tears. Before her nephew could draw a breath, she wrenched her arm away and threw herself towards her niece. Mary senselessly raised her arms to bar the way. It was like trying to halt a tidal wave. The lady threw her arms around Georgiana and dragged her into a desperate embrace.
“Oh, my sweet child! My little diamond! Oh, oh!” she rained kisses on Georgiana’s pale face. Her horror had turned into pure, agonising love.
Behind him, Darcy was dimly aware of Elizabeth closing the door. He could hear voices behind it, protesting and shrill, and knew that Kitty had finally discovered the truth. Lydia, beside her, was shouting out everything she had spied there. He could not think of them now. While Elizabeth shut them out, he watched his aunt and his sister.
The sight was both awful and touching. He had expected Lady Catherine’s fury. He had never dared hope for this tenderness.
Georgiana closed her eyes and leaned her head against her aunt’s shoulder. A small sigh escaped from her lips. It could not have been more obvious that she loved her aunt, and that she had longed for this hug.
Lady Catherine did not release her niece for a long, long time. She stroked her hair, murmured in her ear and, when she realised that Georgiana could not do it herself, wiped the girl’s eyes with her own handkerchief. Finally, she gestured for Mary to surrender her chair. She sat regally down, not letting go of Georgiana’s unresisting hand.
Everyone else glanced at each other and cautiously found their own seats. They cleared their throats, shuffled their feet, and waited for the indomitable woman to speak.
“You, I take it, are Mrs. Darcy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lady Catherine inclined her head. Elizabeth stood up to curtsey, then introduced Mary. The younger girl received a smaller nod.
So far, Darcy had been completely ignored. Now, he was subjected to the full force of his aunt’s temper. She glared at him.
“You are a drunk, sir.”
He did not answer, only frowned. The lady raised her hand, one finger reprovingly lifted.
“You consider your sister’s condition an adequate excuse.”
“No. Of course not.” Darcy replied at once. “Any excuse would be meaningless. There were many other choices I could have made.”
“Yes. There were. But good sense can often evade us at such a time.” Lady Catherine patted Georgiana’s hand with a tender look. “Did you think I would not understand, nephew?”
