Darcy left the command post with his shoulders straighter than they had been since arriving in Hertfordshire. The afternoon sun slanted lower now, casting long shadows across the high street where Wickham had been standing. Darcy felt grim satisfaction at the knowledge that Wickham’s time in Meryton was drawing to a close.
He climbed back into his carriage and settled against the cushions with the first genuine ease he had felt all day. Whatever strange circumstances surrounded his engagement to Elizabeth, whatever doubts plagued him about her sudden acceptance, at least he had accomplished something good this afternoon. Wickham would face justice. The Bennet sisters would be protected from his predations. And Elizabeth would not have to worry about scandal touching her family through that particular source.
It was not much, Darcy thought as the carriage rolled toward London. But it was something. One threat addressed, onedanger neutralised. The rest of the complications surrounding his engagement would have to wait for another day’s solving.
Chapter Twenty-One
Thelampshadbeenlit against the gathering dusk by the time Darcy’s carriage rolled to a stop on Grosvenor Square. He descended stiffly, muscles protesting the long day spent mostly in the carriage. Light glowed behind the drawing room windows of his townhouse, warm and welcoming. The front door opened before he reached it, his butler materialising with quiet efficiency.
“Good evening, sir,” the butler said, taking Darcy’s hat and gloves. “We did not expect you until tomorrow. Shall I have your chambers prepared?”
“Thank you, Henderson. I came earlier than planned.” Darcy stripped off his coat and handed it over. “Where is Miss Darcy?”
“In the music room, sir. She has been practicing this past hour.”
Darcy nodded and moved toward the back of the house. The music reached him before he opened the door, familiar notes from a Mozart sonata. She played well, with technical precision. But there was something tentative in her playing, as though she feared making mistakes more than she enjoyed the music.
The music room occupied the ground floor’s southern corner. Evening shadows had claimed most of the space, but candles burned on the pianoforte and in sconces along the walls. Georgiana sat at the instrument with perfect posture, her fair hair caught up in a simple knot. She wore a pale blue dress that made her look younger than her sixteen years.
She looked up as the door opened, and her face transformed, careful concentration giving way to unguarded joy. “Brother! I did not expect you until tomorrow evening at the earliest.”
Darcy crossed to her and took both her hands in his, squeezing gently. “I finished my business in Hertfordshire sooner than anticipated. I hope I am not interrupting your practice.”
“Never,” Georgiana said, and her smile held such warmth that Darcy felt some of the day’s tension ease from his chest. “I am always happy to see you. But you look tired. Shall I ring for tea? Though dinner will be in an hour, perhaps you would prefer to wait…”
“No, I am quite thirsty. Ring for tea, please.”
Georgiana moved to the bell pull while Darcy settled into one of the chairs arranged near the fire. He watched Georgiana return to sit opposite him after speaking with the maid, her movements carrying that same tentative quality he heard in her music. As though she worried about taking up too much space, about asserting her presence too boldly.
The maid returned with remarkable speed, bringing tea and biscuits. Georgiana poured with careful attention, preparing Darcy’s cup exactly as he preferred it.
“You said you had business in Hertfordshire,” Georgiana said, her voice carrying gentle curiosity. “Was it pleasant?”
“I went to call on Mr. Bennet at Longbourn.” Darcy took a sip of tea, grateful for the warmth. “The father of Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Georgiana’s eyebrows rose slightly. “The lady you have spoken of?”
“Yes.” Darcy set down his cup with care. The words came simply. “Georgiana, I have asked Miss Elizabeth Bennet to marry me, and she has accepted. We are engaged.”
The teacup trembled in Georgiana’s hands, rattling softly against the saucer. Tea sloshed dangerously close to the rim before she managed to steady her grip. Her face had gone pink, and she fairly beamed with pleasure.
“Oh!” The exclamation emerged breathless with delight. “Oh, Fitzwilliam, I am so happy for you. So very happy.”
“I should have written,” Darcy said, though relief flooded through him at her obvious pleasure. “But I wanted to tell you in person. You are the most important person in my life, Georgiana. I needed to see your face when I told you.”
Georgiana set down her teacup with trembling hands and rose from her chair. She crossed to where Darcy sat and threw her arms around his neck. Darcy returned it, feeling his sister’s slender frame shake slightly as she clung to him.
“I am so glad,” Georgiana whispered against his shoulder. “So very glad. You have seemed troubled these past months. But if you love Miss Elizabeth, if she makes you happy, then I am the happiest sister in the world.”
She drew back and returned to her seat, her cheeks still flushed. But as she settled once more with her tea, something in her expression shifted. The joy remained, but uncertainty crept in around its edges.
“Will she like me, do you think?” Georgiana asked, her voice going soft with hesitation. “I know I am not as accomplished as other ladies. My conversation is poor, and I am too shy in company. What if she finds me dull?”
The question struck Darcy with unexpected force. He heard in it all of Georgiana’s accumulated insecurities, all the damage that Ramsgate had done.
“Elizabeth will adore you,” Darcy said, and meant it with fierce conviction. “She is kind and warm, with none of the false civility that marks fashionable society. She values genuine feeling over empty accomplishment. She will see in you all the qualities I see; your gentle nature, your talents for music and art, your capacity for deep affection. She loves the sisters she already has fiercely and deeply. I am certain she will take you to her heart as well.”
Georgiana’s expression brightened again, though traces of uncertainty remained. “Tell me about her. Tell me everything. What does she look like? What are her interests?”
