He had spoken of Wickham as a man who had tormented his family. A man who had nearly ruined his sister.
Elizabeth knew too little of Wickham to understand what that meant. Lydia, who had been most acquainted with him before his arrest, could offer nothing beyond assurances that he had been handsome and charming and apparently not the man anyone had believed him to be.
What had he done to the Darcys?
More importantly, what had happened to Georgiana?
Darcy's choice of words suggested something so serious that Elizabeth could not bring herself to imagine what Georgiana might have endured.
Elizabeth went about the remainder of her day, though not without turning those questions over in her mind more times than she cared to admit.
That afternoon she sat in the smaller drawing room at the back of the house, only half observing Lydia and Kitty's game of cards, when Hill entered and announced a visitor.
Elizabeth had not heard the arrival of a carriage.
She looked up in surprise when Hill announced Miss Darcy.
A few moments later Georgiana was shown into the room. Mrs. Annesley accompanied her and exchanged greetings with the ladies before accepting Mrs. Bennet's invitation to join her and Jane in the larger drawing room.
Georgiana remained where she was.
There was something in her expression that immediately caught Elizabeth's attention.
She rose at once.
"Miss Darcy."
"Miss Bennet." She bowed her head briefly.
For a moment they simply looked at one another.
Then Georgiana offered a small smile that failed to conceal her nervousness, and Elizabeth felt something tighten unexpectedly in her chest.
Whatever had passed between herself and Darcy, Georgiana had played no part in it.
"Please sit down."
Georgiana thanked her and accepted the nearest chair. Elizabeth soon call for tea which she poured for them both. Georgiana accepted hers politely and then appeared to forget it altogether.
The silence that followed was not entirely comfortable.
Lydia looked from Elizabeth to Georgiana. Kitty did the same.
After several moments Lydia gathered the cards together. "Come along, Kitty. We can finish this elsewhere."
To Elizabeth's surprise, Kitty rose without argument. The door closed behind them.
Elizabeth waited, rubbing her thumb against the warm porcelain of her teacup and resolving not to begin the conversation herself. She had no idea where such a conversationought to start. Nor did she know precisely why Georgiana had come, though the slight tremor in her hands and the uncertainty in her expression suggested she was struggling to find the courage for whatever had brought her to Longbourn.
Georgiana stared into her tea for several moments before finally breaking the silence.
"Are you angry with me?"
The question caught Elizabeth entirely off guard.
"What?"
Georgiana looked up. "Are you angry with me?"
