Page 112 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

Darcy trod softly across the carpet to Georgiana’s bedside. She looked pale to him as she laid against the pillows. To his surprise, he spied Jeffry lying next to her. Darcy turned to look at Farley.

“When did Jeffry arrive?” he whispered.

“An hour ago, sir.”

He looked down at the bed and realized the guinea pig had disappeared.

“Where is he, sir?” Farley asked, stepping closer, wonder in her words. “Is he under the covers?”

“He appears to be gone,” Darcy said. He reached over and tidied the covers about his sister, patting them down around her. He found no lump—Jeffry was not there.

“That’s a shame, that is, sir. He’s been ever so useful in keeping Miss Georgiana calm.”

“Good. Thank you for staying with her. You may go to your own bed, Farley,” Darcy said, turning to take her chair from where it sat next to the round table and putting it close beside the bed. “I will sit up with her in case she wakens.”

“Yes, sir,” Farley softly said, picking up the tray off the table. “Good night, sir.”

“Good night.”

Darcy listened to her close the door behind her but did not rise to turn the key in the lock. Wickham would be long gone, either chased off by Douglas and the male servants, or he had left immediately after he had been thrown out. He clasped his hands between his knees, his head down, and cursed the man he had called a friend throughout his childhood.

“You cannot call him out,” Georgiana said from the bed.

Darcy’s head came up. He left his chair and sat on the side of her bed. She reached for him and he held her in his arms.

“Promise me, Fitz,” she begged softly into his shoulder. “I could not bear it if anything happened to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, dearest,” he said, putting as much reassurance in his voice as he could. “I promise not to engage in any duels.”

She relaxed further into his embrace. “Thank you. Thank you. I am so relieved.”

“I am sorry you felt anxious tonight. I should have warned you I saw him nearby.”

“Where did you see him?”

“In St. Albans, when Bingley and I went there to get the teacups,” he explained. “We stepped out of the shop, and he happened to be walking by.” Darcy felt her shiver. He tightened his arms.

After taking a shaky breath, she said, “You must have been surprised.”

“I was furious,” he admitted. “I cannot bear the sight of him.”

“Was he in uniform?”

“Yes. I had not heard that he joined the militia.”

She pulled back a little so she could look in his face. “I am glad I saw him and he did not see me. I do not want him to know how he affects me.”

“You are right to hide it from him. He will only get pleasure from your distress.”

Georgiana nodded, and then she frowned. “Did you ask me to come here before, or after you saw him?”

“Before.” Darcy stroked a lock of hair back from her face. “I went to London to try and stop you from coming—I thought I would be faster than sending a letter.”

“But we had already left.”

“I considered sending you away immediately, but I decided the chance of you seeing him here would be slim since you were only staying a few weeks.” His jaw tightened.

“I would not have met Mary or the other Bennet sisters if I had gone back to London right after I arrived. And,” she reminded him, poking his chest with a finger, “you would not have gotten me a puppy.”