Darcy nodded, walking over to the window to look out. Clouds were closing in again, the sky darkening to a leaden grey. More rain was on the way, he suspected, and because of that he hesitated in what he was about to say.
Fortunately, his cousin knew him well enough to guess at the direction of his thoughts. “I think I’d better make for London.”
Darcy glanced across at him. “I didn’t want to ask, considering the weather.”
“I haven’t melted in the rain yet,” Fitzwilliam said dryly. “If I leave now, I can make London this evening, have a carriage and Mrs Annesley on the way here first thing tomorrow. I’ll pay a visit to my parents and talk enthusiastically about the lovely Hertfordshire friends you’ve taken Georgiana to visit; Mother will have the news all over Town by tomorrow night.”
“That should quiet any wagging tongues,” Darcy nodded. “My staff are all loyal, I hope, so no whispers may escape to contradict the story. You’d better send my valet and Georgiana’s maid along too.”
“Will there be room for them here?” Fitzwilliam asked quietly. “This isn’t exactly the largest manor I’ve ever seen.”
Darcy hesitated before shrugging. “There must be servants’ rooms on the topmost level. With you gone, Mrs Annesley can take your room, and Georgiana’s maid will stay with her. We shall only need a bed for Rogers, and I’m sure that can be contrived.”
“All these extra mouths will be quite an impost on the household,” Fitzwilliam pointed out. Darcy looked blank; Fitzwilliam did not restrain the urge to roll his eyes. “You will probably double the Bennets’ food bill, and with the doctor no doubt being fetched to Georgiana at least daily, their expenses will be considerably increased.”
Darcy’s brow remained furrowed. “I cannot exactly offer them money,” he said slowly, “that would be a significant insult.”
“No, but once Rogers arrives, you can perhaps have him enquire about a few of Longbourn’s accounts with the local shopkeepers and quietly settle them. I’d take care of it for you, but I can’t spare the time if I’m to make London tonight.”
Darcy waved him off. “You’re quite right. I’ll have Rogers handle it. He’s very discreet. Thank you, Fitz.”
“You’re welcome.” Fitzwilliam put a firm hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Take care of Georgiana, Darce, and send to me at once if there is anything I can do.”
“There’s one more thing.” Darcy felt inside his jacket for the letter he had written while sitting in Mr Bennet’s study. “Would you deliver this to Charles Bingley for me? Make sure that you place it into his hands and no other; I do not want to chance Caroline Bingley intercepting it.”
“Of course.” Fitzwilliam tucked the letter into his pocket. “I’ll speak with Mrs Annesley privately; I’m sure she has been going out of her mind with worry. She will be glad to know that Georgiana is safe, if not well.”
“I cannot say how glad I am that you are with me,” Darcy said suddenly, surprising his cousin. “I don’t think I could have done this without you, Fitz.”
“Think nothing of it,” Fitzwilliam said a little awkwardly, unused to his reserved cousin showing such overt emotion. “I could not have left you alone to handle this. I am Georgiana’s guardian too, if you will recall.”
“A wiser one than I,” Darcy said a little sadly. “If I had taken your advice and told her the truth of Wickham’s character after Ramsgate, we would not be in this situation now.”
“We’ve been over this. Try not to beat yourself up about the past, Darcy. Look to the positive; when this is all over, we will be rid of Wickham once and for all.”
“From your lips to God’s ear,” Darcy said fervently.
Fitzwilliam smiled, and prepared to take his leave. On his way to the door, he turned back and said “Oh, and Darce? Please try not to anger the delectable Miss Elizabeth any further.”
“Since I doubt she will ever speak to me again, I don’t think you need concern yourself too much,” Darcy said gloomily.
Chuckling and shaking his head, Fitzwilliam headed out and up the stairs to collect the few things he had left in his room. Coming back out, he paused at the door to the bedroom he knew Georgiana was occupying, knocked quietly.
After a moment, the door opened quietly and Elizabeth stepped out onto the landing. She looked tired and her hair was pulled back in a simple braid, her gown plain dark blue wool. Nevertheless, she was beautiful, her dark eyes sparkling as she offered him a friendly smile.
“Good afternoon, Colonel.”
“Miss Elizabeth.” He offered her a short bow. “I am about to depart for London, and wished to enquire after Georgiana before I go.”
“Of course.” Elizabeth clasped her hands in front of her, expression solemn. “I cannot give you good news, I am afraid. She is restless and her fever is still high. Doctor Jones promised to return later this afternoon to look in on her again.”
Fitzwilliam nodded, his brow furrowing. “She is a dear child,” he said, “and… I hope you will not judge her too harshly for her reckless actions.”
Elizabeth’s expression softened. “Colonel, my youngest sister Lydia is just Georgiana’s age. I believe you met her at dinner yesterday?”
Fitzwilliam nodded, barely suppressing a wince at the memory.
“I would like to think that I was not quite that silly at fifteen, but I suspect I flatter myself.”
He had to chuckle. “You think it is a common trait among girls of that age?”
“I suspect so. Kitty, at seventeen, is mostly grown out of the worst of it,” Elizabeth confided. “I can hardly fault Georgiana for her actions when I am quite aware that Lydia, given the opportunity and the funds, would undoubtedly do something equally as foolish.”
Her voice was soft; Fitzwilliam realised that she did not wish to be overheard by anyone inside the other bedrooms. He nodded to show that he understood, kept his own voice low when he replied.
“And yet, we love them despite their silliness.”
“That is what family does, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Please rest assured that Jane and I will care for Georgiana just as though she were our sister. I promise we will do everything we possibly can to ensure her swift return to health.”
A little overcome by her evident sincerity, he bowed deeply to her. “There is no way that I can repay such efforts, Miss Elizabeth, but if there is ever any service that I may do for you, you have only to name it.”
She offered him a graceful curtsy in return. “It is our honour, Colonel Fitzwilliam, to care for Georgiana.” A pert little smile curved her lips, and he realised that he understood completely why Darcy had fallen head over heels for this woman. “I will, however, keep your pledge in mind. One never knows when one might need a favour.”
Laughing, he bowed again and bade her farewell.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Elizabeth found herself smiling as she closed the door quietly behind her and returned to Jane’s side.
“That was Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she said quietly in response to Jane’s enquiring glance. “He is departing for London and wished to ask after Georgiana before he goes. I only wish I could have given him better news.”
Georgiana tossed and turned restlessly in the bed, her face red, her skin hot to the touch. Jane dipped a cloth in cool water, wrung it out and tried to apply it to the girl’s brow, but Georgiana pushed her hands away, mumbling under her breath.
“Easy, Georgiana,” Elizabeth caught her hands. “You have a fever. We’re trying to cool you down.”
Blue eyes opened, gazed at her unseeingly. “Do I know you?” Georgiana rasped hoarsely.
“I’m Lizzy and this is Jane. You’re in our home, we’re friends of your brother. I promise you are safe, Georgiana, but you’re sick. Please let us take care of you.”
Georgiana’s hands fell limply to the bed. “Friends… of my brother?” she croaked, her eyes searching Elizabeth’s face. A little smile touched her lips. “Will does not have lady friends.”
&n
bsp; “Of course he must,” Elizabeth said after a moment of startled silence.
“No,” Georgiana shook her head, but she was allowing Jane to press the cool cloth to her hot face. “Oh, Miss Bingley would like to claim she is an intimate friend of his, but the truth is he can’t stand the sight of her.”
Elizabeth had to compress her lips to bite back an inappropriate giggle. “You should not gossip, Georgiana,” she chided gently.
“Oh, never say that she is a friend of yours and I have offended you!” Guileless blue eyes opened wide.
“Caroline Bingley is no friend of mine, I promise you,” Elizabeth said, failing to keep her chuckles in completely. Jane shot her a reproachful glance. “Do not give me that look, Jane, Miss Bingley did her level best to keep you and Mr Bingley apart…”
Georgiana let out a startled gasp, turning her eyes to Jane. “You! Are you the one poor Mr Bingley has been pining over?”
Jane’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly several times before she choked out “Pining?”
“Why, yes! I saw him last week when Will took me to Gunter’s for ices and he was quiet and looked very sad; I asked him why, because he is usually so merry.” Georgiana paused to cough. “He tried to wave it off, and Miss Bingley sighed and rolled her eyes, and said aside to me that he was pining for a lady he met in Hertfordshire who was… uh…” she trailed off.
“Let me guess, the words utterly unsuitable were used?” Elizabeth said dryly.
“Well, yes… but then Miss Bingley’s opinion of a person’s suitability is directly related to the size of their fortune and the exalted degree of their connections.”
“I think we are going to be great friends,” Elizabeth said, no longer making any effort to hold in her laughter.
“Oh good,” Georgiana said, before her eyes drifted closed again. “I have always wanted to have a friend.”
“Poor thing,” Jane whispered, tears standing in her blue eyes, as they moved quietly around, tidying the room as Georgiana slept again. “To have never had a friend!”
Elizabeth said nothing. She could see now, all too easily, how George Wickham could have duped Georgiana into believing herself in love with him, even to the point of being willing to elope with him. The poor girl was desperate for affection, anywhere she could get it.
“I think she and Kitty might get along well, don’t you think?” Jane suggested.
“Hm?”
“You’re woolgathering, Lizzy, what’s on your mind?” Jane looked at her curiously as they settled back down in the chairs by the fire.
She sighed, looking into the flames. “I do not quite know. I feel very sorry for Georgiana, but… I also find myself feeling rather sorry for Mr Darcy. I believe I recall him telling Sir William Lucas once that his father died some six years ago; he would have been quite young then, about the age we are now, and Georgiana would have been only nine.”
“That must have been extremely difficult for him,” Jane said, immediately understanding. “Gosh, only imagine if you and I were left to care for Lydia and Kitty and Mary…”
“Exactly!” Elizabeth nodded. “Mr Darcy is very hard on himself as regards his perceived failings with Georgiana, but who can say for certain that they would have done any better? Lydia has two parents and four older sisters to set her a good example, and I fully believe her capable of doing something far more idiotic than falling in love with a personable, charming man who shows interest in her, be it false flattery or true affection.”
Jane grimaced and nodded. “If we do not judge Georgiana for making a foolish mistake, we cannot judge Mr Darcy for it either.”
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” Elizabeth quoted. “I fear I have cast a number of stones Mr Darcy’s way, Jane, and now I know the truth of Mr Wickham’s behaviour I feel very guilty. Foolish, too; that I, who have always prided myself on being such a great judge of character, could be so grievously mistaken in both men!”
“Mary would probably say something about only God being able to know the truth of men’s hearts,” Jane said after a long minute of silence.
“She would then add something about my vanity, in thinking I possessed a power afforded only to God,” Elizabeth added, “and she would not be wrong.”
“Lizzy, no! We all make judgements about people on meeting them. You were right about Miss Bingley, were you not? I trusted her offer of friendship; you were the one who cautioned me against her, and you were perfectly correct.”
“I wish I had not been,” Elizabeth said glumly.
“Considering how closely in cahoots with Miss Bingley Mr Darcy has been - and how impossibly rude he was to you on your very first meeting! - it is hardly a surprise that you took him in despite, Lizzy. Everything Wickham told you was deliberately calculated to reinforce what you already thought you knew.”
“When did you get so wise, dear Jane?” Impulsively, Elizabeth took her hand.
“When I learned that I am quite poor at reading people’s hearts, it seems.”
“Oh, I think you do quite well. Did you not hear what Georgiana said? Pining.”
A tiny smile touched Jane’s lips, but she said nothing, turning her attention to the needlework she had picked up. Elizabeth tried to concentrate on her book, but could not; feeling restless, she laid it aside at last.
“Will you be all right for a little while, Jane, if I just go for a short walk to stretch my legs? I will bring back some tea and something to eat when I return.”
“Of course,” Jane said placidly. “Georgiana is sleeping peacefully just now, go and get some fresh air.”
Elizabeth needed no further urging. Catching up her winter cloak from its peg near the door, she picked up her boots, determining to put them on downstairs in case her footsteps awoke Georgiana. She slipped out quietly and made her way downstairs, sitting down on the wooden settle in the hallway to tug her boots on and lace them up.
A sound made her look up, and she saw Mr Darcy just coming out of the parlour, closing the door behind him. He froze when he saw her, opened his mouth as though to speak, closed it again, and settled for bowing stiffly to her before moving towards the study door.
Of course, Elizabeth realised, I told Papa that I did not want to speak to Mr Darcy.
“Please wait,” she said aloud, before she considered what she was actually going to say. “I am going to take a turn about the garden. Would you care to join me?”
He looked at her seriously before bowing again. “I am always happy to take a walk with you, Miss Elizabeth.”
She tied her bonnet strings while he picked up his hat from the hat-rack beside the door, and a moment later they were off. Darcy did not offer his arm, and Elizabeth told herself she would not have accepted it anyway.
“How does my sister?” Darcy asked when they were not ten paces from the house, and she castigated herself for not having immediately done her best to put his mind at rest.
“She is sleeping quite peacefully at the moment, or I assure you I would not have left her side. Jane is with her, though.”
“I have every confidence in Miss Bennet’s ability to take care of her just as devotedly as you would, El… Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy said.
Did he just almost call me Elizabeth? Startled, she looked up at him, noted a faint tinge of red on his cheeks. She did not quite know what to make of it, looked away.
“I have been… made aware that I have been misled as to the nature of your character,” she said. The words were hard to get out through the pride that clogged her throat, but she ploughed doggedly on. “I must apologise for grievously misjudging you…”
“Dear God, please do not!”
“I beg your pardon!”
“Miss Elizabeth, you did not misjudge me. I behaved like an arrogant ass, convinced of my own rectitude, and my actions have led to the future happiness of my friend and your sister being jeopardised.”
She stared at him with her mouth open, unable to think of a word to say.
&
nbsp; “It is I who owe you an apology, you and your whole family. Your kindness and determination to help Georgiana led to a disaster being averted, and I shall ever be in your debt for it, but instead of thanking you humbly and expressing my gratitude, I treated you like… well, I am ashamed to consider my behaviour. I am so sorry, Elizabeth.” Darcy gazed down at her, at her magnificent eyes wide open with surprise as she gazed up at him, and completely forgot to put the Miss in front of her name this time. She had been Elizabeth in the privacy of his mind for so long, and at last he opened up and spoke to her clearly and honestly, though he knew there were some things he must as yet hold back.
“I am so very, very sorry. I shall entirely understand if you never wish to so much as hear my name again, but I should be most inexpressibly grateful if you would allow me to seek to make amends.”
“Make amends?” she said feebly when he stopped speaking at last.
“I do not even know yet if it is possible for me to make amends to Miss Bennet, though I sent a letter to Mr Bingley with my cousin which I hope may be a beginning in that direction. For you and for the rest of the Bennet family, I can only say that I will ever be in your debt. Should you ever need anything of me, you need only ask and if it be within my power, it shall be done.”
The echo of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s promise came back to Elizabeth, and she smiled. “Curiously, your cousin said much the same thing to me before his departure. That is very gallant of you, Mr Darcy.” She paused to gather her thoughts as they walked on through the winter-bare garden, their boots crunching on the frosted grass. “If you have written to Mr Bingley, then you have already done the one thing I would have begged you for.”
“I have, and I made plain to him my regrets in encouraging him to give up Netherfield. I wrote that I felt I had been mistaken in my assessment of Miss Bennet’s affections, and said I believed he would be warmly welcomed if he should choose to return to Hertfordshire.” Encouraged by the way Elizabeth smiled at his words, Darcy added “Bingley is an impulsive fellow, you know. Fitzwilliam promised to deliver the letter today, and I should not be surprised to see Bingley ride through Longbourn’s gate sometime in the next few days.”
A Christmas Miracle At Longbourn (The Darcy And Lizzy Miracles Book 1) Page 10
