Page 6

The pair was silent for some minutes, distress and embarrassment battling with their desire to advance their understanding with one another. Finally, Elizabeth’s frankness won out. “Will, you do know… some of… this… already, do you not?”

Darcy squirmed uncomfortably in his chair but forced himself to answer. “Err… yes, some. I learned about the… err… bleeding… when Georgiana turned fifteen. I did not know about the other… symptoms. The tiredness and emotions and such.”

Elizabeth smiled sardonically. “My father would call you fortunate. Longbourn can be a madhouse with six women.”

“Georgiana never said anything…” He turned to look at her carefully. “Is there nothing you could take, to give you some relief? A glass of wine; shall I get you one? I hate to think of you feeling ill.”

She looked at him affectionately. “No, it simply must be endured. I took a long, hot bath and my maid brought me some blackberry tea.” Seeing that he still looked concerned, she chuckled.

“Truly, Fitzwilliam. I am not often so affected; many women retreat to their bed for days. I merely feel a bit tired and irritable. Much to my mother’s dismay, I prefer to go for long walks in the countryside rather than hiding away in my bed chamber.

” She added softly, “It must have been difficult with Georgiana, it being just the two of you…”

Darcy shrugged, beginning to regain his equilibrium. “After my father died, she would come here to read or do her lessons while I was working. One day she stood up from the sofa and there was blood…”

“That must have been frightening.”

Fitzwilliam sighed and shut his eyes, remembering the utter terror that had nearly paralyzed him at the thought of losing his only remaining family.

“I rang the bell for a servant. Fortunately, it was Mrs. Reynolds herself who came. Had she not been there to explain, I probably would have sent riders for every doctor in Derbyshire to tell me what any maid in the house could have explained.”

“It’s fortunate that Georgiana was with you and not alone. And kind of you to let your little sister stay in your study rather than restricting her to the nursery until she came out.”

Darcy shook his head. “We were both lonely and I never saw any harm that could come from it.”

Elizabeth nodded, easily imagining the scene. “I used to do the same in my father’s study, except my goal was to escape from other members of my family. And yet, I cannot imagine losing them.”

Will sighed, remembering those miserable months when he was taking over the family’s estate and business affairs while simultaneously trying to comfort a grieving sister and mourn his own loss.

“Matlock wanted Georgiana to live with them, and of course Aunt Catherine tried to take her from me… but I could not part with her. Eventually I agreed to send her to school because I felt she needed to meet other girls of her age and station… but it made me even less willing to part with her when she was home between terms.”

“I can only imagine. You’ve done a wonderful job raising her.”

Darcy shook his head, uncomfortable with the praise. “I did my best; sometimes it was enough, sometimes not.” He paused and looked at his clasped hands before speaking very softly; “I did not protect her from Wickham.”

Elizabeth moved to perch beside him. “You can not blame yourself for his evil deeds. There are other men like him in the world and you cannot shield her from them all. You’ve taught her to be sensible and proper and that protected her in the end, did it not?

Did she not entrust you with the details of the elopement before they could leave? ”

Fitzwilliam took Elizabeth’s hand in his own, studying it intently. “It was sheer luck that I was there.” Seeing that she was about to argue, he ran his thumb along her palm in a soft circle. “I never told her but when I confronted Wickham…” He gritted his teeth.

Sensing that he needed to share the burden, Lizzy squeezed his hand. “We both know that Mr. Wickham is exceedingly talented at mixing lies with truth to suit his needs.”

Suddenly desperate for the comforting feeling of her body against his, Will scooped her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and nestling her head beneath his chin.

“Yes, but this rang true. He raged about how they had planned to depart Ramsgate two days earlier but Mrs. Younge had let him know that Georgiana’s courses had come so they delayed.

He said… well, he said some unpleasant things about…

how he should not have allowed it to ruin his plans. ”

Lizzy could feel the tension in his body. “You must have been furious… and disgusted.”

Will’s fists clenched. “Oh, I was. The only thing that kept me from beating him to a bloody pulp then and there was his dear friend Mrs. Younge threatening to tell the scandal sheets that Wickham had succeeded in his seduction.” He swallowed and allowed the feeling of Elizabeth’s nearness to comfort him.

“And that is why you could not confront him in Hertfordshire.”

Darcy tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I should have exposed him there. Enough time had passed that any accusations could have been brushed aside as the vitriol of former employees down on their luck.”

Elizabeth touched his cheek. “You could not be sure of that, and Georgiana was your priority.”

Will began to argue but was silenced by a kiss from his fiancée. After some minutes, he leaned back again. “I believe we were arguing, but I can’t remember what about.”

Lizzy smirked. “Then clearly it is not worth bothering about.” After one last, quick kiss, she slipped to her feet and pulled on his hand, urging him to follow her. “Come, let us go look over those architectural plans for the family wing again. I have some ideas I wish to discuss with you.”