Page 24 of One Night with Mr. Darcy

“Oh,” she said. “You ran all the way down here to tell me that?”

“Hello, Fitz,” said Wickham, giving him a smile that Darcy didn’t like.

“Well, come on, then,” said Darcy to his sister. “You must come with me. Back to the house. We have things to see to in order to prepare. And we are in mourning.”

“Are we? For her?”

“Yes, she was our aunt.”

Georgiana turned to look at Mr. Wickham. “But we’re not finished here. How about I come back later, once we finish our bible study?”

“No, now,” said Darcy. “Right now.”

“Do as your brother says,” said Mr. Wickham. What was thewayhe looked at her?

Darcy clenched his hand into a fist and released it.

Georgiana sighed and closed her bible. She got up and walked up the aisle between the pews.

Together, they made their way away from the sanctuary and out of the building.

“Every Thursday?” said Darcy to her.

“What?”

“You see him every Thursday?”

“Oh,” she said, swallowing, looking a little out of sorts. “Well, yes.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know, Fitz. Ages. Not always Thursdays, but…”

“And it’s bible study,” said Darcy in an ironic voice.

“What are you saying?” said Georgiana. “Is this more of what you said before? I’m not that sort of girl, Fitzwilliam. I would never engage in things like that.”

“It’s not you, my dear, it’shim.”

She licked her lips. “He’s a man of God,” she whispered.

“You won’t see him anymore,” he said decisively.

“But Fitz—”

“No, I don’t care,” he said. “You won’t see him, and I forbid it, and if you want a bible study, we’ll find someone else.”

She gave him a sidelong look.

It was very quiet.

“All right,” she said finally.

“All right?”

She shrugged and then she walked faster.

He caught up to her. “Georgiana, you don’t like it when anyone touches you, so what—”