Page 30
Story: The Deception
“My word is my bond,” the Colonel said, equably. He bodily lifted Wickham out of the hackney and set him on his feet in the street. “I have let you go.”
“But my hands are tied! My feet!”
“I said nothing about untying you,” the Colonel said. “Only that I would let you go.”
And with that, the two men climbed into the hackney and gave the driver the direction to Matlock House. “I will prize that look of shock on his face to my dying day,” the Colonel told his cousin.
“As will I, Richard. I wonder if he will be able to return to Mrs. Younge’s boarding house.”
“More likely, he will be set upon by ruffians for nothing more than the boots he wears,” the Colonel grinned wolfishly. “This is, after all, Whitechapel.”
***
When Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam returned to Matlock House, Georgiana was waiting for them. “Brother!” she cried, throwing her arms about his neck.
“Georgiana!” he laughed. “I take it you are glad to see me?”
“As you are to see me, of course!” she teased him.
Indeed, he was very glad to see her. After a most distasteful morning spent in unpleasant surroundings, he was much relieved to be in a lovely home, surrounded by his family.
He winced, thinking now that poor Miss Lydia must have been in great distress at having been brought to the Cock and Bull.
She was certainly not accustomed to such lodgings; for all the girl’s many faults, she had not merited such treatment.
And now it appeared that she had gone even deeper into the slums of Whitechapel.
It was unimaginable that such a thing could happen to a well-born young woman.
And it was all his fault! He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling shame and anxiety.
“What is it, Brother?” Georgiana was looking at him anxiously.
“Oh, it is nothing. I apologise for my inattention.” He did not want to share any details of his day.
“It is clearly not nothing,” she countered.
The Colonel and Mr. Darcy exchanged glances.
“Well, then, it is nothing you need to know about,” Mr. Darcy amended firmly.
Georgiana frowned mightily, but her brother remained firm. “Tell me what you have been doing in my absence, Georgiana.”
She brightened immediately, and told him of shopping trips, visits to museums, theaters, and – oh!
– best of all, Aunt Matlock had found her a music master.
She spoke with great vivacity on the subject.
With an effort, Mr. Darcy was able to keep thoughts of Miss Lydia from intruding upon his sister’s recitation.
“So, all in all, you are having a wonderful time here,” Mr. Darcy surmised.
“Oh, yes, indeed, but I have not forgotten your promise.”
“Promise?”
“Yes; did you not say that you would bring me to Meryton to meet Miss Elizabeth’s sisters?”
The Colonel looked at Mr. Darcy in alarm. “Did you promise that, Darcy?”
“I do not think I actually promised,” Mr. Darcy hedged.
“Well, it was as good as a promise, and then Miss Elizabeth had to leave for a family emergency, but I think she would still wish for me to visit her. I liked her very much, and I think she liked me as well. Did she not?” There was anxiety in Georgiana’s voice now, and Mr. Darcy rushed to soothe her.
“Oh, she most certainly did like you, Georgiana. The two of you laughed together a great deal over your duet.”
“Yes, you see?” Reassured, Georgiana pressed her point. “So she would like a visit from me, would she not? I believe Meryton to be quite near London.”
“It is only about a three-hour drive,” her brother said. “But the family emergency was real, Georgiana.” Thinking it best not to mention Miss Lydia’s situation, particularly given that it involved Wickham, he said instead, “Mrs. Bennet has passed away.”
“Oh!” Georgiana’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no, poor Miss Elizabeth! Brother, I absolutely must visit her, then! I must pay a condolence call at once! How could you not have told me?”
“But, Georgiana…”
“No, I will not listen, for I have not many friends, you know, Brother, and I cannot bear to offend those that I have. I know Mr. Bingley has leased an estate near the Bennet’s home, as Miss Bingley spoke about it quite often, and I am certain he would be glad if we were to stay with him.”
Mr. Darcy could think of no immediate reply to this, so he simply told his sister that he would consider it.
***
Later that night, he conferred with the Colonel. “How do I keep her away from Longbourn?”
“Must she be kept away?” the Colonel countered. “You say that Miss Elizabeth likes Georgiana?”
“Indeed, they were immediate friends.”
“Perhaps Georgiana’s presence will help your suit,” the Colonel said. “They would, after all, be sisters, should you actually marry Miss Elizabeth.”
“And if Georgiana learns of Miss Lydia’s misstep?”
“Of all the people in the world, it is likely to be Georgiana who can most sympathise with the Bennet girls, given…”
“Given Ramsgate, yes. I know. And you will continue the search for Miss Lydia?”
“I will, but honestly, Darcy, what are the odds that the girl could survive for long in the depths of Whitechapel?”
“I know, and that haunts me, but we must do what we can.”
Table of Contents
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