Assumed Engagement (26 page)

"Good night, then." Again she returned a nervous smile to him, hoping that the stirrings she felt deep within were not apparent on her face. He rewarded her with one back, however slight, and it reflected much of the inner turmoil he was striving so hard to conceal.

Darcy and Georgiana, joined by Bingley, turned to climb up into the carriage. Caroline and her sister and Mr. Hurst rode in a second one. As their carriage began to pull away, Darcy leaned forward to the window and looked out, hoping to catch one last glimpse of
Elizabeth
. She stood back with Jane, the two of them watching until that one particular carriage was out of sight.

As soon as they were off, Bingley cried, "I do not understand what happened in there Darcy! You were supposed to sit beside me at dinner and across from Miss Elizabeth."

Darcy looked up at him and in a very matter-of-fact voice stated, "She switched the place cards."

"What?" asked Bingley and Georgiana together.

"You heard what I said. Miss Elizabeth switched the place cards and moved me to the far end of the table."

"I do not believe it! Why would she do something like that?" Bingley asked incredulously.

"Brother, are you quite certain?"

"Yes. It was very apparent that she did not wish to sit through the whole course of the meal with me seated across from her. She put me as far away as possible from her."

Georgiana looked down, feeling very distressed by this. Bingley was still unbelieving. "Darcy, with all the positive accounts I have been passing on to Jane concerning you, and how good-natured you were tonight, I find it hard to believe she still feels the same way! Might you not be mistaken?"

"I walked through the dining room myself and saw my place card next to you and across from hers. A short while later I saw her coming out of the dining room, and within just a few minutes we went in to eat. The place cards had already been changed. When she saw me set out directly for the chair I was originally to sit in, I could see in her face her alarm when she realized I knew my place had been moved."

At that moment he reached into his pocket. He pulled out
Elizabeth
’s handkerchief and gave it to Georgiana. "Georgiana, if you would be so kind as to return this to Miss Elizabeth in the morning. I do not think I shall be requiring it any longer."

Georgiana slowly took it from her brother's hand. "William, this does not mean that you are giving up, does it?" she asked as her heart began to sink.

"What is that?" broke in Bingley. He could not see very well because of the darkness of the carriage. But as the carriage turned, suddenly the light from the moon on the horizon lit up the cab. He then was able to see the handkerchief with the initials
EB
and flowers embroidered in the corner. "It looks like a handkerchief with Miss Elizabeth's initials on it!

"You are very observant, friend. That is exactly what it is."

"And why do
you
have it?"

"It is a rather long, complicated story." He looked to his sister. "Now as for your question, Georgiana. I shall not need to carry this handkerchief any longer, because if she never returns my favour, having it in my possession shall serve only to torment me."

He turned to look out the window and saw that it was an almost full moon on the eastern horizon. He was immediately struck by its size and beauty and involuntarily wondered whether
Elizabeth
had noticed it. He turned back to the two and continued, "But if she does return my favour, I will no longer need the handkerchief, as having her will be much more preferable."

He reached out again and touched the handkerchief in his sister's hand. "Georgiana, you ask am I giving up? No, I am not. I intend to remain here as long as need be. I am going to try my hardest, do everything in my power, to win Miss Elizabeth
Bennet's
affections!"

Chapter 17

    
E
lizabeth
awoke early. The sun was slowly emerging as a golden orb up from the distant horizon. She could tell from the feel of the air that it had not cooled down much the night before, and today would probably be exceptionally warm. She threw off the light coverlet that had been atop her and stretched. Walking over to the window, she looked out to a virtual rainbow of reds, oranges and yellow, colliding with the new morning blue of the sky.

Elizabeth
stood poised for a few moments and watched, enjoying the changing display as the sun progressed upward; clouds lazily taking on different shapes, and colours reaching their peak before slowly fading away. She wondered whether anyone else was up and debated whether to venture down and make herself some tea. She did not wish to waken anyone, but she knew that she would not be able to go back to sleep.

She painstakingly opened the door so no one would hear, and tiptoed down the hall and to the stairs. From the top she could see her father's study, and though the door was closed, she could see a faint light coming from beneath. She knew him to always rise early, and smiled that he had probably awakened while it was still dark.

She came down and found that some water was already heated and poured herself some tea. Wrapping her hands around the cup, she breathed in the brewing aroma. She carefully carried it with her as she walked to the study and knocked.

"Come in," came the gentle reply.

When
Elizabeth
walked in, her father was reading. He looked up from his book. "Good morning,
Lizzy
. I strongly suspected it was you. No one else would be awake this early. Come, sit down." He closed the book, giving her the assurance that he was willing to give her his undivided attention.

Elizabeth
sat down with her tea in one of his deep leather chairs. How she used to love to come in here as a child and watch her father read or work. The smells that she remembered from this room still lingered. There was something comforting about being with her father in this room. They did not need to talk; they just enjoyed each other's presence.

It was her father that broke through her reverie. "Your mother and I were quite pleasantly surprised last night by Mr. Darcy. I wonder if the accident that left him so near death two months ago could have wrought this change in him. He certainly seemed a different man last night. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I thoroughly enjoyed his company."

So, it seems, did everyone else!
"I am afraid that I did not have the opportunity to visit with him to any great extent last night, so I really could not say."

"What about during your stay at
Pemberley
?"

"My association with him there was very minimal. Once he awakened, Jane and I did not remain much longer. He and I only had two short conversations there."
And only one of them was civil!

"That is a shame. You really ought to get to know him,
Lizzy
."

Elizabeth
looked down, staring into her cup of tea.
If only he knew how much I tried!

*~*~*

Georgiana arrived promptly at ten o'clock. She was let in and greeted Mr. and Mrs.
Bennet
and Elizabeth's younger sisters. Then she and Elizabeth set out for a walk around Longbourn.

Almost as soon as they were outside, Georgiana looked around to ensure no one else was around. She took
Elizabeth
's arm and held it tightly, as if needing her support and strength.

She looked up at
Elizabeth
and then looked away.
Elizabeth
waited, knowing that the young girl was struggling with what she was about to say to her.
Elizabeth
waited patiently for her to either formulate the right words, or to summon enough nerve to begin.

"
Elizabeth
…" Georgiana began, but paused, taking in a deep breath, and looked away. "You knew, did you not?"

"Knew?"

"About Wickham and me."

Elizabeth
had an idea this was what Georgiana was struggling with, but still she was pierced with pain as she heard the grief in the young lady's voice. As gently and compassionately as she could,
Elizabeth
tenderly answered, "Yes, I did."

Georgiana grimaced and colour spread across her face. "My brother told you?"

Elizabeth
murmured an affirmative.

"How long have you known? When did he tell you?"

Now it was
Elizabeth
's turn to take a deep breath. "It was only after I refused his proposal at
Rosings
. In truth, he did not tell me, but wrote me of it in a letter."
Elizabeth
halted her steps and turned to her. "Georgiana, as you know, Wickham was here with the militia. He seemed to be so charming, fooling everyone, including myself. He led me to believe that your brother had done him great wrong. He told us that your brother refused to provide for him as your father had promised him."

Georgiana was now looking up at
Elizabeth
. "He told you that?"

"He charmed us all with his attempt to make himself look good and your brother look the villain."
Elizabeth
took her hand and smiled. "I fell for his deceitful charm just as you did, Georgiana. When I told you that one of the reasons I did not accept your brother's offer of marriage was due to a misunderstanding, it was based on what Wickham had told me. I believed your brother was a most unfeeling, arrogant, cruel man. He later wrote me a letter to set the record straight regarding Wickham and himself. I believe he only told me to reinforce the fact that Wickham was truly a scoundrel down to the core."

"Did you really believe the lies he told you?"

"Unfortunately I did. So do not be so dreadfully hard on yourself, Georgiana. I made a very similar mistake as you."

"Yes, but I almost threw away my reputation!"

"No,
he
almost took it away!"
Elizabeth
said angrily. "But we can be grateful that your brother found out in time to prevent that."

"I have often thought that the good Lord must have been watching over me, for him to have shown up so unexpectedly and yet at such a crucial time. But still, ever since then, I have felt so ashamed, and I believe my brother still considers me very immature and is overly protective of me."

"Why do you say that?"

Georgiana stopped and turned toward her. "I think he struggles with trusting me… trusting my judgment. I am sixteen years old and he seems to avoid discussing with me my presentation at court for my first season of coming out."

"Hmm. So you believe he still considers you too young?"

Georgiana nodded. "Yet he claims otherwise. Even the other day on the way to Hertfordshire he commented on how grown up I am. But he does not seem to recognize that I am a woman, no longer a girl when it comes to…"

Elizabeth
waited for her to finish, but when she could not, she helped her along. "When it comes to men?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Elizabeth
could read in Georgiana's face that she had so much she wanted to impart to her, but knew not how to begin. "Is there something, or possibly
someone
in particular, that has prompted these feelings?"

"Oh, I do not know." Georgiana took in a frustrated breath. "I think it is more that I have so little contact with gentlemen my age or a little older, that when I am around one, I do not know what to say or how to behave. I feel so confused."

"Is there a certain one you are speaking of?"

"No, because it could never be."

"Who is he?" asked
Elizabeth
discerningly.

"He is an under gardener that I have known since my childhood. His father is the head gardener and when we were children he would often come to
Pemberley
while his father worked and we played together."

She looked at
Elizabeth
waiting for a response. "I had not seen him for quite some time. I saw him again just after you left
Pemberley
.
Elizabeth
, I did not know what to say to him; he was so tall and handsome! But I became so nervous I could not even look him in the eye."

"So what did you do?"

"We walked around the house. He described some of the work he had been doing on the grounds and then he told me what he remembered of my mother. I was too much afraid to say much of anything, so I just listened."

Elizabeth
knew that the next words she said to this girl would be very crucial. It was one thing for Darcy to have asked a woman of no fortune to be his wife, but it would be altogether a different story for Miss Darcy to entertain any thoughts about someone who merely worked at
Pemberley
as an under gardener.

"Georgiana, there are different things that can cause a man and woman to be attracted to each other. The most obvious -- usually the first -- is finding the other person attractive. But there is also character, personality, and then sometimes some little connection that draws two people together. For example, sharing a memory, like the memory of your mother. But in the midst of that, it is very essential that you remember who you are."

"And who the other person is."

"Yes."

"
Elizabeth
, I know I have not fallen in love; it is simply that when he talked to me and looked at me, I felt things I had never felt before. Even with Mr. Wickham."

Elizabeth
looked at her, somewhat surprised.

She continued, "I think I was too young to really understand what was going on with Mr. Wickham. I had known him all my life, grown up with him as a child. All of a sudden he was treating me like a lady; like I was all grown up, and no one had ever done that before. I liked that. He was offering himself to me in marriage, and I knew that since I would be getting married one day anyway, I reasoned it might be so much easier to marry someone I already knew."

"And you had no idea that he had ulterior motives in wanting you to elope with him."

"If you mean that he intended to get revenge on my brother through me and my fortune, no. I was very humiliated when William found out about us, and then Mr. Wickham confessed that he did not truly love me. I cannot know for certain that he ever intended to marry me, either."

"So now you feel as though your brother is delaying bringing you out into society, fearing you are still too young and immature."

"I am not certain. I do not feel as though I can talk to him about it. And I cannot talk with Miss Annesley about all of these things. I am not sure she would understand how I feel."

"What
are
your feelings, Georgiana?"

"I feel very flattered that a young man seems to enjoy my company. I find myself wanting to take walks around the grounds in hope that I will encounter him, but at the same time, very fearful of it. When I do see him I find it difficult to even begin a civil conversation with him."

"Georgiana, this young man will be only the first of many admirers you will likely have. There will be several more. But you can learn from it. You will learn what you like and what you do not like in a young gentleman. Just be careful. You recognize this relationship cannot go anywhere. That shows much wisdom. Be willing to learn from it, appreciate it, but do not try to pursue it."