Chapter 26

The Colonel looked at Darcy in astonishment and murmured to him.

“Has she been at the brandy?”

That Darcy did not immediately upbraid him was proof that he was equally confused. The object of their collective bemusement was Miss Georgiana Darcy. They had left London two weeks ago and she was still suffering the effects of her sojourn to Ramsgate the previous summer. She was naturally diffident but the experience had made her even more shy, and unsure of her place in the world. They had returned to find a young woman, six weeks short of her 16 th birthday, giddy as new-born filly, filled with a barely restrained exuberance. They both looked at Lady Susan, who smiled at them. Not least for the matched pair of raised eyebrows.

“She has calmed down since last week.”

Four eyebrows reached ever higher.

“The Earl was heard to laugh three times last Saturday.”

This time both Lady Susan and Georgiana laughed out loud.

“I did not know this broke a record that had stood for years.”

Darcy and the Colonel were now totally all at sea.

“I do not know about Georgie but I could do with some brandy.”

“Richard! You will do no such thing.”

The Colonel winced at his mother’s tone. Darcy went and sat beside his sister, taking her hands in his own.

“Georgie, first of all I am beyond delighted that you appear so full of life. It is as if a shroud had lain over you and it has been cast aside. Could you please tell me what has brought about this miraculous event?”

“Elizabeth.”

Darcy waited for more but he could see from the impish expression on his sister’s face that she was going to tease him and drag out her explanation. It was his turn to smile and he pulled her forward into a huge embrace.

“While I applaud your determination to make me work for your answer, can we please pretend that I have asked lots of questions, you have given lots of one word answers and you have finally taken pity on your old brother?”

The room rang with laughter.

“That is no fun brother, but I will take pity on you nonetheless. May we have tea Aunt Susan?”

Even the simple act of asking for tea, and delaying the explanation, was evidence that Georgiana had changed, and for the better. A few minutes later everyone was settled.

“You introduced me to Miss Bennet before you left for Kent. While you were away I was in her company on many occasions. I was captivated by her relaxed confidence, something that did not come naturally to me and so I decided I should spend time with a Master. It was not formal tutoring but I learned something new every day. I knew that she, at the age of 16, had left home to support her uncle after his accident. It is less than two months until my own 16 th birthday and I could not fathom doing the same thing. Now I understand that our circumstances are different but I wanted to hear from her about the experience. So that was the start.

“Over several days she told me of many of her adventures. But last Wednesday we came to the end of the matters that she was prepared to discuss with me. She told me that you would not approve of the other matters being discussed and that she would say nothing else without your explicit permission. I rather pushed the matter. All she would say was ‘I am sadly experienced with the duplicity of men, gentle-born or otherwise, and I hope that you never have to experience the same thing’.”

Both gentlemen winced at the wording, and the impact on their ward.

“As you can imagine that inadvertent comment struck deep. I burst into tears and sobbed on Miss Bennet’s shoulder for several minutes. She and Mrs. Annesley led me upstairs and I had a chance to compose myself and repair the damage to my tear streaked face. After we returned to the parlour I took the decision to tell Miss Bennet of my folly last summer.”

Both her guardians were half out of their seats in an instant.

“Please sit and let me continue my tale. You will have the chance to comment presently. I asked permission from Mrs. Annesley and at my imploring gaze she reluctantly agreed. She led Mrs. Smith to the other end of the parlour so that it was just Miss Bennet and myself. I told her the whole sordid tale and her face got every more angry. I mistakenly assumed that it was at my behaviour but she put me to rights and explained that she was angry at the man. At this point I had made no mention of the name of the man.”

Georgiana took a sip of tea and continued to stare her guardians in the eye.

“Miss Bennet talked about three aspects of the event. You know I have struggled to let go of my shame, particularly at the way I went against all that I had been taught. She talked about a child that has been told that flames are hot but still insists on putting their fingers towards a fire.”

Three sets of eyes turned to the Colonel who winced.

“That was more than 20 years ago. Heavens, it is close to 25 years ago.”

Two peals of laughter and a smug smile from his mother.

“The point she emphasised was that I was unburned from my stupidity, just like Richard does not have a burn mark on his right hand. She did not excuse my behaviour. Which leads to the second point. She calmly apportioned the blame; the man, my companion, myself, and my brother. Yes William, you were not spared. But she helped me see that I was betrayed by someone who was there to protect me and someone who owed much to the Darcy family. She reminded me that in Dante’s circles of hell, the ninth and lowest level is reserved for betrayers. Wickham and Mrs. Younge will spend eternity with Judas and Brutus.”

The two names were said for the first time and she could see that her guardians were thinking about the circles of hell.

“Changing the literary reference Miss Bennet then talked about my single weakness. There was no other man that knew me so well as a child and could persuade me to abandon my family and all my teachings. Wickham was my Achilles heel. The love, the care and the education I received, the dedication of my guardians, they were my bathing in the River Styx. But just as Thetis held Achilles by his heel so Wickham was my weakness. But, unlike Paris, his arrow did not strike me. You were there brother to rescue me from my own weakness. Miss Bennet took the time to explain this, but took it one step further. She told me that I had one weakness and he was now gone. I would never again believe sugared words from any man. My escape from Wickham was the equivalent of full immersion in the River Styx.”

Georgiana inelegantly shrugged.

“I am not immune to men, but I am on my guard.”

She could see comprehension dawning and smiles forming on the face of her guardians.

“There is one final part to this. I refrained from using Wickham’s name until the very end. When it came up as part of the conversation Miss Bennet reacted. Apparently, he was present in Hertfordshire while you were a guest of Mr. Bingley?”

The last was said to her brother who winced but nodded.

“I did not mention him because I did not wish to upset you.”

Georgiana pursed her lips.

“Did you not consider the impact of his behaviour on the local community?”

Another wince, this time accompanied by a shake of the head.

“Miss Bennet informed me that he had tried to blacken the family name, and yours in particular. He also was accused of.” She searched for an appropriate word. “Unseemly conduct with the daughter of a local tradesman.”

Silence reigned in the room.

“You will be pleased to know that Wickham disappeared from the neighbourhood shortly after your own departure.”

Darcy’s head shot up.

“There were two common rumours as to his disappearance. The first was he deserted due to debts of honour with his fellow officers. This is the rumour with the most credence, given that several officers were owed money by him. The second rumour is, that despite a brief period of time in uniform, he was unhappy not to be promoted to Captain. Richard, you will know this already, but there are all sorts of requirements for rank within the Militia. So the second rumour is he deserted because he was denied a promotion he thought was rightfully his. Despite his lack of experience and the Rules and Regulations of the Militia. As you can tell, this rumour appears flimsier than the first, but it is actively touted within the community.”

Georgiana took a fortifying sip of tea.

“Miss Bennet told me the last rumour, the one not known within the local community but the one she strongly believes to be the truth.”

She emphasised the words ‘strongly believes’ and held the gaze of her guardians.

“She believes that Wickham passed out unconscious, by unknown means, and was transported to London in the back of a cart. He was deposited at a house of ill-repute which, completely coincidentally, was raided by the Impressment Squad. She is sure that he is a pressed landsman on one of His Majesty’s ships.”

Georgiana had of course told her aunt the story the previous week and now the two of them watched the different emotions pass across the faces of the two gentlemen.

“This is what Miss Bennet strongly believes?”

“Yes brother. Her exact words while holding and squeezing my hands, her gaze unblinking to the questions in my own eyes.”

Georgiana smiled but her eyes were still.

“Of course, it is nothing but a rumour, is it not?”

The silence last for close to a minute but Darcy had no concept of time. He sat there looking at his beloved little sister, how she was not just back to how she was 10 months earlier, but how she was a grown mature young lady. Georgiana Darcy the child was consigned to the past.

He jumped to his feet pulling his sister into his arms, hugging her so tight that she squeaked at him. No sooner was she released from his hug than her cousin also hugged her, although with less danger to her ribs. They all settled.

“As you can imagine I returned her last Wednesday in somewhat of a daze. I made my excuses to our aunt and uncle and sat in my room replaying the day. I went to bed and had the best sleep in a year and woke up with this wonderful feeling of freedom. A weight I did not know I was carrying.”

She stopped.

“No, the better way to describe it is I did not realise the weight I was carrying was so heavy. I knew I was burdened by the events of Ramsgate but it was not until that feeling was gone that I knew how much it was weighing me down. Our poor aunt has had to suffer my effusions for a week. Even church on Sunday was better. I never prayed for myself, I was too ashamed of my behaviour. But last Sunday was different, in ways I am not sure I can describe. This is the new me. Happy, cheerful, so effusive I have managed to upset our uncle enough to make him laugh three times in one day.”

--

The following morning Darcy was awake before the dawn and was in Hyde Park as the sun rose above the city behind him. Dinner the previous evening had been light-hearted and relaxed, to the point where Darcy could have described it as joyous. The change in his sister was so wonderful. Darcy was smiling so much that he snorted at himself for this uncharacteristic behaviour. This made him shake his head at the visage he presented; smiling, snorting and shaking his head? Whatever would the Ton make of such utterly un-Darcy-like behaviour.

But his thoughts that morning trended towards Miss Elizabeth Bennet. How on earth was he to thank her for the miracle she had wrought with his sister? He was struggling to find an appropriate, yet discreet way to thank her. And that was easy compared to considering how to reward her. He knew and admired her fierce independence. She would be insulted by any kind of material token.

Thinking about Miss Elizabeth Bennet led him on to her family. Three days earlier he had dined with her older sister. The fresh morning air and a prancing stallion led him to a second circuit of the park. He knew that there had been an estrangement between the two sisters and that it had only been resolved during the current season. But there were innumerable unanswered threads to the tale. Now most of them were none of his concern and he had no reason, or right, to be involved in the affairs of the Bennet ladies. But there were many omissions in the tale. He had no idea why there had been an estrangement in the first place. Miss Elizabeth had requested that he make no mention of her current address when in Kent. As far as he could tell the rest of the family assumed she still lived with her uncle. Which led to the question many gentlemen, not just himself, had wondered over the course of the season. All Miss Bennet or Lady Maria ever said was that she had done a small service for the family. What was interesting was Miss Bennet always said ‘small’ while Lady Maria just said ‘a service’. He was not alone in speculating as to what that service was. Miss Bennet had significant connections in London and Darcy was not sure that any of the rest of her family were aware of them.

He pondered this as he rode, his body controlled his horse with instinctive and automatic commands. He considered the wider Bennet family, including the new Baronet in London. He had to focus back on his time in Hertfordshire, where even he acknowledged he had failed the basic manners of a gentlemen, at least some of the time.

Mr. Bennet was a ghost, if not literally then socially. No other gentlemen in the neighbourhood had come right out and said it, but the inference was clear; he was a lazy landowner. His own daughter was handing out ‘blood brandy’ to his neighbours and he appeared to know nothing about it. His wife was a matchmaking mama of the Ton, just in a country setting. She was more coarse than most of the ladies of the Ton, but her intentions were identical. That the three oldest daughters were genteel and dignified was a miracle. In her defence, an entail and a lazy husband were not conducive to keeping any lady calm. Caroline Bingley had been quick to gloat that there was no dowry for any of the daughters, beyond the mother’s own jointure. Another indication of the laziness of the father and husband.

Miss Jane and Miss Mary Bennet, well Darcy knew them slightly. Now that he had removed his unpleasant demeanour from the time in Hertfordshire, it was clear that they were perfectly acceptable country ladies. Of a different social standing than himself, but it was he who had invaded their sphere rather than the other way round. Then the question that Richard had posed the week previously came to his mind. The situation with Bingley and his sister had to be resolved, but Jane Bennet had asked the questions about his sister and Bingley not because of his sister but because of Bingley.

He did not physically rein in his horse but his thoughts were definitely pulled up. He now saw more clearly; Bingley and Miss Jane Bennet had given the appearance of a courting couple. There had been nothing formal but Bingley had not been coy in his behaviour. He sighed and slowed his stallion to a trot, the third circuit would be a more moderate pace. He sighed at the thought of Bingley and his benighted sister. There was so much to deal with. There had been no mention of the thrice damned letters the previous evening. But he would have to talk to his aunt and uncle, and this day, to explain the circumstances. Any reputation that Miss Bingley had was about to fall about her like a pack of cards. If his aunt spoke to Lady Maria, and through her to her brother and sisters, then Miss Bingley might as well head to Canada. If Desmond added his own displeasure then she might not be welcome even in Canada.

Mere minutes ago, he contemplated informing Bingley that Miss Jane Bennet would be in London for a few days on the weekend after Easter. If Bingley chose to act then he would step back and let events take their course. It was a tangential way to thank Miss Elizabeth. But all that was moot if the Bingley family were going to get the full cut of the Ton. He had no idea how that was going to play out. He had always accepted Caroline Bingley, however reluctantly, because she was Bingley’s sister. Given that he would never put Georgiana aside for a friendship, he had always shied away from requiring the same thing of Bingley.

Where he was struggling was the whole issue of the Bingleys being cut by society. He could limit it to just Miss Bingley but how would Bingley react? And what would it say about him if he cast off his sister rather than retire from society? He thought back to the previous day. If Georgiana’s behaviour ever came to light then there would be a pack of wolves ready to tear her apart. She had been burdened by the same, and the worry of discovery, for close to a year. Which is where all this introspection started, thanking Miss Elizabeth Bennet for allowing his sister to finally move past the incident. Could Miss Bingley similarly recover from this lapse of judgement?

If he was not careful Leonis would have a fourth circuit of the park. He slowed from their current trot down to a leisurely paced walk as he wrestled with the issue. It came down to character. Georgiana acted completely out of character, as she herself said she was struck on her Achilles heel. Whereas Caroline Bingley acted in a manner similar to her everyday character. There was no point in listing the litany of flaws in that character, it was the antithesis of his sister. There was to be no second chance for her. But what of Charles Bingley? Would Darcy think any less of him if he released his sister’s dowry to her and cut ties? He did not know.

Darcy knew Caroline Bingley was Charles Bingley’s own Achilles heel. They had met all season at their club so that Darcy could avoid her presence. Not a week went by where Bingley did not suggest some kind of social outing, normally a dinner at Darcy House. It was why Darcy had been so complaisant with Lady Susan’s invitations to private balls rather than any kind of public occasion. As he walked Leonis back to Darcy House he was saddened to realise that his friendship of more than five years with Bingley was almost certainly at an end. He did not trust Bingley to deal with his sister, even if he proclaimed that he would do so. It was a dispiriting thought.

--

Telling his aunt and uncle about Miss Bingley and what she had written in three letters to Jane Bennet went pretty well exactly as Darcy had predicted. His uncle was vociferously furious whilst his aunt was frighteningly quiet, a cold fury that was very unnerving.

“You are confident that the news of this has not spread?”

“I am almost certain Aunt Susan. Miss Jane Bennet shared the letters with no one. Not her mother, her sisters, or her closest friend with whom she was staying in Kent. I have given the matter considerable thought, as you can imagine, and my read of them is that Miss Bingley is merely using the purported relationship as a means to let Miss Jane Bennet know that she has no chance with her brother. First, she closed up the house without her brother’s permission to separate them, and second she concocted this idiocy as a second arrow in her quiver. Is what she writes a wish of hers? Absolutely, because she falsely believes that it will ease the way to her becoming Mrs. Darcy. Something that will never happen. She used Georgiana simply because Miss Jane Bennet had met me, she was convenient.”

Both his uncle and aunt pondered his words for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“How do we deal with the brother? Also, did you not tell me there is a second sister that is already married?”

“To answer your second question, there is a sister named Louisa, married to a Mr. Hurst. I confess to not knowing his first name, he has always just been Hurst. As to the brother.”

Darcy spent several minutes recounting his thoughts from that morning’s ride.

“You do not think he will banish his sister?”

“I just do not know. Getting the cut will force her to drop out of society. Will he banish her to Scarborough where the family originates? He will have to, but I do not know if he will cut ties with her. There my thoughts are confused as I would never do that with Georgiana.”

“Family versus social position, even when the family has behaved disgracefully. They have no standing, no legacy to protect.”

Darcy nodded at his aunt’s summation.

“When?”

“They are both to attend the tournament, although at some distance from our own seats. I would prefer that it not overshadow the event itself. Mayhap you can start to spread the word there in preparation?”

“Solid thinking Darcy. Someone as insignificant as Caroline Bingley should not interfere with one of the social events of the season. Let me tell you of the all the latest news and rumours.”

Lady Susan rolled her eyes and left the two men to gossip about the upcoming tournament. She had a friend to visit, and news to share.

--

“As I am sure you are aware, the real reason for the cut is not going to be generally known. I doubt I will share the real reason with more than two or three of my closest friends. The Earl is not going to say anything. I would like your help in circulating the ostensible reason; inappropriate and unsupported friendship with any of the three young gentlemen. Absolutely no hint of compromise, just falsely claiming closeness to the family. It does not matter which of my sons, or nephew, is mentioned. This will distract attention away from Georgiana, who she has only met twice.”

Lady Maria Leonard sat back and nodded as her friend outlined the truth and then the rumours that were to be encouraged.

“It was foolish of her to put anything down in writing. If she had resorted to initials she might have escaped this.”

“Given her endless social climbing, I think that it was only a matter of time. Darcy described her as Icarus.”

“Let me know when this is planned and I will follow suit immediately.”

“The latter half of next week. I have two maids and two footman keeping track of her movements. She is a regular visitor to New Bond Street so I hope to gain some insight over the weekend. The holy days and then the tournament are disrupting routines.”

“Will she be at the tournament?”

“Yes, but far from our seats. I do not wish to encounter her there. It will detract from the event.”

Lady Maria smiled.

“How is the Colonel feeling? Confident?”

“No. He is realistic. He expects to do well but there are just too many unknown officers. A quarter of the draw is reserved for the Navy, so two of the final eight will be Naval officers. They will be a complete unknown to everyone. He will be disappointed if he does not make the final eight but he is sanguine about it. There is a very persistent rumour about one young officer in one of the Scottish regiments. The Earl accuses me of gossiping at times, but I left him regaling Darcy with all the latest news and rumours.”

They both chuckled. The tournament had captivated whole tranches of the Ton. At church on Sunday there would be many prayers for two days of dry weather. Lady Susan changed the subject.

“Does Miss Bennet know that she has transformed Georgiana?”

Lady Maria smirked at her close friend.

“One of Elizabeth’s defining traits is humility. Miss Darcy has visited, all but skipping into the room, just a joy to have as a visitor. When I suggested to Elizabeth that this was her doing she laughed and told me I was wrong. Let me get the words right.”

Lady Susan could see Lady Maria mumbling under her breath.

“I think this is it. ‘Georgiana was always this person, I just helped her come out of her shell. The sun does not get praised for the flower blooming.’ I did not know what to say to that.”

Lady Susan could only shake her head.

“How was she with Darcy out of town?”

“She kept herself very busy, even more than normal. She accompanied her aunt to Bryanston Square to look at the Gardiner’s new townhouse. At Elizabeth’s suggestion they took a young artist with them. She had seen his work at one of the galleries. Her idea was that he could look at the rooms and the views and describe them in more detail for her uncle. Between the three of them her uncle was able to ‘see’ them in his own mind.

“She has also been reading even more than usual. At the last ball she attended Elizabeth spent the entire supper talking about the war. She dined with a Major who had been injured at Cuidad Rodrigo and they discussed the next moves. By the time the dancing had resumed the man looked in need of a drink.”

“He was not upset, he made no rude comments?”

“She is always chaperoned by me, so there are rarely comments, at least at the supper table. I know I am partial but she is extremely well-read when it comes to the conduct of the war.”

“Is she still oblivious?”

“It is as clear as day to everyone but the two of them. And him?”

“The same. Georgiana received a letter at the beginning of the week from Anne, her cousin, and even she mentioned it. And she has never even met Miss Bennet. As every day passes it gets more and more absurd that they do not realise how perfect they are for each other. Who do you think will realise first?”

“They are both as bad as each other. I really cannot tell. If I had to guess Georgiana will say something to Elizabeth that will make her realise. Not maliciously, but she is a 15 year old young lady and will be unable to help herself.”

Lady Susan did not seem upset at the prospect.

“Frankly they need all the help they can get.”