This is my first attempt at a P&P fic. I didn't try to emulate Austen's style; that's pretty impossible because she's too amazing a writer. Nevertheless, I tried to be as formal as I could, and to avoid anachronisms. If there are any, I apologize!
Critique and comments much appreciated!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy, or Georgiana. I wish, as do we all, that I owned Mr. Darcy, but alas that is not to be. -wistful sigh-
Georgiana
18th July, 1811
My dearest brother,
I hope you will be delighted to receive this, as I am sure I will be happy to receive your reply. There cannot be anyone in this world whose happiness is equal to my own—except, perhaps, for one.
For you see, my dear brother, by the time you reply to this, I shall be married!
Our dear friend Mr. Wickham has proposed, and I have accepted! Isn't it wonderful, brother? If all goes as planned, we shall be married on the twenty-fifth. I do wish you could be there, but by the time you receive this, it may not be so.
I hope to see you soon in Ramsgate. If not, I shall come to Pemberley straightaway! Give my regards to Charles and Caroline!
Yours,
Georgiana Darcy.
Fitzwilliam Darcy set down his younger sister's letter in disgust, exasperation, and shock. It was not a pleasant combination to behold, and on a man so normally restrained and reserved, it was dreadful.
Mr. Darcy loved his sister Georgiana with all his heart—indeed, above all else in the world. Though she was more than ten years his junior, he was extraordinarily close to her, and, in the death of their parents, had been charged, along with his cousin, with protecting her, keeping her from making rash decisions.
Georgiana's decision to marry Wickham—what poison the name was to Darcy!—was certainly a rash decision, and most definitely warranted intervention. However, his cousin was away on military duty. So, fuming, Darcy began to pace the study, contemplating the situation and what could be done about it.
The twenty-fifth of July, when his sister planned to be married, was four days away. That meant that his sister undoubtedly planned to elope. She was only fifteen! Doubtless she hadn't considered the damage this could do to her, the scandal this would cause! Nor did her brother believe that she would consider it. Georgiana was too young to know what implications this could have. Her brother, however, had seen the reputations of far too many girls—impressionable girls, girls like Georgiana—be ruined by eloping.
There was also the matter of Mr. Wickham in general. Just as Darcy loved Georgiana more than anything in the world, he held George Wickham in the highest of contempt. No one but himself knew the reason why. No one knew of his villainy, his cruelty, of the damage he could do to Georgiana. Moreover, Darcy was sure that Wickham's object in getting Georgiana's consent to elope with him was to obtain the generous fortune his sister would inherit when she came of age.
This was not at all how Darcy had planned things. He had assumed—incorrectly, apparently—that his sister would marry at a respectable age, to a respectable man. Preferably, this respectable man would be Darcy's close friend and one of his current companions at Pemberley, Charles Bingley. Bingley was in every way a good match for Georgiana—attractive enough to satisfy a girl of Georgiana's age, with a decent fortune, and with the added security of Bingley being a good friend to Darcy. The match would also satisfy Caroline Bingley, Charles' sister, whose affections had so recently and so irritatingly turned to Darcy himself. With a match as advantageous as the one between Bingley and Georgiana would prove to be, nothing could go wrong.
Darcy would not allow Wickham to elope with Georgiana. It was simply unacceptable. He glanced at the envelope on the table, addressed to Pemberley in Georgiana's precise cursive—it had been mailed from Ramsgate, meaning she was still there, and would be, very likely, until the day before the wedding.
All was settled, then. He would go to Ramsgate on the morrow, visit his sister, attempt to dissuade her from marrying Wickham.
Darcy called for one of the servants, requested that he assure the horses remained well rested during the night, and asked for the carriage to be prepared for the next day.
With that done, the master of Pemberley returned distractedly to his reading, and, finally, at a late hour, fell into an uneasy sleep.
The carriage drew to a halt outside the estate where his sister had taken up residence in Ramsgate. Without further delay, Darcy descended to the ground and strode to the door, knocking with enough force so that he knew he was heard. He would allow nothing to forestall his seeing Georgiana.
The door was opened by Serena, one of the maids. "Mr. Darcy!" she exclaimed with surprise. "What an honor it is to see you, sir! This is entirely unexpected!"
Darcy smiled, thinly. "I appreciate the welcome, Serena. I had not planned to come again quite so soon, but Miss Darcy has requested my return. Is she with Mrs. Younge?"
Serena nodded. "Would you like to see her?"
"I would."
"Come in, then, sir," Serena said with a smile, which did wonders to her ruddy complexion. She motioned him inside with her calloused hands and then shut the door behind him. Serena led him to the drawing room on the second story and through the open door, announcing, "Mr. Darcy."
Mrs. Younge, Georgiana's governess, and Georgiana promptly looked up. A smile lit up Georgiana's already beautiful face, and, despite the circumstances, Darcy himself had to smile. He had missed her during his travels.
Georgiana abandoned her reading and ran to her brother, embracing him tightly. Darcy returned the embrace, not letting go for a moment or two. He loved his sister dearly—surely he could persuade her not to marry Wickham, if he told her how much he disapproved…
As he let go of Georgiana, his gaze turned stormy as it fell upon Mrs. Younge. Foolish woman! Had she paid more close attention to Georgiana, this never would have happened! Still, Darcy knew, the fact remained that Mrs. Younge was well acquainted with Wickham, and was indeed a close friend of his. She obviously cared for Georgiana—perhaps a little less than would have satisfied Darcy—and for Wickham, and seeing the two of them married would probably make her exceedingly happy. It was not so for Darcy. Mrs. Younge, he had concluded during the carriage ride, would have to be dismissed from her current position.
Serena left the room with a curtsy to Darcy, and Mrs. Younge turned her gaze to Darcy. "Well! Mr. Darcy, to what do we owe the pleasure of seeing you?"
"I have come to confer with my sister on a matter of some urgency. If you would, Mrs. Younge, may we have some privacy? I'm afraid that this matter is for my sister and I only to discuss."
"Certainly. I hope to see you this evening, Mr. Darcy. We'll resume your lessons later, Georgiana." Mrs. Younge left the room with a curtsy and shut the door behind her.
Only then did Georgiana speak. "I'm glad to see you, brother," she said softly.
"As am I, Georgiana," Darcy said with some sincerity. He was indeed glad to see her; he merely wished that the circumstances were different. "May we sit?"
Georgiana led him to the table where she had previously been working; her sketches and sheets of music were strewn over the table. She cleared a space for him and sat down facing him. "How are Charles and Caroline?"
"Very well. Caroline wishes to see you within the month; Charles sends his regards."
"And yourself?"
"I," Darcy began, "am well, but I've recently had reason to be concerned for you, dear sister."
Georgiana's face registered surprise. "And why would that be? Do tell."
Darcy reached into his coat and produced the letter he'd received the day before, folded neatly into the envelope. Georgiana paled as he set it on the table.
"I cannot condone this marriage," Darcy said simply. "You are but fifteen, and I am your guardian, as is Colonel Fitzwilliam, and were he here, I am sure he would agree with my sentiments. I assume you plan to elope."
There were tears rising in Georgiana's eyes. "Brother, he's so kind, and he loves me, I am sure of it—"
"Has he told you this?" Darcy inquired.
Georgiana seemed lost for words as she contemplated. "No, I don't believe so…"
"Georgiana." Darcy tried to keep his tone gentle, and yet condescending at the same time. It was a difficult feat. "I cannot approve of this match. I am sorry to tell you this, as I know you sought my approval above all others, but I simply cannot consent to this. Now, tell me—do you plan to elope?"
"Yes," Georgiana confessed tearfully. "He—he seemed so sincere, brother, so kind… I… brother, I can't bear the thought of shaming you… you've been so like Father to me after his passing…"
"Do you still wish to marry him, then?" Darcy asked her, his tone softening as he noticed how upset his sister had become.
"I do not," Georgiana managed.
"I will write to Mr. Wickham and inform him of this," Darcy told her. "And I shall have to dismiss Mrs. Younge—I cannot believe that she would allow this to occur."
Georgiana nodded wordlessly. Darcy again embraced her for a few moments, his heart lifting as she weakly returned the embrace, and then rose to leave the room and compose his letter to Wickham. As he reached the door, he heard Georgiana's voice behind him.
"Brother?"
Darcy turned.
"I'm sorry," Georgiana whispered. "Deeply sorry."
"You're forgiven," Darcy said gently, and left the room.
August was upon them. Two weeks had passed since Darcy's return to Ramsgate and the breaking of Georgiana's engagement to Wickham.
Darcy had not exposed the details of the affair to anyone, not even Bingley. He had the deepest respect for his sister's feelings and how she was viewed in society, and so endeavored to keep the affair a secret.
However, since the day he had returned to Ramsgate, Georgiana had been despondent. Despite his assurances to her that she was forgiven, she still felt that she had shamed him, and was deeply depressed. He tried everything to cheer her, when finally he resolved that taking her away from Ramsgate would be the best course of action, and asked her if she would like to go to Pemberley.
She agreed as wholeheartedly as one in her state of mind could, and so had returned with him to Pemberley. Caroline engaged in lively conversation with her, while Bingley questioned his friend on the nature of Darcy's sudden departure. "It was a family matter," Darcy said simply, adding nothing more.
Having tried everything to comfort Georgiana, Darcy saw no other ways to do so, until he recalled the music that had been spread over the table at Ramsgate. Of course. Georgiana loved music, and unfortunately was not able to indulge in this pleasure at Pemberley—the instruments there were sorely lacking, and a pianoforte, Georgiana's instrument of choice, had never graced the premises.
This, Darcy decided, he could fix.
And so, one afternoon, while Georgiana and Caroline were out in the town, Darcy himself went out and found a shop that sold instruments. On finding the finest pianoforte that the owner could offer, Darcy paid the man generously, and supervised its delivery to Pemberley.
When Georgiana returned home, she made as if to go straight to her room. Darcy met her on the stairs and requested, "Would you meet me in the drawing room, Georgiana? I have something for you."
Puzzled, his sister followed him into the drawing room and found him standing by a beautiful pianoforte. All the emotions of the past week deserted her completely as she came to stand by the instrument, awed at its beauty and at the notion that her brother had bought it for her. She couldn't possibly thank him!
"Brother." Georgiana looked up at Darcy with an expression impossible to describe. "I cannot begin to thank you…"
Darcy gently sat her down on the bench. "Would you do me the honor of playing a piece?" he requested. "That is thanks enough."
Slowly, hesitantly, Georgiana began to play.
Again, please review! It would be much appreciated!
- Divine Sally Bowles.