"Why do you suppose Bingley has done this Mr Darcy? Any ideas? Any little twinges of guilt about this situation? No… you don't really do guilt, do you? You do whatever the hell you want and then afterwards call it principle. Bye then." Amanda turned to walk away and Darcy straightened up to his full, very imposing height.

"Do you have the grace, I wonder, to wish me well?"

Amanda turned, gobsmacked at his nerve, "Good luck," she spat sardonically.

"That I already have."

"Clearly," Amanda felt tears springing up again and she willed them down, "You and Caroline are made for each other." She turned and stormed out of the room, completely missing Darcy's pained expression as she did.

Wickham, who up until that point had been talking to Caroline while subtly eavesdropping, caught a glimpse of Amanda's face as she left the room and he quickly excused himself from the conversation. He found her halfway down the hall, collapsed against a beautiful pillar, tears streaming down her face, breathing heavily through her nose and scrunching up her grey dress in her fists.

"Now, now Miss Price, this will never do. Where is your fan? You aren't to show emotion, remember?" He strode towards her and she managed a small laugh.

"You were right George," She sniffled.

"I am right about a great many things, you'll have to enlighten me as to which particular instance you are referring to."

"I am a very long way from home. I miss my home, and my bed, and my mum. I wish I'd never come here, no good has come of it."

"On the contrary Miss Price," Wickham leaned down and took her hands, helping her up off the floor, "I believe a great deal of good has come from your arrival here."

"How?" Amanda snapped bitterly.

"Georgiana has found a friend that after spending two minutes with, she felt confident enough to confide her darkest secret to, which is pretty impressive."

Amanda scoffed and he patted her hand.

"I believe Jane Bennet has found a great deal of comfort in her friendship with you."

"No, but I ruined everything for her!"

"No, Amanda, you did not force her to marry Mr Collins, and neither, unfortunately, did Darcy. He was right about that – it is not his fault that she agreed to be tied to that odious man. You also made Darcy come out of his shell, which is something he has not done since his father died."

"Yeah, and look where that got me – well done Amanda." She wiped her eyes but it didn't look like the tears were going to stop falling anytime soon.

"You met me." Wickham said softly and she looked up sharply, "and now, Miss Price, you have a friend for life."

"Yeah, a friend that constantly hits on me."

"Isn't that the foundation for every great friendship? Anthony and Cleopatra, Mozart and Hadyn, Queen Elizabeth and Mary Dudley, Octavian and Agrippa, Lewis and Clarke, all remarkable friendships."

"And you believe that all of these pairings involved heavy flirting, do you? You think Mozart asked Hadyn to pop over and put some treble in his clef?"

Wickham snorted and Amanda managed a smile, "Why of course, Miss Price." She leaned into his jacket and he sighed, putting his arm around her as she tucked her head into his chest, "All of this over Fitzwilliam Darcy? Really? You are worth more than he has convinced you. You're the woman who brought Darcy to his knees… don't let him bring you to yours." Wickham looked up from her, back the way they had come and caught a glimpse of something moving at the end of the hallway. He locked eyes with Darcy, who had evidently followed them out into the hallway to make sure Amanda was okay. Darcy was glaring daggers at Wickham, and George managed to look somewhat uncomfortable, until he noticed Amanda crying again. He held her at arms-length, taking care not to let her turn and see the man who was causing her so much pain. He looked right in the face of his friend and sought something to distract her.

"Your home!" He exclaimed, "Miss Price, tell me about your home."

"What?"

"You miss it, and it is clearly a big part of what is bothering you, so tell me all about it, about your family and friends and your house. Come on, Miss Price, buck up. Where's that spunk I admire so much? What about your father, what does he think of these adventures of yours?"

Amanda took a deep breath, "My dad wouldn't believe me. He's one of the most boring men you could ever meet. He's very fond of sport and beer. He's an accountant, NOT a fishmonger, George."

Wickham laughed and saw Darcy stiffen even further at the image of the love of his life disclosing personal information to someone he despised so very much.

"Um, and my mum… my mum is just very… lonely. My dad left her for another woman last year. She's spent the past six months redecorating her house. My brother Kevin stayed with her, feral child that he is, although he does stay with dad sometimes. I moved out a few years ago, before the divorce, to be with my fiancé Michael," Amanda was more careful in her wording this time; emphasis duly placed on fiancé and not boyfriend,"and everything was going fine until I realised that we were never going to get married. He would keep going out with his mates and I would have my friend Piranha round and when I did see him he would be drunk and tired. A few weeks ago, he stumbled home, completely hammered and told me we were actually going to get married – sort of a re-proposal." Amanda cringed inwardly at the white lie but Wickham was interested now, "and it was at that point that I realised that I couldn't marry Michael, not ever. Even after the three years I'd spent waiting for it to happen. He just… wasn't the right man for me, and he was never going to change."

Wickham nodded, "And, uh, you have a friend named after a fish?"

"Sorry? Oh, Piranha! Yeah, that's not her real name, but it's been her name since we were teenagers. Her parents decided that she would be Prudence, and she hated it – she's not exactly couth so she decided one day that her name was Piranha and it stuck. Oh, you'd love Piranha. If I didn't know better I would set you two up."

"Why, are you worried I would despoil her?"

"Other way round! She would ruin you, Wickham. She is… mental. Absolutely mental. And she wouldn't believe me if I told her where I was… Maybe she might, if she's met Elizabeth, but I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore."

"In that case, I MUST meet her!"

"Yeah, you really should. Next time I come round, I'll bring her."

"Do. I'm sure I'll have lots of fun with this friend of yours." Wickham glanced up again and saw Darcy slumped against the door they had come through, looking thoroughly defeated. He actually felt bad for the man, "Come on then Miss Price, we must get you packed, for Mrs Bennet is leaving upon the hour and you are supposed to be gone with her, are you not?"

Amanda nodded and Wickham guided her down the hall and round the corner, watching her disappear up the stairs. When he turned around, he was face to face with Georgiana. Her eyes were wild and her hair was ever so slightly dishevelled against her face, and Wickham felt the brotherly urge to give her a hug and tell her that everything would be alright, as he did with Amanda Price.

"What is this I hear about Miss Price leaving? And why on earth is my brother professing an engagement to Caroline Bingley?!" She exclaimed, and Wickham patted her arm.

"It is a rum business, is it not?"

"Rum business? Why George, it is a shambles! What is my brother thinking? I'm sure he despises Caroline Bingley?"

"I believe that may be your own opinion of the woman bleeding through there Georgiana."

"That may be so, but you dislike her as much as I, do you not?"

"As a person of course she is repellent to me, but I do understand the appeal of a woman situated as she is, so high in society: an elegant and *ahem* personable woman."

"But where does Miss Price leave to so suddenly? Surely she can convince my brother that he is being foolish!"

"There has been an upset in the Bennet family, which I know nought of that I can disclose to you, but she has gone to tend to the matter and then she will be travelling home."

"I told her everything. About us. I thought perhaps if my brother were to marry her that she would be able to tell him what truly happened, and maybe my brother would not punish me so harshly, and he would finally allow you back into our lives, as a friend."

"I know my dear, but unfortunately, your brother is a fool, and he has let Miss Price slip through his fingers. She told him, quite bravely, that she was no longer a maid, and he withdrew his offer of love. She intends to return home once this business with the Bennets is resolved."

"Well, I will not stand for it. She shan't be allowed to leave us."

"Nor I. But we have to, I'm afraid. We cannot do anything to change it."

"Oh yes we can." Georgiana grabbed Wickham's hand, turned on her heel and strode back into the hall where Darcy was still leaning heavily on the door. He looked up as they approached and his expression went from heartbroken to hatred in a heartbeat.

"What do you think you are doing?" He spat at Wickham. George, to his credit, was as shocked at where he was as Darcy, and merely looked helplessly at the young Miss Darcy to help.

"George never touched me." Georgiana said loudly and Wickham baulked.

"Georgiana, what do you think you are doing?" He asked urgently, but she ignored him, and Darcy's eyes flicked between the two of them, comprehension just beginning to dawn.

"I told you he did, because I was angry at him. I made it clear that I wished him to make advances and he kept refusing me, so I went to you and I told you that he touched me out of spite, and realised too late that what I had said could not be unsaid and you cast him out. I kept playing along because George said he didn't mind taking the weight of my foolish lies."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Darcy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Because you thought that I was not a maid, and yet you let me continue living in this house and you threw Wickham out. So why, I wonder, have you thrown out Miss Price for being in a similar position to the one you believed me to be in?" Georgiana asked defiantly and Darcy drew himself away from the wall and began shifting his weight from foot to foot, wringing his hands, all his previous distress reappearing.

"Because Miss Price admitted to giving her virtue away by choice."

"To a man she was engaged to!" Wickham declared, finding his voice again.

"That is of little consequence. She is no longer a maid and therefore can never be my wife."

"Does anyone else know that she is not a maid?" Georgiana asked.

"Of course, I would not have asked such an impertinent question of a lady without prior indication as to the truth of the statement."

"And who told you?" She looked at her brother, but he averted his eyes.

"That is unimportant."

"Who told you?" She asked again, stepping closer.

"Caroline Bingley."

Wickham and Georgiana both scoffed angrily and Darcy found himself feeling incredibly foolish. Wickham strode forward and poked Darcy in the chest, "Of course Caroline would say something like that – she of course wouldn't have known if there was any truth in it, she just wanted to destroy Miss Price's reputation in your eyes. It is a well-documented fact that Miss Bingley has had her sights set on you for marriage. It is due credit to Miss Price that she answered such a discourteous question with the truth. And as a truly gentlemanly response, you cast her aside like so much rubbish."

"Don't you dare say such a thing, rescinding my offer to Miss Price was the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Rage flared back in Darcy's eyes and Wickham nodded sarcastically at him, which only served to enrage the heartbroken man more.

"So if no-one else knows she is not a maid – if we three are the only receptacles of that knowledge, what is stopping you from marrying her?"

"I…" Darcy faltered.

"Yes?" Wickham put his hand to his ear in mockery, "I missed that, what was that excuse?"

"I… I… do not know." Darcy's shoulder slumped and George and Miss Darcy found themselves feeling bad for the poor and man. They looked at each other and while George rolled his eyes, they both patted him on the arm and Georgiana leaned into him. Darcy put his arm around his sister and she swallowed nervously.

"So, about George…"

"Let us just pretend it never happened."

"I'm sorry?" Wickham breathed, genuinely shocked at the man before him.

"As long as I receive your help, Mr Wickham, in retrieving Miss Price, I can safely say that I will forgive you for all past lies, and will dismiss Georgiana's mistakes as mere childish folly."

"Done." Wickham said, and extended his hand to his former enemy. Darcy stared at it for a moment before taking and looked his old friend in the eyes.

"Where is she?"