Here is Part the Second. Once again, all grammatical errors are mine. Since I am apparently a poor judge of angst, I shall make no judgements on this chapter. However, Georgiana is not the only one affected by Darcy's absence from the world so naturally he's got a bit more to learn.

Chapter 2

Darcy shivered as he walked away from the building that had been his home. He did not relish the idea of being out alone in London at night, and the cold weather was not making him any more comfortable with the prospect. With no appropriate coat and no money to secure himself a room in an inn, it was likely that he would freeze to death. The other likely outcome of a night on the streets, being attacked by some ruffians and left for dead, was not particularly heartening either, and he did his best not to dwell on the possibility. It was scant comfort to know that, except for his watch and his signet ring, he had little worth stealing on his person at the moment.

As he thought of those two treasured possessions, his hand moved to touch both objects in turn only to discover that something was wrong. The watch attached to his fob was smaller than it should be, and the ring was entirely the wrong shape! His hand probed his fob pocket further; even the sprig of lavender he had placed there was missing now!

"Your father never gave you a watch because you were never born, remember?" Darcy startled when Clarence spoke from beside him. The angel had just appeared out of nowhere. He held out a warm coat "Here, you'll need this; it's cold in London in December, you know. There's some coin in the pocket, not much but enough to buy you some food and drink. It should be sufficient for a room as well, but it is Christmas Eve after all, I do not think there is any room in the inn. At least not at any inn you would wish to sleep in."

"What is going on?" Darcy demanded. "What happened to my sister?"

"I told you earlier: you have never been born. As to Miss Darcy, I do not think you would believe me. Perhaps you should ask one of the servants." He gestured down the alley that led to the mews. "I believe you will find several of them gossiping near the stables."

"Why can you not simply tell—" but Clarence was gone.

Darcy donned the coat, grateful to have some insulation against the night. In the pockets he found a pair of gloves, a scarf, a warm woolen cap, and the purse Clarence had said he'd find. Now if only Clarence would give him the answers he sought as well. Even with the warmer clothes, Darcy could still feel the chill in the air, but he recognized that he was in a much better state with them than he had been without.

Doing his best not to make any noise, Darcy made his way down the alley towards his—or rather Wickham's—stables. Just as Clarence had said, there were several men standing just outside the stable speaking in low voices. Only it was not the kind of talk he had expected. More than once he had heard snatches of conversation between his servants when they were unaware of his proximity, and more often than not the conversation centered on members of the opposite sex or plans for how they might spend their wages. These men were talking about their work, specifically their master. In a few minutes Darcy was able to gather that Wickham was in the habit of staying out very late, returning at erratic hours, and being exceedingly displeased if he was not attended instantly upon his return. These three men were awake and in the cold because of Wickham's disdain for their comfort or even their health. It was little wonder they grumbled about their duties.

Knowing that he could not approach these men and be accepted into general conversation, Darcy stayed hidden in the shadows, hoping that by blessed chance the conversation would turn to Georgiana before he lost all feeling in his fingers and toes.

One man raised the topic of how he had wished to visit his parents for the holiday but had been denied, and this led to a general discussion of the season.

"Not much festive spirit in this house," one observed.

"We're mourning the mistress. What did you expect?" chided another.

"Yeah. We mourn the mistress while her husband spends her money and ruins the estate."

"Hush. One of his men might hear you."

"Nah, all of his men are either asleep or on duty in the warm. They won't bother with the likes of us."

"He's right. And I reckon you, me, and everybody else rues the day they married and we stopped working for the Darcys and started working for Mr. Wickham."

"Why did she accept him? She could've had a lord, why'd she take the steward's son."

"He kept her away from other men after Mr. Darcy died. Said it was for her own good, but I reckon he had this planned all along."

"He couldn't have planned that she would die birthing his heir."

"No."

"Mind you, she was so miserable those last months that I reckon she's better off where she is than she would be as his wife."

There were several grunts of agreement.

"But he could at least have the decency to grieve for longer than it took to arrange her funeral."

"Nah, rules like that don't apply to rich men unless they choose to follow them. Mark my words, he'll run about until the estate is broke, then like as not he'll marry another heiress and do the same to her."

Darcy had heard enough. Not caring for stealth anymore, he stormed along the alley back to the street, and across it into Hyde Park. When he was certain he was alone, he called out, "Clarence! Where are you. Why did Samuel not stop this travesty?"

Clarence appeared in front of Darcy as he spoke and answered calmly, "Why would you expect your cousin to do that? Without you there to counterbalance the influence of his elder brother and George Wickham, Samuel became as bad as they are. Worse, at times. Come, you are dressed well enough for a formal gathering, I doubt any will notice one more well dressed gentleman where we are going."

This time, instead of simply pointing Darcy in the right direction, Clarence led him directly to a house maybe half a mile away. Darcy recognized the building, it belonged to Samuel's elder brother, Lord Whitten, and had been gifted to him upon his marriage. He said something to the footman at the door, and the man waved Darcy inside. Though he had hoped Clarence would accompany him, Darcy was unsurprised when he did not.

It was easy to why Clarence was so certain Darcy would not be noticed in the crush. The house thronged with people, and from what Darcy could see, the gathering was bordering on scandalous. He saw several couples flirting shamelessly, and the attire was rather more scandalous than you would see among the more respectable members of the ton. He accepted a drink from a passing servant so that he might blend in with the crowd, but he only took one sip. He had never liked whiskey punch, and this one was more whiskey than punch, making it even more distasteful.

Darcy wandered the rooms slowly, looking to understand why Clarence had brought him here. He saw Bingley dancing a waltz in the ballroom. It was risque, but not completely unheard of, and his friend did love to dance, so Darcy moved on assuming that there was something else he needed to see. He found it in the card room, where Wickham and Samuel were standing, observing the various games with the sharp eyes of gamesters sizing up their competition.

As Darcy approached, he saw Samuel laugh. "Why should I wish to do that? My silent excuse for a wife waits at home to welcome me with all the warmth and charm of a statue. If I had not need of an heir, I would not even bother with her as much as I do. And the Great and Mighty Lady Catherine is ever near, waiting to remind me who it is that saved me from a life in the army and to attempt to browbeat me into behaving as though she were still the ruler of Rosings, not I. I have more than enough time for a few more games!"

Darcy was only mildly surprised to learn that his cousin was married to Anne. It would be only natural for Lady Catherine to fix on another nephew in her marriage schemes, to say nothing of the fact that the Samuel he knew would not consider marriage to his cousin a hardship at all. That Samuel doted on his cousin Anne. If Lady Catherine ever stopped insisting that Anne would wed no one other than Darcy, Samuel would have married his cousin in a heartbeat to out of both affection and a desire to shield her from her overbearing mother.

"Do you not have time for other diversions as well?" Wickham asked, leering at a particularly well-endowed woman.

"Of course, my friend. Of course. But later. Now, I think that young Lord Casewell is in need of an opponent or two. Shall we oblige and lighten his purse?"

"I think, for that game you would do better to seek your brother's aid," Wickham nodded to Lord Whitten. "I believe Bingley is planning a liaison with the delectable Miss Bennet tonight, and I am of a mind to try to convince her sister that is is in her best interest accept my offer."

"Ah, the lovely Miss Elizabeth. I wish you the best of luck, old friend."

Darcy's blood was running cold. No wonder Samuel had not stopped the wedding; he and Wickham were the best of friends and he likely saw no need to oppose the match. Perhaps he even approved of it, as it would raise his friend to his own social sphere. Blast it, had he no care for his cousin? But clearly the answer to that was no, for he was coldly dismissive of Anne. Worse than that, he was encouraging Wickham to offer for Elizabeth, and Darcy knew it was unlikely that he meant to offer marriage. Blast! He must follow them and attempt to protect Elizabeth. At least to this Elizabeth he would be a stranger rather than a scorned admirer. She might even accept his aid.

Georgiana was dead and his cousin had changed drastically for the worse. Was no one who was dear to him left untouched? Bingley! Even Bingley was changed if he was meeting Miss Bennet illicitly.

While Darcy was processing what he had heard, Wickham had moved off. Determined not to leave Elizabeth to his tender mercies, Darcy began to move quickly from room to room, pausing only long enough to be certain that neither Bingley nor Wickham were present. Just when he was about to give up hope, he saw Bingley accepting his coat and hat from a servant. Darcy quickly retrieved his own outerwear and followed Bingley out into the night, hoping that his friend had not already driven away. Darcy was in luck, for Bingley was of a mind to walk to his destination, and Wickham had already joined him. Apparently Wickham had influenced Bingley as well since they appeared to be laughing and easily with each other as they walked. It was rather further than Darcy would have chosen to walk through nighttime London in any season, but they all arrived without any incident.

In comparison to the house they had just left, this one was modest, but it also was home to a festive gathering. Darcy wondered about how he would gain entry, but only until he saw the door open to admit Bingley and Wickham; Clarence was acting as doorman. Thanks to Clarence, he entered without incident and began searching for Bingley, who had immediately vanished into the crowd. He had just begin to walk the perimeter of the ballroom when a familiar voice halted him in his tracks.

"Pardon me, Mr. Collins, but might I speak to my sister for a moment?"

"Of course, Cousin Elizabeth. Your sisterly affection does you both credit. I shall fetch a drink for my dearest Jane and return momentarily."

"Jane, what are you doing?"

"I was dancing with my fiancee. Surely you cannot find fault with that."

"I was not speaking of that, as you are well aware. Mr. Bingley is here. Did you agree to meet him again? Was your first liaison with him not risking enough? Have you no care for your reputation? Or for that of your sisters?"

"Do not judge me, Lizzy. I am four and twenty and it is an eligible match. Why should I not strive to give happiness and security to my dear mother?" Jane answered her sister with more sharpness than Darcy had ever heard from her before. "You cannot tell me that if it were you whom Mr. Collins chose that you would not look elsewhere, even before the wedding."

"I would not have accepted him at all," Elizabeth countered.

"And so you would have condemned your family to poverty without a second thought. I merely seek to know the man I love."

"You are engaged to another, and the man you love is married."

"Married to Lady Cassandra. She sought him for his money as surely as I am accepting Mr. Collins for his."

Darcy flinched. He remembered Bingley's infatuation with Lady Cassandra quite clearly. It was only Darcy's timely warning about how desperate Lady Cassandra's financial state was that had prevented Bingley making her an offer. Apparently, in Darcy's absence, no one had stepped forward to save Bingley from her mercenary schemes. Darcy grieved for his friend; knowing how devastated he had been to learn that his 'angel' was a fortune hunter, he also knew that the pain could only have been worsened by delaying the discovery until after the wedding.

Furthermore, without Bingley's prior claim on Miss Bennet, it appeared that Mr. Collins had chosen his eldest cousin for a wife, and she had accepted for the sake of her family. Yet, for her own sake, she had decided to take a lover. It did not match with his knowledge of Miss Bennet's character.

"You did not need to accept him. You could stay with Uncle and Aunt Gardiner for a few months. Surely you are beautiful enough to attract someone less…less…"

"Uncle's business has been exceedingly poor of late, and you know they cannot afford to host me for a Season."

"His business has not been poor. He just made the mistake of trusting in Mr. Wickham enough to invest with him. And this is the friend of the man you love. You are mistaken in both of them."

"The difficult of Aunt and Uncle only prove that I was correct to accept Mr. Collins for our family's security. As to Mr. Wickham's involvement, I am sure you are mistaken, Lizzy." That sounds more like Miss Bennet, Darcy thought. "Mr. Wickham is very gentlemanly. Furthermore, he has shown particular interest in you. It would be a splendid match if you did not insist on insulting him at every meeting."

"He is no gentleman, Jane. He was widowed barely two months ago, it is not right that he should be paying particular attention to any woman."

"Perhaps it was an arranged marriage of little affection. You do not make allowances for differences of situation and temper."

"Regardless of his attachment to her, she was his wife and he disrespects her memory by his actions. Besides, he has no interest in marrying me."

"No. I do not believe you, Lizzy. I do not believe that Mr. Bingley's friend would do such a thing."

Elizabeth snorted. "No. Why should you imagine that the friends of an adulterer would not be upstanding young men?"

"My love, Cousin Elizabeth, I have returned. When you have finished your punch, cousin, may I have your hand for the next dance?"

"Why I had not—" Elizabeth began

"She will be glad to. And I shall take the opportunity to rest so that I might dance with you again later this evening." Darcy thought Jane's words would have been more convincing had she not followed her statement with a smile in Bingley's direction, but Mr. Collins failed to notice.

"My dear, what a splendid idea. I…"

Darcy took a few steps away so that he could watch Elizabeth without being forced to listen to any more prattling from the idiotic parson. How could things have gone so very, very wrong?

Well, I got Darcy out of the cold, but I'm not sure this is at all better. Colonel Fitzwilliam is a rake, Bingley is trapped in a loveless marriage and is having an affair with Jane, and Wickham has made improper advances to Lizzy. It seems like the world is not a very wonderful place without Darcy, but we already knew that, didn't we?

Thoughts, comments, and concrit all welcome