Will

Will waited until the traffic cop had got back in his car and left before he started driving. He had been lucky – due to his clean record, he had just been given a warning for over-speeding. He was usually so careful about being within the speed limits, but seeing George Wickham talking to Liz had made him so mad.

He had questions swirling around in his head. What was George doing in town? How did he know Liz? He wished for a minute that he had stayed to find out from George but the thought of talking to that slimy dope peddler made his skin crawl. George should have been in jail ... if it hadn't been for the fact that they were worried about the publicity affecting his sister, they would have made sure he was prosecuted. As it was, they had simply asked him to skip town and never contact any of the Darcy's again.

He suddenly realized that he was stalled in front of his house – he'd been so distracted that he hadn't noticed he was home. He parked in the side garage but made no move to get out of the car. What should he do? Should he tell his dad? No, it might make him decide that Will and Georgina should go back to home-schooling. His dad was over-protective of them after his mom's death and the whole dope incident. Should he mention anything to Georgina? She was still so shy and lacking in self-confidence. Hearing that George was in town might worry her; he decided to just be more vigilant. He would make sure that his sister was never out of the house unaccompanied. He didn't want George to have the opportunity to speak with her – he remembered how George could sweet talk anyone into listening to him. Poor Georgina who had grown up thinking of George as another brother had no defence against him.

Will felt the familiar cloud of guilt enveloping him. If he hadn't been so self-absorbed after his mom's death, Georgina would have never been coerced by George into experimenting with drugs. But Will hadn't shared his grief with her or tried to help them deal with it together. Instead, he'd shut himself in his own cocoon and never noticed that George was spending an inordinate time with Georgina. She was just a kid – how could George have given her drugs? Will should have realised George was a user; there had been many incidents which indicated George was clearly under some influence. He was so relieved that it had only been twice – if something hadn't made him go to Georgina's room that day, he might have only found out much later when she was already addicted. He remembered that day clearly – going in the room and finding George out of his mind with Georgina next to him, giggling uncontrollably. He had been scared for his sister but had fortunately had the presence of mind to call Dr. Welham immediately to find out what he should do for her. Then he had called his father who was luckily in town that day. Dad had picked up the good doctor and rushed home.

Darcy's were born with a dislike of publicity else Will would have thrown George Wickham out of the house. But he knew that his father would not want all the servants to know what had happened so he had waited in the room until his father got home. Georgina had spent a few days at Dr. Welham's clinic before they had been given the all clear. They had found out from her that George had given her drugs twice – she didn't even realize what he had given her, just believed him when he said it was something to make her feel better. His father had been deciding whether to take any action against George when the auditors had uncovered evidence of Mr. Wickham's systematic embezzlement of funds from the Darcy's over the last ten years. Dad had been devastated at this double betrayal by a trusted friend and a boy he had treated like son. He had not wanted to press charges against either of them but asked them to leave town immediately. Mr. Wickham had taken George and left the same day. Will had not heard any news of George after that although his father had informed him of Mr. Wickham's death in a car accident.

Will couldn't stop blaming himself for letting his sister be misled by George. He had been the only one who knew what George was really like. He had always been punished for things that George had done – George was a chronic liar and cheat. But he had also been charming and quiet Will Darcy had never been able to compete. Even his own mother used to believe George over her son – Will used to get so indignant at being accused of things that he hadn't done, that he became sulky. He supposed that he had always looked guilty while smiling, confident George came out looking like a saint. He had been so glad when George had stopped coming to his house every day. He knew that it was because George had joined a gang but had never imagined that he had started doping.

Will resolved not to make the same mistake again. He was going to spend as much time as possible with Georgina and make sure she knew he was there for her if she needed him.

He thought about Liz again – should he tell her about George? No, he didn't want to share private family business. Liz was a smart girl, she definitely wouldn't do drugs. Would she be taken in by George's charm? He knew George was a player and he couldn't stomach the thought of her spending any time with the sleaze ball. He decided to try to mention to her that George couldn't be trusted.

"Will!" yelled Georgina, tapping on the car window. "I heard you drive in ages ago. What are you still doing in the car?"

Will smiled at his thirteen year old sister. She was beginning to look so much like their mother. "Nothing much, just thinking." She hmphed and dragged him into the house to watch TV with her.


He'd spent a relaxing evening at home. They'd watched some TV, played games on the PS3 and talked a lot. Georgina had been really happy to have him spend time with her. Charlie had called to go out but Will had told him he was spending time with his sister. Charlie was such a nice guy – you could tell him things like that and he would understand.

After she went to bed, Will sat in front of the TV for some more time. He wasn't paying attention to what was showing though – he was thinking about George and Liz.


He finally managed to corner Liz on the way to the cafeteria. "Hey Liz", he started but stopped when she looked at him accusingly. "Yes?" she asked with a coldness in her voice.

"I just wanted to caution you about George Wickham. He's no good, you should stay away from him."

Liz gave him a disgusted look. "I can't believe you, Darcy. After the way you treated George, you have the gall to come and pretend that he is trouble. I know what you've done and I do not want to have anything to do with you!"

She stomped away and left him staring after her in shock. He should have expected it – people always believed George over him. He started feeling irritated with Liz; she would find out for herself what George was like soon enough. He was a player and would leave Liz after he had got what he wanted from her. He stopped short – what was he thinking? Did he want George to hurt her just so he could say 'I told you so'?

He was mad at himself. He should have thought out what he was going to say to Liz – 'he is no good, you should stay away from him.' What a corny line! No wonder she was disgusted with him. He would have to try again.

Just then Charlie came up to him. "Hey man, I'm starved. Let's go get some lunch."

Will had lost his appetite but followed Charlie to the cafeteria. After they got their lunches, Charlie glanced around before sitting at a table in the corner. Will realized that Charlie had a great view of Jane from where they sat. He sighed. Should he feel guilty about that? His friend was a lot more into Jane that he had expected.

He noticed that Liz was waving her hands around while taking to Jane. She caught him looking at her and he looked away quickly – but not fast enough to avoid the look of loathing she aimed at him. Right, she was probably complaining to Jane about him.

He couldn't ever do anything right with her. He really had to put her out of his mind.

Charlie hadn't noticed Will's preoccupation since he was too busy looking at Jane.

What a pair they were!


Will hadn't worked up the courage to speak to Liz on Friday. He figured he'd leave it for the next week.

He'd made sure to spend time with Georgina every day after they both got home. He had managed to sneak a peek at her weekly schedule at school and memorized the days she had activities after school so that he would know where she was every day.

He had heard mention of some of her friends but now he made an effort to find out more about them. They all sounded like steady girls who would be good friends to his sister. He'd suggested she call her best friends over for a sleepover on Saturday – he thought it would be a good opportunity for him to meet them.

She had been excited and rushed to the phone to get the ok from Dad. His father had agreed provided that Will was around to keep an eye on things. Dad was flying out to New York and wouldn't be home for the weekend.

Mrs. Reynolds, their housekeeper and cook, would be there and Dad relied on her to manage everything at home in his absence. She had been with the family since before Georgina was born. After their mother's death, Mrs. Reynolds had started staying over on weekends whenever Mr. Darcy was traveling. Her children were grown up with their own families and her husband had passed away a few years ago, so she didn't usually have other commitments on the weekend.

Georgina had gone to call her friends. Will heard her excited voice and smiled to himself. It took so little to make her happy.

She came back half an hour later to tell him that all five of her best friends were coming over. She started planning the things they would do.

Will wondered what he had let himself in for! Six excited thirteen year old girls the whole weekend ...