The next day dawned bright and beautiful, so Elizabeth decided that they should have a picnic. Mr. Darcy was chatting with Lord Spencer about a new bill being discussed in Parliament. The children were running on the wildly around the lawn. George had organized a game of tag and was pretending to run from Lucy. Lydia sat on a blanket munching an apple and reading a book.
Lydia Wickham was not stupid. Years of living with her mistakes and trying to make do with very little had tempered her zest for life. She had seen and done things that her sisters would never dream of, but she did not want their pity. She would continue to act as if she was still the vain, silly girl, who had boarded the carriage for Brighton. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her unhappiness.
As Lydia watched 'Lady Spencer' and Lizzy sipping lemonade and talking about a new piece of music Georgiana had picked up in Venice, she knew they would never understand her life. In the day since Georgiana's arrival, Lizzy had spent more time with 'Georgie', than she had spent with Lydia in the last week.
Lydia watched the children for a moment, at least they were happy. They were laughing. They deserved this kind of life, this kind of freedom, but Lydia was getting a terrible headache from all this sun and the children were laughing so loudly. All she wanted to do was go inside and lay down for a while. She was just so tired. Why did everyone else have to be so cheerful and happy, when she was feeling terrible?
She had just closed her eyes for a moment when her thoughts were interrupted.
"Your son is such a sweet boy Mrs. Wickham, you are a lucky woman." Lady Spencer commented taking a seat.
Lydia makes no response because she is too busy trying not to snap at the other woman. As if she was unaware how sweet her son was. She could (maybe) appreciate the compliment, but for the fact that she feels like Lady Spencer has a hint of surprise in her voice. In her mind, it seems like the lady expects Lydia's sweet, caring, perfect George to be just like his father.
Lydia took a deep breath and thought about her response. In her years as a married woman she had learned to think very carefully before she spoke.
"My son is a wonderful brother, I am indeed very blessed." She responds neutrally.
"I am looking forward to having my own little blessings." Lady Spencer replied.
"It will not be what you think it is…" Lydia returned ruefully.
"Of course, I would never presume to know…" The lady tried to explain.
Then again perhaps it will be exactly what that lady expected, Lydia thought. After all, Georgiana Spencer nee Darcy had enough money to hire ten nursemaids. She would probably be one of those women who only had their children brought from the nursery once a day. Was that not what George had told her?
He had gone off time and time again about how easy his life would have been if he had married the 'right' sister. How Georgiana would never have made him wait for his dinner. How Georgiana would have had the good sense to give him a proper son, and not one who sniveled and spent more time playing dolls with his sister than learning to be a man.
Yes, sometimes deep in her heart, Lydia wished that Darcy had been too late, and Georgiana had been saddled with the man who was instead her husband.
"And my dear Samuel is so excited to be a father. He is already looking for ponies, and story books, and the newest toys. I suppose it is a very good thing that we have a niece and nephews to spoil until our own children come along and of course now when have even more children to spoil, now that your sweetlings are here. I hope you will not be leaving too soon?" Georgiana questioned.
Lydia realized that while she was woolgathering, the other woman had been going on and on about the joys of motherhood, or at least what, in her mind, they were.
"I am not sure how long we will stay." Lydia replied vaguely.
"But does your husband not expect you to be home?" She choked on the word husband.
Lydia was thrown. She thought that either Darcy or Elizabeth would have told Georgiana about her circumstances. "It is complicated." She finally replied knowing that this was neither the time nor the place for such news as needed to be imparted. Luckily, Lucy wandered over at that moment to show her mother the ladybug she had captured, and the woman parted company without any farther discourse.
A/N: Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the story. please review and let me know what you think. wondering about how long Georgiana will stick around do you like her, or want to get to the root of the story? let me know. Thanks!