I have updated chapter 4. There isn't much difference, but I changed the fact that Georgiana was originally still in school in this fic. Enjoy!

The night didn't end too dreadfully. Mary and Kitty promised to call on her as soon as they could, and even invited her to come call on them if she would rather do that. (Which wasn't a bad idea, since she didn't wish to be around Mrs. Hurst or Miss Bingley too often.) However, the looks her brother kept sending her told another story; he was panicked. She couldn't blame him. Mr. Wickham could very well ruin her, though he no real proof of their almost elopement, but rumors could sometimes do more damage than absolute truth. He had been a black cloud hanging over the siblings for the last several months.

While she talked with her knew friends, she sickened at the thought that it was over before it had really begun. Her brother had probably spent the rest of the night thinking of appropriate excuses with their cousin so that they could take their leave first thing in the morning. As she bid her friends goodbye and excused herself to her rooms once they had gone, she mulled over how she felt about the situation.

It took her from the time she entered her rooms to when she dismissed her maid to come to her own conclusion: she didn't want to leave. She didn't want to keep hiding away because she had made a mistake; a huge mistake, but a mistake none the less. She didn't want every move she made to be determined by George Wickham and her brother's fear of failing her again. Was she supposed to flee the county every time the villain dared to step foot in the same village she was in? It was ridiculous! No one should have to live their life that way!

Now she had only to wait for her brother, for she knew he would have his say before morning. He was ever the gentleman, after all, and he would never just assume she would be ready to leave in the morning without at least a little notice. Well, this night he would be quite surprised by her.

She was not kept waiting long. A knock sounded at her door and she bade him to enter. She really shouldn't have been surprised that Richard joined them, but she was. They were giving her a united front; though she wasn't sure if it was for themselves or for her benefit. They both looked at her with sad eyes.

"I am so sorry, Georgie," her brother began, moving closer to her. "I know you had such hopes for this visit. I wish there was something I could do, but there is nothing to be done."

"What ever do you mean, brother?" Georgiana asked innocently. "For what can nothing be done?"

Her brother and cousin stared at her. She put in great effort to seem as though she truly had no idea what he was talking about.

"George Wickham. He is here in Hertfordshire," he answered, incredulously.

"And? I don't see how that should affect me," she stated, shrugging her shoulders in a most unlady-like manner.

"You can't be serious!"

"And why can't I be? I don't see how his plans should affect mine. So, we are in the same county. Would it be any different if we were both in Town?"

"Georgie," Richard entered the conversation, "you would not be socializing the in same circles in Town. He wouldn't dare."

"And he will here?" she asked honestly. He had no answer. Anger swelled in her as she turned to her brother. "Are we going to employ our own investigator now? Are we to confer with him before I ever make any plans? Is George Wickham to be the deciding factor in every choice I make from here on?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Georgiana! He has no such power over you!" her brother scoffed.

"Doesn't he? You are prepared to remove me from your friend's house because he has taken a position in the militia that just happens to be stationed nearby. It seems to me he has a lot of power over our decisions," she turned away from him. "Father once said that a Darcy fears only his God and his Sovereign. Should I add Mr. Wickham to that list now?"

"I do not fear Wickham!" William exploded. "Georgie, what on earth has gotten into you?! I am trying to protect you!"

Georgiana was shocked. Her brother had never yelled at her. Of course, she had never dared to say such a thing to him before, but still she found she had no idea how to respond. Luckily, she didn't have to as Richard interceded.

"Calm down, Darcy. We can discuss this in a rational manner."

"There is nothing to discuss," her brother stood firm.

"Yes, Darcy, I daresay there is. Now Georgie, I never thought I would have to say this to you, but you shouldn't say such things to your brother. You know he and I only want what's best for you. And Darcy, she obviously has some strong feelings about this matter, and it would do us all some good to hear them, I think. Now, let's all have a seat, hm," he gestured to the little table in her room. Once they were all seated, he continued. "Alright Georgie, what would you like to do about this matter?"

"I don't want to leave," she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want to encounter him either, but I find that the idea of leaving hurts me more. You both spent weeks with Mrs. Annesley convincing me that it wasn't my fault; that I had made a mistake and that it was ok, but I feel as though I am the one being punished. Why should I be the one to flee in shame? If I did nothing wrong, then I shouldn't be the one to leave."

"In a fair world, you wouldn't have to," her brother said softly, "but he still presents too much of a danger to you. Only a few weeks ago, you seemed ready to faint at the mention of his name. How do you think you will do should you encounter him now?"

"I should like to think I wouldn't faint. How can we be sure that I would even encounter him? Do you not think he wouldn't simply avoid us? Surely he wouldn't want to encounter us any more than we want to meet with him."

"She does have a point, Darcy," her cousin conceded. "Wickham is a coward. He would have to be desperate to risk upsetting us."

"And if he should try something again?" William challenged.

This hurt Georgie. "Do you think so little of me, that you believe I would fall for such a scheme again?"

"No! No, I simply realize he might try some other avenue. He could kidnap you, compromise you. He is a villain!"

"So, we should simply run away and leave the Bennets and their neighbors to fall for his schemes? We would be no better than him!" she snapped. She couldn't bare the thought of her friends being harmed because they had no real warning.

"Georgie," her brother looked pained, "why are you making this so difficult? I can have Bingley give a warning to his neighbors about Wickham. Indeed, you are right; it is the proper thing to do. That doesn't mean that we should keep you within a short distance of him. Bingley understands I have a difficult past with the knave. You can send a letter to the Miss Bennets through him. You can even invite them to Town soon. Just because we are leaving, doesn't mean you must cease all contact with them."

She turned pleading eyes to her cousin, but he only sent her a sympathetic look; he would not interfere between the siblings. Georgie wanted to cry. Her brother wasn't going to listen to her. What could she do? She cast another look at her cousin and tried to think of what he would do. He was firm in his decisions, but he was also a good mediator. What would Richard do? Then she got an idea.

"A compromise!"

"What?" her brother and cousin asked at the same time.

"We should make a compromise."

William arched a brow at her. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Give me a chance to prove that Mr. Wickham will not be a problem for me. If I can handle it, we stay until its time to go to our aunt and uncle's. If it is too much, we make our excuses and leave."

"I think that's a good compromise," Richard put in. "Now Darcy, hear me out. I don't like the idea of leaving him to cause chaos and harm to any community, and if he has joined the militia, I can keep a better eye on him. He can't simply jump up and run away while enlisted without greater consequences than even he would dare to incur. If Georgie finds his presence too much, we leave, as she said. Meanwhile, we can discreetly inform some of the fathers in the area that he is not to be trust. Perhaps our mere presence will keep him in line. He definitely will not want to cross me. I will get my father involved and he knows it."

Her brother let out an exasperated sigh. "I've already told Bingley that we would be leaving in the morning, as well as our staff."

"Well, tell them that now we're not!" Georgie stated excitedly.

Richard chuckled. "You can at least inform them to be ready in case we should need to leave with little notice. I'm sure they will appreciate it."

"Fine!" William stood quickly. "We'll try your compromise. But mark me, Georgie, the first sign of trouble and we are leaving."

"Yes, brother!" she jumped up and hugged him.

"Off to bed, now," he softened a bit. "I am sure you plan to skip off to the Bennets as soon as is respectable.

They took their leave and she happily jumped into bed and snuggled in. Things were looking up again.


"Should we have allowed her such hope?" Darcy asked him once they had moved into his own sitting room to talk.

"I don't see why not. She is now at that stage where she is more of an adult than a child. While she is not ready to be out, that doesn't mean she can't start making some decisions for herself."

"She's fifteen, Richard!" he jumped up and began to pace.

"And she'll be sixteen in a little over a month. In another year she'll be seventeen; an age many young women enter the marriage state. Better she learn to make good choices under our care before she places herself in someone else's hand."

"But we're talking about Wickham! She should never have to be within a hundred miles of him!" he growled.

"That's a bit unrealistic. But in any case, this is the perfect situation for it. Wickham fears us, and he should. We have no real reason to fear him, as we hold all the cards. We are far more likely to ruin his standing that he is ours. What's more, I'll inform him myself that he will not want to mess with us," he stated. "Let Georgie enjoy herself. I haven't seen this much spark in her since the whole affair happened. If this is what heals her, then it would be wrong to hold her back."

Darcy ceased his pacing and stared out into the darkness. Richard was happy to let him think and come to his own conclusion.

"Very well," he turned to his cousin, "see what you can do, but I do not want her left alone at any point. One of us should be with her at all times. You can take most of those posts since this is partly your idea."

Richard stood, chuckling, and began to make his way to the door. "I will enjoy it immensely. I have no doubt that means we will be spending a lot of time with the Miss Bennets and I especially want to get to know Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

He heard Darcy make a choking sound. "Miss Elizabeth?"

Turning, Richard smiled menacingly at him. "Of course! It is rare that my cousin, the Great Fitzwilliam Darcy, is distracted by any woman. Such a creature must be studied intently!" he shut the door and dashed across the hall to his own rooms before his cousin could stop him. Childish it might be, but he was going to enjoy teasing his cousin on this matter. Thank heaven they weren't going to leave and miss the opportunity.