"Do you think we'll have more luck today Richard?"
Richard looked down at his ward, Georgiana and smiled. This was the second day they were at Gracechurch Street hoping to run into Miss Elizabeth Bennet. After the Colonel had gotten his intel from Winter, that night he had commenced the second part of his plan.
Since returning from Rosings, Darcy had retreated into himself. Richard knew he was suffering from heartache, and although he could see Wills trying to put on a brave face and pretend like nothing was wrong, both he and Georgiana could see through the ruse.
Georgiana had tried asking Darcy what was wrong, but unsurprisingly Darcy had kept his troubles to himself, forcing Georgiana to approach the Colonel to see whether he knew what was troubling her brother, and if it was something she had done to upset him.
Thinking back to that conversation, Richard felt a wave of sadness come over him. He had been sitting in the library when Georgiana had approached him, looking like a scared child. Since the business with Wickham, Georgiana had been a shell of her former self, ever fearful that she was upsetting either himself or Darcy, or afraid that she was doing something wrong.
Both he and Darcy had tried, on numerous occasions, to talk to Georgiana about the incident, but nothing they had said had made a difference to the her grief and regret that Georgiana was letting take over her life.
Offering her a seat by his own, the colonel smiled at Georgiana, hoping it would encourage her to speak her mind to him, for it was obvious something was bothering her. His patience was soon rewarded, when Georgiana, fiddling with the fabric of her dress, turned to him.
"Richard, have I done something to upset Wills?"
"Oh Georgie, of course not, what makes you think that?"
"Oh… I suppose it's nothing. He has just been so distant since you both returned from Rosings... and I know how disappointing I have been with my behaviour in the past... "
"Georgie, your brother and I are not disappointed with you. You were taken advantage of by a scoundrel"
"I know, I just can't help but feel like I've been a disappointment to you both…"
"Absolutely not, and that is not what Wills is upset about"
"Oh… but he is upset then?"
"Well actually, that is something I wanted to talk to you about. I need your help, but we must keep it between the two of us… your brother can't know about it… yet."
"My help? Of course, I would do anything to help you or my brother… I am not sure what way I can be of assistance…?"
"Let me tell you a story about love and heartbreak…"
Shaking his head to rid them of his memories, Richard scanned the area looking for his target before his gaze came to rest on his ward. "I hope so. The more I contemplate this problem, the more convinced I am that Miss Bennet is exactly the sort of woman that Darcy and you need."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, a couple of reasons really. Firstly, we know from her refusal of Darcy's proposal that she is not a fortune hunter. If we are successful in giving Darcy another shot, and he is successful in winning her heart, he will know that she is marrying him because she loves him, not for his fortune and position in society. There aren't many men in Darcy's position that could boast that.
"Many, many women would have leapt at the chance to be Mrs Darcy, regardless of their feelings for him, but she had the courage to, rightly, refuse him, and she didn't hesitate in telling him exactly why he was rejected. You and I both know Darcy can be formidable when he's upset, so this was very brave of Miss Bennet to attempt. She has the gumption to stand up to him and pull him down a peg when needed. Darcy needs someone who is willing to do that for him. If he married one of the 'yes women' of the ton I fear Darcy's arrogance and selfish disdain for the feelings of others would make him unbearable.
"Secondly, Miss Bennet is exactly the sort of woman that would compliment Darcy. Where he is serious and withdrawn, she is effervescent and outgoing. I know she reads extensively and have seen on numerous occasions their battle of wits. She challenges Darcy and does not agree to all his opinions. She has her own mind and own opinions and is happy to challenge anyone, even our formidable Aunt Catherine!
"I believe she would push him, in a good way. And even for yourself, dear one, I believe her positivity and encouragement would be so beneficial for you, particularly in the next few years as you prepare to come out. I have seen her effortlessly charm Lady Catherine, so ton won't even know what hit them when she helps you with your debut."
"But do you really think it likely that we can change her mind about Wills?"
"Honestly Georgie, I don't know. But what I do know is that Miss Bennet is a kind and generous woman who was acting under false assumptions. Darcy has made a lot of mistakes when it comes to Miss Bennet, and I don't think he's ever really shown her who he is as a man. She's had her idea of him clouded by his haughty behaviour. When she first met him he was in company with Mr Bingley and his sisters Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, which Georgie, I know you know first hand how…. ah…. uncomfortable that can be.
"Unfortunately Miss Bingley's influence on Darcy is not a positive one, and her opinions and behaviour to the local population were likely a thousand times worse than Darcy's, and his were unpardonable. You can imagine the dynamic duo they would have presented.
"But really, even knowing Miss Bennet to the small extent that I do, I do believe she feels something for Darcy. When you're older you might understand this more, but Miss Bennet's reactions to Wills were always so extreme. Oh don't get me wrong, she was always very polite and acted every bit the lady she is, but I could always see how deeply he affected her.
"As a gentlewoman she never openly displayed her… less than favourable feelings for him, but seeing how much Darcy paid attention to her I couldn't help but scrutinise their interactions. At the time, she challenged and reacted to Wills in a negative way, but what I'm betting on is once she gets to know him, and I mean the real him, those reactions will be just as strong, but in a positive way."
"Oh, like Lady Matlock always says that the opposite of love is indifference, not hate?"
"Exactly!"
"Miss Bennet certainly sounds formidable"
The Colonel laughed at this. "Oh sweets, she is a perfectly amiable and a very likeable woman. She simply did not cower to the likes of Lady Catherine or your brother. Trust me, you will like her. She is no Miss Bingley."
Both smiled at his words and looking towards the entrance to the park from their vantage point, the Colonel's eyes lit up. Miss Bennet was here. His plan was coming together. Extending his arm to Georgiana and taking her hand, he assisted her to stand and they strode off in direction of the park entrance.
"Right Georgie, are you ready"
Georgiana looked up at the colonel and with a tentative smile and with a deep breath, nodded her head at him as they walked towards their unsuspecting target.