"Are you sure you have to leave right this moment?" Bingley asked.

"I cannot delay," said Darcy, shoving his hands into his riding gloves.

"Come, man, at least let me see you off with some food!"

"I shall stop at an inn for my meal, thank you."

Bingley stepped firmly in Darcy's way as he made to go out the door. "Darcy, give me some credit. What happened while you were out walking?"

Darcy ground his teeth together for a few moments. "Are you really going to let my foul mood interfere with your first day as an officially engaged man?" he finally decided on saying.

"I should like to enjoy that day with my very good friend," Bingley countered.

Darcy, broken by Bingley's insistence, sighed heavily. "Very well, Bingley, I shall tell you. But not now. Let me go. I will tell you everything before we return to Hogwarts."

Bingley frowned for several moments as he thought, but eventually stepped aside.

Darcy leapt onto the back of his horse. He had considered taking a thestral but decided the extra mental effort of keeping a horse in line would be a good thing.

So that was what Elizabeth thought of him! How he could have ever believed her to be an intelligent woman with excellent capabilities of gaging another person, he did not know. She had certainly proven herself to be stubborn and unreasonable. Did she not recognize what he had been offering her? How could she not see the disparity in their situations and all that he would have to muddle through as a result of choosing her?

And yet, in spite of all she had said, Darcy could not remove the lovely image of her completely wild appearance from his conscience. He recognized the dress she had been wearing as an attempt to look unflattering, but even that did not do the job for him. She was still a vision.

His ride was quick and exhausting. He had stopped only once, to switch horses. He had not even taken the time to stretch his legs. He thought it quite possible he might have overtaken an express rider or two.

Darcy's thoughts bounced back and forth between rage and intense longing for the entirety of the ride, and so he was in quite a thunderous mood when he arrived on his doorstep in London. He greeted his housekeeper with civility, but not the warmth he usually did. Such assured the entire household knew he was in a foul mood, and so he was left alone.

The following day Darcy threw himself violently into his responsibilities, only abandoning his business briefly to approach the house of his aunt and uncle from the servant's entrance to clandestinely ask after his sister. His mood was only marginally improved when he received word from his aunt that she believed Georgiana would respond well if he were to come for tea.


"Phoebe, you absolute angel!" Lizzy exclaimed in relief upon approaching Longbourn and seeing her friend sitting on their trunks outside. Her trunk, she noticed, had several new scrapes and splotches of mud as though it had been carelessly thrown from the house while Phoebe's was pristine.

"I thought it was past time for me to make my exit," said Phoebe. "I went to my ball, after all. That's all I came for, truly. The whole reason I became friends with you in the first place. This is where we part ways, Elizabeth Bennet."

Lizzy threw her head back and laughed. She was well aware of the fact that her friend was trying to distract her from the fact that her possessions had been treated so cavalierly, and she was grateful. Mrs. Bennet, apparently, had anticipated her daughter's stubbornness and made good on her threat, thus sparing her daughter the chore of entering the house again to gather her belongings.

"You look a fright," Phoebe observed after Lizzy had quieted. "And you were gone for hours."

Lizzy shrugged. "I enjoyed my walk," was all she said.

The carriage emerged from around the side of the house and the sound of it brought Jane out the front door.

"Oh, Lizzy!"' Jane exclaimed and wrapped her arms around her sister. "I am so sorry for all this!"

"You had nothing to do with it, Jane," said Lizzy pleasantly enough. "Let's not let it ruin your first day as an engaged woman, shall we?"

"My day is not at all ruined," Jane assured.

Lizzy's face fell to confusion as the front door opened again and Mary and Calliope came out, hauling their trunks. "What is the meaning of this?"

"While you were away, Mr. Bingley invited me, Mary, and Calliope to stay with him and the Hursts at his house in London," said Jane. "He invited you also, of course, but I thought you would rather stay with the Gardiners."

Lizzy's confusion only increased, and she looked to Phoebe for answers.

"You'll get no help from me," said Phoebe, holding up her hands in surrender. "I do my best to stay out of other people's family drama."

Lizzy turned her gaze back to Jane.

"I might have exchanged words with Mama," Jane admitted, a blush creeping onto her face.

"Mama fainted," Mary added.

Lizzy was truly alarmed now and looked all the more insistently at her older sister.

"I tried to calmly and sensibly tell Mama why you were right to refuse Mr. Collins, but she did not want to see reason," said Jane. "When she started complaining against you again, I declared myself to be on your side and that I imagined that meant I was not welcome in the house either, so I went to pack."

"Kitty and Lydia will be down with Hattie and Adella shortly," Mary supplied. "The Longbottoms have offered to host them. Jo is finishing packing Jane's things and will join us before long."

Lizzy's eyes filled with tears quickly, and they began to fall freely as she collapsed on the ground, the love and support of her sisters and the gratefulness for belonging to the magical world overwhelming her.

"Come now, Lizzy, we can't keep Piper waiting."

Lizzy looked up and hastily wiped her eyes at Jane's words to notice that it wasn't her father's carriage, but Piper's, waiting in the drive.

"Charles called him for us," Jane said in answer to Lizzy's unasked question.

Before long, all ten witches had arranged themselves and their luggage in Piper's carriage and were pulling away.

Lizzy looked back at the house and noticed her father standing in the window of his bookroom, watching. She waved to him, and he returned the gesture. As she turned forward in her seat, she wondered if and when she would next see him. More than that, she wondered why he did not fight to have his daughters remain at home.

"Oh, Lizzy, I am so sorry that all that happened to you," said Mrs. Gardiner soothingly, rubbing her exhausted niece's back late that evening. After a very, very long day, Lizzy had broken down and told her aunt every detail of it.

Upon arriving in London, Phoebe and Josephine had said their goodbyes and headed to an inn to await their families coming to get them. Mr. Longbottom was already waiting to collect all the younger girls. Jane, Mary, and Calliope would stay with Lizzy at the Gardiners for a few days until Bingley made his way to London to open his house to them. The girls had spent the bulk of the day entertaining their young cousins and, in general, pretending as though nothing were amiss.

"I shall make peace with it all," Lizzy said as her tears fell onto a pillow.

"I hope you will let me help you with that," said Mrs. Gardiner. Taking her niece's shrug for acceptance, she continued, "Where should we begin? With your mother?"

"Mama I can understand well enough," Lizzy said with a hint of malice. "I do not like it, but I can understand it."

"Mr. Collins, then?" Mrs. Gardiner tried again.

Lizzy scoffed. "I don't think I shall bother myself to think twice about him."

"Your father?"

Here, Lizzy paused. "He should have done differently," she said smally after a few moments.

"Yes, he should have," Mrs. Gardiner agreed.

Lizzy flipped onto her back so she could look at her aunt. "Why did he not interfere? Why did he let Mama carry on so? Why did he let us leave?"

Mrs. Gardiner's face was filled with much sympathy as she grabbed Lizzy's hand. "Why do you think, my dear? You know him best, after all."

Lizzy kept her one hand in her aunt's, then wrapped her other around her knees as she contemplated. After a significant period of time, she spoke, "Papa likes to be unbothered, have peace. I think he believes nothing he does really matters, so why should he exert himself? Any changes he makes to Longbourn will not benefit his family in the long run because of the entail. He feels he needn't bother with putting forth effort to secure the futures of his daughters because he knows they can provide for themselves well enough. He lets his wife do whatever she pleases because that is easier than arguing with her."

"There you have it, Lizzy," said Mrs. Gardiner. "He believes his actions inconsequential. When the lot of you started packing, he simply let it pass as yet another thing he did not have control over."

Lizzy sighed heavily. "I suppose I can understand such a mindset, but I cannot like it, nor can I agree with it."

"I am likeminded, Lizzy," Mrs. Gardiner said evenly. "Do you feel more settled now?"

"I do," said Lizzy, offering her dear aunt a strained smile.

"Good," said Mrs. Gardiner firmly. "Then it is time we move onto what I believe to be the biggest hurdle going forward: Mr. Darcy."

Lizzy groaned and rolled her eyes. "I wish he would go back to France."

Mrs. Gardiner refused to be distracted from her point. "Much though you may not like it, Lizzy, you will have to deal with him again, and frequently, even after Hogwarts. He is close friends with your sister's fiancé."

"Do not remind me," Lizzy pouted.

"I am going to tell you something you truly will not like, Lizzy," Mrs. Gardiner cautioned, "but I want you to consider it thoroughly."

Lizzy flattened her lips in displeasure, but nodded at her aunt to continue.

"You and Mr. Darcy were correct in your observations of each other." As Lizzy made to object most ferociously, Mrs. Gardiner held up a hand to forestall her. "That you were correct, though perhaps a little more harsh than necessary, requires no further discussion. As for Mr. Darcy's point of view, perhaps my own story can help you understand."

Lizzy ripped her hand away from her aunt and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. "Because I respect you so, Aunt, I shall listen. I advise against high hopes for a change in my opinion, however."

Mrs. Gardiner smiled faintly at her petulant niece. Lizzy looked almost the same as she did when throwing a fit at the age of five. The girl's stubbornness had not changed, though many other things had.

"When I was at Hogwarts, I enjoyed it as much as you have, and for many of the same reasons," Mrs. Gardiner began. "The fact that I was a Muggle-born from a family of little standing meant almost nothing to the vast majority of my classmates, and I was judged on my friendliness and ability. Your uncle and I became close and determined to marry a mere week after finishing school. You can well imagine my family's shock, I am sure, when I told them I would be marrying a man they had never met, and at such a young age!"

Lizzy's stormy countenance broke long enough to smile as her aunt laughed fondly at her memories.

"Well, as you know, I went to the Ministry in the Department of Muggle Relations," Mrs. Gardiner continued. "I was good at my job, and I enjoyed it immensely. Before long, however, I began to realize I was not experiencing the same attitudes of my fellow Ministry workers as I had at Hogwarts. I received strange looks, had trouble engaging others in conversation, and always seemed to be brushed off whenever I tried to meet with someone outside my department. After a few months, even some of my friends from Hogwarts had begun to avoid me.

"I tried to hide my discomfort from your uncle, but eventually broke down and told him all about it after someone I had considered a dear friend publicly slighted me. He said he had been suffering from similar issues, though he was working Magical Law Enforcement," Mrs. Gardiner said, no longer smiling. "After a great deal of discussion, we came to the conclusion that Hogwarts, while thoroughly enjoyable and very much what the world ought to be like, was a false reality because it was, at the time, lacking those of the most proud and ancient bloodlines. When we entered the next phase of life, we were confronted with the fact that a preference for Pureblood would outweigh nearly all other merits, save wealth. Those, Lizzy, are very unfortunately the only things that most of society sees. A person's wealth and relations are seen as equivalent to their value."

"And this is why you choose to live largely in the Muggle world?" Lizzy asked quietly after several moments.

Mrs. Gardiner hummed as she thought through her answer. "Your uncle and I realized that, as we should never overcome what we were born or where our money might come from, we ought to live in a way that we believed we could be proud of. As you know, your Uncle Gardiner has a remarkable mind for business, and I absolutely adore tending my children. Neither of us mourns leaving the Ministry. Our lives are simple, but we are pleased that we are making our own way in the world and that our children will, hopefully, not face quite as much opposition as we did, when their time comes."

Lizzy stared blankly ahead and gave no indications of formulating a response.

"You have a great many wonderful qualities, Lizzy, and because of that, your less-than-wonderful qualities are often swept under the rug, and so you are rarely forced to confront your insecurities," Mrs. Gardener said gently. She rose from her seat on the side of Lizzy's bed, kissed her niece's temple, and bid her goodnight before quietly closing the door.

Lizzy did not sleep a wink. Was her fate to be much the same as her aunt's? Would she leave Hogwarts only to do battle with a whole swarm of Malfoys, determined to equivalate her birth and her worth?

Much though she did not wish to do so, Lizzy was unable to help relating her aunt's story to her own trials with Mr. Darcy. He had attended school for several years with other children of ancient pureblood lines. They had little opportunity to associate with children of different pasts. It seemed almost reasonable, then, that the purebloods would think of themselves as a different level of beings. Almost.

Though it had rarely been brought up before the purebloods from Beauxbatons had come to Hogwarts, Lizzy was keenly aware of the fact that she lived between worlds, and that her status was lacking in both. Mr. Darcy throwing it into her face so harshly, she realized, stung a great deal. No matter how good her grades, no matter how accomplished she was at dueling, whether or not she managed to become an animagus, she would never find the respect she deserved once she left the safety of Hogwarts. She was, and always would be, the daughter of a Squib and a Muggle. By singling her out with marriage as his intention, Mr. Darcy was opening himself to the ridicule of his peers for his choice.

It was a withdrawn and pale Lizzy that sat down for breakfast in the morning.

"Are you alright, Lizzy?" Jane asked concernedly. "I hope you have not let Mama's rantings bother you."

Lizzy forced a smile to her face and assured her sister that their mother had not gotten into her head, that she was merely exhausted from the whirlwind of emotions she went through the day previously.

Jane, not knowing half of Lizzy's struggles, accepted the words at face value and chattered happily as she served her sister.

Lizzy's tiredness turned to anger when Mary entered the room, and she said not a word for the rest of breakfast. Immediately following, however, she pulled Mary aside.

"You knew," Lizzy hissed. "You knew all along that he would approach me, and you gave me no warning?"

Mary calmly removed her arm from her sister's grasp and responded evenly, "Plenty of others tried to tell you what he thought of you, Lizzy, and you ignored them. Why should you have believed me?"

"Because you are my sister and a legilimans!" Lizzy raged at a whisper.

"You were determined to be blind and think horribly of him, Lizzy," said Mary unhurriedly. "You knowing my thoughts on the matter would have done nothing to change that."

Lizzy watched Mary walk away with her fists clenched tightly. She went up to her room, stuffed herself into her outdoor clothes, and then ensconced herself firmly in the garden, where she paced furiously.

After a significant period of time spent pummeling the ground beneath her, Lizzy was finally calmed down enough to be able to sit and think through what Mary had said, and she realized her sister was correct, once again. Several people had hinted at the fact, or stated outright, that Darcy had a special interest in her, and she had cast off their suppositions in favor of her own.

Lizzy made herself trudge through her memories of all her encounters with Mr. Darcy and was forced to admit she had twisted every fact she could to fit her theory that he was proud, arrogant, haughty, and rude. Looked at in a less biased fashion, she was able to see that, while he was not particularly adept at reading and giving social cues, he was respectable, intelligent, hardworking, and did care for those around him, even if he struggled to express it. Indeed, he had been remarkably concerned for her well-being upon finding her at Oakham Mount and had immediately thought of how me could be of assistance.

Another hour of contemplation passed before Lizzy resolved to try making amends when term started again. As her aunt had said, she would not be able to escape Mr. Darcy, so she might as well try making peace with him.


"Well?" Darcy asked irritably. Upon arriving in London, he had informed Fitzwilliam and asked his cousin to join him the following morning. The major had hardly stepped through Darcy's study door before Darcy related the entirety of his encounter with Elizabeth.

Fitzwilliam simply stared at his cousin, his legs crossed and his fingers connected at the tips.

"Say something, man!" Darcy demanded.

"Forgive me, oh patient one," said Fitzwilliam drily. "I am merely trying to formulate a response that will not provoke you to punch me in the face."

Darcy halted his furious pacing and stared at his cousin and confidante with wide eyes.

Fitzwilliam sighed and uncrossed his legs to lean forward on his elbows. "Frankly, the thing I would most like to say is 'I told you so.'"

"I beg your pardon?" Darcy asked through his teeth.

"I've been telling you for years, Darcy, that you are much too severe in public," said Fitzwilliam. "You lurk and you stare and you judge. You refuse to speak to those you don't know, and I don't know that I've ever seen you ask a young lady outside your party to dance. Your rude manners are largely tolerated simply because of your bloodline and your annual income."

Darcy felt his mind jar and his face became remarkably blank.

"I've heard Bingley say some similar things, in a much kinder fashion, of course," Fitzwilliam continued. "My own comments you brushed off as teasing. Being confronted with your faults by a woman you've come to admire so much, however, is something you simply can't ignore. I'm extremely grateful to her for having done it."

Darcy fell into the nearest seat, feeling lightheaded.

Fitzwilliam continued mercilessly. "How could you possibly have thought throwing her position in her face would have worked in your favor? If there was any justice in the world, she would be among the most respected witches of this century, from what I can tell. Good God, man, what an idiot you've made of yourself!" Fitzwilliam, gaining energy, rose from his seat and took up the pacing Darcy had abandoned. "Telling her everyone flattered her. What an absolute fool! And to accost her in such a fashion after the morning she'd had!"

Though Fitzwilliam's ranting continued, Darcy tuned it out in favor of his own thoughts. Elizabeth had, indeed, been completely justified in her speech. Having been given the opportunity to see his behavior through her eyes, Darcy found himself absolutely disgusted. He had looked down on her because of her family, thought himself above her. He had been surprised that she was at the top of her class because she was not from a magical family. He had been openly rude to various members of the Bennet clan. He had failed to exert himself to make new friends at Hogwarts, simply because he believed the lot of them to be of less quality than those that had the means and inclination to be sent to Beauxbatons.

As Darcy thought more and more about how horribly he had behaved toward Elizabeth and many of her family members and friends based on things completely out of their control, he began making connections with Georgiana that absolutely sickened him. He lived in constant fear of his little sister being spurned because of things that had happened to her. Things that were, by no means, her own fault.

"You're right, Richard," said Darcy quietly.

Fitzwilliam was so thrown by Darcy's almost inaudible confession that he nearly smacked his head on a shelf sticking out of the wall. "What was that?"

Darcy raised his eyes to meet his cousin's. "I have been an absolute ass. Please help me."


Bingley did not arrive in London until the day after Christmas. He called at the Gardiners as soon as he could after he arrived, however. Jane was very happy to see him. He stayed with the whole family long enough to share that he had spread the tale that the Bennet girls had left so abruptly due to receiving news that one of their well-liked and respected teachers at school had passed suddenly. All of Meryton now believed the Bennets to be attending the funeral of their beloved instructor and mourning with their fellow students. Lizzy applauded Bingley's quick thinking, and thanked him for concealing the unhappy truth, as well as saving her parents from any added embarrassment. It made the possibility of reconciliation much more likely.

Jane, Mary, and Calliope left the Gardiners' that evening to go stay at Bingley's townhouse with him and the Hursts. In order to avoid any unnecessary scandal, the story that Mrs. Hurst had invited Jane was circulated.

So it was that, the morning following her sisters' departure, a greatly subdued Lizzy took herself for a walk at an unfashionably early hour. She was completely unbothered by the lack of people about. It was a luxury that allowed her to excuse the fact she did not bring a footman or maid along with her. She could very well take care of herself, and there would be no one around to express concern about, or take advantage of, the fact that she was an unmarried, unescorted young woman.

Lizzy wandered to a park she and Jane had taken their young cousins to only a few days previously. They had found a litter of kittens and she meant to check on them.

As she approached the park, Lizzy heard the delighted shriek of a young girl, as well as the laughter of a man. She considered taking a lesser-known entrance so as not to disturb them, but shrugged the thought off. The park was a public one and anyone was welcome to be there at any point in time.

"Come back here!" the little girl giggled.

"You shall never catch me, dear one!"

Lizzy very nearly stumbled at a combination of the voice she heard and the scene she saw. None other than Mr. Darcy, dressed in clothes of decidedly lower quality than she would have supposed him to even own, was trotting about with a girl no older than six trailing after him. He allowed her to catch up to him, then snatched her up and swung her through the air as she squealed in joy.

"Miss Bennet!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed, finally noticing her standing at the entrance as he paused in spinning. He set the little girl down, who had immediately stopped smiling upon sighting Elizabeth, and bowed, as was expected of him.

"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth said awkwardly. "Pardon me, I had no intention of – "

"No, no, there is nothing to pardon," said Mr. Darcy. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat. "I was not aware you were in London."

"My sisters and I arrived several days ago," Elizabeth offered. "My youngest are to stay with the Longbottoms, and Jane and Mary with Mr. Bingley. I am with my aunt and uncle."

"Bingley's here also?" Mr. Darcy asked.

"He arrived yesterday," said Elizabeth. "I would imagine he will call on you before long."

"I – " Mr. Darcy started, then coughed and tried again. "I am not home to visitors, presently."

Elizabeth looked down at the little girl with blonde hair trying desperately to hide behind Mr. Darcy's form while clasping one of his hands. "I would imagine you would prefer spending time with your family to spending time with others," she said cautiously.

Mr. Darcy seemed to recall that his hand was occupied and smiled down at the girl behind him. "My sister, Georgiana," he said with evident pride. His smile faltered as he turned back to Elizabeth. "She is not comfortable around strangers."

Determined to show she had improved herself since their last encounter, Elizabeth swallowed heavily before saying, "How lucky she is to have such a caring brother, then, that will take her out for amusement at a time that will enable her to avoid that which makes her unhappy."

Mr. Darcy looked surprised for a moment, then allowed himself to smile warmly. Elizabeth thought the expression fit him rather well.

Elizabeth lowered herself to her knees, as she often did with her young Gardiner cousins, and spoke sweetly to the hiding girl. "Good morning, Miss Darcy. My name is Elizabeth. I go to school with your brother."

Georgiana poked her head around her brother's legs, clearly interested in the information Lizzy was offering.

Lizzy smiled in encouragement. "He and I have many classes together, as a matter of fact," she continued. "I should hope, Miss Darcy, that you would be willing to tell me some stories I might tease him with when he becomes exceedingly tedious."

Georgiana had dared so much as to take a step out from her hiding place and was blushing from the effort. She began twisting slightly, so her skirts wrapped around her one way, then the other. All the while, she kept a firm grip on her brother's hand.

Lizzy looked over both her shoulders and spoke lowly, as though telling a secret. "Tell me, Miss Darcy, do you like kittens?"

Georgiana's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

Lizzy had been about to offer to take the young girl to see the discovered litter, but Georgiana's eyes suddenly went wide. The girl froze for a moment, then her breathing began to quicken.

"Georgiana?" Mr. Darcy asked worriedly, lowering himself to be at her level and exactly in front of her. "What is the matter, dearest?"

Elizabeth quickly rose to her full height and turned so she might see what it was that had so frightened Georgiana. Though she only caught a glimpse of the man that had been watching them before he darted away, she was in no doubt of his identity.

When Elizabeth turned back to the Darcys, it was to see that Georgiana had begun to convulse where she stood. Though Mr. Darcy was doing his absolute best to calm her, she seemed not to hear him.

"Wickham," Elizabeth said.

Mr. Darcy's head whipped around, his eyes filled with rage. "Where?" he snarled.

"There," Elizabeth answered, pointing. "He's run off now."

Mr. Darcy looked between the entrance to the park and his sister, obviously torn.

Elizabeth was not sure how, but she knew that Georgiana's strange and dangerous behavior was linked to Wickham. She stepped to Georgiana's side and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Georgiana," she said soothingly. Encouraged by the fact that Georgiana turned an ear toward her, she continued. "Would you like to see those kittens?"

"Miss Bennet…" Mr. Darcy said tightly.

"Go. I will watch her," Elizabeth said without looking at him. After a moment's hesitation, she heard his boots beat a hasty exit.

Lizzy looked at the girl before her with great concern. Georgiana's eyes had rolled back in her head. She looked very much like Lizzy imagined a person possessed by a demon must.

Thinking of all the times Lizzy and her sisters had helped each other calm down from various fits simply by matching each other's breathing, Lizzy grabbed one of Georgiana's hands and put it to her collarbone before beginning to take deep, calculated breaths. "Georgiana, can you match me?"

It took another minute or so, but Georgiana's breathing began to even and her shaking turned merely to trembling. Her eyes, though still unfocused, returned to a normal position.

"There you are," Lizzy said, relieved and happy. "Would you like to see those kittens now?"

Georgiana was merely twitching by this point, and she put her hand into Lizzy's outstretched one. Before they could start moving, she planted her feet firmly and looked around.

"Your brother saw an old friend of his," Lizzy said in response to the girl's inquiring and concerned look. She did not consider herself to be lying. She did not, after all, say that the pair were still friends. "He shall be back very soon, I promise. Kittens cannot be of much consequence to a grown man, anyhow. We shall stay within view of the path. Is that acceptable?"

Georgiana gave a single nod, then allowed Lizzy to lead her away, though she constantly checked over her shoulder.


Damn it all! Darcy shouted in his mind. He had followed the direction Elizabeth indicated, but was forced to admit defeat after just a few minutes. There were any number of side streets or alleys Wickham could have taken to escape, and he had no desire to be any further away from Georgiana or Elizabeth than necessary.

How had Wickham gotten loose? He was supposed to be constantly under guard until heading out to Australia. Fitzwilliam had assured Darcy that Wickham's guard would be changed regularly to avoid Wickham forming any sort of relationship that would allow him to charm his way out. Darcy intended to exchange some very heated words with his cousin and whatever guards had failed in their duty, but first, he needed to secure Georgiana.

Upon returning to the park and not seeing Georgiana and Elizabeth exactly where he had left them, Darcy's panic nearly overwhelmed him. Some small, logical part of his brain miraculously managed to make itself heard. Elizabeth surely would not have gone far with his sister. Likely, she had simply taken Georgiana off the path so no one passing by would witness the girl's fit.

Darcy forged ahead on the park's trail, keenly scanning his surroundings for any hint of where Elizabeth had hidden away with Georgiana. He was most shocked to hear his sister's giggle and broke into a run until coming upon a scene which made all his worries disappear, if only for a moment.

Georgiana was seated on the ground, a great grin on her face, as kittens stumbled over her and let loose their most impressive meows. Though the kittens seemed to prefer Georgiana, the girl insisted on continually offering one or two to Elizabeth, who was sat just over a foot away, smiling contentedly in response to Georgiana's evident glee.

"Thank you, Miss Bennet, for looking after my sister," said Darcy to announce his presence.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," Elizabeth said as an answer. "She seems a delightful girl."

Darcy could not help but doubt Elizabeth's sincerity, considering what condition Georgiana was in when he left. He was deeply curious as to how Elizabeth had managed to calm his sister, but that was a question that would have to wait. "Georgiana, we must go," he said decidedly.

Georgiana looked pleadingly at her brother while holding a kitten close to her chest.

"I know you would like to play with the kittens more, dearest, but I'm afraid it's not possible," Darcy said gently, but firmly.

Georgiana huffed, but got to her feet. She gave each of the kittens a final pat before reattaching herself to her brother.

"Miss Bennet, please allow us to see you back to your aunt and uncle's," Darcy said, offering his arm. He was not about to let Elizabeth out of his sight with the likes of George Wickham roaming about with a chip on his shoulder. He expected a fight from her, but he was more than willing to engage in the battle and determined to win it.

Elizabeth surprised him greatly by saying, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy," and accepting his arm.

Darcy found himself immensely pleased with his current situation, despite the fear burning deep in his chest. He was certain he would never grow tired of having Georgiana on one side and Elizabeth on the other. He dared to let himself hope the experience might be repeated, and often, if he could just convince Elizabeth to give him another chance.

At the border between the park and the main street, Georgiana planted her feet and was clearly unwilling to go any further.

"He's gone, dearest," Darcy said.

Georgiana shook her head and looked around fearfully.

"I think, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth quietly, "that I should perhaps see myself back. Miss Darcy will certainly feel better inside her own home, and the sooner she can get there, the better."

"Miss Bennet, please!" Darcy burst as Elizabeth started to walk away.

Elizabeth turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Please," Darcy said in a more measured voice. "I should feel much more settled about this morning if I were to see you safely to your door."

Elizabeth simply looked at him for a long moment, and he began to fear she would go off without him, but she finally nodded.

Darcy pursed his lips as he looked down at his frozen sister. She would not move of her own volition, he was certain. Sighing and praying she would not scream in objection, he picked her up and settled her on his hip, encouraging her to hide her face in his shoulder. Mercifully, she did not fight her removal from the park in such a fashion.

"Forgive me for not offering you an arm," Darcy said as he brought himself even with Elizabeth.

"You are quite excused, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth. Using her skill that Darcy both admired and envied, she kept innocuous and easy conversation flowing their entire journey. Not once did she ask any questions about Wickham or about his sister's fit, nor did she at all reference their last interaction. He was entirely grateful.

Eventually, Elizabeth stopped in front of a well-kept house that was nearly in a fashionable part of town. "I hope the rest of your day is more peaceful than your morning, Mr. Darcy," she said politely, and made to turn toward the door.

"Might I call on you tomorrow?" Darcy asked quickly before his courage could fail. "I – I should like the chance to explain a few things."

"There is nothing you need to explain, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy disagreed with every fiber of his being, but managed to reply humbly, "You are perfectly within your right to refuse me, Miss Bennet, but I hope you will give me an opportunity."

Elizabeth thought for several moments, during which time her eyes wandered to Georgiana tucked against Darcy's chest multiple times, before consenting. "I will make sure we are home to receive visitors."

Before Darcy could truly let himself feel relieved, he needed one more assurance. "Miss Bennet," he said, stopping her progression toward the house once more, "I know it is not my place to make such a request of you, but please consider staying on your relative's property for the time being."

Elizabeth, for what must be at least the dozenth time that morning, surprised him by smiling lightly. "I think I will," she said. "Today's adventure was enough for a few days, at least."

After watching the door shut when Elizabeth entered her uncle's house, Darcy hailed the first cab he came across and took it to his Aunt and Uncle Matlock's. Fitzwilliam had yet to leave his parents' for the barracks after the holiday, and so Darcy would be able to cross several items off his to do list at once.

Darcy first resettled Georgiana in her room at the Matlock's and made arrangements so she would not be unsupervised by a person he deemed trustworthy at any point in time. When questioned by his aunt as to why Georgiana was to be guarded with such diligence, Darcy said it was only for a few days and begged that he not be asked more questions. His aunt, though very clearly displeased, assented and left to tend her niece.

Next, Darcy prowled through the house until coming across Fitzwilliam in the billiards room. He slammed the door, then ripped the pool cue from his cousin's hand and demanded to know why Wickham was running amuck in the streets of London. Fitzwilliam, immediately filled with just as much rage as Darcy, declared he had no idea what happened, but promised he would find out.

"At least now he can be punished for desertion!" Fitzwilliam had said with relish as he shoved his feet back into the boots he had abandoned in a corner of the room. He left without any further ceremony.

Anxious and restless, Darcy hurried back to his own house and summoned a variety of people to him. Fitzwilliam, he knew, would assure all Wickham's magical means of remaining hidden would be systematically eliminated. It fell to Darcy to tend to any Muggle means, and he did so with a vengeance. With any moments not spent on the search for Wickham, Darcy practiced his skill with either a foil or a fake wand. He would not allow himself to be caught unawares in any situation.

The moment acceptable visiting hours began the following day, Darcy got onto his horse and took off down the streets of London.


Author's Note

Whew! Long chapter for you today. I hope you enjoyed! Please share your thoughts in a review or PM. I'm anxious to know your first impressions of little Georgiana.