Chapter 26
Pemberley
December 25th, 1811
"Brother!" Georgiana shouted as she jumped on Darcy's bed. "Merry Christmas!"
Darcy groggily moaned. "Georgiana, it cannot be a decent hour. Go back to bed."
"But it is after 10! You usually do not sleep so late -- well, you have, since you have been back," Georgiana replied
Darcy reached for his pocket watch on the bedside table. The time read 10 o'clock. It had taken him hours to fall asleep, with thoughts running rampant through his mind. How had he slept for so long?
"Georgie, I shall be downstairs shortly, but I need to get dressed," Darcy said, shooing away his younger sister.
Darcy rang for his valet. His valet, Mr. Reid, brought water for him to wash his face, then quickly shaved and dressed Mr. Darcy.
Darcy was walking down the steps, when he heard an unexpected voice screaming at his staff. Darcy hurried to the sound, as much as he wanted to go back upstairs and hide from his unwanted guest. His family was gathered in the drawing room, along with the source of the wretched noise.
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked amused by her behavior, while the Matlocks looked bored of her. Georgiana was silently looking around, trying to not draw attention to herself.
"Lady Catherine." Darcy greeted his aunt and nodded at his Cousin Anne, as he entered the room.
"Darcy! How dare you have a family gathering without inviting your betrothed and her family?" Lady Catherine said.
Darcy rolled his eyes. "I am not betrothed to Anne, nor will I ever be."
"So it is true? I have just come from Hertfordshire where I encountered that rude girl, the one who has you smitten. Have you made her an offer?"
Everyone looked at Darcy except Anne. Aunt Eleanor narrowed her eyes, and Uncle Lewis furrowed his brow. Fitzwilliam quickly bit back a laugh, while Georgiana looked at the occupants of the room with wide eyes.
"Hertfordshire? What girl?" Darcy demanded, trying to figure out how Lady Catherine could have possibly found out about Elizabeth, if that is who she even found out about.
"That Elizabeth Bennet, who would not deny your relationship, even when I demanded answers," Lady Catherine cried. "You have obviously been taken in by a fortune hunter!"
"Lady Catherine! Enough! Who told you this?" Darcy exclaimed.
"My parson, Mr. Collins," Lady Catherine admitted smugly. "Now: you will break your engagement--"
"There is no engagement!" Darcy shouted in frustration.
"Then why would she not tell me this? That insolent girl! " Lady Catherine said, confused. "I offered her money and she refused! What sort of girl is she? Is she too stupid to see that the money I offered her would give her an opportunity for a better match?"
"I do not pretend to think I know anything about her, but why would she tell her personal affairs to a complete stranger, who entered her home uninvited and started making demands?" Mr. Darcy replied sardonically. Why on earth did she turn down his Aunt's money? Did she still think she had a chance with him? It did not make any sense.
Lord Matlock, regaining his senses, finally interfered. "Catherine, stop this madness now! Darcy has never been and never will be betrothed to Anne. It was not our sister's desire. This engagement between the two of them is merely a figment of your imagination."
Lady Catherine turned to her brother and barked, "How could you not support this match! It is a splendid match."
"Splendid, but there is a better one on the table," Lord Matlock replied.
"Who?!" Lady Catherine hissed.
"Lord Tillington's niece."
"You want him to marry into that nouveau riche family? We can trace our ancestry back to William the Conqueror!" Lady Catherine exclaimed.
"And Lord Tillington is a favorite of Lord Grey. And his son will probably be our Prime Minister in the near future," Lord Matlock replied.
"I will not stand for this!" Lady Catherine shouted.
Lewis stood up and walked over to his sister, gave her a menacing look, and started speaking in a low growl. "You will! I am head of this family. I will sever all ties with you and Anne will never be able to make a good match if I do." Lewis turned to his wife and she nodded her head before he made his next statement. "But if you behave, Eleanor will sponsor Anne for a season."
Lady Catherine, froze. She had to use the Matlock name to get her way, quite a few times. It would not do, to lose that connection. Finally she pouted and nodded her acquiescence.
Mr. Reynolds came in and announced Viscount and Viscountess Lennox.
Darcy's eldest cousin along with his wife entered the room. Lennox took a survey of the room, eyes resting on Lady Catherine and asked, "What did we miss?"
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Georgiana knew her brother had been out of sorts lately and she finally had a lead on the cause of his behavior. Elizabeth Bennet. He scarcely mentioned her in one of his letters. She recalled the letter where he mentioned her sister fell ill and she was staying at Netherfield for her care. She thought nothing of it because he never mentioned her again. That should have been the first sign. He never mentioned her falling all over herself trying to gain his attention or flirting with him, like Miss Bingley. William always mentioned those women for her amusement. But this Elizabeth Bennet was not mentioned again, which must mean she did not flirt with her brother.
Single women all fell over her brother. Some even tried to use her to get to him; it was through those experiences she became quite aware of how to spot a fake friend. She learned to keep her new friends away from her brother at every turn, inviting them out for trips and walks in Hyde Park. Some would go along with it for a while, but then they would press for invitations to dinner, and try to make calls to catch her brother at home. Eventually they would all give up. That is why she has no friends of her own age; she longs for a sister, someone she can confide in. Her brother was most attentive, but there were some things only a woman, a sister, would understand.
In order to get information on this Elizabeth Bennet, she knew the perfect person to approach. She was one of two people who were not surprised by the mention of an engagement. She found her target sitting in the gardens with Anne.
"Aunt Eleanor, Anne," Georgie greeted.
"Georgiana, I was just talking to Anne, trying to figure out when she should have her season."
"Are you well enough for a season, cousin Anne?"
"I am, but as I was explaining to Aunt Eleanor, I have no wish to participate in the season, nor to find a husband." Anne stated.
Georgiana stared at her cousin with her mouth agape.
She quickly closed it and asked, "Why ever not?"
"I have a weaker constitution, a man tends to want an heir. I probably would not survive childbirth," Anne said nonchalantly.
Aunt Eleanor looked at Anne and took her hand. "So, what do you want, dear?"
Anne looked wide-eyed at her Aunt. No one had ever asked her for her opinion -- she was used to being ignored. She cleared her throat and began. "I turn thirty next year, and I will be able to have control of Rosings. I would like to run the estate, and have friends come over for a party."
"That's all?" Eleanor asked in surprise.
"Yes, for now. I may like to travel and visit Paris, after the war is over," Anne replied. She turned to Georgiana. "I hope we may become friends." She held her head down. "I never tried to befriend you, because I did not want my mother to use our friendship to pressure Darcy into proposing."
Georgiana hugged her cousin. "I would love to get to know you better! I do not have many friends because they always try to use me to meet William."
Anne hugged Georgiana back. Aunt Eleanor joined in on the embrace.
"Now Georgiana, what brings you out here?" Aunt Eleanor asked.
Georgiana blushed. Her Aunt had a sixth sense about these things. "I wanted to ask you what you know about Elizabeth Bennet."
Eleanor looked at Georgiana, studying her face. Georgiana was uncomfortable, but determined to get answers. Eleanor replied with the little information she knew. "Your brother told me of his feelings for a woman in Hertfordshire, but I did not know her name until your Aunt mentioned it. He told me it ended when he found out she was after his money."
Anne looked at her Aunt in confusion. "That cannot possibly be true. She turned down my mother's money when she demanded they end their engagement. If they are not engaged, why did she not just take the money from my mother?"
"I believe there is more to the story, but I was reluctant to push Darcy because of the state he was in. Anne, you are the only one to have met the girl. What is your opinion?" Eleanor questioned.
"She is very brave and commands respect. Miss Bennet openly censured my mother after Mother insulted her," Anne said in admiration.
"She opposed Lady Catherine?" Eleanor said, schooling her voice to be indifferent and hide her surprise. A skill she picked up among the Ton.
Georgiana heard this statement and knew that she was the woman her brother needed in his life and the sister she wanted. "There must have been a misunderstanding between her and my brother."
"Darcy seemed quite sure of himself, Georgiana. She might not be who you think she is," Eleanor responded.
"We shall see," Georgiana replied, walking away to interrogate the next person who could give her answers.
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"Fitzwilliam!" Georgiana called after she saw her cousin heading to the kitchens.
"Georgiana," He greeted.
"May I accompany you?" Georgiana asked.
Richard responded affirmatively, curious about what his cousin wanted. He stared at his young charge expectantly.
She refused to look over and kept walking in silence.
Finally, he asked her, "Is there something I can do for you?"
Georgiana looked at him, smiling. "Yes, there is actually."
Richard grimaced. She duped him. He walked into her trap. "Go on," he gruffed.
"What happened between my brother and Elizabeth Bennet?" Georgiana asked with narrowed eyes.
Richard sighed. He thought hid his knowledge of certain events well, but apparently not well enough. "This is a question you should ask him."
"Oh, you know as well as I do that he will never tell me," Georgiana complained. "If I never told you something was wrong with him, you would not know either."
Richard grumbled at her speech. He could tell by her tone that she knew she was correct. "Fine, but not a word of this gets back to your brother."
He lead the way and began walking to the gallery room to give them privacy from everyone. Georgiana sat on a bench next to the portrait of her parents. Richard stood across from her and began pacing. "I shall tell you the majority of the story, but there is a part of it not fit for a young lady's ears."
"But--" Georgiana started.
Richard cut her off. "That is final or you shall not hear a word."
Georgiana pouted and nodded her acquiescence.
Richard started the story with Darcy's insult and her rude remark.
Georgiana was in awe of her ability to stand up to her intimidating brother and commented on it.
Richard laughed. He thought the same when Darcy was telling him. He warned Georgiana not to interrupt him too many times, so they could get through the story before someone came looking for them.
As he got to Wickham's part of the story, he frowned and froze. He had forgotten about the scoundrel's part in this. Was she ready to hear this? It had taken her a long time to recover from him. She was just getting back to normal.
Georgiana was staring at him. "Why did you stop?"
"There is another part of this story that I am not sure if you should hear," Richard said honestly.
"Why ever not?" Georgiana asked.
"It is about someone who hurt you," Richard said, trying not to say too much. He looked at her. She had her fists clenched and her nose was crinkled at his statement.
"Wickham? I believe not telling me what happened with him years ago was the cause of problem the last time," Georgiana sneered.
Richard was taken aback by her words. Not telling her the last time was a mistake. "You are correct. I shall not make the same mistake twice." He continued with the story up until the end of the ball, and then told her Bingley left the next day.
"So she disappeared at the ball, and he could not convince her Wickham is a liar. But why does he think she was after his money?" Georgiana asked her older cousin. Richard frowned and shook his head. "Whatever you cannot tell me is the reason he thinks she is after his money, right?" She inquired.
Richard nodded.
She rolled her eyes. She had romance novels and was quite certain she knew a great many things and innocent lady of the fairer sex, should not.
"Thank you for your explanation. It has given me much to reflect on." Georgiana walked away to her room to be alone and try and figure out what made her brother think Elizabeth was a fortune-hunter.
She laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Then it dawned on her -- Wickham! He had been after money when he proposed to her. Her brother had to have found out they were working together; they had to be lovers and her brother caught them together! That's why Richard could not tell her! Her poor brother... all the pain of finding out the woman he loved was using him. But one thing that did not make sense was Elizabeth not taking her Aunt's money. Surely, if she were working with Wickham, £5,000 would have been enough for them to be together. Wickham probably left her after the scheme failed and she wanted to protect her reputation. Yes, that had to be it! Good riddance. She could help her brother in the same way he helped her.
Shortly after her revelation, the dinner bell rang. She went downstairs to join her family for holiday festivities. This would be terrible to miss, after today's revelations.
AN: Detective Georgiana! These Darcys I tell you! But that's what happens when you hear one side of a biased story. It's like an unfortunate game of telephone. In case their was any confusion, Fitzwilliam did not tell Gigi of the attempted compromise on Darcy, but told her everything else he knew, she drew her own conclusion, in place of an explanation.
