Jane and I slowly eased out of the dining room and back up the stairs to our bedroom.

"You are quite sure that Lydia is at Netherfield?" Jane asked, once the door was shut securely behind us.

"You said she was here this morning and that after you received the news she disappeared, correct?" I asked, needing to double-check the facts before I made a definite conclusion.

"Correct," Jane replied, still appearing confused. "I do not doubt what you are saying Lizzy, my only question is why? What on earth would Lydia want at Netherfield?"

I could only shrug helplessly. "The only thing we can do now is go to Netherfield to find out," I proposed.

Jane looked uneasy suddenly, "Lizzy. . . . ," she began.

I looked at her and suddenly realized what was wrong. "Oh, Jane. I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking. Of course you don't have to go to Netherfield. I will go," I hastened to assuage her worries.

"Thank you," Jane breathed out gratefully. "I have truly moved on, Lizzy, but that does not mean that I wish to see him again."

I nodded, "That is perfectly fine."

We heard another shriek from downstairs and Mrs. Bennet's distinct scream of, "Jane!"

Jane looked at me and I almost wanted to cry at the mixture of sadness, apprehension, and confusion in her eyes. Impulsively, I reached out and hugged her.

"Thank you," she repeated, when I leaned back again. Then she smiled and began to walk toward the door.

"I will return as soon as I can," I promised.

Once Jane was gone, I looked about the room, a bit unsure of how to proceed. I would need one of the horses, or perhaps even a carriage. Or would I . . . ? I looked out the window at the beautiful, warm summer day.

The clock downstairs began to tone, and I glanced quickly at the smaller clock on the mantel and gave a start. It was one o'clock! I had slept until noon! I thought about it for a moment and then realized how truly late we must have arrived at Netherfield the night before and then even later here to Longbourn.

I walked slowly out of the room and down the stairs to where Mrs. Bennet, Jane, and Lydia were gathered in the sitting room, surrounded by ribbons, which were draped over everything.

Jane saw my approach, gracefully extricated herself from the mass of ribbon that she was covered in, and made her way to my side. I didn't move from the doorway, for I was honestly frightened that I might somehow get pulled into the middle of it all. The tangle of ribbons looked capable of strangling someone.

"How far is it to Longbourn?" I whispered to Jane.

"Approximately three miles," she murmured back.

I smiled my thanks and she returned to her mother and sister. Three miles, that was not too bad. I could walk that distance easily, and, I decided, I would do just that.

I didn't bother to put on a hat of any sort. The sun was warm and wonderful, and there was a slight warm breeze as well. It was a truly beautiful day, and I wasn't about to let my face be shaded from it. I had been cooped up inside of houses, carriages, and a ball for far too long.

I walked briskly in the direction of Netherfield. I had asked one of the servant boys in the yard the best way to get there. He pointed and told me to just walk straight in that direction until I reached the house and that I couldn't miss it.

The grounds were beautiful with large trees dotting the rolling hill, which was full of lush green grass and many types of wildflowers. I found myself forgetting my troubles for a few moments, and just enjoyed the scenery.

I had walked perhaps two of the three miles when I saw a house in the distance. As I drew closer, I realized that manor was probably a more proper term for it. I had not had enough time to properly look at Netherfield the night before and I had honestly been far too tired to care anyway. It was grand, not nearly as grand as Pemberley, but still massive and much nicer than Longbourn.

When I finally reached the walkway that led up to the house, I found myself unsure of how to go about this. Should I go up to the door and ask to see Darcy, or should I go in a servants back door and try to find him myself? Either prospect seemed quite daunting, and I found myself searching for a third option.

I was saved the trouble of deciding however, when I saw three figures come around the side of the house and walk swiftly toward the garden. They seemed tense and they did not walk as a group out for a stroll, but rather leaned away from each other as though uncomfortable. I ducked behind a large trimmed bush and peeked around it.

Finally, they drew close enough for me to recognize Darcy and Lydia. And then, with a shock, I realized that the third person was none other than Caroline Bingley. This was getting ridiculous, and quite suspicious. They turned then and disappeared behind the hedge. I didn't even think twice about darting across the gardens to follow them.

I didn't have to look far before I heard loud voices in a heated argument.

"I thought I had made this clear, Darcy," someone said, "that if you didn't stay in America like you promised, that I would reveal everything to all of society."

It had to be Caroline, for it certainly wasn't Darcy, and it wasn't Lydia's usual whiny voice.

"I don't care about what you are going to or not going to tell them, Caroline," I heard Darcy say angrily. I was shocked at how furious he sounded. I had never heard him sound that mad before. I decided that where I was crouched was good enough. I could hear just fine and didn't want to risk being caught.

"This is going to end now," Darcy continued, "I am sick of your petty blackmailing."

"Petty?!" Caroline screeched, "I could ruin you, William Darcy! I could ruin your little bastard niece as well. And don't think I won't!"

"Let me get this clear, Caroline," Darcy growled out, "I do not care what you say. You cannot touch me, or Georgie. And if you go through with it, I will just as easily ruin you by revealing all of your little conniving schemes. What do you think Charles will have to think about that?"

"What about me?" Lydia pipped up then, "Caroline, I am getting sick of this. You said that if they stayed in America, I would have Wickham all to myself. Wickham is here, but now so is Darcy! So now where do we stand?"

"Listen, you little chit," Caroline hissed, "I don't care what happens between you and Wickham. In fact, I think he will just as soon ruin you and then leave you the first chance he gets. Do not forget that you were in on this from the first, so do not even think about crying to your father. Not that he would be able to do anything anyway."

I was now shaking, but I couldn't tell if it was from anger, shock, or confusion. Caroline blackmailing Darcy? Over Georgie? That made sense, yes, but then how did Lydia fit in? What she said about getting Wickham didn't quite fit into any of it.

They were moving away then, and I had to creep behind two more hedges before I could finally hear them properly again.

". . . more wealth and backings, and much less to lose than either of you," Darcy was saying in a low, dangerous voice. "So you will both be quiet, don't forget that your hands are not exactly clean in this matter either."

I heard an outraged huff, presumably from Caroline, and then I saw her stomping angrily away. That meant that Lydia and Darcy were still there . . . alone. I chided myself; where did that thought come from? Why on earth would I worry about that?

"I'm sorry, Darcy," I heard Lydia say softly, and I once again strained to hear them clearly.

"Sorry for what exactly, Lydia?" Darcy asked tensely.

"For . . . for everything. I loved Georgiana as a sister, you know that. I never meant to hurt her, or her child. I just thought . . ."

"You thought that you could still convince Wickham to love you, even after what he did to Georgiana, the girl whom you presumably loved as a sister," Darcy spat out, throwing her words back at her.

There was dead silence and then I heard Lydia exhale a shaky breath, "Yes," she murmured miserably. I heard her begin to walk away and saw her take the same path out of the garden as Caroline had.

I sat there for several more minutes as I had not heard Darcy move either. Finally, I stood up and walked around the two hedges that were separating us. He was sitting on a stone bench and looked up suddenly, startled at my approach.

I kept my expression carefully blank as I asked him, "Perhaps you would care to tell me what exactly is going on?"

He sighed and motioned for me to sit next to him. I did but kept my back straight and sat as far from him as I could. I could not afford to be swayed by his touch until I knew the whole truth.

"Georgiana and Lydia have been . . . were always friends. They were always together, always inseparable. We spent almost every summer here at Netherfield, without the Bingleys, though. That is how they met and they became fast friends instantly," Darcy paused a moment, and I sat quietly while he gathered his thoughts.

"Wickham and I grew up together, my father treated him like a son, loved him like a son. And he was a brother to me. He was my closest friend. He came with me to Netherfield one summer and both Lydia and Georgiana fell in love with him. I believe that Georgiana had been harboring an admiration for him for quite a while, but she never truly let it show until then. At first everything was fine, the two girls continued to remain close. But at one ball, something was different. They both seemed to be competing for Wickham. I could see how they would talk and laugh with him, and then look at the other, as though they were trying to outdo each other and try to win his affection.

"At first, I thought nothing of it, and Wickham laughed at it with me, and said he agreed with me that it was just a silly attraction that would soon pass. But it didn't pass and then things happened so very quickly. Suddenly, Wickham was apparently returning Georgiana's affection, and Lydia went back to Longbourn. Then . . ." Darcy trailed off, and then shook his head violently before continuing.

"Then suddenly Wickham was demanding Georgiana's dowry so that they might marry. She was only fifteen years old, and I said no. I was truly shocked; it was so far from what I thought his feelings to be. Then Georgiana came to me one day, innocently proclaiming that she and Wickham were going to elope and that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew then that Wickham was after Georgiana's fortune, and I went to him and told him that he wouldn't receive a penny of it if he married her. And then he was gone, and Georgiana was heartbroken. I was furious at him and swore to Georgiana that I would never let him hurt her again.

"At first, everything was fine, but then about two months later it fell apart again. Georgiana told me that she was pregnant, that Wickham had seduced her and told her that they would get married. At first I was angry at her and even more so at him. But then I realized that the blame lay directly on Wickham's shoulders.

"I told Georgiana that I would take care of her, and that it would be all right. She was so frightened and so ashamed. I tried to comfort her, but she would have none of it. About a month after that, she began to show and there was nothing we could do to hide her condition. We faked an illness, told everyone that she had come down with a terrible cold, and had to be confined to her rooms," he paused again and buried his face into his hands before raking his fingers through his hair and taking a deep breath before continuing once again.

"We managed to keep her from the public for five more months, but then, when she was just eight months pregnant, the baby arrived prematurely. The birth was horrible, she bled so much. The midwife and doctors said that the baby was not in the right position and it took them hours to get it turned around. The whole while, Georgiana was bleeding heavily, and growing weaker, and she was in so much pain," his voice cracked and he steadied it.

"And then, finally, Georgie was born. Georgiana was able to hold her, and she told me to take care of the baby. I promised her that I would, right before . . . she died."

He stopped again, but this time didn't begin again for several moments. I felt my resolve weakening considerably. I wanted to hug him and hold him, but I knew that I had to hear the rest of it before I could.

"Lydia was with Georgina through the whole pregnancy. I believed that for the time being they laid aside their differences and jealousies, and I am grateful for that. Georgiana needed Lydia, and Lydia was kind and considerate enough to give her the support that she needed. After the baby was born, however, Lydia went back to Longbourn.

"When Georgiana became pregnant, it was early fall, in September. We had kept the house at Netherfield for an extra month that year. The following spring, in April while Georgiana was in her seventh month, the Bingleys asked if they might take out Netherfield for the spring months. At that time, they were unaware of Georgiana's true condition. I gave them permission to do so, and that is how Jane and Charles became acquainted.

"That may not seem relevant, but I am getting there. A month later, in May after Georgie was born and Lydia returned to Longbourn, she became acquainted with Caroline Bingley. I believe that Lydia was shook up over everything that had happened, and she wanted to be able to talk to someone about it. She was not always as flighty and silly as you see her to be. She used to be a very pleasant girl. I also believe that Caroline wanted to know what was happening here at Pemberley so she befriended Lydia, and Lydia told her everything.

"Caroline, for a reason I still cannot fathom, tried to convince Lydia that if she could still marry Wickham they would raise Georgie and be a happy family. Lydia believed her and believing that I would think it to be wonderful news, immediately rushed to tell me all about it." Darcy paused again at that and laughed dryly.

"It was then that I realized that I couldn't let Georgie become exposed to the ridicule of society. I stayed at Pemberley until Georgie was about six months old, trying to hid her from the ridicule of society. Then, with Fitzwilliam's help, I moved to America. I wanted Georgie as far away from Wickham as possible, and far away from Caroline and Lydia. It was during that first month in America that I received my first letter from Caroline.

"It was a blackmail letter. She demanded that I send her money. And she threatened to tell everyone of Georgiana's shame if I didn't. My family's reputation was not important to me at that point, but I didn't want Georgiana's name specifically to become tarnished as ridiculed. As far as anyone else was concerned, she died after a long battle with an illness. So the easiest thing to do at that point was send Caroline the money.

"That went on for a few months. By then, I had finally acquired a real job, and finding that I liked it, decided to procure a babysitter for Georgie. And that is when I sent Fitzwilliam to purchase you."

He stopped then and stared at the grass, lost in his memories. I sat there, frozen in shock. That was far more than I had expected, and I honestly didn't know quite what to think.

"And that is all?" I asked.

"As far as I am aware, that is all," he replied.

"As far as you are aware?" I asked.

"I do not know what goes through Caroline's head, or sometimes even Bingley's for that matter. Or yours, especially right now I wish I knew what you were thinking. What you think of me . . . you heard everything that we said earlier, didn't you?"

I nodded and finally looked him in the eye. Then, slowly, I slid across the bench and laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, and we leaned heavily against one another.

"I don't think ill of you," I murmured, "I think you did the right thing.

"Thank you, Lizzy," he replied, and then he hesitantly leaned down.

I smiled as I stretched up to kiss him. It was soft and felt nice. Suddenly we heard footsteps, and someone came around the hedge and stood in front of us. We broke apart, and even though I tried to leap up, Darcy didn't let go of my hand. We were caught, and I squinted up into the face of . . .

"Ah ha!" exclaimed a triumphant Caroline Bingley.