Thank you to everyone who reviewed this. I'm hoping to get the entire thing up fairly quickly - it may not be hugely long. :)
"I thought I would find you in here."
Georgiana fought hard not to visibly jump at the intrusion – she had become pretty engrossed within the tale inside the pages. Still, she should have known better than to think that she would be left entirely alone until she chose to rejoin company.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Her brother had such a genuine look of worry and compassion that it almost made her feel bad for being so angry at him before. It occurred to her that he hadn't even thought to ask her about her supposed headache. He knew her well enough to see through such a ruse.
Georgiana paused for a moment, wondering whether she should refuse, wondering how her brother would respond. There was something in his eyes though that stopped her – it was almost as if he didn't expect her to confide in him. There had been such a distance between them recently – entirely her fault of course. She would be the first to admit that.
"Do you admire Miss Elizabeth?"
The words were quiet – not even entirely what she had expected herself to say. She couldn't help but watch for his response intently though. She truly did want to know.
"I..." Her brother blinked slowly before trying again. Most of all, his attempt endeared him to her. In the great majority of circumstances, Fitzwilliam wouldn't have said anything – or he would have said something inane to get everyone else to leave him alone. "She..."
His meaning was clear enough even if he couldn't – or wouldn't – enunciate it. "How could you be so cruel by her?"
Fitzwilliam looked startled. Georgiana hadn't raised her voice, but she could tell that it was her words which had caused the impact, not the way she had said them. "What do you mean?" His voice was curt, but Georgiana trusted she knew him well enough to recognise his well disguised confusion.
"You said that the Miss Bennets should be turned away for their lack of connections and money...!"
She sounded so much more exasperated than she had thought she would. Her brother stood in stupefied silence. He still seemed almost baffled.
"You agreed with Miss Bingley?!" Her brother opened his mouth as though to object, and Georgiana found herself unable to let him. She couldn't stop, not now, the thoughts were tumbling through her head, and she feared, if she couldn't say them, she might explode. "You sounded like Aunt Catherine..." Surely that could mean something to him. "She always disapproved of Mother's match – or so I presume..."
"That's different." Her brother broke in. The thought of their parents was enough to stir a response. Darcy had always felt that their Aunt's reaction to that union resulted more from spite, than any concrete matter of standing.
"How so?" She snapped back. "Because she was rich and titled, and he was less so? Instead of the genders being the other way around?"
"No of course not..."
"Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth are the daughters of a gentleman..." She could feel tears building up inside her and she was helpless to stop them. She couldn't truly explain why she cared. "You said yourself that they were my equals..."
"I didn't..."
"Miss Bingley is infinitely closer to George than they could ever be..." She gasped as the words left her mouth, great shuddering silent sobs racking her body.
"Georgie..." Fitzwilliam had moved closer towards her, his hands reaching out to draw her into an embrace. "I didn't mean to hurt you..." The door swung open even as he finished, and Miss Elizabeth entered stopping as soon as she saw the pair.
"I'm sorry." She sounded almost breathless. "I didn't mean to intrude." Both she and Fitzwilliam failed to respond. "I was looking for the others..." She sounded almost awkward now.
Georgiana looked to her brother, expecting him to be courteous – he almost always was. But instead he was staring at the poor woman with something akin to awe and shock. He seemed almost as unable to talk to her as he was to talk about her. He had always been better at expressing himself in letters, or when he was truly comfortable. Georgiana would have to find some way to figure out that conundrum later.
"We have stayed away from our host for too long too, I think..." She managed to say, forcing her body to behave and taking courage in her brother's silent presence beside her. She could do this for him if nothing else. "Perhaps we could try to find our way back together?"
.
Elizabeth waited a while before she spoke to the girl beside her as they did as she had bid. She couldn't help but be a little confused – Miss Darcy seemed so shy and nervous. She struggled to speak, but then again Elizabeth was almost certain she had caught the tail ends of a conversation in which the young girl had been shouting at her elder brother.
A small glance showed that Miss Darcy seemed to have withdrawn once more – and since the girl was one of the few who seemed to have even made an attempt at friendship with her here at Netherfield. Elizabeth wasn't sure she wanted to throw that away.
"Are you well, Miss Darcy?"Elizabeth tried to smile as she asked the question, but she wasn't sure if the lady in question even noticed.
"Of course," the girl finally turned to Elizabeth, and no matter how many years her senior she was, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that Georgiana was already as tall as her. No doubt she would grow to be tall as her brother was. "Although, you must call me Georgie – or Georgiana, if you wish..." There was the tiniest moment of hesitation as she glanced at her brother, but then her smile returned in full force. "For we can hardly be friends if we stand on such formality."
Elizabeth replied in kind, but she still worried for her young friend – if she was allowed to call her as such, under such a short acquaintance. "I do not mean to pry Georgie; I just wish to ensure you are well – you looked so discomposed when I entered the library..."
"No, indeed..."Georgiana's eyes had switched back to her feet, but still she spoke her words coming evenly, if quiet. "My brother and I had a disagreement – I fear he has not been happy with me recently, and, I..." She paused for a second, as though it took her courage to go on. "I think I may have just made it worse..."
The pair continued in companionable quietness, both incredibly aware of the proximity of the elder Darcy sibling near behind them – and both conscious of his opinions of them. They would likely have been highly surprised to find that he was spending his time more agreeably – contemplating the great thing that a close friendship between his sister and the openly vivacious Miss Bennet might bring.
The party entered the drawing-room with little ceremony but immediately gained the attention of all of the room's previous inhabitants. They were quickly invited to join in the game – but Elizabeth, guessing that they were predominantly addressing the Darcys politely declined, in favour of a book. She was moderately surprised as Georgiana followed her lead, and Mr Darcy was left with nothing to do other than to join them. Elizabeth would have to assume that that was a choice of his, as she hadn't seen him with any of the kind of manners that would have otherwise pressed him into such a decision.
Georgiana was quick to select a book, but slower to actually read. Elizabeth was fairly certain that Miss Darcy was simply staring at the pages, but she was hesitant to bring it up. They were not left in peace for long in any case.
"Do you prefer reading to cards?" Elizabeth was surprised to find that Mr Hurst had addressed her once more – for a second she thought he was almost interested by her reply. "That is rather singular." The moment passed fairly quickly.
"Miss Eliza Bennet," Elizabeth struggled not to cringe at the name. "Despises cards." There was a moment's pause while Miss Bingley peered across; Lizzy was certain she had only narrowly escaped more scathing comments, because the other woman seemed to notice Georgiana for the first time. "Miss Darcy will you not join us?"
Miss Darcy managed to express in a meek and quiet voice that she was more than happy to remain as she was.
Miss Bingley was only deterred in conversation for the smallest of moments. A glance was cast between each of the Darcy siblings, as though she were deciding which best to approach, before she spoke to the younger girls – albeit fleetingly. "Well I do hope that our collection serves..." The words were almost those which Elizabeth would have expected from a generous host. "I am always astonished..." she turned her gaze back towards Mr Darcy, fluttering her eyes in a way that she must have thought made her look attractive – perhaps Mr Darcy agreed. Elizabeth's attention was quickly diverted from the conversation.
"Do you suppose that she ever gets bored?" Georgiana spoke quietly – almost conspiratorially. "She seems to compliment Pemberley so frequently I can't help but wonder..." Georgiana's eyes were fixed on her brother, so Elizabeth supposed she couldn't have seen the small smile that Elizabeth gave her. "It's just so strange..." The younger girl's attention switched back to Elizabeth. "I know I am being uncharitable, but someone has to be..."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth hadn't meant to ask, but she'd hardly felt as though she had a choice in her words by the time she spoke. Georgiana had unintentionally completely stirred up Elizabeth's curiosity.
"My brother dislikes her intensely..." Miss Darcy confided, her voice little more than a murmur. Elizabeth almost had to strain to discern her meaning. "He is simply too polite to rebuff her properly, and too good a friend to Mr Bingley to avoid her efficiently."
Elizabeth was taken back for a second. The thought that Mr Darcy could be polite or a good friend seemed so strange an idea that it took her a moment to even account for Georgie's bias as his sister. She was saved from the necessity of replying by Miss Bingley suddenly pulling Miss Darcy back into the conversation.
"Miss Darcy, I am so glad to see you again! I scarcely ever meet with anybody who delights me so much." Her smile was attempting to endear Georgiana to her no doubt, but Miss Darcy seemed more inclined to shrink back into herself at the sudden attention. "I am still in raptures over that beautiful little design for a table. I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley's. You are so exquisitely accomplished!"
"It is amazing to me," Mr Bingley seemed to sense Georgiana's hesitation to reply, for he cast a careful glance at their young guest as he spoke. "How young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."
Miss Bingley's reply was as eager as any, and Elizabeth's attention was momentarily drawn away by Miss Darcy's fast excuses as she chose to retire.
"I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance that are really accomplished." Elizabeth only caught the end of Mr Darcy's speech, but she could already tell that she didn't like it. She could hardly imagine how such a man could have such a sweet sister.
Miss Bingley hastily agreed with Mr Darcy, and as was Elizabeth's nature, she struggled to stay quiet.
"Then, you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."
Mr Darcy made some agreeing statement, but there was something about the way he said it that caught Elizabeth by surprise – perhaps it was the smallest flicker as she realised that what Georgiana had said was true – at least in part. Mr Darcy seemed almost to prefer speaking to her than to Miss Bingley. And that had to say something of his opinion of the latter.
Miss Bingley's litany of virtues wound to a stop, Elizabeth had only leant it half an ear, quickly discerning that it was virtually impossible to accomplish – simply attaining music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to a high enough level would be hard enough on its own without Miss Bingley's talk of airs and graces.
"All this she must possess," Added Darcy, unknowingly making Elizabeth re-evaluate her more recent thoughts. "And to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading." He looked her as he spoke, as though this would have some great meaning to her – Elizabeth could only suppose he meant to remind her of her great inferiority.
It was a pity then that her courage only ever rose when she was intimidated.
"I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."
"Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"
Elizabeth didn't have time to check her answer – to consider what he would expect her to say and how he would ridicule her. She was certain he would do so no matter what she did. She almost wished she didn't care. She was sure her thoughts were adequately conveyed though.
And with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley both strenuously arguing that Elizabeth must be wrong, and with the strange, inexplicable twinkle that seemed to have appeared in Mr Darcy's eye, Elizabeth deemed it fit to follow Georgiana's lead and excused herself. She couldn't understand Darcy at all. Infuriating man.