The growing friendship had not gone entirely unnoticed. Elizabeth had only entered the library for a moment – believing it empty – when she had been accosted by this fact.
"Miss Bennet," the man's voice came from behind her. "I must admit that I am glad to find you - I was hoping for a moment."
Elizabeth spun around with alacrity. Mr Darcy was a distance away, but that didn't entirely dismiss her worries. What on earth could Mr Darcy want to speak to her about? When had they ever had a conversation which had been filled with nothing more than disdain?
"You and my sister have come to a friendship, have you not?"
"Yes." It was all Lizzy could do to not snap the response at him, to not carry on and demand why it should be of any import. She couldn't tell why he could aggravate her with so much ease, but she was determined, she would be civil.
"I suppose I must thank you for that." Elizabeth couldn't find a reply to that. "It does my sister a deal of good to have someone else to talk to - I fear that these days she can no longer trust me as she once did, and Mrs Annesley is too much her elder to be the same. I haven't heard my sister laugh so freely for - I cannot say how long. Suffice it to say, you have my immense gratitude."
"It is no chore, I assure you." Elizabeth didn't know how else she was supposed to respond. It seemed so strange in truth that both of the Darcys were so concerned about the other and neither felt that the other must not trust them. She put that thought away as a consideration for another time.
"Nonetheless, you must accept my thanks. And, despite my reservations about your station, and worse your family..." Elizabeth tried in vain not to heed his words as they followed - but she couldn't entirely close of her ears. "I would ask you to continue to meet with her after you and your sister have quit Netherfield."
"And why should I be provoked to such a thing when faced by such words?" She couldn't give him a chance to speak. All she had wanted was to find herself a book to while away an hour or two. She had not asked to be so attacked. Hateful man. "I have never asked anything of you, nor have you given me any reason to like you. You are so utterly disdainful of everything I am and I love, and yet you would ask me for a favour? From the first I met you, I have known of your pride and conceit, and now you have come to shine in your full glory, assuming that because you are rich, I must do whatever it is you require."
Mr Darcy didn't deign to so much as speak as she paused for breath. Lizzy was glad for the momentary reprise.
"Your sister is an amiable and unassuming girl, and the sweetest soul I know, after my own sister. I can only wonder how such a thing could happen with such a brother." There was twist across his face as she spoke, which almost looked like pain. Elizabeth couldn't help but think he deserved it for all the trouble he caused everyone else. "I am convinced that your concern for her is your only admirable quality."
And with that Elizabeth fled the room, shocked to find tears leaking from her eyes as she darted back to her own room. She couldn't see Jane now; her sister was too kind she would no doubt urge her to tell what had occurred. Elizabeth couldn't recount it now. Not yet.
Georgiana had looked in all the public places, hoping that she might find Elizabeth – Mrs Annesley had professed a headache and had retired. Georgiana worried about the older woman, but Mrs Annesley kept waving away her concerns. It was something she needed to discuss with her brother at some point – he was far more likely to know what was going on – or to be able to find out anyway. Mrs Annesley trusted him, even if he too was younger than her.
Her feet travelled the now familiar path towards the room Miss Bennet was using. It wasn't long until dinner, so Georgiana wasn't even sure if she had any reason to be acting as she was. She couldn't help it though. She felt useless – a spare part – and couldn't help but mourn the lack of her pianoforte. She couldn't resent her decision to come to Netherfield though – there had been hours at a time when she had found herself truly forgetting, and remembering how to laugh and be joyful. Somehow she would regain her brother's trust and then she'd have no cause to remember her regrets.
Her feet stopped her outside of the room which the Bennet ladies were keeping. She could hear their voices carrying out – and in a strange turn, Miss Elizabeth didn't sound entirely happy – she was attempting to, that much was clear.
"Don't worry yourself Jane – you have always been too good for the world in general." Georgiana couldn't make herself enter the room, but neither could she exactly persuade herself to leave. "I have always known that Mr Darcy is an unbelievably rude and thoughtless man – even mama saw that through his ten thousand a year, and you know as well as I that that is all she cares about, not our thoughts of happiness and love..."
Jane's reply was muted, but the tone was such that Georgiana could guess at it substance with ease. She tried to think on that, not Miss Elizabeth's own thoughts.
"No, you cannot win Jane." Elizabeth was almost laughing. "You remember what he said. "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me"" Elizabeth's gruff voice did little at all to either make her sound as Mr Darcy would or to hide her own hurt.
Georgiana had to stifle a gasp and turn away. She couldn't conceive of such a conversation. Could her brother truly have said such a thing? It would explain any dislike Miss Bennet had for him - to make such a statement in a woman's presence. But it was so unlike the brother she knew. He was awkward in society to be sure, more so than even Georgiana by all reports, but that didn't cause cruelty. What could have possessed him to act so uncaringly?
She forced herself back to her room, making herself pause and reflect. She would figure out everything else later. First she simply had to make her way through dinner.
.
"Brother, can I ask you a question...?" Georgiana let the words hang in the air for a second. Dinner had seemed almost stilted in a way, but Georgiana wasn't sure how much of that was due to her own interior musings and how much was due to everyone else. She had been seated a distance from both her own brother and Miss Bennet - between Mr Hurst and Mr Bingley, in truth - and while they were both wonderful men, they hadn't quite compared.
"Of course, Georgiana." Her brother's voice was kind even if his features took a second to fall into line. There was clearly something on his mind - it almost made her doubt her decision to talk to him. But it was important, to her at least. And this was the perfect opportunity, Miss Elizabeth had gone as soon as they had separated after dinner to collect her sister and Georgiana had followed her out.
"It's about Miss Elizabeth." Her brothers features had changed in an instant and he had practically pulled back at the mention of the name. His face struck an impassive mask. It almost was enough to make her turn back – but Miss Elizabeth would never have acted so, and despite her brother's curious behaviour, Georgiana was positive that he did admire her.
"Has she treated you well?" Her brother sounded almost angry as though he were busy plotting retribution against the other lady.
"Why would you even ask such a thing?" Georgiana had nearly changed her mind. She barely even recognised what had become of her brother. How could he be so stubborn and foolish?
There was a long sigh from him – it was the only reason that Georgie turned her attention back. He had slumped back against one of the bookshelves his hand reaching his forehead. For once his posture was something other than flawless. He wasn't the picture of gentlemanly perfection.
"Brother, are you well?" Georgiana couldn't have hidden the worry in her voice even had she tried.
He suddenly straightened. "I'm sorry, Georgie..." He took a deep breath. "I am a little out of sorts tonight – but tell me what you will. I am more than happy to hear."
Georgiana was less than pleased that her brother had acted as though it was his duty to hear her complaints, but she pressed on anyway. It served him right were he to not like the tale that she brought. Was that too uncharitable?
"I was passing near to Miss Bennet's room and I happened to overhear them." She hurried her words along – she knew that her brother wouldn't condone eavesdropping, no matter how useful any information obtained from the same might have been. "And they were talking about you..."
Her brother had groaned as though he had known to expect something bad. Georgiana still couldn't shake the feeling that she hadn't adequately prepared him.
"Miss Elizabeth was saying that you had insulted her appearance in her presence." There the words were said. Georgiana might have blurted them out without thinking and with only a dubious measure of how much she could have been understood, but it had been said.
"I did?"Her brother was sitting up suddenly – Georgiana wasn't entirely sure when he had sat down. "What was she claiming I said?"
"That..." Georgiana wished she could be certain she properly remembered the words. "That she was tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt you..."
"She heard that?" Her brother was on his feet and pacing almost anxiously.
"You said that?" Georgiana couldn't have said which of them had been sounding more surprised. "I had hoped that she was mistaken..."
"I confess I wasn't entirely comfortable at that assembly – you must realise Georgie, that when I go out in company I am frequently surrounded by adoring mamas and their marvellous daughters and..." He stopped agitatedly and looked at her for a second. Georgiana would have interrupted had she not thought that her brother wanted to speak. "I hadn't wanted to go at all – except that Mr Bingley had been so insistent, and Miss Bingley had begun to threaten to stay here to keep me company."
Georgiana wasn't entirely sure that his words made up for it entirely, but she could only hope that he would come to that realisation on his own – if he hadn't already. "Brother, I believe your apologies would be better directed at Miss Elizabeth – would they not?"
He looked at her as though she had suddenly sprouted another head – Georgiana couldn't quite understand what she had done which had been so remarkable.
"I can't."
Georgiana didn't even give her brother a reply to that. She wasn't sure what she could say – it felt almost too close to criticising him even more. Her courage had been too short lived, and more she trusted his judgement; he would have his own reasons even if she didn't know what they were.
"I feel sorry for them, in a way..." Georgiana didn't like the strange silence, and her voice seemed to have taken a mind of its own. "Their mother pushes them at any man of means, and yet they both would marry for love..." It was only once the words were spoken that Georgiana thought them through. "I'm sorry, I should not have said that – I don't think Miss Elizabeth even intended to share that with me – but she was trying to console me about Mother and Father, in a way."
Her brother was staring out of the window, although Georgiana doubted there was much that he could see of note. She continued fearlessly since she hardly supposed he was attending to her words at all.
"We're so lucky that they would have wanted us to just be happy, do you not think?" Georgiana had grown up on stories her brother would tell her about them, reminding her that they were nothing like her Aunt Catherine – a woman who still had the capacity to terrify Georgie when she was supposed to be grown up. I am so lucky to have had you.
She left the final words unspoken. She didn't want to have to remind her brother that without him she would have failed their family and she would have ruined her own life with hardly a second thought.