"It looks like we will have turkey for the rest of the week," Georgiana remarked after dinner at the Darcy residence. Aside from the meat joint, there were also some pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, puddings, and other trimmings left over.
"Perhaps next year, you should just get some ready meals. It will also save a lot of time," Darcy replied.
"You are not seriously thinking of having microwave meals on Christmas day," his sister countered. "Perhaps you should get married by next Christmas. The Bennets have a large family, right? We would not have so much extra food then."
Darcy choked on a sip of wine as he heard this comment.
"Elizabeth has four sisters. And Lydia has a baby girl. There will be more girls in the family! Isn't that exciting, Anne?" The two cousins giggled while he tried to regain his composure.
"You forget that Elizabeth and I are not even together," Darcy stated.
"It won't be long now. The gala is only six days away," Georgiana winked at him.
"It is not a done deal. She might say no," Darcy frowned, remembering her rejection of a date or non-date or semi-date during their argument.
"Well, you just have to be your most charming from now on, and avoid saying things that might offend her," she advised.
"I am trying, but I won't see her until the 30th," Darcy sighed. Five days suddenly seemed like an awfully long time to wait.
"It is still early. Why don't you go and visit her now?" Anne chipped in.
"I cannot just turn up and gatecrash their family gathering."
"You can say you want to see the baby?"
"I already used that excuse when I went to the hospital yesterday," Darcy admitted.
"You can always call her."
"Or text her," the young ladies suggested.
"I already did, but she is busy with their dinner too."
"There's always tomorrow."
"And the next day."
"I will out most of tomorrow, and the next day I am off to Glasgow, then I will be in the conference for two days," Darcy resigned, checking his mobile phone and willing for a message to appear from Elizabeth.
"You are out tomorrow? It's Boxing Day. You are not going shopping in the sales, are you?" Georgiana was puzzled.
"No. I am going to Oxford."
"What's in Oxford?"
"Umm… I… I am handing over the DNA samples for the paternity test to Dr Lucas. He said that he has skeleton staff working in the lab during the bank holidays. The results could be ready the day after the receipt of the samples," Darcy explained.
"Is this for Lydia?" Georgiana asked.
"Yes. Their Uncle Ed will collect the samples from Lydia and her baby tomorrow morning. We already have the sample from George Wickham. The sooner they get the results, the better…" Darcy studied Anne's reaction as he said this.
"Did you see him?" Anne spoke quietly, her eyes downcast.
"Yes. Ed and I met with him," Darcy chose his words carefully. "He mentioned you."
His cousin then looked up, with a mixture of hope and doubt in her expression.
"Do you mind if we talk about him, Anne? You do not have to answer my questions if they make you uncomfortable," he ventured.
Anne glanced at Darcy and Georgiana and appeared to be considering her answer.
"I hope you know that you can trust us. We will keep any information you choose to share in confidence if you wish."
"Y-you will not tell my mum?"
"No. Not unless it poses a great threat to your safety," Darcy reassured her.
After a few moments, Anne released a deep breath and nodded for him to proceed.
"I am curious about your history with George. But I realise it may be personal, so it is completely up to you what you want to tell us, okay?" Darcy started.
"What did he say?" Anne asked warily.
"He said that you used to be friends years ago. He asked about how you are doing now and wanted me to pass on his regards."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I did not really reveal much other than you are fine. I was unsure what you wanted him to know. So… were you friends before?"
"We… we were," Anne acknowledged then paused for a while. "Like what Richard said, George used to work for your father. I met him while I was on my Year 11 work experience in the office. We… we became close, perhaps due to us both being novices and possibly the youngest ones in the company then."
Both Darcys smiled at her to encourage her to continue. "Was he good to you?"
"Yes. He was always nice to me. To everyone, really. I guess we bonded over our… experience of grief. I had lost dad, and he had lost his mum. I… at that time, I felt that I had no one else to confide in… and he was just there, willing to listen and be a shoulder to cry on… You two always had each other… but I have no brother or sister… and mum could not help me. She was also struggling with losing dad," she recounted.
"I wish I knew how you felt then…"
"You were away at Cambridge. Georgie was still so young. And Richard was busy in his first year with the company. I… I turned to George for company and support… I wanted to spend more and more time with him… but he was also preoccupied with his studies. I… always had a crush on him, like many other girls did, and I… admired him more as the days passed," Anne confessed.
"I hope he did not take advantage of you…"
"Oh, no. Not at all. I… sort of… hinted that I liked him. It was probably obvious anyway… He said he liked me too… but was apologetic that he was not able to commit to a relationship anytime soon. He said his priorities were his education and eventually, starting his own business," she added.
"Was that why he left the company? To concentrate on his studies and pursue his own career?" Darcy wondered.
"No."
The siblings waited to hear more and worried that Anne would stop sharing her story.
"He… he left because of… me. Because of… mum. One time, mum cornered him and accused him of… attempting to seduce me… that he was not good enough for me… I tried to reason with her… that George and I were only friends… but she would not listen. She pointed out that George was already 18 and that I was yet to turn 16. She threatened to get him sacked. She said… his future would be easily ruined if he were to have a sexual harassment complaint filed on his record… much more so if the case involved a minor…" Anne had tears rolling down her tears as she spoke.
Georgiana moved to sit next to her and gave her a comforting embrace. "Oh, Anne…"
"George never returned to work after that day… people thought he quit to prepare for his exams… but I often worried if he was dismissed or forced out… I know your father was a fair and reasonable man, but maybe my mum exaggerated her claims against George… For some time, George and I still managed to maintain contact… using our phones. I begged for his forgiveness. I was mortified by mum's false allegations. But George tried to convince me that it was all for the best that he left… that he did not want to be the cause of a disagreement between me and mum… that he needed time to focus on his A-levels as well."
"When was the last time you were in touch?" Darcy asked.
"A long time ago now. Mum discovered that we had been communicating, and she confiscated my phone. Later on, she gave me another phone with a new number. I did not want to risk harming George's future and I guess he gave up on finding other ways to reach me. Who could blame him? He probably decided someone with such an irrational and aggressive mother was not worth the trouble."
"Oh, Anne. I am so sorry…" Georgiana expressed her sympathy, and gently rubbed Anne's back. "Your mum is not here… Would you like to reconnect with George? I am sure Will can arrange something."
"Mum has spies, you know. Mr Holiday is her latest one. Besides, I think it is high time for me to move on. It has been years… and I guess I have been waiting… hoping… I should not really expect anything… I am sure he has his own life now… well, he has Lydia… and possibly a baby with her… I should just let go."
"Come here," and Georgiana enveloped her in a tight hug. "Please know that we will always be here for you. We will respect your decision. But please… try to find your own happiness… you need to be your own person."
"Thank you for listening. I am sorry to be such a mess on Christmas day…"
"Do not worry about it, Anne. Thank you for trusting us. Just let us know if there is anything we can do for you," Darcy kindly offered.
"Well… I know you were thinking of visiting aunt, uncle and Richard later but I do not really want them to see me like this. Would you mind dropping my presents off? I can see them tomorrow instead," Anne requested.
"I can do that. Not a problem."
"I can stay with you, Anne. Both of us can go over tomorrow as Will is going to be out. I also have some baked goodies for them, but I have not packed them yet. Maybe you could help me find some jars or tubs."
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Sorry for the delay. I have other things that keep me busy, but I will do my best to finish this story soon. Maybe about 5 chapters to go?
There was supposed to be a bit more in this chapter but I have only just started the next part, so I decided to cut it off here and post what I have. I might finish the next section tonight or tomorrow if inspiration strikes. It hasn't been easy lately...
Thank you very much to everyone for sticking with this story. I appreciate your support and reviews. Take care!