17. I can't forget you

"Oh, you're in my veins, and I cannot get you out."

"Angelina, I am sorry, but, I do not see your point."

I grabbed Jane's arm more strongly, and pulled her on a side of the path where a bench was lying. Sitting her there, I eyed her brown eyes intensely. "Jane. Your sorrow is my sorrow. What you're living right now isn't right. You shouldn't have accepted Collins."

She looked down sadly. "Angelina, I know what I did wasn't right. But, you have to understand, things around here don't work as they do in Hammersmith. When my father dies, which I hope will occur as late as possible, my mother and sisters will be kicked out of Longbourne. What I did was an easy sacrifice."

I shook my head vigorously. "No sacrifice is easy. Have you seen Charles? How he suffers? He can't even look at himself without willing to die."

Her eyes darkened. "What Charles did was only to-"

"Listen to the greatest idiot on Earth. I heard about it."

She smiled a little at that, but a tear escaped her lids nevertheless. I wiped it with my thumb.

"Jane." Her eyes met mine again. "I so hope there was a way to go back."

She shook her head. "What has been done cannot be undone. I will suffer the consequences of my choices." Then her grip on my wrist strengthened. "What about you, Angelina?"

I smiled sadly. "Me? Do not mind me, Jane. I do not intend to stay here for long, let aside get married."

She stopped breathing for a moment, and her gaze hardened. "No, Angelina. Do not. Your heart is pure, and so his your soul. You cannot let go. Tell me."

I sighed, and it hurt somewhere beneath my ribs. "I have someone...I care about...but it is complicated."

"I can understand anything, Angelina."

And I realised Jane was right. Her own situation was crazy enough for her to understand mine. I took a deep breath. "I'm in love with Captain Wickham."

She smiled a little lighter. "That is a good thing. He is a pleasant gentleman."

I huffed. "Oh, that he is. See, there is a little problem to that. Let's say that he is believed to have done...serious things in the past." She invited me to go on. "It was said that he had seduced Miss Georgiana Darcy when she was 15."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, dear God! And was it-?"

I shook my head. "I just heard from Georgiana herself that he hadn't done anything improper. But no one knows. Amanda herself ignores it. And for the girl's sake, I cannot say a thing."

Jane got up and turned to me, taking my hands in hers, pulling me towards Pemberley. "Angelina, there is one and only one solution for that problem." I quizzed her with a glance, she just smiled and drove me towards the house.

Once we reached the gardens, I realised I hadn't seen my cousin since a very long time. Neither had I seen Darcy-Snob.

Jane curtsied Caroline before sitting back next to her, and then she looked back at me and pointed towards the stables.

How did she know?

I didn't say a thing.

I just walked in.

How long has it been since I had left the party with Jane? I couldn't say.

But Amanda had been there, for sure. Her scent embalmed the whole place.

George was tidying his horse's box, wearing his cream jacket and white shirt, and his beige trousers. Just like that day in the rain.

Just thinking about it sent shivers up and down my spine.

"Like what you see, Miss Johnston?"

I snapped my eyes up. George had spotted me and was standing in front of me, his favourite smirk playing on his lips.

I entered the box and walked a little, leaning back on a wooden wall. Then I just took a very deep breath. "I talked to Georgiana."

His brown eyes widened, but he didn't comment anymore than necessary. "You shouldn't tell anyone."

I shrugged. "Who would believe me? Have you seen how Darcy looks at me? It's just as if I was some escort coming from Greece."

His eyebrows met his hairline, but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he slowly walked up to me, until both his arms were around me, lifting me from the wall and into his arms.

My own arms locked around his neck.

I chuckled, silly.

"What is it?"

I looked up into his gaze. "That's just... Things repeat themselves."

In fact, as I thought about it, George's and I's relationship was just like Lizzie's and Darcy's in the book. Always something between us, until...

"George? Kiss me."

I didn't need to tell him twice.

I don't even need to say that I twirled him and pushed him against the wall when he deepened our kiss.

Oh dear me that was good!

When we both broke for air, he smiled and I mirrored it.

"Miss Johnston, I think there might be a great chance that I am in love with you."

I chuckled again, and then mimicked intense thought. "Well, Captain Wickham, I am afraid I do reciprocate these feelings."

He smiled even more widely and his lips were back on mine.

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