Oh I loved all of the speculation. See below. Not sure how you'll all feel about this path but I know you'll tell me what you think about it! At least I dearly hope you will :) I'm hoping you'll also note how I've been incorporating some of your more excellent suggestions.

It had been a long week already and it was only Wednesday. She was smelly from being out with the horses for the past three hours. Walking up to her dorm, she was looking forward to a shower and a change of clothes. Pushing open the door, she entered the lobby of her dormitory and spotted a familiar figure, "Richard! Is everything ok? What're you doing here?" Georgiana asked, startled to find her cousin waiting in the reception area.

"Well it's nice to see you too cousin. Thanks for the warm welcome," he responded while giving her a hug.

"Of course it's good to see you. I just can't imagine why you're here, especially given I just saw you on Sunday. Please, just tell me everyone is ok."

Richard was relieved she was at least worried about the family. "No one is ill or anything if that's what you're asking. I assume you've seen all of the articles online," he continued.

Wrinkling her brow, Georgiana still looked confused. "Richard, you must stop talking in riddles and tell me what's going on. I've been in class all day and then was out in the stables. I've had double duty this week given I was away for the weekend."

"Let's head up to your room where we can talk a bit more privately." Richard said as he indicated Georgie should lead the way.

Georgie's room bore all the hallmarks of a 15-year old girl complete with posters of Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran, and Leonardo di Caprio hanging on her walls. Richard was trying to ignore the posters focusing his thoughts on the sweet young girl who used to prance around in her pink tutu's in his mother's kitchen. Settling on the corner of her bed, he began, "So Georgie, have you seen the news today?"

She was busy putting her things away and changing behind a screen into sweats when she responded, "Um no, why? What's up?"

Richard pulled out the Washington Post and dropped it on top of Georgie's bed, waiting for her to step back into the room. Pointing to page 1, he directed to the headline featuring his father; at least it was under the fold.

Georgie sat down on her bed quickly scanning the paper. Spying the headline, she gasped, hand to her mouth. She got through the article quickly. "This is awful! Is Uncle Henry ok?"

"My parents aren't worried for themselves in the least. They issued a statement this afternoon in full support of William and Lizzy. There are more." Pulling out a slew of press clippings he handed them over to Georgie, watching her expression.

"Poor William. I knew she'd be trouble. How's my brother doing? Does he need me to come home?" Georgie said shaking her head.

"William and Lizzy are hanging in there. They're supporting each other. I don't think there's anything we can do to really help except give them our love." Richard said with some force.

Georgie rolled her eyes. What was up with everyone and their love affair with Lizzy? "I can't believe, with all of this mess in the papers, that you all still think this marriage is a good idea. I mean, seriously, she's a total gold-digger just out to make money off my poor brother and get her citizenship to boot," she huffed.

"I gotta be honest Georgie. I don't get the attitude. Your brother got married, in part, to save you from a really unpleasant six years spent under Aunt Cathy's thumb. We've all spent time with Lizzy and really like her. What's the deal?" Richard said, a bit exasperated but hoping to get her to open up.

"IF, this was simply about solving the problem with Aunt Cathy, there are so many better people he could've married. People who wanted to marry him and who had the right upbringing to not be a complete embarrassment to the family. Marrying her has landed William and your parents on the front page of major newspapers!" Georgiana wanted to shake Richard. Why was she the only person in the family who saw Lizzy as a major problem?

Richard could see that Georgie was not moving on her grudge against Lizzy. His hope had been that when she saw the articles she'd feel some sign of regret for her attitude this past weekend. There was absolutely no sign of sympathy toward her new sister-in-law. That said, it still wasn't obvious to him that she was responsible for the leak. She'd seemed genuinely surprised by the articles. He needed to press harder to see if she'd actually admit to playing a part in the leak. He watched her re-reading the articles she'd previously skimmed.

Clearing his throat he decided on a new tack. "Your brother's spent much of the day working with his security team to figure out who leaked the pictures and the personal details included in the story. Only a few people knew about Lizzy's immigration status or that her parent's had left town."

Georgie flushed a bit, a tell Richard noted, and sat still waiting to see what she'd say. "Does he have any ideas? I know how much he hates being in the news for any reason. Even his good works he'd rather give the credit to someone else." Georgie noted as she bit her lip.

"He got a call earlier and there are two people who can't be cleared based on the security team's research." Richard answered evenly.

"Well that's a relief. Hopefully they can figure out who did this then." Georgie answered quickly.

"I'm going to need your phone and laptop so they can rule out one of the two people Georgie." Richard said quietly.

"What? Why?" Georgie asked in confusion.

Richard didn't respond at first, waiting to see if he really needed to spell it out. A little more than a minute passed when it seemed to dawn on her, "I'm sorry but did you just accuse me of leaking this story to the press? How dare you!" Georgie exclaimed as she stood up. "Get out! Get out of my room! I can't believe that woman has turned you all against me like this!" Georgie screamed.

Richard sat calmly on the bed unmoving. "No one has turned us against you Georgie and there's a pretty easy way to clear yourself from this entire mess. Just give me your phone and laptop and I'll return them to you shortly."

"Fine!" She said as she flung her phone at Richard. Picking the phone up from the floor he placed it in his pocket. He then walked over to her desk and picked up her laptop.

Looking back at her, he said, "We all love you Georgie. I hope you understand that." Richard said and walked out the door.

Georgie flung herself on her bed sobbing. "How can they treat me like this?" she moaned as Richard quietly closed the door behind him.

Richard quickly exited the dorm and stood outside for a moment. He was unhappy with the scene he'd just help to create and yet, it couldn't have been helped given Georgie's position on her brother's marriage. Walking slowly to his car, he thought about what and how he was going to tell William if it turned out Georgie was responsible. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to.

Once in the car he drove to a local restaurant where he was planning to meet up with one of Pemberley's security officers. He'd do a data dump on Georgie's electronics and try to discover based on the data files, or any data gaps, whether Georgie could be cleared or further implicated. Richard decided that Wednesday's were definitely his least favorite days.

For a few hours, Lizzy and Darcy sat quietly at the dining room table studying for their finals. It was the first stretch of time they'd had all week to simply go about their life without interruption by some gargantuan issue. Three solid hours had passed and Lizzy decided they'd earned a break. "I need to do something beside studying. Do you think it'd be safe to leave the building or are we still trapped?" Lizzy asked, stretching her arms high above her head.

William looked up from his notes and saw her smiling. He decided she wasn't too frustrated yet so he wasn't going to worry. "Let's call downstairs and see if the vultures have left the front of the building." William answered as he stood and walked over to the house phone.

"Hey there, it's William Darcy, calling for a status update."

"Hello sir. I didn't want to disturb you unnecessarily. The trucks have cleared away but I suspect there are a few reporters still stalking the area. If you decide to go out, I'd still be careful."

"Thanks for the advice," William said as he grimaced.

Lizzy looked up at him hopefully and was a bit deflated when she noticed the look on his face. "They're still out there aren't they."

"The good news is that the news trucks are gone. Unfortunately, there are likely some single reporters or photographers hanging around. I had an idea though, if you want to get out of here and go out for dinner. It's a little risky but I'm game if you are."

"Sure what's the plan?" Lizzy liked the idea of any game she could play that might give them a little adventure as well. William called around to a few restaurants and ended up making reservations at a small restaurant in Wellesley for 7:00 under a false name. Filling Lizzy in on the plan, he figured no one would be looking for them in suburbs of Boston giving them a chance of going out undisturbed. He arranged for the car service his family had used for years to send cars to the building's basement garage every fifteen minutes over the span of an hour, each one heading out in a different direction after waiting downstairs for a period of time. They'd take one of the later ones and drive around a bit to see if they were being followed before showing up at the restaurant. If they had the all clear, they'd eat.

"Go get changed into something fun and nice. I'll meet you back here in 30 minutes." he offered as he gave her a kiss.

"Perfect." Lizzy grinned. Walking into the room they'd designated as hers, Lizzy stared at the closet trying to figure out if she actually owned any clothes good enough to be photographed in with William. She wished she'd already met with the personal shopper so that she didn't have to worry. "Oh well. I can't change it so I'll just do my best." In reality, Lizzy had always been good at picking out clothes that could be flattering for her figure and coloring. She simply lacked the confidence in this situation that it'd be good enough. She pulled out a heather gray cashmere dress she'd picked up at a second hand clothing store. It clung to all the right places and was flattering. The v-neck accentuated her chest and the response from men when she'd worn it had been a little overly positive. Her black high-heel boots gave her an extra three inches which, she now appreciated, helped when she was standing next to William's 6'2" frame. Pulling on the outfit she checked herself out in her mirror and satisfied, decided to fix her hair and makeup. She hadn't done anything with her hair after her shower and her curls were a bit out of control. The quick chignon that she'd learned from a hairdresser for the wedding and an application of her new wedding makeup made her feel as ready as she could be.

Walking out of her room she spied William chatting on the phone to someone, casually dressed in black cashmere pants and a deep blue button down which brought out his eyes. He looked good, having just showered but with a two-day old beard. He was clearly distracted by his conversation. Walking up behind him, Lizzy wrapped her arms around him and placed a light kiss on the back of his neck. Her tongue lightly gliding up his neck thoroughly distracting him from his call.

"I'm sorry Uncle Henry, but I think I need to go. Thank you so much for your statement this afternoon. I know Lizzy will be heartened to see it. I'll talk to you tomorrow." William said hurrying off the phone.

Turning around he captured her lips for a deep and thorough kiss. "You little minx. Just what do you think you're doing?"

"You seemed so invested in that conversation, I was simply trying to get your attention William," She said sweetly, doe eyed implying her innocence.

"Mrs. Darcy, if you're expecting to escape from this condo tonight I suggest you not work so hard to get my attention." His eyes focused on her chest and he finished the statement.

'What is it with men and breasts," she thought amusedly. 'Boys, they're all the same.' Lizzy pulled on her coat and headed towards the door. She turned around to find William still standing in the same spot, lost in thought, staring at his phone. "Are you coming?" She asked.

"Sorry, yup." Propelling himself towards the door.

Once settled in the back of the car William pulled up his aunt and uncle's statement to show Lizzy on his phone. "Lizzy, I need you to read something. Here."

Taking the phone she noticed the Senator's webpage splashed across the top of the screen. It didn't take long to read the statement and a mixture of emotions overwhelmed her as she read it. It was too much and as even-keeled and strong as Lizzy often was, she'd felt that the last week, no, the last two months had contained more highs and lows then anyone should experience in the span of two years, let alone months. Tears began spilling from her eyes on to her cheeks. She needed to calm herself.

It was her shuddering breath that caught William's attention. Looking down at her he was surprised to see the tears glistening in her eyes. Gathering her up in his arms he asked bewildered, "Lizzy what's wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't think the statement would upset you."

Lizzy shook her head and tried again to take a deep breath to calm herself. Being wrapped in William's arms was helping but she knew he was confused. "I'm not sure what's wrong. I think the statement just... pushed me over the edge. For a few hours, my life felt normal. I think reading it just brought all of the changes, the everything, flooding back. Don't worry, I'll be ok."

'What did she mean, don't worry. Of course he was going to worry.' William thought. He'd of course, had some experience with crying women over the past few years. His sister could turn on the tears at a drop of a hat, but it didn't mean he was particularly good at dealing with them. Riding in silence, he began to worry that he'd pushed her too fast, too far. Was she upset with him? The engagement, the quick wedding, even their physical relationship, he'd been the driver in each of those things. He'd tried to be patient but that had never been one of his better qualities. Taking a deep breath he kissed the top of her head, "Lizzy I'm so sorry. I'm worried you're going to begin to resent me. I've pushed you so hard and now, now we're in this situation and you've got so much riding on your shoulders. If there is anyway I can make this better, take some pressure off of you, tell me."

Lizzy was confused. Straightening up, she asked "What are you talking about? I've been a part of every decision, every step of the way. And, we're both under pressure here. We need to support each other but that doesn't mean one of us should take blame too."

William began to breathe a little easier but he was still concerned. "We um, we haven't talked about last night or this morning really. I guess I'm worried that you felt pressured. I might've let my wants and desires overwhelm you."

"Oh." Looking at the driver in the front of the car, she was trying to ascertain how much privacy they really had. "Sir? I was wondering if perhaps you could put on some music?"

"Sure ma'am. Any preferences?"

"Anything other than rap is fine with me." The music on, she felt more comfortable speaking, or as comfortable as she could get speaking about a topic so new to her. "William, I'm glad we did that. I've never felt so unbelievably close to anyone before as I did with you last night. And, while I'm a bit uncomfortable in places I didn't know I could be, I love you William. I'm glad we could express that to one another."

William was still concerned, "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

Looking up at his face, she drew her finger down his cheek, "You made me feel treasured." Clearing her throat she buried her face in his chest and continued, "I'm not surprised to be feeling sore today. It's new and I need to um, get used to it I guess. Was I ok?"

Drawing her back so he could see her face he whispered, "You, were delectable and wonderful and I'm looking forward to when you're a little less sore to show you exactly how much I treasure you."

"I'm looking forward to it," she whispered back.

Their circuitous route to the restaurant gave them confidence they hadn't been followed. The driver had instructions to pick them up at 8:30. The restaurant was full, despite it being a Wednesday night but no one gave them a second look as they walked to their table.

Looking over the menu Lizzy was debating what to order. "Have you ever been here before?"

"Once, with Charlie's family. I think they were up for some parents weekend at Wellesley College visiting Caroline. From what I recall the food was excellent although I can't remember what we ordered. Everyone seemed to like it at any rate."

Having placed their orders, Lizzy began to update William on the conversations she'd had with Maria and Madeline Gardiner. No one had bothered Maria yet and she didn't want any security attracting attention to her. William agreed that they should take their cues from her rather than impose. Maddy had been worried for her and it seemed Edward had contacted University security and the press office on their behalf to make sure they could attend their exams unimpeded. It was one less thing they needed to be concerned with.

"Do you want to head up to Maine this weekend? We'll have a lot more freedom up there and I know Mrs. Reynolds will enjoy spoiling us."

"That'd be great. I can get a bit grumpy if I'm stuck inside too long. I need to be able to stretch my legs with a good walk or run, even in winter." Lizzy admitted.

"Good to know. So if you get ornery I just need to kick you out of the house for a little while?"

"That's what mama would always do when I was getting in her hair. It certainly increased my peace and I think hers as well." Lizzy laughed.

"I'm a bit stressed about one thing and I feel bad asking you for ideas but I'm at a complete loss." William began.

"You can ask me anything. What is it?" Lizzy was concerned.

"Your birthday is on Monday. 21 is a big deal, and yet, it's finals and with everything else that's happened I'm not sure what you want to do or what I should get you."

Laughing, Lizzy was relieved this was his big issue. "Maybe we can pretend Wednesday's my birthday and celebrate then. Finals will be over and maybe the dust will settle a bit. I can't think of anything I need so I can't help you. Maybe Jane or Charlotte can give you some ideas. They know me very well. I'm just glad I have until March to figure out what to get the man who has everything."

"I have everything now. Although I didn't always," he said as he lifted her hand for a kiss.

They sat quietly eating for a few minutes. Neither knowing what to say. Lizzy finally found a topic.

"When do you want to leave for Maine? I was planning to go shopping with your aunt on Friday afternoon but I'm not sure if that's still on with the press and all. If we don't go, I'll be done with my exam by 11:30."

"You know I'm surprised that my aunt hasn't called actually. That usually means she's up to something. We can call her when we get back home and see what she thinks. If shopping is cancelled then we should leave right after your exam. I can pack up the truck and even meet you outside of your exam to head straight out of town."

"Sounds good. By the way, I've had an idea floating around in my head and I want your opinion." Lizzy asked with some trepidation.

"Tell me."

"Jane and I were talking this morning about the reaction of my classmates and people in general. The statement your aunt and uncle released has given me an idea. I don't want me or our relationship to be defined by other's speculation. I'm thinking about writing my own piece for the Crimson about my immigration status and our marriage. I want my peers to hear from me. What do you think?" Lizzy asked holding her breath.

The idea of drawing any more attention to themselves, on purpose, was anathema to him but he could tell from the look on Lizzy's face this was important to her. He needed to buy time to think about it. He started off tentatively, "It's an interesting idea. I'd like to speak with Matthew about it."

He looked at Lizzy's face and could see she was crestfallen, "Lizzy, I don't want anything to risk your green card application."

"Ok, that's fair. I'll write a draft and maybe we can pass it by him and his colleague." She couldn't stand this lack of control but also didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her application.

William hated to see her looking so dejected. It was interesting to him how much her happiness, wanting to see her smile, mattered to him. His uncle had told him that he'd need to take her needs and wants into consideration now that they were married, but was only now really beginning to understand what that would mean. "Do you want to have dessert here or head home. I think there's still some Ben and Jerry's Cinnabuns ice cream in the freezer."

"Let's head home. I'd like to cuddle up by the fire with my husband and share a pint of ice cream." She said with a smile. "Besides, it's almost 8:30. We should keep the car waiting."

"Don't worry about the car, I could always text him to come later, but I like the way you think. The fireplace sounds very appealing right now."

Richard was killing time at a restaurant in town, waiting for the security team to finish analyzing Georgie's electronics. He'd found a reasonably good diner and was catching up on some work while eating when his phone buzzed. Quickly reading the text, he was glad to see they'd already completed their analysis. He packed up his things and left a $20 on the table. More than enough to cover his dinner and coffee.

He headed over to the van where the men had been working and opened up the side door. " So folks what do you have for me."

The men looked up, the older of the two started to speak,"I think we've got some good news for Mr. Darcy, at least in part."

"Ok, shoot."

"There are several photos from the wedding on Miss Darcy's phone. They'd been downloaded onto her laptop as well when she updated her phone on Monday. None of the photos are one's that have appeared in the press thus far. In fact, none of them included Mrs. Darcy at all, she seems to be almost purposefully not included. Also, there are no data gaps, so it doesn't seem like she's deleted any photos. The photos are all sequential in a natural order. Also, there are no emails we can find in her sent or deleted folders that include photos. There's no reason to suspect that Miss Darcy provided any pictures."

Richard released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He felt like a 50 pound weight was just released from his shoulders. "So she's all clear then."

"Well sir, we didn't say that."

Richard's head shot up. "What do you mean?"

He grimaced, hating to be the bearer of this news, "There are a number of text's to and from Caroline Bingley where Miss Darcy seems to be sharing a lot of information and some snide remarks about Mrs. Darcy. Much of that information has made it into the articles as comments from a party close to Mr. and Mrs. Darcy."

Richard's shoulders slumped. "Oh. Do you think she knew what she was doing? Is there anything in the emails or texts that seemed to suggest she knew they were going to be shared publicly."

"No. But there's nothing that suggested she didn't either."

"I see. Ok. Well thanks. Can I have her cell and laptop? I'll need to return at least her laptop to her. I'm pretty sure its required for school. I might keep her phone however. There's no excuse for sharing personal details about family with an outsider."

Richard was turning to leave and paused. "Let me call my cousin about this. I think he needs to hear it from me. Not that it will be easy for him to hear but I'd rather, no, actually, I'd rather not but I think it's better if he hears it from me."

"Of course, Mr. Fitzwilliam, and thank you. I wasn't looking forward to delivering this report."

Driving back to campus, Richard hoped Georgiana wasn't going to make a scene. He kept reminding himself that she was still a kid, easily influenced by people, and not fully aware of the implications of her actions. Of course, he'd hoped that she might have learned something from her experiences last year but then, that was clearly too much to hope for.

"Excuse me, can you call up to Miss Darcy's room. Richard Fitzwilliam, her cousin to see her." He asked the security officer.

A few minutes later a red-eyed girl appeared downstairs. "So are you here to apologize and return my electronics?" She said stiffly not lifting her eyes to meet Richard's.

Richard couldn't believe her attitude. Was he this rude as a 15-year old? "I think we need to talk. While you're in the clear regarding the pictures, that doesn't mean everything is fine."

Georgiana gave him a cold look, her lips pressed tightly together. Turning she indicated he should follow her back to her room where they could speak more privately. Sitting rigidly on her desk chair she seemed to be waiting for him to speak.

Taking a minute to focus his thoughts, Richard slowly allowed his anger to come out. "I'm returning your laptop as I believe its required for your classes and exams. I will not be returning your phone however. I can't fathom what you were thinking texting with Caroline Bingley and sharing all of that personal information about Lizzy. If you learn one thing in your life Georgie, it's that you shouldn't trust anyone outside of family with your complaints. I don't expect everything to be roses, but your words and actions violated your brother's privacy and his trust in you. William would do just about ANYTHING for you Georgie. Even if you didn't know about Caroline's plans to give her information to the press, which is still unclear to me, your disclosure of so many personal details about Lizzy is very disappointing. And your snide remarks are unbecoming a Fitzwilliam or a Darcy." Richard had worked himself up into a fury, his face red, his voice finally allowed to express all of the pent up frustration at his cousin.

"You can't possibly believe that I'd ever share personal information about our family with the press. I'm not an idiot or a child Richard. I can't believe you could be so hateful and side with HER!" Georgiana yelled back, tears streaming down her face.

"Georgiana, YOUR actions, intended or not, have had consequences. When you start acting like the thoughtful intelligent girl I've known in the past, I'm happy to treat you like one." Richard said disappointment evident in his look and voice.

"This is all Lizzy's fault. When will you all wake up and see what she's doing? I can't believe you're all taking her side. You don't want me to talk about her? Fine, I won't. In fact, I won't even acknowledge that she exists." Georgie said, arms crossed and a pout on her face.

"Well that's mature. Look Georgie, we all love you. We're disappointed, but hopefully, when you have some time to think, you'll understand who the bad guy is in this situation. I can assure you, it's not your new sister-in-law, Elizabeth Darcy. Remember that as you reflect on our conversation and the past few days. I'll see you at end of term."

Richard walked out of her room, a stone cold look on Georgie's face. He wished his mother was here to deal with Georgie. Even better, he wished his Aunt Anne was still alive. None of this would have happened if she were still here.

Alright. I know you all have opinions. Let me have 'em! As always, comments welcome, encouraged, loved, treasured...