Chapter 9

"Hey Georgie, what are these new payments to Gardiner & Gardiner?" I am scrolling through our family accounts on my phone at breakfast which has become a monthly habit since my oldest friend, the son of my father's most trusted advisor, destroyed my sister's innocence and tried to steal her inheritance just over a year ago. Casually glancing through the accounts was how I noticed unusual payments and suspicious withdrawals were happening and started to investigate. Georgie had been accepted into a summer school extension program at the Rhode Island School of Design for her photography and I'd set her up with all tuition, board, meals and supplies for the three-month program, so it was really obvious when these extra expenses started coming through her accounts.

I had kept her in the dark about George Wickham's fall from grace so all she remembered was her brother's fun-loving friend, who was a favourite with her Dad. When he followed her to RISD, she was ripe for the taking. Richard and I called her every few days, but things were super hectic with the business, and we were still under investigation so we couldn't pay as much attention to her. It was sheer luck that I noticed the anomalies and didn't get good enough answers from the school's boarding house supervisor (turns out she was working with Wickham), so I took the jet to Boston straight away.

Georgie came clean and thought she could help us patch up "our differences" until I explained to her the exact nature of those differences. I have been a pretty overprotective guardian, so it was a rude awakening for her into all the worst ways humanity can behave. I had arrived two days before he was going to take her on a RISD approved "weekend art escape" that her boarding house supervisor had organised.

It took a further two months, with private investigators and lawyers digging into the supervisor, tracking down Wickham and a very apologetic RISD President looking down the barrel of allegations of aiding and abetting the grooming and abuse of minors attending the summer school program to clean up the mess. Georgie thought she was in love. Like a true narcissist, George turned very nasty when he was confronted, and Georgie was exposed to the pure evil at the heart of George Wickham. I couldn't drag her through a very public court case that we probably wouldn't win, as he had been very careful in public with her, and there was no evidence the funds had changed hands under coercion, so we cut him a deal and let him walk. I get a monthly update on his movements and associates from our security group. Whatever it costs, it's worth it to me.

"Oh, I meant to email you about that, Wells. I'm seeing a new psych and she works for Gardiner & Gardiner. I started seeing her when she was doing her practicum with Sally, and she ran a few group sessions under supervision. Sally wanted her to continue her honours project as a doctorate, but Elizabeth wanted to get some clinical experience first, so she started working for her Aunt & Uncle's therapy practice. I just felt a really good connection with her, that I've never felt with Sally, so I started doing private sessions with her once a week. That's what the invoices are. She discounts them because she's a new grad but she's the best therapist I've been to. She was really reluctant to take me on, especially when she knew who I was – said she's not experienced enough to be my only therapist, so I see her Aunt with her once a month as well. This is all ok, right? The amounts and everything?"

"Well, it is a lot less than we were paying for Sally, but as long as you feel this Elizabeth Gardiner is helping you, and it sounds as though she's been up front about her experience.. wait, why did it matter who you were? You mean a Darcy?"

"Yeah, she said she's met you before, and there's all the publicity and all that stuff, but I convinced her in the end, and her Aunt was encouraging and said it wouldn't affect the clinic as everything is completely private. She only found out my last name when we had to start getting invoiced directly through her. I just think she's really private and just hates the media and stuff - unless there's something else going on. Oh, and her name is Elizabeth Bennet, not Gardiner, her uncle is her mum's brother."

There could be two psych students who graduated with honours in the same year with the exact same name, who have also met me, right? Georgie caught whatever it was on my face (fear, excitement, delight, relief – I felt all of those things in the split second I heard her say the name of the woman I have not stopped dreaming about since I met her) and has to ask the question, which I have to try and answer without giving away all of the above.

"You do know her?!"

"Yeah, maybe I might have met her last summer when I was at Bing's holiday house. Might not be the same girl, though she did say she was a psych major." I think I got away with it. I look at her wide grin of recognition. Nope. I didn't.

"Wait, you mean the girl who helped you when you were caught in that rip? That girl? She's Elizabeth?! Oh, no wonder she wasn't keen to see me once she knew who I was! Caroline was so wrong about her. She is like the nicest, smartest person I've ever met. She's so honest, it's brutal, sometimes, but so funny. I've never met anyone so genuinely kind, you know? Like it's not just for show, or a gimmick, or to get something from me. She's never once asked me about you or pressed for more information or anything. I kind of think she doesn't really like you, actually, though she's really professional. Unlike everyone else I've ever met, who is more like Caroline – just nice to me because of you. And then there was George. But I finally feel like I might be able to trust my judgment again, you know. Like, for real."

For real. My baby sister has fallen in love with her too. Great. There will be no potential for our paths to cross. Once Georgie has finished with the therapy, or even if she never finishes, it's a professional relationship so we won't ever see her socially. Hope is blossoming, so these are more lies I tell myself because I don't know if I can survive another encounter.

"Ok, so I'm out of here – oh by the way, Lizzy wanted me to get back out there, out of my comfort zone because I've been hiding, so I begged her to come with me to that fundraiser dinner thing next month that you wanted me to go to. I'm not really ready to be around lots of people without help yet and sorry, but you don't count." She squeezes my cheek to take the sting out of the bald truth of her words, then continues to cajole me.

"Please don't piss her off when you see her - I really like her, ok? It's nice having someone around I can trust who isn't that much older than me. It's like having a big sister. She's coming as a friend obviously – and actually, it totally works that you know her, because I can just say we met through you and really hit it off, but she doesn't like you much. It's perfect!" She giggles, swamps me in her patented kiss/hug manoeuvre and heads out the door.

I am not at all prepared for another encounter with Elizabeth and am already planning various weak excuses when Richard's voice pops into my head.

F***ing coward.