June 1811

In an elegant townhouse close to Hyde Park, two men were having a very serious conversation: a Colonel of His Majesty's Army and a gentleman wearing very expensive clothing. Both were tall and well-built, but one was blond, while the second man was quite handsome with thick black hair and deep blue eyes.

"Darcy, are you sure about this? I know you have been courting Lady Isabella for weeks, and you need an heir. But you have very little in common. She does not like country life and is a darling of the Ton. You will probably be miserable for the rest of your life. It is not too late for you to end the courtship."

Darcy sighed and said, "Richard, Lady Isabella is the daughter of an Earl and has a dowry of 30,000 pounds. She is a beautiful woman and is expecting my address. I know you do not think highly of her due to the incident with your friend, but you know I am not a romantic, and our marriage will be typical of the Ton. Your father is right; I am twenty-seven years old and not getting any younger. Georgiana needs a woman to help navigate her coming out."

"But Darcy, other women are more suited to be your wife. Think about it! I am only concerned for you, and I think you will regret it." He paused and asked, "What is Georgiana's opinion about Lady Isabella?"

"They have only met twice. I am confident they will get along very well. Lady Isabella has plenty of experience dealing with younger sisters, as she has two sisters close to Georgiana's age. She can help my sister when she comes out. My decision is final; I will visit Lady Isabella and ask for her hand in marriage; in two days, I will go to Ramsgate to see Georgiana, and we will return to London together."

He sighed and said, "Very well, it is your decision, and I will respect it. How is Georgiana?"

"She is fine. She writes a letter every week; she is studying with some painting masters and, thank God, has ceased coughing. Mrs. Younge writes a weekly letter about her health and how she is progressing in her studies. It is time she gets to know Lady Isabella better before we marry."

Richard did not answer. He had known Lady Isabella since she was a little girl because her mother was an excellent friend of his mother. She was a very beautiful young woman, perhaps one of the most beautiful women of the Ton, with blond hair, blue eyes, and an angelic face. Unfortunately, she was also shallow and selfish.

Darcy had first met her at a party years ago. At first, he was not interested, but they met again some months ago at another party. They frequented the same events, and several weeks later, due to advice from his family concerning his need for an heir, he asked her for a courtship, which she accepted. Unfortunately, during the courtship period, he realized they had very little in common, and most of their conversations were about trivial things or nothing at all. Despite this, Darcy felt duty-bound to marry her. Everybody was expecting an engagement.

A few hours later, Darcy arrived at Lady Isabella's house to propose. She was in the parlour with two friends, discussing gossip from the newspaper.

When the ladies saw him, they asked strange questions about Georgiana. They inquired about Georgiana's whereabouts and his relationship with her before departing a few minutes later.

It was a very unusual experience for Darcy, as he was not used to being asked questions about his sister. Before he could begin his planned marriage proposal, Lady Isabella handed him the newspaper and pointed to the gossip column. There was an 'announcement' that said, "The young Miss GD, who has not yet made her debut in society, is in Ramsgate without the supervision of her brother. She has been seen repeatedly with a handsome gentleman who visits her at inappropriate hours. What does Mr. FD think of GD's behaviour?"

Darcy was astonished; frankly, he believed it was only gossip, a horrible falsehood. He could not believe the newspaper would publish gossip slandering his sister like that. He was furious and would talk to his solicitor that same day to take steps so that whoever wrote that would publicly retract it.

Before Darcy could express his disgust with such a gossip, Lady Isabella informed him of her dear friend Lady Helen, who had a house in Ramsgate near the Darcys' house, and she had recently spent some weeks there. She had seen Georgiana strolling along the beach several times with a very handsome gentleman, and there were plenty of rumours about her entertaining this gentleman at night. In addition, her other dear friend, Lady Jane, saw Georgiana with two gentlemen at a party in Ramsgate.

Darcy listened in astonishment; everyone in London was talking about his sister!

She told him that her close friends had come to her house today to give their support because she would have to end their courtship. His sister was a fallen woman, and she, Lady Isabella, needed to think about her family's reputation.

At last, Darcy answered, "I perfectly understand your feelings and wish you all the best. Goodbye, madam."

Furious, he returned to his house to prepare for his journey to Ramsgate.