It is challenging for most people to face adverse situations when they are unprepared and have little support. It had been a week since they arrived at Pemberley, and Darcy watched with great concern every day as his sister sank deeper into depression. Georgiana spent practically every hour of the day in her room. The cook prepared her favourite dishes, but she only ate a few bites. She did not want to talk about her feelings and refused even to play the piano. Every time Darcy tried to speak to her, Georgiana would start crying uncontrollably and beg him to leave her alone.

He had sent a letter to Lady Matlock and another to Richard, asking them to come to Pemberley as soon as possible. He was looking for a new companion for Georgiana; this time, he would be cautious with checking the references. He had even bought a new piano, which would arrive in a few days.

Besides being a faithful servant, Mrs. Reynolds loved Miss Darcy and noted with concern that she had lost the will to live and feared she would become seriously ill. So, even though, as an employee, she should not meddle in Mr. Darcy's business, she decided to disclose to him everything she knew. Very nervous, not knowing if what she was doing was right, she went to Mr. Darcy's study to tell him the sad story of her former employers.

As she entered the room, Darcy gave her a curious look. Mrs. Reynolds rarely interrupted him at this time of day.

"Mr. Darcy, if you have a few minutes, I wish to speak with you."

Darcy looked into the serious face of Mrs. Reynolds and immediately gave her his full attention, saying, "Now is a good time, Mrs. Reynolds. Tell me, what do you want to talk about?

Mrs. Reynolds took a deep breath and replied, "What I am going to tell you is very sensitive, and it is about your parents, George Wickham and Miss Darcy."

Darcy sighed, "Mrs. Reynolds, Lord Matlock has already told me that you know of my father's affair with Mrs. Wickham and the questionable paternity of George Wickham."

Mrs. Reynolds nodded. "It is true; Mr. Darcy was almost convinced that George Wickham was his son, although Mrs. Wickham never confirmed it." Mrs. Reynolds sighed. "I am not going to justify their affair, but I can affirm that she was Mr. Darcy's only lover. Your father loved Mrs. Wickham, and I believe she loved him. When Mrs. Darcy found out about it, she asked your father to end the affair," she sighed and continued, "but your father refused outright. Following a heated argument between Lady Anne and Mr. Darcy, in which both said several hateful things that they should not have said, she went to London. At that time, you were about eleven years old. A couple of months later, Mr. Darcy received a letter stating that Lady Anne was having an affair with a gentleman."

"That is impossible; my mother would never do that!" Darcy exclaimed indignantly.

Ms. Reynolds looked at him sympathetically and replied, "Unfortunately, it was true." She sighed. "Mr. Darcy sent for Lady Anne in London, and about nine months later, Miss Darcy was born." She paused and added, "Your father was convinced Miss Darcy was not his daughter. The one time I spoke to Mrs. Dawson, she told me Lady Anne was not entirely certain, and there was a slight possibility that Miss Darcy was Mr. Darcy's daughter."

Darcy was very pale, and a series of sad memories came to his mind, including his father's complete indifference to Georgiana and his mother's arguments with his father. Georgiana had a large dowry, but his father had not contributed a pound to add to it; the £30,000 was her mother's settlement. "Mrs. Reynolds, why are you telling me this now? Why did you not mention any of this before?"

Mrs. Reynolds sighed, "There are better not known secrets, and I was going to take this one with me to the grave. I know it is not my place to advise you, and you may rightly have me dismissed without reference to what I am going to advise you, but perhaps it would be a relief for Miss Darcy to know that she is not George Wickham's sister."

Darcy nodded and asked, "Does Lord Matlock know what you told me? Do you know who Georgiana's possible father is?"

Mrs. Reynolds nodded. "I think it was Lord Matlock who sent the letter to Mr. Darcy about Lady Anne's affair, but I cannot say for sure." She sighed, "I am not sure who the other man was. Mrs. Dawson knew, but as you are aware, Mr. Darcy fired her when Lady Anne died. She went to live with her brother with the £200 gifted to her by Lady Anne for her loyalty."

Darcy sighed. In the last fortnight, his world had fallen apart; he felt tired, disoriented, and disappointed. At that moment, the only thing he knew for sure was that George Darcy was his father. There could be no doubt about that, with their remarkable physical resemblance. However, Georgiana was nothing like his father. "Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds, for telling me the truth. I do not know if I will tell my sister this sad story, but I will take your advice into account."

Mrs. Reynolds gave a slight nod and went back to her tasks.

For the next few hours, Darcy asked himself the same question: What should he do? He felt powerless but knew he had to do something urgently before anything worse happened.