Many thanks to my beta reader Sam. H.
PPP
The same day Lord Sebastian returned to London, he visited his father, as he was intrigued to find out what led to Wickham's death or who
At first, he went to Hertfordshire simply because he was curious to meet Georgiana, but as the days went by, he grew fonder of her, and he now considers her a sister. He wanted to put into motion the plan to restore Georgiana's reputation as soon as possible.
His father eagerly awaited him, wanting to hear about Georgiana. Lord Hertford knew the Darcys had returned to London the day before, and he hoped to see them for a walk together in Hyde Park the next day.
Father and son locked themselves in Lord Hertford's study as they had many important and private things to discuss.
"Did you know that the person I hired to follow Wickham knows the Smiths very well?"
Lord Sebastian shook his head. "No, Father. Who was following him?"
"His name is Mr. Colbert. He has been a friend of Charles Smith since they were very young."
"Do you think he is responsible for Wickham's death?" he asked curiously.
Lord Hertford shook his head. "No. I think he told Charles Smith of Wickham's whereabouts, and Charles took the law into his own hands." He paused and added, "I cannot confirm this is the case as my informant was vague in telling me what happened. He said he saw the fight from afar, and since it was very dark, he could not tell me who was fighting." He sighed. "It is not relevant anyway."
Lord Sebastian nodded.
Lord Hertford smiled and asked his son. "How is Georgiana? Were you able to get to know her?"
"To answer your questions, Georgiana is fine, but she suffered a small relapse upon seeing Wickham. I do not know if Darcy will tell her about that scoundrel's death." He smiled. "She is a lovely, kind, and naive young lady. I had a chance to spend time with her and have grown quite fond of her." He sighed. "However, Father, I must warn you that Darcy is jealous and irritated with our interference in Georgiana's life and, consequently, his life."
Lord Hertford nodded slightly. "I feel sorry for Darcy. While I understand him, he will have become accustomed to our presence in Georgiana's life. For so many years, I had to step aside and was resolved to watching her grow up from afar, seeing her only when she visited the Matlocks."
He paused and sadly added, "You cannot imagine what it is like to have a daughter with the woman you love and not be able to recognise her. It is a heavy load I have had to carry for many years."
Lord Sebastian nodded and told him his plan, "I hope never to be in your situation, Father. These last few weeks, I thought we might throw a ball and have Darcy as our guest of honour. It would be a good step towards restoring the Darcy name in the Ton."
Lord Hertford nodded and smiled. "It is an excellent idea, Son."
He continued, "I know the Darcys arrived in London yesterday, and I plan to send a note in the morning inviting them for a walk in Hyde Park. It is time the ladies of high society, especially the gossips, see us with the Darcys and for the Ton to know the Marquess of Hertford is an excellent friend of the Darcys."
PPP
17th November 1811
London
Darcy,
I hope you have had a pleasant trip and settled in London. The reason for this letter is that I wish to invite you and Georgiana for a walk in Hyde Park this afternoon, and then we might go to Gunter's for 'ices'.
I can fetch you at your house at 2:00 PM if you agree.
I await your confirmation.
Regards,
Lord Hertford.
Darcy was frowning as he read the note his housekeeper had just given him. He had no desire to see Lord Hertford, yet he had no choice but to accept the 'invitation if it could be called an 'invitation'.
If he was honest with himself, he knew he was jealous that his sister admired Lord Sebastian so much, and to a lesser extent, because of her relationship with Lord Hertford. When Lord Hertford sent Darcy a letter to share with Georgiana, her sister's face lit up with joy.
He knew for his sister's sake, he had to put aside his 'rivalry' with Lord Sebastian and try to have a good relationship with him and Lord Hertford. Reluctantly, he admitted the two gentlemen just wanted to spend time with Georgiana and help in any way they could to re-establish their place in society.
Before answering the note, during breakfast, he inquired about Georgiana's opinion; he was hoping she would prefer to stay home.
As Darcy imagined, his sister's face lit up with joy as she read Lord Hertford's letter.
"Would you like to accompany Lord Hertford for a walk in Hyde Park?" Darcy asked her in a neutral voice.
Georgiana nodded, smiling, "Yes, I would like to go with them. Do you have something important to do at that time, brother?" Seeing her brother's frown, she asked," Would you prefer we stay home?"
Darcy resigned and shook his head. "No; If you wish to go, we will go. I do not have anything urgent to do this afternoon."
"Perhaps Lord Sebastian will join us," Georgiana added very happily.
"I do not know..."
That afternoon, Lord Hertford arrived to fetch them at the appointed time. He was delighted to see his daughter again—he was convinced Georgiana was his daughter—and gave her a beautiful gold chain with a heart-shaped diamond.
Since the Darcys lived only three blocks from one of the entrances to Hyde Park, they walked from there.
Darcy walked alongside them, intervening very little in the conversation. Lord Hertford was deferentially greeted by various people from the first circles of London. He took it upon himself to say he was enjoying the afternoon in the company of his good friends, 'the Darcys'.
Lord Hertford was having a pleasant conversation with Georgiana when they passed two very pretty young women, one blonde and the other dark-haired, with the most expressive eyes he had ever seen. Seeing them, Georgiana smiled and greeted the dark-haired girl with great joy.
"Lizzy! It is so nice to see you here. I was planning to send you a note to let you know I returned to London."
"Miss Bennet, it is a pleasure to see you again." Darcy greeted her politely.
"Georgiana, Mr. Darcy, it is nice to see you too."
"Miss Darcy, could you please introduce me to your friends?" asked Lord Hertford, although from what his son had told him, he already knew who this young lady was.
Georgiana looked at Elizabeth and the other young lady she did not know and proceeded to introduce Elizabeth, and then Elizabeth introduced Marianne Campbell. They stood speaking for a few minutes—mainly Elizabeth and Georgiana—and before parting ways, Georgiana invited them to have tea at her house in two days.
Lord Hertford, who was very observant, noticed that Darcy looked too much at Miss Bennet, but Miss Bennet was more interested in talking to Georgiana than Darcy. On the other hand, Miss Campbell seemed to be very sweet but extremely shy. Without a doubt, these two young ladies—especially Miss Bennet—were the kind of friends Georgiana needed.
"Such nice young ladies, especially Miss Bennet." Commented Lord Hertford
"Yes, I am delighted to have met her in Hertfordshire. We have become quite friendly!" Exclaimed Georgiana.
"Miss Bennet is a very nice lady," Darcy affirmed.
"My son told me that Miss Bennet is the daughter of a gentleman and is also the sister of my nephew's wife."
Georgiana and Lord Hertford conversed about Miss Bennet and all her good qualities for a few minutes.