Chapter starts on 17 February 2024.

MAJOR RETROACTIVE CHANGE PROPOSED:
I'm a few chapters ahead of what I publish in editing and fixing plot holes. One of the main ones that's been bothering me is Charlotte's role. I really like her character but as the story is written she has a very minor role in comparison to even Maria. I initially paired Mary/Maria and have been trying to work out Charlotte's role in this story. At present, I simply cart her off for work to Brussels at some point. But I don't like that for her character. So I'm asking for comments and help on this: option 1: I could change mentions of Maria to Charlotte - which has major pros and the only con is that I would make that character of Mary's partner a bit more practical and slightly less lively. Option 2: I could also do something more wild with the character that could work (i.e. pair her with someone other than Collins). Option 3: I could somehow work the Collins/Charlotte pairing into the story (which would require more work). Option 4: status quo, carting Charlotte off to Brussels.

The next morning Lizzy found herself walking to the centre, letting her thoughts meander. She felt like she should tell G what happened last night. But she also wanted to use the time to go over her options so that she could make some decisions, at least about Wickham. Even if other questions about Mr. Darcy were still open. Her thoughts drifted to G and why she was so invested in her well being. It wasn't just that she was a great person. It was more than that, G was a good person who made bad choices and needed help. G reminded Lizzy of herself in the throws of her own abusive relationship. When she'd finally broken up with her ex, she'd needed time and support to heal. She'd had her family and friends who went out of their way for her and had never felt so fortunate. While she wasn't religious or spiritual, she was willing to acknowledge that the universe had helped her out in the form of the support she needed when she'd needed it most. And now, it felt like by helping G she was repaying the universe in her own way. As she watched G engrossed in the music she played, she knew that she was going to do her darndest to make sure that G would be able to build her life the way she wanted without any interference. She walked into the centre hearing music playing, Beethoven if she wasn't mistaken and it had been a long time since anyone had played that piano and it was a bit out of tune. She stood there listening wondering where her violin was.

G heard a sigh behind her and turned around, "sorry Lizzy. I didn't know you'd be here already."

"No dear, please continue. No one has played that instrument in a good long while. It deserves to be played by someone as talented as you. You're delightful."

G looked at her wistfully, "in another life I had hoped to be a professional pianist after uni. Before Wickham, Wills and I made a deal, I'd go to Cambridge and complete my degree and then if I could get a spot at a really good music school like Julliard, I could move to the US and do what I actually wanted to do." She stopped suddenly.

Lizzy smiled, "you can still have that life. I'll send a friend to tune up the piano. And then we can make some plans about what you want from life, if you wanr."

G was becoming more courageous and starting to feel like her old self again. The affection from Lizzy was helping her open up in a way that she never had before. She wondered if the Bennet sisters, and Lizzy especially, were magical.

Lizzy awkwardly started talking again having changed the subject, "I saw your brother last night." Seeing the expression on her face she continued quickly, "don't worry he doesn't know anything, and I didn't tell anyone anything. Everyone only knows you as G. In any case, we know the value of privacy in such situations and tend not to talk about the centre or anyone in it in social gatherings."

G asked softly, "how is he?"

"He's fine. A bit broody, but maybe that's just how he normally is."

G nodded "He's quite shy at social events. He's got no idea how to be social."

After some tea and toast, Lizzy asked, "have you decided anything about Wickham?"

G plucked some courage from Lizzy and said, "yes, I think you're right about a protection order. I'm also quite sure I don't want to be married anymore."

Lizzy beamed, "Ok great, I'll start the paperwork. I have to check a few things about divorce law. I've rarely done that kind of work."

G suddenly felt anxious. She couldn't do this alone, "but you'll help right?"

"Of course, you're being so brave. I know these are big steps. And I'm here to help you."

On her walk home she thought about the situation that she was now facing. She considered Will Darcy and what was clearly a very large stick up his arse. She didn't understand the man at all. He wanted to find his sister and wanted to know more about her, but he wouldn't ask her anything directly. Instead he had come to a party and watched her all night barely talking to anyone. Of course, she knew that was a sign of his arrogance. She was certain that she could at least identify that shade in his personality. But anything else seemed to elude her. She had such varying accounts of him and things didn't add up. G wanted to talk to her brother but was worried about actually approaching him because of her own guilt and his judgement. This might mean that Will Darcy wasn't as bad as she thought he was. She just couldn't make him out. And it pinched at her that was the case. She who always prided herself in being able to read people immediately was now at sea about a man who she didn't want to know more about but also wanted to know more about. She'd always lived her life on the edge of chaos. But this palpable confusion was too much for her. She put it out of her mind and instead threw herself into work.

Will Darcy woke on Sunday barely having slept at all his thoughts consumed by one thing to the exclusion of all others. He didn't understand it. Rationally there was no reason to be so intrigued by her, and yet he wanted to know everything about her. He told himself that it was just because he wanted to know more about his sister. After all self-denial is a powerful thing. He heard ruckus down below and knew it was likely his frustrating cousin. He slowly made his way out of bed and went to the kitchen. Thanking the intruder for at least having made coffee.

Richard launched in without preamble, "Darcy, don't play with me. You must know something about Georgie by now. How could you keep this to yourself?"

Will blanched slightly. He should have expected this but his thoughts off late had been so full of everything else he wasn't sure what to say. Fitz was set up nicely in the SIS now working for (FVEY) Five Eye. Darcy ran his hand over his face thinking about what Fitz would do. Had he had his way the last few years he would have found Georgiana and brought her back home. Fitz's forte at work had always been strategy and he'd have done what he thought was right for the outcome he desired. Darcy however knew that would be the exact type of thing that would've landed him on Elizabeth Bennet's bad side, as if he wasn't there already. He sighed, knowing that he had to get Elizabeth's good side before Richard got involved. He abhorred disguise of any sort, that was true. He wasn't sure how to get out of being honest in this situation though. "Fitz, yes. I have some information. But please, will you leave me to handle it?"

Fitz crossed his arms over his chest, "no. I won't let you do this again. I care about Georgiana too. This isn't solely your decision."

"Do you remember what she said when she left?" asked Will.

"Sure, I do. What's that got to do with anything?"

He sighed and sat down on his favourite chair, "I didn't tell you everything. I couldn't. I told you most of it. But the things she said that day… I couldn't. I've tried to put it out of my head for years now. But since Wickham called and set this whole thing into motion, I can't put it out of my head. I keep wondering, was she right?"

Fitz started pacing the room, "you had no right to keep things from me."

Will tried to make him understand, "I know. I just couldn't tell you everything, filled with shame and guilt as I was."

Richard sighed, "tell me now, so that we can come up with something together."

Richard had always been one of his favourite cousins. But he wasn't sure how he'd react to all this. But it was still better than the conversation that Richard actually wanted to have about Georgiana's whereabouts. That was a whole can of worms that involved the Bennet sisters and one he couldn't resolve so he'd rather not discuss it "I was trying to protect you."

"You always take too much on yourself." He said, waiting for his cousin to say more. He loved Will like a brother, and he could see that what Georgiana had said had an impact on him, even if he wasn't sure what that impact actually was.

Will spoke about family pride, reputation, and money, and social class. The things Georgiana thought her family valued when she'd told her brother what actually mattered was love, kindness, and generosity. He still had no idea how she thought that Wickham was a paragon of any of that. He laid it out for Fitz as best he could. It was a long and meandering sort of speech that was more like stringing together a bunch of disparate sentences. When he ended, he finally looked at Richard's face and the mask he wore in his work.

Richard took a few moments to think about what he wanted to say about this. He was a pragmatic fellow and so decided to lead with that. "Wow, Darce. I don't know what to say. Money is important, sure. I don't need a penthouse in central London though. I don't live like you do, and I've never needed to. And today, social class matters less and less, and I definitely don't think that things like rank matter. Why do you think I refuse to talk to most of the family? Yet, at the same time, this isn't a Beatles song. Power does matter, and wealth can help with that. I know that from my work more than anyone. I see it every day, and I have no choice but to understand it. I've never truly understood your ideas about some of this. While I don't entirely agree with Georgie either, I think there's a middle ground. While it matters to you, social class and all that nonsense, you're not obsessed with it like the rest of them. I can't talk to my parents because of their obsessions. But I don't know that marrying someone in the British establishment was ever going to be the main purpose of Georgie's life. She was never cut out for that. She was going to become a pianist. None of this is to say that Georgiana wasn't naïve. She was taken in by that idiot. And we should've found a way to make her understand a bit better. I wish I'd been more present at that time for you and her." Richard remembered when he'd realized how wrong his family's obsession over wealth and social position had been. It was around the same time as Georgie's eloping with Wickham that it'd come to a head with his parents. He'd seen how their greed ate away at them. It had become far too obvious to him and he couldn't deal with it anymore.

Will's face was in his hands now, "all my life, I worked hard. The end goal was always the same. To make money, to accumulate wealth. I don't get what made her turn here back on all of us and do what she did. I must've failed somewhere."

Richard shrugged, "I know we could've both done better. But Wickham was a sweet talker. I've told you a hundred times before don't take this on yourself."

Will looked up at him, "so, what you think he completely brainwashed her?"

"Mostly. But you still haven't told me the answer to the question I asked when I came in. Where is she?"

Will sighed and said the least that he could, "I know where she is. I know she's safe away from Wickham. I know she's doing ok. But that's all I know."

"What the hell does that mean, Darce? That doesn't answer anything. Let's go get her if you know where she is."

"No. Give me a little while to handle this on my own. If I can't figure it out in 2 months I'll do what you want."

Richard wasn't ready to give in. But he had a few things to do before he left for assignment, "we've waited long for this. I don't think you're seeing straight on this. But I know you have to get your head out of your ass if you want to do it my way. I'll wait. But not a day more than 6 weeks. Lucky for you I won't have time to look over your shoulder for the next few weeks anyway."

That night in Meryton, Georgiana was writing in her journal.

18 February 2024

It feels like so much has happened since I last wrote even though it's only been a few days. I've made some peace with the fact that Wills knows I'm with Lizzy. But I'm still not ready to meet him. I said so many horrible things to him that last day. I may not have been entirely wrong about some of what I said and stand by the fact that his obsession with social class and wealth is crazy. The more time I spend with the Bennets the more I see that. But the decision I made on the basis of that wasn't the right one either. Wickham led me astray and turned me into some kind of pawn between himself and my brother where it became a situation that I could only side with one of them. What about me though, what about the things I wanted from my life? I'm starting to understand that I didn't make my own decisions then. And now, here in the centre, it's the first time I'm getting to actually do that. I always relied on Wills and then on Wickham and look where that got me. I'm learning to stand my own ground and I worry that meeting Wills will undo all the progress, I'm making at that. The power of getting to make your own choices is so wonderful. It's like a menu with so many choices that you go dizzy, it's a weirdly heady feeling and I want it. Am I being selfish again? Maybe I should just ask Lizzy to talk to Wills and let him know a bit more about my life so he will let me live this life I'm learning to live. One choice I have made is to get a protection order and a divorce. It's time to close that chapter of my life and start a new one. I'm so grateful for the Bennets, but I'm not sure I will fully understand why they are going out of their way to help me. Jackie said that maybe it's not something I need to know, just be appreciative that they are here for me, supporting me in the best way they can. I can live with that.

Will had 6 weeks, that's all that Richard gave him, and he was going to do his best to resolve this. Maybe he could spend Easter with Georgiana. Maybe she will let me in. But how should he go about it. Elizabeth Bennet was the key. How could he get her and make her believe that he wanted what was best for Georgie?

Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying. Please do leave a line and let me know what you think. PLEASE respond to the 4 options I proposed at the beginning of the chapter. If not, I'm very unsure how to handle Charlotte!

Since this story is mainly (for now) about G, Lizzy, and Darcy, it felt important to dedicate some time to Lizzy and G's relationship even if it is a little doughy.