Page 10 of The Blackmail of Mr. Darcy
“Yes, sir. I was told that he would come, sir.”
Darcy nodded, thanked the girl, and assured her he would locate Miss Elizabeth and send her to the room.
As he returned to the stairway, meaning to ask servants if they had seen the young woman, he heard Miss Elizabeth’s voice coming from his sister’s rooms. He went to the door and wasabout to knock, but he arrested his hand for a moment as he listened. Miss Elizabeth was saying, “Do not worry, Georgiana. I am here, and I love being your friend. Things will be well. Whatever it is you are distressed about, we can work the problem, we can find solutions. You need not fear for yourself or for your brother.”
There was a quiet assurance in Miss Elizabeth’s voice. Darcy was wondering why Georgiana was in tears, and he was also anxious to know what Georgiana had told Elizabeth. But, for the most part, he felt comforted at Miss Elizabeth’s apparent willingness to be allied with his sister. And, he gathered, maybe even with himself.
He knocked on Georgiana’s door. In response, there was a sudden silence—his sister stopped sobbing, and Miss Elizabeth stopped saying comforting words. He called through the door, “Georgie, it is me. Miss Elizabeth’s sister needs her.”
The door opened almost instantly. Miss Elizabeth looked concerned as she murmured her thanks and hurried past him.
Darcy, gazing at his sister’s tear-stained face, asked, “Might I come in?”
“Yes,” Georgiana whispered.
“I am glad,” Darcy said, “that you had Miss Elizabeth to reassure you; she seems like a wonderful friend. But I cannot walk away without asking why you are crying. If you do not mind telling me, what happened? Can your old brother help you in some way?”
Georgiana waved him in and asked him to lock the door. He sat down on the sofa and pulled his sister into an embrace.
“I am sorry to be such a watering pot,” Georgiana mumbled. “I wish that Mrs. Annesley did not have to rush off to her sister just when Aunt and Uncle were needed in Kent.”
“Do you hate it here?” Darcy kissed the top of Georgiana’s head, chastising himself for ever bringing his sister into CarolineBingley’s orbit. He felt sure that the woman was at least part of the reason for his sister’s upset.
“I do not like being around Miss Bingley, William.”
Darcy nodded, vindicated in his assumption.
“But…actually….” Georgiana said thoughtfully.
He waited and was eventually rewarded with Georgiana’s epiphany: “Actually, I believe I am happy to be here. I think Miss Elizabeth will be able to help me learn how to deal with Miss Bingley. And…that is very good. Because, even if I were to leave right now to escape Miss Bingley, there will always be another lady like Miss Bingley, will there not? I…I believe that I need to be here; I need lessons in how to be gracious and polite while standing up against Miss Bingley’s bullying. I need Miss Elizabeth.”
Darcy caught his breath, closed his eyes, brought those words into his heart.
“Exactly right, Poppet,” he murmured. “There will always be another Miss Bingley. I do not know how to combat her, either. I, too, believe I need lessons.”
He could not bring himself to repeat “I, too, need Miss Elizabeth,” but those words veritably rang in his soul.
Chapter 7
Elizabeth
Elizabeth rushed to Jane’s room, concerned that she had lost all sense of time in her attempt to aid Georgiana. For Mr. Darcy to be the one alerting her that she was needed gave the summons a great deal of importance, and she worried what medical situation could have caused him to get involved.
There turned out to be no emergency, thankfully. Jane had asked for her twice, and Susan had felt that she should send a servant out to the gardens to track her down. “And just when I decided to ring for someone,” Susan explained quietly, “the gentleman came by to see how Miss Bennet was faring. He offered to get you.”
Elizabeth had an errant thought that possibly Mr. Darcy was as smitten with her sister as Mr. Bingley was. The thought had a kind of painful edge to it that she did not want to consider, so she pushed any consideration of the matter down quite firmly and turned to her sister with a smile. “I am so sorry I neglected you, Jane.”
Jane demurred, “There is nothing to apologise for, Lizzy. And you certainly have not neglected me. I am just so ready to find out what happened to Lord Glenthorn.” Jane looked at the novel, which was sitting on the bedside table.
Susan left just as Jane was saying, “I hope you had a vigorous walk.”
Elizabeth turned her head to make sure that the door was firmly closed; then she shook her head. “I did not have much of a walk at all, I am sorry to report. Georgiana had some troubles, and I ended up having a bit of a snuggle with her.”
“Oh, dear. I hope all is well now?”
“I hope so, too; Georgie is becoming as dear to me as our own younger sisters.”
Jane looked very concerned and asked what sort of problem the girl was facing. Elizabeth answered, “I do not know. And I will not push her to tell me what it is…but, Jane, I think that Mr. Bingley is everything wonderful, but his sisters’ actions and words fill me with consternation. I do not think it wise for us to speculate on Georgiana’s problem, or even to acknowledge that she has a problem, in front of any of the Bingleys or even their servants. I should hate for you or I to add to her troubles.”
