A Constant Love: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation, page 19
“Miss Darcy, are you hurt?” Captain Stanton called out, and Elizabeth only just registered the pained expression on his face as she swooped down beside Georgiana, asking her the same question.
Georgiana, for her part, was more stunned than anything. She had been walking along, and then she had been on the ground, and like Elizabeth, it took her a while to comprehend how this had come to happen.
“No, I believe I am fine,” she said, only after she spoke beginning to realise that there was a dull ache in her wrist that was beginning to get worse; when the boy had grabbed her reticule, its ribbons had caught around her wrist before he had finally managed to pull it off, and then she had landed on it as she fell. Thus weakened, it had bent most painfully under her weight.
Elizabeth and Mrs. Annesley, kneeling beside her, expressed relief, while Mary busied herself with picking up the sheets of Georgiana’s music, which had scattered as she fell. Captain Stanton removed his walking stick and leaned over to pick the boy up by his very tattered shirt, holding him there. The boy wriggled and attempted to escape, but the captain held him fast.
“What shall I do with him, then?”
“Please let him go,” Georgiana said. “He has done me no permanent harm, but they will cut off his hand for it.”
“They would do more than cut off his hand,” Captain Stanton said, pulling the boy up higher so that he was standing on his tiptoes. “He likely would hang, for robbing and assaulting a lady.”
“Please do let him go, then – I could not bear to know that a boy was hanged for this. He is too young to know any better.”
“Georgiana, he has likely made his living this way for some years,” Elizabeth told her, gently.
“Still, he is too young to hang for something like this,” Georgiana said, nearly in tears. “Look at how thin he is – he must be desperately hungry.”
“If I still had a ship, I would take him on board and see if he was capable of earning a living in an honest way. However, I do not, so I will let him go, as Miss Darcy requests.” Captain Stanton said. Then, directing his comments to the boy: “You will do best to remember that you live, and with all your limbs no less, because this lady was exceedingly generous to you. If you must make a living by thievery, will you promise never to do so by attacking a lady again?”
His eyes wide with fear, the boy nodded vigorously, and Captain Stanton all but threw him down the street. The boy stumbled, rose, and set off at a lame, lumbering sort of run. Then the attention of the entire party turned to Georgiana, as Elizabeth and Mrs. Annesley helped her to her feet. Mrs. Annesley touched her wrist as she did so, and Georgiana let out a little yelp of pain.
“You are injured,” Captain Stanton said, his voice both concerned and angry, his countenance showing that he would readily chase the boy back down if any of them so asked.
“It is only my wrist,” Georgiana said, explaining how it had come to be hurt.
“Are you able to bend it?” he asked, making a few motions with his hand about his neck, before she realised he was removing his cravat.
“It hurts, but yes, I am,” Georgiana said.
“It is most likely not broken, then, but you should have it looked over by a surgeon,” he said, tying the two ends of the cravat’s fabric together in a neat little knot, and then indicating that he would slip the loop of fabric over her head. It was a strangely intimate gesture; it left Georgiana feeling flushed and embarrassed, particularly when she noticed that his open shirt now revealed a quite inappropriate glimpse of his chest. She half wished it was he instead of Elizabeth and Mrs. Annesley who arranged it into a sling for her arm, and yet she realised she would be completely overwhelmed if he were to stand so close and touch her arm in that way.
“Please do take my arm, Miss Darcy,” Captain Stanton said, handing her reticule to Elizabeth and moving around to her good arm and offering his, which she accepted with the slightest of tremblings. “You have had quite the ordeal this evening.”
“It was not so bad,” she said, as they all began walking again. “I hardly even knew what was happening.”
She did not tell him how grateful she was that he had been walking with them; if he had not calmly taken the situation in hand and stopped the boy, she might have been far more frightened. Nor did he tell her how greatly he admired her fortitude; such an event would have put most young ladies into hysterics, and yet she was walking along calmly beside him, although her grip on his arm was heavier than he had ever known it to be. They walked along silently for some time, before he spoke again.
“I cannot help but keep thinking of that boy,” he said. “I wonder if any of my own ship’s boys have turned to making their living in such a way, or even some of the older hands. They all have earned plenty of money from our prizes, but a great many seamen are parted with their prize money after a short run on shore. They are shortsighted; they do not think about what will happen if they cannot get another ship when the money runs out.”
“You care a great deal for your men,” she said.
“I do – I had responsibility for them for five years’ time, and I find it is not an easy thing to give up.”
They were interrupted at this point by Georgiana’s brother, who was striding up Audley Street with a servant behind him, holding a lantern and looking very concerned. The concern ebbed when he saw them, and then redoubled when he saw Georgiana’s arm.
“What on earth has happened?” he cried. He was informed of the lame horse, the boy and his attack on Georgiana, and in turn he told them of how he had grown increasingly concerned at home when the usual hour for their return had passed, and then another half-hour after that. He had organised all of the male servants into small search parties, and they had gone out into the streets along any route the group might have taken home.
Darcy’s face showed a certain anguished concern that all in the party took as a feeling of inability to protect his sister, and for a moment it looked as if he would pull Georgiana off of Captain Stanton’s arm and escort her home himself. He recollected himself, though; although Georgiana had assured him there was nothing wrong with her aside from the pain in her wrist, she looked very tired and eager to go home. They resumed walking, therefore, after he had despatched the servant to go find the others and tell them the ladies had been found, and to have a surgeon sent for. Elizabeth took up his arm, leaned close and whispered that he should relax; Georgiana was fine, they all were fine.
They came into the house amidst the returning servants, and entered into a period of confusion where Catherine and the female servants, as worried as Darcy had been, must all be informed of what had happened. Eventually, Mrs. Wright and Elizabeth restored some amount of order, and they all attended Georgiana upstairs, to wait for the surgeon. The surgeon came, and repeated Captain Stanton’s diagnosis that Georgiana’s wrist was most likely not broken, but recommended that it be immobilised as a precaution. It was bandaged, and she was given a small dose of laudanum for the pain, which also sent her promptly to sleep.
Throughout all of this, Captain Stanton remained waiting in the entrance-hall, quite forgotten by everyone as they watched the surgeon upstairs. Eventually, Darcy remembered his presence, and asked Mr. Miller to show the gentleman to his study, if he had not departed, and to offer him some refreshment. He had not departed, and Darcy joined him there after another quarter-hour, noted that Captain Stanton was not drinking anything, and poured both of them a generous brandy.
Captain Stanton accepted his, but took only the slightest of sips, then asked: “How is Miss Darcy?”
“She is as well as can be expected. The surgeon does not think her wrist is broken.”
Captain Stanton nodded, looking relieved, and said: “I am very sorry, Mr. Darcy. If I should have suspected anything of the sort that happened tonight would ever happen in Mayfair, I would have insisted we find some other way for the ladies to get home.”
“Let your mind rest easy on that regard,” said Darcy, who already knew from his wife that the idea to walk home had been her own. “I have never known such a thing to happen, either, though I intend to make enquiries tomorrow. If this is not an isolated incident, my neighbours and I may need to invest in some sort of private security force. It is unacceptable that such a thing should happen here, even once.”
“Should a security force become necessary, might I suggest that it be manned with unemployed seamen or soldiers? I myself could provide you with a score of applicants easily.”
“Let us hope it does not come to that,” Darcy said, struggling with the thought of sailors wandering around Mayfair, then thinking of them perhaps uniformed in some sort of livery not of the naval line – something more refined – and becoming somewhat easier with the idea. “I did want to ask why you let the boy go. Mrs. Darcy indicated that Miss Darcy asked that he be released. Was this your reason for letting the criminal run off?”
“It was one of my reasons, yes,” Captain Stanton said. “However, I had others. I understand Miss Darcy is only recently out in society, and for her name to be attached to such an attack, even though it is all innocence on her side, I thought would give her a level of notoriety that your family would not find desirable. More simply, attempting to restrain the boy while also walking the ladies home would have been a distraction, and I felt it a higher priority to ensure I was ready to see to their safety, should anything else occur.”
Darcy nodded, mollified by both arguments. He knew Georgiana to have a deeply sentimental heart, and he had feared that by letting go of the boy, Captain Stanton showed a weakness to be swayed by his sister’s sentiment. That he had considered other ramifications of the decision in such a moment spoke well of his character, and it occurred to Darcy that of course Captain Stanton was used to making such decisions. The man had a gentleman’s manners, and it was easy to forget that he had commanded a frigate full of men, that he had led them into battle and captured a great many ships.
“Please do not think me ungrateful,” Darcy said. “Indeed I am remiss in not thanking you immediately for doing such a service for my family. I merely wish to have the fullest understanding of what happened, as I was not there myself.”
“I understand completely, Mr. Darcy. If I had a sister, I am sure I would have shared your alarm in finding such a thing had happened to her, without my being there.”
“Well then, I hope you will allow me to raise a glass to you in gratitude,” Darcy said, and did. Captain Stanton mimicked him, and drank more deeply this time.
It was late by the time Darcy went to his bedchamber, but Elizabeth was there, awake and attempting to read a book.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Sleeping peacefully,” Elizabeth said. “I think she has been the least affected out of all of us by this.”
“You may well be right,” he said, climbing into bed and kissing her. “I cannot tell you how worried I was that something had happened to one of you – all of you, even.”
“I know,” she whispered, returning his kiss.
“I will write to Richardson tomorrow and inform him I will not be coming to Pemberley,” he said. “I can hardly leave at a time like this.”
“You need not cancel your trip,” she said. “Georgiana’s wrist will heal whether you are here or not, and we will need to stay in while she rests. Do you want to sit in with a group of ladies for several days when you could be back at Pemberley?”
“I need to make enquiries around the neighbourhood as to whether this is an isolated incident. If it is not, we will need to look at what is to be done about security.”
“Then delay for a day. Leave Wednesday.”
“Perhaps I will.”
“How late did Captain Stanton stay? I wished to thank him, but I did not want to leave Georgiana.”
“He left just before I came upstairs,” Darcy said. “And I did thank him. I fear, though, that this incident will elevate him in Georgiana’s eyes.”
“Is there anything wrong with that? I think him quite a good match for her.”
“My preference is for Viscount Burnley. I am sure these marriage rumours are nonsense, and he shall return when he is out of mourning to make his offer.”
“Oh, because he is to inherit a dukedom now, so he must be the preferred choice.”
“No, because he shows clear preference, and affection for her,” he said. “I have no objection to Captain Stanton in any of his particulars; I quite like his company, actually. But he is indifferent to Georgiana.”
“How can you possibly say that? He is always seeking her out in company,” Elizabeth said, indignation rising in her voice.
“They both love music – I have no doubt he enjoys conversing on that topic with her. But he shows not the slightest bit of affection. When he calls, it is always with Captain Ramsey. It may very well be that he converses with Georgiana so that his friend may enjoy more of Kitty’s undivided attention.”
“He is reserved – so is she! I need not remind you that you thought the same thing about my sister – that she was indifferent to Charles, and anyone who sees them now can see they are very much in love,” Elizabeth said, fully upset now. “And you did not see the look on his face when he saw she had been knocked down. He was very concerned.”
“As well he should have been, when one of the ladies he was escorting was attacked.”
“Oh, do you blame him for this event, now? Need I remind you that it was my idea to make the walk?”
“You need not,” he said, his temper finally gone. “You also think it perfectly acceptable for a single lady to go on a solitary three-mile walk through the countryside, so I would have assumed the idea to be yours, even if you had not told me so.”
There were few things he could have said that would have hurt Elizabeth quite so much as this statement. She already felt a tremendous amount of guilt that the walk had been her idea, and this statement drew out many of the insecurities she had developed since coming to town. It questioned her judgement; it questioned her propriety. She felt the keenest disappointment in him for having said it, and in herself for letting it affect her. Propriety had never been a concern of hers before marrying, and yet now she felt herself constantly judged on it. Her eyes welled with tears, and she rose from the bed before he could see them.
“I am going to my own chamber,” she said. “If we keep on this way we’ll wake Georgiana.”
“Elizabeth – Elizabeth!”
If he had anything else to say, she did not hear it. She was in his dressing room and then her own, closing the door and leaning back against it as her tears came in earnest.
Chapter 28
Sarah seemed to sense that her mistress was even more tired and listless than usual in the morning. After informing her that Hughes had already dressed Georgiana and the young lady was feeling well, she kept up a steady, cheerful chatter about the weather and other meaningless topics that Elizabeth did find to be a little soothing.
They were both startled by the knock on the door leading to the hallway, which Sarah answered. Elizabeth could hear Darcy’s voice, asking if he might have a moment with Mrs. Darcy, when she was dressed. Sarah looked back at Elizabeth with an expression of concern, and Elizabeth nodded her assent. She was not looking forward to the conversation with him, but she thought it right to have it over before breakfast; she had no desire to pretend that all was well for the benefit of the rest of the household, without their at least having spoke.
Sarah completed her hair. Elizabeth sat down at her desk chair, then decided she would rather remain standing, and she was thus when he came in, looking as exhausted as she felt.
“Elizabeth, I am so sorry,” he said, striding across the room and taking up her hands with such a fervency she thought for a moment he was going to kneel in front of her. “I cannot say that I would have had the same idea in such a situation, but I truly did not see any fault in it, and I told Captain Stanton the same thing. It is no excuse, but I had just been through one of the more terrifying times of my life, and I let my anger get the better of me.”
“You hurt me,” she said, already crying again in spite of herself. “I spend most of every day trying to do everything proper, everything Mrs. Darcy would be expected to do, and you called it all into question.”
“No one finds you improper in your role, least of all me,” he said. “Lady Ellen has told me several times how impressed she has been by your transition.”
“Lady Ellen said that?” Elizabeth felt the slightest twinge of hope and assurance, to be praised by such a source.
“Yes, she did. But I worry about you, Elizabeth. Before we came to London, you had a spirit and an independence to you that was one of the things I most loved about you – it is what caused you to walk three miles by yourself to visit a sister who was ill, and while I cannot say I condoned it, I certainly admired you for having done so. Now I fear your role here has taken your spirit – I fear you are not happy.”
These words were so true they caused a renewal of her tears so strong that for some time she could not speak.
“Do you regret marrying me, Elizabeth?” he asked, his countenance so pained that it was clear he feared her answer would be yes.
“No, of course not – please do not ever have any doubts about that. But I have grown very weary of town, and society – I miss the country so.”
“Then why do you not come with me to Pemberley?”
“We cannot both be absent with three single ladies in the household. Mrs. Annesley is wonderful, but that is too much to ask of her.”
“Should you like to go to Longbourn, then, at some point?”
Just the mention of it brought such a wave of sudden homesickness that Elizabeth could at first only nod in response, and then note that Mary might be desirous of returning home, and perhaps she could attend her there. He promised her an immediate outing to Richmond, as well; the weather looked fine, and there was no reason why they could not go that very day, after he made a few quick calls around the neighbourhood – just the two of them, in the phaeton.
