Georgiana, however, was genuinely troubled by their mother’s statement. “Oh, no, Mrs. Bennet, you need not worry yourself over such a thing. I assure you, my brother loves Elizabeth very much. He has been nothing but caring and attentive whenever I have seen them together. Indeed, if you had only witnessed the tenderness and intimacy that exists between them, especially on Sunday last, I am certain your mind would now be completely at ease.” Then, with a gasp, Georgiana’s hand flew to her mouth as she sent a panicked glance to Elizabeth before casting her eyes downward, clearly mortified, not only by what her well-intentioned words had certainly implied, but also by what she had alluded to.
She need not have worried, for Mrs. Bennet, lost in her own musings, merely shrugged and said, “Oh, well then, I daresay I shall rest easier knowing Lizzy will at least be able to keep him interested until after the wedding takes place.” She gave her daughter a critical look and made a minor adjustment to the ribbon on the bodice of her gown. “Hmm…” she mused, “I do believe this neckline is particularly flattering to your bosom, Lizzy, and I must agree, the color is perfect for you. Yes, you shall wear it tonight with the emerald necklace and earrings Mr. Darcy was so generous to present to you the other day. And do not be late. I hardly think it would please your future husband to be kept waiting.” Mrs. Bennet then left Elizabeth to Georgiana’s society in order to oversee Jane’s preparations for the evening.
Elizabeth leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and expelled a long, slow breath. Georgiana looked contrite as she sat, perched upon the edge of the small sofa in the sitting room, staring at her lap in misery. Elizabeth approached her, and Georgiana reluctantly raised her eyes, now swimming with unshed tears. “Oh, Elizabeth, can you ever forgive me?” she whispered. “It was very wrong of me to have said such a thing to your mother just now. I never should have mentioned any of it at all. What you and Fitzwilliam choose to do when you are alone together—oh, no,” she gasped. “I certainly did not mean to say that! Please, please forgive me. It is none of my business, any of it, and I ought not to speak of such things. Fitzwilliam would be appalled by my lack of decorum. I can only imagine what you must think of me for speaking so.”
Frowning, Elizabeth sat beside her and gathered her hands in her own. “I believe I am more concerned at the moment with your opinion of me,” she said. “I had no idea you had reached this particular conclusion about your brother and me, Georgiana, but perhaps I should not be so surprised. We have done a rather poor job of keeping our affection for each other a secret from the rest of the world. As you well know, your aunt had much to say on the subject, and indeed, I am very sorry you were forced to bear witness to my shame. I am sure it must have been distressing for you, to say nothing of the shock of seeing your brother comforting me in such a familiar way. I am afraid that, in our distress, both of us were not entirely aware of our actions or their possible repercussions. I very much hope you will tell me if you are still troubled by what you have seen, my dear. I would never wish to be the cause of any pain or discomfort to you, nor, do I believe, would your brother.”
Georgiana averted her eyes. “I am fine, Elizabeth, truly. You need not worry yourself over me.”
“Come, Georgiana. We are to be sisters. You need not feel as though you cannot speak to me as such. I promise, you have no reason to fear that I shall pass judgment on you or your feelings, even if you believe what you are feeling may occasion me pain or discomfort.”
Georgiana fussed with the trim on her shawl. “I… very well, then. I will not pretend it did not bother me when I first figured out that you and Fitzwilliam have been… intimate with each other.”
Both ladies blushed, and Georgiana said, “Forgive me, Elizabeth. As I have said, I know very well it is none of my concern.”
Elizabeth cleared her throat and inclined her head.
They sat in companionable silence for a time before Georgiana spoke again. Though her voice was subdued, Elizabeth could sense an underlying agitation. “Elizabeth, I once knew a man who told me he loved me. He told me he wanted to marry me, but it turned out he did not. He only wanted my fortune and… and my virtue. He never wanted me. He was someone I had known and trusted my entire life, yet he used my affection for him to try to convince me to… to be with him. I did not want to, not before we were married, and he knew it, yet he continually tried to persuade me otherwise, all the while claiming to be in love with me. He said if I loved him I would… show him.” A tear ran down her cheek, and she hung her head.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened at this admission. “Georgiana, do you mean to tell me this young man has… has compromised you in some way?”
Georgiana took a shaky breath. “Yes,” she answered, “I mean no. Not entirely. It is not as bad as that.” She rose and paced the length of the room several times, reminding Elizabeth very much of Darcy. “I thought I loved him, Elizabeth! I thought I knew my own mind. I thought I knew him, but it turned out I did not. I knew nothing. I almost ruined my life and my reputation, and I brought Fitzwilliam and Richard a great deal of pain and mortification. And even though I had hurt them—even though I had disappointed them—they were both still so very kind and loving toward me, as though none of it was my fault.
“Later, my brother told me, any man who is unwilling to respect my wishes—any man who will try to talk me into an elopement, or take my virtue before we are married by the church, or make me do anything I am not comfortable with—is no gentleman. He told me a true gentleman will never demand such things from a woman he truly esteems and loves before she is ready to give them willingly, before their marriage has been sanctioned by the church. Knowing this, can you not understand why I cannot help but be troubled by Fitzwilliam’s familiarity with you?”
“Georgiana, have you spoken to your brother of your feelings?” Elizabeth asked.
Georgiana shrugged. “I have not. He did approach me the following day and on several occasions since, but I was not yet comfortable discussing my feelings about his… his indiscretions. I made up an excuse so I could leave him quickly, before he could mention it. He has since been very busy with various matters of business, and I have taken precautions so we would not be alone together. I have spent quite a bit of time wondering how my brother could ever have done this to you. I do not want you to think I believe any of the wretched things my Aunt Catherine has accused you of, not even for a moment, Elizabeth. I know you could never behave in such a disgraceful manner as she would have me believe. She is only upset that Fitzwilliam is not to marry Anne, but she was so horrible to you! You did nothing to deserve her abominable treatment. I am no longer naïve. I know very well that none of this would ever have happened, had my brother not taken advantage of your innocence and your affection for him in a moment of weakness and… and… seduced you.” Her last words were barely above a whisper.
Elizabeth inhaled sharply. “Oh, Georgiana, is that what you think?”
She nodded and looked away.
“I assure you that is not the case.” Elizabeth forced their eyes to meet and said, “This is, by no means, easy for me, but I must endeavor to correct this mistaken impression you have formed about your brother. While I will admit he may have been very…persuasive in his manner of expressing his affection for me on more than one occasion, I cannot allow you to think him capable of unscrupulously misleading me into doing something I objected to. His goodness and his moral principles would never allow such deception, such duplicity.”