Abduction & Acrimony Read online

  Georgiana stiffened in surprise, but she quickly shook her head. “I… No.”

  “What is wrong? What has you in such a state?” Lizzy put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “How may I be of assistance?”

  “I think I am lost.” Her voice sounded weak when she said the words, and she flushed, looking away. Clearly, the girl was not good with falsehoods.

  Lizzy was too gracious to call her on the untruth. There was absolutely no way Georgiana could be lost, since Netherfield was easily visible even from the spot in the meadow where she leaned against the tree, having left the road slightly. She was clearly upset by something else, but Lizzy wasn’t going to pry or try to force a confidence the girl didn’t want to share. Instead, she said, “Allow me to walk you back. I quite know the way, I assure you.”

  Georgiana seemed in better humor with that news. “Thank you. I would enjoy a companion. I do not know what came over me. I rose before Mrs. Annesley, and I did not wish to disturb her. She usually sleeps later than me, so I decided to go for a walk while Fitzwilliam is out hunting with Mr. Bingley. I somehow got turned around.”

  Lizzy was sure there was still more to the story than that, but she couldn’t force Georgiana to tell her, so she patted her arm. “It can be easy to get confused or turned around, especially in an area with which you are unfamiliar. I must say, you are quite thoughtful. Many young ladies would think nothing of waking their companions at the same time as they awaken.”

  Georgiana smiled. “I can hardly fault Mrs. Annesley for not having the same default in her character of rising with the dawn most mornings. It is most unbecoming, and Miss Caroline assures me it is something I shall have to overcome when I am in London for my first season. I assume everything goes quite late there.”

  Lizzy nodded. “From what I have observed and experienced, though I confess that is very little. I visit a few times a year to see my aunt and uncle, who live at Gracechurch Street, but we do not move in the same social circles of most of the beau monde. It is a rare thing when we are out for a party, but I do know my aunt and uncle keep slightly later hours there than we do at Longbourn.”

  “I am nervous about my first season. It is only a short time now, and I fear I will be a failure. What if I trip while curtseying to the queen?” She tittered nervously. “What if no one likes me?”

  Lizzy could’ve reassured the girl that with her connections and dowry, she was far more likely to be swamped with admirers and be off the Marriage Mart within the first season, if that was her wish, but she thought that might overwhelm Georgiana in a different way. Instead, she said, “I do not know you well, but I cannot help thinking anyone who knows you at all will soon become an admirer of yours. I doubt you will lack for friends, and I am certain you shall have every success.”

  Georgiana flushed, looking pleased. “You are so kind, Miss Eliza.”

  Lizzy frowned at the nickname. “May I confess something to you?”

  Georgiana looked eager for the opportunity. “Of course you may, I shall not say a word to anyone if it is meant to be in secrecy.”

  Lizzy’s lips twitched. “It is nothing too dire, but I must confess I really dislike the name Eliza. I suspect Miss Caroline heard that from someone, or perhaps she realized when she used it the first time, because she persists in using it. I much prefer Lizzy, and I would be happy if you would call me that.”

  Georgiana’s eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly. “I would be happy to call you Lizzy. And you must call me Georgiana.” She grimaced herself. “Please do not call me Georgie. I dislike that name intensely.”

  Having bonded over their shared dislike of nicknames, Lizzy put her arm through Georgiana’s and nodded firmly. “I shall never use the name. Georgiana is much lovelier and more feminine than Georgie. It is also more distinguished than Elizabeth.”

  “You are named after a queen.” Georgiana smiled. “I share a name with the Mad King and the Prince Regent. I would much rather be named after Elizabeth the First. She did much for which to be admired. And all without a man.” Georgiana giggled as she added that, looking slightly scandalized, and then worried as if she thought Elizabeth might chastise her.

  Rather, Lizzy was delighted by the observation. “Yes, she was quite a strong ruler, and I think it was very sensible of her to refuse to take a husband. Any man she accepted would have taken her power. I think one must be deeply love before they can and should trust a man with that level of control. For my part, I might happily remain a spinster.”

  Georgiana seemed shocked by the idea. “Voluntarily?”

  Lizzy shrugged a shoulder. “Perhaps. It is not out of the bounds of consideration, for I cannot imagine marrying for anything less than deep love to a man I truly trust and admire.” She didn’t bother to voice there were certainly a lack of candidates around, and she was unlikely to suddenly meet a larger pool of eligible bachelors with her circumstances.

  “That is a brave stance. I confess, I had never considered it, but I can see the merit.” Georgiana’s mind was clearly turning over the concept.

  Lizzy experienced a prickle of unease. “For goodness sake, do not tell your brother I have mentioned such things. No doubt, he would deem me a terrible influence and forbid any friendship between us.”

  Georgiana laughed. “Perhaps, but I do not think so. Are you a bad influence, Lizzy?”

  Lizzy grinned. “I should answer that I am not, but I cannot pretend I probably wouldn’t be upon occasion.”

  “Then we shall become the best of friends, for I need someone in my life who is not insipid or too busy trying to curry favor with my brother to truly get to know me.” Georgiana spoke with unexpected perception, leaving little doubt she might be referring to Caroline Bingley.

  Lizzy was pleased Georgiana was in a much happier frame of mind now. As they reached Netherfield, she started to part from her, but Georgiana said, “Will you come in for tea?”

  It was a little early in the morning for visiting, but Lizzy decided to accept the invitation She was glad she had managed to distract her from whatever had occupied her thoughts to start with and hoped to continue doing so. It had nothing to do with seeing Mr. Darcy, for that would be a detraction, not a draw.

  She followed her into Netherfield, and they were heading toward a sitting room when they heard raised voices coming from the library. Lizzy immediately planned to leave, for one did not linger in a household when its occupants were arguing so forcefully. That would be the height of rudeness. She would’ve succeeded in her planned departure if she hadn’t heard her sister’s name spoken forcefully in Mr. Darcy’s voice.

  Despite her better intentions, she walked closer to the library instead. Georgiana did not say anything, perhaps recognizing this might be a situation where Lizzy would be a bad influence. She did not seem to mind as they lingered near the doorway for a moment to listen to the conversation going on inside. At the pitch of the voices, they could hardly be accused of eavesdropping, for they could hear easily from across the hall.

  “I tell you, Bingley, you are misjudging the girl. She has little regard for you. What affection you see in Miss Jane is for your purse, not for you.”

  Lizzy’s mouth dropped open at the allegation, and she did not hear what Mr. Bingley said in response. Before she could think better of it, she twisted the knob, shoved open the door, and barged inside. She was aware of Georgiana’s cry of dismay, but she could spare no thought for soothing the girl right now. Instead, she crossed the room and stood near Fitzwilliam Darcy, hands on her hips. “You are an insufferable man.”

  “And you are a rude slip of a thing to listen at doors. I would ask if you learned no manners, but I already know the answer to that.”

  “If you will excuse me…” said Charles, sounding awkward.

  Lizzy didn’t glance at him, but she was aware of him rushing from the room. The door closed a second later, and she decided Charles had the right of it. He definitely did not want to be here for this confrontation. “I was hardl
y eavesdropping. I was walking Miss Georgiana back, and when I heard you shouting my sister’s name, it naturally caught my attention. As did your horrible opinion of her.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “I stand by my assessment. Your sister is a nice girl, but she bears no special affection toward Bingley, and he deserves better. He deserves a love match, not a grasping social climber.”

  Lizzy barely resisted the urge to slap the superiority off his face. “You know nothing of my sister. She is shy, and she naturally keeps her emotions in check. Women are raised to do so. If we reveal them, we are hysterical or ill-mannered. If we do not, we are cold and callous. There is no winning with men like you.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I would be thrilled to see some sign of genuine affection on her part since Bingley fancies himself in love with her. I do not see it, and I do not believe it exists. I tell you now, I will do everything in my power to keep him from a foolish course of action like offering for your sister’s hand.”

  “That hardly surprises me, since you are such a narrowminded prig. You believe Jane is the one who needs to earn your approval, but you are wrong. Jane is worth a hundred of you, and you are the one who is beneath her.”

  He gasped, obviously shocked at her words. “You dare hurl such an insult at me?”

  She nodded her head firmly. “I dare, because it is true. I have never met a more narrowminded, arrogant, prideful piece of work. I shall not allow you to interfere with my sister’s happiness.”

  “I shall not allow your sister to claw her way into Mr. Bingley’s life.”

  She glared at him, realizing if she did not escape, she was going to slap him or worse. She hated her impulse toward a violent reaction, since she was unaccustomed to feeling this way with anyone. Darcy had a way of lighting her up, and she did not want to explode more than she already had.

  “Good day, Mr. Darcy,” she said as coldly as possible before she turned and stormed past him. She paused as she opened the door, finding Charles and Georgiana standing in the hallway, both looking vaguely guilty. She nodded to both as she stormed past. She was in no frame of mind for pleasant conversation or to share even a congenial parting.

  As soon as she was out of Netherfield, she ran across the fields until she was all alone, and then she allowed her anger and frustration to pour forth as she screamed for a long second while mentally calling Darcy every filthy name she’d ever heard.

  Admittedly, the list was small, since she was a sheltered young woman, and any foul language she’d overheard had been inadvertent on the part of the servants, but it was satisfying. Finally, when she was calm enough to hide her anger, not wanting to reveal the situation to Jane, she headed home.

  5

  Two days later, Lizzy invited Georgiana for tea. She’d realized her silence might make the girl think she did not wish to continue a friendship, and that was far from the truth. Georgiana had the unfortunate luck to be related to Fitzwilliam Darcy, but Lizzy could hardly hold that against her, since she had the similar burden of being related to her mother and younger sisters.

  She’d hoped Georgiana would arrive alone, and she was glad that she had when the girl turned up a short time later, bringing only her companion. Mrs. Annesley excused herself to visit with Mrs. Hill, so it was just the two of them. Lizzy certainly hadn’t expected Darcy to insert himself into the invitation, but she’d wondered if Caroline or Louisa would decide to come along, perhaps at Darcy’s behest. She was relieved they hadn’t.

  “It is good to see you again, Georgiana.” Lizzy grasped her hands as they entered the sitting room. “I must apologize for my display the other day. Your brother’s words were unkind and cutting, but it would have been far more ladylike of me to ignore them.”

  Georgiana lips twitched. “It would not have been nearly as much fun, Lizzy.” She giggled. “The look of consternation on my brother’s face when you confronted him I shall not soon forget, I assure you.”

  Lizzy found herself laughing a little too. It was still a touchy subject, so she had difficulty finding amusement in it, but she was glad she hadn’t left in a negative impression on Georgiana. “It was frightfully rude of me, nonetheless. As a guest in your home, or Mr. Bingley’s as the case may be, it was incumbent upon me to ignore the insults.”

  “It would have been quite difficult to do so at the decibel my brother was delivering them.” Georgiana sighed. “I hope you shall not be too hard on him, Lizzy. He can be rigid in his thinking, but he must genuinely believe Miss Jane does not have enough affection for Mr. Bingley.” She put up a hand hastily. “I assure you, I do not share that opinion. I have not seen them interact for more than a few minutes the day you came for tea, but she seemed quite enamored with him and vice versa. My brother looks at more practical matters though, and that is the nature of him.”

  “I can hardly fault a man for having a practical, centered approach, but if it leads him to be prejudicial and make up his mind about something before he has a chance to truly formulate an unbiased opinion, I can object to that, surely?” Lizzy poured them both a cup of tea before passing one to Georgiana.

  “Of course, you should not try to change your opinion of him. I am simply trying to explain. He believes he is acting at Mr. Bingley’s best interest, so he can be frightfully stubborn about the situation. He has a tendency to entrench himself once convinced he is on the correct course.”

  Lizzy squirmed a little in her seat, recognizing that description might apply to her as well. She murmured an agreement as she sipped tea before adding, “I understand that, but I cannot forgive or condone him disparaging my sister and trying to deny her happiness when she loves Mr. Bingley.”

  Georgiana nodded. “I suppose we are protective of our siblings. That is the way of things, is it not?”

  It was as close as they could come to agreeing to disagree, Lizzy realized, so she made no effort to keep the topic alive. When Georgiana started discussing preparations for the ball at Netherfield, Lizzy was mentally rehearsing an excuse. She had already decided not to attend, not wanting to run into Mr. Darcy again, but she was forced to capitulate when Georgiana asked, “You will certainly be coming, will you not, Lizzy? I would most appreciate your company, especially considering my other options for companions.” She grimaced, clearly referring to Louisa and Caroline.

  Lizzy wanted to refuse, but seeing the pleading in the younger girl’s gaze, how could she? “Of course, I shall be coming. I am loo…looking forward to it.” She only stuttered a little as she uttered the lie, proud of herself for sounding so convincing. She had been anticipating attending before the ugly scene with Mr. Darcy, and she struggled to find some of her previous enthusiasm, though most of it was feigned as she threw herself into discussion with Georgiana about the forthcoming ball, and the merits of lavender lemonade versus plain for the guests who would not drink alcoholic punch.

  6

  Since Lizzy hadn’t planned to attend the Netherfield ball after the confrontation with Darcy, she’d made no effort to prepare an outfit for the evening. That morning, she’d examined the options available to her and decided the best course of action was to take an old favorite and refresh it with some new lace at the neckline. With that task in mind, she was walking to Meryton later in the morning, and she had the pleasure of only her own company.

  She would’ve enjoyed having Jane along, but her sister was busy preparing for the ball, just as the younger girls were. Madame St. Croix was at the house when she left, there to ensure the new gown Mrs. Bennet had ordered Jane fit to her specifications. That made her even happier to flee the area, since Kitty and Lydia were both still whining about the unfairness of not getting a new dress as well.

  Lizzy sympathized with them, but she also understood the expense of buying a new dress for each of the girls for every event was untenable at her father’s income of two thousand per year. It was generally understood among everyone in the household Jane required the most attention currently because she was likely to become
Mrs. Bingley in the near future. When the other girls’ prospects were as promising, Lizzy had no doubt they would each receive new gowns, and perhaps an entirely new trousseau.

  For her part, she was content to wear the same old thing, for she had no one she wished to impress. Her enthusiasm for Mr. Wickham had grown cold in light of learning his true character, and after hearing Darcy’s withering words about her dear sister, how could she wish to acquire his attention?

  She almost tripped as she had the thought, realizing she had been entertaining the possibility of softening toward Darcy until he revealed his true self again. How she could have forgotten how prideful and supercilious he was? She must have allowed the goodwill that had generated between them during their brief endeavor to solve the robberies of Meryton to influence her to accidentally believe there might be a man worth knowing underneath all the aristocratic pomp.

  She snorted with amusement at the idea now as she continued walking, not paying nearly enough attention to where she was going. Before she knew it, she had stubbed her toe on a rock, and it sent her flying forward. She put out her hands to keep from falling on her face, and she landed in the undignified position of being on her hands and knees. She muttered to herself as she recovered from the unexpected injury and the shock of it, taking a moment to get to her feet.

  As she took a deep breath, she glanced to the side, and something about her new viewpoint allowed her to see a glimpse of red below. It moved quickly away, and Lizzy was convinced there a living creature moving around down there. The thought it might be Wickham got her to her feet, and she dusted off her hands and dress before continuing on, though she made a note of the area where she had fallen. She wanted to investigate the flash of red, but she wasn’t about to do it while there was a possibility Wickham still lurked there.