When the carriage pulled up in front of the London townhouse, Darcy could see his sister peeking out from the upstairs window. In the time it took for Anne to alight from the carriage, Georgiana had come through the front door. Without saying a word to her brother, she escorted her cousin into the house.
“Oh, I am so glad you have come,” Georgiana said, taking hold of Anne’s hand. “It has been such a long time since we have visited, and I have such good news. I will shortly finish at Mrs. Bryan’s Academy, and thanks to you, I will be released early. After that, we will all go to Pemberley, and after that, I will come out into society.”
“Georgiana, allow Anne to take off her coat and then show her to the parlor while I arrange for tea to be served,” her brother instructed.
After giving Georgiana sufficient time to bring Anne up to date on the most urgent of matters, such as the new bonnet she had ordered just that morning, Darcy came into the room followed by a servant bringing in a tray of cucumber sandwiches.
“Is your mother in good health?” Georgiana asked about her Aunt Catherine.
“Very much so. She is enjoying her visit with my father’s sister, Lady Hargrove. They are a quite a pair, very much alike.”
“Oh, dear!” Georgiana said.
Anne started to laugh, but her brother was anything but amused, giving her a withering look.
“Will, it is all right. Everyone knows what my mother is like. There is no need to walk on eggs amongst us three.”
After that remark, Georgiana quickly asked if Anne remembered her father as she had no memory of him.
“Oh, yes, dear Papa. I was sixteen when he died. Even though I did not see as much of him as I would have liked, since he preferred town while Mama wished to remain in the country, I have nothing but fond memories of him.”
“Are the de Bourghs more interesting than the Darcys?”
After Darcy rolled his eyes at her comment, Georgiana shifted her position so that she was not directly in her brother’s sight line.
“Yes, they are. They made their money quite dishonestly by smuggling goods in from the Continent. That was the foundation of their wealth.”
“Oh, how exciting! Is that why Rosings has turrets? To defend against rival bands of smugglers?”
“Georgiana, defend against smugglers? Smugglers do not launch assaults. When challenged, they run away,” her brother said, amazed at the ideas that came into his sister’s head.
“No,” Anne said, laughing, “the turrets are there because Rosings was built shortly after the Civil War. There was great concern that another such war might erupt, and because of that, defensive elements were included in Rosings’s design. But the de Bourghs are not the original occupants. The family’s name was Belifort, I believe, but their line died out. Because the de Bourghs remained loyal to Charles II, after his restoration, he transferred Rosings to my family. And I am sorry to disappoint, but it was never necessary for any de Bourgh to man the ramparts. And although Pemberley lacks turrets and arrow slits, it is truly lovely.”
“Oh, I know that, and although I dearly love Pemberley, it does not stir the imagination as Rosings does. You cannot imagine anything bad ever happening there.”
“Georgiana, would you please favor us with a tune?” Darcy asked. He was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, believing that Georgiana was being overly romantic—again.
After supper, the three played cards, and Georgiana told Anne of all the fine things that Madame Delaine and she had purchased in preparation for her debut. As far as Georgiana was concerned, that day could not come soon enough. Her brother was of a different mind.
The following morning, after Georgiana left for the academy, Darcy apologized for his sister’s overactive imagination.
“Oh, you should not apologize. She is like a breath of fresh air.”
“I am convinced she is writing a novel in her room after she retires each evening.”
“What is the harm in that?”
“None—as long as she knows it will never be published. I do not approve of the gothic novels she reads, and I do not understand why the fathers or husbands of these authoresses allow their publication. It is unseemly.”
“She is quite changed from our last visit at Rosings. At that time, I found her to be cautious in her conversations and reserved in her manners. That is obviously no longer the case.”
“I agree there has been a change in the last month. I believe the alteration is a result of our discussion of that sordid affair involving Wickham. She has convinced me that she would never have married him. Even at her young age, she was able to see through his façade. That conversation seems to have had the effect of clearing the air, and the exuberant Georgiana that lay hidden has emerged. But that is behind us, and it pains me to mention it. So let us talk of your visit.
“You must tell me what you want to do while you are in town, and we will do it. Georgiana has visited Vauxhall and has said that the gardens are ‘a riot of color.’ The Royal Conservatory has an exhibition, and Mrs. Colbert has asked that she be allowed to call. On the other hand, if you do not wish to do any of those things, we shall stay at home, play cards, drink sherry, and if Georgiana has anything to say about it, play charades.”
“We have three weeks, Will. I hope in that time I shall be able to do all you have suggested and possibly more.”
Darcy went over and took Anne’s hand in his and said, “I am so glad you are here. You are so very dear to me.”
“And you are very dear to me, and I want you to be happy. If it is within my power to assist you in that regard, I will always do so.”
“If you are referring to Elizabeth Bennet, I created the situation, and if it is to be set right, I alone must do it.”
“We shall see,” Anne said to herself.