The Elizabeth Papers Read Online Free PDF Page B

of his fellow officers.” He turned the soggy letter over in his hands. “It says precious little else, I am afraid. I assume that he wrote to me as he knows that I paid for his commission.”
    I could not but gasp to hear such news. My hand flew to my mouth, and my breath grew short. My stays seemed suddenly tight, and my whole person discomforted. Images flew through my mind—images of George Wickham as I had first known him, bowing deeply in the market place at Meryton, the smartest coat he could not afford upon his back, then later, in shining regimentals and a sword at his side. I recalled our dancing in the home of my aunt Philips in the days when I thought him handsome, agreeable, and honourable. I had come to understand that he was not what I had first thought him. He had been a man of many faults, and he had wronged Fitzwilliam and Georgiana. The last time I had seen him had been before I was married when he and Lydia visited Longbourn after their marriage. By then, I knew the truth of his character although I did not know at that time that Fitzwilliam had had to bribe the man to marry my sister. George Wickham, the reluctantly married man, standing by the fire in my mama’s parlour, smiling and calling me “sister,” had seemed such a diminished creature. Now, knowing that he was dead, I felt a pang of regret that I could not account for. A young man I danced with departed, my youngest sister a widow. I pondered, not for the first time, the tiny silver hairs at Fitzwilliam’s temple, and I suppose I felt rather old.
    Fitzwilliam’s face darkened, and I knew that he had caught my expression. I took a breath and brought myself to.
    “Poor, Lydia! Does the letter say whether she knows?”
    “No, it does not, but she must, Elizabeth. He would not have written to me without also having written to her.”
    A strange, stilted silence settled between us. I wanted to run to him but felt pinned to the floor.
    “Yes, of course. I did not think. I am sure you are right. I shall write to her in the morning and Mama as well. I expect they shall both be in quite a state.”
    Fitzwilliam looked at me, but he only grunted his assent.
    “Shall I tell Georgiana?” I ventured. I had thought that this would be worrying him, but he looked completely surprised by the question.
    “Erm, yes, Elizabeth. You tell Georgiana. When are you next visiting her?”
    Georgiana lives but ten miles from Pemberley with her husband, Lord Avery, on a small but beautiful estate overlooking Padley Gorge. With my own sisters settled farther away, it has been my pleasure to visit her often since her marriage.
    “I had planned to visit her at Broughton Park on Wednesday. I usually take the girls, but I will leave them behind so that I can talk to her alone.” I searched his blank face for some emotion but found none. “If you think it appropriate, that is?”
    “Yes, of course,” he barked. “Why would it not be appropriate?”
    “Well, I thought that you may wish to approach her yourself or with me. And, do I need to talk to her alone and only her? What if Lord Avery is there? What do I say to him?”
    “Nothing. He knows nothing of the…business between Wickham and Georgiana. I considered telling him when he asked for Georgiana’s hand but decided there was no need. He certainly does not need to know now…”
    He creased his face, ran his fingers through his hair, and turned away from me. I blinked in astonishment. What has happened here? A part of my life that I did not know was brittle has fractured. I smiled, but it did not seem to touch him.
    “I understand. In that case, I shall ensure that we are alone. I am sure she will be shocked, but I hope not excessively affected. After all, it was a long time ago, and Georgiana is a married woman with a baby.”
    I did not say a “baby boy.” My mind flew to a vision of Georgiana in bed nine months after her marriage, cradling little Archibald and beaming up at me, declaiming, “What