Page 68 of A Quiet Affection

“And you should not hate people. We are all creatures of God,” Darcy replied.

He then thought about Wickham. Even if it was a sin, he would not abandon his hatred of that gentleman.

“They are not good people. They are not kind like Lizzy. And they don’t…they are notnice.”

“I understand.” Darcy ran his hand through his hair. What should he do?

The simple fact that Georgiana wished to leave the school should perhaps be ignored. It was not a child’s place to decide how they were to be raised. It was the guardian who had greater wisdom and perspective who must decide.

Papa certainly would have ignored all of this and simply sent Georgiana back. But Georgiana also would not have asked Papa to let her leave the school.

That was what determined Darcy’s reply beyond anything else. He did not want to be like his father in this way. Papa had been too cold, too focused on making his children into the sort of person who would be a glory to the Darcy name to attend to their real character or to make any allowance for the peculiarities of the nature of each of his children.

If he had not known Lizzy, Darcy thought he would presently think very much like Papa. He would then be able to sneer at those in trade, and to think little of those outside of the family circle. But her goodness made that impossible.

“Then you shall not return,” Darcy said to his sister. “They after all do not sound like good friends to me either. And I could never approve of anyone who insults Lizzy.”

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “You mean it!”

She hurled her little self around Darcy again and hugged him tightly. “Thank you! Thank you! You will not regret it! I’ll work very hard at anything set. I’ll make friends with anyone who you tell me to, and—and whatever I must.”

Darcy laughed. “No, no. I think the school was one of Papa’s mistakes. We’ll come up with some scheme for your education that we both like instead—I shall ask advice from a wise person who knows you very well. The sooner the better, I think.”

“You mean Lizzy,” Georgiana smiled slyly at him.

“I do. And what would you think if we went to Town to see her? There is no need to wait longer. I do not wish to.”

“Do you mean that? Yes! Yes!”

Fitzwilliam smiled at her warmly. “We are engaged. I dare say that I miss Lizzy even more than you.”

Georgiana thought about sticking her tongue out at Fitzwilliam, but she was not quite brave enough to do so. But then she decided that Lizzy would have told her to do it, so she became brave enough to stick her tongue out.

He laughed. “I see her influence on you.”

“Well of course. And I want to see her two little cousins. They sound like darling geese as well.”

“I do too. And I wish to meet her aunt and uncle.”

Due to frost and snow, travel by carriage at the very beginning of January tends to be slower than during the more pleasant parts of the year, but Darcy and his sister made good time, and less than a week after this conversation they arrived early in the afternoon at a residence on Gracechurch Street, near the towering pillar of the Monument to the Great Fire, to make a call upon Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and more specifically their niece.

Had Darcy’s life been different, he might have felt quite odd about entering an intimacy with tradesmen, but he had read many letters from Mr. Gardiner to Elizabeth over the years. He felt quite familiar with the gentleman’s good features. Beyond that, the events of the last months of his father’s life had forcedDarcy to evaluate anew the philosophy and notions of proper behavior which he had received from his father.

The house had a respectable look and when Darcy knocked, he was greeted by a manservant, rather than a maid.

There was a ceremoniousness to how they were conducted to the parlor that suggested to Darcy that there had been some effort to prepare for the visit of the grand gentleman who would marry Miss Bennet.

They were announced, and Darcy’s eyes were drawn instantly to Lizzy.

She rose, and a smiling woman of about thirty, who was advanced in the family way, helped her niece walk towards him.

Lizzy looked very well, smiling, rosy cheeked, with a glow.

It was a little odd that she did not wear the ribbon that Darcy’s father had always wished to hide her eyes with. It seemed that Elizabeth was a little taller than before.

Darcy liked seeing all of her face.

Georgiana rushed past Darcy and gave Elizabeth a squeezing embrace. “Lizzy! I’ve missed you so much! So, so much! And I have so much to tell you!”