Page 59 of Darcy's Guarded Heart
With a sinking heart, he crossed the room and broke the seal.
Dearest Brother,
I know you love me. I believe it. But I also know you cannot give me what I need—not here, not like this. You wish to protect me, but I do not need protection. I need freedom. I need truth. I need the chance to be happy in my own way.
You do not understand what I felt at Longbourn, or what Thomas meant to me. Perhaps you never will. But I can no longer sit still, waiting for you to approve of the life I wish to live.
Do not send anyone after me. I am not in danger, and I am not foolish. But I will not find my happiness under this roof. I have left in search of it.
Forgive me if you can. I do love you. But I must be free.
Georgiana
Darcy sat down slowly in the chair by the desk, the letter in his lap. The candle sputtered, casting long shadows on the wall.
He did not move for a long time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elizabeth
Elizabeth had only just dressed when she descended the staircase, expecting a quiet breakfast. But as she reached the bottom step, the sound of her mother’s exclamations drew her attention at once.
“Oh! Oh, I do not know what to think!” Mrs Bennet cried, fluttering about the parlour like a hen disturbed. “He has done it! He truly has!”
“Done what, Mama?” Elizabeth asked, startled, moving quickly into the room.
Mrs Bennet turned, eyes wide, hair somewhat loosened from its pins in her agitation. In her hand was a folded note, held aloft like a banner. “Gone! Thomas has gone! He has run off to Gretna Green!”
Elizabeth blinked. “Gretna Green?”
“To marry Miss Darcy!” Mrs Bennet wailed, though whether from joy or horror was unclear. “He has taken a carriage in the night and left this letter behind. I never thought our family would be embroiled in such a scandal.”
Elizabeth’s breath caught. “Miss Darcy? He has taken Georgiana Darcy?”
Mrs Bennet nodded furiously. “And not a word to anyone! I am quite beside myself.”
At that moment, Mr Bennet appeared in the doorway, his dressing gown hastily tied, and a grim expression darkening his features. “He has emptied half his wardrobe,” he said simply. “Gone with nearly all his coats, save the summer ones.”
Mrs Bennet turned to him. “He did not speak to you first!”
Mr Bennet gave a small, weary shake of the head. “No. And I can’t say I know what wounds me more—the fact of his leaving, or that he could not come to me.”
“Papa,” Elizabeth said gently, “how could he have? You would have tried to stop him.” Her thoughts swirled as she thought back to her last conversation with Thomas. There had been a hint. Of course there had been. But she’d ignored it. And now this…
“Naturally!” Mr Bennet cried. “Because this—this is folly. It’s a disaster. Thomas has no fortune, no standing, and he is taking a girl not only vastly above him in birth but barely eighteen.”
Mrs Bennet huffed. “Yes, yes, but she must be very fond of him, else she wouldn’t go. And think of it, Mr Bennet—Miss Darcy! He will have married well in the end. Perhaps it is not as bad as we think.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Thomas would never accept Mr Darcy’s money, Mama. Surely, you know that?”
“I quite agree,” Mr Bennet said, his tone dry. “Thomas would rather work in a warehouse than live off Mr Darcy’s goodwill. And yet I cannot help but wonder—does Miss Darcy truly understand what life with him would entail? She has lived in every comfort, dined with nobility, been raised with thehighest expectations. And now she is to live with… us? Or worse, in lodgings?”
Mrs Bennet sniffed. “Well, perhaps Mr Darcy will not be so hard-hearted. She is his sister, after all. He must help them somehow. And Thomas must accept it if he wishes to ensure a good life for his bride. He will set aside his pride, I know it.”
Elizabeth said nothing. Her mind was racing, her heart troubled. She knew Thomas had been brought to point nonplus, and she admired Georgiana’s courage. Yet, she feared what might await them both on the other side of all of this.
Before another word could be said, the clatter of hooves and the crunch of wheels on gravel echoed through the morning stillness.
