Darcy looked up slowly when he heard Georgiana call to him. He was loath to tear his eyes from the philosophical treatise that had captured his attention, but tear his eyes away he did, for he was exceedingly fond of his sister.
He saw her standing with another woman—a rather tall, brown-haired lady in a green dress—who seemed to have turned away from him just as he looked up. The woman gave his sister a quick curtsy and scurried behind the bookshelves as if she was in a hurry.
Darcy wondered about the peculiar behaviour, but even more perplexing was the feeling that he thought he knew her from somewhere. There was something about her posture and gait that seemed familiar to him, and the rich brown colour of her hair reminded him of—
No. Darcy shook himself mentally. He would not think of her. Not now.
When Georgiana rushed up to him with a wide smile on her face, his curiosity about the woman vanished as quickly as it had come, and he instead focused upon his sister and on the book in her hands.
“You found your book?” Darcy asked with a smile.
“Indeed, I did!” Georgiana gushed. “I was afraid the other woman was going to take it, but she was so kind as to give it to me. I tried to refuse, to be polite, but she was quite insistent that I should have it. She gave the impression of one whose will is not easy to cross!”
“Then I suppose you are lucky her mind was not fixed in the other direction!” Darcy laughed.
“Brother, you know I’d never have protested her claim,” Georgiana replied, sounding slightly embarrassed.
“I know,” Darcy assured her. “You are far too gentle and kind to ever do such a thing.” He glanced down at the book in his sister’s hands. “But I must confess, I am grateful to have found our quarry. The search has exhausted me, and I will be grateful to spend a quiet evening at home.”
“I will ensure that you remain completely undisturbed from the instant we set foot back home,” Georgiana promised. “I owe you quite as much after your patience today. Now, would you like me to go and purchase that book for you?” She pointed at the dark green volume still in his hand.
“No, no,” Darcy replied quickly, putting the book back on the shelf. “Actually, I have a copy back at Pemberley, and after starting it now, I will be eager to pick it back up in a few days.”
“Very well then. Wait right here and I shall return as quickly as I can.” Georgiana smiled happily as she walked toward the back of the store, clearly excited to purchase her tome.
Darcy hoped he could’ve shared at least a bit of his sister’s enthusiasm, but as soon as her back was turned, he allowed his countenance to fall.
He had led his sister to believe that his fatigue was purely from the physical exertions of a day of shopping, but that was far from the truth. In fact, the last days had been the most trying he had ever experienced and the effort of hiding the truth from Georgiana was catching up with him.
His trip to Rosings had not gone as he had hoped. Not at all. When he had set out for Kent, it had been to see a woman. A woman, he smiled sadly to himself. The one he hadn’t allowed himself to think of a moment ago in Georgiana’s presence, and even now… Was his heart so broken that he could not summon her name to his mind?
For, as much as it pained and surprised him to discover, his heart was well and truly broken. It had taken him several days to realise as much—several days of glowering anger, barking at friends and servants alike, and a general desire to do nothing at all. But after much contemplation, the only conclusion he could draw was that his rejected marriage proposal had wounded more than his pride.
A woman. The woman. The woman he had hoped to spend his life with, the woman he had thought would become the mistress of Pemberley, the woman he had wanted to be the mother of his children. He had always thought the woman to fill all of these roles would have to be remarkable, and the woman he had chosen was indeed remarkable. But his proposal had been met with laughter, anger, and scorn.
Yes, he needed a quiet evening at home. The anger that he had thought contained had begun to rise once more, and he did not wish to take it out upon any more innocents. Thus far, he had avoided putting Georgiana in the line of fire, but he did not fully trust himself to maintain that boundary and his sister did not deserve to bear the brunt of any frustration.
He walked to the shopkeeper’s desk to see what was taking Georgiana so long. At the counter, he saw that she was just finishing her transaction. Hearing his approach, she turned to him eagerly.
“Oh, there you are!” She smiled widely. “I wanted to thank the woman who gave me my book once more.”
“Of course,” Darcy said, forcing a smile. He had hoped to have avoided any more conversation between his sister and this lady. The last thing he wanted to do was make small talk with a presumably empty-headed London lady. Especially if she was in the company of her mother or guardian. It would not take much sniffing out to discover he was a bachelor and London mothers gave his best hounds a great challenge when it came to discovering a scent.
“Where is this mysterious lady?”
“She was right there, near the magazines, and…” Georgiana turned to her opposite side to discover that the lady, whoever she was, had vanished. “Oh, bother! She seems to have left.” She looked disappointed. “I knew I should have talked to her before buying the book. Now she’s gone off and I never even learned her name!”
“It’s probably for the best,” Darcy said, relieved. “I’m sure she has many other responsibilities that require her attention. Shall we go?” He offered his arm to his sister, eager to leave the shop and return to the peace of their home.
“I suppose so…” Georgiana said, clutching her new book to her chest and accepting her brother’s arm. “I just wish I knew where she had gone off to!” She had a distinctly annoyed look on her face.
“A mystery indeed,” Darcy said, patting his sister’s hand as he started escorting her toward the exit. “But one we are unlikely to uncover. So, let us instead talk of other things and the end of our triumphant day.”