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“I HAVE TO SAY, GEORGIANA, I was surprised when you summoned me with the teletalk.” As she spoke, Georgette Wickham paused in front of the looking glass and readjusted her hat. She always thought her bright green top hat looked considerably more charming when it was ever-so-slightly crooked. “After your sister forbade me to see you, I thought that'd be the last time I would hear from you.”
Georgiana was on her feet and fastening the buttons of her tailored red greatcoat. With her mechanical arm, buttons were tricky, so Lachlan offered to help her. Her metal feet were on full display, but she didn't seem to care. She was so comfortable with her beau, she no longer felt the need to hide herself.
As Lachlan fussed with the final buttons, Georgiana said, “I don't hate you as my sister does, Georgette. And I don't blame you for what happened. I never did. It wasn't as if you crashed the airship on purpose.”
“You're right. I didn't. I love you like a sister as well, Georgiana. Darcy never understood that.” Georgette crushed a burgeoning tear before it could fall. She hated to share her sadness, but her glossy eyes were revealing. “Your accident affected me as well. And regardless of what you say... I do blame myself. Every day.”
“Don't. You shouldn't.” Georgiana grasped and squeezed the pirate captain's hand. “Besides, you no longer have a reason to feel guilty. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.” When she exchanged glances with Lachlan, the youngest Bennet was beaming.
“And you really intend to run away together?” Georgette asked. “That's a bold move. Your sister will be dying to land a facer on me when she realizes you're gone. Still... if it's what you want, I'll not stand in the way of young love. If you want to be together, you should be together. It's simple, really.”
Georgiana finished packing her valise and handed it to Lachlan, whose smile never faded as he admired his love's face.
“We should move as quick as we can,” Georgette advised the enamored youths. “My ship's sitting in Darcy's garden. If she sees it, I doubt she'll be too happy.”
The grounds of Pemberley were so vast, even an airship was easy to hide. They left through the servant's exit and hurried to the Dashing Lady as quickly as they could. Lachlan was secretly impressed by how quickly Georgiana moved on her robotic legs, but he made no mention of them.
They hurried up the gangplank and passed their luggage to Gladys. As the stocky engineer escorted them to their quarters, Georgette left with Lovely and Lockwood, her favorite twins. They needed to launch the airship before Darcy realized her sister was a runaway.
“Where's the captain taking you?” Gladys asked as she lugged Georgiana's bags down the Dashing Lady's stairs.
“Anywhere,” Lachlan replied first. “It doesn't matter where we go, as long as we're together.” When he saw Georgiana's smile, he knew she felt the same way.
“Ahhh... I wish I had a love like yours. I wish I had a man who wanted to be with me no matter what,” Gladys sighed. “It's very inspiring, y'know. You're willing to risk everything for a chance to be together, and you don't give a damn about the consequences!” To Lachlan, she added, “Sorry about m'language.”
“Georgiana deserves a better life,” Lachlan said. “She deserves the best life. We'll travel the world together, and I'll never leave her side.”
Gladys' arms were occupied by baggage, so when they reached the lovers' quarters, she kicked the door. As it flew open, she announced, “Well, here's your new room.”
“One room?” Georgiana's eyelashes fluttered at the thought.
“Aye. You don't mind, I hope?” Gladys ditched Georgiana's bags near the foot of the bed. When Georgiana and Lachlan didn't protest, she left the room with a shrug.
“She didn't even say farewell,” Georgiana noted as Gladys closed the door behind her. “How odd.”
“It was a bit odd,” Lachlan agreed. “Perhaps she's a woman of few words?”
“Perhaps.” Georgiana's smile weakened as she glanced around their new bedchamber. “You don't mind sharing a room, do you?”
“Not at all.”
As her eyes dropped to the floor, Georgiana asked. “You don't regret leaving with me... do you?”
“Of course not!” Lachlan gently tapped her chin, encouraging her to meet his gaze. He hoped his own smile would obliterate her doubts. “As long as I get to be with you, Georgiana, I have no regrets.”
His lips descended on hers, stealing a light, sweet kiss.
And her worries were soon forgotten.
* * *
“CAPTAIN FITZWILLIAM! Captain? Might you spare a moment of your time?” Elisander chased her halfway down the hall before the lady finally stopped. She was clearly in a hurry, so he added, “I will keep it brief, I promise.”
“Speak,” Darcy allowed. “But speak quickly, if you can, as I am in the middle of a crisis.”
“A crisis?” Elisander looked surprised by her use of such a dramatic word. “If you're in a crisis, I should not keep you. However, I cannot find my brother, Lachlan. Normally, it would not be such a cause for concern, but even Matthew hasn't seen him, and my youngest brothers are usually inseparable.”
“Lachlan is missing?”
“Perhaps. But... I suppose my panic could be premature. It isn't as if he's been gone for hours.”
“Mr. Bennet...” Her narrowing eyes made him feel guilty, even though he had done nothing wrong. “Mr. Bennet, my sister is missing as well. She is not in her room, and this is a cause for concern, seeing as she hasn't left her quarters in ages.”
“Do you think my brother's disappearance is somehow related?” Elisander asked. “Lachlan and your sister... are they together?”
“I haven't the slightest idea, although I would not rule out the possibility.” Darcy was so distressed, her fingers fidgeted uncontrollably. “I will spend some time questioning my servants. If I learn anything of interest, I will update you immediately.”
After parting from Captain Fitzwilliam, Elisander visited his mother, who didn't seem terribly concerned about her lost son.
“Lachlan is a young man,” Mrs. Bennet said, “and try as we might to tame them, young men are an unruly lot. He's probably succumbed to wanderlust, and he'll return within an hour or two. You're always too quick to worry, Elisander!”
When he reunited with Matthew, his other brother was secretly spying on Shar. The groom's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and to Matthew, it was a tantalizing sight.
To Elisander's surprise, Matthew was equally unconcerned by Lachlan's disappearance.
“Lachlan didn't run away! What a ludicrous thought!” Matthew exclaimed, sounding a bit offended. “He would never leave without me! Never!”
Less than ten minutes later, Matthew's claim was proven wrong. Darcy halted Elisander in Pemberley's halls and shared a distressing report.
“She's with Wickham,” Darcy said. “Just over an hour ago, one of my servants witnessed The Dashing Lady's ascent. The servant tried to find me, but it was already too late. Mr. Bennet... I believe your brother and my sister have run away with Georgette Wickham.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure. Pardon my language, but... damn her eyes!” Darcy roared. “I swear, Georgette Wickham's sole purpose in life is to vex me. Every time I am distressed, she is always at the source of it. Always.”
“As I understand it, she was like a sister to you once. Did you always hate her?”
“Of course not. Even now, I could acknowledge the better parts of her character. Wickham is free-spirited, sincere, and she is blessed with happy manners. She makes friends so easily, but her ability to retain them is much less certain.” Darcy tugged on a pair of leather gloves and nodded at one of the servants, who passed along a message on the captain's behalf. They were to prepare her airship for launch.
Elisander kept her pace and followed her outside. To his surprise, her airship's propellers were already spinning.
“However,” continued Darcy, whose fury made her less taciturn than usual, “Wickham is contributing to your brother's downfall, so I find it easy to hate her. Lachlan Bennet an unmarried man on a ship of unmarried women. It will ruin him.”
“It will ruin all of us,” Elisander added with a sigh. His brother's disregard for his reputation would reflect poorly on the entire Bennet family.
“They must marry. There is nothing else to be done.”
“Wickham and Lachlan?” Elisander gasped.
“No! Georgiana and Lachlan. If my theory is correct and they have run away together, they must have mutual affection for each other. Marriage is the only way to remedy this mistake.” Darcy's leather gloves creaked as she clenched her fists. “Honestly, I'm surprised my sister could be this foolish.”
“Foolish enough to fall for a Bennet?” Elisander asked.
“No. To be quite fair, you Bennets make it easy.” Elisander thought he saw a trace of a smile on Darcy's lips. “Georgiana is foolish because she has no regard for Lachlan's honor... and even less regard for her poor sister's breaking heart.
When they reached the Black Heron's gangplank, Darcy threw out her arm, blocking Elisander's advance.
“Can I not go with you?”
Darcy shook her head. “No. Of course not.”
“Because I'm a man?”
“No. You mustn't come, Mr. Bennet, because you would be an unmarried man on a ship of unmarried women,” Darcy pointed out. “And unless you want to marry me to rectify the mistake, I suggest you stay behind.”