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"Is she unwell?" Darcy asked, thinking how terrible it was that first his sister should become ill and then Elizabeth's. "Do you need to return?"

She shook her head. "She's not ill. It seems Mama let her go with the militia to Brighton to be the companion of the commanding officer’s wife, Mrs Forster."

"Indeed," Darcy said, thinking that that seemed rather an insensible decision with a girl as flighty as Lydia, but keeping his opinion to himself. "And what has befallen her, pray?"

"While there, it seems she has eloped to Gretna Green – with a man of the militia. Mr Wickham!"

Wickham.

That name. Darcy's heart squeezed tightly in his chest.

But that was not what drew the attention of everyone in the room.

No, it was the loud crash that came from Georgiana dropping her china cup on the floor.

Darcy's eyes fluttered to her. Her face was white, her eyes wide.

It was Elizabeth who rushed over to her, who began collecting the pieces of china before the footman got to her. "Oh, my dear," she said. "Are you feeling unwell again? This was too much. I should have insisted you stay in bed. You must—"

Georgiana shook her head. "I am not unwell," she whispered, and her eyes met Darcy's. "You must tell her brother," she said softly. "And then you must save her sister."

◆◆◆

Elizabeth looked between them, confused, still half kneeling on the floor, even though the footman had swept away all of the broken china and would soon be returning with a cloth to clean up the tea.

"Tell me what she said."

The letter on her mind was surely making her less astute than usual, for she could not believe her mother had allowed Lydia to go to Brighton. And she could not believe that Lydia had been foolish enough to run off with a man.

Well, Wickham had been handsome, had he not? That was enough to sway Lydia.

But was he a good man? Elizabeth did not know. Would he actually marry her? Or was she simply ruined?

Darcy cleared his throat. "Would you prefer to return to bed, Georgiana?" he asked.

But Georgiana shook her head. She still looked very pale, and Elizabeth was worried that her illness was returning. She had seemed so much better, but perhaps she had overexerted herself.

"Very well," Darcy said. "Perhaps I should have told you this before, when I knew of your family's connection with Wickham."

Elizabeth frowned. There wasn't much of a connection, really. He had attended some balls, spent some time with her sisters, and a little with herself, before she went to Hunsford, she supposed, but nothing really of note.

"But I did not think he would... Well, it does not matter, for he is known to me, I'm afraid. He was the son of my father’s steward, and he believed a great deal was owed to him by his estate. Perhaps I shall bore you with those details another time. But what I must tell you now is that last year, Wickham befriended Georgiana's companion and attempted to elope with her – in the very same way it seems he has done with your sister."

Elizabeth gasped.

"George Wickham," Darcy said, "is only out for money, I'm afraid to say. I cannot believe he means to marry your sister when she has very little dowry to speak of. Unless he means to extort money from me. Given our connection," he said, "I'm afraid I would not put it past him. But we must make sure your sister's reputation is not ruined."

"What can be done?" Elizabeth said, wringing her hands. "If he is as you say, why, her reputation is ruined already. She is alone with him. And what if they have not gone to Gretna Green? If they are merely in some inn..." She gave a shudder. "Her name will be ruined. My other sisters' prospects will be ruined. Will Bingley even marry Jane after such a scandal?" How she hoped that Bingley was better than that. But perhaps he was not strong enough to weather such social censure.

All these things that she had married Darcy in order to avoid, and yet they were coming to pass anyway.

She found herself happy to be wed to him. But Lydia, with her foolish actions, would ruin them all. And Wickham, that terrible man, a man that she was ashamed to think she had once flirted with. How could he be so dastardly?

"We will find them," Darcy said in a strong voice. "We will find them and we will fix this. Does your sister say whether anyone has gone after them?"

Elizabeth picked up the letter she had not finished reading and scanned the content.

"They have sent word to my uncle in London to find them, but there is no one else who can go, what with my father being gone and Jane not married yet..."