Honour and Intimacy - A Sequel to Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'

Chapter 15

A week passed, which ended the month and the new month brought summer breeze with itself. The Pemberly gardens were like a paradise in this month. Trees would dance when the wind came in contact with them, flowers would laugh when the sunlight played around them, and the grass would shine luminously. In this whole week, there was no mention of Mr Everett. He did not come to Pemberly for once and everyone wondered where he went. Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy were out of town for a week since they had important matters to attend to. They were in search of a mansion in Nottinghamshire, where they could spend their holidays with Georgiana after she got married.

"Georgie, you must play me some music." Jane Bingley said as she gently stroked her arm.

"I am in no mood." She kept her head on her shoulder tiredly and closed her eyes.

There was a knock on the door and Mrs Reynolds came in with two men behind her who held huge frames of paintings in their hands.

"Pardon, but Mr Everett has sent these. He says he is done with these paintings and he wishes to see no more of Pemberly." Mrs Reynolds indicated the men to place the paintings in the corner and they left the room after doing so.

Georgiana was completely speechless. Tears had started forming in her eyes as she wondered why Mr Everett would say such a thing.

"He must be downstairs. I shall go and talk to him." She stood up and walked towards the door, until she received a reply.

"Miss Darcy, he left. He was in a hurry and said that he did not have enough time." Mrs Reynolds replied.

"Georgie, did you say something to him?" Jane looked over at her but she slightly shook her head. Jane then went over towards the frames and removed the purple cloth from one of the paintings to reveal its beautiful contents.

Mr and Mrs Darcy were painted on it. They smiled charmingly, and they looked so lifelike. It was a painting that would absorb any viewer, because its artistry was massive. Georgiana let out a shrill cry upon seeing the painting and Jane was just as surprised as her.

Mrs Reynolds soon left the parlour and Georgiana burst out crying, without noticing Mrs Bingley's presence. Her love for him still remained, but there was no solution now.

"What is wrong, my dear?" Jane hugged her tightly, "did I say something to offend you?"

"No. I do not want to be separated from my brother or my sister. They are everything to me." She lied, allowing more tears to stream down her glistening eyes.

"Georgie, Georgie, do not cry now. You still live with your brother and sister at the moment. Believe me, Mr Birch will take care of you and he will never let go of you."

Mr Birch's mention pained her even more. How complicated her life was. She just wished that she could turn back the time and tell Mr Everett that she loved him before he was engaged to Catherine Bennet. But that was impossible. There could be so many consequences if she took any action now and thus, she had to sit idle and wait for the time to pass by, then watch Mr Everett take his wedding vows beside Catherine. Catherine would become Mrs Everett and she would be all smiles, but Georgiana herself would pretend to be happy by being Mrs Birch. She would live in Nottinghamshire, or maybe in France, far away from her brother and the Everett family. She would live her life by pretending to be happy but she would indeed be sorrowful and painful all the time. Such was her misery.