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an attempt to unsettle her, Elizabeth felt. It was hardly a subject for discussion, and yet the hints Mrs Eaton had made left her feeling that there was more to this tale than one of the servant girl and the child it involved. If only Jane were here to discuss and have it over. A picture of her sister came to mind, and the thought that Jane would have dismissed Mrs Eaton's nastiness as not worth worrying about eased her mind for the present. Neither did she consider that she would mention the episode to Fitzwilliam. Thinking that it was not a matter to be brought to her husband's attention and determined to put the incident out of her mind, she refused to contemplate the matter any further.
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    Elizabeth longed for a moment of peace and solitude with a chance to explore her new home. There had not been much opportunity to walk about the grounds as much as she would like, but she supposed it was inevitable that there would be constraints on her leisure time, at least until things settled down. When a letter from Netherfield arrived from Jane, she immediately felt the delight of such a communication with her sister as it became clear that she too was suffering under the same engagements, even if she seemed able to bear it all with far more presence of mind.
    On the following Tuesday afternoon, finding the time to take a stroll together at last, Fitzwilliam suggested they walk high into the woods, taking the path past the water cascade. The day was fine, the November sun melting the crystals of ice frosting the grass and the remaining leaves on the trees. The sound of the rushing water falling down the hillside, bubbling along, was a joyful noise to Elizabeth's ears, and as they walked she admired all the views around.
    The subject of their conversation soon turned from nature to nurture and subsequently to that of Miss Darcy.
    "It is so good to have Georgiana with us," said Elizabeth, taking his arm as they progressed up the steeper part of the hill. "If only we can make Pemberley into a cheerful home for her once more, I will be happy. I am conscious that she has spent considerable time in London and must have missed her childhood home greatly. I am most anxious that she may come to feel the happiness she formerly knew in this house when your parents were alive."
    "It is a relief to have her with me again, with us, Elizabeth. I am so fortunate to have you help me with Georgiana, as I know you will."
    "I only hope there are not too many memories to haunt her, ones that might give rise to the unhappiness and melancholy that she suffered in the past."
    "Never will I forgive that blackguard George Wickham for his treatment of my sister. To think how I might have prevented it if I had spent more time with her."
    He stopped and Elizabeth observed how altered his mood became when the displeasing subject of their brother-in-law was touched upon. His black eyes seemed darker than ever and his smile, which usually softened his features into gentleness, was replaced by a scowl. It was evident that he struggled with his composure.
    Elizabeth could not bear to see him so upset. "Fortunately for your sister, there was no great harm done, which cannot be said for my own."
    "There is always great harm done where that gentleman is concerned," he answered. "At least in Newcastle he has a chance to redeem himself. We can only hope that their marriage will succeed, even if I feel my hopes for such an accomplishment are quite in vain."
    "I cannot help but feel for my heedless sister. Lydia will have to live with him for the rest of her life. However silly and imprudent her behaviour, in my heart I do not think she deserved such a fate, even if I know there was nothing more that could be done."
    They gained the top of the hill and, looking down, saw the valley and the rising prominence on the other side of the vale. "I do not mean to sound so ungrateful, Fitzwilliam. Without your intervention, who knows what would have become of Lydia.