26colinfirthisastiff: nah, you didn't offend me. I actually really liked your review. Oh, but Georgie is just the mystery man's nickname for my George Wickham character. I don't know how I want to portray Georgiana yet.
justlovefanfiction2901: And it only gets more complicated
Now onward with chapter 4! (A/N: I didn't proofread this chapter, so there might be grammar and spelling errors in it. Hopefully they're not to distracting)
"She's only partially deaf," Darcy hurriedly stated, "She can make out loud sounds, but it's hard to understand what people are saying if they aren't looking directly at her. She is okay in school because her teachers write everything on the board, and her classmates are very understanding of her disability. Nobody treats her different or anything like that. It's really not that big of a deal; that's probably why I forgot to mention it to you."
For a moment, I just stared at William Darcy who had just given me a good reason to believe that he was the stupidest, most dense man to ever walk the face of the earth. How could he forget to tell me something so important and life-changing? Having a daughter - fine, I could handle that; but a deaf daughter - how was I supposed to even begin to handle that?
"Did your accident cause you to forget about my hearing, Mommy?" Anne asked as her deep blue eyes stared inquisitively at my silent mouth.
Before I began to speak, I made sure that my lips were clearly visible to Anne. "Yes, my accident caused me to forget a lot of important things, but don't worry my memory will come back soon, and then we'll go back to how things use to be."
"Are you mad that I can't hear like other people?"
"Of course not, Anne. I was shocked; that's all. I've forgotten so much that almost everything is a surprise to me."
"Okay," Anne muttered quietly as she sunk into her chair and stared out the window at the beautiful trees that were flying past.
After that conversation with Anne, I didn't feel much like talking. I was still mad at Darcy, and turning to face Anne was uncomfortable in this car. Besides, I would much rather quietly process everything that has happened today.
"Elizabeth," Darcy began with trepidation interrupting my solitude, "you haven't said anything to me for quite a while. Please talk to me."
I sighed as I turned to stare at the serene form of the thinking Anne. She was staring out of the window not a paying a bit of attention to Darcy or I. There was no way that she would be able to hear our conversation unless it turned into a shouting match.
"She thinks you're disappointed with her. Last time you found out, you were excited. You said being deaf made her special. She was proud to be deaf because you made it cool. If you suddenly start treating her like the plague because she can't hear, then you'll confuse her."
I took another deep breath before replying, "I'm not disappointed with Anne... I'm mad with you. If you told me before we picked her up, I wouldn't have looked like such a forgetful idiot."
"I know Elizabeth. This whole amnesia thing is new to me. Just because you forgot doesn't mean I did too. It's hard for me to remember everything that happened to us in the last six years. I'm sorry. I am not perfect, and I do make mistakes. Please, don't be mad, I will do my best not to forget any other important details of our life… if you forgive me."
I thought about what he said for a moment and took my sweet time before saying, "Yeah, I can forgive you, but when we get home, I need you to tell me every major event that's happened in our life – starting with your Aunt Catherine."
Darcy smiled before replying, "I knew you would want to hear about that first."
"How could I not?" I asked incredulously as Darcy slowed down and turned into a gated community. Of course we lived in a gated community. "Last time I saw the woman, she treated me like some homeless girl who grew up in the slums."
Darcy grinned again before saying, "Fine, once we get inside, I'll tell you that story." We both turned towards each other and shared a smile. Darcy made a smooth left turn before asking, "Are you sure that Anne being deaf does not bother you?"
"Yeah, I'm okay with it. She is so adorable, I don't even mind."
"She looks just like you," Darcy smiled as he slowed down and drove down a narrow path lined with green, leafy trees. He finally stopped in front of a beautiful, Victorian style house.
"Wow," I exclaimed, "your house is gorgeous."
Pulling the key out of the ignition, Darcy declared, "Our house – our house is gorgeous."
"Right… our house. That'll take some time to get used to. I'm going to go inside and then you can tell me your story."
I thought I saw a flicker of a frown appear on Darcy's face when I said my last statement, but I could have just been imagining things. I helped Anne get her things out of the trunk before I went up to the house to get a better look at it. The garden was currently being tended by a man with a pair of shears. He was hacking meticulously at an artistically shaped hedge. The house was lined with these artistic hedges. Some were cut in the shape of cones, some were squares, and some were hexagons. All of them were bright green and full of life. A majestic fountain was proudly sitting in the middle of the lawn with pink, red, and yellow tulips surrounding it. Water spurted from the fountain onto the flowers in sporadic waves. My feet were itching to step through the door, so that I could see the rest of the magnificent house. Knowing Darcy and his wealth, I was sure that the inside would be even grander than the outside. Before I could even come close to going through the door, Darcy grabbed my arm and lightly pulled me towards the bench near the fountain.
"Today is such a bright, sunny day. How about I tell you the story out here?" Darcy suggested as he pulled me down onto the bench with him. When Anne finally retrieved her backpack and walked over to him, he said to her, "Anne, go inside and start your homework. Ask Mrs. Reynolds if you have any questions."
"Okay, Daddy," Anne shouted over her shoulder as she ran into the house.
"So, I believe that I was promised a story."
"Eager are we. Well, I guess you deserve it after you forgave me so easily after my huge screw-up."
"You bet I deserve it. Now stop stalling and tell the story."
"Well…"
A/N: I think it's always best to leave my readers at a cliffhanger. It gives you guys something to look forward to. I'm going to try and have the next chapter up before the end of this week, but finals are coming up and I need to study for those. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to tell your friends about this story and review :)