She slipped out after he was gone and went into Jane’s room.
Jane was sitting up in bed, staring through the window pane with a forlorn look on her face.
“How are you this morning, sister?” Elizabeth asked, coming to sit on the bed next to Jane.
Jane looked at her and smiled, holding out her arms. Elizabeth moved in to hug her sister. “I am so glad to see you, Lizzie. I am so glad you are here. Charles told me how you have been at my side this whole time. You are the best sister.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I could not help it, Jane. You are my big sister and I do not want anything bad to happen to you. When it does, I’ll go through the storm with you.”
“Aww, you are so wonderful, Lizzie!” Jane released her and she sat down again. “I feel so much better now.” Jane patted down the blanket around her legs. “I know I am going to be weak for a while and I must say I am famished! But I feel so much better. I was in a lot of pain, Lizzie. I do not wish that on anyone.”
“No, I would not either. And I was not even the sick one. My poor girl, I am glad to see you awake and refreshed.”
“I have slept for a week, so I fairly well should be awake!” Jane smiled. “We will be able to go home soon. I know you are anxious to do so.”
Elizabeth looked down at her hands.
Jane tilted her head to the side. “You are not anxious to be away from these people, Jane?”
“What do you mean, these people?”
“I know Darcy has been here, too. Have you been getting to know him?” The look on Jane’s face gave away her light teasing.
Elizabeth giggled behind one hand. “I may have been, yes.”
“You already liked him, did you not? You know Papa is not going to like that.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I do know that. But he had given me his consent to meet Darcy and the Bingleys and anyone else that is associated with his family. So I have had a week to do so. Charles went to see Papa, did he not? He would have voiced any objections at that time, would he not have?”
“You knew that Charles went to Longbourn?”
“Of course, I had to make sure he knew what I had already told Mother and Papa. However, I confess I was standing outside your door a few minutes before Charles left, Jane. I heard some of what he said. I do feel that if Papa was outraged by the fact that Darcy is here and that the Bingleys are closely acquainted with him, he would have said so. Do you not agree?”
Jane sighed. “Yes, I suppose you are right. So tell me, then, what is your assessment of Darcy and the Bingleys?”
“I am unsure about Charles, to be frank with you. I believe him to be very caring and kind, but he is also easily influenced by his family members. That would prove a hardship for you in the future, I am sure. Miss Bingley is a most unpleasant individual with the desire to treat everyone as servants, no matter who they are. Why, some of the things she has said to her own brother,” Elizabeth shook her head, “it is appalling. And why Charles would let her speak that way is well beyond my grasp of reasoning.”
“You have not mentioned Darcy yet,” Jane said. “He is the descendant of the family feuding with ours. So tell me what you think of him?”
“I… I have been spending time with him. I find him to be…quite intriguing, actually.”
Jane pushed herself so she was sitting in a more upright position. She looked anxiously at Elizabeth. “Oh? In what way?”
“He is very handsome, as I am sure you know. And he is intelligent, and charming. He does not appear to be a swindler in any way. I do not have an easy time judging him based on what his ancestors did.”
Jane shook her head. “It was not his ancestors who did the wrong thing. Ours is the one who shot his.”
“Yes, but it was a fair duel. And it would not have occurred at all had Darcy’s ancestor owned up to being a thief and a liar. He would have been ostracized perhaps, for a time, but at least he would have been alive.”
“Well, there is no way for us to know what really happened. What concerns me is how Darcy is, how he would treat you…and our family.”
“I think he would be nothing but a gentleman, Jane. And I hope that I am able to convince Papa of that, too. I spoke to him before you took ill and he was open to discussion about the topic. Now I have more information and can truly inform him from a knowledgeable point of view.”
Jane nodded. “Yes. I think you have your ducks in a row.”
Elizabeth laughed. “There may be one or two strays out there somewhere.”
Chapter 19
The coach rolled along the dirt path, taking the sisters back to Longbourn.
Darcy had offered to come along with them to make sure they arrived home safely, but everyone involved knew that was not a good idea, so he stayed behind at Netherfield.
Before the women left, Darcy pulled Elizabeth to the side and whispered, “I have been so happy spending time with you, Miss Bennet. I do hope that you will bless me with your presence again soon.”
“I do not know how we will be able to pursue a relationship at this time, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth did not want to be the logical one, but knew she had to be. “We must be patient and see what happens with the orphanage.”
Darcy grunted. “I do not wish to base my future on the results of this charity.”
“I do not wish that for you. I do not wish that for me, either. But you must realize, as intelligent as you are, that we must tread lightly so as not to upset the various members of our families. What we do now will dictate how the rest of this will go.”
“That does not mean I cannot see you or dance with you at parties. You are unmarried, as am I. I am sure you will be at the ball next Friday? I would like to reserve a place on your dance card now.”
Elizabeth giggled. “I will reserve a place for you.”
“I will try not to bristle when I see other young men dancing with you.”
Elizabeth did not know what to say to that. She gazed up at him with a happy smile on her face. Then she tried to wipe the smile away, attempting a serious look on her face. “We must be patient, Mr. Darcy. We must act out this play until the end.”
“As long as it is not Romeo and Juliet, I will be happy with it,” Darcy replied, turning to walk her back to the coach, where Jane was waiting.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy!” Elizabeth said. “Is that the first play that comes to your mind? How dreadful. You must learn to think more positive.”
“Do you know of any other plays that I might think of involving two people on opposing sides of feuding families where things turned out well in the end?”
Elizabeth laughed. “No offhand, I cannot.”
Darcy nodded at her, lifting his eyebrows. “Do you see what I mean?” He held out a hand to her and she took it to step up into the coach. He closed the door and put both hands on the open window so he could speak to her. “I will miss your company, Miss Elizabeth. And I am glad that you are recovering well from your illness, Miss Bennet.” He turned his eyes to Jane.
She nodded but said nothing.
He looked back at Elizabeth. “I will see you soon, I hope.”
“Yes, Mr. Darcy. I hope so, too.”
Darcy indicated to the coachman that he could put the horses in action and stood back to watch the coach leave Netherfield.
Elizabeth turned in her seat to watch him until she could not see him anymore. Then she turned back around and found Jane staring at her. “What? Why must you stare at me that way?”
Jane giggled. “You two will not be able to hide those feelings from anyone. You are already done for, dear.”
“Do not say that, Jane. It all has to be blessed by Papa and by the members of Darcy’s family.”
Jane shook her head. “There is no one on Darcy’s side that would object, Lizzie.”
Elizabeth frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Charles told me that Darcy is the last in his line of people. He must have a child to continue their name.”
“What about Geor
gianna?”
“Georgianna is a female. She will marry and take the name of her husband. Darcy is the only male. And the two of them are all that is left of their line. There is no one else.”
“No one?”
“No.”
“Do you think he is anxious to get married in order to have an heir?”
Jane shook her head. “That’s not the impression Charles gave me. Darcy has always been a bachelor with no interest in the ladies of the Ton. But he has given you that interest. Charles told me he has never seen Darcy act around a woman the way he does around you. As if he is keeping himself in check and is concerned about what you think of him.”
“I was under the impression Darcy was an arrogant snob. Papa certainly does not make him out to be a good man.”
“No, but he does not know Darcy at all. And you know him very well. Perhaps too well.”
“Now, now, Jane. Do not accuse us of untoward behavior. Nothing like that has ever occurred.”
Jane lifted one hand and covered her mouth. “Oh, Lizzie, I was not implying anything of the sort. I am quite sure Darcy has been nothing but a gentleman with you, the way Charles has been with me. I was simply saying you have spent a great deal of time with him and certainly know him better than Papa would.”
“Yes, I do.” Elizabeth nodded her agreement. “I certainly do.” She paused before continuing, “Jane, when I overheard you talking to Charles – and I did not mean to eavesdrop – he was saying that you needed to be patient. I said the same thing to Darcy. We must sort out this feud before Darcy and I can consider any type of feelings we have for each other and if we might pursue them. What is it that Charles wants you to wait for? And why would he want you to wait for anything? You are both unmarried and eligible. Clearly you care for each other. What does he want to wait for?”
Jane looked out the window and watched the passing scenery without really seeing it. “He…he says that there are certain estate matters he must settle before he can pursue a relationship with a woman. He wants to spend all of his time courting me, and none of it dealing with his estate. That means he must settle whatever estate matters he has and take some time away from courting me.”
Elizabeth thought about that for a moment. There was something off about it she did not like. “I… I do not think I grasp his reasoning.”
Jane looked at her. “It seems very simple to me. He wants to focus on me. He does not want anything to interfere with his getting to know me.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I understand that side of it. Wanting to be with the one you have fallen in love with and intend to marry is always a temptation that is hard to resist. But will he not always have estate matters to take care of? If he fails to, he will have no income. He would not want that.”
“The Bingleys have family money. He would not go without.”
“That is not the point, however, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Elizabeth replied. “I suppose he could be feeling that his estate business would interfere. But if he were truly in love with you, would he be able to resist?”
Jane’s cheeks flushed red and Elizabeth immediately understood the implication of what she had said. “I did not mean that he is not in love with you, Jane. Everyone shows love differently, do they not? And who am I to say what a man is thinking or feeling. I do not know anything about men. Nothing.”
Jane took a deep breath and looked at her sister. “You are right. You do not know anything about men.”
“I just do not wish to see you fooled by love, Jane. I do wish the best for you and I know God has wonderful things in store for you. I want you to be cautious. But only because I love you.”
Jane smiled. “I love you, too, sister.”
“I want to ask you something, Jane, and I want your honest answer.”
“Always, you know I do not lie.”
“Darcy and are will be organizing funding to repair the local orphanage– well, I will not be organizing it, but I will be encouraging Papa to work with Darcy on it, in order to mend the feud between our families.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Jane said in a positive tone.
“I wonder though, if he might have a different motive in mind.”
Jane frowned, crinkling her soft forehead. “What do you mean?”
“We all know that it was our family who shot and killed his ancestor in the duel.”
“Yes.” Jane nodded.
“Do you think he might be trying to involve Papa to swindle him as revenge for that wrongdoing?”
Jane’s face went pale. “Oh, Lizzie, you do have a suspicious mind.”
“I cannot help but think that. It came to my mind right after we proposed the idea. He would not tell me what his true reasons were for mending the rift between our families.”
Jane tilted her head to the side, pressing her lips together. “Do you not think he might be anxious for there to be no complications should he wish to marry you?”
Elizabeth pulled in a deep breath. “Yes, I had thought that. And that is what I would wish too, but what I wish does not matter here. What are his motives? I know that he…is attracted to me already. If that is his motive, why would he not simply say it?”
Jane giggled. “You are overthinking this, sister dear. You need to relax and see what happens next. You must not be so solemn and analytical.”
Elizabeth looked at her sister, suddenly grateful to God that her fever had broken and she was well on her way to being normal again. “I do love you, Jane. I am so glad you are recovering.”
Jane smiled at her. “I love you, too, Lizzie, and thank you for keeping my meeting with Charles secret.”
“We are sisters, Jane. I would never allow your reputation to be tarnished in anyway if I could help it.” Elizabeth smiled.
Chapter 20
As it happened, Darcy and Elizabeth did not cross paths until the ball being thrown at the Helmsley Manor east of Hertfordshire. During that time, she had found it nearly impossible to stop thinking about him. She visited Charlotte, where, for some reason, the topic kept coming back to him. She went on picnics with her sisters and her mother and had the occasion to speak one on one with her father on several occasions. No matter what she did, she could not get him off her mind.
His face appeared on the back of her eyelids when she closed her eyes to go to sleep and her dreams were filled with his presence.
By the time Friday arrived, she was desperate to see him. As she prepared for the ball, she noticed her sisters were unusually quiet. She whispered to Mary as Catherine pinned back her hair. “Why is everyone so quiet tonight?”
Mary gave her a solemn look. “Do not tell me you did not hear what happened, Lizzie. Of all people, how do you not know?”
Elizabeth turned to face her. “Tell me what has happened?”
Mary leaned forward so that she could speak in low tones. “Mother and Papa spoke to Jane tonight. I overheard them say that Mr. Collins has said he wishes to marry one of us. And then I heard something about our house going to him.”
“What?” Elizabeth had heard every word, but it seemed they would not form in her mind correctly. “You must have heard incorrectly, Mary. He is not to get the house till after Papa passes away and Papa is in very good health! Why is he concerned about this now?”
Mary shook her head. “I cannot possibly speak to what is going through that man’s head. I suppose he thinks his time to become a husband and father is now. He is not the youngest of men, you know.”
“He is not the most attractive of them, either,” Elizabeth said, snidely.
“What a thing to say, Lizzie,” Mary chided her, half-heartedly.
Elizabeth shrugged, turning back to the mirror in front of her. She patted her hair to make sure it would not fall free of the pins. “Thank you, Catherine,” she said before turning to Mary. “I do not have to worry. Papa will not make me marry him.”
“What makes you think it will not be you?”
“Becaus
e Jane will need to marry first. Then it would be your turn. Then mine. I do not think I have anything to worry about.”
Mary clucked her tongue. “That is a very callous attitude, Lizzie. You seem unconcerned that either myself or Jane will have to marry the man.”
Elizabeth shook her head, turning to Mary. “I do not believe for a moment that Papa will do that to any of us. They would never allow it. I am certain of it.”
Mary grunted. “I am glad you are. I am not. I will tell you that.”
Elizabeth turned and spoke to her other sisters, who were quietly getting dressed. “I do not think you girls should be upset about going to the ball. I do not think you should let anything take away from the fun you will have. None of us are engaged to him yet. We get to dance and have fun tonight with anyone who puts his name on our card. Let us have fun. No need to be sad!”
From that moment on, her sisters were livelier and began talking about who might be at the ball tonight. They teased each other about how many men would sign their dance cards.
Elizabeth finished getting dressed with Mary’s help, satisfied that she had made a difference. Her heart gave a small leap when she thought about seeing Darcy again. She was glad they were not wearing masks.
* * *
The ballroom consisted of elegantly adorned tables spread around the outer edges of the room, ladies in beautiful ball gowns, gentlemen in dashing suits with perfectly tied cravats, and servants with plates of hors d’oeuvres weaving around the room.
“How elegant!” Elizabeth murmured to Jane, gazing around the room. “I have not been here before. Have you?”
Jane nodded. She leaned closer and said softly, “Once or twice, yes. It has been some time. The family is very nice. But I heard they went through some very difficult times and were not seen in society for several years while they grieved.”
“Oh my,” Elizabeth replied.
Elizabeth and Darcy: A Romeo and Juliet Twist: A Pride & Prejudice Regency Variation Page 10