by Kate Jensen
“Thank you, Dr. Buchanan. Shall I have Mrs. Reynolds prepare a room for you?” asked Mr. Darcy.
“Yes, please. I would like to stay a few days in order to make sure that Miss Bennet continues to improve.”
“The doctor says that you are recovering nicely, Miss Elizabeth,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam when the ladies joined the gentlemen a few minutes later. “I am pleased to hear it. You gave us all quite the scare with your accident.”
“Thank you for your concern, Colonel. I am well pleased to be on the mend.”
“Indeed, Miss Eliza, one could hardly believe that you were so grievously injured only a few days ago. You seem almost completely recovered. It must be a great relief as I’m sure you and your relations are eager to continue your trip. I am surprised that Mr. Gardiner can take so much time away from his business in London.”
By this time the others were used to Miss Bingley’s attacks on Elizabeth. Dr. Buchanan was the only one who seemed shocked by her rudeness. “Although Miss Bennet is recovering well, I would not recommend travelling in the next little while.”
“Of course not!” said Miss Darcy. “We wouldn’t hear of Miss Bennet leaving yet. She needs more time to recover fully and we are enjoying this time to get to know her better.”
“Certainly the Gardiners and Miss Elizabeth should stay here until she is fully recovered. I have never enjoyed guests more. I hope your business will allow you to stay longer, Mr. Gardiner.”
“I thank you, Mr. Darcy. Our plans were to travel until the end of July so we would be happy to remain until the doctor feels that Lizzy is well enough to travel. I am hopeful to hear from Mr. Bennet before we continue on our trip as well. I should not be surprised if he returns with Mr. Bingley. Lizzy is his particular favorite and he’ll be very concerned about her health.”
“Is Mr. Bingley expected back soon?” asked Elizabeth.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it back either tomorrow night or the following day,” answered Mr. Darcy.
That afternoon Elizabeth again heard a knock on her bedroom door. Supposing that Miss Darcy had come to visit with her, Elizabeth called for the visitor to enter. She was surprised to see Miss Bingley enter instead of Miss Darcy.
“Miss Eliza, how are you feeling this afternoon?”
“I am continuing to improve, Miss Bingley.”
“I am glad to hear it. You must be relieved that you are recovering sufficiently to return to Hertfordshire with your father once he and my brother return. I can only imagine how uncomfortable you must be here what with the disagreements you and Mr. Darcy have always had.”
“Mr. Darcy has been very polite,” answered Elizabeth.
“Indeed. I am surprised at how well the two of you have gotten along the past few days. While you were staying at Netherfield last Fall the two of you could not be in the same room for more than two minutes before the fighting and arguing would begin.”
“I hardly think a healthy debate could be considered fighting. Mr. Darcy and I both have strong opinions.”
“True. Mr. Darcy has always been very honest in his opinions. Why I remember when we were first come to Hertfordshire how he expressed his opinions of the county and its residents. ‘Miss Bennet smiles too much.’ ‘Miss Elizabeth a beauty? I should as soon call her mother a wit.’ ‘The country is too confined and unvarying.’ His opinion of the whole society was low. I believe that is why he recommended that my brother quit the area before Christmas. Charles was anxious to return to Netherfield but Mr. Darcy pointed out that it would be better to remain in town and forget everyone in Hertfordshire.”
Elizabeth was too stunned to immediately make a reply. Could Mr. Darcy have truly said those things about her family, her neighbors and herself? Did he truly separate Mr. Bingley from Jane because Jane smiled too much? Elizabeth didn’t want to believe it. Mr. Darcy had seemed nothing but polite to herself and her aunt and uncle. But Elizabeth remembered the small hesitations in her conversations with Mr. Darcy and the feeling she had had on several occasions that there was more that Mr. Darcy was trying to keep from her.
“I suppose we are each entitled to our own opinions. If you would excuse me, Miss Bingley, I promised my aunt that I would rest this afternoon.”
“Certainly, Miss Eliza.”
After Miss Bingley left Elizabeth attempted to lie down but found herself dwelling on what Miss Bingley had said and unable to sleep. It went against everything that Elizabeth thought she had learned about Mr. Darcy over the past couple of days and yet a part of her mind whispered that it could be true. If Mr. Darcy is the man that Miss Bingley described it would certainly explain why my aunt says that I found Mr. Darcy proud and disagreeable. But then why act so kind now? It made no sense to Elizabeth and she told herself to put it out of her mind and to think about it no more, but was unable to take her own advice. Elizabeth’s headache increased as the afternoon wore on.
Mr. Darcy invited his guests on a picnic that afternoon. “We should enjoy the summer weather and celebrate Miss Elizabeth’s continued recovery.”
“What a wonderful idea!” added Miss Darcy. “I’ll speak to Mrs. Reynolds to make the arrangements while you go invite the Gardiners and Miss Elizabeth.”
Chapter Ten
“Mr. Gardiner, my sister and I are planning a picnic this afternoon and would be pleased if you, Mrs. Gardiner, and Miss Elizabeth would join us.”
“We would be delighted. The fresh air will do Lizzy some good. She says that her headache has increased.”
Mr. Darcy was instantly concerned. “Should I ask Dr. Buchanan to come check on her again?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Some fresh air will revive her.”
“Very well. We will see you all downstairs when you are ready.”
Mr. Darcy was surprised to see how pale Elizabeth appeared when she joined the others for the picnic. She had been recovering so well and had been her usual lively self that he had almost forgotten how badly she had been injured. Once it was clear that she was in no grave danger from her fall he had become more focused on gaining her approval and deflecting Miss Bingley’s attacks.
“I hope you are feeling well enough for a picnic, Miss Elizabeth. You look pale this afternoon. Are you feeling well?”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy, but I am well. My head continues to ache, but Dr. Buchanan and Mr. Carter have both warned me that headaches are to be expected for a while.”
“I hope the fine weather and fresh air will help. I hate to see you suffering. Is there anything you can take to help with the headaches?”
“They recommended laudanum, but I cannot stand the way it makes me feel. I would rather deal with the headaches.”
Mr. Darcy gently took her arm and wrapped it through his as he led her outside to the picnic. “Please let me know if your headache becomes too severe and you would prefer to return inside.”
Elizabeth found herself more confused than ever. How could Mr. Darcy show such concern for me if his opinion of me and my family is so low? Teasing, teasing man!
Throughout the picnic Elizabeth tried to put aside her worries and be her usual cheerful self but did not feel up to the task. She slipped into silence more often than not and seemed lost in her own thoughts.
“How are you doing, Miss Bennet?” asked Colonel Fitzwilliam as he sat down beside her.
Elizabeth smiled at him. “My headaches continue but I believe I will continue to recover.”
“I am glad to hear it. My cousins and I would be quite sad to hear otherwise.”
Mr. Darcy watched Elizabeth during the picnic and noticed her distracted air and low spirits. Just this morning she was so much recovered. What could have happened? If she still seems out of sorts tomorrow morning I will insist on having Dr. Buchanan check on her again. As the picnic continued Mr. Darcy’s spirits sank as his concern for Elizabeth grew.
Miss Darcy also noticed the changes in Elizabeth and wondered about them. At first she was also concerned about Eli
zabeth’s health, but then she happened to notice Miss Bingley looking at Elizabeth with a very smug air. At once Miss Darcy began to wonder what Miss Bingley had done to bring about such a change in Elizabeth. She determined to find out as soon as possible.
The afternoon had been so long and so confusing for Elizabeth that she claimed fatigue that evening and took a tray in her room instead of joining the others for supper. She hoped that a good night’s sleep would help her to make sense of the different aspects of Mr. Darcy that she had lately come know.
Mr. Darcy was disappointed that Elizabeth did not join them for supper. He was worried about her. She had seemed so quiet that afternoon. He was in no humor to entertain his other guests but knew that as the host he had a responsibility that he could not avoid. Instead of brooding and worrying as he would have liked to have done he forced himself to see to his guests. He determined to spend more time with the Gardiners and to learn more about them. The evening was long, and he continued to worry about Elizabeth, but he found that the more he spent time with the Gardiners the more he liked them and grew to respect them.
The next morning Miss Darcy was determined to find out what had upset Elizabeth. She was certain that something had occurred the previous afternoon. Elizabeth was too altered and Miss Bingley was too smug for there to be any other possibility in Miss Darcy’s opinion.
She knocked on Elizabeth’s door and entered when she heard Elizabeth call out to her. “Good morning, Miss Elizabeth. I was hoping that you would like to join me in practicing the pianoforte this morning. That is, if your head is not hurting too badly?”
“I would love to, Miss Darcy. A good night’s rest has helped my headache and I feel up to practicing with you. Although I must warn you that I am not an accomplished musician. I am sure that your talents far surpass mine.”
“I think you are not giving yourself enough credit. William has mentioned to me before how much he has enjoyed listening to you play in the past so I am sure that you must play well.”
“It is so strange not remembering the past year. When did your brother speak to you about my talents on the pianoforte?” asked Elizabeth, seeing a chance to learn more about Mr. Darcy since she was still confused about what Miss Bingley had told her the previous day and what she had learned of Mr. Darcy herself since her accident.
“William is a very faithful correspondent. He writes to me frequently when he is away. He mentioned it in a letter that he sent to me last October while he was staying with Mr. Bingley. In fact, I was quite delighted to have the chance to meet you since William had always spoken so well of you in his letters from Netherfield and Rosings Park.”
“Truly?” asked Elizabeth with some skepticism in her voice. “Miss Bingley indicated that your brother and I had not gotten along well when we met in Hertfordshire and that Mr. Darcy did not have a high opinion of me or my family.”
“Miss Bingley spoke with you about my brother?” asked Miss Darcy.
“Yes. She came to visit with me yesterday afternoon.”
“She said William didn’t think well of you?” asked Miss Darcy.
“Yes. She made it quite clear that Mr. Darcy does not think well of me or my family and has not thought well of us since the beginning of our acquaintance.”
“I see. Do you mind if I call you Elizabeth? I would like you to call me Georgiana as well.”
“Of course.”
“William was not himself when he first went to Hertfordshire last Fall. We had a hard summer.” Georgiana hesitated for a moment as she tried to decide how much to share with Elizabeth. “There were family problems that upset William. He tends to take too much upon himself.”
“You don’t need to explain, Georgiana, if it upsets you too much. I understand how easily family problems can upset someone.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth. I do not like talking about what happened, but I am willing to if it will help you to understand William better. He truly was not himself when he left for Hertfordshire last Fall.”
Elizabeth smiled at Georgiana though she felt that it was a weak defense that had been made for Mr. Darcy. So Mr. Darcy hadn’t been himself when he first came to Hertfordshire because of family problems? That only seemed to confirm Miss Bingley’s account that Mr. Darcy had not liked Elizabeth or her family and had said as much to others.
“My brother does not enjoy being in large groups, especially when he is unacquainted with those around him. I do not know what exactly Miss Bingley has said to you but I assure you that everything that William wrote to me about you and your sister was to your advantage. Please do not listen to Miss Bingley.”
Elizabeth smiled at Georgiana and changed the topic as the two girls entered the music room and began to practice the piano together. Elizabeth kept a light conversation going with Georgiana about Derbyshire and the Peaks but her thoughts lingered on Georgiana’s defense of her brother. In the end she decided that of the two, she was more inclined to believe Georgiana over Miss Bingley and determined to put what Miss Bingley had said from her mind.
After practicing with Elizabeth for some time Miss Darcy went to find her brother in his study. She knocked gently on the door and waited for him to call out for her to enter.
“Georgiana, what can I do for you?” asked Mr. Darcy, setting aside the letter he had been writing and gesturing her to come sit in a chair near his desk.
“William, when you said that you did not make a good first impression with Elizabeth what did you mean?”
Mr. Darcy sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Why do you ask, Georgie?”
“I was playing the pianoforte with Elizabeth a little while ago and she mentioned that Miss Bingley had come to visit her in her room yesterday.” Miss Darcy told Mr. Darcy what Elizabeth had shared with her.
Mr. Darcy was enraged that Miss Bingley would do such a thing and determined that she would be out of his house within a day even if he had to have a footman physically escort her out. His friendship with Bingley was the only reason that Mr. Darcy had tolerated Miss Bingley’s behavior up to this point but now she had gone too far. Mr. Darcy was hopeful that Mr. Bingley would understand but either way Mr. Darcy was not willing to allow Miss Bingley to stay and damage his chances with Elizabeth.
Miss Bingley arrived in the drawing room that afternoon feeling very confident. Her plan to spoil the growing attachment between Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth seemed to have worked well. Elizabeth had been withdrawn during the picnic the day before.
Mr. Darcy and his sister were already in the drawing room when she arrived but the other guests had not yet joined them. Miss Bingley quickly swept across the room to join the Darcy’s.
“Miss Bingley, I am glad that you have joined us before the other guests as there is something I would like to discuss with you,” said Mr. Darcy.
Miss Bingley’s heart raced. Could this finally be the moment she had been waiting for? Was Mr. Darcy going to propose at last? Miss Bingley smiled invitingly and said, “Of course, Mr. Darcy. Would you like to speak somewhere more private?” She glanced quickly at Miss Darcy sure that her brother would prefer to propose without his sister watching.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Bingley,” said Mr. Darcy with one of his stern looks. “I only wanted to tell you that I have asked your maid to prepare for your departure tomorrow morning. I expect Mr. Bingley to return within the next day and your party will be able to continue your journey as originally planned.”
Miss Bingley sat in stunned silence for a moment. Was Mr. Darcy kicking her out of Pemberley? The fall from what her expectations had been to the reality of what Mr. Darcy was saying left Miss Bingley speechless. After a moment she recovered herself. “Charles has been travelling for more than a week now, Mr. Darcy. I am sure that he will need a few days to recuperate before continuing on our trip.”
“Mr. Bingley is welcome to stay if he wishes, but I feel it will be best if you and the Hurst’s continue on your way. After all, Mr. Bingley did expect you to go on without
him when he volunteered to take the news to Longbourn. He’ll be surprised to see you all still here.”
“We’ll wait for Charles and see if he prefers to rest here or continue on with us.”
Mr. Darcy nodded his agreement as Elizabeth and the Gardiner’s entered the drawing room. He walked away from Miss Bingley to make sure that Elizabeth was comfortable. Miss Bingley comforted herself by thinking about how easy it would be to persuade her brother to stay at Pemberley longer. Charles would be exhausted from travelling so much and it would be natural for the rest of the party to wait at Pemberley until he was ready to leave with them.
Darcy noticed that throughout tea Elizabeth seemed more lively than the day before. She spoke and laughed like herself again but once or twice he caught her looking at him with a question in her eyes. She seemed uncertain about him. Darcy tried to be as courteous as possible and smiled reassuringly at Elizabeth whenever he caught her looking at him. He was glad to see Elizabeth smile back at him. Maybe Miss Bingley hadn’t ruined his chances of changing Elizabeth’s opinion of him.
Elizabeth went to bed that night glad that she had decided not to listen to Miss Bingley. Tea had been pleasant and Mr. Darcy had been attentive and kind. Since she couldn’t remember their past acquaintance it was only fair to judge Mr. Darcy on what she knew of him now. If the man he appeared to be now was the real Mr. Darcy, then Elizabeth liked him very much indeed.
Chapter Eleven
Shortly after breakfast the next morning Mr. Bingley returned to Pemberley with Jane and Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth was truly happy to see her sister and father again. They helped her to feel more like herself again. Her memory loss had affected her more than she liked to admit. She had felt less sure about herself and her judgment than she could ever remember feeling before.
After a quick greeting Mr. Bennet said, “Well, Lizzy, I am happy to see that your injury hasn’t caused you to become as silly as your mother and younger sisters. I had been quite worried that I might lose the only sensible conversation to be found at Longbourn.”