Elizabeth smiled. “As you are to me, my William.” It was obvious she was drowsy, and Darcy placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“I will leave you to rest. I have to sign some papers for the army to prosecute Wickham, and as soon as I return, I will be at your side. By then, we may be able to move you to a more comfortable room, with a softer bed. This table you have been lying on must be quite uncomfortable.”
“Hurry back.” She whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
“I will be back before you wake.”
~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~
CHAPTER 10 Darcy was shown into the prison section of the encampment. He was taken to the cell where Wickham was being kept, and the guard stepped to the side to allow the men to speak through the bars.
“Wickham, I was told you requested to speak to me. What is it you wish to say?” “Ah, the knight is shining armor, riding his trusty steed to save the damsel in distress. And how is the fair maiden? Though I should change that, as maiden she is no more.”
“My betrothed is as virtuous as the day she was born. She was not sullied by you or your pack. But I will say this, Miss Elizabeth is alive and will recover. She spoke to me just before I left to come here. Now, what is it that you have to say to me? Make it quick or I will know you are still lying and leave.”
“Lying? Unfortunately for you and your family, I am not lying of this. One of your beloved relatives wished you to be ruined, how do you like those apples?”
“My relative? And just which of my relatives are you speaking? Which of my family members wish to see me destroyed?” Darcy asked, his anger brewing just under the surface.
“Ah, I will tell you, but there has to be a reward for my breaking the trust this person had with me. My life is in jeopardy, I wish to continue living. And I believe some funds to begin a new life would be appropriate.”
“You are a fool, Wickham. Do you truly believe I am able to save your pathetic life? Or that I would give you one coin? What a joke you are. You are attempting a last effort to save your skin, and I would not trust a word from your lips. Good day, Wickham. Enjoy the few you have remaining.”
With that, Darcy turned and marched out of the prison. When he reached his carriage, he could still hear Wickham crying out for him to return. No, I will not give him another thought. It is time to return to Elizabeth.
~~ ** ~~ By the time Darcy had returned to his townhouse, he was exhausted. It had been a long day, filled with such emotional uproar, which drained his energy. He entered the bedchamber of his betrothed, not even bothering to knock. A smile graced his lips when he found Elizabeth lying on the bed, a sweet smile on her lips. Doctor Josephson turned to see who had entered and acknowledged Darcy’s arrival.
Whispering, Darcy inquired as to Elizabeth’s condition. Before the doctor could speak, Elizabeth’s sweet voice spoke out. “I am better, William, now that you have returned. Are you well?”
“Hearing your voice is like a breath of fresh air in my longs. It has been a long day, and you should be sleeping.”
“Not until you returned. I needed to see you, to know you were well.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “I pray that your meeting went well.”
“It is of no importance, Elizabeth. Now, I plan to sit here in this chair and read, while you sleep and have peaceful dreams.” Darcy stated, as he placed a kiss on the bandaging on her head.
~~ ** ~~ When Mr Bennet checked on his daughter later, he was surprised to find his future son in law, fast asleep in the chair. He thought it was wise to allow the young man to sleep, after all that had happened that day and it was becoming late in the evening.
Near nine that evening, Mr Bingley appeared at Darcy House. He had found the note that had been delivered to Netherfield, from Wickham, asking him to meet him at Oakham Mount that fateful morning, directing a time as well. Though Wickham had sealed his own fate, this was icing on the cake. Richard knocked on the door of the bedchamber and was allowed to step inside quietly. When he stepped to his cousin’s side, he attempted to wake him. Only Darcy did not wake. Richard noticed the heat coming from his cousin’s body and placed the back of his hand to Darcy’s forehead.
“Good God, he is burning up.” Richard called out. Elizabeth woke to the sound and quickly became agitated by the news.
“William, wake my love. Please, William, wake for me.” She cried out. Richard scooped his cousin into his arms and carried him across to the door leading to the Master’s bedchamber. Lying Darcy on the bed, Richard was removing his coat and waist coat before Doctor Josephson entered the room.
“He has a high fever.” Richard explained. “And I could not wake him.” “His wound must have taken an infection. From what Mr Jones explained, Mr Darcy would not allow his injury to be tended until after the man examined Miss Elizabeth. Even then, he has not rested since the incident, leaving him less resistant to fight an infection.”
Mrs Jenkins entered the chambers as Richard called out for a basin of the coldest water they could furnish, as well as cloths to use to cool his body down.
From the Mistress’ chambers, Elizabeth was sobbing, her fear of losing the man she had come to love was shattering her heart.
~~ ** ~~ Lady Anne was sitting beside the bed of her brother, reading to him. His recovery was slow, but each day he was improving.
After papers were signed with the solicitor, naming Richard as the heir to Matlock, and disowning Anthony, Richard had left for London to prepare to resign his commission.
When Anthony learned he was disowned, he was furious. His father gave him a small property in Norfolk, though the property was protected against Anthony being able to sell it or use it to procure a loan. He was also given one thousand pounds with which to begin his new life, and Anthony was assured there would be no further assistance coming from any member of the family.
Learning of his family’s determination to desert him, Anthony flew into a rage. Before leaving for Town, Richard made sure his brother was removed from Matlock, sending two footmen who were loyal to Lord Matlock, to escort Anthony to Norfolk. This further infuriated the former heir. As he entered the carriage which would take him from his home, Anthony cried out that he would exact his revenge against everyone in his family.
Richard had informed all the staff of the change in heirs, and of his brother being evicted from the estate. They were to report immediately if Anthony was seen in the area, and the man was not to be allowed to enter the house for any reason.
Lady Anne knew there was a guard outside Lord Matlock’s room at all times. Another precaution Richard had left in place when he traveled to London. This brought her a sense of peace. Looking up, Lady Anne noticed her brother had dozed off again. She quickly left the room, making her way towards her own suite of rooms.
The butler stepped towards her. “Lady Anne, an express just arrived for you.” “My thanks, Alfred.” She took the express and continued to her sitting room. Opening the letter, she began to read.
Aunt Anne, I beg you to come to London as soon as you possibly can. There has been a situation which has occurred and William needs you to come immediately.
I cannot go into details, it is far too extensive to tell the entire story. William, I am certain, has spoken to you of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Wickham and two other men attacked her, beating her severely. William came upon them, and in the struggle, he was injured. He has developed a severe fever and the surgeon fears for his life.
Please hurry. I will make certain that extra security is added to watch over my father in your absence.
Your nephew, Richard
Lady Anne Carrington nearly collapsed. How could this have happened? Wickham, the man was a
plague to her son. She prayed that his evil would finally come to an end. She called out to her maid to have her trunk packed and ready for her to leave within the hour. Stepping to the hallway, Lady Anne saw the butler nearing the staircase.
“Alfred, have my carriage prepared and brought to the front of the house.
I must leave for Town immediately.”
“Yes, my lady. I will have the kitchen prepare a basket of food and drink for you as well.” Lady Anne nodded her thanks and then turned back towards her rooms. Going to her desk, she pulled out some parchment and wrote a message to her nephew informing him she was on her way, followed by a letter to her husband to inform him of the situation. At the end of her husband’s letter, she asked him to come to London, bringing Georgiana.
Once the letters were given to a footman to be sent express, Lady Anne returned to her brother’s rooms. Lord Matlock was beginning to stir as she approached his bed.
“Henry, I must leave for London in a few moments. I received a letter from Richard telling me William is very ill with a high fever. I have sent a message to Albert to have him bring Georgiana to London as well. Will you be well without me?”
“Anne, go. I have staff here to care for me. Send word of William as soon as you know how he is.” Henry Fitzwilliam stated.
“I will, Brother. Pray for him.”
Nodding his head, Lord Matlock said he would. ~~ ** ~~ For nearly four days, Richard sat at his cousin’s bedside, assisting the surgeon who was tending Darcy. For days, Darcy’s fever raged on and on. The young man was fighting, but the fever had taken a strong hold of him and refused to let him go.
Elizabeth had to be sedated, her fears for him had been so great and she had tried to come to his side when her maid was retrieving fresh water.
Fortunately, she had not caused further harm to herself. Mr Bennet and Jane had determined it was best if one of them was with Elizabeth at all times. When she was awake, all Elizabeth could think of was seeing Darcy. All she wanted was to know he would survive and be well.
Bingley had assisted wherever he could, sending messages, making requests for more supplies, having food and drink brought to everyone when they needed it, and even being forceful in making sure they took nourishment to keep themselves going. He would sit beside Darcy when Richard needed to refresh himself.
The door opened suddenly, and Lady Anne entered the room. She rushed to the side of her son’s bed, lifting his hand to her cheek. “Richard, has there been any improvement?”
Richard shook his head. “None. He is growing weaker each day. The fever is making him delirious.” “What of Miss Elizabeth? Where is she?” Lady Anne asked, as she kept her eyes trained on her son. “She is in the Mistress’ chambers, I have not checked on her since yesterday.” Richard felt guilty for ignoring the young lady who loved his cousin, but he was riddled with fear and grief at the thought of losing the man who was more a brother to him than Anthony ever was.
“I will check on her.” Lady Anne knew that news of Elizabeth would be of comfort to her son. “Aunt Anne, I must tell you what has happened before you enter the room.” Richard’s eyes came up to meet his aunt’s. “Wickham and the other men, they were planning to force themselves on Miss Elizabeth. The beating Wickham gave her caused a crack to her skull and blood to build up pressure in the brain. The surgeon, Doctor Josephson, was required to drill holes in her skull to drain the blood, or the pressure would have built until it killed her.”
Lady Anne gasped. “Is she to live?” “Yes, though she will need to be taken care of for quite some time. Fortunately, your son saw to all of her needs, taking all the care possible. He was given permission from Miss Elizabeth’s father to be her betrothed. William was planning to ask her that very morning, which was why he arrived when he did. He was meeting Miss Elizabeth there. In the struggle, William was able to kill two of the men, leaving him to deal with Wickham. In their struggle, William received a bullet wound. It was treated, but, due to his concern for his betrothed, he did not take proper care of himself.”
“This is the reason for my son’s fever, an infection from the wound he received? What has happened to Wickham? Is he in custody?”
“The scoundrel attempted to accuse William of being the one to have attacked Miss Elizabeth. We had to deal with a scandal that was brewing as well, as Wickham claimed my cousin had violated Miss Elizabeth many times. All of that blackguard’s accusations were proven false, but it does not protect Miss Elizabeth from the humiliation of being the victim of the assault by these men.” Richard looked at his cousin momentarily before he continued. “Wickham claims he was paid to destroy William, ruin him in society. We cannot prove it, but Wickham had a large sum of money hidden in his belongings at the militia camp in Meryton. It was found after Wickham was arrested.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Lady Anne was sickened at the thought of someone behaving in such a manner.
“Can you not think of someone who has declared to avenge himself against William? Who would enjoy seeing William suffer?”
“No, I cannot believe he has sunk to such depths.” Lady Anne was shocked. “Anthony does not have access to money, and William’s ruin would do no good to your brother.”
“I am not sure why he would do something so cruel, but it was clear that Anthony was angry at William for not assisting with paying off his debts.” Richard took the cloth from Darcy’s forehead and rewet it, returning it to Darcy’s face.
“I would like to see Miss Elizabeth, meet the young lady who is to be my daughter soon.” Lady Anne said as she stood. “When I return, I will take over tending to William, as I can see you are in need of rest.”
Richard nodded his head in agreement. ~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~
CHAPTER 11 Lady Anne knocked on the door to the Mistress’ bedchamber, and was permitted to enter. Mr Bennet was sitting in the chair, beside the bed, holding his daughter’s hand. Elizabeth was laying on the bed, pale and thin, the bandages and bruises making her appear quite fragile.
“Are you Mr Bennet?” she asked as she
approached the bed. Seeing Mr Bennet nod, Lady Anne continued. “I am Anne Carrington, Lady Covington. I am Fitzwilliam Darcy’s mother.”
“I would say that it is an honor to meet you, but I would wish it were under better circumstances.” Mr Bennet said.
“I am guessing this is Miss Elizabeth, my son’s betrothed?” Again, Lady Anne witnessed Mr Bennet’s nodding. “How is she fairing?”
“She is weak, and I fear that the sedation is keeping her from recovering. But when she is awake, she is distraught at Mr Darcy not being at her side.”
“Mr Bennet, I wish to make a suggestion to you. I know my son well enough to know he needs to know your daughter is alive. From the sounds of it, your daughter needs the same reassurance. I know it is highly improper to make this suggestion, but from the looks of both, it is time for taking a drastic step.”
Mr Bennet frowned as he listened to Lady Anne. “What are you suggesting?” “We should move your daughter into William’s bedchamber. We can either place them on the same bed, though separated by the bedclothes, or another bed can be taken into the room and be placed beside his. I believe their being able to reassure one another will give them the strength to recover from all they have been through.”
Looking down upon his beloved daughter, Mr Bennet knew that she was giving up her will to live, her fear for the man she had come to love was wearing her strength down. Keeping her sedated was causing harm to her as well. “Very well, Lady Anne, I will agree to the plan. Shall we have Lizzy carried into your son immediately?”
“The sooner the better, I believe. Which would you prefer, a second bed or on William’s bed? As you are most likely aware, the bed is large enough for four people to lie side by side.”
Mr Bennet chuckled lightly. “It would be just as improper either way, so we might as well place her beside him.”
Lady Anne stepped over to the door which separated the two bedchambers. “Richard, would you come here, please?”
Richard came quickly to the door, entering the room and looking at Elizabeth. “Has something happened? Is Miss Elizabeth worse?”
“Richard, Mr Bennet and I have discussed the need William and Miss Elizabeth have to know the other is alive. It is my belief that
if they can be together, they will be able to rally their strength and recover. Mr Bennet agreed with my suggestion. Would you be kind enough to carry Miss Elizabeth to your cousin’s bed?”
Shocked by his aunt’s suggestion, but willing to do whatever he could to assist his cousin recover, Richard moved to gently lift his future cousin. She began to stir as she was being moved, and Richard spoke softly to her. “Miss Elizabeth, stay calm. I am taking you to see William. Be still, you will be with him in a moment.”
As she was placed on the bed tenderly, Elizabeth turned towards the fever riddled body of the man she loved. In a quiet voice, barely over a whisper, she began to beg Darcy to stay with her. Her hand reached up to the wet cloth on his forehead, removing it and asked for someone to refresh it. Once ready, Elizabeth took the cloth and gently dabbed it to his fevered brow. “I love you, William. Please fight your way back to me. Do not leave me.”
Though weak, it was plain to see that Elizabeth was calmer than she had been in days. She continued to do what she could for Darcy, all the while allowing others to tend to her as well. When Mr Bennet insisted his daughter take some broth and bread, she did as she was told. Elizabeth knew she needed strength to care for Darcy, and she had no desire to be removed from his side due to her own frailty. And Elizabeth had no desire to be sedated again, so she would behave to the best of her ability.
The entire day and well into the evening, Elizabeth, Richard, Lady Anne, and Mr Bennet did all that they could to bring Darcy’s fever under control. Finally, near midnight, Darcy began to cool. The fever had broken. Darcy began to sleep peacefully, for the first time in a week. Exhaustion finally overtook Elizabeth, and she, too, fell into a natural sleep. Lady Anne remained with her son and future daughter, allowing the others to go to their own rooms to sleep.
Just before dawn, Lady Anne heard her son beginning to stir. “William, stay calm. You would not wish to wake Miss Elizabeth, would you?”
Meet Me at Oakham Mount Page 10