by J Dawn King
The prior evening, Elizabeth and Georgiana had arranged to walk in the garden the next morning before breaking their fast. As much as they both needed a long night’s sleep, they also felt the need for the outdoors. When Georgiana arrived at Elizabeth’s room, it was but a moment before they had donned their outer clothes and left through the front door. The stables were off on the left side of the house and the gardens were on the right. In front of the home was a small man-made lake that was brimming with noisy waterfowl this early in the morning. It was a peaceful, serene setting and both young women relaxed with the sights and sounds. They headed toward the gardens. In November, the garden had few spots of bright color remaining from the summer blooms. It was filled with the autumn hues of burgundy, gold, orange, green, and brown. However, it was the company that was pleasing, not the vegetation.
“Georgina, what were your parents like?” It appeared to be an innocent question but, after the disclosures of this morning, Elizabeth knew the turmoil a child could carry when a parent was unjust or disappointed them greatly. She waited for her friend’s reply.
“I did not know my mother, as she died at my birth. William and my Fitzwilliam relatives tell me that I am much like her, in appearance and character. My Uncle Martin says that my brother, William, has the same strong sense of duty and honor that my father had. Elizabeth, this confuses me because my brother has a very firm sense of morality. I do believe that my father did as well later in his life; that he was just caught up in the frivolity of youth and George was a result of that youthful indiscretion. However, I could never see William forsaking any of his children for any reason. When George was around, my father was not even aware that William and I existed.”
“So, Mr. Darcy has many children that he would never forsake?” Elizabeth teased. Georgiana tucked her arm in Elizabeth’s and giggled along with her older friend.
“Elizabeth,” she suddenly became very serious. “My brother is the best of men. To my knowledge, he has never placed himself in a position to receive the reproach of others. Many, such as Miss Bingley and others like her, seek him out and some have tried to put him in positions where he would feel obligated to marry to protect the Darcy name so that it is not tarnished. He would never want his children to feel about him the way he feels about Father.”
“Then we shall tease about this no more.” They continued to walk in companionable silence. Soon it was time to join the others to break their fast. It was a lively group in the breakfast room. Mr. Bingley’s pleasing personality matched the jovial personality of Lord Matlock and his youngest son. The eldest son, Henry Fitzwilliam, was quieter and more reserved, like his mother, the Countess. However, they too added to the revelry. The good news that Parker had imparted to Lord Matlock about his nephew resting lightened the mood and the conversation reflected this attitude.
After breakfast, while Elizabeth went upstairs to check on Mr. Darcy’s progress and change the dressing on the wound, the others gathered in the drawing room, soon joined by Mr. Bingley’s sisters. Elizabeth returned to a much quieter, subdued gathering. It appeared that the damper was of Miss Bingley’s making. Elizabeth settled next to Georgiana and Lady Matlock on the large sofa at one side of the grand fireplace. Georgiana had a book she was reading and Lady Matlock was inquiring as to its subject.
Mr. Burton stepped into the room and announced a visitor for Miss Elizabeth. All eyes turned to the doorway and Elizabeth’s heart sank into her stomach as her father appeared. “Mr. Bennet,” the butler announced. At this announcement, all eyes turned to Elizabeth.
“Father, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” She politely inquired. Her good manners were to no avail as her father stood in the doorway and pointed at her, color rising in his face, and anger flashing from his eyes.
“What do you say for yourself?” His voice boomed across the room. The gentlemen immediately stood, as if an army called in defense.
“Excuse me, Father, I do not know to what you are referring.” She looked to Mr. Bingley, “If Mr. Bingley does not mind, maybe you and I should remove ourselves to the library to continue this discussion in private, sir.” Mr. Bingley quickly nodded his head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miss Bingley clearly rejoicing in the comeuppance of the woman she saw as her competitor.
Mr. Bennet had not taken his eyes off his daughter. “I will go nowhere. I ask again, what have you to say for yourself? You have ruined, forever, the only chance your sister had for making a respectable marriage. Word has arrived at Longbourn that you are flagrantly spending time in the bed chambers of a single man with whom you have no attachment. Just because you rejected the only man who will likely ever offer for you, my own cousin, Mr. Collins, does not mean you have the right to ruin Jane’s chances. My Jane, because of her beauty and grace deserves to be happy. You, Elizabeth Anne, deserve the streets, which is where you belong.”
Elizabeth was stunned and her pain and embarrassment were deep. Both for the attack and that her father cared not that it was done in such a public forum. If gossip had passed outside Netherfield Park before, it surely would do so now.
Before Elizabeth could speak, Lord Matlock did so. “Sir, I take it that you are father to this delightful child. As such, you should realize that you are grossly misinformed. There has been no impropriety at all and your daughter is a blessing to our family. Thanks to her skill, my nephew is recovering from a horrible wound that could easily have ended his life.”
At this Georgiana started to cry and quickly left the room, running upstairs to her brother. While she was explaining what was happening downstairs, Lord Matlock, his two sons, and Mr. Bingley stood as one against Mr. Bennet.
“Now, that is a wise young girl. She chose to remove herself from your presence, Elizabeth. You are poison to her.” Mr. Bennet made his verbal thrust. “You say Elizabeth treated your nephew with skill and that he is better for it. Well, sir, you should know that her “skill” resulted in the death of my heir and three other girl children. I would not put any trust in her “skill” at all.”
“You, sir, are speaking to the wrong man. It proves to me that you do not know your own daughter.” Lord Matlock was filled with righteous anger toward a man, who by birth, was obligated to care for those under him, including his children. Lord Matlock did not ask Mr. Bennet to leave. In his most authoritative voice, he commanded him to go, but Mr. Bennet was not going to leave until he won his point.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Mr. Darcy was angered beyond anything he had ever felt at hearing that Elizabeth’s father was abusing her downstairs. He called for his robe and climbed out of bed to go assist her. Forgotten was the fact that he had had only broth and water since early the day before. Standing too quickly, he greatly overestimated his strength and collapsed to the floor.
Georgiana screamed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire
Parker, hearing the screams coming from Mr. Darcy’s room, rushed in from his master’s sitting room ready to do battle. When he found his master collapsed on the floor with his sister standing over him, he called Gideon inside to help him lift his master back onto his bed. He, then, called the maid, Sarah, to attend Miss Darcy while he hurried downstairs to the drawing room to get Miss Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy’s wound had broken open with the fall and was bleeding.
The valet had no difficulty finding Elizabeth, as he could hear her trying to calm the angry men. When he entered the drawing room, he could see that the four gentlemen loomed close to the other older man. The two Bingley sisters looked on with glee. Whatever the happenings in the room, his sole focus was to get Miss Elizabeth up to his master’s room as quickly as possible. When he looked again at the young miss, he realized he now had her full attention. He quickly whispered the situation to her and she excused herself, running up the stairs. Parker quickly followed.
Back in the drawing room, Lord Matlock and the others realized that any circumstance that required Elizabeth’s immediate pre
sence was not good. Lord Matlock had had enough.
“Mr. Bennet, it is my nephew lying upstairs, whom I love very much. Your daughter is to be praised, not reproved in such a manner. You, sir, are the one that will be leaving this house.” He approached Mr. Bennet and stood almost toe-to-toe. “I suggest you do it NOW!”
“I see how it is.” Mr. Bennet shook his head in disgust at Lord Matlock. “You men are most to be pitied for the loss you are about to suffer. I hope and pray for a quick end to this situation and that you blame the one who will be responsible – Elizabeth.” With that he turned to the hallway, collected his coat from Mr. Burton, and left for Longbourn.
Silence settled on the room at his exit. After but a moment, Lord Matlock, without a word, left the room and hurried up to his nephew’s room. His two sons and Mr. Bingley followed.
In the drawing room, Miss Bingley could not help but snicker at the damage done to Miss Elizabeth’s reputation with the Fitzwilliam and Darcy family. Lady Matlock heard. The Lady was like the Darcys in nature, quiet and reserved. However, she was not a member of one of the most respected members of society for nothing.
“And, what about this situation do you find so amusing, Miss Bingley?” Until this point, Lady Matlock had chosen to stand back and allow her husband and sons to take charge. However, she recognized that these two women coveted a higher position in society and had determined that the Darcys would help them to attain that position. This was a familiar game to anyone who had reached the first circles of the ton. Though common enough, it was not palatable to Lady Matlock, especially since her niece and nephew were the targets of exploitation.
“Excuse me, Lady Matlock,” said Miss Caroline Bingley quickly, “I merely had something in my throat. I am certain that a cup of tea will be the answer. Would you like me to pour for you too?”
“Miss Bingley, do not underestimate my intelligence or my experience in dealing with women of your caliber. That young woman, whom you seek to demean in my eyes, is now performing a service in behalf of my family that will not soon be forgotten. She has proved her value and her valor in these most fearful times. You both would benefit by imitating her attitude and actions.” With that, she swept out the door and up to her nephew’s room.
The resentment Miss Bingley was feeling for Miss Elizabeth Bennet continued to grow, as did her determination to remove her from Netherfield Park and attach herself permanently to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.
Upstairs, in Mr. Darcy’s bed chamber, Elizabeth again called upon Georgiana to help. It seemed to calm Miss Darcy to have a helpful task to perform. She put a clean cloth over the wound and had her press down and hold the pressure until Elizabeth could mix some more laudanum and powders into some tea. The stitch, which was in the back of his arm, would need replaced and the skin was extremely tender.
She approached Mr. Darcy on his right side and asked Colonel Fitzwilliam and Parker to help him sit so he could drink. After he lay back down, Elizabeth knew she had to wait a bit until the drug took effect. She sat in the chair by the bedside and grasped Mr. Darcy’s hand. “Mr. Darcy, my friend, were you trying to climb on your white steed in your suit of armor and come rescue the fair maiden from the fire-breathing dragon?”
He looked at her face and saw one side of her mouth and one eyebrow lifted in humor.
“Yes, Elizabeth, I imagine that was exactly what my intentions were.” Georgiana chuckled. She could not believe that her stoic brother admitted to such, or that he had called Elizabeth by her first name in front of the family.
“You silly, silly man.” She clasped his hand in both her small hands and squeezed gently. “With all these big, strong men who are crowded in this room already coming to my defense, you willingly endangered your own health to try to see to mine.” How dear he was becoming to her. She realized at that point that her heart belonged to this man. “My father would never use force to hurt me. He prefers to use words as his weapon and he has always prided himself on that particular skill. It is my choice how deep I allow those words to cut me. I will not lie, it pains me to realize how far apart we have grown, but the wounds are not life-threatening. So, please, be at ease, Mr. Darcy.”
Lord Matlock observed the interchange with interest. Miss Elizabeth never took her eyes off his nephew’s face and Darcy did not look away either. Lord Matlock then watched his niece as she obediently applied pressure to the wound. “These are not simpering young women,” he thought. Finally, Miss Elizabeth patted Darcy’s hand and turned to the men.
“Mr. Bingley, would you request the attendance of Mrs. Nicholls and Mr. Burton, please? Colonel Fitzwilliam, would you stand at my right and hold Mr. Darcy’s shoulder? Viscount Stanley, if you would place yourself at my left, I will need you to hold a candle for added light. Georgiana,” she looked up at the girl still holding pressure to her brother’s arm, “wipe his brow while I repair the damage?”
“Yes, I will, Elizabeth.” She was firm and her uncle was impressed by her determination.
“Parker,” Elizabeth continued with the directives. “Open the curtains as wide as you can. We are in need of as much light as possible.” He moved into position, as did the rest of the men.
When the housekeeper and butler presented themselves at the door, Elizabeth requested needed items and they immediately left to obtain the bowls, towels, bandage cloths, Scotch whisky, and hot water. Mr. Bingley had returned with them along with Lady Matlock. Gideon asked them to wash, as he had the others when they arrived but a few minutes earlier, before they entered the room. Mr. Burton and Mrs. Nicholls rushed off to gather the supplies and returned quickly.
“Is there any task that I can perform?” asked Lady Matlock.
“Yes, Lady Matlock. I shall need you to stand behind your two sons with the clean towels and hand them to me as needed. I am certain that you know how to get the both of your sons to move when you need them to?”
The Lady chuckled and told those gathered that she would have no difficulty at all.
“And, what did you have in mind for me?” asked Lord Matlock.
“Please, do not think that I overlooked you in any way, my Lord,” she grinned up at him and chuckled. “Take my place in the chair and hold your nephew’s arm.” He immediately complied. “If everyone would take their places, we shall begin.” All moved except Mr. Bingley. “Mr. Bingley, please hold Mr. Darcy’s legs.” He moved to the foot of the bed.
Elizabeth called to the doorway, “Mr. Burton, did you retrieve Mr. Bingley’s sword?”
The elderly butler responded seriously, “I did, miss. I am at the ready.”
“Good, good.” Looking up at Mr. Burton, she smiled. “I am sure that after this day, if you should be unhappy in your service to Mr. Bingley, Colonel Fitzwilliam may be able to find a place in his regiment for a capable defender such as yourself.” This lightened the somber mood in the room. By then, Mr. Darcy was no longer aware of the activities surrounding him. He was in a drug induced sleep. Elizabeth had given him two more drops than she had before. “Let us begin.”
It did not take long to cleanse the wound again, pull out the old stitch, and replace it with another. Everyone, male and female, took their roles and duties with the utmost seriousness, so the procedure went smoothly. Before long, Elizabeth was wrapping the wound with clean cloths and had the gentlemen turn Mr. Darcy onto his back. “We shall now let him sleep. Georgiana, if you would please remain and continue to apply the cool cloth to his forehead, I am sure your brother would appreciate it. He may be asleep, but it seems to soothe him.”
Georgiana was grateful that she would be able to stay close. The idea of returning to the drawing room was distasteful to her.
Elizabeth caught the attention of the others before they completely exited the room. “Please, if you could pray for Mr. Darcy. It is unfortunate but possible, that infection could set in. He is not as strong as he was when he was first wounded. Please pray.”
Lord Matlock responded, “Consider it done.”
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CHAPTER TWELVE
Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire
Mr. Darcy slept for several hours with Parker, Georgiana, and Elizabeth watching over him the whole time. When he awoke, he was hot and thirsty, but he noted that Elizabeth had fallen asleep in the chair next to his bed and he could not help but look upon her lovely face; so peaceful while at rest. He wondered at his tender affections for her. Their acquaintance had not been long. Elizabeth was so full of life; the perfect complement to his nature. She was not of his station. His position in society and the expectations of his family would not allow him to pursue her as a wife, but his heart was telling him that this was the only woman that he could ever love.
Wife? Love? Where did those thoughts come from? His mind was screaming at him that it is too soon… ah, but his heart…his heart recognized in her that she was the one.
Georgiana, sitting quietly by, working on a piece of embroidery, noticed her brother was awake. She approached the bed and asked if he required anything for his comfort.