by Anne Louise
“Perhaps I can get to Netherfield earlier. Even so, please be careful when you go out walking.”
“But I have walked in that area for many years and the worst that has happened is that I have stumbled a couple of times but never broke my ankle or even sprained it.”
“And can you say that you never have stepped in a rut or tripped over a root or stepped in a hole?”
“No, Mr. Darcy, I have not said any of those things. In fact, I am sure I have tripped over a root and stepped in a hole but I have never been hurt by doing so. Usually I wear my half boots and they protect my ankles. Of course, that was not the case in the park in town. I am still pleased that you were able to free my ankle without cutting my half boot.”
“Yes, but I was concerned about the swelling and was uncomfortable seeing you in so much pain. Did you know that Doctor Jones warned me about you?”
“Now you have piqued my interest. What in the world do you mean?”
“It is nothing to fret over. He just said you are a remarkable young woman and that I should be aware of your charms.”
“I do not know any men that I have charmed.”
“You underestimate yourself Miss Bennet. Count me as a man you have charmed.”
“But Mr. Darcy, I have you to thank for your quick decision to carry me on your horse that morning and to summon your doctor to help me. I do not know how I could have done any better without your support and you have been very kind to me and it is much more than I deserve.”
“I cannot agree with what you are saying. I only did what I thought was necessary and it certainly was no inconvenience when my reward was your friendship and to look on your face and see your smile.”
And I hope you will dream about me the way I dream about you. I hope I will be able to dance at the assembly.
After the friends left to return to Darcy House, Elizabeth and Jane again spoke of the two friends and later discussed the visit with their aunt and uncle.
PART III
Following the dinner, Darcy and Bingley visited the sisters each day and Georgiana also visited most days. The sisters did return a week later and went shopping that day with Georgiana. Now that Elizabeth was walking better, she and Darcy often took longer walks. Elizabeth knew she would miss him when she returned home but he had promised to visit his friend at Netherfield and she already was planning what she could wear to the dance.
Darcy and Bingley had shown the sisters much of London and all enjoyed the outings and seeing the sights. Elizabeth was certain that Jane was in love with Mr. Bingley and thought he was in love as well, but she also knew herself to be in danger and her dreams of Darcy were so vivid that she felt as if she was already married to the man.
It was a cool, clear morning when Mr. Gardiner delivered his two eldest nieces to the station to catch the coach that would take them home. Though he and his wife were happy for the visit, it had been late March since the house was free of the Bennet daughters. It was both a sad and a happy time as he waived to his nieces as the coach left. If there were no problems, his nieces should arrive by late morning. Fortunately, the two sisters were the only passengers on this first leg of the trip.
“Lizzy, now you must tell me the truth, are you happy to be leaving?”
“No, I am not happy about leaving, but I think it is about time that both of us return to Longbourn. The thing that I am trying to understand is how the Gardiners have put up with all of us for so long?”
“Jane chuckled softly. I am sorry, Lizzy, but I did speak with our aunt earlier and she confessed that Lydia was the most difficult of us. Indeed, she said that she would not invite Lydia to return anytime soon and described her as too immature and stubborn and said she was useless around the children. Apparently Lydia was constantly whining or complaining about this and that during the whole of her visit.”
“We cannot be surprised by such a report. It was not likely that she would change her behavior.”
“Aunt said that after Lydia left, there was no problem with the others.”
“Yes, that is until I sprained my ankle.”
“Oh no, Lizzy, you just do not understand. She said that seeing Mr. Darcy ride up to the house with you practically sitting on his lap and then watching him carry you inside and place you on the sofa provided her great pleasure. I did ask her about Mr. Darcy but she did not say very much. He certainly appears to be a man of consequence. You can see from his stately home in town that he is probably very rich.”
“I do not know, Jane, but that may be true.”
“But Lizzy, I have never seen a man dressed as meticulously as him. Aunt told me that she and uncle are expecting to hear of good things in the future regarding both gentlemen.”
“I am not surprised that she would feel that way. It must have come as a surprise, just like it was for us, to learn that Mr. Bingley would move to Netherfield. And to learn that he and Mr. Darcy are the best of friends, it is almost too much to comprehend.”
“You know, Lizzy, I believe that both aunt and uncle enjoyed having the Darcys and Mr. Bingley for company these past weeks. The children enjoyed the attention they got but they especially enjoyed visiting with Georgiana.”
“Yes, Jane, aunt told me the very same thing last evening after I completed my packing. They both were impressed with our new friends, but why should they not?”
“Lizzy, of course I cannot predict what the future holds for us at Longbourn, but I believe you and I may have a future with these two gentlemen. I just feel that this is the time for both of us.”
“But Jane, Mr. Darcy has told me that he has never had the time or taken the time to pursue a relationship. Apparently all his estate work has kept him very busy. He did say that the times that he has been out in society he was put off by all the suffering mamas out to marry off their daughters.”
“Oh no, Lizzy, I hope you have not told him about our mother, or have you?”
“Yes, I did tell him about mama. I did not want to hide that from him and I believe he appreciated my honesty. But I also told him that I would never marry because my mother wished me to or in order to improve my situation and that only the deepest love would persuade me to marry.”
“I do not know, Lizzy, you just said that Mr. Darcy is inexperienced with women, so how will you both get along?”
“Jane, I hardly know how to answer that question. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I hope he and I will take this all one day at a time. I do believe Mr. Darcy cares for me and likewise, I believe Mr. Bingley cares for you. Neither of us should rush things, and like we discussed earlier, we must not give mama any idea that we know the gentlemen.”
“Are you worried that Mr. Darcy will see our situation and will not be interested in furthering any attachment?”
“That is always a possibility, Jane. I am certain that some men of great wealth would avoid associating with persons below their station, but neither man has shown that they are so inclined. Look how they played with the children and their actions at Darcy House and how they saw us everyday.”
“But that was different. They have not met all our family.”
“There is a chance that they will be put off after meeting the others, but I do not think so. After all, I have already alerted Mr. Darcy that mama is shopping for husbands for both of us. I have also discussed our family with Mr. Darcy and his sister and both of them look forward to visiting Longbourn. As for Mr. Bingley, you know he has an easy, unaffected manner. Our family will not be a problem. The only concern is that Mr. Bingley may not like living in the country.”
“I had not thought of that, Lizzy, though he told me he wanted to see if he liked country living. He may very well decide that he would rather live in town.”
“But Jane, you will be his closest neighbor and I believe that is enough to endear him to you even more. I would wish the same for Mr. Darcy and myself.”
“Then you must be in love with him?”
“I am not sure, but even now I
miss him and know I will suffer withdrawal until he and his sister arrive at Netherfield. I know that I often try to give the appearance of being in control of my life, but since I met the man my insides and my nerves have been unsettled. The truth is that I want him in my life. It is not for his status and his money that I care about him, but he makes me happy and I just care for him so much.”
“That is enough talk, Lizzy. I see the coach is making good time so I will try and catch a nap before we arrive at the next station.”
Elizabeth was happy to accommodate her sister for she had very little sleep the night before and was soon lulled to sleep by the motion of the coach. All of the things that Jane and her had discussed had weighed heavily on her mind the previous night, but now she let the gentle rocking of the coach and the warm air put her to sleep.
****
Back in town, Darcy had already been up several hours when Colonel Fitzwilliam came down for a late breakfast.
His cousin had arrived the previous evening and the two had commiserated with a few glasses of brandy over the course of the evening. During their talks Colonel Fitzwilliam said his brother had taken a turn for the worse and that his parents were afraid that they were about to lose him and the two men agreed to see him later the next day.
“Good Morning Darcy, you are up early.”
“Yes, cousin, it appears we have a good day, but after all we had to drink last night I didn't sleep well, except for the first few hours. After that I awoke and could not get back to sleep. That has been a problem for me recently and I believe it may well be in my best interest to give up the drinking altogether.”
“It is not so much what you consumed last evening that has affected your sleep but rather a young woman who has just left to return to her family home in Hertfordshire. You did not have half as much to drink as me. Have you any more coffee left?”
“Yes, but there is much more to help you sober up. Cook has put out some raspberry scones and there is apple juice as well.”
“So are we still on to see my brother later?”
“Yes, we are cousin. The last time I saw him was Christmas last year at your parents house and I noticed he had lost some weight.”
“I believe you will hardly know him, Darcy. Father does not believe he will live but for another few days and the doctors have all but given up hope that he will recover.”
“Do you still intend to give up your commission if your brother dies?”
“Yes, Darcy, I see there is no other way ahead but to do that. I have already been meeting with father and have discussed the sad truth that I will be the new viscount. It is all very sad. You know, I have always spoken of being the second son of an earl, but I never wanted this. I would rather have my brother and stay in the army and not see my parents bury their first born.”
“They will grieve but he will no longer suffer. At least you have that to comfort you.”
“You know, Darcy, I was never very close with my brother. Yes, I did try to talk with him on many occasions, but he is nearly seven years older and it often seemed that we had little in common except our parents. When I saw him last week we bonded for the first time in our lives and we both cried. It was the first time that I have cried since I was a child and that includes my years in the army and seeing my friends die in battle or suffering.”
“Have you decided when you will submit your papers to leave the army?”
“My plan is to resign from the army the day after my brother dies. I have already alerted my superiors of the situation and they have been trying to persuade me to stay but I have already made up my mind to leave. You once said that I was married to the army all these years and you are correct. I know it will hard on me, but now is the time.”
“Might you become a general if you remain in the army?”
“That is a possibility, but seeing you and Bingley with the Bennet sisters has convinced me that I need to marry.”
“Then marry, you shall. Have you any women on your short list?”
“No, Darcy, but I will soon be doing the circuit and fending off the fortune hunters. When I get to that point I will seek your council. Perhaps the Bennet sisters know of a young woman that would make me happy?”
“It is possible that they might know someone. I will definitely let you know if that is the case. Who knows, perhaps a young woman will drop into your life much like the Bennet sisters.”
****
The coach arrived in Meryton on time and the sisters looked for the family carriage. Soon they saw as their father approached and pulled up next to them. He greeted them warmly before paying a man to upload their trunks.
“You do not know how happy I am to see you both. Lizzy, you should have been home a month ago and Jane, you should have stayed on until the end of the month. What say you both, did the Gardiners finally get tired of having their nieces take over the house?”
“Yes, Father, Lizzy is responsible for everything. She should never have sprained her ankle.” Jane next chuckled as her sister grinned at their father.
“Then we shall speak of that later. I hope your ankle is healed and you are not having any problems?”
“Yes, Papa, I should be ready to walk some later today, but I will not walk far or fast.”
“Capital idea, you both know about the assembly coming up on the first Saturday in October, do you not? This will be the first chance you have to meet your new neighbor. No person even knows his name but all have learned that he is young and single and handsome and has five-thousand a year. Why would he ever want to come here?”
“But of course, you know why he has come, Father. Did mother not tell you that he is to marry either Lizzy or me?”
“You should be pleased with your mother. At least she may have found you a rich man.”
“It seems that little has changed,” replied Elizabeth.
“Oh, how I have missed you both. Life has been dull with you both away. Between Mary’s constant banging on the pianoforte and Kitty and Lydia’s stupidity, I barely step out of my library. Then again, Lydia and Kitty keep begging to attend the dance, but I will not allow them until they are older. Mary has already told me that she does not want to go and that touched off an argument between Lydia and Kitty wanting to borrow Mary’s rights to the dance.”
“I am not so sure that I want to come home with such commotion about.”
“There, Lizzy, I need you and Jane to bring back normalcy to our home.”
“No, Papa, there is nothing normal at Longbourn. The best we can wish for is controlled chaos.”
Mr. Bennet sighed and shook his head as they neared their home. Minutes later the carriage arrived and the family all came out to greet the new arrivals as servants came out to take the chests upstairs.
“Oh, Jane, and you too, Lizzy, are you both ready for the dance? The new owner of Netherfield will take possession before Michaelmas and he will likely attend.”
“We will be ready, Mama,” replied Elizabeth.
You both must wear your new dresses. All the local girls are competing to see who the new man will favor. Jane, you are our best hope, for you are the handsomest of your sisters, though Lydia is catching up. And you are pretty as well, Lizzy, though you need to control your tongue and not act like you are better than everyone.”
Elizabeth was not surprised by her mother’s cutting comments and could feel the sting of her words and the heat on her cheeks. Immediately she thought of Mr. Darcy and wondered what his reaction would be if he was here. At the first opportunity she came inside and drank some water before going to her room to refresh. As she entered her room she noticed there had been no changes since she had left. That familiarity was welcomed and she looked forward to sleeping in her own bed and took comfort in having her own space.
When she did return below, only Mary asked about her ankle and her mother’s only comment was that she must be ready for the dance. Mary tried to ask her and Jane more about their visit but her mother talked over her and chan
ged the subject. Other than her room, the other constant was her mother’s rude and obnoxious behavior and her personal insults that she directed on her second born and least favourite daughter. Elizabeth was acutely aware of this and coped as best she could over the years. She was certain that her mother was jealous of the time and praise her father directed her way. Elizabeth had always been her father’s favourite and she, more than her sisters, best understood why their father secluded himself in his library for hours at a time. After her mother’s disinterest in anything Elizabeth had to say, she returned to her room.
It did not take long before she was napping. In her dream Elizabeth was back home at Longbourn and walked outside and took a small walk in the gardens. It was a warm day but not humid and she felt a soft breeze kiss her face. She had almost forgotten the sounds of the season and she paused her walk to take in the song birds and the buzzing of bees and other insects whilst listening to nature’s symphony. She imagined she could hear Mr. Darcy speaking to her. As she turned she saw him walking toward her. “Why are you here sir?”