Chapter 14
It had been a little more than a week since Jane’s fall.
Her wrist was completely healed, and the swelling in her foot was mostly gone, though it still hurt to put weight on it.
In that time, Mr. Masters had called on her every day.
She barely even noticed anymore that he was in the company of Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy. All her attention was on him.
Sometimes they chatted. Sometimes he read to her. It did not matter to Jane what they did or what they talked of. What mattered was how she felt in his presence. She felt safe and supported. It was unlike anything she had known in her entire life.
Jane easily saw the good in people, but she was not as blind to others’ faults as some would believe.
She was simply more understanding. She knew her father was not particularly attentive, and her mother was not particularly sensible.
She had never felt as though she could rely on either of them for anything other than to meet her physical needs.
Mr. Bingley had been the same. He was rich, so he would have been able to take care of her, but he was flighty.
Even the little time she had known him, she was aware of that fault.
It had made itself known in the way he flitted from one subject to another.
He had admitted to it himself in conversation.
Jane had assumed that with his wealth, he could easily afford to be flighty, to do as he wished when he wished. He didn’t even have land or tenants to tie him down. It had never occurred to her that his flighty nature might affect her directly in any way.
Until it did. When he left her, promising to return then changing his mind, her illusion of him was shattered.
Now, here was Mr. Masters, who was everything Mr. Bingley was not. He was everything her parents were not. He filled a need she hadn’t even known she had, a desire to be safe to be comforted, to be stable.
As he entered the room that morning, she admitted to herself that he was quite handsome as well.
As always, he came toward her directly and sat down next to her. “How are you faring, Miss Bennet?” he asked.
“I believe I am almost mended,” she said. “I was able to walk up the stairs yesterday instead of being carried, though it was not without pain. My wrist is almost completely well. I still struggle to write, but I can do anything else.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he said. It was a simple statement, but Jane knew he meant it. “Is there any news you wished to share or discuss?”
“Our cousin, Mr. Collins, returned to the neighborhood yesterday. When I heard he was coming back, I thought Mama might be distressed as she was during the last few days of his last visit, but since he is staying with his betrothed’s family, Mama does not seem to care one way or the other.”
“Why would your mother be distressed if your cousin comes to visit?” asked Mr. Masters.
“He first came to visit us about a month ago, planning to stay a fortnight,” she said.
“After he had been here ten days, he proposed to Elizabeth.
She, of course, declined. He is not a particularly sensible man, and Elizabeth has little patience with foolishness.
Mr. Collins then immediately turned his attention to Charlotte Lucas.
When he proposed to her two days later, she accepted him.
“When Mama found out that her plans to have one of her daughters marry the heir of Longbourn had fallen apart, she blamed Elizabeth for refusing his offer of marriage. She also claimed that she could no longer stand the sight of him, since he was destined to one day turn her out of her own home. The last few days of his stay here were likely quite uncomfortable for him.”
“And now he is back in the neighborhood?” asked Mr. Masters.
“Yes. He has come to visit Charlotte and to make plans for their wedding,” she said. “I believe Charlotte has named the ninth of January as their wedding day.”
“And do you think he will brave the wrath of your mother and visit while he is nearby?” asked Mr. Masters.
Jane thought she caught a hint of humor in his eyes, but she wasn’t certain.
He always seemed so serious that it was hard to believe him when he seemed to make a joke.
“Mr. Collins is a very honorable man. I believe he would feel it his duty to call on his relations if he is in the neighborhood. However, I cannot say when he will do so.”
“I see,” he said.
“I have been wondering why Colonel Fitzwilliam does not join you and Mr. Darcy when you visit here,” said Jane.
“I have seen him a few times at parties, but he has never come here despite the fact that you and Mr. Darcy come daily. Is there a reason for his absence? Does he fear that we will reject him?”
Mr. Masters looked at her sharply. “Do you wish he would call?” he asked.
“Not particularly, though I certainly wouldn’t mind either,” she said. “I was simply curious. Doesn’t he mind that everyone abandons him for a couple of hours every day?”
“He does not mind in the least. His absence is not due to a lack of respect for your family. Rather it is the reverse. He knows that he would be the odd man out, so to speak. If he joined us, he would likely either take Miss Elizabeth’s attention from Darcy or your attention from me.
Since he does not wish to interfere, he amuses himself while we are all here.
I believe he takes the opportunity to ride around the neighborhood, exploring, something he does not get to experience while living in London. ”
“I am glad he does not feel left out,” said Jane.
After a moment, Mr. Masters said, “Miss Bennet, I would like to ask a more personal question if I may.”
“Of course,” she said. “You may ask anything you like.”
“When I first came into the neighborhood, many people, including yourself, spoke highly of Mr. Bingley, but I have not heard of him much lately. I can understand it from your neighbors. They were not particularly close to the man. I have wondered, however, if you are still suffering from his abandonment.”
Jane felt her cheeks redden after such a personal question, but she was not afraid of answering honestly.
“I admit, I missed him a great deal in the first week after his departure. However, when it became clear that he had no intention of fulfilling his promise of returning, I did my best to forget him.”
She looked down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. She gathered her courage and added, “You have helped a great deal with that.”
She could not look at him to see what his response was, but she was very aware of the fact that he became quite still.
“And how have I helped?” he asked.
Still looking at her lap, she said, “By showing me what it feels like to be in the company of a reliable and steady man, by being everything I admired in him plus so much more. I cannot think how to thank you for all you have done for me, much more than you can possibly ever know.”
Jane waited anxiously for a response, but the wait was longer than she had expected. It reached the point of outright torture before she heard him speak. Even so, when he spoke, it was not to her.
“Mrs. Bennet, I wonder if I might have a private conversation with Miss Bennet?” he asked.
Jane felt her eyes go wide. Her head jerked up, and she stared at him. He could not mean what it sounded like. They had only known each other for two weeks. Perhaps, he simply wished to continue such a personal topic away from listening ears.
“Of course you may,” said Mama. “Jane, do you think you can walk well enough to accompany Mr. Masters to the music room? Or would it be better for you if we all left this room?”
“I can walk that far,” said Jane as she stood. Though she limped a little still, she was mostly steady on her feet.
When they reached the hall, Mr. Masters said quietly in her ear, “Do you wish for me to carry you?”
Again, Jane stared up at him. He wore an expression she had not seen on his face before. It was warm and caring, yes, but it was also very flirtatious with an undercurrent of humor. He knew she could walk, since she had said so twice, yet he still offered to carry her.
For a brief wild moment, she very much wanted to say yes, to feel his arms around her, to put her arms around his neck, to lay her head on his shoulder, and to be surrounded by the scent of him.
He must have seen something of her desire in her expression, for his smile grew a tiny bit. This snapped her out of her reverie. “I can walk, thank you,” she said. “But it would help if I could lean on your arm.”
He held out her arm, and they made their slow way down the hall to the music room. Once there, he helped her sit and pulled up a chair for her foot. She didn’t really need to keep it elevated anymore, but she did not wish to reject his kindness.
Once she was settled, he sat next to her and gently took her hands in his own.
“Miss Bennet, I am not a flighty man, as you well know, so I do not wish you to think that this is the work of a moment, despite the fact that it may appear to be so.
From the moment we first met, I could not truly focus on anyone else whenever you were near, but it is not your beauty which has bewitched me so, or rather not just your beauty.
“The way you speak of your family and friends, the way you behave in company, the way your family and neighbors speak of you, all point to the fact that you have a truly gentle and kind soul, which I assure you is a rare treasure.
I want your kindness in my life at all times, to temper my tendency toward cynicism and to bring comfort and peace to my home.
“I know enough of human nature to realize that a gentle soul such as yours is all the more easily hurt, and I wish to assure you that, should you agree to align your life with mine, I will do all in my power to protect you and keep you happy. Jane Bennet, will you marry me?”
No one except Elizabeth had ever realized how very tender Jane’s heart was, how easily she was hurt by the careless comments of those around her, especially her mother. She wanted to simply agree, but there was one thing she needed to verify first.
“You say that you wish to protect me? Does this protection require that I give up my freedoms?” she asked.
“Oh, heavens no,” he said, seemingly surprised that she would even think such a thing.
“I could not clip the wings of a bird. The only restrictions I would set is that I might hire a companion for you when you need support, and I would wish to send a footman or two with you when you go out. Other than that, you would be free to do as you please. Mostly what I was referring to was that I would do my best to ensure that your heart would never be broken again.”
“In that case, then yes. I would be overjoyed to marry you,” she said with a smile.
Her smile was mirrored in his face. Though it did not improve his looks from an objective standpoint, simply knowing that she had made such joy possible in the man she loved caused Jane to think that his smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“I love you, Jane,” he said. “I have, since the moment I first met you. I cannot explain it, but even before I heard you speak, I knew that there was something special about you. There was something about you that fulfilled a need I never even knew existed.”
“It is the same for me,” she said, “though it took a little longer. You have given me a feeling of stability and security that I have never known, nor did I even know I wished for such a thing. I love you, Mr. Masters, with all my heart.”
“Jonathan,” he said. “My name is Jonathan.”
“Jonathan,” said Jane, testing the feel of it.
At the sound of his name on her tongue, heat flared in his eyes. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.
It was not Jane’s first kiss. In fact, she had allowed Mr. Bingley a kiss when they found a private moment at his ball only three weeks ago. This was so much more. Just as with his personality, Jonathan’s kiss filled a need Jane didn’t even know she had.
She responded with far more feeling than she had ever done before. Her arms went around his neck, and his arms went around her waist, pulling her closer.
When he pulled back, he said in a somewhat husky voice, “I love you, Jane.”
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Jonathan,” she said, and she found that her voice, too, was a little husky.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew there were other things they should be saying, plans they should be making, but none of that seemed important right now.
Jonathan seemed to agree, for, instead of saying something, he kissed her again.