Chapter 24 Convalescence
Darcy rang the bell and asked for hot water, then laid out his clothes. He felt the absence of his valet, and if he remained long at Hadden Hall, he would send for him.
When his dinner clothes were arranged, he stood by the window and looked out upon the hills stretching in every direction.
The sight was beautiful, the grass still green from the spring rains.
It was too early for the heather to bloom, yet he remembered riding through it with his two cousins in years past.
His thoughts drifted to London and to Elizabeth.
Had Mrs. Nichols liked her? A woman of quality such as Elizabeth would be valued by his servants, for she would treat them with respect and work in harmony with them. What would she think when she saw his library?
He imagined her seated before the hearth, a book in her hands, her expression bright with curiosity, and his own heart drawn, as it always was, toward her.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock at the door.
“Come in.”
A servant entered. “Mr. Darcy, your bath water, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Darcy gestured toward his evening clothes. “Is there someone who can press these for me?”
“Yes, sir. At once.”
Darcy set himself to shaving while the water was still hot, then bathed in the portable copper tub the servant had drawn out from the dressing room.
When he was finished, he felt restored, and by the time he stood in his banyan, rubbing his hair dry with a towel, his cousin’s valet returned with his dinner clothes pressed and ready.
“Thank you, Miles. I did not mean for my needs to take you away from my cousin.”
“It is no matter, Mr. Darcy. I was able to administer two cups of tea, and then his mother came to attend to him. She released me to assist you with your bath and dress.”
“I am glad to hear my cousin was able to receive so much fluid. My aunt must be heartened.”
“Yes, sir, she is.”
Miles hesitated. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Darcy?”
“No, but thank you. I can dress myself now that my clothes are ready.”
Once Darcy was dressed, he went to check on Richard, who was sound asleep. Then he descended to the drawing room, where the ladies were already assembled.
He settled near the Stanhope sisters. “Lady Abigail, can you tell me about Giles? It appeared to me that he is not generally a violent man.”
“No, sir, he is not. I fear I drove him to such an extremity.”
She sighed.
“He found me crying one day in the park, and I told him that the Earl had asked for my hand in marriage. He was as put out as I was. The Earl was an old man, and he looked older still, from his riotous living. Giles was shocked by the man’s temerity.”
Her voice tightened.
“Giles told me the Earl had boasted of having had my father killed. When this came to his knowledge, he resolved to destroy the monster.
She turned to Mr. Darcy.
“Sir, had I been a man, I would have killed him myself. I would have called him out, and we might have settled it upon the field of honor. But the Earl had no honor. He was a vicious man, and he was determined to have me for my fortune, and because I am my brother’s heir.”
Her eyes filled.
“When I think that he might have marked my brother next, in order to lay hands upon my father’s estate, I tremble.”
Darcy said, “When I first heard that Manvers was pursuing your fortune, I imagined he might have set out to kill my cousin, for Lord Stafford is young, handsome, wealthy, and titled. He is everything Manvers was not.”
Lady Abigail flushed.
“Yes, sir. He is all those things. It never occurred to me that my father’s death was not an accident, nor that Lord Stafford’s injury was not accidental either. Sometimes, I believe that no woman in England can be as naive as I am.”
Lady Anise answered at once. “We were not raised among vicious men, Abby. There is no reason we should suspect anything beyond appearances.”
Lady Abigail turned to Darcy. “Sir, you were with Lord Stafford all afternoon. How does he go on?”
“The surgeon believes that if we can restore enough fluid to his body, he may awaken without lasting injury. It is too early to know, but he moves all his limbs, which is a favorable indication.”
“Oh, I am glad,” Lady Abigail exclaimed. “He is so amiable, and he has such a sharp sense of humor. It would be tragic if that were lost because of this senseless act.”
“Lady Abigail, if the Earl was so despicable, why was he part of the hunting party?”
Lady Harrington replied, “I was outside watching the party prepare to set out when he rode up and declared he had a mind to join the young people. He invited himself, as he always did.”
“My daughters and son were put out, but the others had no understanding of the man’s character, and they welcomed him.”
Her voice tightened. “There was nothing I could say or do to dissuade the Earl. And so it was that your cousin was injured. Giles was stalking Manvers and followed him to Elvaston, and when he had him in his sights, he fired, but he missed. The shot spooked Lord Stafford’s horse, and you know the rest.”
Lady Helen had quietly seated herself next to her nephew, and she heard details of which she had not been privy before.
Soon they were called into dinner, and despite all that had passed, the party shared a tolerably pleasant meal.
Afterward, they listened to the twin sisters play the pianoforte, and when the ladies excused themselves early, citing exhaustion, Darcy did the same.
He knocked upon Richard’s door and entered, drawing near enough to see that his cousin slept. He poured water into Richard’s glass and moved the small table close to the bed, so that he might reach it easily if he woke.
He fed the fire, then went to check on his elder cousin.
His valet sat at the bedside with the toddy lifter in his hand.
“How does he go on, Miles?”
“He has taken three cups of sweet tea, sir.”
“And he is swallowing it?”
“He is, sir.”
“The surgeon left for Bakewell early this afternoon to visit a colleague, but he will return tomorrow morning. He says that his lordship improves now that he is taking more fluids, and he believes he may awaken any day.”
“I am pleased to hear that. Phillip must be doing well indeed if the Surgeon felt at liberty to leave his side. You are a good man, Miles. Phillip is fortunate to have you.”
He excused himself and returned to his own room.
When he entered, the first thing he saw was a letter propped against a floral vase. It was from Georgiana.
He took it up and broke the seal.
As he read, he felt faint, and he sat down at once.
Wickham had broken into the house. He had made it all the way to Georgiana’s bedchamber. Elizabeth had struck him with a fire poker, and Georgiana had broken his arm with a shovel.
Darcy was compelled to read the letter again, then a third time, for his mind could scarcely comprehend what he saw upon the page.
Elizabeth had been a guest in his home for nearly a week, and now she had returned to Hertfordshire to nurse her ailing father.
He remained seated, staring into the fire, striving to make sense of all that had occurred.
And what had she written about Wickham? He scanned the letter again. He was imprisoned in the Marshalsea, thanks to Kendall.
Kendall was a good man, dependable, decisive, and capable of acting without delay.
Darcy rose.
He would find his aunt and tell her he could not remain. He must return to London at once, to comfort his sister and to deal with Wickham.