Chapter 39
A sound startled Elizabeth from her sleep, and she looked about her in confusion. It was morning, and Darcy was already gone; only his scent remained on the pillow.
Her husband’s absence weighed more heavily on her than she expected.
She left her bed reluctantly to attend to her daily duties, first visiting Georgiana to explain to her about Darcy’s journey.
She refrained from providing too many details, except that it was once again related to Mr Wickham’s whereabouts.
Surprisingly, Georgiana showed reasonable composure, and she even agreed to come downstairs for breakfast.
Elizabeth’s second visit was to her stepmother, and she found her three sisters already there.
“Good morning. I am glad to see you looking well, Mama.”
“I am not well but not worse either,” Mrs Bennet replied with a sigh. “But I slept like never before! This bed is so comfortable! I expected no less from a house on Park Lane!”
“I am glad you are rested, Mama. The doctor will come to examine you later. Until then, do you wish to eat something? Just tell the maid, and she will bring it to you.”
“I would love to come down for breakfast! I wonder if someone could help me…”
“Absolutely not!” Elizabeth insisted. “The doctor said you should stay in bed, so nobody in this house will help you leave your room until he allows it. If you need company, I can arrange for the girls to breakfast here with you.”
“I would rather go downstairs, Mama,” Lydia said quickly. “And afterwards, Jane will take us for a walk, so we can see the neighbourhood. And perhaps we might do some more shopping and go to a tea house!”
“Ungrateful child! Go, go and leave me alone! If not for me, you would not even be here!”
Lydia sighed, and her eyes narrowed. “Mama, stop being so dramatic! We are here because of Lizzy, not because of you. In any case, if you have to stay in bed, you must do so alone. I might die if I have to stay here with nothing to do! Would you not agree, Lizzy?”
“I shall allow you to make your own plans.”
“But, Lizzy, could you give me some more money? Mama took all that you gave Jane. She said she will keep it safe for when we return home, so Jane will surely not have enough for all that I want to do today!”
“Lydia! Keep your mouth shut, you silly child!” Mrs Bennet shouted at her, red-faced. Elizabeth glanced at her sternly.
“I shall give Jane some more money. Just enough for today’s shopping. Now, excuse me, I have duties to attend to. Breakfast should be laid out in half an hour.”
Elizabeth left the room, congratulating herself for remaining calm. Behind her, she heard her sisters and stepmother arguing, but she cared far less than she had in the past.
Breakfast was a noisy affair, which Georgiana bore unexpectedly well. She was silent most of the time, in contrast with Lydia and Kitty, who talked unceasingly — and mostly foolishly.
“How fortunate for you that you married so young, Mrs Wickham!” Lydia cried, much to Elizabeth’s consternation.
“Was your husband handsome? There is nothing I want more than to marry a handsome man as soon as possible! If he is an officer with a red coat, then even better! Kitty and I love a man in uniform, and so does Mama! Oh, and he must be rich, too. Not very rich, only rich enough to buy me everything I want! And I hope he will not die so soon!”
Any attempt to change the subject or to silence Lydia was futile, and Elizabeth could only glance at Georgiana apologetically. The young woman had gone quite pale at first, looking shocked and distracted, but gradually her expression settled into something that hinted at amusement.
“Marrying young should not be your goal, Miss Lydia, nor marrying a man in uniform. Instead, marry someone who truly cares for you,” Georgiana replied.
“I could not agree more,” Jane whispered. “I must apologise for my sister, Mrs Wickham. She is young and not always wise in her wishes.”
“Jane, I hope you will marry Mr Bingley soon, or else you will end a spinster!” Lydia continued.
“Lydia!” Jane cried, her face crimson. “Mind your words, or I shall not take you anywhere, not today, not ever!”
As if conjured by their words, a footman announced Mr Bingley, and Elizabeth glared at her sisters, reprimanding them in advance, though she did not hope for much success. Surprisingly, accompanying the gentleman was none other than Mr Thomas Crawford.
Seeing the two men, Georgiana looked about as if tempted to flee from the table, but she remained, averting her eyes and looking utterly terrified.
Both gentlemen bowed politely and greeted the ladies.
“Forgive me for intruding,” Mr Crawford said, “I just met Mr Bingley — or should I say, my neighbour Mr Bingley — and he insisted I should join him in calling on you.”
“It is a pleasure to see you both. Please, sit and join us. May I offer you something?” Elizabeth said.
“Just coffee for me, thank you,” Mr Crawford said, while Mr Bingley was too busy smiling at Jane. “I hear Mr Darcy has left town?”
“Yes, he had some urgent business to attend to. We expect his return in a few days.”
“As I mentioned before, please do not hesitate to ask if I may be of any assistance to you.”
“I offered to accompany Darcy, but he declined,” Mr Bingley added. “Ladies, speaking of company, if you have somewhere to go today, I shall be happy to escort you.”
“We plan to first take a walk around the neighbourhood, then maybe some more shopping,” Jane replied. “Your company would be most welcome, as always.”
“Mrs Darcy, one of the reasons for my visit was to thank you and your husband,” Mr Crawford said softly to Elizabeth.
“Thank us? What for?”
“Last evening, I unexpectedly received an invitation from Lady Matlock for her forthcoming party. I am not sure why her ladyship would grant me such an honour, so I assumed it was due to my connection with you and Darcy.”
“I assure you that I have no knowledge of how the invitation came about. And my husband would have certainly mentioned it to me if it was his doing. If Lady Matlock has invited you, I am very glad, but it was entirely her decision. She is not a lady to act on anyone else’s suggestion or request.”
“Really? How wonderfully strange, then. I am truly honoured and delighted.”
“I can only assume it was her son Colonel Fitzwilliam’s recommendation, but I would not want to presume as I have no knowledge about that either.”
“Why is everybody going to the party but us?” Lydia asked, her voice a whine.
“Not everybody is going to the party, Lydia,” Elizabeth scolded her. “In fact, very few people are going and only those carefully chosen by Lady Matlock. We shall not discuss this further!”
“Mrs Wickham, are you going to the party?” Lydia continued.
“I am not,” Georgiana answered softly.
“I see. Because you are in mourning.”
“I never used to attend such formal parties, Miss Lydia. Firstly, because I do not particularly enjoy them, and secondly, because I was — I am — too young. I was not formally out yet, so how could I attend balls and parties?”
Lydia and Kitty both seemed dumbfounded by her reply, glancing at each other.
“What do you mean ‘not out’? Lydia and I have been attending parties since we were fourteen,” Kitty answered.
“Which is not necessarily something to applaud,” Elizabeth said coldly.
“Miss Darcy was always rather fond of reading and studying, especially music,” Mr Bingley interjected. “She is one of the most accomplished young women I have ever met.”
“That is very kind of you, Mr Bingley, though not entirely deserved. My brother always encouraged me to study, and he provided me with all the means to do so.”
“He might have, but it was to your credit that you pursued your passions,” Elizabeth said with an affectionate gaze. She did not miss Jane’s slight discomfort at Mr Bingley’s praise of Georgiana.
“Please forgive my boldness, Mrs Wickham,” Mr Crawford interjected, “but I had the pleasure of hearing you perform the other day. Even though it was mere practice, your talent and technique were impressive.”
Georgiana thanked him and lowered her eyes again.
“Are you fond of music, Mr Crawford?” Elizabeth asked.
“My mother was, and from what I heard from her, your mother was too, Mrs Darcy. For her sake, I learnt to play a few instruments, but I did not excel in any. However, I have enough knowledge to be able to recognise proficiency and talent in others.”
The simple, brief mention of her mother brought Elizabeth a joy shadowed by sorrow, and she chose not to insist upon that subject.
However, she planned to have a long private conversation with Thomas Crawford, perhaps with her husband present if he wished, and to ask him to tell her everything he knew about her mother.
Soon afterwards, Mr Crawford left, while the Bennet sisters and Mr Bingley followed their plans for the day. Georgiana went to practise the pianoforte, while Elizabeth enjoyed a moment of calm in the silence of the library, losing herself in recollections and reflections.
At noon, Mrs Gardiner and Mr Bennet arrived, and soon after, the doctor.
“Mrs Bennet seems in good health,” the physician informed them after his examination. “She has no fever, and her ankle is no more swollen than yesterday, which confirms my initial suspicion — the fall caused only some bruising.”
“She is well now? We should return to Hertfordshire in a few days,” Mr Bennet insisted. “Will she be able to travel?”
“If my judgment is sound, she should be able to travel by carriage even today. But she says she is still tired and in pain and has some difficulties breathing, so I would like to observe her for two more days. Until then, she must rest that ankle, eat healthily, and continue with the same medicine.”
Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner shared a sceptical look.
“Very well, Doctor, we shall do as you suggest,” Elizabeth reluctantly agreed.
After the doctor had departed, Elizabeth invited her father and aunt into the drawing room for some refreshments.