Chapter 19
Darcy
The next few days were Darcy’s least favourite of his visit to Hertfordshire. The main reason, of course, was that he had no delightful early-morning walks with Elizabeth.
Richard left, as scheduled, and Darcy felt the pang of unease he always felt when his cousin was deployed to a battle zone.
This time, of course, that pang was especially fraught because of the recent history between them.
Darcy hugged his cousin fiercely and demanded in a whisper, “Come back to us. You hear me? Survive this, and return!”
Francis Johnson only made a brief stop at Netherfield, and Darcy was delighted to restore the signet ring to his friend.
“You promised you would try to return this to me,” Johnson said, “but I doubted that even Fitzwilliam Darcy could manage to do so. I cannot imagine what funds you must have used to track down the ring. What do I owe you, friend?”
“Actually, the ring did not get far; it had been carefully hidden at Netherfield. Naturally, I would never expect you to pay back any expenses I incurred, but Bingley and I do request that you keep the incident the deepest secret.”
“Of course. That would always have been the case. But I am very happy to be reunited with the ring, and I thank you, my friend.”
Less happy than the visit from Johnson were visits by doctors to assess Miss Bingley’s condition and needs.
Bingley begged Darcy as well as Hurst to help him deal with the matter of arranging care for Caroline.
Three doctors came, examined Miss Bingley, and gave very different and equally questionable advice.
Darcy learnt the names of two mad-doctors who specialised in the sorts of problems that King George III had, along with the treatments they used.
But the “treatments” given by mad-doctors sounded to Darcy like a different sort of madness.
From what he had seen, leeches that were utilised to bleed patients during treatment of more ordinary illnesses caused more harm than good, and he could not help but feel the same way about the burning and purging recommended for treatment of madness.
Hurst was of the same opinion, and although Bingley was swayed by each expert he spoke to, he was horrified at the tortures described as treatment, and he ended up deciding in concert with his friends’ advice: to treat his sister as usual other than curtailing her ability to move about and denying her access to her money.
If she was confined to a small number of rooms in a house located in a remote area, guarded carefully, and disallowed access to others’ food and drink, Miss Bingley would not be able to steal others’ possessions nor to cause them bodily harm.
The reply arrived from Bingley’s widowed cousin; she was very eager to supervise the household in which Miss Bingley would be restrained.
Darcy helped Bingley make all the arrangements, including the purchase of a suitable house.
The most important task was hiring trustworthy servants.
Every member of the household would have to be discreet, and the footmen and lady’s maid would have to be physically strong as well as loyal to Bingley rather than Caroline.
Of course, the backbone of the security team that would ensure Caroline’s restraint were the two footmen Bingley already knew and trusted.
Not only did Darcy serve his friend as an advisor, but he also continued to act as his scribe. Naturally, such an arrangement would soon be impossible, and Darcy helped Bingley interview and hire a secretary.
Once the trust and other legal and financial arrangements Richard and Darcy had previously helped Bingley order from his London attorneys were delivered to Mr Phillips for signatures, Bingley was able to transport Caroline Bingley to her new home.
It was an emotional time for Mrs Hurst, and Darcy admired her husband’s kind acknowledgement of her complex feelings—relief as well as sorrow—and the physical and emotional support he gave his wife.
Bingley looked…cheery. Darcy did not understand the man, and although he had worked very closely with him recently, he felt more distant emotionally than ever before.
Nevertheless, he wished Bingley well. Once the carriages were out of sight, he went to Mrs Hurst, and holding her hand in both of his, Darcy said, “I sincerely wish your entire family well, and I commend your strength in dealing with things no family should have to face.” Then he took his own carriage to Longbourn, eager to see Elizabeth and fetch his sister back to Netherfield.
During his visit, Darcy was able to talk freely to Elizabeth while on a brisk walk in the gardens and orchard, all the way to Longbourn’s closest tenant farms. He shared with her Johnson’s excitement to recover his ring and Richard’s lack of visible emotion as he said his goodbyes.
He told her everything she wished to know about the security arrangements to keep others safe from Miss Bingley and to keep Miss Bingley safe as well.
And he told her far more than she had ever wished to know about the torturous “treatments” offered by mad-doctors.
As he finally said goodbye to his love, Darcy whispered, “Will I see you tomorrow early?”
“Yes!” she responded. He loved it when she looked so very determined—although, truthfully, he also loved it when she looked vexed, or delighted, or concerned.
“I look forward to tomorrow, then,” he confirmed.
After he kissed her hand and turned towards the carriage in which his sister and her companion waited, Darcy turned back towards Elizabeth and said, “Thank you so much for hosting Georgiana. It was a busy but uncomfortable few days at Netherfield, and it relieved my mind of worry for my sister.”
“You are very welcome, William.”
The next morning Darcy rode Gulltoppr to the meeting spot, his spirits higher than they had been for days. He saw that he would be the first one there, but as he dismounted, Elizabeth came around the corner, her face wreathed with smiles.
“William!”
“Elizabeth! I have missed you so much!”
“Although we said goodbye not more than fourteen hours ago?” She laughed, and it was a melodious and free sound. “As ridiculous as it sounds, after so short an interval, I missed you, too, so very, very much.”
They quickly walked the path to the top, quickly spread the quilt, and showed each other just how much they missed their private visits. After more than an hour of kissing and nibbling (on the foods they had brought, among other things) and loving, Darcy turned to Elizabeth with intensity.
“Do you realise, Lizzy-love,” he said, “that since our courtship began, we had to face a shocking betrayal from a beloved relation of mine, determined obstruction from a beloved relation of yours, and a physical attack of the somnolent kind from an acquaintance? With only a few weeks to go before our wedding, do you suppose we can enjoy some drama-free time? Time to just be?”
“I certainly think we deserve such,” Elizabeth said, squeezing his hand. “I will do everything in my power to make it so.”
The two spent a few minutes eating the rest of the foods they had brought, drinking the cider, and packing away the bottle and napkins. Then they resumed the day’s most important task: reconnecting and recommitting, Darcy to Elizabeth, Lizzy to William.
The End