Chapter 14 #2
Silence fell upon the rest of the party, and Jane’s obvious avoidance of Mr Bingley became even more pronounced.
“Miss Bennet, Mr Bennet, we thank you for your kindness towards Darcy,” Bingley finally addressed Jane.
“We did nothing special, sir,” Jane replied shyly. “If only he would improve soon.”
“Will you return to London to complete your business?” Mr Bennet asked their guest.
“I am not sure yet. It depends on what Dr. Cooper suggests. My main concern is to support Miss Darcy during this difficult situation. I must be near Darcy until he fully recovers.”
“That is truly admirable. I would imagine your business was important. To abandon it for your friend’s comfort is proof of your character, Mr Bingley.”
“Thank you, Mr Bennet, but I deserve no praise, I assure you. Darcy is like part of my family and he would have done the same for me.”
The exchange, which impressed the others, hurt Jane so profoundly that she felt her heart bleeding.
There was no doubt regarding the bond that tied Mr Bingley to the Darcys.
Caroline Bingley had been right, for once.
All her hopes–silly and groundless–vanished, replaced by painful despair.
She was at least content that Mr Bingley had chosen someone better and more worthy than she.
“My brother Gardiner and his family will arrive in a few days, to spend Christmas at Longbourn! I hope you will be here to meet them. My brother has a very successful business and my sister is a truly fashionable lady,” Mrs Bennet explained.
“I would very much like to meet them, but as I said, I am not sure of my plans yet. It all depends on Darcy,” Mr Bingley admitted and Jane was sure she understood his meaning. As soon as Mr Darcy recovered, they would return to town together and likely never return again.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth pushed the door open carefully, inviting Georgiana and the doctor in. Mr Jones, Peter, and Stevens jumped to their feet and Elizabeth began the introductions.
Miss Darcy gasped and, ignoring everyone, hastened to her brother’s bed.
She sat by his side and held his hands. She called his name repeatedly, sobbing and kissing his hands.
The sight was heart-breaking and Elizabeth approached, her own eyes tearful, and gently put her hand on Georgiana’s shoulder.
The girl turned her head to Elizabeth and whispered, “I have nobody in the world but him. He cannot leave me. He always takes care of me. We only have each other. What would I do without him? He cannot leave me…”
There was little to say in such an upsetting circumstance and Elizabeth could not find even a few proper words.
Even if she had, the sudden lump in her throat trapped her in silence.
She wished to assure Georgiana that her brother would be well.
To convince herself that he would be well.
But she did not dare share such delusions with any of them.
“We will take care of him, and give him the best of care,” Elizabeth whispered to the grieving girl.
“Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. My brother wrote to me that you were the bravest lady he had ever met and that you can accomplish anything, if you decide to. I hope that is true,” Miss Darcy murmured back, forcing a smile and stroking Darcy’s hand tenderly.
Elizabeth’s eyes and lips widened in astonishment and she glanced from one sibling to another. Did he write to his sister about her? When? And why would he do that?
With significantly more reason and less sensibility, the men discussed the important aspects regarding the patient.
Upon learning the identity of the doctor, Mr Jones was so impressed and became so nervous that he needed a while to put his thoughts in order.
Trying to provide useful information about Darcy’s state, he repeated countless times that he had read Dr. Cooper's articles in the London medical magazines as regularly as he went to church.
“Miss Darcy, Miss Bennet–I must ask you to leave now, as I need to examine Mr Darcy,” Dr. Cooper demanded.
Reluctantly, Georgiana rose from the bed and Elizabeth took her arm, leading her outside. From the doorway she gazed at her brother desperately, until finally the closed door took him from her sight.
They returned to the animation of the drawing room and were immediately overwhelmed with questions to which neither had any answers.
Bingley helped Georgiana to sit and she chose a place near Mrs Annesley. Elizabeth sat near Jane, wondering at her sister’s increasing apparent distress.
“Miss Darcy, you must eat something. Here, let me prepare a plate for you. And some hot tea–Lizzy, prepare Miss Darcy a cup. Mr Bingley told us you travelled through the night; you should not have done that. It is too dangerous and you should have known that we would take care of your brother,” Mrs Bennet chatted volubly.
“We did not doubt your care, Mrs Bennet. Quite the contrary. I told Miss Darcy that of all the places in the world outside his own family, Darcy could not find better care than here,” Mr Bingley offered.
“Oh, my dear Mr Bingley, you are too generous with your praise. We were lucky that Lizzy found him. My second daughter is a little wild in her customs of wandering around the fields and taking long walks no matter the weather but that proved to be a fortunate practice yesterday, since she discovered Mr Darcy had fallen in the woods. She ran back home to inform us, and then she ran back to keep him company until help arrived with the carriage,” Mrs Bennet continued her tale.
“Mama, please,” Elizabeth tried unsuccessfully to end the long and embarrassing narration.
“But they are all good girls, I assure you, especially Jane, whose beauty and kindness are admired everywhere she goes,” Mrs Bennet spoke further.
“Mama!” Jane interjected in a scolding, desperate voice, while the guests only looked at her and smiled politely.
“What did Dr. Cooper say?” Bingley enquired, with another disappointed glance at Jane, who still refused to look at him.
“Nothing, yet. He is examining Mr Darcy now," Elizabeth replied, while Georgiana took the cup of hot tea with trembling hands and gently refused to eat anything.
“Good. After that, we will write to your family to inform them of the situation,” Bingley turned to Miss Darcy, who agreed silently.
“And to my sisters, since I left in such a hurry that I did not have a chance to speak to them,” Bingley added.
“Oh, I forgot. Mr Bennet, may we send someone with a note to Netherfield to prepare rooms? Or should we go and settle there and return later? It is only three miles away; we will be there in no time,” Bingley looked at Georgiana and Mrs Annesley for approval.
“I am not going anywhere without William,” Georgiana responded harshly. “I will stay with him until he recovers and talks to me.”
She paused, aware of her demanding, improper tone, and looked at Mr and Mrs Bennet. “I beg your forgiveness; I do not intend to be rude. If you would be so kind as to allow me to stay, I only need a chair near his bed. Nothing else. I will not trouble you in any way. But I cannot abandon him.”
She pressed her lips and eyes together, fighting against threatening tears. The hot cup trembled in her hands and Elizabeth took it gently.
“Miss Darcy, you may stay as long as you want,” Mr Bennet answered kindly. “You may have to eat to escape Mrs Bennet’s insistence, but except for that, you may do as you please. We will try to accommodate this situation the best we can.”
“Thank you. Thank you,” Georgiana repeated, wiping her eyes.
“You are most welcome. Mr Bingley, I will send John to Netherfield right away.”
“Thank you, Mr Bennet.”
The waiting was hard and tormenting, and the conversation scarce, as everyone repeatedly glanced towards the door.
Mrs Bennet felt content and proud but slightly overwhelmed at the thought that Miss Georgiana Darcy–Mr Darcy’s sister and the niece of an earl–was in her house and planned to remain there.
The young lady appeared to be shy, but polite and kind, despite her turmoil. She did not speak, nor did she eat anything, but she expressed her gratitude and thanked them for every little gesture.
Mr Bingley was near her all the time, but Mrs Bennet–frightened at the prospect of losing Mr Bingley as a potential suitor for Jane–found nothing to worry about in the gentleman’s behaviour.
He was attentive to her but in a brotherly way.
Furthermore, his repeated glances at Jane and the silly grin on his face every time he looked at her, left little doubt about where his preference lay.
Regarding Jane’s cold manners toward Mr Bingley, Mrs Bennet was intrigued, vexed, and impatient to have a private word with her.
Finally, Dr. Cooper appeared, followed by Mr Jones and Peter. Everyone rose to their feet, surrounding him. He asked for a drink and chose a chair before he began to speak.
“Mr Darcy is still unconscious, and I cannot estimate how long it will take to see any improvement. He has a high fever which I believe is due to a bad cold. He also has a wound on his head and one on his leg, and I suspect he has several broken ribs. I cannot be sure since he did not even react to the pain.”
“So, what should we do?” Georgiana asked, with trembling lips and hands.
“I will treat him the best I can, and you will wait. Patiently,” Dr. Cooper joked tenderly, stroking Georgiana's hair. “He is young and strong, and I trust he is not easily defeated by a fall and a cold. He had worse injuries when he was a young boy.”
Dr. Cooper sounded very much like Mr Bennet, jesting even in such upsetting conditions, and Elizabeth smiled at the revelation. In contrast to Mr Jones’s anxiety, Dr. Cooper showed confidence that put them somehow at ease, despite his discouraging report.
“Can we move him to Netherfield?” Bingley asked.