Chapter 15 #2
“No, but we appreciate your concern. Miss Bennet, forgive my forwardness, but neither you nor Miss Darcy should be in Darcy’s room much while he is unconscious.
He is a proud man and would not approve of being seen in such a helpless situation and so improperly attired.
I cannot persuade Miss Darcy to see reason, but I hope you will not be equally stubborn. ”
Elizabeth looked at Miss Darcy, then at the doctor.
“I am very sorry to disappoint you, sir. I would do anything you ask to help Mr Darcy’s condition improve, but staying away from this room is not one of them.
I am afraid I will come to enquire after him quite often, and I assure you his attire is the last thing that impresses me.
I look forward to his recovery so he can personally condemn my behaviour. ”
Dr. Cooper was taken aback. “Upon my word, you express your opinion quite decidedly for someone so young. You found him, am I right? I understand you showed remarkable bravery in saving him. You must have a particular interest in his well-being.”
“No bravery at all, I assure you. I just ran back and forth to bring help. My best quality is that I am a good walker and my only interest is in protecting a friend. Mr Darcy showed great courage in saving me, my mother, and sisters from a tragic accident that could have cost our lives only a week ago. It is our turn to show our gratitude.”
“Oh, I see. That explains your family’s anxiety around him.”
“Not quite, Dr. Cooper. We would take care of anyone who suffered an accident near our house, even if that person had not saved us at another time,” Elizabeth replied with half mockery.
Dr. Cooper might have been a brilliant doctor, but his tone was too superior and arrogant for her taste and for her state of distress. To her surprise, he laughed.
“Yes, I imagine as much. Well, I shall tell Darcy that you forced your presence in his chamber against my will.”
Elizabeth’s tone softened from harsh to teasing. “As I said, I eagerly wait to argue with Mr Darcy. It has been our habit since we first met.”
“So it would be my duty to ensure the circumstances to carry on your habit, it appears,” Dr. Cooper concluded with a trace of amusement in his voice. “Now, would you two ladies leave before we undress the patient?”
Elizabeth blushed, glancing at Georgiana.
“Immediately, sir. First, I want to convince all three of you to save your strength, to Mr Darcy’s benefit.
I see no reason to exhaust yourselves all at the same time.
You should take turns so you can rest from time to time and enjoy a proper meal.
I am willing to keep Miss Darcy company while you and Stevens sleep or eat, and then I will make sure she does the same while you take care of him.
Please be wise and accept my suggestion, since I have no intention of accepting your refusal and we may stay here arguing all night. ”
“I do not wish to leave my brother,” Georgiana whispered.
“I fully agree with Miss Bennet,” Dr. Cooper said. “And we should start by you going and resting, Miss Darcy. Just imagine what Darcy would say if he were to wake up now and see you in such a state. He would be rightfully upset with us all.”
“Come Miss Darcy, we should rest until morning, then we will come to sit with Mr Darcy while Dr. Cooper and Stevens find some sleep,” Elizabeth insisted.
“Will you call me if anything changes?” the girl pleaded with Dr. Cooper.
“Of course I will, my dear.”
The girls walked to the door, arm in arm, when suddenly a weak voice broke the silence and made them run back to the bed.
∞∞∞
She was there, he knew she was; he could not mistake her voice, her scent, not even her steps.
He felt her presence, although his eyes would not open enough to see her.
She spoke to someone, but whose voices were those that sounded so familiar to him?
Could it be Georgiana? Were they at Pemberley?
Or else, how could Elizabeth be with his sister?
Or was it only another of his disturbing dreams?
Was she truly there, or had she entered so profoundly into his being that he could sense her even when she was away from him?
“Elizabeth…”
∞∞∞
“William? Can you hear me? Please look at me!” Georgiana begged, taking his hand. “Dr. Cooper, why is he not answering?”
“He is not conscious yet, but he can speak. This is a good sign. He is a strong man. I trust he will recover soon,” the doctor responded.
“But what did he say?” Georgiana asked.
“I believe he said ‘Elizabeth’,” the doctor replied, looking at the lady in question. She felt her cheeks burning, as she had heard the same and was even more puzzled than the others. Why would he call her name, of all people, when he was in such a condition?
“He must remember that I was the one who found him. Or perhaps, he already wishes to scold me for being in his room without his permission,” she finally found the strength to jest. “Come, Miss Darcy, let us leave and allow Dr. Cooper to do what he knows best. We want you to look your best when your brother recovers.”
Hesitantly, Georgiana eventually agreed.
Although she tried to keep her countenance, Elizabeth was increasingly distressed as she led Miss Darcy to her chamber.
Mr Darcy did not say “Miss Bennet,” nor “Miss Elizabeth,” but “Elizabeth”.
Simple and so familiar. Her name sounded so strange and different on his lips, even from the depths of his unconsciousness.
“Miss Darcy, I hope you will feel comfortable here. The rooms are neither as large nor as elegant as those at Netherfield,” Elizabeth said when they entered the chamber.
“It is lovely and just perfect” the girl replied with a faint little smile. “I apologise again for causing you and your family so much trouble.”
“Please do not mention it. We help each other in times of need.”
“I have rarely met a family as generous as yours. I am even sorrier that I distressed Miss Bennet with the move from one house to another.”
“It is not your fault, I assure you,” Elizabeth tried to calm her.
“But perhaps you would have been more comfortable at Netherfield. You would have been better attended to, as there are many servants, and there is Mrs Annesley and especially Mr Bingley. I am sure you would prefer to be closer to him in these difficult circumstances.”
“To Charles? Oh no, I want to be closer to my brother. Please do not believe me to be a spoiled young heiress who only cares to be better attended to. I care about nothing else but my brother’s health. He is the only one who matters to me.”
Tears moistened the girl’s eyes again, and Elizabeth took her to sit on the bed, holding her hands.
“I most certainly do not consider you such. I applaud your loyalty and affection for your brother. I have heard him praise you many times, and now I see he had more reasons than just his brotherly regard.”
“He is the best brother one could hope to have! He has been almost like a father to me. I cannot imagine my life without him,” Georgiana said.
“I envy you a little,” Elizabeth smiled. “Growing up with four sisters, I often wonder how it would be to have a brother.”
“I would love to have a sister, too,” Georgiana replied with a warmth that touched Elizabeth.
“Come now, you must sleep a little. Let me help you with your gown and your hair. I am afraid we do not have a maid for this specific task but being five girls, we help each other,” Elizabeth smiled.
“Miss Bennet?” Georgiana said as Elizabeth removed the pins from her hair.
“Yes?”
“My brother wrote to me about you last week. He said I would like you very much if we met. He was right. But then again, my brother is always right.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks burned from an embarrassing delight as such a statement implied more than she dared consider.
“I thank you, Miss Darcy; you are very kind. I hope that the unfortunate circumstances that brought us together will change for the better soon. As for Mr Darcy, I am not certain if I should be pleased or worried that he wrote to you,” she tried to conceal her nervousness behind her humour.
“Why would you worry?”
“Well, Mr Darcy and I had a rather challenging start to our acquaintance. Our mutual opinion of each other was rather poor. So I wonder what he could write about me.”
Georgiana was genuinely concerned. “My brother would never write unkind things about anyone. And his opinion of you did not sound ill at all.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“But…Miss Bennet, forgive me, why would you think ill of my brother? He is truly the best of men and everyone who knows him appreciates his generous nature and his noble character.”
Elizabeth smiled at such sincerity and devotion.
“We heartily admired Mr Darcy’s character, once we had the chance to discover it. For a while, his true nature was deeply hidden behind his rather distant manners. This can be misleading for those who are barely acquainted with him.”
“Oh…I understand,” Georgiana replied in shy agreement.
“But, Miss Darcy, your brother is truly an exceptional man; now I can testify to that. He saved our lives, jumping on galloping horses, in the middle of a storm. Without him, our carriage would have been crushed, and all of us hurt, if not worse. Did he tell you that?”
Georgiana shook her head. “No. He wrote to me that your family had suffered an accident and you were all trapped in a cottage for a few hours. He mentioned that you were fearless and kept everyone safe and even intended to walk through the storm to bring help.”
Elizabeth stared at her in disbelief. “I did not do such things! I mean, I did, but they meant little compared with what he did. I do not deserve such praise.”
It was Miss Darcy’s turn to force a smile.
“It seems both you and my brother did things that are worthy of mentioning only by others, not by yourselves. Quite a similar disposition you have.”
Elizabeth blushed even more, and her fingers dropped the pins to the floor from distress she hardly dared to admit.
“Well, enough conversation for tonight. You have some water here and some biscuits if you are hungry. My room is the third on the right if you need me. I will leave you to rest.”
“Thank you, Miss Bennet!”
“You are most welcome. I am going now before Jane starts to worry about me.”
“Please apologise to her from me one more time. I hope I did not upset her with my presence.”
“There is no need to apologise, Miss Darcy. My sister is the kindest and most understanding person. She is often kinder to others than to herself.”
“And she is lovely too. Just as Charles described her. I hope they will be very happy together, they are truly a perfect match.”
Elizabeth stopped breathing. She pressed her hand to her chest and stepped back, closer to Georgiana.
“Excuse me?”
The girl turned pale and put her palm over her mouth.
“Oh dear Lord, please forgive me! I did not mean to intrude! I am such a fool! I did not know it was a secret.”
Elizabeth sat down next to her again.
“No, no, please do not worry. It is just…I was not aware that Mr Bingley had told you of such intentions. I thought...”
“He called on me as soon as he arrived in town to inform me about my brother’s delay.
We had a cup of tea while he told me about his business and his desire to return to Netherfield as soon as he could.
He mentioned his admiration for Miss Bennet quite a few times.
Then the following night the tragic news about William came and…
I hope I did not betray his trust. He is such a wonderful friend and almost like a brother to me. ”
With little consideration for propriety, Elizabeth spontaneously embraced Georgiana and took her hands for another moment.
“You did not betray anything, quite the contrary! If you could know how helpful our little talk has been! Please rest a little, then we will go back to watch your brother. Good night.”
“Good night, Miss Bennet,” Georgiana said, surprised and puzzled by the embrace and by Elizabeth’s sudden change of disposition.
She leaned against the pillows, but she had no time to think of anything else, as exhaustion defeated her in moments.
∞∞∞
Once in her room, Elizabeth climbed onto the bed, embracing Jane, who was lost in restless dreams. Happy news was waiting as soon as she should awaken and at least her sister would be as happy as she deserved.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, cuddling the pillow. What about herself? Could she allow herself to think of her own happiness? Could she dare think of him in a way that she had never ventured to think of a man before?
He wrote to his sister about her, and he danced with her alone at the ball, then wished to talk to her privately, then called out for her during his ordeal, when his mind was blurred.
He did not call for his beloved sister, nor his close friend.
Only her. When his thoughts were clouded, he thought of her.
There could be only one reason for such an occurrence.
Could she have miscomprehended the meaning of all this?
Mr Darcy, of all people, held tender feelings for her?
And if so, what did he intend to do about it?
Could he pursue any plans that would involve them both?
Could he intend to bind his future to hers, despite the difference in their situations and his harsh disapproval of her family?
Or was he only betrayed by his fever and suffering, that disclosed intimate feelings he never wished to expose?
Were those feelings real, or was she assuming too much? She had already allowed herself to be deceived by Caroline Bingley’s manipulation. Could she trust her judgement on such a delicate matter?
Elizabeth tried to fall asleep but with little success; she was so tired that her head was hurting. Until dawn, she could still not decide if she felt thrilled by all the extraordinary information she had unexpectedly discovered, or if it had only increased her turmoil.
Either way, she could only think of Darcy, so profoundly and so powerfully that sleep entirely evaded her.