CHAPTER 6 Telling Lady Catherine
They joined the others just as dessert was being served and Bingley, who had not eaten since lunchtime, was happy to be provided with a plate full of food.
“So do you plan on staying, Mr. Bingley?” asked Lady Catherine.
“Yes, if you will have me, My Lady.”
“Yes, certainly, Mr. Bingley. For you would at least contribute to the mealtime conversations as Darcy…” here she looked reproachfully at him, “has been rather unsociable of late.”
“I apologise, Aunt,” said Darcy, “but my mind has been occupied...”
“And what is it that has occupied you?”
“I have been worried about Miss Elizabeth Bennet. You see, she is quite ill.”
“Yes, I heard something about it from Mr. Collins. But I did not know she was so ill. For he told me it was just a slight cold.”
“It is not just a cold,” said Darcy.
Lady Catherine looked suspiciously at him. “And? What business is it of yours?”
“Well they were acquainted back in Hertfordshire,” interposed Richard.
“You might even say they are friends,” added Anne.
“And is that all it is, Darcy?” asked Lady Catherine. “That you are simply friends?”
“Not precisely,” answered Darcy.
“So, what then?”
It was then that Mr. Cullen entered and announced, “Dr. Stephens to see Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy stood up for the second time that night but, instead of leaving without a word of explanation to Lady Catherine, said, “I have invited Dr. Stephens to examine Miss Elizabeth, Aunt.”
“Oh, have you?” asked Lady Catherine, now looking more suspicious.
“Of course, he did,” said Richard, as Darcy pulled out a chair and motioned for the doctor to sit down. “And I do not blame him. He was only being helpful to his…friend…”
“Richard,” said Darcy, stopping him from giving further explanations, “I appreciate what you are trying to do but it is not necessary. He turned to Lady Catherine and continued, “I am in love with Miss Elizabeth and sent for the doctor because I could not rest until I knew she would be well.”
“I knew it!” said Lady Catherine. “I knew you had feelings for her. I could tell by the way you looked at her while she played the pianoforte. You were completely besotted!”
“Yes, yes. I fully admit it, now. But can we please just listen to what the doctor has to say?” begged Darcy.
“But, what about your marriage to Anne?”
“As Anne told you before,” said Darcy with exasperation, “she and I shall never marry, for we do not love each other.”
“But…”
“You may as well give up on the idea, Aunt Catherine,” said Richard, attempting once more to be of assistance, “It shall save you a great deal of grief in the long run.”
“But my sister and I had hoped…”
“No, Aunt,” said Darcy, “my mother may have entertained such a notion when I was very young, but in the end she told me that I should marry for love. You must accept it.”
Lady Catherine stared at him for a while but could not seem to think of anything else to say.
“I believe we have already discussed this subject nauseam,” said Anne, finally speaking then turning towards the doctor. “Will you tell us, sir, how fares Miss Elizabeth?”
“Well,” said he, “her fever is still high and she remains incoherent. But I have given her a sedative which allows for restful sleep. Furthermore, her sister has been useful in applying a eucalyptus paste which I predict will improve her breathing. Thus, for now it is simply a matter of waiting.”
Darcy then informed his aunt of how the doctor and Miss Jane Bennet were both brought to Hunsford by Bingley. Then he addressed the doctor by saying, “So there is nothing more that can be done at present?”
“Not at present…no.”
Darcy slumped down in his seat feeling remarkably helpless.
Before, he’d had a sense of anticipation, that something he had done would somehow help her.
But now that was over and there was nothing left to do but wait.
He wished he could have been alone instead of sitting in Lady Catherine’s dining room, having confessed his love for a woman, and being stared at - and pitied - by everyone.
Yet none of that mattered compared to the complete sense of powerlessness he felt at the thought of Elizabeth’s life slipping away from him.
True, she had turned him down only yesterday and presumably would never see him again.
But this kind of loss - the one he now faced - was absolute.
Darcy resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair, noticing that everyone was staring at him. “Thank you,” he said softly. He then turned back to Lady Catherine and asked, “Will you allow Dr. Stephens to stay here…at least till Miss Elizabeth regains her health?”
Lady Catherine studied Darcy for a few moments before finally responding, “Yes, very well. The doctor may stay.” Darcy noticed that she still looked dazed and somewhat deflated. He felt a little sorry for her.
Eventually, she stood up and, just before completely quitting the room, added, “Please see to it, Anne. I grow weary and wish to retire.”
“Yes, Mother.”