Chapter Seven
“There’s Trent now!” Fitzwilliam said to Darcy as they neared the house. The doctor was striding swiftly down the steps, cramming his hat onto his head.
“Doctor!” they both hurried towards him.
“I beg of you, sirs,” Trent said quickly as they reached him, “you must persuade your aunt to reconsider.”
“Reconsider what?” Darcy blinked.
“She will not grant permission for ice to be taken from the ice-house to succour Miss Bennet. I did my best, but she would not be moved. She is,” enraged and bemused by Lady Catherine’s attitude, he shook his head, frustrated.
“She would not be reasoned with! She demanded that I not even treat Miss Bennet, threatened to dismiss me…”
“She cannot do that, since you are in my employ, not hers,” Darcy snapped, furious. “I shall see to the ice, Doctor, never fear!” He took the steps to the front door three at a time and strode inside.
“Colonel, I beg of you – what is going on?” Trent asked, utterly confused. “Why does Lady Catherine despise Miss Bennet so?”
Fitzwilliam blew out his cheeks. “My cousin Darcy admires Miss Bennet,” he admitted, “very greatly, I believe. Lady Catherine of course intends that he should marry Miss De Bourgh, and obviously she has somehow perceived Darcy’s regard.
” He shook his head. “Darcy is devastated that Miss Bennet has been injured in this grievous way, Doctor.”
“Oh,” assuming from his words that Charlotte must, in her distress, have let slip that Elizabeth had been assaulted, Trent nodded. “Well, of course. In the circumstances. You found her, did you not, Colonel? Can you tell me how, exactly?”
“Of course, anything to help Miss Bennet. I was on my way to the parsonage, from Rosings, taking the path through the beech woods, when I found her. She was lying in the stream, her head fortunately out of the water. From the marks on the bank, I surmised she had slipped in the mud and fallen.”
“Were there any signs of a struggle? Did you see anyone else, on your route?”
Fitzwilliam blinked. “No.”
Trent chewed on his lower lip. The Colonel had just admitted that Darcy admired Miss Bennet. Surely Mr. Darcy could not have – but he had best ask the question. “Did you see Mr. Darcy before you left the house?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam was no fool. He very rapidly added two and two together and made four. He had, after all, seen Miss Bennet’s torn bodice, but had put it down to her fall down the bank. But considering the questions the doctor had just asked…
“My God, man! You’re saying she was attacked?” He retained just enough presence of mind to keep his voice low.
Such shock could not possibly be feigned. Trent nodded slowly. “I’m afraid so. There was bruising, on her, ah, upper body,” he gestured vaguely at his chest. “Mrs. Collins examined her and we do not fear that the worst happened. Still…”
Fitzwilliam was just recalling, with horror, that Darcy had come in soaked from the storm just as he was on his way out. Which meant that Darcy could well have met with Miss Bennet out there somewhere, before Fitzwilliam found her.
Unwillingly, he remembered the look of guilt on Darcy’s face when he said that he did not know how he was to face the elder Miss Bennet upon her arrival. In his concern for Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam had not thought at the time about his meaning. He did so now.
Surely not! Never!
He shook off the unworthy thought. Darcy would never, could never, hurt any woman so, least of all Elizabeth Bennet.
“Dr. Trent, this is most shocking,” he said, “and the culprit must be apprehended. Have you any idea who it might be?”
Trent shook his head. “I fear we will have to wait for Miss Elizabeth to wake, to tell us herself.”
“Well, if I can be of any service to you – I am an investigator with the army, you may be aware. Please, I am at your service.” He spied, from the corner of his eye, Darcy striding back down Rosings’ steps towards them.
“For God’s sake, do not mention this to Darcy,” Fitzwilliam said urgently, keeping his voice low, “have you told Lady Catherine?”
“It is not my business to tell anyone,” Trent said quickly, “though I had been wondering if I should approach the local magistrate. I shall be grateful for your guidance and assistance on the matter, Colonel.”
“You shall have it,” the colonel promised immediately. “I will consult with you tomorrow, hopefully Miss Elizabeth will have awakened and will be able to tell us more.” The two men shared a determined look.
“The matter is resolved, Doctor,” Darcy said imperiously, approaching them.
“The housekeeper is going now to open the ice-house, and the ice will be carried directly to the parsonage. I have also instructed the assistant housekeeper, Mrs. Soward, to go and assist in any way she can while Mrs. Collins is occupied nursing Miss Elizabeth.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” Trent said gratefully, “that is very good of you. Did you, um, ask Lady Catherine?”
“I did not.” Darcy’s mouth tightened. “I will be speaking to her, though, about her ungenerous, indeed unChristian, attitude. Until her family arrive,” he concluded, “it is incumbent upon us as her friends to do all that is within our power to provide ease to Miss Elizabeth.”
“Well said, sir,” Trent said approvingly, certain now that neither man had anything to do with the attack on Elizabeth Bennet. “I must be on my way.”
“Indeed, we shall not delay you,” Darcy said quickly, “but I request that you will keep us informed of any developments, and pray send to us at once if there is any way at all in which we may assist. We shall call to see how Miss Bennet does in the morning.”
The doctor nodded agreeably, shook both their hands, and set off at a brisk pace. Darcy and Fitzwilliam looked at each other for a moment.
“Well, I daresay our departure will be delayed by a few days at least,” Fitzwilliam said finally. “I had best go and tell Hodges to unpack again.”
“Indeed, and I must needs write to Georgiana. I shall not tell her why we are delayed, though; she would be distressed to hear of Miss Elizabeth’s injury.
” Darcy looked away from Fitzwilliam’s quizzical looks.
“I, um, may have made mention of Miss Elizabeth a few times in my letters,” he mumbled sheepishly.
“Georgiana has become quite curious about her.”
“I see,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said, and he did indeed see quite a lot. “Well. And it appears we must confront Lady Catherine and ask what the devil has possessed her to act so uncharitably as to refuse aid to Miss Bennet!”
Darcy shook his head, his face dropping into a frown. “I shall do that, Fitzwilliam, if you will go and ask Hodges and Burnett to unpack again.”
Fitzwilliam shrugged; if Darcy was in enough of a mood to beard the dragon in her den, he was certainly not inclined to argue the point! He headed for the stairs as Darcy stalked towards the parlour.