Chapter Ten
“Oh, where is Charlotte, Mr. Collins?” Maria’s innocent voice at the door made him jump, and he quickly tucked the pillow behind Elizabeth’s head, making it seem that he was just seeing to her comfort.
“Gone downstairs for a few moments, sister,” he said.
“Oh, I see. I am sure that you have more important things to do than keep Elizabeth company, Mr. Collins, will you not let me sit with her?”
“You have such a fine understanding for one so young, dear sister,” Mr. Collins bowed to her, and swiftly departed.
Maria took the seat by Lizzy and lifted her hand, stroking her fingers gently.
“Dear Lizzy – I do not think it would be quite proper for us to let Mr. Collins sit with you alone,” she murmured. “I dare not say anything to Charlotte but I cannot quite like the way that he looks at you – or me.”
Very young and quite silly, Maria had been badly frightened by Elizabeth’s accident.
Seeing the older girl, who she greatly respected and admired, so still and silent, when Elizabeth was always so vibrantly alive, shocked her beyond measure.
She was weeping a few silent, frightened tears into her handkerchief when Charlotte returned.
“Hush, Maria,” Charlotte’s gentle hand on her shoulder stiffened Maria’s spine.
“It’s all right. Lizzy will be well again soon, pray do not distress yourself so.
” She felt by no means as confident as she made herself sound, but her sister needed the reassurance just then.
“I will sit with her, but please – I am sure that her family will soon descend upon us. Can I trouble you to check over the room that Father used when he was here, and ensure that it is ready to receive guests?”
“Of course!” Glad to be of use, Maria scrambled to her feet. “And my room too, Charlotte, for I am sure that Jane will come; shall I prepare to share it with her?”
“I daresay Jane will wish to stay with Lizzy,” Charlotte said gently, “but we do not know who will come from Longbourn.”
Maria bit her lip. “I hope Kitty and Lydia don’t come,” she said, very quickly, feeling disloyal to her friends. “I cannot think that either of them would be of much use.”
Charlotte looked at her little sister with pride. “Unlike you, dear Maria,” she said tenderly, kissing Maria’s cheek and embracing her. “You have been a very great deal of use.”
That made Maria blush before she scurried out to do Charlotte’s bidding. Charlotte smiled before turning back to Elizabeth, taking the cloth from her brow and wrapping it around the ice she had brought up from the kitchen.
“Dear Lizzy,” she murmured softly. Carefully, she took another cloth, dampened it with a little fresh water and wet her friend’s lips, hoping to get her to drink a little, at least. Disheartened when Elizabeth did not lick at the moisture, she did not give up, but tried again, and again, forgetting about her own tea until it was quite cold.
At last, she was rewarded as Elizabeth let out a slight sigh and licked at the water, her eyes opening briefly.
“Lizzy! Lizzy, can you hear me? ‘Tis Charlotte, oh Lizzy, please speak to me!”
Elizabeth’s eyes opened again, but they were unfocused, unaware of her surroundings. She closed them, not even turning her head to the side, and did not move again despite Charlotte’s urgings.
Dr. Trent, when he returned a little while later, was encouraging nevertheless, and full of praise for Charlotte’s efforts.
“You have done magnificently well, Mrs. Collins. That she is even slightly responsive at this early stage is a wonderful sign, it is quite common for a stupor to ensue for a full twenty-four hours or more after a head wound of this magnitude has been sustained. Well done indeed, madam!”
Delighted at such happy news, Charlotte redoubled her efforts, changing to a healing tea instead of water at Dr. Trent’s recommendation. She was rewarded by Elizabeth opening her eyes again, indeed looking around, though she did not seem to see Charlotte, or the doctor sitting beside her.
“Where am I?” she asked in a slow voice quite unlike her normal tones.
“Lizzy, it is I, Charlotte, I am with you,” Charlotte told her. “Lizzy? Lizzy!” But her friend’s eyes had closed again.
“Hush, Mrs. Collins,” Dr. Trent soothed when tears began to trickle down Charlotte’s cheeks.
“She does very well. Some confusion is inevitable. I hope that by tomorrow, she shall seem quite her old self again, though she must take care to avoid exertion for some time yet.” Gently, he took the wet cloth from Charlotte’s slack fingers and set it aside.
“Please, sit down. You must get some rest and nourishment yourself.” He tested Charlotte’s untouched cup of tea, found it stone cold and shook his head.
“I will have Miss Lucas bring you some more tea, and something to eat.”
“Of – of course,” Charlotte fished her handkerchief from her apron pocket, blotted her eyes. “I do not know how to thank you, Dr. Trent, you have been quite wonderful.”
He shook his head bashfully, cheeks colouring slightly. “I am only doing my job, Mrs. Collins. Time and again I have seen that devoted nursing may effect a cure that the most skilled physicians in the world could not. Miss Bennet improves thanks to your efforts.”
It was Charlotte’s turn to blush, and Trent left the room hastily, castigating himself.
It was most inappropriate for him to be having tender feelings for a married woman!
Even if she was married to a complete poltroon.
He found Mr. Collins downstairs castigating the tearful cook because dinner was not ready to be served at precisely five o’clock.
The assistant housekeeper from Rosings, Mrs. Soward, had finally arrived, but was doing nothing to assist the cook, simply standing by watching the poor woman be browbeaten by her employer.
“Mr. Collins!” Trent interrupted the tirade.
“If I might have a word with you? No doubt your dinner will arrive on the table far more expeditiously if you allow your staff to proceed in preparing it!” He nodded to the cook, who gave him a tearful smile, and gave Mrs. Soward a hard stare.
The woman jumped and hurried away, making herself busy quickly.
“What is it, Dr. Trent?” Mr. Collins said irritably, deprived of a victim for his annoyance.
“In your study, if you would, sir?” Trent gestured politely.
Mr. Collins firmed his lips, but stalked ahead, leaving Trent to enter behind him and close the door.
Trent watched with some distaste as Collins opened a concealed wall panel, withdrew a decanter, and poured himself a hefty glass of brandy.
“Trent?” Collins waved the decanter in his direction.
“Thank you, but no. I wished to discuss Miss Bennet’s care…”
“How soon can she be out of this house?” Mr. Collins interrupted him to demand.
Trent’s eyebrows climbed almost to his hairline. “I have not the pleasure of understanding you, Mr. Collins.”
“Miss Bennet has behaved in a manner quite unbefitting a gentlewoman and I will not have her in this house a moment longer than need be. Lady Catherine insisted that she be gone from under this roof by nightfall,” Mr. Collins paused to look out of the window, at the rapidly darkening sky, and scowled.
“My lady wife declared it to be impossible since Miss Bennet is injured, but I am quite sure that the brazen hussy is not so wounded as all that. So I ask you again, Doctor, how soon can she be removed from my house?”
Utterly shocked, Dr. Trent had to fumble for a seat.
“What is wrong with you, man?” he expostulated, when he finally found his tongue again.
“Miss Bennet is grievously injured; had not Colonel Fitzwilliam found her when he did, she might — probably would — have died! Your attitude, and that of Lady Catherine De Bourgh, towards a poor young lady who is an innocent victim of…” he paused suddenly, realised that Mr. Collins could be no more aware of the true nature of Elizabeth’s injuries than his patroness “… a most terrible accident, whose greatest sin is to be so charming and virtuous that she garners the admiration of all whom she encounters, is frankly disgusting! And you, sir, you call yourself a man of God!” Disgusted, he stood up and moved to the door, turning only to say;
“Were it not a greater risk to move Miss Bennet now than not, I should have her removed to my own house for recuperation!”
“She has bewitched you too!” Mr. Collins shouted, quite beyond reason.
Dr. Trent’s face flushed, and he clenched his fists.
“Not every person thinks only of the most disgusting possible motives, Mr. Collins,” he said coldly.
“I would gladly sleep outside upon the cold ground, in full view of every person who should pass my door, rather than for one moment risk the slightest stain upon a lady’s reputation.
It is a disgrace upon you and upon your profession that apparently you cannot feel the same way.
” The door slammed behind him as he walked out.