Chapter 19 #3
"Marcus, no, please. Today is a day for happiness. Let us not think of anything that might overshadow the wonderful news we have received. There will be time enough for that in the future. For now, I wish only to think of our daughter."
"You are right, my dear. There will be time enough for that," Marcus replied resignedly. Yet he knew that, sooner or later, Thomas Bennet would have to answer for everything.
"If you will allow me, I should like to tell you a little about Lizzy," Mr Gardiner said.
"As you know, Elizabeth and Jane have always been very close to my wife and me.
From a very young age, Lizzy was clever and inquisitive.
Like you, Ella, she has always had a gift for numbers and a great love of learning.
And physically..." He smiled as he looked at Marcus. "She resembles you very much, General."
That remark made both parents laugh. They were still trembling with emotion and excitement.
Mr Gardiner went on to explain that Thomas had always been especially attached to Elizabeth and had developed with her a relationship much the same as that Eleanor had once shared with her own father.
"I do not know what the best way would be to break such news to Elizabeth, but I do know that Thomas will do everything in his power to twist the truth to his own advantage. Protect Lizzy from that man. If he wishes, he is capable of hurting her."
Mr Gardiner also shared many anecdotes from her childhood. He explained that she was forever getting herself into trouble because of her curiosity, yet always managed to emerge from every scrape with charm and good humour.
"Ever since she was a little girl, she has known how to make everyone love her," Mr Gardiner said with a laugh.
"She certainly takes after you, Marcus," Eleanor said happily. "I was always very shy and afraid to speak to strangers."
"I must admit that, when I was a boy, I was very much like my dear little girl," Marcus replied proudly.
After they had spent more than an hour talking about Elizabeth, Mr Gardiner excused himself and left the couple alone to discuss what they ought to do over the next few days.
"I want to see her now, Marcus. I shall bring her back from Kent tomorrow."
Marcus looked at Eleanor with concern. She seemed extremely agitated, and he noticed that she was becoming feverish.
She had once told him that, whenever she found herself under great emotional strain, she developed a fever and needed several days to recover.
The last time it had happened was when she discovered that Marcus was still alive.
"My dear, we are to be married in two days. I think you should rest. I do not want you to become ill and force us to postpone the wedding."
"I understand, but I do not want my little girl to travel alone. I want her to be with us on our wedding day."
Eleanor was trembling and could not stop crying.
"I feel exactly the same, Ella. I do not wish our daughter to travel alone with only her companion and the servants.
I shall fetch her myself, and we shall be back before nightfall.
Besides, it would not be wise for her to see you in such a state.
As we have already discussed, we cannot tell her the truth immediately.
We must both be calm when we tell her our story, so that she understands she was born of our love.
Above all, we must protect her. Society is often cruel to children born out of wedlock. "
"Marcus, what shall we do?" Eleanor asked, almost without strength.
"Do not worry. I shall speak to my brother. He is a powerful man with many influential friends. He will know how to resolve this in the best possible way."
Seeing that Eleanor was growing weaker, Marcus smiled gently.
"Now, Mrs Sinclair, you are going to lie down, and you are not going to worry about anything. I shall take care of everything."
Eleanor felt safe in her future husband's care. As soon as she lay down upon the bed, she fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of a happier life with her little family.
◆◆◆
Mr Darcy had spent much of the night writing a letter explaining to Elizabeth his reasons for advising his friend to keep away from Miss Bennet, as well as the true story behind the scoundrel Wickham's misfortunes.
Yet he had also spent the night consumed by anger for having allowed himself to be carried away by his weakness, and by sorrow at the thought that he had lost his only chance of complete happiness.
At one moment, he felt almost triumphant, telling himself that he would not become part of a family as vulgar as the Bennets.
He even considered marrying Lady Claire or his cousin Anne to prove to Elizabeth that her rejection no longer mattered to him.
The next moment, however, he felt as though he would die of grief and disappointment. The only woman he had ever loved not only did not return his affection, but now despised him and believed him to be unkind, the worst of men.
‘I must forget you, Elizabeth Bennet. I must forget you!’
Once he had finished writing the letter, Mr Darcy threw himself upon the bed and fell asleep in silent tears.
Elizabeth felt somewhat light-headed the following morning and suffered from a severe headache.
She knew that her aunt's carriage would soon arrive to take her back to London.
She longed to see Jane. She needed to tell someone everything that had happened and congratulate her on her forthcoming marriage.
She hoped that, by helping Jane prepare for the wedding, she would no longer dwell upon the events that had caused her such distress.
Knowing that she would spend almost the entire day confined to a carriage, she decided to go for a walk. A stroll in the fresh air would do her good. She had slept very little, but she intended to sleep during the journey so that no one would notice how agitated she was.
"Are you going out, Eliza?" Charlotte asked curiously. "Your aunt's carriage may arrive at any moment. I think you had better remain here. Besides, you look rather pale. Please have some breakfast."
"Yes, Cousin Elizabeth. It would not do to keep the carriage waiting," Mr Collins added nervously. Lady Catherine had instructed him that Elizabeth was to leave that very day, and he was determined to ensure that she returned to London.
"Thank you, Charlotte, but I need a walk. Perhaps I shall eat something later. And do not worry, Mr Collins. My aunt's carriage will wait for me if necessary."
With those words, Elizabeth set out for one last stroll through the beautiful park surrounding Rosings.
Mr Darcy had slept for no more than three hours.
He had asked his valet to bring him coffee and something for breakfast in his room.
He did not wish to see anyone that day, least of all his aunt.
He knew Elizabeth was leaving Hunsford that morning, and he thought she might go out for a walk before setting out on her journey.
He had no desire to go to the parsonage, but he would do so if necessary and find the most discreet way of delivering the letter.
He needed her to read what he had written.
If Elizabeth could not love him, he at least hoped she would not hate him and might come to think better of him.
Elizabeth was walking beside the small lake, watching the pale rays of the morning sun reflected upon its surface, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Miss Bennet, I have been waiting for you. I need to give you this letter."
He handed it to her, and she accepted it without pausing to consider how improper such an exchange might appear.
"I beg you to do me the honour of reading it. Good day, Miss Bennet."
Elizabeth stood motionless for a moment.
The first thing that had struck her was Mr Darcy's appearance.
There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his face bore an expression of profound unhappiness, so unlike the proud and haughty gentleman she had first met at the Meryton assembly many months before.
“Mr Darcy, I cannot help but notice, are you feeling unwell?” asked Elizabeth, whose empathy would not allow her to ignore someone in pain, even someone who had insulted her.