Courtship and Confusion

by Laura Maybrick

  “I was not aware that Mr Darcy was engaged to be married,” Elizabeth smiled finding to her own surprise that it was slightly forced.

  If it were not such a silly notion she would almost assume herself to be a little jealous of that lady. But no, that was ridiculous, was it not? But if she was quite honest with herself, she had enjoyed his company of late. There was a re-assuring calm about the man that set her at ease. Thinking back to when he had stayed in Hertfordshire, she realised that he had always possessed it but back then she had assumed it to be reserve born from contempt. Now she was almost certain that it was more a natural timidness when amongst strangers and nothing more. It would appear that Mr Darcy, too, was shy.

  “As yet he is not engaged,” Colonel Fitzwilliam answered with yet another smile that almost appeared a little amused as if he was poking fun at her, “but I do hope he will be soon. But as it is, one Fitzwilliam Darcy has a knack to stumble over his own words when it matters most. Give him business to deal with any day and he is the most confident of men, but when it comes to the ladies, awkward sums it up best, in my opinion.”

  What was it he had just said? Fitzwilliam Darcy? Mr Darcy's first name was Fitzwilliam? Goodness. - No, that was impossible! It could not possibly be, could it? No, the thought was a preposterous one.

  And thankfully Elizabeth was relieved from pondering any longer over her own silly thoughts by none other than Lady Catherine stepping into the room with her usual aloof expression.

  “As the rain has now all but stopped I deigned it appropriate to call the coach to bring you back home, Miss Bennet,” Lady Catherine stated rather coolly as if Elizabeth was nothing but a nuisance.

  And presumably she was. Perhaps it was all for the better anyway, there were many thoughts and emotions Elizabeth could not make much sense of at the moment and that she longed to think over in solitude. Besides, Charlotte must be worried by now. As yet she had paid little head to what her friends back at the parsonage must think of her long absence but now she became aware of the clock on the mantelpiece and startled. It was well past the Collinses dinner hour. While Lady Catherine ate rather late Charlotte thought it rather beneficial to not eat past seven.

  Chapter 13

  As tired as she was, Elizabeth fell promptly asleep in the carriage. The rhythmic rattle of the chaise had quickly lulled her senses and before she knew it, her head had sunken against the window. When, after the very short journey which took but little more than ten minutes the carriage came to a halt, it apparently took Charlotte several minutes to wake her up and even then, Elizabeth felt so exhausted that she was barely able to stand up.

  “William!” Charlotte shakily cried out for her husband. “William! - Goodness, Eliza, what has happened to you?”

  “Mr Darcy and I got caught in the rain and by the time we reached Rosings we were thoroughly soaked and shivering,” Elizabeth answered without much thinking, her head too drowsy for any kind of diplomatic deception.

  “Goodness! We were so worried, dear. William went out to go and find you, but without success. He has only just returned himself... - William!”

  At long last Mr Collins appeared, in nothing but his breeches and shirt sleeves confirming his wife's words that he had been out himself in this inclement weather and had just changed his clothes.

  “I am so sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. I can assure you that I was well taken care of. Miss de Bourgh saw that I would get a hot bath and offered me one of her gowns. It is quite warm.”

  “And yet you are shivering, cousin,” William Collins stated matter of factly.

  If she had thought to find reproach Elizabeth was mistaken. The relief of having her back safe and sound was obviously enough to quench every negative feeling her friends might have had. At least for the time being.

  “She is indeed,” his Charlotte seconded him.

  “I assure you, I am perfectly fine, just still a bit cold. It was not so much the rain but the icy wind that went with it. Who would have thought that it could be so cold this time of year? Especially seeing that the last few days have been so very mild.”

  Trying to get up from her seat, Elizabeth realised that she had spoken too soon. Her legs gave way and she stumbled and it was only her cousin's quickness that kept her from falling. Without much ado and surprising practicality, Mr Collins picked her up and carried her up the stairs and to her room where he left his wife to attend their obviously sick guest.

  “Eliza, while I very well know that you have a strong constitution, being out in such a downpour with such a cold wind and all soaked through will almost inevitably lead to a fever. Do you remember that one time when my brother fell into the brook in January? Those few paces back home in the freezing cold were enough to send him to bed for two weeks straight,” her friend calmly stated while unbuttoning Elizabeth's dress. “I shall ask the maid to bring you some soup upstairs and heat you a couple of bricks to get you nice and warm but for you it is off to bed and no opposition.”

  To be truthful, Elizabeth was glad to be able to finally lay her head down and sleep, though a soup sounded nice as well. However, it were only a few spoons full she could muster before exhaustion took over and again, Elizabeth fell asleep.

  When she woke up next it was definitely daytime, though the curtains had been drawn and drenched the room in a soothing semi-darkness. Someone was standing by the window. A familiar figure she would have recognised anywhere, though she had hardly expected to see her here of all places.

  “Jane?” Elizabeth whispered.

  Her throat felt parched and it was difficult to voice her words.

  “Thank goodness, Lizzy!” her sister cried out hurrying to her bedside. “I was so worried. So very, very worried. - And not just me. Papa is here, too. Mr Collins thought it to be better to have him here in case the worst happens and Mr Darcy, though suffering from a severe cold himself has called several times each day.”

  Each day? Goodness, for how long had she been passed out?

  “Three days you were in and out of consiousness, if one can even call it that,” was Jane's quiet answer. “Mr Darcy sent his carriage to London the very next day after you fell ill to bring me here as well as his own physician, which was very kind of him. Dr Kendall has returned to town already but will send back some more draughts for you as soon as he gets there. Papa arrived yesterday and has sat with you all night. He is now asleep.”

  Now that was a lot of information to take in. Yet her thoughts were interrupted by the urgent ring of the doorbell. Hesitantly Jane left her to answer the door, but leaving the door to her chamber open should Elizabeth require her. Charlotte, Maria and Mr Collins seemed to be out of the house. Oh, but of course, it was Sunday...

  The sudden and surprised yelp of Jane startled her before with a surprised jolt she sat up when she heard her sister stammer: “Mr Bingley?!”

  “I... - Yes, Miss Bennet. I have been charged by my friend to bring you this from town as soon as I possibly could... - You are not ill, are you? No. No, of course not, you look quite well. Very well. - How are you?”

  “Indeed quite well, thank you, Mr Bingley. Please, do come in. Mr and Mrs Collins are presently at church but will be back any time now. It is my sister who has been taken ill.”

  “Nothing too serious, I hope?” she heard him inquire and then the door close behind him.

  “She has been very ill indeed. I will just go back upstairs for a moment and then take care of some tea. - If you do not mind waiting a moment or two.”

  “Not at all, Miss Bennet.”

  So he had indeed come in. And while the conversation Elizabeth had just overheard did sound a bit awkward, there was every reason to believe that soon enough the two of them would be as they had been before in Hertfordshire.

  Completely flustered Jane stepped back into the room, a small vial in her hand which was clearly shaking.

  “Your medication has arrived,” her sister merely whispered as if not quite knowing what else to say than
stating the obvious.

  “Yes, I gathered as much. And by personal delivery, as it would appear.”

  “Oh, Lizzy, what am I to do? I have longed for so long to see him and now that he is here I do not know what to say to him.”

  Jane looked quite lost, something Elizabeth had come to feel quite a lot, too lately. There was no advice she could give. Everything would have to take its natural course and that was that. Now that the two of them were in the same place one again, it was on them to make it work. To apply force was never a good thing when it came to feelings and love in particular.

  “I am certain you will find something to talk about, Jane. Do not worry,” Elizabeth replied cheerfully.

  Or at least as cheerfully as she could considering her weakened state. And at any rate, right at this moment she heard Mr and Mrs Collins along Maria return from church. The surprise to find a visitor in their parlour evident. Especially such a wholly unexpected one.

  While Maria came up to sit by Elizabeth Jane made her way downstairs again, fairly timid, but it was also obvious that this was where she longed to be. One could hardly fault her for it, could one?

  After taking something to eat and the draught that had been provided for her, Elizabeth went back to sleep, for at the moment there was little else to do and Maria was quite occupied with reading a book from the circulating library.

  Chapter 14

  A cold was never very pleasant, and a cold with his aunt being around was close to unbearable. On one hand Lady Catherine tried to stay away from him for fear of catching it, too, which would have been just as well, on the other she could not help herself in giving as much unnecessary advice as she possibly could.

  “I told you from the start that it was a bad idea going out in the rain, Fitzwilliam,” she just now said for the umpteenth time.

  After ten, Darcy had lost count, not that he had really counted in the first place. And as always he replied that he had not gone out in the rain but had been surprised by it.

  “That is not the point, nephew,” she replied testily, her voice raised even more than normally, seeing that she was sitting some way away from him. “The point is, that you got wet through and are now suffering for it. And what about poor Anne?”

  “What about Anne?” Darcy asked puzzled, reaching for his teacup.

  “What about Anne you ask? Well what if she falls ill. Just look at Miss Bennet, who is a much sturdier creature and she is on the very verge of death!”

  “No, she is not!” Darcy replied forcefully. “Dr Kendall said that while she has quite a fever there is no need to fear the worst after all.”

  Well, it was not that the did not worry. Quite the contrary. He was very much scared for her well-being, frantic at times even and to sit here and talk nonsense did not do much to keep his mind off the fact that something might go wrong after all. There was always the possibility for complications or lasting effects to one's health.

  “As you very well know, Fitzwilliam, there can always be a turn for the worst at the most unexpected of times.”

  This time his aunt sounded sad. Sometimes it was easy to forget that her very own husband had passed from nothing but a cold that had slowly but surely turned into pneumonia. Suddenly the room became too small for Darcy. He needed to get out and inquire how Miss Elizabeth was faring. And as it was, Bingley should be on his way hither as well. It had been but the spur of the moment that had given him the idea to ask none other than his friend to deliver some medication to the parsonage and Bingley being, well, Bingley, he had not been mistaken that almost immediately he would agree to help, sending an express ahead.

  That he had been this quick, however, Darcy had not anticipated for there his friend's horse was tethered at the designated hook next to the entrance door of the parsonage.

  His ring was answered almost immediately by Mr Collins himself.

  “Oh, good morning, Mr Darcy. How are you this morning? Is your aunt quite well? I did not see her in church this morning...”

  “Good morning, Mr Collins. I am quite well, thank you. And so is my aunt. She was just a little concerned that with me being ill that she might have caught cold as well and hence thought it better to stay indoors.”

  “Dear me, how unfortunate! Well, then there is little else for me to do but to go over to Rosings this very moment and cheer her Ladyship up a little,” the rather silly man bowed, though it appeared that of late he had gotten slightly less so.

  Seeing that his wife appeared to be a very sensible woman, perhaps there was still some hope for him to turn into an at least fairly sensible being.

  “She will be delighted,” Darcy replied suppressing a grin.

  Aside from his aunt having been a little tired there was absolutely nothing wrong with her and since the weather had changed quite drastically once again, there was little to be wondered about. The last two days had been almost impossibly warm fro this time of year and everywhere the flowers started to peek their heads out. Tulips blossomed as did daffodils and hyacinths in a colourful display as if shouting out that finally spring was indeed here.

  “Darcy!” Bingley cried out, as soon as he stepped into the parlour.

  With a smile he saw that quite naturally his friend and Miss Bennet sat together while Mrs Collins pretended to be busy writing something while the smile on her own face clearly showed that her observations had been d'accord with his own and that there were two people as much in love as they had ever been.

  “Good morning, Mrs Collins, Miss Bennet - Bingley. You must have left London very early indeed to be here already,” Darcy could not help remarking, knowing full well that this friend was not exactly an early riser.

  “Well, you said it was urgent, so yes, I left as soon as it was light enough outside to ride without the danger of the horse tripping or me hitting a branch along the way,” Charles Bingley shrugged his eyes more than once flickering towards Miss Bennet's angelic face.

  And now that Darcy knew what to look out for, he could see it as clear as day that indeed, Jane Bennet was deeply in love with his friend. How he could ever miss such affection so clearly displayed was a mystery. But one look into her eyes and there it was and as unmistakable as any open declaration of love could be. If not more so, for words often enough meant little to nothing.

  “Very true, one would not want to get unseated and it can happen if one does not know the road very well. And occasionally even if one does,” Darcy remarked dryly before pulling out his handkerchief.

  “You look quite under the weather yourself, my friend,” Bingley grinned.

  “It is nothing but a cold, I assure you and anyway, I am here to inquire after your sister, Miss Bennet. How is Miss Elizabeth?”

  “She finally has regained consciousness and by all appearances is out of danger at last. Mrs Collins was kind enough to offer to write to our mother that all is well again. You must know that my mother was greatly worried when she heard that Lizzy has been taken ill and was in such a shock, as my father has told me, that she had to take to her bed herself.”

  Mr Bennet himself had told him as much already when he had arrived, thanking him for his assistance in bringing his eldest daughter here. But anyway, what really mattered was that Elizabeth was on the mend and awake. That was good news indeed.

  Sitting down on the small table of the back parlour himself, he was promptly provided with another cup of tea. Since his throat was still fairly scratchy tít was a welcome treat.

  “And have you spent your time in Kent pleasantly so far?” Bingley picked up the conversation again.

  “Quite pleasantly. There are always many things for my cousin and me to do, but yes. This country is lovely at this time of year and so it has become quite a tradition. I have made arrangements for you to stay for a day or two. - Or as long as you wish to stay.”

  “Thank you, Darcy. I appreciate your foresight. I had fully intended to return today, but I have to admit, I am a bit fatigued after my early morning ride here and could do
with a day or two of rest,” Bingley blushed.

  There was little guessing needed to figure out that the very reason why he had changed his plans was sitting close by. And as much as he obviously wanted to stay, his visit had apparently exceeded the polite visiting times and consequently it was time to go. When Darcy had finished his cup of tea they were on their way back to his aunt's estate.

  There was but one thing that Darcy could have wished for and that was to see Miss Elizabeth for himself. See how she was faring. But alas, that would have been truly inappropriate.

  Chapter 15

  It was later in the day, after, much to Darcy's surprise, Bingley had indeed taken some rest, when he, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and himself found themselves in the billiard room of Rosings Park a glass of brandy in their hands and conversing about this and that.