Bingley chuckled. "You just have to be pleasant and talk with people. They are unlikely to bite. After all, they invited us. They must want us to be there."
The Gouldings welcomed the party from Netherfield with good cheer, just as Bingley said they would. Once he saw them, Darcy recognized the couple from several gatherings he had attended during the earlier visit. Following his own advice, he took his lead from Bingley, smiling and doing his best to be sociable. Once he got started it was not as hard as he had expected. It helped that everyone seemed willing to forgive him for the poor first impression he had made.
Mrs. Goulding took it on herself to introduce Georgiana to many of the younger girls in attendance, including her fourteen-year old daughter, Abigail. The Lucas family arrived soon after their party and Miss Maria quickly joined Georgiana where the younger girls were gathered. They all seemed very happy to be in company together. For his part, Darcy was glad to see his sister smiling and laughing with the others, her nervousness forgotten for the moment. He was certain now that he had finally done the right thing by bringing her along.
Darcy and Bingley were deep in conversation with Mr. Archer and his neighbors, Mr. Hampton and Mr. Perkins, when Sir William wandered over to join them. Before the new conversation had moved beyond general greetings, the Bennet family was announced. They completed the guest list for the evening.
Mr. Bennet and Mr. Goulding joined the men in their corner as the Bennet ladies dispersed through the room. Darcy saw Bingley hold himself back from following Miss Bennet yet, although they locked eyes from across the room and he gave her a slight bow and received a hint of a curtsy in return. Darcy also saw Miss Elizabeth look their way. She did not look as angry as when he last saw her, although he would not say her expression was welcoming either. Subdued might be the best descriptive term.
When they were called in for dinner shortly thereafter, Bingley quickly made his way to Miss Bennet's side, so he could escort her. Darcy would have gone to his sister, but Mr. Archer's son, a young man of seventeen or eighteen, got there first. Mrs. Annesley also had an escort, so Darcy turned to Miss Lucas. She accepted his arm and his company with a smile.
"It is a good thing I am already betrothed, Mr. Darcy," she told him quietly as they went in, "or my mother would be plotting a match between us."
"That would not be such a terrible fate, Miss Lucas, although we both know my interest lies elsewhere."
"As well it should. Her attitude seems to be softening, although I hear it took a long walk in the snow to accomplish that, along with the news that Mr. Bingley refused his sister entry into his house when she unexpectedly arrived this morning."
"The servants have spread the gossip already?" Darcy knew gossip traveled quickly, but he had expected it to take at least a day.
"Mr. Bingley also mentioned it during his visit earlier today. I was there for the tail end of it and heard a little of the story myself. I expect he downplayed the actual events."
"It was quite a sight. I think his sister will never be able to manipulate him again."
"That is good. If he and Jane marry, I would not want to see her made miserable by taking second place to his sister. She would let it happen and not complain, but it would hurt her all the same."
"I believe if she accepts my friend's attentions, she will always be first with him."
Miss Lucas nodded as Darcy handed her into her seat. They had spoken very quietly and had some privacy simply due to the noise from the others around them as they went to the dining room. Now that everyone was seated, any private speech would be impossible.
Through the meal Darcy missed the sound of Miss Elizabeth's voice and witty observations. She remained subdued and silent. He caught her looking at him on occasion, but she looked away as soon as their eyes met. She observed Georgiana as well, but most of her attention was on Bingley and her own sister. Even Darcy could see Miss Bennet's interest in him this time. To Miss Elizabeth it must be glaringly obvious. He hoped Bingley's return affection was just as obvious to her, as well as his disinterest in Georgiana or hers with him.
The final course had been served and eaten and the ladies were just about to withdraw when a servant came in and whispered to Mr. Goulding. He listened and then dismissed the servant with a few instructions before he stood.
"My servant tells me the snowfall has turned into a storm. I have asked to have all your carriages made ready, so you may return home before it becomes much worse. Anyone who does not feel safe leaving is welcome to stay. We will do our best to make you comfortable."
The guests quickly rose from the table to find the nearest windows and take a look at the swirling wall of white outside. As happens with snow, the light scattered in a kind of hazy glow, making it a little brighter outside despite the waning moon. Given the reasonably close proximity of their homes, all the guests decided to make the attempt to return home. As quickly as the carriages were brought around, each family made their farewells and departed followed by wishes for a safe trip home.
The Netherfield party soon found themselves following the Bennet and Lucas carriages through the deepening snow drifts on the road beyond Meryton. As the wind picked up and the snowfall thickened, it became hard to make out anything of the road outside the dim circles of light cast by their carriage lanterns. Fortunately, the hedgerows on either side of the lane kept them from wandering off the road and into the fields beyond. The spot where the road turned off towards Lucas Lodge was barely visible and by the time Darcy's carriage passed it, there was no longer any sign of the Lucas carriage as it headed down their drive towards the Lodge. Darcy's men felt isolated in the whipping of the wind and the cold, wet flakes as the horses plodded along. Suddenly the driver pulled up short at a commotion before him. Wrapping his coat tight around him, Darcy hastily stepped out of his carriage to investigate the problem.
From what could be seen through the storm, a large tree had fallen across a stream, blocking and diverting the waters to pour over the road a little beyond the small stone bridge that normally carried travelers across it. The rushing water and muddy lane had been hidden from the Bennet's driver in the swirling sea of snowflakes and now the carriage was stuck. Calling for Bingley and his footmen to help, Darcy went forward to investigate.
"The wheels are not broken, sir, heaven be praised, nor are the horses injured," the Bennet driver told Darcy. "There is just so much mud and water they cannot get enough purchase to pull the carriage free."
Darcy walked slowly around the carriage, carrying one of the lamps from his own vehicle. After checking the situation fully, he had his men carefully bring his carriage forward with only the driver, Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley on board. They were able to just squeak past the Bennet carriage on the road, but they made it through the muddy spot without trouble. Having them stop a little further beyond, Darcy spoke with Mr. Bennet through the carriage door.
"I think part of the problem is the number of passengers you have on board, Mr. Bennet. Please allow us to take Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Mary and Miss Kitty in my carriage. That will reduce the weight in your carriage and, with some pushing, we can probably get it free. Bingley and I will ride outside on the way to Longbourn, so the ladies are comfortable. You are essentially on our way, so it will be no trouble."
Mr. Bennet agreed without argument. One by one, Darcy and Bingley carried the four Bennet sisters across the water and mud to the Darcy carriage. Bingley took Miss Bennet first, while Darcy offered to carry Miss Elizabeth. She only hesitated a moment before accepting his offer. He carefully took her up to the carriage and then returned for Miss Mary while Bingley carried Miss Kitty. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley set about making the young ladies comfortable, sharing out the travel rugs so they could all be warm.
Once the ladies were safely moved, Darcy and Bingley, along with Darcy's two footmen and the man who the traveled with the Bennets, set about trying to free the now-lighter carriage from the muddy mess. One of Darcy's men had tried to gathe
r some leaves and sticks to give the horses purchase, but the hedgerows did not provide much that was easy to gather. There were not enough small rocks by the stream below the bridge to help much more. It was going to take muscle power.
Mr. Bennet stepped out to join in the effort. The six men arranged themselves around the back of the carriage and set about rocking it to try and loosen it from the grip of the mud. With a great deal of effort, they finally got it moving enough that the horses could start pulling and move to drier ground. Slowly they crossed the muddy patch, with the men still pushing. They got just clear of the displaced stream when Darcy caught his foot in against one the scattered rocks and bits of leaf, lost his footing and went down flat on his face in the churned-up mud. Bingley and one of the other men had to help him before he could get to his feet.
"It is a good thing I was planning to ride outside," he said ruefully, as he wiped the mud from his face with a donated handkerchief.
Once the Bennet carriage was completely free and rolling smoothly, all the men returned to their proper places. Darcy sat on the back of his carriage with the two footmen, while Bingley joined the driver. It was going to be a cold, damp trip even though Longbourn was fairly close to hand.
Darcy felt frozen solid by the time they pulled up at the entrance to the house. By instinct, he still moved to hand the ladies out as the footman opened the door, but in the light from the lamps he noticed his muddy hands and stepped back before anyone could accept his offer of assistance.
"Mr. Darcy!" Jane said as she stepped out with the help of the footman, who was also sopping wet from the snow, but not covered with mud like Darcy. "You will catch your death of cold being out like that. Your party must stay here tonight. I insist."
Mrs. Bennet was just alighting from their carriage and she seconded the offer immediately, with Mr. Bennet agreeing as he caught a look at Darcy and the other dripping wet men. He gave Mrs. Hill, their housekeeper, instructions to find places for Darcy's servants once the horses were tended to and the carriages put away and to make rooms available for their guests from Netherfield. Mrs. Hill took one look at Mr. Darcy and said she had some hot water ready for their guest to take a bath and suggested Mr. Darcy come around to the kitchen by way of the outside door so they could help him get some of the mud off while giving him a chance to warm himself before he went upstairs. Some men might have been offended by her suggestion; on his earlier visit Darcy might have been as well. Now, however, it made perfect sense. Best of all, the kitchen was the warmest room in the house and he desperately needed that warmth. He quickly agreed to her idea.
"I will show him to the kitchen door, while you make the rest of our guests comfortable, Mrs. Hill," Miss Elizabeth surprised him by saying. She gestured to the side of the house. "Please come this way, sir,"
Despite his surprise, Darcy followed her without a word. He wondered briefly if perhaps he had frozen to death and was just dreaming again. After a few seconds of reflection, he decided it made no difference if he was. He would follow Miss Elizabeth anywhere.
They quickly made their way around to the side door, which was opened by one of the kitchen servants who had already been warned by Mrs. Hill. As they stepped inside and closed the door, Miss Elizabeth turned to him.
"Thank you for all your help, Mr. Darcy. We were in a difficult spot. I might have made it to my home on foot, but I do not think all of my family could and we very well might all have become ill as a result of any such attempt. It was both kind and gentlemanly of you."
Darcy thought silence would be his best ally with Miss Elizabeth, so he just bowed in acknowledgment of her words. She smiled slightly at his response and then continued.
"I also owe you an apology. It is long overdue, in fact. I should not have believed the worst of you. I should not have yelled at you or ordered you from our home. Above all, I should not have slapped you. I am sorry for having done all those things. I took offense at our first meeting from a comment that, as Charlotte has pointed out to me, I was never meant to hear. Your words hurt me, and I chose to retaliate with teasing and antagonism. While I think you behaved poorly many times on your first visit, I realize now I behaved very poorly as well. I ask your forgiveness for my petty behavior, my insulting comments, my belief in an unworthy man who chose to slander you and all the other little offenses I have committed against you. I am most sorry."
Darcy took the towels the kitchen maid handed to him and began to wipe off the worst of the mud, looking closely at Miss Elizabeth as he did. She motioned him to move closer to the fire and he felt the prickly feeling of warmth returning to his frozen limbs as did what he could to clean up. Once he had his thoughts in order he glanced over to where she still stood beside him, a look of trepidation on her face.
"I forgive you fully, Miss Elizabeth. As you say, I did behave poorly. I am very sorry for that and sorry for an insult that was never intended. Honestly, I was simply saying whatever I thought might make Bingley stop bothering me and go away. I did not think about what I was saying or that I might be heard. I certainly did not believe what I said. On the contrary, I think you are a lovely woman and I am most sorry that we began our acquaintance with such a foolish comment to come between us. I must also admit, I did not realize you had heard me or were offended. I did not even know you were angry with me until recently. I thought you were teasing me to flirt and that our discussions at Netherfield were debates we both enjoyed, not arguments. My reactions must have been very confusing to you. Can you forgive me for my offenses?"
Miss Elizabeth was looking at him wide-eyed in surprise. The kitchen staff bustled about, warming blankets and drawing buckets of hot water from the huge cauldron by the fire to take upstairs. Darcy continued to clean the mud from his arms as he waited for her thoughts to catch up with her, as she had waited for him.
"You were not staring at me in disgust or to see my flaws?" she finally blurted out.
Darcy laughed. "I was looking at you in admiration. I just could not say anything because every time I tried my tongue seemed to freeze up and words failed me. I am speaking much better now that it is the rest of me that is frozen."
That comment seemed to shake her from her surprise. She turned towards the inside door.
"I think you are clean enough to make it up the stairs as long as you avoid brushing against the walls. Let me show you up to the guest room where I am sure they have your bath almost ready."
She started to walk, and Darcy followed. It felt odd when she held the door open for him and let him pass through before she stepped in front of him again. He was used to opening the door for a lady, not the other way around. She took him up the servant's stairs and down a corridor to a room where a servant with an empty pair of buckets could be seen just leaving.
"In here, Mr. Darcy. Please make sure to warm yourself completely. I should hate for you to become ill."
She held the door for him again. With that same sense of oddness, Darcy stepped into a pleasant, if small, bedchamber. The copper tub with its steaming water drew his eyes immediately. Before she closed the door, Miss Elizabeth had something left to say.
"I forgive you as well. It seems I shall have to rethink everything we have ever said to one another. Perhaps tomorrow morning we can compare notes. Sleep well, Mr. Darcy."
With that, she was gone. Darcy stood, contemplating her words and the well-filled tub for a moment until he heard a knock at the door. A man poked his head in and introduced himself as Mr. Hill. He carried what appeared to be a nightshirt and dressing gown.
"I valet Mr. Bennet in addition to my other duties around the house. Sanders will be here in a moment with the last two buckets of hot water for you and then I can help you get out of those wet and dirty clothes with the least mess, so you can bathe. Mr. Bennet sent some nightclothes for you. They may not be long enough since you are so tall, but they are the best we can do for now."
"Thank you, Mr. Hill," Darcy replied. "I eagerly await those last buckets."
"We will get you all settled, sir. As soon as she can, my wife will send up a warming drink for you. If you are warmed from both the inside and the outside hopefully you will not take ill."
"I am in your hands, Mr. Hill," Darcy said. There was a bump at the door and Mr. Hill opened it to take the last two buckets to be used as rinse water. He sent Sanders away. Darcy looked at the tub again and sighed, but not unhappily. It had been quite an interesting night. He wondered what the morning would bring.
Chapter 13: Recovery
Darcy struggled through dreams in which swirling columns of ash rose from the chimneys of London and blanketed all the world. In a cavernous room lit by a huge, glowing, red fire, Caroline Bingley sat, dressed in an extravagantly decorated gown. She held a doll that Darcy could see represented himself and she shook it back and forth rhythmically as she chanted "Mine. Mine. Mine."
He felt like he was being shaken while being baked in the heat of that fire. Briefly, he was the doll and he looked up in fear at the face of the angry and determined woman. Then, the shaking woke him, and a different face was peering down at him, an older woman. Disoriented, he did not recognize the person or the room.
"Mr. Darcy, wake up now. You were having a nightmare. You have a fever and we must cool you down."
Darcy was cool. Too cool from the swirling, stinging, freezing snowflakes. He shivered and twisted until he realized he felt warm again, too warm. His thoughts, which had been whirling as well, began to settle, drifting down like old leaves just before the snowstorm. He thought he heard voices. He remembered voices. Georgiana's had been angry when she accused him of not telling her anything. Had she noticed he was trying to be more open and let her make decisions for herself? What was she saying now? He knew that was her voice, but he could not make out the words. He remembered Miss Elizabeth's voice, angry and harsh. She was angry about Wickham, angry about Bingley, angry because he had insulted and hurt her. He remembered her voice softer and kinder, making an apology. Was that the dream, or was this? Did he hear her voice now?
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