Page 31 of To Love And To Cherish
“I beg your pardon,” he said quickly, raising his hands. “You did not appear at breakfast, and when Hodgins informed me you had ordered a tray, I feared you were unwell. I meant only to assure myself of your condition. I shall not fail to knock again. Next time, I shall send the maid.”
His gaze landed on the book Elizabeth had dropped, and a flicker of amusement lit his features. “Udolpho, Miss Bennet? Must I fear that my sister’s literary sensibilities are now in peril?”
Elizabeth did not answer at once, choosing instead to pick up the book and place it on the table with exaggerated care before looking up with a serene expression.
“If a woman must suffer inferior schooling, limited freedom, and constant lectures on propriety,” she began, her voice smooth, “then surely she may be granted a few hours of escape into fiction. And if she must endure the endless expectation of refinement, modesty, and marriage without choice, I cannot thinkUdolphothe worst rebellion.”
Darcy raised a brow, his grin deepening. “Ah, so novels are now a subversive act. I shall be cautious of ever crossing a woman witha well-worn volume of Gothic fiction under her arm. Who knows what mischief she might inspire?”
Seeing that she was unlikely to best him and feeling conscious of neglecting Jane, Elizabeth picked up her shawl, preparing to leave the room.
“I must see to my sister,” she said coolly. “She was feverish this morning.”
Darcy gestured toward the volume. “You forget yourUdolpho.”
Elizabeth turned and retrieved the book with deliberate grace. “Thank you. I shall take it with me. Georgiana, you would do well to begin with the first volume. These tales are best enjoyed in order.”
She swept toward the door with her chin held high, only to be stopped once more by Darcy’s voice.
“Miss Bennet, you left your shoes behind.”
She paused. Her slippers, abandoned beneath the chair, lay in plain sight.
Without replying, she stepped out into the corridor in her stockinged feet and closed the door behind her.
Later that morning, Elizabeth was seated in the window embrasure, her slippered feet tucked beneath her, wholly absorbed in the third volume ofThe Mysteries of Udolpho. The morning had been long, and Jane’s fever showed no sign of abating.
A gentle tap at the door startled her, and before she could rise, the door was already opening. Dr. Edgerton stepped quietly into the room, his black bag in hand.
Mr. Darcy was walking down the corridor at that very moment, and upon seeing the physician enter without proper announcement or invitation, he halted, affronted by what he perceived as a breach of decorum. In three long strides, he was beside the open door.
“I did not hear you knock, sir,” Darcy said sharply, his voice low but edged with reproof.
Within the bedchamber, Elizabeth heard the exchange and rose to calm the tension that had arisen between the two men.
“Mr. Darcy,” she said with composed authority, “Dr. Edgerton is our family physician. I summoned him, and I have been awaiting his arrival for some time. Had I known he was already in the house, I would have left the door ajar to spare him the necessity of knocking. As it is, he is most welcome.”
Darcy met her steady gaze, color rising faintly in his cheeks, and gave a brief, stiff bow.
“Of course. I shall not detain you further.”
Without another word, he strode down the corridor.
Elizabeth stepped aside to admit the physician more fully. “Sir, Jane has taken a sudden turn. Her fever has risen alarmingly, and her mind wanders. Could it be rheumatic fever?”
Dr. Edgerton placed his bag on the small side table and approached the bed, his manner brisk but gentle. He took Jane’s wrist, counting her pulse, then examined her throat and asked her a few simple questions, to which she responded with slow, barely coherent murmurs.
After a few moments, he turned to Elizabeth. “I do not believe it is rheumatic fever, Miss Bennet. Her throat is not inflamed, andher heart sounds untroubled. It is more likely an intense head cold exacerbated by fatigue and damp. I have the willow bark infusion you requested. It will reduce her fever and ease the pain behind her eyes.”
Elizabeth exhaled, relieved.
“That is very reassuring. I began to fear the worst.”
Mr. Darcy descended the stairs, his ire cooled. The physician’s competence and Elizabeth’s evident trust in the man led him to believe there was no cause for concern. Finding Bingley already in the front hall, the two gentlemen soon mounted their horses and rode out together to inspect the far paddocks and outbuildings, leaving Elizabeth and Georgiana free to read together in peace.
Chapter 16: Dinner at Netherfield
Elizabeth accepted the tray from Betty, the cheerful maid assigned to care for her and Jane, and placed it upon the table beside the bed.
