Page 47 of Saved By Mr. Darcy
I am distressed beyond words to hear the news of our sister. I want nothing more than to be with you all in this terrible time. I can only imagine Mamma’s sorrow! Please know that I tried sincerely to travel to you, but I find myself unable to travel in my current state. I lasted scarcely a minute in the carriage before the discomfort grew too great to bear.
I scarcely know what to say. I only hope that you may reply to this. I feel so alone.
Yours, Lizzy
Dearest Lizzy,
I was most alarmed to hear that you attempted the journey to Longbourn; Aunt Gardiner tells me your leg will not nearly be healed by now. You must rest and ensure you take the proper measures for your recovery.
Hill has agreed to smuggle the letters out of the house, hidden – well, I would not like to say where they are hidden! I told her of your sorrow, and she finally agreed that enough was enough.Why she could not make this decision some weeks ago, I do not know!
Tell me of your time at Pemberley. Is Mr Darcy treating you well? What of his sister, Miss Darcy? I have heard much of her accomplishments, but little of the girl herself. I wonder what such a young lady must be like! Is Pemberley all that you imagined it would be? I wish to know everything – and to know that you are content as you recover. I could not bear to think of you being treated poorly. I miss you sorely - I always do when we are apart, but now, I feel like half of me is missing.
With all of my love and sincerest affection,
Jane
Dearest Jane,
I would set your mind at ease. I have been treated very well at Pemberley; Mr Darcy has been the most gracious host, and his sister is charming. She has become a great friend to me. Miss Georgiana Darcy is certainly as accomplished as Miss Bingley claimed. She carries herself with great dignity, but as I have grown to know her she has allowed me to see her true nature – and that nature, I believe, is one of kindness with a mischievous air.
Pemberley itself is without doubt as wonderful as anyone who has ever spoken of it says. Mr Darcy bestowed upon me the most wonderful gift; a wheeled chair that has enabled me to leave the house and also to move around the ground floor with ease. How I wish you were here! Pemberley in summer is a marvel. I have never seen such lush greenery, nor such careful care of the gardens. Every inch of this place is exceptional.
Mr Darcy has left Pemberley on some business that I am not privy to. Miss Darcy has stepped into his shoes quite remarkably, for I have noticed no change to the running of the household or the estate in its Master’s absence.
My health is much improving, though I still tire easily and have flashes of the accident that render me speechless. I have hopes that my leg will be healed in a few weeks, and then I shall begin to walk again. I am determined to explore these grounds as I would before.
How I long to see you.
Yours,
Lizzy
∞∞∞
The summer sun shone brightly in the sky over Pemberley. It had been two weeks since Mr Darcy’s sudden departure. There was still no word of where he had gone – or when he would return. The household had grown used to their master’s absence - for it was not the first time he had left, of course. She had watched as they had deferred to his sister for instruction, but Lizzy could not fathom how Pemberley still stood without his presence.
She would not give into her melancholy, hiding any sadness she may have had from Georgiana. The pair spent their days in happy company. They played duets, and cards, and wrote letters side by side. But still, the empty feeling in Lizzy’s heart remained.
She thought of him each night before she went to sleep. She saw him in her dreams, and her nightmares. She woke wishing that he was there beside her, but found nothing but empty, cool bed sheets beneath her searching palm.
Lizzy spent the majority of her time during the day in the flower garden whilst Georgiana continued her lessons. She felt closest to Mr Darcy -Fitzwilliam,as she secretly thought of him - here. She could not help but recall his deep voice carefully explaining each species of flower, and the conditions they required to grow.
She missed him sorely.
That day, she read a book in her chair alone. It was the most recent account of Pemberley; she had finished all the others. She considered herself to be quite the expert now on the history of the building and the land. The books also held details of the occupants through the years, and she had been greatly interested to learn more about the Darcy family. Only the previous book had mentioned his father, and she had been moved to see that Fitzwilliam (who had only been a boy then) was there too, along with his mother.
She had often wondered about his family. She knew little of Darcy’s childhood; he had been sent away to school, like most men of good standing, and his mother had died when Georgiana was a babe. His father had passed away some years ago, leaving him with the responsibility of a young sister. How much he had had to shoulder!
She closed the book, staring into the distance as she dared to dream of an entry in a future book.Mrs Elizabeth Darcy. Her heart still clung to the hope that Fitzwilliam had not run from her, though as each day passed without word, that hope faded a little more.
The crunching of footsteps on the gravel behind her drew her out of her daydream. Georgiana would have finished her lessons ready for luncheon, and Lizzy turned to greet her.
Georgiana was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Fitzwilliam Darcy stood before her, tall, handsome, and still dressed in his travelling clothes. He was dusty from the road, his black boots covered in fine brown dirt. It was such a detail that proved to her that he was real, for in her imagination there were no flaws to him at all. She grasped the wheels of her chair, turning herself – a skill she had learnt in his absence. His face flickered in surprise.
“Elizabeth,” he said at last. He stepped forward hesitantly, watching her carefully.
“Fitzwilliam,” she said, her voice even but clipped. “You are returned. Where were you?”
