Page 97 of Attempted Compromises
Darcy stepped forward, addressing the housekeeper. “Mrs. Nicholls, please see that my aunt is settled in a guest room under watch. Ensure she receives an appropriate dose to calm her, but nothing excessive.”
“Of course, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Nicholls replied with a slight curtsy.
The housekeeper followed behind the footmen, with Lady Catherine’s protests grew more faint as they moved down the hall. The tension in the room began to dissipate, though an uncomfortable silence lingered, broken only by Mr. Collins’s pained groan as he tried to sit up.
“Stay still, Mr. Collins,” Jane urged, her voice soft and calming as she adjusted a pillow behind him. “You’ve had quite the ordeal.”
“I cannot… believe… I intervened against her ladyship,” he gasped, his hand trembling as it pressed against his side. “But she was about to strike Mrs. Darcy—such a noble creature deserves no less than my utmost protection!”
Elizabeth blinked in surprise, unsure how to respond to the overblown sentiment. Jane, ever the peacemaker, spoke softly. “Mr. Collins, you should rest before your journey. I’ll have Mrs. Hill prepare something to ease your discomfort.”
Mr. Collins nodded, his gratitude evident as he allowed himself to be led out by a maid. With him gone, Jane turned to Elizabeth, her expression a mix of admiration and worry. “Lizzy, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Elizabeth assured her, though her voice trembled slightly. She looked to Darcy, who placed a steadying hand on her back. “But I think I need a moment.”
Jane smiled gently. “Of course. Perhaps some tea?”
Elizabeth nodded, and Jane left the room to see to it. The parlor now contained only Darcy, Elizabeth, and Bingley, who seemed to be caught between concern and disbelief.
“Well,” Bingley said at last, breaking the silence. “That was… something.”
Darcy huffed, running a hand through his hair. “It was madness.”
Elizabeth glanced up at him, her brow furrowed. “Fitzwilliam, what will happen now? Will your uncle intervene?”
Darcy sighed, his hand sliding from his hair to rest lightly on her shoulder. “I will write to him immediately. He’ll ensure she is removed to a place where she can be cared for. Her state is… beyond anything I anticipated.”
Elizabeth nodded, though her heart ached with the weight of it all. “She threatened to take Georgiana and Andrew.”
“She won’t,” Darcy said firmly, his voice steel. “I will not allow it.”
She met his gaze, and for a moment, the storm in her chest eased. Darcy’s resolve, his quiet strength, steadied her in a way she couldn’t yet put into words.
“She’s… unrelenting,” Elizabeth murmured. “I’ve never seen such vitriol.”
Darcy’s hand slid from her arm to her hand, his fingers warm and firm around hers. “You handled her remarkably well. I could not have asked for more composure or strength from anyone, least of all under such an assault.”
Elizabeth looked up at him, her heart aching at the tenderness in his gaze. “I only did what I had to do.”
“You did far more than that,” he said quietly. “You defended not only yourself but also me, Georgiana, and Andrew. You are more than I could have ever hoped for, Elizabeth.”
The words, so simple yet filled with such earnestness, struck a chord deep within her. She gave a shaky smile, gripping his hand tighter. “And you are far more patient than I could have imagined, Fitzwilliam.”
He smiled faintly, his free hand brushing a stray curl from her face. “Patience is one of my few virtues, I fear. But even patience has its limits, as my aunt has now discovered.”
Elizabeth’s laughter, soft and unbidden, broke through the lingering tension. Darcy’s lips quirked into a rare smile, and for a moment, the weight of the evening lifted.
Georgiana crept cautiously back into the room, Mrs. Annesley following a few steps behind. “Is she… gone?” Georgiana asked hesitantly, her wide eyes scanning the room as if Lady Catherine might materialize from the shadows.
Darcy approached her, his voice gentle. “She’s been taken to a room, Georgiana. She won’t harm anyone here. Thank you for coming to fetch me.”
Relief flooded Georgiana’s face, and she sank into a nearby chair. “I never thought I would see her again… not after everything.”
Elizabeth moved to Georgiana’s side, taking her hand gently. “You were brave, Georgiana. Leaving the room was no small act of courage, especially with such a formidable presence.”
Georgiana shook her head. “I wasn’t brave at all. I fled.”
“But you left to get help,” Elizabeth countered. “And then you returned; that is no small thing.”
