“Hallo!” he called out to her. “Come for your sister?”
She brightened at seeing him, and with a smile hurried over to where he rested leaning on the crutches. “Mr. Darcy! Is there any change since the note was sent this morning?”
He shook his head. “No, but Miss Bennet will be delighted to see you — Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst have attended her for much of the morning, but the affection of a sister is of greater worth than nearly anything to an invalid.”
Elizabeth looked at him warmly. She glanced towards the house, as though to hurry up towards the doors. However she took in a shaky breath and then looked back towards him, and asked in a voice of forced cheer, “You have a sister, do you not?”
“Yes, Georgiana. She is very dear to me. She right now is in Ramsgate with her companion, Mrs. Younge, a respectable woman who was the niece of our steward in my father’s day — but come.” Darcy started walking towards the house. “You did not walk three miles to listen to me rattle on upon my sister, but to see yours.”
“Wait.” Elizabeth held up her hand, and she studied the façade of Netherfield. Her eyes were watery and distant. Darcy thought her lips were trembling. “I am so scared. I do not know why. I do not — the note said there was nothing wrong that rest shall not fix. But I have a terrible presentiment. I can hardly bear to look at the house, as though if I enter I will learn some dreaded thing.”
Darcy wanted to grab her hand and promise her that everything would always be well. He could not. “Have faith in the almighty. Be brave. And also, likely it is nothing but a particularly unpleasant headache and flu. But if it is worse, then you can face it with the certainty that you will be strong under whatever burden you must face.”
“Jane hardly ever gets headaches.” Elizabeth took in a deep breath. She let it out. Another deep breath. “I am ready. I am here to simply keep Jane company while she recovers.”
The conversation had intensified that anxious feeling for Darcy as well. He found he could not pay much attention to the book that he had chosen from Bingley’s slender library. It was a three volume overview of the agriculture of Hertfordshire, and while interesting enough, the words about sheeprot, mold, flies, drainage, mild winters and the spread of enclosures all melded together.
“Eh, Darcy.” Bingley stuck his head into the library. He looked distractedly around and walked to the window. He frowned, glaring at the sun as though it had offended him. Then suddenly Bingley angrily punched his hand against the windowsill. “Let's take a ride. Its dried out enough. I think it’s dried out enough. Oh. Devil take it, I hardly care if I’ll get muddy.”
Darcy grabbed his crutches and stood. “Miss Bennet will be well.”
“Yes, I know. I know. That’s what the apothecary said. But Miss Elizabeth… I just saw her briefly when she went down to the kitchen to order a family recipe for a hot drink for Jane — eh. She isn’t confident. No, she does not think that Jane is well. I can tell from her manner. Jane’s fever is higher. Much too high, Miss Elizabeth said.”
“Jane?” Darcy raised his eyebrow.
“I’m too anxious to pay any attention to that nonsense. Let's just go for the ride.”
“Of course — I have some anxiety myself.”
“You!” Bingley peered at Darcy suspiciously. “Do you think she shall die?”
Darcy shook his head, and said in a reassuring manner, “Nothing of the sort — people do not die from simple headaches.”
“Then why are you worried — do you like Miss Bennet? You looked at her last night a great deal before she took to her bed.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you before, she is a lovely girl, but she smiles too much for my taste.”
“What nonsense.” Bingley laughed, and there was a nervousness to the sound. “But how can you have no interest in her — Miss Bennet is the loveliest creature I have ever seen.”
“Bingley, you need to fear no competition forherfrom me.Icertainly have no designs on Miss Bennet.”
The two of them took a long ride, Darcy led Bingley back along the same road he’d taken out to Oakham Mount. The two of them kept their horses next to each other, mostly still once they’d reached the summit of that peak. Darcy enjoyed the view, though despite the sun, today was much colder than the morning he’d spent here with Elizabeth.
“Miss Elizabeth told me,” Darcy commented after they’d both been there quiet for several minutes, each with their own thoughts, “that the smudge to that direction is the haze from London.”
“Miss Elizabeth? You were up here with her?”
“By chance we met on the road, both intending to enjoy the same view.”
Bingley nodded. “And you can easily see Longbourn, where Jane lives.”
“Jane?” Darcy again asked pointedly. “I think I must counsel you to be more cautious in how you refer to that gentlewoman — especially as she is at present under your roof, and thus under your protection.”
“My protection.” Bingley sighed rather happily. “I think… I cannot stop thinking about her.”
“No?”
“I believe I am in love.”
