“At least it has been four more years.And Georgiana is married,” Colonel Fitzwilliam grunted.He stood and rubbed the small, growing bald patch on the back of his skull.“It would in truth be more Mr.Tillman’s place to defend her honor than ours now.Was he ever told?”
“Georgiana said she spoke to him about it, when he made his proposal.”
“Good, good.Despite my threats Lachglass may release this information.Though I will kill him for that if he does, and you may testify that I said I would at the trial, if it should come to such.”
Darcy rolled his eyes.“You know I would not do that.”
“Eh, I hope my neck doesn’t ever depend onyoudeceiving a jury.”
Darcy wrinkled his nose.“I should have asked Elizabeth to burn the letter, but I did not think that…”
“That my cousin would steal the correspondence of a girl who you had reason to trust and who had no connection to him at that time.It is only a little your fault.Staring backwards does not help anything.You acted reasonably at the time.”
Darcy frowned at his coffee.It was almost empty, and the hazelnut liquid mixed with cream around the bottom of the mug.The friendly, familiar aroma of coffee wafted to his nose.
“Miss Bennet, how does she get on at present?Is she in the house?Was that why you were delayed in joining me, you were busy making love to your guest?Tut, tut.Quite improper.”
Darcy flushed, since in rough details General Fitzwilliam’s supposition was correct.“She was very ill at first.She walked through London from Hyde Park to her uncle’s house at Gracechurch Street, and then finding that the authorities were already present there, she walked back again to my house, all the way,” Darcy spoke proudly, filled with admiration of Elizabeth, “on a swollen foot, in slippers and a thin cotton dress on a half frozen day.”
“Deuced impressive woman.Is she recovered?”
“Partly, she still is weak, but the fever has completely left her the past two days.I was terrified at first.”
“She turned to you,” General Fitzwilliam said firmly.“And I can tell by your manner you are once more infatuated with her — these particulars promise well for your possibility of happiness.”
Darcy was unable to stop himself from flushing again.“I have spoken nothing to her on the matter yet, but I hope her opinion of me is changed.It would be impossible for me to speak to her while she is lost in the world, and entirely dependent upon my support for her safety, succor, and very survival.”
“Good man.Deuced good man.So we must get her out of any chance of the hangman’s noose.For your sake too.”
General Fitzwilliam walked to the window that looked out from the breakfast room.“Damn.Forgot this window looks over the inner courtyard — does Miss Bennet’s room face the street?”
Darcy blinked and shrugged at the quick question.“It does.”
“Might I call upon your visitor with you?”
Chapter Six
When Becky told Elizabeth that Mr.Darcy’s cousin, General Fitzwilliam, wished to pay his respects to her with the master of the house, and that both gentlemen desired to know if she would be amenable to such callers in her present state, Elizabeth smiled and happily struggled to stand up.She stretched out her arms, though she wavered a bit dizzily.
“Even if I am quite the invalid yet, I will be dressed properly to greet such an august creature —a general.I confess, I made acquaintance with him when he was a merecolonel.”
Elizabeth’s body felt considerably improved from the previous day, and when she restlessly sat on her bed, desperately tired of inactivity, she could imagine that she was almost healthy.In fact Elizabeth barely stood long enough for Becky to throw the beautiful but girlish and conservatively cut dress that Becky had modified for her from one of Miss Darcy’s “old” castoffs that had not yet been handed to the servants to make with as they would.
Elizabeth half collapsed into the bed, while she let the maid button up the back of the dress, and her corset was tied in very loosely.She’d look quite frumpy, but she suspected Mr.Darcy rather liked it when she looked that way.And she was becoming quite certain that she liked it when Mr.Darcy liked the way that she looked.
She closed her eyes while sitting on the bed, feeling Becky’s hands quickly and nimbly work on her buttons.
Despite having felt full of energy and desperate to stand when she had been in bed a few minutes before, she found herself almost drifting off.She had never been so sick as she had been the past week.Hopefully she would soon be much better.
“There, ma’am,” Becky said patting Elizabeth’s hair fully into place.“In the chair I imagine?”
Elizabeth shook herself into wakefulness.“You do understand me.”She grinned.“No reason to play the invalid more than I must.”
The maid moved the armchair that Darcy liked to sit in next to the fire and helped Elizabeth to stand.Then Elizabeth shook away her supporting arm and walked the rest of the way.She felt less dizzy than she had when she stood to be dressed, but she still collapsed gratefully into the warm chair, enjoying the fire that made her skin almost glow with heat.
She wouldnevercease to love fires and warmth, and never forget how grateful she was to not be freezing.It had become dangerously cold for her that night after the sun had fully set.
“All right, Becky, you may tell the gentleman that her sickliness is presentable, and ready to receive gentleman callers.”
