Her father smiled and extended his arm for her to lean on. She gasped as she rose from the bed and put weight on her injured feet. Mr. Bennet began to lower her down again, but she shook her head vehemently.
“No, I am well. It just surprised me, that’s all. I need to see Jane. I will sit down in there.”
The pair slowly made their way to the door that connected Elizabeth’s bedroom with her sisters. Elizabeth could have kissed Miss Bingley for giving them adjoining rooms, as it meant she didn’t have to walk through the hallway to reach her sister.
Elizabeth said as much to her father, who snickered. When they opened the door and saw Jane being visited by the very person of whom they spoke, they stopped.
“Speak of the devil,” murmured Mr. Bennet, causing Elizabeth to bite her tongue to stifle her laughter.
“Ah, here is your sister now!” Miss Bingley said with false cheer. “Dear Jane has been very worried about Miss Eliza’s wild behavior.”
“Lizzy!” cried an anxious Jane, giving evidence to Miss Bingley’s statement. “Are you well?”
This question was punctuated by a severe coughing fit that lasted several minutes. Jane’s face was pale, and her lips were slightly blue.
“Do not worry about me,” Elizabeth replied lightly, trying to hide her alarm. With her father’s help, she limped over to Jane’s bed. “I daresay my feet got the better of the ordeal. It is my poor nerves that are damaged from having to ride on top of Mr. Darcy’s horse!”
Miss Bingley looked as if she had swallowed a lemon, and Elizabeth once again bit back a giggle.
“Well, I shall leave you all to it, then,” Miss Bingley said. “I do hope you recover quickly, Jane. Both of you.”
Jane beamed at her friend, who could not help but smile back at the unaffected cheer on Jane’s face. Once the lady had left, Jane turned her joy toward her father and sister. “Isn’t she just so kind?”
Elizabeth exchanged a wry look with her father, who smiled and said, “I am glad you think so, my dear. How are you feeling?”
“My chest hurts, Papa. I want to go home.”
Mr. Bennet sighed deeply. “I’m afraid you will need to stay at Netherfield for a little longer. I will stay tonight, however; Mr. Bingley has already made the offer, and I have accepted it.”
Jane’s face fell, and Elizabeth quickly said, “But think of the fun we shall have here! When you are improved, we can take you downstairs to visit with Mr. Bingley. You’ll be able to see your friends, and you’ll have more servants to wait on your needs and wants than you ever would at home!”
Jane grinned happily. “I would like to spend more time with Mr. Bingley. I haven’t been able to see him at all since I came.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be very appropriate for him to come to your room!” Elizabeth teased.
The three Bennets laughed together, then spent the following hour in amiable companionship until Jane drifted off to sleep.
Father and daughter then sat in a comfortable silence until the dinner bell rang.
∞∞∞
The next several days passed quite slowly for Elizabeth as she waited for her feet to heal. She read books aloud to Jane duringthe times the elder Bennet sister was awake, and she read more books to herself when Jane was sleeping. Fortunately, Jamie was willing to go back and forth between Netherfield and Longbourn to fetch more books, as the options at Netherfield were woefully lacking.
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst visited Jane and Elizabeth on occasion when the gentlemen of the house were otherwise occupied. Elizabeth began to like them herself when she saw how much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane.
At first, much of the conversation from the two Bingley sisters revolved around how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves. The topic then moved on to canvas much of the fresh gossip from town, as well as the latest fashions for long sleeves that were coming in from the Continent.
At last the day arrived when Elizabeth was able to leave her room and go downstairs for dinner. Mr. Bennet had been visiting Jane that day when the bell rang to change, and he was invited by a reluctant Miss Bingley to remain for the meal.
When Elizabeth and her father entered the drawing room, the rest of the party had already gathered. Darcy instantly shot to his feet upon her entrance and crossed the room to take her other arm. The touch reminded Elizabeth of being in his arms a few short days prior; she blushed and looked down, concentrating on her bandaged feet.
Miss Bingley sniffed. “I am glad you made it. I was beginning to wonder if we would have to choose between a warm dinner or waiting for you.”
Mr. Bennet helped Elizabeth into a chair, making an amused face at her privately.
Elizabeth fought back a giggle. “I apologize if I made you wait. I do not walk as quickly as I usually do, as you can tell.”
“I trust your sister is improving?” Mrs. Hurst asked, hastily changing the subject.
