Darcy followed the physician out. “Sir, we are about to dine. Will you join us?”
“I shall, young man. I have no other calls at present.”
“Pray come, sir. May I offer you a drink?”
“The cognac you served earlier was the finest I have tasted, Mr. Darcy.”
“Allow me to pour you a glass, sir.”
When dinner concluded, the physician took his leave. Darcy, Richard, and Georgiana sat alone in the drawing room when the sound of a carriage reached them from the drive. After a few minutes, Drake announced Miss Jane Bennet. Introductionswere made, and then he escorted her upstairs to her sister’s chamber.
“She appears near two and twenty, would you not say, Darcy?”
“Yes, that seems right. Miss Elizabeth has not yet reached one and twenty.”
“She is a handsome woman.”
“Mrs. Collins gave me to understand that this sister and Miss Elizabeth both possess skill in the care of the sick,” Darcy said.
Georgiana drew nearer to her brother. “May I go up to my cousin? I believe Anne would welcome some diversion.”
“That is kind of you, Georgiana. Let us know if Anne is in need of anything.”
Drake escorted Jane Bennet up the grand staircase. She took care not to appear an eager country girl dazzled by the magnificence of the house and its furnishings, though inwardly she could not help but feel astonished by such grandeur.
At last, they stopped before a bedchamber door, and the butler knocked softly. Jane heard hurried footsteps, and then the door flew open, and Mary threw herself into her arms.
“Jane. Oh, Jane. I have longed to have you here with us. Lizzy is so ill, and I fear for her.”
The butler discreetly withdrew and closed the door behind him.
Mary began to weep. “Oh, Jane, I pray Lizzy will recover. Come and see her.”
“What says the physician?” Jane removed her bonnet and then her pelisse.
Mary dried her eyes and attempted to compose herself. “Forgive me. She is not dying. Dr. Miller says she will recover and that her condition has improved to his satisfaction. Yet, she appears very ill. Come and look at her.”
Mary lifted a candlestick and led her sister to the bed. Jane studied Elizabeth’s face with alarm.
“Her lips are very blue, and I have never seen our sister so pale. Her skin is also blue.”
She bent over the bed and gently shook her. “Lizzy. Lizzy, wake up. Can you hear me?”
“I believe she sleeps. Her nights and days are confused, and she remained wakeful much of last night.”
“Mary, help me turn her upon her side so that I may listen to her lungs.”
Together, they shifted Elizabeth gently. Jane placed her ear against her sister’s back and listened carefully. When she straightened, her expression eased somewhat.
“She is indeed very ill, but I hear air moving throughout the lungs. Yet she remains feverish. Come, sister, let us heat water and prepare a poultice.”
The two sisters set themselves to Elizabeth’s care, and when they had finished, Mr. Darcy arrived to perform the percussion treatment.
Jane stood aside in astonishment as the nephew of the house entered her sister’s chamber and personally administered the treatment. She watched his face closely.
He is in love with my sister.
Jane did not know whether to feel joy or apprehension. Could a gentleman so elevated in rank truly harbor honorable intentions toward a humble country gentlewoman with neither fortune nor powerful connections?
