“There. That shall do very well. Your hair is prettily disordered, and you look remarkably fetching, especially now that your lips and complexion no longer bear that bluish cast.”
Elizabeth smiled. “You are very pert today, dear sister.”
“Oh, Lizzy, he is exceedingly handsome.”
“And what of Mr. Bingley? The very gentleman you swore had broken your heart so completely that you should never recover, at least not in this life? Do you set him aside so easily?”
“Lizzy, in times such as these, it is best not to possess too good a memory. Pray forget I ever uttered such nonsense. Mr. Bingley is forgotten. He left me without so much as a farewell or by your leave. He belongs among the undeserving, as Papa would say.”
Mr. Darcy returned then with his sister.
Georgiana hurried to Elizabeth’s side. “Lizzy, you look much improved. Your lips are pink again.”
Elizabeth laughed, though the exertion immediately brought on a fit of coughing. Jane pressed a handkerchief into her hand, and Mary offered her a glass of water. When she had recovered, Jane collected her pelisse from Mary, and the two sisters hurried away to walk with Sir Gareth Beaumont.
“Miss Elizabeth, you do appear much recovered, ma’am. Allow me to escort you to the private parlor adjoining this chamber.” He offered his arm. “Georgiana, will you support her from the other side, dear?”
Elizabeth nearly laughed aloud as the siblings carefully escorted her from the room, finding them excessively solicitous. Yet by the time she reached the adjoining parlor and was settled in a cushioned chair upon the balcony, she was breathless and struggling for air.
Mr. Darcy looked at her with concern. “Are you quite well, Miss Elizabeth?”
She met his eyes. “Yes, sir, only a little short of breath. I forget at times that I am recovering from a serious illness.”
She saw his concern deepen and added quickly, “Pray do not distress yourself on my account. I feel much improved, and Dr. Miller insists that I rise from my bed each day. He warned me that if I remain abed too long, I shall grow weak.”
He relaxed somewhat. “I should not wish to cause you any harm, Miss Bennet.”
“No, sir. I would not have accepted your kind invitation had I not remembered Dr. Miller’s strict instructions, nor would Jane have permitted it.”
He chuckled. “Yes, your gentle sister can be remarkably firm when the situation requires it.”
“Mr. Darcy, will you tell me what you know of Sir Gareth?”
“What would you wish to know, ma’am?”
“Is he a good man? Do you know whether he indulges in any vices?”
His eyes held a smile as he replied. “He is a gentleman of excellent reputation. He does not frequent the gambling hells, drink to excess, or indulge in darker dissipation, ma’am. You need not fear for your sister. He is a respectable man, and were he ever to seek Georgiana’s attentions, I should consider it a very desirable attachment and do all in my power to encourage it.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I am very happy to hear it. I ask only because Jane said he seemed very affected when he first laid eyes upon her. My sister is exceedingly modest, sir, and generally does not perceive such attentions for what they are.”
Darcy laughed softly. “So what you mean is that if your modest sister observed his admiration, then his attentions must have been very marked indeed.”
“Yes, sir. That is precisely what I mean.”
Georgiana listened with great interest.
“Well, Miss Elizabeth, when Sir Gareth was first introduced to your sister, he was so struck by her beauty and manner that he forgot both to bow and to speak. Beaumont is usually celebrated for the elegance of his address, yet I swear upon my honor that he stood quite speechless and could do nothing but stare at your lovely elder sister.”
Both Elizabeth and Georgiana burst into laughter. The exertion immediately brought on a fit of coughing, and Elizabeth bent forward protectively, one arm wrapped about her aching ribs.
Mr. Darcy rose at once, anxious and uncertain how best to assist her, but Georgiana hurried to fetch more water.
“Here, Lizzy.”
The coughing subsided. Elizabeth accepted the water and drank most of it.
“Forgive me, sir. I have made quite a spectacle of myself.”
