Page 6 of Mr. Darcy’s Diamonds

“Are you well, sir?” Mr. Jones asked. “Did you also get a soaking?”

“I am well, thank you. I barely stepped into the stream to help Miss Elizabeth.”

“Very good. I will return to check on her this evening or sooner if I am summoned.”

Mr. Darcy bowed and watched him go, then said a prayer of gratitude that Elizabeth had awoken and a plea that she would regain her strength. He resumed his seat beside the door but could not stay for long. He must do something. He paced the passageway long enough for Mrs. Nicholls to emerge and another maid to leave and return. Finally, with nothing better to claim his time, he determined to investigate the bridge.

Darcy had been at the site of Elizabeth’s mishap for nearly an hour when two others appeared.

“Mr. Bennet, Bingley! This is a surprise. How is Miss Elizabeth?”

“She is sleeping under the watchful eyes of her cousins,” Mr. Bennet said. “I understand I have you to thank for saving her life.”

“I do not know what I would have done—that is, I am grateful I was close enough to hear when she called out,” Darcy said.

“As am I. I thank you,” Mr. Bennet said wearily. “As I have discussed with Bingley, I will arrange for a woman from the village to join us at Netherfield to chaperone, as I will not be able to be present all the time. I will then take Mary back to Longbourn but will myself return this evening.”

Darcy nodded. He understood Mr. Bennet’s precautions. With Bingley and Miss Bennet engaged and Darcy and Miss Elizabeth single, at least one chaperone would be required. He hoped Mr. Bennet did not think he had to protect Miss Elizabeth from himself, however. Darcy knew what propriety demanded and would not cross the threshold to her bedchamber no matter how much he wished he could. He longed for a single glimpse of her open eyes to assure himself she was no longer unconscious. Yet he knew the reports of others would have to suffice.

“Did Miss Elizabeth tell you any more about what happened here?” Darcy asked, sweeping his arm to encompass the slow-moving water and the detritus of the broken bridge.

“She expressed surprise at a loose plank, as she had walked this bridge many times in the past weeks and had noticed nothing unsound on those mornings,” Mr. Bennet said. “Have you found anything to provide greater insight?”

Darcy showed the men all the pieces of the bridge he had managed to pull to the grassy bank. He had dressed to walk into the water this time, but he would need to return to the house soon to change again and warm himself.

“One loose plank would likely cause Miss Elizabeth to fall or even break her leg, but it would be unlikely to cause the complete collapse of the bridge,” Darcy began. “I did not note it before, as I was focused on helping Miss Elizabeth, but you can see the intact part of the bridge is no longer passable.”

“This does not make sense,” Mr. Bennet said. “Though it is small, it has always been sturdy, and I myself rode my horse over this bridge a few weeks ago. It was sound then. Have either of you been on it more recently?”

“I walked across it two days ago,” Bingley said. “I noticed no issues at that time.”

“Look here, if you will,” Darcy said, calling the other men’s attention to some markings on some of the boards on the bank. “Does it not look as though these have been deliberately cut?”

“My dear Susannah! What does this mean?” Mr. Bennet’s face went white, and Darcy and Bingley each held an arm to steady him.

“Who is Susannah, sir?” Bingley asked.

“What? Susannah? She was my sister, Elizabeth’s mother.” Mr. Bennet recovered himself and inspected each piece of wood before saying he would seek a chaperone.

Darcy and Bingley shared a glance before following him back to the house, where the carriage awaited. What was Mr. Bennet thinking? It looked as though someone had damaged the bridge purposefully. Was it an attempt to harm a specific person? These were Longbourn lands but so close to Netherfield that many people occasionally used the bridge, though perhaps none so often lately as Elizabeth. Had she been the target? Why would someone try to hurt her?

Chapter Four

Mary was safely returned to Longbourn, and Mrs. Pumphrey was installed in a room across from Jane’s and Elizabeth’s adjoining chambers. That afternoon, the patient became feverish, and Mr. Jones was called back to do what he could. Jane and the maids attended her diligently, and Elizabeth slept fitfully. That evening, Thomas Bennet sat beside his niece’s bed and watched her ragged breathing as she continued to sleep. His thoughts were drawn back to the time Elizabeth had first come to Longbourn, nearly nineteen years before…

January 1793

“I have received a note from Susannah, my dear. She writes that she and Ollie will visit us tomorrow on their way to see his relations and wish to stay one night,” Thomas Bennet informed his wife.

“I am surprised Ollie could get away from his little farm,” Frances Bennet said. “Still, I will take pleasure in seeing your sister again. It has been far too long. Do they bring their child with them? She must be six months old by now, and we have not yet met her.”

“Elizabeth was born at the end of February, so she is six weeks shy of her first birthday,” Thomas replied.

“Oh, that is right. I forgot she is barely two months older than our Mary. I do recall that little Elizabeth is almost three years younger than Jane, however. Do you remember when we told her she had a girl cousin? Let me see, yes, it was about three months before Jane’s birthday that the babe was born, and Jane was confused about why my middle was still so large if the child had been born already. She pestered me for days to show her the baby, asking why I had put her back inside before she had a chance to see her.”

Thomas laughed heartily at the memory, and Fanny joined in. “Let us hope Jane is not so confused now that she nears the wise old age of four years and has had Mary for her companion these eight and a half months. And I do hope she does not speak of such inappropriate matters in company,” he chuckled.

The next day, not long after breakfast, a hired coach arrived at Longbourn to deliver Susannah and her husband and child. Thomas greeted his sister and brother-in-law warmly. He had been blessed to visit the pair several times over the years of their marriage and therefore had a better understanding of “Ollie” than Fanny did.