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“That would be inconvenient for her sisters.”

“Do not feign obtuseness, it does not suit you! Of course, all her sisters will come as well and stay as long as they like. Mrs Hewes will wed the sergeant soon enough once we get Elizabeth to Rosings.”

He still seemed to not be following, so I continued my assault. “Come, Fitzwilliam. You cannot remain living in a parsonage with five unwed girls while you pretend to live at Rosings, and do not forget that you are master of a great estate, which needs your attention. While we are at it, I shall mention that Anne has barely managed to leave her bed. She cannot visit, nor should she be denied the right to attend Elizabeth, since they endured their trials together. We have ample room at Rosings. The Bennets will be welcome in the family wing. All shall be well.”

He seemed unconvinced.

“You have done all that can be done. The first three weeks, we all thought we might lose both girls to the fevers, and I must admit I spent more than one night praying fervently for their recovery. I alternated between every god I ever heard of. I know not if it was effective, but I gave it my all, and consulted my own flock of physicians as well. You have done all that could be done. You have bathed her. I daresay you have dressed her. You brought ice and river water and everything else anyone could think of. You dressed her wounds, applied the salves, and read her stories and poetry. Do not think me ignorant of what goes on here! No man could have done more.”

He looked down at his boots, or at least where his boots normally would be, since he was attired in just his stockinged feet, but far be it from me to comment on that.

“You know I failed her; more than once.”

I was not liking the direction of the conversation. “No, Fitzwilliam—I failed her.”

His head snapped back to stare me down, but I was not to be intimidated by a slip of a boy, even if he had grown into his size.

“I will not ask what happened in Hertfordshire. Let us just presume you may or may not have failed her there. Since then, you arrived on Friday, and she was struck down by that abomination the following Friday. You had six days to learn of her danger. I had eleven months! Eleven months shackled to my parson. Eleven months under my protection. Eleven months a half-mile from my estate. The signs were there! In retrospect, she could not have been clearer if she shouted it from the rooftops, but I did not even look. No, Fitzwilliam, I will allow your share of the censure if you insist, but I will have mine as well. If anyone failed her, we both did.”

He seemed ready to protest, but I was not to be denied my share of the conversation.

“Tell me something, Nephew! Can you pretend you do not already consider all the Bennets your sisters, even if you have not discussed it? Can you name one service a sister would require that you will not only willingly provide, but will insist on with the stubbornness of a stone? Are you not already talking with your solicitors about dowries and thinking of suitors and how to protect them? Deny it all if you wish, but do not take me for a fool!”

He just nodded calmly. “I can deny none of those.”

“Do you not see? That makes them sisters to Georgiana and cousins to Anne. They are by inclination, by honour, and by duty my family now. Short of taking the whole lot to Pemberley, they should be on my estate, not stuck in a parsonage waiting for who knows what. They have your protection, but will you deny them mine? We have not always seen eye to eye, and I know you have little reason to trust my judgement… but I am asking you to do so. Put aside any differences between us and think of Elizabeth and her sisters. Will you deny my chance to offer my home and my affections?”

Good man that he was, he finally started to see where I was leading, and as expected, he closed his eyes and thought long and hard. He would not deny my words simply by rote. He would not disagree just because he could. He would do what was right, even when it was completely wrong. It had never occurred to him that I might have any affection for such as the Bennet sisters, and it was entirely likely that before this event, I would not have. Mr Collins’ attack changed everything; but that was the past, and there was no point beating it to death. Now, we needed to do what was necessary for the family.

He eventually asked, “What about the parsonage? When she recovers, will she be happy we denied her a choice? She has had too many of what should by all rights have been her choices dictated by others. I am not inclined to add my own burdens to her.”

He was on much weaker ground but not defeated. “You seem to know much about her private matters.”

He looked at me with a clouded expression. “I do, but I will not explain how I came to be in her confidence, nor what I have learnt. Simply accept that I am.”

I was not about to delve into the particulars, so I just chopped his argument off at the knee.

“I propose this. Bring her to Rosings. She will go in the family wing in the blue room, across the hall from Anne. Georgiana has already ensconced herself next door and will not be moved any time soon. Put Jane and Lydia in the pink room, and Mary and Kitty on the other side, or allow them to each have a room. Elizabeth will be surrounded by sisters on all sides at all times. When you are in attendance, you will be right down the hall.”

He seemed ready to argue again, but I was not about to let him have his share of the conversation until I had my say.

“I suggest we put the curate in the parsonage, and I will offer him a salary sufficient to take a wife. I will charge them to keep the parsonage exactly as it is for one year. When Collins dies, he can take the living directly.”

He took a breath to speak, but I continued, “I am not finished. I will set up an annuity for Elizabeth for the same amount as the living, using the interest on my jointure. She will lose no choices, except for being forced to Rosings, and if she finds that distasteful, you will find her another home that suits her.”

He clearly did not expect any of this from me. He expected nothing of the sort and was obviously trying to reconcile my odd behaviour with his accepted view of the world. To be honest, I would not have expected it of myself a week earlier, but then again, a week earlier I had not known of Mr Collins’s depravity.

I leaned forward. “I wish to do this, Fitzwilliam; will you deny me? You have your own reasons, which I will not ask, and I have mine, which I will not tell.”

I let out a breath when he finally nodded. I thought about taking my victory and going about my business, but I was not finished yet—not by half.

“There is another thing we must discuss: your duty!”

I could see his anger building almost immediately and sought to slow it.

“I do not mean my previous desire for you to marry Anne! That is clearly preposterous, but I feel you are neglecting your other duties.”

To his credit, I could see his anger nearly ready to overflow his admittedly weak control, but he brought it under regulation. “What do you mean?”