Page 65

I felt intense relief that she seemed to be back; in fact, she seemed to be all back, cleverness and perceptiveness included, which we had not been at all certain would happen. I removed my dressing gown, lifted the blankets, climbed in, and we just held each other and went to sleep.

It was the middle of the night when I woke up with a gasp of alarm. I had fallen asleep without telling anyone Elizabeth had awakened, and felt terribly guilty about it. I moved to get up to rectify it, but heard an unexpected voice.

“Where are you going, child? Go back to sleep at once. All is well.”

I just smiled, as it made me feel warm and safe for perhaps the first time in quite a while. “Yes, Aunt.” I succumbed to sleep once again.

I awoke just after dawn and saw Jane sitting where I had been the night before, unravelling the little cap I had mangled beyond all recognition with a soft smile.

She heard me stir. “Stay where you are, Charlotte. I kept tea and breakfast warm for you by the fire.”

She took one last look at the poor little cap and set it down for the moment. I knew she would fix it, even if there was nothing left but a long piece of yarn by the time she was back at a good starting place. She went to the fireplace, where true to form, all the things she suggested were in place. I understood they were Mr Darcy’s idea, since he knew people would be here at all hours of day and night, and did not want to wake servants and wait for them to see to our own comfort. I never really knew if he did that for our comfort or the servants’, but it did not really matter in the end. The man we all thought we knew in Hertfordshire was so long gone; nobody in Meryton would even recognise him.

“I should really chastise you for not telling us Lizzy awoke, but I do not have the heart for it. Perhaps I can fetch Anne.”

We both had a bit of a laugh at that. Anne was quite formidable when she wanted to be, but fortunately, she seldom wanted to be… except when we were forcing her to do her exercise.

“Lizzy woke again in the middle of the night and spoke to Aunt Catherine, but this time she called for me, and I was able to speak to her for a few minutes. We were all worried she might come out of the ordeal addled, but she appears perfect, except she could not speak for more than five minutes.”

“Are you certain it is not you who is addled?”

We both laughed in surprise and looked over at Elizabeth, who lay there wide-eyed. “What does a woman have to do to get a cup of tea on this estate?”

Nobody had the heart to try to drag poor Lizzy out of bed for even the tiniest bit of exercise, but the rest of the day was a madhouse—at least it was if you consider six girls sitting demurely at some type of work while staring at Lizzy, and walking quietly—or not so quietly—in and out of the room a madhouse. I felt the most rested I had in months, and was eventually prevailed upon to do my penance for failing to wake the sisters by helping Anne into the room and back once she was worn out. She could nearly walk on her own, but nobody was comfortable with her making such an arduous journey, since it was all of a dozen yards.

Lady Catherine visited from time to time, but for the most part, she was content to allow us the daylight hours while she haunted the nights. It had been working well for her thus far.

Lizzy would wake every couple of hours, talk to those present for a few minutes, then generally go back to sleep. We all liked to think her sleep was more restful than it had been, but we would not know for some time, if ever. Anne told us it was best not to ask, and we took her advice.

I was sitting alone with Elizabeth again just before I retired when Aunt Catherine came in.

“Elizabeth, we have been writing to my nephews daily.”

She pointedly ignored my grimace at the mention of the plural form of ‘nephew’ and carried on.

“We did not write of your awakening yesterday but have done so today. They will almost certainly be on their steeds the moment Darcy receives the letters. Would you like to—”

Whatever she was about to say went unsaid, as Elizabeth interrupted her most vehemently. “He most certainly will NOT!”

Aunt Catherine looked interested but unperturbed at the interruption. “Why, may I ask?”

“If Rosings were halfway destroyed, and a dozen of your tenant cottages ruined, would you be taking a leisurely stroll to Derbyshire? He has his duty, and he must see to it!”

She showed more animation than she had in any of the previous conversations, and seemed overly concerned about Pemberley, if you were to ask me. It was not as if Mr Darcy had not been taking care of an estate for some time, or as if he needed advice from the likes of us.

Lady Catherine said, “Most assuredly not, but I am not my nephew.”

Elizabeth seemed much more agitated than the situation called for. All her sisters had assured me that any bad blood between her and Mr Darcy seemed to have been healed, and they even had a peculiar sort of friendship, though with only one day to see their interaction, most of them were no better informed than I was. All we knew was that, since her fall, he had acted either the guiltiest protector or the most besotted fool in the country. It was difficult to tell which, but the latter explanation seemed more reasonable.

Elizabeth said, “Georgiana told me a bit of the damage this morning, and he most certainly cannot leave it in that state.”

To me, this seemed like a continuation of a conversation that neither Aunt Catherine nor I were privy to, nor were we likely to be.

I could see the lady considering carefully before she said, “I agree, he should be seeing to his duty, but my history of bending him to my will is not auspicious. He goes where he will.”

Elizabeth spoke somewhat petulantly, in my opinion. “He can go where he will, so long as he does not will to go through that door.”

We all laughed, and Lady Catherine said, “If you plan to stop him at that door, you may want to start your efforts now, because absent some encouragement stronger than I am capable of, he will be here in less than ten days.”