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Mr Gardiner could not think it proper to depart for Hertfordshire while Mr Darcy was in residence. But in the end, Mrs Gardiner convinced him that it would be better to go. She believed the situation with their unexpected house guest could hardly alter between Saturday morning and Mr Gardiner’s promised return on Sunday afternoon, and some other calamity might befall them if he did not answer Mary’s summons.

On Saturday morning Mr Gardiner departed for Longbourn on a hired horse, leaving his carriage and horses so that his family might attend church at St Paul’s. Jane’s continuance at the Garths’ precluded the shorter walk to St Benet’s, which the family might otherwise have attended in Mr Gardiner’s absence. Dr Gordon arrived in Gracechurch Street soon after Mr Gardiner’s departure. During his visit, the doctor ventured to suggest that Mr Darcy might benefit from venturing down to the parlour for an hour if he felt up to it. He thought the tiny room Darcy was housed in exceedingly close. The slight doctor’s offer to help carry Darcy down the stairs was met with some incredulity by Mr Finn, and the Gardiner’s footman, Mick, was drafted instead to help convey the master. Thus, Darcy arrived in the parlour in the handsome outfit that he had worn to the Gardiners’ on his ill-fated journey on Tuesday, apologising for his imposition upon them and hoping to at last speak to Mr Gardiner.

Mrs Gardiner was pleased to see that their visitor had regained some of the colour in his cheeks. Despite his infirmity, Mr Darcy was a very handsome man, which led her to speculate that he must have been quite impressive before he fell ill. The dashing rose-tinted glasses amused her, but Mrs Gardiner realised he had probably adopted them to hide his blindness rather than through any affectation. Deferring her duties as hostess to Lizzy, Mrs Gardiner watched the pair of them very carefully throughout Mr Darcy’s visit to the parlour. On Lizzy’s part she could detect no preference, although her niece maintained a studied air of indifference throughout. However, it was plain to see that Mr Darcy was very conscious of Lizzy, tilting his head like a bird whenever she moved or spoke, hugely attuned to her presence.

Having spent hours lying in bed going over what he would say to Mr Gardiner, Darcy was dismayed to discover upon arriving in the parlour that Elizabeth’s uncle was from home. An hour after coming downstairs, Mr Finn insisted Darcy return to his bed. This did not please Darcy, who had recovered sufficiently to begin to be bored. He was missing those sentimental novels. He dared not ask Elizabeth to read to him but now disdained Finn’s services in that direction. Darcy hated the squeaky voices Finn adopted for the women’s speeches. They made him cringe. Elizabeth seemed to be able to make her men manly and her women womanly. Darcy hoped to converse with Mr Gardiner on the morrow when that gentleman returned from Hertfordshire.

The ladies and the children went off to church in the morning. From his sickbed, Darcy heard the bells of St Paul’s calling them to the service.

As soon as Elizabeth met Jane outside St Paul’s, she realised something was wrong and suspected immediately that Mr Bingley was at the root of it. It was not possible to talk in church. Unable to comfort her sister, Elizabeth could only squeeze her hand. Once they climbed into the carriage, she warned Jane of Mr Darcy’s presence in Gracechurch Street during the journey home, lest their visitor be waiting in the parlour when they returned.

“Mr Darcy!” exclaimed Jane, more afflicted than Elizabeth had expected. “What can Mr Darcy want with us? Oh Lizzy, is it possible that he is willing to marry you as Mama hoped?”

Mrs Gardiner quickly shushed Jane, but the damage was done. Her attempts to explain Mr Darcy’s unexpected visit and recent indisposition in constrained terms were completely defeated by her children’s chorus.

“He called on Tuesday evening,” started Mrs Gardiner calmly.

“Papa had a fight with Mr Darcy at the front door,” interjected Jemmy, disgusted with his mother’s bland rendering of events, “and Mr Finn tried to break it up!”

“Mr Darcy has been ill recently and fainted,” explained Mrs Gardiner, talking a little louder.

“Papa gave him the old one, two!”

“Be quiet, Jemmy, it was nothing of the sort!” remonstrated Mrs Gardiner, mentally noting she would have a word with Mick about sharing his obsession with prize fights with her children.

“Mr Darky has pretty pink glasses,” offered Timmy. “I’m going to get some too when I grow up!”

“You will look like a dandy! Mr Darcy only wears them because he’s blind, stupid!” retorted Jemmy, causing Elizabeth to grab his hand and squeeze it.

“Blind?” cried Jane. “But when did this occur? And isn’t your current employer also blind?” The penny dropped. “Lizzy!”

Mrs Gardiner frowned and shot a warning glance at Jane to mind what she said in front of the children, who might easily repeat any unguarded words in the presence of Mr Darcy. Aware that her outbursts had been unseemly, Jane lapsed into an unhappy silence.

When the bells of St Paul’s heralded the end of the morning service, Finn dressed Darcy again so that he might take lunch with the family upon the carriage arriving home.

The meal had its awkward moments. Jane was at first shocked when Mr Darcy was pushed into the dining room by Finn, seated upon a wheeled chair. She tried desperately to rearrange her countenance into a neutral smile but managed only a sickly grin, which she realised Mr Darcy could not see anyway. During the course of their acquaintance, Mrs Gardiner had discovered that Finn had been born a gentleman and thus had set a place for him at the board. She had the happy thought of sitting him beside Mr Darcy so that he might be able to assist his master during the meal. Knowing that Mr Darcy’s estate was in Derbyshire, not far from the village of Lambton where she had grown up, Mrs Gardiner started on that topic.

“Mr Gardiner and I considered visiting The Peaks during our honeymoon, but we decided instead to tour The Lakes. I had hoped to visit Pemberley as our trip coincided with one of the public days. But Mr Gardiner was very much in favour of The Lakes. Living in London, it seems so strange to me to have lived so close to Pemberley all those years and to never have glimpsed it. I hear that your father built a grand Palladian mansion.”

“It is very beautiful, Mrs Gardiner, and a great credit to his excellent taste. You must visit us some time.”

Such condescension! thought Mrs Gardiner. Her suspicions on the nature of Mr Darcy’s errand firmed. How annoying that her husband had been called to Hertfordshire!

For his part, Mr Darcy was chagrined that his words might have sounded presumptuous to Elizabeth. He was still smarting from her rejection, hoped she might give his diseased person a second chance, and added lamely: “There are several public days a year.”

Lunch dragged on past Darcy’s allotted hour. Mr Finn, fearing a relapse, suggested his master should return to his room as soon as Darcy set down his dessert fork. Thwarted by Mr Gardiner’s continued absence, Darcy submitted.

When Mrs Gardiner went off to help Nurse settle the children for their afternoon nap, Elizabeth finally saw her chance to talk to Jane. Once the board had been cleared, she shut the parlour door.

“I can see you are not happy, Jane. Tell me what has happened.”

“Oh, Lizzy! I am so upset! I went to the subscription ball with Cherise on Wednesday. Mr Bingley was there as I expected, but when he came over to us, he only asked Cherise for two sets. I thought for sure this was in deference to my new position. That he would come back later to ask me for a set. Other gentlemen kept asking me to dance, but I kept half the sets free for Mr Bingley, as I could see he was much engaged. I sat against the wall half the night, for which Mrs Garth later complimented me, saying I had done just as I ought as a chaperone!”

“How mortifying,” sympathised Lizzy, squeezing her sister’s hand.

“When it came time for supper, I finally saw Mr Bingley making his way towards us again and thought my troubles were over. But then he offered his arm to Cherise and I was left to follow the Garths, unaccompanied. I felt like running away and hiding, but of course I could not do so. Instead, I spent all my energy rearranging my countenance into what I hoped was a look of pleased complaisance.”

“When we reached the door of the supper room, Mr Thorne came up and offered me his arm, which I took. But it was just terrible having to watch Mr Bingley laugh and joke with Cherise in exactly the same way he used to do with me. It was as if I did not exist at all! Mr Thorne was talking to me, but I did not hear the half of what he said! I kept having to ask him to repeat himself. It was so embarrassing! I was quite distracted! Then, what should happen, but I choked on a cake crumb and began coughing and coughing! Mr Thorne helped me out of the room and found a nice quiet alcove down a hall where he kept offering me a glass of lemonade, which I stupidly kept refusing. Finally, I broke down and cried. He loaned me his handkerchief and stroked my glove. We were obliged to go back to the ballroom after supper finished. Mr Thorne had wiped away my tears and when Mrs Garth remarked on my red face, he said I had had quite a bad coughing fit and should perhaps take some laudanum when I got home.”