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I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. As I did so, Richard whispered in Elizabeth’s ear; I wanted to run to them and yank her out of his arms. What had come over me? I was not normally a jealous man, and I did not have such visceral reactions.
“Darcy, since you are being a stubborn old goat, I will show you what you cannot understand for yourself.” Richard took out a short knife from his boot, held out his hand, and sliced his palm.
“Richard! What are you doing?” I raced across the terrace to his side and saw the blood dripping down his hand and onto the stone.
“Get a good look, Darcy. See how it is sliced wide open and bleeding freely.”
“I see that! Why are you being so foolhardy?”
“Because you are a fool!”
He held his hand out in front of Elizabeth and she sniffled and dried her eyes with his handkerchief, then reached out and took his hand in hers.
“I will try to focus, but it might be a little slower than usual,” she said.
“That is all right. I can wait.” Richard looked at her with fondness in his eyes and I had to press down the urge to hit him.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and her entire body stilled. There was an odd feeling on the terrace. It was as if another person had entered, but there was no one there. I watched as the blood slowly stopped dripping, and then she began to hum, and the wound closed before my eyes.
Richard started to pull his hand away, but she held tight.
“Just a moment, colonel. I will finish your leg while we are here.”
Her voice was clear again, not the sad, weeping woman I had made of her, but a strong healer, powerful in her own right. Richard sighed and his shoulders relaxed.
“Thank you, Miss Bennet. That was remarkable.”
“You are welcome, colonel.”
She dropped a quick curtsey and turned to go back into the house. “Good day, gentlemen.”
And before I could even comprehend what had happened, she was gone.
21
Elizabeth
“Didyouhaveanice time?” asked my aunt as I walked into the parlor.
“No.” I dropped onto the sofa and flopped back in a very unladylike position.
“What happened?”
“I told him the truth. He accused me of making a cruel joke. I tried to leave and the colonel caught me on the terrace and I cried because he was so kind to me and clearly, I had chosen the wrong cousin.” My voice dripped with sarcasm but I could not care.
Aunt’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear.”
“Quite.” I sat up and looked at her. “You were right, Aunt. Character above all. Mr. Darcy’s has fallen short of the mark.”
“That’s it? You wept with the colonel and came home?”
“No. The colonel defended me to Darcy and then sliced his hand so I could heal it. I do not know why people choose that location, but they always do,” I added quietly.
“Then what happened?”
“I healed him, of course. The colonel made sure Darcy saw that the cut was real and how deep it was before I touched it. Then I took care of it and some pain in his leg as well.”
She blinked at me in silence.
