Page 20 of Roses from Pemberley
“Well it might make sense to you but what good is it to me?”
“I shall talk to her…”
“And say what? You told her the truth in the first place! What more can you possibly tell her?”
Richard grimaced, then shrugged. “Was her rejection…very bad?”
“The worst imaginable.”
There was a long silence before Anne said, “And yet…she said your name.” Darcy looked at her questioningly and she continued, “She asked for you in her fevered state. That has to be good, does it not? Perhaps she regrets turning you down.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Why? You are a good man, after all. Perhaps she regrets her rash decision. And therefore you should spend as much time with her as possible. Perhaps her illness is a blessing in disguise.”
“Not if she dies!”
Anne nodded somberly. “‘Tis true, Cousin, she is very ill. And yet, if what Richard says is true, then she will recover. And you have this opportunity to assist her in her recovery, and show her a better side of yourself.”
“I agree with Anne,” said Richard. “I feel you have already changed since she turned you down. And, if she is an intelligent woman, she must see your worth eventually.”
“I hope I have changed,” said Darcy softly. “And I hope she lives to see it.”
CHAPTER 11 Bedside Visit
They returned to the parsonage, leaving Jane and Bingley to continue their walk through the gardens. Charlotte did eventually return and offered them tea, coffee and light refreshments. The doctor came down not long after that, telling them that Elizabeth’s fever remained but was slightly lower. He recommended that she continue to be given tea and broth every few hours at least, since she took in very little each time she was given anything to drink.
“That is one thing I am worried about,” he said, “that she will weaken if she does not have enough fluids in her body. She can survive without food for some time, but the internal organs will shut down without enough fluids. And it is more likely to happen when there is a high fever. I have given her as much as she will drink, but I am afraid she has not had much at all.”
“I have tried as well,” murmured Charlotte, looking more worried than Darcy had ever seen her.
“How long can she survive without drinking?” he asked.
“A few days or slightly more. Or even less if the evaporation is more rapid.”
Darcy nodded, realising that Elizabeth’s fever may have been hastening her demise. He suddenly stood up and wentto the window. He saw Jane and Bingley standing at the edge of the garden, apparently in deep conversation. He was happy for the both of them but saddened by the fact that Jane might lose her beloved sister ere long. He tried to shake himself out of his melancholy but was unfortunately too tired to do so. He wondered abstractedly if she would still have gotten sick if he had worded his proposal in a nicer manner. It was irrational, he knew…
“But perhaps,” said Charlotte, interrupting his reverie, “Mr.Darcymight try giving her some fluids.”
He turned around abruptly and looked from the doctor to Charlotte.
“I have heard her say his name…on occasion,” she continued.
The doctor nodded musingly then looked at Darcy and asked, “Do you have an understanding with Miss Elizabeth?”
“Yes, he does,” answered Richard so suddenly that Darcy could only gape at him.
“He proposed to her two days ago,” added Anne.
“But she refused me!” cried Darcy, looking reprovingly at his cousins who both stared at him as ifhewere mad. He put his thumb and index finger against the bridge of his nose and turned away from the group.
“They simply did not agree on certain things,” continued Anne, as if to mitigate his folly. “And I am certain Miss Elizabeth shall change her mind eventually.”
“She does seem to say his name a great deal,” added Richard, who actually only knew this from hearsay.
“She has,” said a voice from the doorway. Darcy saw that it was Miss Bennet. She and Bingley must have approached the house while his head was turned. “I have heard it myself,” she continued softly.
Darcy did not know why everyone was so predisposed to think well of him. He did not feel particularly deserving of their good opinion. Besides which, only Elizabeth’s opinion mattered.
