She did not say anything, but the fear in her eyes told him everything.
Richard offered. “There looks to be some solid boards. From here we should be able to guide you where to place your feet.”
Darcy intended to consult with his cousin to plan the safest path for her to take back to them. When she shifted her weight back from the railing, the sound of breaking wood impelled him to act. With four giant strides, he was almost at her side.
Leaning forward, he did not see the moss in front of his other foot. By the time he was aware he was in trouble, his back foot slipped, throwing his weight forward. The plank did not hold.
Down he went, his right leg plunging through the hole toward the water below. Pain shot through his knee when it hit the sharp edges of the broken board. His fingers gripped the handrail, keeping him from dropping completely into the running water.
“Darcy!” Richard yelled.
She screamed. “No!”
The pain was excruciating. When she stepped closer to him, he begged her to stop.
“Mr. Darcy, neither of us can remain where we are.” She trembled.
As Darcy took a hard look at his situation, Richard directed her steps.
“Miss Bennet, we need to get you off the bridge before Darcy can be rescued. Pray, listen carefully, and move only where and when I tell you.”
Focusing on her rather than on his pain, Darcy’s pulse accelerated as she drew close. When her fingers rested on his shoulder for a brief touch, his whole body calmed.
Once she was on solid ground, Richard turned his attention to him.
“Darcy, can you pull yourself up and slide backward until you reach the stronger boards?”
The pain in his knee was beyond imaginable. Splinters pierced his buckskin trousers from the top of his Hessians to his thigh, as well as the palms of his hands where he gripped the railing. Even moving a hairsbreadth tormented him.
He was embarrassed from landing in a heap in front of her and miserable from his injuries. Yet, her sweet voice encouraged him.
Slowly and steadily, he followed his cousin’s direction. After what seemed like hours, he lay back on the bank of the stream with his head resting on her lap. Richard had pulled off his boot before taking his knife to Darcy’s trousers, cutting the torn buckskin up over his knee to ease his discomfort from swelling. Once his injuries were fully exposed, he tied Darcy’s cravat and his own tightly around the knee to stop the blood. Then, he ran to Rosings Park for help.
Her fingertips brushed over his temple. Darcy closed his eyes and willed his pain away until the only thing he could sense was her.
6
How rapidly Elizabeth’s circumstances changed. Her intention to avoid Mr. Darcy that day turned into a complete failure.If the circumstances were different, she would be well-pleased to be in his company.
The poor man.The skin surrounding his knee was brutally damaged. Deep, bloody scrapes ran from mid-calf up to his thigh. The skin not currently covered by both gentlemen’s cravats and handkerchiefs was already scarlet red with purple undertones that were darkening by the minute.She feared he would never be able to walk without a limp.
Thankfully, Colonel Fitzwilliam was experienced in dressing wounds. Besides experience, the flask containing spirits was a welcome relief to Mr. Darcy. Fortunately, when Elizabeth took it from the colonel and opened the lid, it was full.
Before leaving for Rosings to get assistance, Colonel Fitzwilliam commanded, “Miss Bennet, by the time I return with help, you are to get every drop of that liquid down Darcy’s throat. I want nothing but fumes remaining. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir.” She smelled the strong spirits. Elizabeth had no desire to sample the beverage.
“That cognac comes from the Grande Champagne region of France. It is potent enough to dull the pain of a dumb ox, so it should work for Darcy.” Resting his hand on his cousin’s shoulder, he warned, “Behave yourself.”
To distract herself, she said, “Your cousin cares for you deeply.”
Mr. Darcy turned his face to her. “We have been close since our youth. Richard is two years older than me, but I was always taller than him, so our ages made no difference until I became an adult. At that point, my cousin considered himself my superior. Whether that was from the actual age difference or the fact that he was used to commanding underlings, I do not know. He is like a brother to me.”
“Would you be willing to take another sip, please?” Never could she have imagined having contact with him at this level. Still, she clearly recalled his strength when he carried her to Netherfield Park. The sharpness of the stubble that grew since his valet shaved him that morning and the woodsy scent of his skin. The softness of his hair. She remembered it all like it was yesterday.
Elizabeth felt his forehead, pleased to discover that his skin was still cool to the touch. Fortunately, the sun was at her back, so her body shielded his face both from the heat and exposure.
Surprised when her fingertips tingled each time she touched him, Elizabeth reached under the back of his neck to hold his head up as she put the flask to his lips.
