He knew there was no possibility of his remounting his stallion. “Zeus!” The horse looked at his master, almost apologetically. “Home!” Darcy repeated the command when the horse looked at him. As he had been trained to do, Zeus took off towards the stables.
As Darcy had known it would, his stallion returning without his rider triggered a search, which discovered the master less than an hour later.
Thankfully, according to the younger Mr. Harrison, it was a clean break of a bone called the fibula, which was the thinnest of the leg bones. He would heal, but it would be the work of two to three months so there would be no travelling anywhere.
While the master dictated, his valet, Carstens, wrote the letters he needed to send to apprise his family of his accident and his eventual, and full, recovery.
Chapter 18
“You know Giana, if your brother does not want to meet us he does not need to break his leg in order not to attend Janey’s wedding,” Elizabeth teased.
“Lizzy!” Jane admonished playfully.
“I was well aware Lizzy was jesting,” Georgiana assured her soon-to-be cousin. “I have learnt to look into her eyes, when she is teasing they are laughing, just like Anne’s do.”
Anne was sitting on the swing under the oak tree at Longbourn being gently pushed by Elizabeth. Mrs. Jenkinson was seated on a nearby bench while Biggs stood in the background watching over the young mistress and her friends. It was June, mere days before Jane and Andrew would marry. The de Bourghs, sans Lady Catherine of course, had arrived in Hertfordshire a few days previously.
Although it was well known she would not recover from her affliction, Anne was looking better than she had for a while. She was still moved in her bath chair more often than not, but on this visit, she seemed to be able to walk, unassisted, a little farther than she had the last time she had been in company with the Bennets. It also seemed—perhaps it was wishful thinking—she was able to speak more words before taking a deep breath than before.
Her eyes sparkled with mirth as Anne nodded her agreement regarding her younger cousin’s statement.
“Giana, you wound me,” Elizabeth responded as she placed her hand over her heart rather dramatically. “You willmake it that no one ever believes I am serious again.”
“Lizzy is auditioning to be…the new court jester,” Anne stated drolly.
“Enough funning at my expense,” Elizabeth huffed with mock indignation. “Will your brother make a full recovery?” she asked seriously.
Based on what she had heard from his sister and cousins, the truth was Elizabeth had been looking forward to meeting William Darcy. He was a bibliophile like Papa, Mary, and herself, and loved to play chess based on information gleaned in conversations with Uncles Reggie and Lewis, as well as with Andrew and Richard. Given how much her playing had improved over the years, where she routinely beat all of the aforementioned men at the game, and even beat her father occasionally, she had been keen to play Mr. Darcy as from what she had been told, he was as good, if not a better, player than his late father.
“Richard received a letter from him just before he departed Cloverdell,” Georgiana shared. “In it, William told him the Mr. Harrisons,” Georgiana saw the raised eyebrows of Jane and Lizzy, so she explained who the Harrisons were. “As I was saying, the doctors opined he is making good progress and will be able to attempt to use a crutch in the next few weeks.”
“That is good news,” Jane responded. “Andrew told me Hilldale is only about five hours southeast of Pemberley.”
“Your future home is an estate where I would love to ride Penny,” Elizabeth sighed.
“I am sorry due to…my restrictions on travel…and the cold, we will not be able…to travel north…for Christmastide,” Anne stated.
“Anne, do not dare apologise for something for which you are not responsible!” Elizabeth admonished her friend. “I would much rather spend as much time with you as I am able and I care not where it is. When it is time, I will travel and seethe north.”
“You will come visit me at Hilldale as planned next summer, will you not Lizzy?” Jane verified.
“I would not miss it, you know I would do anything for you,” Elizabeth confirmed as she took and squeezed one of Jane’s hands.
Anne was Elizabeth’s best friend in the world, but Jane occupied, and always would, a very special place in her heart. Jane and Elizabeth had been the closest of sisters and friends since Lizzy had been old enough to play with her older sister. The bond between them was of such a strength neither of them ever saw the other’s friends as competition for her sister’s love.
In fact, Elizabeth was standing up with her older sister as her maid of honour. When, or if, Elizabeth married, Jane would be her first choice to support her on that day.
Jane would have asked Anne to be a bridesmaid, but she knew Anne would not be able to walk up the aisle unassisted and standing during the ceremony would have been an issue.
When Jane and Lizzy had discussed asking Anne, they had agreed it would have placed a burden on their friend. Knowing Anne as they did, she would have overexerted herself to try and fulfil her duties and then she would have suffered for it later. Besides they were sure Uncle Lewis would not have agreed knowing how much of a strain Anne would have placed on herself. Thus, in the end, Jane had asked no one else to be a bridesmaid.
“As I told Lizzy, if…she did not go visit you…because I am unable to, she…would have seriously displeased me,” Anne smiled.
The girls giggled recognizing the well-loved phrase from Anne’s mother.
“Miss Anne,” Mrs. Jenkinson called her charge’s attention to herself as she approached the swing. “It is time totake a rest.”
Knowing she was flagging, Anne did not object. Biggs pushed the bath chair next to the swing. Anne stood and stepped over to her chair and with her companion and the guard’s assistance, she sat. Mrs. Jenkinson placed a light cover over Anne’s legs and soon they were on their way back towards the house.
