It was not too many minutes before Madeline joined her nieces. She looked at them questioningly and they explained their feelings on the matter. “Seeing us and your sisters will not be an issue,” Madeline reassured the sisters. “The children and I will arrive at Lambert Hills in March, and we will invite Kitty and Lydia to join us. I doubt whether your father will object. Your uncle will spend as much time with us as his business will allow. If your only worry was seeing your sisters and us, you can see that you will not be without our company for too many months.” Madeline had an idea, but said not aword as she wanted it to be a surprise for Lizzy and Mary, if it could be done, that is.
After a nod from Mary, Elizabeth turned to her aunt. “In that case, we will be happy to accept Aunt Gwen’s and Uncle Tim’s invitation,” she told her aunt. “When will we depart?”
“I will talk to your uncle, but I think you will be able to depart on Monday upcoming.”
Madeline remembered something. “You know that winters in Derbyshire are much colder than you are used to, do you not?” Her nieces nodded. “In that case, to the warehouse and other shops, we will go.”
“Aunt Madeline, we cannot have you spend so much money on us,” Elizabeth objected while Mary nodded her agreement.
“Before we departed Longbourn, your father gave Uncle Edward a very generous amount of funds in the form of a draft, so even though we would have purchased this and more for you without objection, it will not be our funds used for your needs,” Madeline revealed. She saw the sisters still looked a little uncomfortable at the idea of visiting shops. “If you are worried about shopping during your mourning period, do not be, it is perfectly acceptable.” Madeline noted her nieces’ looks of relief at her pre-empting that question.
Elizabeth was taken aback. Could it be her father was making genuine changes? She prayed she would one day be able to be in her parents’ company without the acrimonious feelings she had at this point in time.
The sisters went up to their bedchamber to prepare for the walk to their uncle’s warehouse. Ever efficient Mary was ready first and made her way downstairs. That left Elizabeth alone, something she had done by design. She talked to her older sister every day, and she felt the need to do so now. Janey never answered back with words, but it gave Elizabeth comfort to know she was listening to her.
She told her late sister about the impending journey into Derbyshire. Elizabeth ignored the thoughts that shire evoked about a certain man she had met in Hertfordshire, and fought the temptation to look at a certain handkerchief. “Silly me, I am sure you were listening when Aunt Maddie spoke to us. I miss you all the time Janey and I have had a hard time, more like an impossible time, imagining my feeling of loss will ever diminish. I know what Charlotte told me about how she slowly recovered after her Grandmama Marianne’s death. That notwithstanding, I do not see a path which will lead me past the deep-seated grief I feel. I love you, Janey, but I must not keep our aunt waiting for me for too long.” The whole time she spoke to her sister softly, Elizabeth’s eyes were pointed heavenward. She could have sworn she felt a movement of air in the room, but she decided she was imagining it. After one last look towards the heavens, she left the bedchamber and made her way downstairs.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Colonel Fitzwilliam was preparing to depart Netherfield Park for his return to London and his regiment. His work here was done. After suffering a fever driven by one of his wounds being infected for three days, Wickham had survived .
By then Mr Phillips had drawn up two documents. One regarding the attack which had blinded the miscreant in his left eye, and a second which gave irrevocable authority for his wife to her brother. Wicky had made one last attempt to extract money from Bingley before he signed the documents before Sir William, who was the local magistrate. Thanks to his limited vision with the bandages still in place, the wastrel had not seen the Colonel in the room. One growl from the latter, accompanied by the sound of his unsheathing his sabre, and the documents had been signed post haste. Sir William had not objected to the Colonel’sencouragementof the miscreant. He and Phillips departed the sickroom with the latter’s copies of the documents.
Before leaving the quaking man alone, Richard Fitzwilliam had warned Wickham in graphic detail what would happen to him if he dared to approached a Darcy, Fitzwilliam, Bingley, or Hurst ever again, not to mention what would happen to him if he ever so much as uttered Georgiana Darcy’s name. Knowing the Colonel did not make idle threats, Wickham had sworn they would never hear from him again.
Darcy approached his cousin while the latter was securing his saddle bags to his stallion, Invictus, before his ride back to London. “Are you sure you do not want to use my coach to travel to Town?” he offered once again.
“Thank you, again, William, but no. There may be some rain, but I am used to riding in that, and so much more, so it is no hardship for me,” the Colonel asserted.
“I know you are too stubborn for your own good, so I will not try and convince you anymore,” Darcy responded. “Thank you for coming, Richard. Your presence made Wicky so much more cooperative. Now it remains for poor Bingley to commit his sister to Bedlam.”
“He is very much quieter and contemplative compared to previous times I have been in company with him. I see sadness in his countenance,” the Colonel observed. “It is obvious he is taking Miss Bennet’s death very hard.”
“That he is. Bingley finally found the other half of his heart, only to have it ripped from his grasp in the cruellest way,” Darcy related. “It makes his antipathy towards his younger sister all the more understandable. As much as I love Giana, I know not how I would react in the same situation, but then again, our ward would never be as malicious as that insane shrew.”
“A truer word has never been spoken. Speaking of Giana, William, are you sanguine with me telling her what has occurred with Wicky and the former Miss Bingley?”
“I am. I have learnt my lesson with regards toinformation being needed and not trying to shield her from the truth. Tell her I will see her within a week. You know I need to spend time with Gardiner to go over my portfolio of investments with him, do you not?”
“William, we both know it is not your investments which pull you to see Gardiner. I thought you planned to give Miss Bennet time and space while she mourns.”
“I do, and I will. I just need to see for myself that she is well,” Darcy explained.
“Never did I think I would see the day when you became a mooncalf for any lady, never mind a country miss,” the Colonel stated amusedly. “Wait until my parents, Andrew, and Marie hear about this, not to mention what Giana will say, but I dare say she suspects an attachment to Miss Bennet already.”
“How can that be, other than you, I have not mentioned my feelings for Miss Bennet to anyone else in the family,” Darcy claimed.
“True, however, in not a single letter from you to our ward did you not mention a Miss Elizabeth at least once, and at times more than that. It did not take long to suspect an attachment based on the fact you have never before mentioned a lady in every letter to her,” the Colonel revealed.
Darcy smacked his own forehead. “I did not realise I had done that,” he declared. “I will write to her and explain the truth of the situation. May I tell my sister you will be able to answer questions she may have?”
“Of course. Please pass my gratitude on to Bingley and the Hursts for hosting me.” With that, the Colonel swung up onto Invictus, and with a jaunty salute to his younger cousin, he spurred his mount forward. Darcy stood and watched until he could no longer see horse and rider. He made his way back inside the house and headed for the study where he knew Bingley was.
“I assume this means Fitzwilliam is on his way toLondon?” Bingley verified.
“He is,” Darcy confirmed. “When do you plan to convey your sister to her new home?”
“According to Mr Jones, Wickham will be able to leave here in a few days. Other than the scars, and the fact that he will have only one good eye; he will be well enough to depart,” Bingley averred. “I did not want to leave the estate while that libertine was still here. It makes no difference to Caroline as she is sedated. The one time we allowed the drug to wear off, she could not be controlled. As sad as it is to say, her bond to sanity has been irreparably severed. Whoever that being is, it is no longer my sister.”
