“Do you believe bloodletting to be strictly necessary, Mr. Crompton? What have you discovered about her condition?”
He gestured for her to leave the room, he stepped aside to let her pass.
Knowing that Mama was perfectly healthy, she wondered what he would have to say. In a way, it was a test of his skill as a physician.
“To be perfectly honest, I am at a loss to diagnose her condition, Miss Elizabeth. Miss Lydia’s description of what happened was rather vague and I have little to go by. Did you happen to witness what occurred?”
She shook her head. “It all happened so suddenly; I hardly know what to say.”
Once again, she felt vexed at having to cover for her mother, but there was nothing else she could do.
“Quite understandable,” he said, kindly. “With so little to go on, I cannot come up with anything definitive yet. I do not believe it is apoplexy, but it is difficult to tell in these situations. Her pulse is actually very strong – perhaps too strong— and indicates agitation rather than lethargy. In such situations, when there is an imbalance in the humors, bloodletting can be a way to overcome that imbalance.”
“But is it really necessary?”
“I will be forthright with you, Miss Elizabeth. In cases such as apoplexy, very little can be done for the patient. They might recover, or they might not. At this stage, I do not see any definite signs of apoplexy. We will have to wait and see if it progresses. For now, apart from draining the blood, all I can do is prescribe her some laudanum, and let nature take its course.”
“If you are not entirely sure, can we postpone the bloodletting, Mr. Crompton?”
Mr. Crompton was not happy with the suggestion, but after returning to the bedroom and checking her pulse once again, he gave a quick nod.
“Very well. But you must promise that if her condition changes in any way, you will send for me at once.”
He produced a bottle of tincture and provided Elizabeth with instructions about when and how to give it to her. Then, with a quick bow, he took his leave.
As soon as the front door had opened and closed, and the clip clop of the horseshoes against the cobbles indicated that Mr. Crompton was riding away, Mrs. Bennet sat up.
“We cannot keep up this pretense, Mama, it is not fair to Mr. Crompton. He is very puzzled.”
“I do not see how it is unfair, Elizabeth. I am sure your papa will compensate him handsomely.”
“But Mama—”
She did not continue. It was clear Mrs. Bennet had lost interest and was not paying her the least attention.
Elizabeth sighed. It did not really matter, after all. She felt sorry that Mr. Crompton was so perplexed, but it was not a serious matter. Mama would be on her feet again soon, and it would all be behind them.
A few minutes later, Lydia hurried in to announce that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were riding up the drive.
“La!” said Lydia, “Why is it that Mr. Darcy always follows Mr. Bingley around? We can never have any peace.”
She threw herself onto the bed next to Mama with a loud moan.
It occurred to Elizabeth that it was unusual for Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley to come calling at this time of day, especially after a ball that had ended in the early hours of the morning.
“More to the point,” she said, “why are they here now?”
“Because Mr. Bingley cannot stay away from Jane, of course,” said Mrs. Bennet. “Help me up. I must go down to see Mr. Bingley.”
Elizabeth’s sense of unease was growing.
“You cannot do that yet, Mama,” she objected. “Suppose they ran into Mr. Crompton, and he told them you are ill? It would look very strange if you came downstairs, fit as a fiddle. You had better stay here, Mama. I will talk to them and let you know if you are free to come down.”
She hurried to her room to prepare Jane to receive their visitors. Jane rushed to the mirror to check her reflection, but barely had time before the bell rang forcefully three times.
“That must be Mr. Darcy,” said Jane, her eyes widening. “Mr. Bingley would not ring so loudly.”
Mr. Darcy would not ring so loudly either, not unless he had heard the news. Elizabeth’s heart sank. It was looking more and more likely that the news of Mama’s illness had reached them.
