To Darcy’s dismay, a look of contempt passed amongst his relatives, for despite her appearance as a woman of fashion, they were all well aware from whence Mrs Gardiner had come. Determined to mitigate the slight, he bowed deeply. It was excruciating, but he did his best to ignore the way his stomach knotted in revolt. “An honour to meet you, madam.”
Mrs Gardiner looked anxiously at her niece.
“He said it is an honour to meet you,” Elizabeth said quietly, sending Darcy a look of gratitude.
“Miss Bennet, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Fitzwilliam said, adding his voice to Bingley’s attempt to smooth the waters, for which Darcy was inordinately grateful. “I did not have the time on Monday evening to thank you for your kindness towards my cousin. I imagine he does look a good deal better than he did this time last week, for which we are all vastly grateful to you.”
Lord Matlock cleared his throat loudly, his eyebrows drawn together in disapprobation. “Let us not deny the physicianhis due. I am sure Miss Bennet did her best, but we have Farnham to thank for Darcy’s recovery.”
“Indeed,” his wife agreed. “As I told your uncle on Tuesday, Miss Bennet, we are all most obliged for your troubles, but there is no need to concern yourself any further with Mr Darcy’s well-being.”
Elizabeth smiled noncommittally. Her aunt did not. Darcy could not tell whether Mrs Gardiner were affronted or afraid, but she most certainly was not comfortable.
“Madam, I beg you would be more civil to my guests,” he mouthed angrily, but either Lady Matlock did not notice he had addressed her, or she chose to ignore him. He rapped his knuckles on the nearby table until she acknowledged him. “Farnham only sewed me up. Miss Bennet kept me alive until he could.”
“What are you saying?” his aunt said crossly.
He rolled his eyes heavenward but persevered, enunciating as clearly as he could. “I am alive because Miss Bennet kept my wound clean all week.”
“We cannot understand you, Darcy!” Ladbroke exclaimed, chuckling as though at some inane joke and not his own cousin’s misfortune.
“He said that he is alive because he did not contract a fever.”
Everybody’s attention snapped to Elizabeth.
“And pray,” said Lady Catherine coldly, “how is it that you can claim to comprehend him when none of his own family can?”
Comprehend and paraphrase,thought Darcy with amusement.
“After a week of close confinement, your ladyship can hardly be surprised,” Elizabeth replied. “Mr Darcy and I havespent considerable time learning to understand one another.” She shifted her gaze to his and added, “I comprehend him perfectly now.”
Darcy searched her countenance for some indication as to whether that were a good or a bad thing, struggling not to be carried away on a swell of false hope.
“You exaggerate, Miss Bennet,” said Lady Matlock. “An entire inn is not such very close confinement.”
Lady Catherine narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth. “It would be to nobody’s advantage were you to embellish the particulars of the situation, Miss Bennet. Least of all your own.”
Darcy knocked on the table again. “It is no exaggeration, madam. Miss Bennet slept in a cupboard. How confined would you have her be?”
His aunt frowned furiously at his lips as though she could scare the meaning out of them. “Pardon?”
“If you spoke more slowly, we might stand a chance of understanding you,” Fitzwilliam admonished.
“He said it was a small inn,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“Isthat what you said?” Lady Catherine demanded of Darcy.
It was not, yet Elizabeth’s plaintive look recalled him to the embarrassment to which she had confessed whenhediscovered the truth of her sleeping arrangements. That he had been about to divulge it to his already scornful relations, even though in her defence, was unforgivable. “Yes,” he confirmed, hoping against hope that he had not damaged her opinion of him any further.
Her ladyship’s countenance reddened. “Nevertheless, a small inn is still anentireinn. There is nothing scandalous to be made of it.”
“Miss Bennet has not come here to threaten us with scandal!You just heard Bingley say it was his idea to bring her here!”
Bingley must have caught some of what Darcy mouthed, for he took the cue to defend Elizabeth. “Oh, yes, it was all my idea to bring Miss Bennet for a visit. She was anxious to know that Darcy was better. I suggested that she come with me and see for herself.”
Lady Catherine spared Bingley only the briefest glance before she fixed Elizabeth with a disdainful scowl. “Your uncle was too busy in hisshopto bring you, I suppose.”
Good God!Anger made Darcy’s heart pound, compounding his lightheadedness. He tightened his grip on the chair back and deliberately slowed his breathing as he struggled to think of a single cogent thing to say in support of Elizabeth, but she started speaking before the ringing in his ears diminished enough to allow coherent thought.
