Mr Darcy’s gaze softened. “Ladies, please take care of Mr Bennet. Mrs Gardiner, here is the direction of my physician, incase his state does not improve and requires further assistance. I shall send word the moment we have news.”
“Thank you, sir, you are exceedingly generous,” Mrs Gardiner replied. He bowed, briefly and correctly, looking rather uneasy.
“You are most kind and generous, indeed, sir,” Mr Bennet said, drawing everyone’s attention as he limped through the door. “However, as I said, this is nothing but a superficial cut. I entered into an altercation with a drunk man while asking about Wickham at an inn. That idiot pulled out a knife and struck me but was immediately taken down by the innkeeper.”
“Dear Lord, Papa!” Jane gasped.
“Do not fret, Jane, it is nothing. I am well. Better than I deserve to be.”
“Mr Bennet is not really well,” the apothecary interjected. “As I told him, the cut is not very deep, but it is not to be neglected either. I am sure the blade will have been dirty, so there is always the danger of an infection. Mr Bennet should stay in bed and take the medicines I have left him.”
“I promise he will do just that,” Mrs Gardiner answered.
“And I would not reject Mr Darcy’s offer so easily,” the apothecary said. “It would do no harm if a physician examines him too, just to be sure. I would certainly not mind.”
“Thank you, Mr Gilroy, we shall follow your advice,” Mrs Gardiner said. “And thank you again, Mr Darcy.”
“There is nothing to thank me for,” Mr Darcy replied.
“Indeed, there is, and I have to thank you, too, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth whispered. She did not feel composed enough to speak, but not thanking him was impossible. “I feel I am to blame the most since I believed that man’s stories when wefirst met… Jane warned me that I had granted him my trust too easily, but I was such an arrogant, prejudiced simpleton—”
“Lizzy,” Jane interjected, gently grasping her arm. “There is no need for that.”
“It is needed since you all know that I judged Mr Darcy mistakenly and harshly at the beginning of our acquaintance, and I offered Mr Wickham my friendship equally mistakenly and hastily. And now, one of them has ruined our family, and the other one is trying to save it.”
Elizabeth spoke her heart openly, in the presence of her uncle, aunt, sister, father, the colonel, and the apothecary, as well as Mr Darcy himself; her guilt was too gripping and her tears too heavy to be controlled.
“Miss Elizabeth, we must leave now, but I promise that, as soon as we return and have this matter resolved fully, I shall be happy to debate with you and Mr Bennet as to who should bear the biggest share of blame in regard to Wickham,” Mr Darcy said with a little smile. “Mr Gardiner, Colonel, are you ready? Let us go!”
With that, he hurried to the door, the other two gentlemen closely behind. Jane held her father’s arm tightly, as if stopping him from following them.
For a moment, there was a heavy silence, the four of them glancing at each other, still in shock, forgetting about the apothecary.
“Well, I shall leave you now,” Mr Gilroy said. “Do not hesitate to call me again if you need me.”
Several expressions of gratitude followed, then he left, while the silence and torment returned to envelop the other four.
“What kind of father would allow his daughter the liberty to ruin the lives of his entire family?” Mr Bennet whispered. “What sort of father allows his fifteen-year-old daughter to be in the company of officers? And now, a complete stranger — Mr Darcy — and my brother are expected to settle this predicament that I am responsible for.”
“Papa, you should go and rest. We need you to heal as quickly as possible,” Jane said. “Mr Darcy is right, blaming ourselves will not help at all at this time of sorrow.”
“Yes, yes, my dear, what else can I do but rest while Mr Darcy is saving my silly daughter? By the by, I hope you realise Lydia’s scandal will affect you and Lizzy too…”
“Let us not assume more than there is,” Mrs Gardiner said. “Perhaps Mr Darcy, Edward, and the colonel will find a reasonable resolution to this affair.”
“What would be a reasonable resolution?” Mr Bennet asked. “The only thing that might save her from ruin would be to marry that scoundrel, but why would he take on such a burden? And even if he were to marry her, though I find that impossible, she would be tied for life to that horrible man. Either way, her future would be miserable. That is the truth,” the gentleman said, limping back to his chamber.
Elizabeth’s heart raced while a sharp claw — perhaps a blade, just like the one that had injured her father — cut into her chest. She knew he was right; Lydia’s life was ruined, regardless, and she would be forever miserable, one way or another. Mr Bingley might never return to see Jane, let alone to propose to her.
As for Mr Darcy, he would certainly keep his promise to find Lydia and bring her back. But with that, he would only prove once more that he was a man of honour. Elizabeth couldnot hope for anything more, not from a man she had rejected and offended, even if she had now come to admire him.
Chapter 10
The drawing room at Gracechurch Street, usually a haven of cheerful domesticity, now felt like a chamber of hushed dread. Elizabeth paced in front of the window, her fingers twisting the edge of her shawl as if it were a lifeline, while Jane sat rigidly on the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap, her fair face drained of its customary bloom. Mr Bennet reclined in an armchair, his bandaged arm resting awkwardly against a cushion, his expression a mask of weary resignation mingled with the sharp wit that even calamity could not entirely dull. Mrs Gardiner bustled about with trays of tea and biscuits, her practical nature a steady anchor in the storm.
“Well, well,” Mr Bennet began, his voice laced with that familiar irony that masked deeper pain. “Here we are, a family council assembled to dissect the folly of our youngest member, Lydia, and eldest — me. Lydia and Wickham — eloped to Gretna Green, or so she fancies. I dare say the scoundrel has no such noble intentions. He is more likely plotting his next bet or dalliance. And I, the negligent patriarch, am left to ponder how a girl of fifteen could outwit us all with nothing but giggles and ribbons.”
With that, he filled a glass of brandy and took a few sips.
