“No thank you, Sir. I believe Mr. Jones, who has attended us practically from birth, knows Jane and her maladies better than any other medical man,” Elizabeth averred.
“In that case, I will have a groom sent to request his presence forthwith,” Bingley promised.
“Are you sure there is nothing we can do to assist you, Miss Elizabeth?” Darcy asked.
“When I walk home, I will have a trunk with some of Jane’s clothing sent. I require nothing more, so thank you, Sir.” Elizabeth did not know what to think. The man sounded sincere.
“Miss Elizabeth, unless you have some prior engagements, please do not think about walking home. I believe it will comfort Miss Bennet to have her sister here to nurse her if you desire to do so,” Bingley offered.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I own it will help me rest easier to be able to look after my sister myself,” Elizabeth replied thankfully. She had no confidence that Miss Bingley would exert herself for her dearest sister’s care. Mr. Bingley’s offer eased her mind allowing her to be able to provide the care her sister needed. “If you could provide me with a quill and some parchment, I will write a note to my mother requesting trunks for each of us.”
“I have a travelescritoirein my chambers; it has everything you will need. I will fetch it for you,” Darcy offered.
Before Elizabeth could tell him not to bother, the man turned on his heel and departed. The more time she spent around the man, the more confused she became. It was hardly any time at all before he returned and placed the travel writing desk on the table in the shared sitting room.
For his part, Darcy knew he needed to apologise for his words at the assembly but he did not want to overwhelm the obviously worried Miss Elizabeth until her sister felt better. He had a niggling concern that perhaps she was the accomplice of her older sister in stalking rich prey.
Unless he was mistaken, however, he felt Miss Elizabeth bought into her sister’s persona shown to most of the world. He did not think Miss Elizabeth was a mercenary predator as her older sister was—well, he hoped not.
Elizabeth wrote the note and a groom was charged to take it with him to Longbourn. The young groom drove a cart to pick up the Bennet sisters’ trunks and bring them to Netherfield.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When Fanny Bennet read the note from her second daughter, she was secretly pleased Elizabeth had taken it upon herself to stay with Jane. She would never allow either of the two to know that. She would not show any approval of her second daughter openly. She had worked on Jane for so long to convince her Elizabeth was a problem and did not want what she had taught Jane to be questioned.
“Let us hope Miss Lizzy does not interfere with my Jane’s catching a rich husband,” Fanny stated to her husband.
“From what I read here, Jane is far more ill than she has been with colds in the past, so I believe it will be some days before Jane will see any of the gentlemen in residence at Netherfield Park,” Bennet opined.
“What is that letter you are staring at, Mr. Bennet?” Fanny demanded.
“We are to have a visitor next week, Mrs. Bennet.”
“Who would that be?” Fanny asked stridently.
“It is a man I have never met in the whole of my life, Mr. William Collins, the one who will inherit this estate on my passing from the mortal world into heaven.”
“What does that odious man want with us? I am sure he wants to catalogue his future possessions. I do not know how he sleeps at night knowing he will steal a home from its rightful owners.” Fanny repeated her oft stated views on the entail.
As he had explained the entail many times to his wife over the years, Bennet did not attempt to correct her misinterpretation of the situation again. She never heard what he told her, so there was no point wasting his breath. He handed the letter to his wife instead. Luckily, she did not comment on the date of the missive so he did not have to lie that it had been misdirected.
“What is the olive branch the man is going on about?” Mrs. Bennet asked. She was one who would never allow any perceived advantage to pass her, especially of it meant the possibility of marriage for one of her daughters.
“As you read, Mrs. Bennet, the man states he will enlighten us when he arrives,” Bennet stated.
Mean of understanding she might be, she now smelt a potential suitor for one of her girls, not Jane or Lydia of course; they were meant for far better things than a parson, even the one who was to inherit Longbourn.
Bennet sat with a grin as he watched his wife arrive at the same conclusion he had about the proposed amendment the man wanted to make. If his letter was anything to go by, Bennet was sure there would be a lot of amusement watching the man try and woo one of his daughters.
“The house must be ready for this most welcome guest,” Fanny stated as she left his study to bark orders at Hill and the other servants.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“I approve of the curate you have engaged to perform your clerical duties while you are in Hertfordshire, Mr. Collins,” Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the mistress of Rosings Park, declared. She was seated in her raised throne-like chair in the drawing room of the estate in Kent.
“Thank you, your beneficence,” Collins replied as he bowed so low his nose almost touched the floor. How he did not fall over was a wonder.
The truth was since her daughter’s birthday two years ago; she was no longer the mistress. She refused to relinquish the position and, in her opinion, Anne was too frail to fight for her rights.
