Page 19

JANE GETS WORSE

F itzwilliam was surprised when the Darcys entered the Netherfield parlour, their demeanour exuding anger.

“I take it things didn’t go so well at Longbourn,” Bingley observed.

“Mr Bennet has gone mad! He has offended the whole neighbourhood and positively threw Sir William Lucas and myself out of his home,” Darcy growled.

“My mother was not much better. She seems not to understand that hosting a dinner party when her daughter lies so sick is distasteful. Nobody asked after Jane’s health and my parents seem to have no comprehension of the damage they’ve done to all of my sisters’ reputations by their behaviour,” Elizabeth informed the room.

Fitzwilliam frowned. “How will we protect their reputations?”

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know what the truth is about Mr and Mrs Phillips or Mr and Mrs Gardiner. Earlier Mrs Bennet seemed to intimate that they cannot help because of something that Mr Bennet knows about them. I suspect, however, that the truth is that either they do not know the situation or that there is something else at play that we do not yet know. Whatever the truth, Elizabeth and I will take them into our home until they are married. It’s no different to looking after my obstreperous sister.”

“You need time for yourselves,” Bingley argued. “You haven’t been married more than what? Two weeks.”

Elizabeth sighed. “We will make it work, somehow. We cannot abandon my sisters.”

Fitzwilliam shook his head. “I wish Kitty would listen to what I have to offer her. Yet, she constantly shuts me down. One minute she acts as though she is in love with me and will listen, then another minute she closes off. If she would listen, she would know that she would be protected and could help her sisters.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at Fitzwilliam.

“No, Elizabeth, I will not tell you! Kitty needs to hear it first,” Fitzwilliam laughed.

Darcy spotted the discomfort in his cousin. “Out with it, Fitzwilliam! There’s more to this than a simple frustration at Kitty, who happens to be behaving sensibly. More sensibly than I would have expected her to behave.”

Fitzwilliam stood up. “I’m sorry, Fitz. For once, I am not going to tell you anything. As I said, I need to talk to Kitty about it first.”

Darcy stood up and blocked Fitzwilliam’s exit from the room. “I will not have you rushing Kitty! She deserves better than that. The situation right now is concerning. Surely whatever it is that you have to tell her can wait until she is less worried about Jane and settled in her new life.”

“What would you know about waiting? Did you not rush Elizabeth into marriage?” Fitzwilliam demanded.

Darcy crossed his arms. “It is true that we rushed into marriage. However, it was a mutual rush, not a decision made by one of us to rush the other. If Elizabeth had told me to wait and to back off, I would have done so. You, however, appear to be trying to push Kitty to consider something she is not ready to consider right now.”

“Get out of my way, Fitz. You don’t know anything about what I’m thinking or feeling. I have and am respecting that she needs to hold back at the moment, despite my own wishes. You know nothing of struggle to get what you want,” Fitzwilliam argued.

Darcy shook his head and stepped aside. As Fitzwilliam went to stride past him, Darcy whispered, “Rush Kitty or hurt her in any way and you will have to answer to Elizabeth and myself. We will be watching you.”

Fitzwilliam ignored Darcy and continued striding out of the door. He would not explain himself. He could not. Pride rose in his breast shutting down the temptation to talk about anything. He was a colonel, he had led men into battle and knew the fragility of life. He squared his shoulders and stormed up the stairs. At least he could be useful, even if he could not solve the issues besetting them.

Fitzwilliam had barely stopped at the top of the stairs when he saw Catherine pacing the hallway. As he took in the worried frown and the tightly knitted forehead, Fitzwilliam’s problems no longer seemed to be significant. His heart broke slightly as he watched the woman he loved trying to figure something out. He stayed where he was for a few moments watching her. Something was wrong. Laughter filtered through the bedroom door where the other girls were sitting with Jane. Yet, Kitty was holding herself away from it all.

Fitzwilliam stepped forward. “Kitty!”

A desolate look met his worried face. “Oh, Christopher! I don’t know what I am going to do,” Catherine exclaimed. “Lizzy has offered to take us all in, but I can’t live off her charity! I would feel like a fraud. I feel so selfish worrying about my situation when Jane lies so sick, but I cannot help it. It’s all any of us can talk about. Papa’s behaviour is so strange.”

“I agree that it is strange. I promise you have nothing to worry about.” Instantly, Fitzwilliam knew that he had said the wrong thing.

Catherine’s glare spoke more eloquently than her words. “How dare you?!” She almost screamed. “I have no home, no money, no job, and no one I can turn to and you stand there and say that I have nothing to worry about? Who do you think you are?”

“The man who loves you deeply and would be your husband,” Fitzwilliam snapped back.

Catherine stopped. She blinked. She narrowed her eyes.

Fitzwilliam leant against the wall. “Think about it. I can offer you a home, a family, my name, everything that you could desire — including children. We won’t be rich like your sister and my cousin, but we will be respectable.”

“I… I want to say yes, but…” Catherine’s voice trailed off.

“You want to see Jane recover first. You also need time to think if it is truly what you want. I understand. Accept Elizabeth’s offer and take time to consider mine. Fitz and Elizabeth both care about you,” Fitzwilliam assured her.

Catherine shook her head. “I know they care and that they are not offering for any other reason than that, but I don’t want to take advantage of them. They are far more generous than any of us deserve.”

Fitzwilliam stepped forward and drew Catherine into his arms. “You don’t realise your own worth, my love.” He tipped her face up and kissed her.

Catherine sighed. “Very well. I will accept their offer.” She poked him in the chest. “You will need to convince me that you are genuine and not marrying me out of pity!”

Fitzwilliam stepped back and laughed. “First, you forget that I have proposed before, been accepted and then your father denied my suit, so we modified our engagement to courtship. Now things have changed, but my wishes remain the same. I have a few confessions before we do marry and when I’ve finished my confessions, it will be you marrying me out of pity! I love you, Kitty Bennet! Please promise me that we will resume our courtship and that you will consider my proposal seriously.”

Catherine laughed. “I promise you that if my life was not so uncertain right now, I would have said yes immediately to your proposal. I confess I had forgotten our courtship in my worry, please forgive me.” She turned. “I should go back to Jane right now. I will be down later on.”

Fitzwilliam gave her a broad smile. “I will think about being down later myself. I’m afraid I am still rather cross with my cousin at the moment.”

Catherine gave him a quizzical look and then spun on her heel and made her way back to Jane’s room.

* * *

E lizabeth stood at the top of the stairs. The day had been rather eventful and she needed to rest a little. However, she did not wish to interrupt Fitzwilliam and Catherine as they stood talking. She sighed as she watched her sister navigate a complicated situation. Elizabeth had to admire the maturity that Catherine was showing. There were no bitter recriminations, just a worry about the situation in general. Despite her tiredness, Elizabeth changed her mind as she listened to Fitzwilliam’s proposal. Now was a time for the sisters to come together. Fitzwilliam was genuine and fully committed to Catherine, but her sisters would be vulnerable to charlatans and criminals if they were not given the right advice and protection. Elizabeth’s concern rose. Did her other sisters feel the same way that Catherine seemed to do so?

Elizabeth stayed in the shadows, lost in thought. She had missed Catherine returning to Jane’s room. However, she was startled when Catherine flew back out of the room. “Call Lizzy! She needs to come quick. Something is wrong with Jane.”

Elizabeth stood in shock for a moment as she witnessed the exchange between Catherine and Fitzwilliam.

“Hush, I will go and find your sister. Go back to Jane,” Fitzwilliam said, catching Catherine and gently stroking her back to soothe her.

“Please hurry,” Catherine sobbed. “I. I. think that our parents need to know that Jane has gotten worse.”

Elizabeth stepped forward. “I’m here, Kitty. Christopher, would you inform my husband of the situation? I think it best if you ride over to Longbourn. My father is unlikely to listen to Fitz at the moment.”

“I will inform Fitz and Bingley. I understand your concerns, but it would be better for Fitz to be the one to deliver the news,” Fitzwilliam disagreed.

Catherine tripped over herself to try and explain what the full situation was, but in the end, her explanation was unintelligible.

Elizabeth, frustrated with her younger sister and worried about her eldest sister, swept past Catherine and Fitzwilliam. “Christopher, stay there until I come back. Kitty, come with me. It’s time for us to take our turn with Jane.”

Catherine miserably nodded and followed her sister at half the pace. The energy of her initial exit from the room now became languor.

Elizabeth, however, did not wait for Catherine to catch up. Swiftly she strode into the room and almost collapsed. In the few hours that she had been gone, Jane had gone from looking almost healthy to almost a greyish pallor. Despite the apothecary’s diagnosis and their swift return from London overnight, Elizabeth had not truly understood nor believed how grave the situation was. This news should not be delivered by one of the gentlemen. Elizabeth took a deep breath. She would have to deliver the news herself. She would need to tell her parents that their eldest daughter was succumbing to her illness and was not long for this world. “Mary? Lydia? When did either of you last get some sleep?”

Mary looked at Lydia. “I have no idea, maybe two nights ago,” Mary wearily told her sister. “Neither of us has left Jane’s side since we got here. Not like Kitty, who goes off and does who knows what!”

Catherine huffed. “I do not!” She fretfully argued. “I was trying to fathom our situation out and how not to put Lizzy and Fitz to any inconvenience. The only other times that I’ve left Jane were to inform our hosts about the situation.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m sure that Mary was teasing you,” Elizabeth tiredly yawned. “Mary, Lydia, go get some rest. Kitty and I will take our turn watching Jane.”

Mary shook her head. “I cannot do that. What if Jane worsens?”

“Then we’ll let you know. You are no good to anyone dog-tired!” Elizabeth declared. Looking sternly at the two girls, she continued, “Has Mr Bingley provided you with rooms? Or have you not even asked about staying?”

“Everything is a blur. We didn’t pay attention to what was said,” Lydia admitted. “We were too worried about Jane to think of anything else. We can’t go back to Longbourn and whether papa has even sent our trunks across, I have no idea.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. Rising from her seat, she wavered slightly. “Let me speak to Christopher for a moment. I’m sure he knows what’s going on.” She crossed the room and opened the door. To her surprise, the three gentlemen were standing at the door with identical grave looks on their faces. Elizabeth tiredly informed them of the situation. Jane’s rapid change worried the men.

“Each of your sisters has her own room. I believe that their trunks have arrived with their belongings and resides in each of their rooms,” Bingley told Elizabeth before she could ask. “I think that they are all situated close to this one. I will have Caroline show you which of the rooms belongs to the girls.”

“No need.” Elizabeth closed the door to Jane’s room with a snap. “I know which room is ours. Christopher, which is yours?”

“Two doors down from yours.” He marched down and stood straight with his back to his door, as though he were on parade.

Elizabeth opened the door next to Jane’s room. There stood Mary’s trunks, their distinctive design giving away their owner. Elizabeth closed that door and then opened the one on the other side of Jane’s room. The dust sheets and the musty smell that met their noses said of a disused room. Elizabeth shook her head and crossed the hallway. She opened the room that stood next to their own and blushed to the roots of her hair. Not only was the room not in use, but they had just interrupted what at first glance looked like a couple of the servants. Backing out of the room, the small group found no amusement in the situation. Elizabeth checked the room between hers and Fitzwilliam’s but found it to be unused since Georgiana had left. Elizabeth again crossed the hallway and entered the room opposite her own and found that Catherine’s trunks were there. Crossing her fingers Elizabeth entered the next room, only to find it was dusty and musty. Lydia’s room seemed to be nowhere. Frustrated she looked at the men in the hallway, who each shrugged. They returned to the room where they had interrupted the couple. Sure enough, there stood Lydia’s trunks. However, the room was a mess. The disturbed couple were lying on the messy bed in a brazen display while the room was a riot of various kinds of debris.

Bingley folded his arms and stepped forward into the room. “How dare you disturb the room of a guest in my home?” He thundered.

“S.sorry, s.s.sir,” the maid answered. “The gentleman… he assured me that the room wouldn’t be used. He said as given the eldest Miss Bennet is unwell, none of ’em would be wanting their rooms immediately. We. We’d be safe.”

“Gentleman? I see only….” Bingley’s words trailed off as he recognised the man the maid was with. “You had no right! As for you, I’m going to let Louisa deal with you!” He turned back to the maid. “Get up and clean this room up. I want it ready for Miss Lydia’s occupation within five minutes! She and her sisters need their rest.”

The maid scrambled to get up and dress quickly.

“And for heaven’s sake change the bedding!” Bingley snapped.

Bingley spun on his heel. Pulling the other two gentlemen with him. “Now that is sorted, Mrs Darcy, please assure your sisters that their presence here is welcome. Christopher, Fitz, we need to go to Longbourn once more. Mr and Mrs Bennet ought to know the situation has changed.”

Elizabeth watched as the three men walked down the stairs before she returned to her sisters. Jane was lying still and a strange scent filled the air. The atmosphere got oppressive as Elizabeth silently took her seat next to Jane. Taking the cloth from Mary she began to bathe Jane’s forehead. It was no use. There was no fever. Jane lay still in the bed – the only sign of life was the shallow, rhythmic, rise and fall of her chest. There appeared to be an inevitability that none of the girls wanted to acknowledge. Silence pressed in on them.

“Lizzy,” Lydia broke the silence. “What if… Jane stays like this? We cannot stay indefinitely with Mr Bingley. Nor can we indefinitely rely on you.”

Elizabeth sighed and looked at her eldest sister, in concern. “We’ll take it a day at a time, Lydia. If it comes to it, Fitz and I will have to take Jane to Pemberley somehow. We will all have to return to society and put brave faces on things, too. As for relying on us indefinitely, you can be assured you can. Whether it be by sharing our homes indefinitely or by giving you all homes of your own, we promise not to abandon you. Gentleman’s daughters you are and gentleman’s daughters you will remain! It is not charity, but simply our responsibility to look after you all.”

“But you’re going to be having your own family soon,” Mary pointed out. “Surely you will wish to concentrate on your children, not us!”

Elizabeth blushed, but did not immediately answer her sister. “Yes, we will be having our own family soon. However, Fitz is already the guardian of Georgiana. We did not begin our married life as just the two of us. You are all old enough to understand that we will require privacy at times, yet young enough that we cannot leave you to the wolves of society. It is our responsibility to look after our sisters and ourselves.”

“But. But what if we never marry? You cannot keep us forever?” Mary exclaimed.

“We can give you the comfort and the guidance that you will be able to do what you wish to do,” Elizabeth assured her sisters. “If you never marry, then I am sure we can aid you. However, in the meantime, we can ensure that you have the best chances available.”

“We should never have agreed to Jane’s plan to exaggerate our characters,” Mary fumed. “The rest of our society is so ridiculous that all we did was seem like we were as bad as they are.”

“So we stop exaggerating our characters now,” Lydia suggested. “All I got out of it was being jilted.”

Elizabeth looked at Lydia with sympathy. “That was not your fault, Lydia. Though I agree it was silly of us to do so, Mr Wickham was the one who should carry the majority of the blame. He knew that his heart was engaged when he entered the area and he didn’t tell you or anyone else the truth of that.”

“I know and I’m not as upset as I thought I was. Yet, I cannot help feeling regret and wondering if my actions played a part in it,” Lydia persisted.

Elizabeth placed an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Only in so far as it put you in his way to begin with. The rest is on him.”

Lydia sighed. “What about Jane? Do you think her keeping everything closed behind a mask of indifference has led to this?”

“I do not know,” Elizabeth answered. “Jane getting better is what matters.”

“I know you’re right, Lizzy. I cannot help wondering about why we are suffering like this,” Lydia admitted.

“Perhaps it is because we have told lies about ourselves!” Mary snapped.

“None of this is helpful!” Elizabeth observed. “Jane is our priority right now. Although, I think Kitty has a bit more to consider.”

Catherine blushed. “Lizzy! How do you know that?”

Elizabeth gave an enigmatic smile. “My husband is his cousin remember.”

Catherine blushed a deeper hue. “Please tell me he hasn’t told your husband everything.”

“We do not know anything other than what he wants us to know. We do know that he is anxious to speak to you,” Elizabeth stated. “Has he told you what is in his mind, yet?”

“He has told me that he still wants to marry me,” Catherine admitted.

“Have you accepted?” Elizabeth asked.

Catherine shook her head. “I want to, but I am worried he feels sorry for me. I’m not sure why he is doing so right now. I fear it’s pity that is making him propose. I’d rather go into service than accept a proposal made out of pity.”

Elizabeth sighed. She was not sure if she should tell her sister what had occurred in the drawing room. “I do not think that it is pity driving his proposal. There is something else going on. Something he won’t tell us.”

Catherine frowned. “That is not helpful, Lizzy! How do I know what he tells me is the truth?”

Elizabeth studied her sister carefully. “Kitty, if Lydia or I had made such an accusation, how would you answer us?”

“Why? I don’t understand.” Catherine prevaricated.

Elizabeth huffed. “If it was Lydia or I questioning Fitzwilliam’s honesty, how would you react?”

Catherine shrugged. “I don’t know…. I wouldn’t like it….”

“Mrs Forster has said that she thinks he’s someone who shouldn’t be trusted. She said he uses and discards people,” Lydia interrupted suddenly.

“Lydia!” Elizabeth gasped.

“Mrs Forster is bitter because she was rejected by him!” Catherine laughed. “She’s an untrustworthy snake in the grass, who has betrayed her husband with almost every single officer and gentleman who will look at her. The whole week after Christopher fought with Mr Wickham, Mrs Forster was flirting with Christopher. It was disgusting to watch. I wouldn’t trust anything that woman says.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think Christopher is that innocent, Kitty. However, you have answered my question.”

“Have I?” Catherine asked, unsure.

Elizabeth laughed at her sister. “You have. I know about the situation with Mrs Forster. She thought that Fitz was Christopher when they switched and Christopher had to return to Horse Guards. She behaved rather more familiarly than Fitz was comfortable with. Your taking Christopher’s part tells me everything that I need to know. You will know whether or not you trust what he tells you. Listen to what he has to say.”

Jane’s eyes fluttered open. “He could still be lying to her,” Jane tiredly murmured. “Don’t wait for my recovery, Kitty. Seize your happiness.” She paused. “Lizzy, would you please bring Mr Bingley here?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Rest, Jane. I will see if I can find him.”

“Kitty, go and accept Fitzwilliam’s offer!” Jane wheezed.

Elizabeth and Catherine stood up and left the room, only to discover that all the gentlemen, except for Mr Hurst, had gone to Longbourn and were not back yet.

* * *

T he ride to Longbourn, though urgent, was a slower progression because of a moonless night. Afraid of injuring the horses, the gentlemen rode slowly so that the horses could remain sure-footed.

“What is going on with you, Fitzwilliam?” Darcy suddenly demanded. “What is wrong?”

Fitzwilliam stirred out of his thoughts. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong,” he distractedly objected.

“I know you well enough to recognise when things are not right,” Darcy pressed. “You haven’t been the same since you returned from Horse Guards. Something has happened.”

“The bloody Forsters happened,” Fitzwilliam growled. “Thanks to them, I may lose all of my years of good service and be expelled from the army in ignominy!”

Darcy looked at his cousin in shock. “What did they do? For that matter what did you do?”

“They have spread lies about me. She is no better than the whore on the street corner. Yet, their lies and contrivances are so good that they have convinced my superiors that despite years of service in the army, I have behaved in a disreputable manner. Kitty doesn’t know it yet, but my fate depends on her. I love her, Fitz. I truly do. Thanks to her father, she distrusts my motives and I cannot say I blame her. I am worried that she is going to enter service — not out of any desire to do so, but because she thinks she doesn’t want to be a burden on you. She doesn’t want to take advantage of you and Elizabeth.”

“Over my dead body will they enter service!” Darcy growled. “It is love for Elizabeth that I will give them all a home and an income before they marry. I haven’t told Elizabeth this, but each time my mother was pregnant, my father would invest a dowry in case the child was female. Unfortunately, with each successive miscarriage and stillborn, many of those investments simply became just another part of my inheritance. There were ten of those in total that I now hold. My father recommended that I use them to do good. One I use as a fund for charitable endeavours and two of them I intend to gift to my wife to use as she sees fit and to ensure that she never goes wanting for anything. That leaves seven doing nothing. I can afford to gift one to each of my wife’s sisters as a personal fortune. I knew that I wanted to do that before I married my wife. I have her settlement being drawn up by my solicitors in London and am only waiting for the document to arrive before getting my father-in-law’s signature and my own on it. I also have four cottages on the Pemberley Estate that I am considering gifting to each of my new sisters too, so that should they not choose to marry, they will have their own homes.”

“If Kitty agrees to marry me, then she will not need that cottage. I inherited my mother’s aunt’s estate in Derbyshire,” Fitzwilliam declared.

Darcy laughed. “I am aware of that. It will be hers to do with as she likes, during her lifetime. The only condition will be that when she dies the cottage returns to the Darcy holdings.”

Fitzwilliam shook his head. “I wish I could do even half so much to help her sisters, but the truth is that I have enough to make Kitty comfortable and that is it. Even that might eat into the small savings I have laid by over the years, through careful management of my expenses.”

“You do not need to do anything more. Allow Elizabeth and I to look after them. We can do so with relative ease,” Darcy assured him. “I promise you that the fortune I can give to Kitty will make your lives easier. You will be able to move in society as befits your station.”

“Does Elizabeth know any of this?” Fitzwilliam asked.

Darcy shook his head. “She does not. She only knows that we are going to look after her sisters. I would rather keep it that way for now. I have told her the truth of what we are worth down to the penny, but she does not know that part of that worth is made up of giftable individual fortunes. She did not ask any further questions. I had intended to tell her everything during our engagement. As you know, due to the circumstances, our marriage was rather rushed. I will have to explain to her the truth of our situation and what I have planned for her sisters.”

“I would like to help the girls, too,” Bingley declared, suddenly joining the conversation.

“You have allowed them into your home for an indefinite amount of time while Jane is recovering, you are helping them. They are not finding themselves out on the street,” Darcy observed. “For that, Elizabeth and I are very grateful.”

“That is merely basic Christian charity,” Bingley said. “I mean I want to aid in giving them what their father has denied them. A chance to marry well and to attract men of worth.”

“Do you have your eye on one of them, Bingley?” Darcy asked.

“I like Jane, but… I do not believe that she is the one for me. I fear also that she is not long for this world,” Bingley sadly stated. “I need a strong, healthy woman to be my bride.”

Fitzwilliam and Darcy looked at Bingley with sympathy. Jane’s delicate health cast a pall over their discussions. For a few minutes, there was a brief period of silence that followed as each of them contemplated the repercussions should the worst happen to Jane. Each was uncomfortable as they thought about the immediate effect that it would have on the sisters and themselves. The wider effect on the neighbourhood was something that they could not face. Anger rippled between the men.

“I have to marry Jane!” Bingley suddenly declared.

“Wait a minute!” Fitzwilliam exclaimed. “Did you not just say that you do not think she is the one?”

“I did and she is not. However, I believe that there is an expectation arising from our marriage. Also, she has fallen ill while under my roof. I cannot get around it. The only honourable thing for me to do is to offer for her,” Bingley exclaimed. “I cannot see my way to do anything else.”

“Surely you have done nothing to require you to take such an extreme step! It’s not like you’ve pulled the same stunt that Fitz did!” Fitzwilliam teased.

Darcy grinned ruefully. “I do not regret that!” He admitted. “However, Christopher is right. You have not done anything to make you take that step. Besides it is unlikely that Jane is thinking about that at the moment.”

Bingley shook his head. “You have both been busy with Miss Darcy. You have not had time to give attention to my situation.”

“Bingley, you have done nothing that could be construed as inappropriate. Mr Bennet has only objected to you because you are friends with us. It is Fitz and I that have caused the neighbourhood to think badly of us. We have made mistakes and we apologise for that. Yet, no, I do not think you have done anything that requires you to marry Jane,” Fitzwilliam reiterated.

The subject was swiftly dropped as they turned their horses into the driveway of Longbourn.

Darcy frowned. It was a mere two hours since he and Elizabeth had been ejected from Longbourn. How Mr Bennet would react he had no way of predicting. Yet, for the sake of Jane and Elizabeth, Darcy had to try and get Mr Bennet to understand the truth of the situation. This would by no means be easy! He let out a quiet sigh at the thought.

“Cheer up, Fitz,” Fitzwilliam joked. “If we are unsuccessful then we need never set foot in Longbourn ever again.”

“If we are unsuccessful then it is I who has to face an irate wife tonight! Not to mention already facing the prospect of a cold bed!” Darcy griped. “Kitty will forgive your failure. Elizabeth may not forgive mine.”

“Mrs Darcy would forgive you almost anything!” Bingley announced confidently.

“I hope you are right! I also hope that we can convince Mr Bennet that Jane’s situation is serious,” Darcy told them.

“There’s only one way to know and it’s too late for any other kind of approach. The front door of Longbourn has already been opened,” Fitzwilliam pointed out.

Darcy looked up and realised that Fitzwilliam was correct. Wearily, he climbed out of the saddle and joined his cousin and friend on the approach to the front door. There was no time to say anything else.

Mr Hill, the elderly butler greeted Darcy and the other gentlemen politely. “How is Miss Jane doing?” The butler asked. “Please forgive my impertinence. It is simply that the master refuses to even talk about his daughters. It is no secret that he has disinherited all, except for Mrs Darcy. However, please believe me when I say that Mrs Hill and the rest of the servants too all love the girls and miss their joyful antics.”

Darcy nodded to the butler. “No need to explain, sir. My own housekeepers and butlers are just as fond of my sister and myself. I’m sure that fondness will extend to my wife soon enough. Jane is not doing so well. She took a turn for the worse earlier. That is why we are here.”

“Please convey to Mrs Darcy and her sisters that we are all praying for Miss Jane to recover and return to us,” Mr Hill requested.

“I will tell my wife,” Darcy agreed. “However, right now we need to speak to Mr Bennet, if he is at home.”

Mr Hill nodded. “He is at home, though I think he wishes he were not.”

“I WILL NOT BE SILENT!” The screams of the Bennet matriarch rippled through the house and the gentlemen standing in the vestibule. “YOU HAVE SINGLE-HANDEDLY ASSURED THAT OUR NAME IS A SCANDAL IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.”

“I HAVE DONE NOTHING OF THE SORT! NOT ONE OF THEM ARE OUR FRIENDS, FANNY! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS QUICK TO CONDEMN AND INSULT US!” Mr Bennet retorted.

“WELL, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING! I BELIEVE THAT OUR JANE IS SICK, VERY SICK!”

Mr Bennet lowered his voice, but it was still audible through the open doorway of the parlour. “Jane sealed her own fate by going over to visit with Mr Bingley, her sisters chose their fate by insisting on believing the ridiculous story that Jane is gravely ill! If you wish to continue residing over my home and my table, then you will do as I say. End of discussion. I am still the head of this home and this family! If you do not like that fact, then perhaps you should join your daughters at Netherfield and not return. It is not as though you have been a proper wife to me for the past few years!”

“And why should I be a proper wife when you chose to take away the inheritance of my children? Long before all of this happened, you showed your contempt for our girls with that ridiculous entailment,” Mrs Bennet argued. “If it were not for that, I would not need to be so aggressive in getting our daughters married. You could have chosen to leave the estate to any of the girls, but no! You decided that your cousin would be a better object to bestow the estate on. You would rather leave your girls destitute.”

“I would rather that you did not speak about a thing that you have no comprehension about. Women are silly creatures who have no comprehension about what it takes to run an estate. I would rather that my estate go to someone who will look after it properly and appreciate the rich family history that is here too. I do not believe that you will ever understand the responsibilities that will rest on the shoulders of the heir to my estate. Women are simply not capable.”

“Well, I intend to visit my Jane in the morning!” Mrs Bennet sullenly told him.

“You will do no such thing! That girl has always used her health to get your attention,” Mr Bennet responded. “If you defy me, then I promise you that I will expose the secret of your whole family.”

“You wouldn’t!” She exclaimed. “You made my father a promise to protect that with your life!”

“Let me be understood. That promise was made of null effect the moment you were unfaithful to me!” Mr Bennet coldly declared.

“And you have punished me and the girls ever since!” Mrs Bennet retorted. “I do not know why you have to be so cruel to the girls. Let me go and visit our firstborn.”

Mr Bennet scoffed. “I have put up with your behaviour for too long. No, neither of us will be visiting with our firstborn. As for our other girls they have made their beds, let them lie in them.”

“But…but….” Mrs Bennet stammered.

Bingley had heard enough and stepped towards the parlour with a more determined step than Darcy had seen in him for a long time. “Mr Bennet,” Bingley loudly snapped. “I cannot believe what I have just heard. Your eldest daughter lies in my home gravely ill. I do not know, nor do I care what import your cruel words might have. What I care about is that Miss Bennet has taken a turn for the worse. Mrs Darcy and her other sisters are very concerned about her. The apothecary has made very clear that it is possible that Miss Bennet could pass away while under my roof.”

“You have no idea what you are talking about,” Mr Bennet sneered. “I also do not believe that my eldest is that sick. Even if she is then let her get on with it. I wash my hands of the girls.”

Shaking off the languor of surprise, Darcy followed his friend into the drawing room. “I do not understand how you can abandon your daughters so easily, sir. None of them have behaved in a way that is worse than the way my sister has behaved. In fact, they have behaved far better and with more dignity than my sister has. How my cousin and I have dealt with my sister contrasts with your behaviour. In trying to reach my sister and deal with her behaviour, neither my cousin nor I have abandoned Georgiana! Instead, we have enlisted the aid of my aunt to try and reach my sister drawing her closer into our family.” Darcy crossed his arms over his chest. “I assure you that Jane has taken a turn for the worse. Elizabeth and her sisters are very worried about her! None of them will pay any attention to anything other than what is happening with their eldest sister. Despite all of them being in a very precarious situation right now, they are all sitting with Jane. Despite your treatment of Elizabeth earlier, she requested that we come and inform you about Jane’s condition. They have all shown far more generosity both towards you and towards each other than they have received.”

Mr Bennet glared at Darcy. “I do not believe that the situation with your sister and that with my daughters is the same.”

Fitzwilliam snorted behind Darcy. “You are correct! My ward will always have a place with any of our family. The Fitzwilliams and the Darcys look after their own. We rally around those who are vulnerable. I guarantee you that your daughters will have the same protection from our family. Might I warn you that if you offend us – you will find yourself ostracised by our family and the whole of society. It is not arrogance for me to say that where my parents lead society follows! That includes local societies, such as this one.”

“Threats will not get you anywhere. My family is mine to treat as I will,” Mr Bennet warned them.

“That is true! However, along with that comes the responsibility that you treat your wife and daughters in a way as to ensure their health and wellbeing! Your eldest daughter needs your presence,” Bingley informed Mr Bennet. “You are failing in your responsibility to your daughters, do not compound that with disappointing them and ignoring how serious the situation is with your eldest.”

Mr Bennet threw back his head and laughed. “You stand there and tell me I am failing in my responsibilities? Who do you think you are? You know nothing about me or my family! Jane is known to play on her health and pretend to be sick. I do not believe that it is anything more serious than her imagination. She is most likely making her sisters tell lies to gain the sympathies of her mother and myself. There is nothing that will convince me that Jane is as sick as you are telling me. As usual, she will miraculously improve as soon as she receives the attention that she craves.”

“You are wrong!” Darcy savagely growled. “My wife would never lie to me. I have also witnessed all the girls' concerns. My wife and I interrupted our wedding tour to come and care for Jane. I do not care what it is that you believe about your daughter. If you do not bother to come and see your eldest daughter before it is too late, I do not believe that Elizabeth will forgive you! Let alone the fact that I do not believe that any of your daughters will forgive you.”

Mr Bennet waved Darcy’s concern away. “My daughters are all silly. They will soon accept their situation. None of them will be upset for too long.”

“Do you really think that they will forgive you for not being there when the inevitable happens to Jane?” Darcy demanded. “Do you think that backing them into a corner where they are dependent on the kindness of strangers is something that they will forgive you for?” He shook his head. “I believe, sir, that you are more concerned about your own comforts than you are about anyone else! I fear that you do not even care about your wife!”

Mr Bennet looked at his son-in-law as though the younger man was nothing more than a bug to be squashed. “I do not know what it is that you think you will accomplish by talking to me like this! I have told you that I do not believe that my daughter is as sick as you have told me. I will not yield. My wife and I will not be found at my daughter’s bedside. All of you are an affront to me. Leave my home now and never return. If any of you ever return or try to talk to me on this subject again, I will call for the local sheriff and have you tried for trespass.”

“Very well! We have tried!” Darcy snapped. “My wife and her sisters cannot blame us if Jane passes without you being there. I believe that should you change your mind and choose to visit your sick daughter, then you would be welcome at Netherfield. Goodbye, sir! I hope you know what you are doing. Never try to use my name or association in society. My family will squash you and your wife like a bug if you do!”

Mr Bennet coolly watched as the offended and angry young men turned on their heels and strode with a clipped and almost military gait from the room and then the house. “Good riddance to those troublesome young men,” he told his wife. “Now you will obey my strictures or join your daughters in disgrace.”

Sadness and disappointment made all three of the Netherfield men slouch in their saddles as they returned from their unsuccessful trip.