Page 24

A BETTER MAN

W ickham applied for and was granted leave from the militia to aid where he could. The days turned into weeks with little to no improvement in Darcy. Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam were grateful for Wickham’s aid. The Bingleys returned to society, but Fitzwilliam, the Bennets, and Wickham had no taste for dinner parties or balls. Wickham proved correct as the neighbourhood refused to accept that Mary had been born Mark and with Mark staying away from society, the rumours continued to swirl around.

Fitzwilliam improved slowly and was up and walking around after a month of recuperation. Mrs Bennet slowly became more settled and was soon fussing in a motherly manner around both Fitzwilliam and Darcy as they recovered. Elizabeth worried constantly about her husband and what would happen if he should die. His protection and care were all that stood between her and her sisters being homeless. Lady Catherine had kept Georgiana from coming to see her ailing brother. The reports that Elizabeth received were that while she was much reformed in her behaviour, Lady Catherine was not yet sanguine that Georgiana was sufficiently reformed. Elizabeth had received only one letter from Georgiana herself. The vitriol that the young girl had written had upset Elizabeth. So much so that she had almost burnt the letter. Fitzwilliam had insisted on reading the letter when he had seen how upset Elizabeth had been and was as incensed about it as Elizabeth. He had immediately written to Lady Catherine to get more oversight of his ward.

Mr Bennet, on first discovering that he had a son and heir, had attempted to get the entailment broken. This, he soon discovered, could not be done without Mark’s agreement. This Mark refused to do. No amount of threats or cajolements could persuade Mark to sign the documents. Instead, Mr Bennet found himself in an awkward situation. He had disinherited all of his girls, except for Elizabeth, but found he could not disinherit the son that he never knew he had because of having created the entailment. Mark had retired from his persona as Mary permanently and was slowly getting used to living as the heir of Longbourn and a young gentleman. The freedom that he was accorded as a gentleman was tempered by the knowledge that he was constrained by what he could do to help Catherine and Lydia.

Jane recovered much of her strength, but it was clear she was much weakened by her illness. So while she could go out into society, she chose not to. Her weakened state was such that she felt more comfortable in the parlour than out in society. By the end of the month that followed, Netherfield was a mixture of quiet expectation and silent anxiety. However, Catherine was the surprise of everyone. Not only had she stayed constantly by Fitzwilliam’s side as he recovered, but she too had written to the whole family reports on the colonel’s health. She had also informed the army of his condition. Unbeknownst to the occupants of Netherfield, both Elizabeth and Catherine’s letters had more effect than they had realised. To the sisters, it had appeared as though their letters had been ignored. No answer had been received from either the army or from the colonel’s family in the month that Darcy lay senseless and to all appearances dying.

“Elizabeth, get some rest,” Fitzwilliam insisted as he entered the room to take a turn watching his cousin.

“I cannot. I have tried to sleep,” she admitted, “but that is when the worries are worse.”

Fitzwilliam slipped easily into the chair on the other side of the bed. “You’ll get sick yourself if you don’t rest.”

“I’m getting as much as I can,” Elizabeth argued.

Fitzwilliam shook his head. He knew from the servants and the rest of the family that Elizabeth was sleeping only two to three hours at most. “Darcy will be upset with all of us that you are not looking after yourself!”

Elizabeth grinned. “Tell me, when Kitty’s time comes that you will be snoring in your bed.”

“When Kitty’s time comes? I’m not sure I….” He stopped short. Guilt punching him in the stomach. “You mean? Are you sure? Is she sure?”

“Nothing is sure right now. It’s early days for her,” Elizabeth told him. “It’s nothing more than a suspicion.”

Fitzwilliam leant back in his chair. “I had intended to be married by now.”

“We are aware,” Elizabeth snapped. She sighed and looked at her husband. His face had gained some colour in the past day or two, although it remained pinched with pain. A gentle sigh escaped her. “Promise me, whatever happens, you will marry her soon.”

Fitzwilliam swallowed. The ferocity in Elizabeth’s voice he was not used to hearing. “As soon as Fitz can stand up with me.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “That won’t be for a very long time. Marry her today, tomorrow. Fitz will understand.”

“Why are you not already married?” Came a strange masculine voice from the shadows.

“Father!” Fitzwilliam called, hurriedly standing up and forgetting his injuries. Wincing, he sat back down quickly.

“Won’t you introduce me? I see my nephew is unable to,” the earl requested.

Elizabeth hurriedly stood up, but had to steady herself on the mattress as dizziness threatened to overwhelm her.

Fitzwilliam grinned. “Elizabeth Darcy, please allow me to introduce my father, the Earl of Matlock.”

Elizabeth dropped into what should have been a perfect curtsy, but stumbled instead.

“For heaven’s sake sit down before you fall down, Elizabeth!” Fitzwilliam instructed.

Weakly, Elizabeth obeyed.

Chuckling the earl strode into the room. “Fitz informed us of his marriage. It’s good to finally meet his bride. Although I wish it were under better circumstances.”

Elizabeth blushed. “My family is a disgrace right now, sir. I am afraid you do not meet any of us at our best.”

“There is no need to apologise, Mrs Darcy. My wife and I do not stand on ceremony. Our nephew’s condition is a worry to all of us. Has there been any change?” The earl asked.

Elizabeth shook her head, tears standing in her eyes. “There has been a little more colour in his face, but that’s it.” She grabbed Darcy’s clammy hand and held it tightly.

The earl looked around the room and seeing no vacant chairs leant against the windowsill. “Please allow me to tender a belated apology for not attending my nephew sooner. However, his and my son’s injuries meant that we needed to be very careful. Attacks on my family are not uncommon, though usually it is my eldest son. Your father’s treatment of his wife was an open secret. What was unknown was that his behaviour extended to his children. I congratulate your mother for having saved her son! How she knew that a daughter would be safer I am not sure. That is not the point. We cannot move against Mr Bennet in the usual manner. He has suffered socially for disowning his daughters and neglecting his eldest when she is sick. However, he has attracted the attention of more than just the local sheriff. The army is upset that one of their best colonels has been wounded on British soil, by one of his own during a time of war! The government is also concerned. This man’s enterprises have been causing trouble for years.”

Elizabeth gasped. “We had no idea!”

The earl took a deep breath. “How much do you know about your parent’s marriage?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Not very much.”

“Your father only married your mother because of being forced to do so. I do not know all the details. All I know is that her father was Mr Bennet’s co-conspirator in one of his enterprises, but in return for Mr Gardiner’s support Mrs Bennet’s father demanded the marriage. Mrs Bennet was good for Mr Bennet, but he did not want his children to have ties to trade — especially not the son and heir! So he mistreated her, hoping to kill her off so he could marry his lover. Mrs Bennet, however, stayed faithful and gave him five live children instead. The only way that he could get the lover’s children to inherit was by entailing Longbourn. That is right, Mr Collins is your half-brother! Mr Collins’s mother is your father’s cousin,” the earl explained.

“I am sorry,” Elizabeth yawned. “I cannot think about that right now.”

The earl gave her an indulgent look. “It’s a trying time for you right now, Mrs Darcy.”

Elizabeth looked down just as a slight movement on the bed caught the attention of the room. Darcy moved again and groaned. “Stay with me,” Elizabeth begged.

Darcy squeezed the hand she was holding and then, in a broken and hesitant manner, answered her. “You won’t get rid of me quite yet!”

Elizabeth was elated. “I most assuredly don’t want to get rid of you!”

“And that will be our cue to leave,” the earl laughed.

Elizabeth shook her head. “Please stay. He has only just woken. It will be good for him to have some of his family around during his recovery.”

“Who’s here, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked.

“Your uncle, the earl, and Fitzwilliam,” she quietly informed him.

“Georgiana is not here?” Darcy was surprised.

“Not yet,” Fitzwilliam angrily spat. “Lady Catherine decided Georgiana was not sufficiently improved in behaviour to leave Rosings.” Don’t tell him about Georgiana’s letter, Fitzwilliam silently mouthed to Elizabeth.

The earl looked surprised. “Georgiana is with my sister? What did she do to deserve that punishment?” He joked.

The dark scowls around the room were evident that there was much more the earl was unaware of. Eventually, it was Fitzwilliam who answered, “Do you remember what Anne was like five years ago?”

“I do. I had to visit Catherine alone because you boys refused to be around her,” the earl said. “Even Wickham found her uncomfortable.”

“Georgiana’s worse! Apparently, the companion we hired when Georgiana was first taken from school had a grudge against our family and corrupted Georgiana. We intervened in time, but Georgiana’s behaviour has not improved just yet,” Fitzwilliam explained.

“Say it like it is, Fitzwilliam. Mrs Younge was training Georgiana to be a whore!” Darcy growled. He tried to sit up, but the movement pulled against his stitches and made him wince.

Elizabeth laid a hand on his shoulder and he lay back down.

Turning to his wife, he asked, “Have you been resting?”

“I could not. Each time I tried, I failed,” she whispered.

Darcy patted the empty side of the bed. “Your place is here. Always was, always will be.” Tugging the bedclothes aside, he continued, “I’m sure my uncle and cousin will excuse you for crawling in and getting some sleep. I need to discuss some matters with them, but you must rest.”

“Whatever you need to discuss can wait. You are right Elizabeth needs to rest. We will come back when she’s rested,” the earl offered.

“Just turn your backs so my wife can join me,” Darcy told them.

Elizabeth shook her head, embarrassed.

Fitzwilliam and his father did as Darcy asked. “He’s right, Elizabeth,” Fitzwilliam called over his shoulder. “I’m glad you’ll get the rest you need.”

Elizabeth was too tired and dizzy to argue. Dropping her dressing gown on the chair, she climbed into their bed. She layed her head on his shoulder careful to avoid the wound lower down and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

“S he’s exhausted herself,” Fitzwilliam observed as they turned around.

The earl dropped into the chair that Elizabeth had vacated while Fitzwilliam tugged the covers into place for Elizabeth’s modesty. “Not surprising. She must be worried sick. Tell me, your marriage was in such haste, have you signed her settlement yet?” The earl asked.

“Not yet. Mr Bennet’s behaviour is such that getting it signed will be a challenge,” Darcy answered. “That is what I needed to speak to you both about. I need to get that and my new will signed before anything else happens. The settlement itself should already have been drawn up by my solicitors.”

“Does she know how generously she is provided for?” The earl asked.

Darcy shook his head. “I wanted that to be a surprise when she received her first pin money. Her father’s provision for her and her sisters was not what it ought to have been. I also want to have my solicitor draw up the paperwork that transfers the dowries I’ve set aside for her sisters.”

“Say what?” The earl stammered.

“Mr Bennet has, by now, disinherited his daughters. So, I was giving each of them one of the many dowries my father would put aside when my mother was expecting. Georgiana’s fortune is safe,” Darcy explained. “Each one is held at the bank individually, so it’s only a case of transferring the right fortune to each of the girls.”

“I will write to your solicitor and get him to come and visit,” the earl promised. “You still use your father’s man?”

“He has been loyal to our family and knows more about the workings of my estates than I do!” Darcy acknowledged. “Changing would be a nightmare.” He paused and closed his eyes as the efforts of talking exhausted him. He took a deep breath and pulled his wife into a closer embrace. “What has been done about Mr Bennet?”

“We should leave and give you both privacy,” Fitzwilliam prevaricated.

“What are you not telling me?” Darcy asked.

“Right now, we don’t know what has been done about Mr Bennet. During the past month I have been confined to Netherfield,” Fitzwilliam grumbled.

“Mr Bennet is looking at one of the most serious crimes in the land. His son may inherit Longbourn sooner than he expects,” the earl told him.

“His son?” Darcy asked confused. “He only has five daughters.”

“You do not remember that one of those daughters wasn’t born a girl?” Fitzwilliam asked.

Darcy shook his head and tried to remember. “I only remember that Elizabeth and I rushed back from our wedding tour because Mr Bennet had disinherited his daughters and his eldest was almost at death’s door. The next thing I can say for sure was that we were at Longbourn when we got shot at by Mr Bennet.”

“What do you remember?” The earl asked anxiously.

“I’m not sure…. I remember approaching the house and a warning shot being fired. Fitzwilliam was determined to try and speak to Mr Bennet. So we sat on our horses and called out attempting to get the man to see reason. He did not, so we turned around. Just as our horses turned there were two different shots fired. I remember seeing the slight darkening of Fitzwilliam’s jacket, but we had to get away from Longbourn. We kicked our horses into motion and saw the sheriff with Wickham on our flight. We asked them to come with us. That is it. I do not remember much more,” Darcy answered.

Fitzwilliam chuckled. “Despite your injury being worse than mine you and Wickham managed to get me up to my room before you passed out.”

“M.my injury?” Darcy asked.

“You had a straight-through musket ball wound. It seems the bullet passed through you, into me. According to Mr Jones, you were lucky in that it managed to go through with minimal damage to your insides,” Fitzwilliam informed his cousin.

“That’s not possible! There must have been some damage to my insides!” Darcy argued.

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of the apothecary. “How are my patients doing?” He loudly asked.

“My wife is sleeping,” Darcy said quietly.

Mr Jones entered the room. “It is good to see you awake, Mr Darcy! You have been quite lucky. Wounds like yours are usually deadly. It’s not the actual musket ball that kills, but the destruction it wreaks on the body. You appear to have avoided all of that.” The apothecary was quite jovial about it all.

Darcy grunted and looked the other way. “I do not feel lucky! I feel as though I’ve been cut in two.”

Mr Jones sobered. “In a way you were. Time only will show how extensive the damage is. Can you try and move your toes for me?”

Darcy thought the man had gone mad, but did as he was told.

The apothecary frowned as he inspected Darcy’s legs and feet. “Please continue moving your toes and try and flex your foot forwards and backwards.”

Darcy was weak and the movements were surprisingly tiring, but he did it.

“Thank you.” The apothecary’s face lost all emotion. “It will be a while before you will be able to move around. However, you must keep moving your legs and your feet. Do not lie in one position for too long.”

Darcy nodded.

Mr Jones then asked to see the wounds.

Gently Darcy woke Elizabeth so that she would roll over and the apothecary could examine both wounds to Darcy’s abdomen. The bandages were removed and the wounds were examined. Mr Jones frowned, poked, and prodded Darcy’s stomach. Until eventually he stepped back. “Mr Darcy, I find it highly unusual that you have escaped with so little damage to your abdomen. Yet, I cannot discover that there is any damage other than the entry and exit wounds from the musket ball.”

Darcy grunted, disbelieving that there would be no damage.

The apothecary, however, ignored Darcy’s rudeness and turned his attention to his other patient. Fitzwilliam lifted his shirt and the apothecary began to prod and poke around Fitzwilliam’s abdomen. He asked a lot of questions and then rocked back on his heels. “Your wound appears to be rather red, but otherwise I can’t see anything too much of concern. However, you still need to keep all exercise to a minimum. I know that you are anxious to return to your normal routine, but it is too soon.”

Fitzwilliam scowled. “I am getting too soft, just sitting around all day. I need to get out of the chair and back on my horse,” he grumbled.

The apothecary ignored his protests. “And yet your body needs rest and recovery.”

“Surely a canter around the yard won’t do any harm,” Fitzwilliam protested.

The apothecary shook his head. “It could do a lot of harm.”

“I hear that I may need to return to active duty soon,” Fitzwilliam grumbled. “That means I have to be fit.”

“You have to rest!” Mr Jones emphasised. “If you don’t then you’ll pull that wound open again. If you do that, then I cannot speak to your being this lucky a second time. Infection will be but one of several issues you could face! Including damaging your stomach more than you need to. No, if you want to be fit to return to active service again, you will need to follow my advice and rest and recover!”

Fitzwilliam did not object further and the apothecary took his leave.

Darcy exhaled. “Do I have any letters from my steward?”

“Nothing that cannot wait! Elizabeth has handled your affairs very well,” Fitzwilliam informed his cousin. “You have only just woken up, you need to rest.”

“I need to know what is happening. How long have I been out? Why was Elizabeth so exhausted? Did no one have a care for her health?” Darcy growled furiously.

“We have all been trying to get her to rest, but she would not,” Fitzwilliam answered. “Don’t forget, that the sisters are rather spread thin, between her mother, her eldest sister, you, and me being sick at the same time. Mrs Bennet is much improved and so is Jane, but neither of them is at full strength right now. So that left Mark and Lydia to go between all of us. Elizabeth wouldn’t leave your side for more than a few minutes and Kitty hasn’t left mine much either.”

“You haven’t treated that girl right, Christopher!” The earl growled. “What were you thinking?”

“That we’d be married by now!” Fitzwilliam snapped. “I am only waiting for Fitz to be well enough to stand up with me!”

“Go get married. You do not need me,” Darcy objected. “Take Mark and Lydia as your witnesses and marry Kitty.”

Fitzwilliam shook his head. “I cannot do that to Kitty! She wants her family to be there too. It won’t be too long before you are well enough.”

Darcy shook his head in wonder at his cousin.