Page 12 of Obligation and Redemption

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength,

he is fighting not with man, but with God.”

S?ren Kierkegaard

Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard

Darcy found himself quite unequal to any type of manoeuvring for the next three days.

His head injury, although not dangerous, made him utterly nauseated whenever he lifted himself.

His memory was intact concerning the entire episode on the day of his injuries; however, much of that day had been spent either asleep or unconscious from the fall, so there was little to recall.

Two things did replay themselves over and over in his mind, one being the conversation about the novel Miss Elizabeth had been reading and the other, the picture which had become ingrained in his head of her clothed in nothing but her wet chemise clinging to her form.

Darcy did not consider Miss Elizabeth to be a beauty in the truest sense of the word, but he could not deny her attractions for man’s baser inclinations.

As he was a gentleman and was raised to look beyond the commonplace enticements, he attempted to extricate these thoughts from his mind; nevertheless, Darcy was a man, as well as a gentleman, and found his imagination often going back to what he had seen that day.

He had much time to dwell on these visions, as he had nothing else he could accomplish without the annoying vertigo.

Bingley attempted to make himself useful for his friend, but this only caused Darcy more grief.

Bingley’s idea of help came close to hovering, and if there could be any action more annoying to Darcy than this, it was Bingley’s hovering, accomplished within the midst of his own nausea.

Bingley had sent his servants back to Netherfield in order to retrieve necessities that might make Darcy’s tenure at the Bennets’ cabin more bearable.

They returned with blankets, food, and additional firewood, since the small supply at the cabin had long been consumed.

While the servants were on their errand, Darcy asked his friend, “Bingley, how long have these footmen been in your service? Are they the men you brought from London or are they local stock?”

“I believe the butler hired them locally; however, they have performed their duties this past fortnight with remarkable diligence. I have no reason to complain, nor to think that we cannot trust their word.”

“Time will tell. We have done all we can to ensure their confidentiality. Now, I find myself in need of solitude. Would I be asking too much if you were to keep talking to a minimum?”

“Not at all, my friend. It would be my pleasure to have an opportunity to serve you for a change. Would you like some water?”

“Just sleep, please.”

When Bingley found himself in stressful situations, he tended to let his mouth run faster than his good sense.

He knew this failing and how annoying his friend would find him; this was learnt the hard way, on a Sunday when Darcy had nothing to do but listen to his chatter.

His own mind began to wander as he considered his friend’s predicament.

He knew Darcy to be impeccable in his dealings with young maidens, but he did not know Miss Elizabeth’s proclivities.

Her liveliness was apparent, and she was often engaged in stimulating conversations.

In spite of these merits, Bingley had been deceived in the past concerning a woman’s virtues.

Elizabeth’s younger sisters, Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia, flirted shamelessly with the local gentlemen.

Could Elizabeth actually take after her younger sisters, or was she more like Miss Bennet?

The thought of Jane Bennet brought a happy smile to his face, a common enough occurrence whenever in her company.

Miss Bennet and her sister, Miss Elizabeth, were as close as he had ever seen two sisters, certainly closer than his own, and Miss Bennet had spoken of her sister with such respect and warmth.

Miss Bennet’s manners and words contained true admiration for her sibling, and her own kind manners were without disguise.

No, there could not have been intentional foul play enacted by Miss Elizabeth.

Miss Bennet admired her too well to believe her capable of manipulation.

Bingley’s servants arrived and set to work making the cabin more comfortable.

They had no desire to risk their employment and livelihood over spreading a little gossip.

The money they would earn to keep quiet could make their lives much more comfortable in the future.

As footmen, they would have no other opportunity to earn such a sum, so they agreed between themselves to keep the affair quiet.

The men had returned with a cart and had plenty of wood and coal to last for the next few days.

Darcy’s valet arrived with the footmen and attended his master with the same diligence he always had.

Nelson had been with the Darcy family for greater than fifteen years and was the soul of discretion.

His devotion to Darcy had been proven time and again, often placing himself for the night in Darcy’s dressing room when away from home, or if any young ladies were staying at Darcy’s residence.

In this way, he was able to counter more than a few attempts at a compromise by a resourceful lady, young and old alike.

When Darcy awoke, he was relieved that the cabin had finally begun to warm up and that his valet had arrived.

The fire earlier in the day provided little heat.

His head continued to throb, and he began to notice that his whole body was beginning to ache.

Bingley had decided to contact the local apothecary to assess Darcy’s ailments and to ensure that all was being done that could be done to bring about a swift recovery; but regardless of his plans, Darcy denied him, as he did not want the events in the cabin to become widely known.

The next few days were spent as miserably as Darcy had ever experienced.

The condition of the cabin was altogether rustic with an unpleasant, musty smell and dark, unadorned walls, certainly not up to the standards to which Darcy was accustomed.

The only items of any comfort were those brought from Netherfield.

His head pounded with a persistent, dull ache that periodically intensified, and he continued to have dry heaves if he attempted to sit up.

His ankle caused discomfort when moving his leg, but otherwise the pain was quite lost on a general sense of malaise, as often attended a cold, which he realised he had contracted the morning following his arrival.

He had little inclination to dwell upon the events that brought him to the cabin or the young woman who had endeavoured to bring him there – aside from his incessant recollection of her form.

Bingley and the two footmen returned to Netherfield.

Darcy had asked that Bingley leave him alone for the majority of his tenure in the cabin with his trusted valet, as Bingley’s equanimity had become unbearable to witness when he himself felt so poorly.

His valet knew Darcy and his needs as well as he knew his own and was perfectly capable of providing any relief within his power.

The outside world was of no consequence to Darcy during his stay at the cabin; all he wished for was a reprieve from his current discomfort.

Nonetheless, after three days, Darcy became determined to return to Netherfield where he might at least sleep in a soft bed rather than a lumpy cot.

Lying down for an extended time left him feeling all the aches associated with being bed-ridden and stuck in the same attitude for days at a time.

When Bingley arrived for his daily visit, Darcy relayed his wish to leave.

“Are you certain, Darcy? You do look dreadful.”

“I insist that you make ready transportation for me. You cannot change my mind,” Darcy replied with a scowl closer to his usual appearance.

Bingley smiled, “I do believe you are getting back to your usual self. I’ll arrange a gig to pick you up, or would you prefer the cart, so you might recline? The path is too narrow for my carriage.”

“The gig will do well enough.” Turning to his valet, he continued, “Nelson, please help me prepare to leave while my friend arranges our transportation.” With a nod, his valet got to work.

“Caroline will be pleased to finally have the opportunity to assist you. She has been at sixes and sevens over your being here and has been yearning for the chance to prove her merit as a hostess. as well as a nurse,” Bingley teased.

Darcy scowled again. “Please, Bingley, I beg of you, keep your sister away from me as I attempt to recover. If she thinks I would appreciate any assistance that she can provide, she is mistaken. Unless she is directing your staff to draw up a hot bath, I would prefer she keep her distance. Nelson will know my needs and is perfectly capable of meeting them, without her involvement.”

Bingley put his hands up as if in surrender with a knowing smile.

“I know how you feel about her. Still, I think she means well, even though she can be rather tiresome. But I find it funny that when I get sick, she tells me to quit my complaints and move on! And speaking of moving on, I suppose I must if we are to get you home before darkness sets in.” Bingley left for Netherfield and to warn Caroline of Darcy’s imminent return, with an unlooked for directive to keep away from him while he recovers.