Mr. Darcy paced the hallway awaiting word from the apothecary, Mr. Jones, who had come from Meryton. He had already dispatched a rider to London for the Darcy family physician as he knew his aunt had suffered more than a mere fainting spell.
Her anger had been such that he was certain she had suffered nothing short of an apoplexy. He ignored the parson who had been the cause of his aunt’s doomed mission as the man sat brooding quietly in a chair across the hallway. He ought to have gone home with the Bennets but Mr. Bennet had not wished to have him under the same roof as Miss Mary. Mr. Darcy could certainly understand the sentiment.
When the door opened and Mr. Jones stepped into the hallway, Mr. Collins jumped to his feet and stood beside Mr. Darcy. Keeping his emotions in good regulation, Mr. Darcy continued his avoidance of the parson and instead gave his full attention to the apothecary. “What can be done, sir, to ease my aunt’s suffering?”
Mr. Jones shook his head. “Tis only a matter of the passage of time Mr. Darcy. I fear she has suffered an apoplexy and there is little I might do other than advise that she is kept abed and not exposed to bouts of temper. To that aim, I administered a bit of laudanum to keep her quiet. I trust you have a physician coming from London?”
Mr. Darcy nodded. “Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Jones. I shall see that she is tended well by the staff. The physician should arrive by the morning.”
Mr. Jones tipped his hat to the gentlemen and made to leave them. Mr. Collins seemed to stir and called to the apothecary before he was many steps down the hallway. “May I sit with her Mr. Jones? She is my patroness.”
Mr. Darcy’s expression darkened as he stared at the foolish man. Before he might berate Mr. Collins, the apothecary replied. “Mr. Collins, it is my recommendation that she be left to the care of the servants this night. If Mr. Darcy would care to sit with her, he may, though I strongly urge everyone to leave her be to avoid worsening her condition. She is not able to withstand visitors now.”
Several maids joined the men in the hallway and Mr. Darcy sent the dejected Mr. Collins away down the hall to settle himself in his rooms. “Mr. Jones, rest assured that we shall abide by your word.”
Soon, the master of Pemberley was pacing the library of Netherfield wondering how it was that the evening had gone so wrong when all he intended was to seek Miss Elizabeth’s hand in marriage.
Through the intervening hours after his aunt’s collapse and the Bennet family’s exit from Netherfield without dinner, he recalled Miss Lydia’s willfully provocative declaration to his aunt. Miss Elizabeth had refused her cousin’s offer of marriage because she was in love with him!
Could it be true or was Miss Lydia merely seeking attention in the way she knew best? Regardless of the veracity of her claim, his aunt had believed it and so had he in his heart of hearts.
Only moments before Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins arrived, he had been lost in the warm depths of Miss Elizabeth’s fine eyes with the words he longed to ask tickling the tip of his tongue. Had that worm Collins not carried his foolish words back to Rosings, Mr. Darcy might this very night have become engaged to Miss Elizabeth!
Now instead, his Aunt Catherine lay ill upstairs and would remain at Netherfield for some time. He would have to send word to Anne in the morning and certainly she would come to sit with her mother. Mr. Darcy shook his head at the complications his family had suddenly visited on his peaceful existence at Netherfield. His friend Charles Bingley was in for a rude surprise when he returned from his wedding trip.
Seating himself at the desk, he began the letter to Anne before he succumbed to the tired ache in his shoulders. Of course, he ought to leave in the morning to fetch his cousin himself to see her safely to Netherfield but the idea of leaving his Aunt Catherine alone with only the parson displeased him.
Instead, he decided he would send Collins to do the deed. It served the man right for being the cause of his current difficulty! Pleased with himself, he finished the letter and left it on the desk for morning when he would send it along with Collins after the doctor had made his diagnosis.
Rising to leave the library, he wandered to the front door of Netherfield and breathed deeply of the frigid night air. He wished he might walk to Longbourn and see his love but he must remain nearby in case his aunt’s condition worsened. Besides, one did not pay a call on a young lady so late. It simply was not done.
He chuckled to himself knowing Mrs. Bennet would not have cared one bit if he arrived after dark to pledge his love to her daughter. His ten thousand pounds would smooth his way with the mother but Mr. Bennet was a bit more formidable. Miss Elizabeth was his favorite child and he would do no less for her than he had for Miss Mary.
Turning back to make his way inside, Mr. Darcy promised himself that he would speak with Mr. Bennet regarding Miss Elizabeth after his cousin had come from Rosings to see to her mother. Once his Aunt Catherine was out of the woods, he could get on with his life.