| |
“OH, POOR JOSEPH! HOW badly does it ache? Are you in quite a lot of pain? You look a bit paler than usual.” Miss Li pressed a hand against Joseph's freckled forehead. “Oh dear. You're burning up! Are you sure you haven't been stricken with a fever?”
“I'm fine!” Joseph answered with a chuckle. “Honestly, Miss Li, you needn't fret over me. The injury is hardly as bad as it seems.”
“Not bad?” Bin Li objected with a solemn shake of her head. “But the doctor said your leg is broken in two places! You needn't understate your pain for my sake, Mr. Bennet.”
Joseph was conflicted by the young lady's fussing. On one hand, he was touched by her concern, and he felt a pleasant flutter in his heart as she coddled him. On the other hand, he did not want her to think he was weak.
“Very well,” Joseph tentatively conceded. “I suppose I am in... quite a lot of pain.”
Li's forehead was pinched with concern. “Well, I hope you are not bedridden for too long, Mr. Bennet.” When she reached for his hand, Joseph's cheeks were warmed by her touch. Had Captain Fitzwilliam been with them, she would have surely voiced her disapproval. An intimate union of fingers would have been unacceptable to her.
“I don't intend to be bedridden at all, my lady. As soon as the doctor returns with the crutches, I fully intend to be back on my feet!”
“You're a very brave young man,” the lady noted.
“I'm not brave. Not really.” With a chuckle, he added, “And... to be honest, I'm not so young. My father constantly reminds me that I am well beyond the first blush of youth. According to him, I am doomed to be a spinsir.”
Before Li could comment on his age, an over-groomed lady butler announced the arrival of Elisander Bennet. Bin Li asked the butler to immediately show him in, as Joseph had been eager to see his brother for hours. He wanted to complain of his pain, but not to the pretty young woman who was seated beside him. As they awaited his brother's arrival, Miss Li's hand retreated from Joseph's.
When Elisander entered Joseph's temporary bedchamber at Netherfield, the younger brother's face was a contradiction of emotions. Though he glowed with excitement from his recent ride, his eyelids drooped with concern at the sight of Joseph's broken leg.
“I received your letter and rode out straightaway,” Elisander announced as he tugged off his gloves and stuffed them in the pocket of his greatcoat. “How are your injuries? Are they very bad?”
“Sadly, my leg is broken in two places.” Joseph sighed as he shared the news. “For weeks—if not months—I will be unable to walk without the assistance of crutches.”
“I'm sorry to hear that,” Elisander sympathized. “Judging from the perspiration on your forehead, I assume you're in a great deal of pain?”
“Uh... yes. Unfortunately.” Joseph pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away the evidence of his pain. “But I'm not as pained as Miss Li seems to believe. She's been treating me like a baby!”
“Have I?” She pouted at the observation. “I'm sorry. It's just... I... I care for you, Joseph.”
Once again, she had him blushing. “Do you?” Joseph whispered.
“I do. Of course I do. There is no one I care for more, quite frankly. Not even Captain Fitzwilliam!” Before she left his bedside, Bin Li reclaimed Joseph's hand and brought it to her lips. “For now, I will leave you with your brother, as I am sure you have much to discuss. We will reunite at supper.” Turning to Elisander, she added, “Captain Fitzwilliam will be joining us.”
Elisander chuckled softly. It almost sounded as if she was trying to warn him. She must have sensed the animosity between them. “Thank you for telling me that, Miss Li,” Elisander said. “I will brace myself for the lady's antagonism.”
As soon as Miss Li excused herself, Joseph discussed his embarrassing fall, and the excruciating pain that followed. He described the sound of his snapping bones so vividly, the younger brother's face turned a bit green.
“It's almost been worth it,” Joseph said. “My fall... the broken leg. It is almost worth the extra time I've spent with Miss Li. In fact, if it could buy me another day with her, I would seriously consider breaking my leg again.”
“Goodness!” Elisander chuckled. “So... you're really fond of her?”
“More than fond,” Joseph admitted with a sigh. “I believe I might be falling for her, brother.”
They continued to discuss his growing affection until the doctor arrived with Joseph's new crutches—which Miss Li insisted on purchasing. Shortly after the doctor's departure, Captain Fitzwilliam arrived, and the brothers were summoned for supper at half-past six. Darcy met them with disdain in her eyes, as she often did. Elisander was starting to wonder if she ever looked pleasant, or if she was only capable of looking cross.
“You're looking a bit wild, Mr. Bennet,” Darcy observed as Elisander sat across from her. “I am, of course, referring to the younger Mr. Bennet. Your hair is unusually wild. Even after his fall, your brother somehow manages to look more polished.”
Elisander's lips tightened into a false smile. “I am sure your observation is not unfounded, Captain Fitzwilliam. Anyone would look a bit disheveled after riding as quickly as I was.”
“A bit disheveled, yes. You look as though you've had a brush with a typhoon, Mr. Bennet. Furthermore, why were you riding at such a speed? Were you hoping to repeat your brother's accident?”
As Elisander attempted to tame his hair, he replied, “I was trying to reach my brother, Captain. I didn't want him to be alone after his accident.”
“He wasn't alone. He was with Li... although I am not sure it was proper for them to be alone.” As Captain Fitzwilliam stirred the contents of her bowl, she even looked dissatisfied by her soup. “Bin Li's excessive regard for Mr. Bennet had her in utter disregard of anything resembling propriety! Have you no care for his reputation?”
Miss Li snorted at her companion's observation. “That is most certainly not true! I have the utmost regard for Joseph's reputation! Why do you think I invited you to supper? I didn't think it was proper for the two of us to dine alone!”
For several seconds, everyone was quiet. Forks and spoons gently clinked against porcelain as they supped in silence.
Finally, it was Joseph who tried to begin a new conversation. “Do you enjoy playing cards, Miss Li?” he asked. “When we finish eating, I thought we might retire to the drawing room for a game or two?”
“I would like that very much,” Li agreed.
“Elisander hates playing cards, but I'm sure he will tolerate it for my sake,” Joseph continued. “He's a great reader, though. Honestly, I'm not sure he takes pleasure in anything else.”
“I take pleasure in many things,” countered Elisander, who glared at Captain Fitzwilliam each time he raised his spoon. “Riding horses, painting, playing the pianoforte...” He nearly named guns as one of his hobbies, but he didn't want the ladies to think he was uncouth. “I simply have an aversion to cards. There's really nothing more inane.”
Captain Fitzwilliam somehow adopted an even haughtier tone. “If you're a lover of books, you should come to Pemberley some time, Mr. Bennet. I daresay I have the most extraordinary collection of books.”
“Pemberley?” Elisander raised an eyebrow. It was his first time hearing the word.
“Pemberley is my estate in Derbyshire,” Darcy boasted. “You will not find a finer house in the entire county.”
“She speaks the truth. If I had the money, I would purchase Pemberley for myself!” Miss Li declared. “My friend's estate puts poor Netherfield to shame.”
Several questions leapt into Elisander's head, but he decided to end the topic. He didn't want to give Captain Fitzwilliam another opportunity to brag.
After supper, they departed for the drawing room, where Joseph begged his brother to play the pianoforte.
“Please, Elisander, you must perform for us!” Joseph exclaimed. “Show the ladies what an accomplished pianist you are!”
“If I must,” Elisander griped as he crossed the room. “However, the ladies should not get their hopes too high. I am not as skilled as you claim.”
“Oh, but you are!” his brother insisted. “Play one song, and they will know I speak the truth!”
To Elisander's surprise, Captain Fitzwilliam volunteered to turn the pages as he played. When she was standing close, his nose detected the pleasant scent of vanilla perfume. He thought she smelled delightful—though he hated to think anything positive of such a disagreeable lady.
As Elisander played, Joseph and Bin Li enjoyed a game of cards. The latter's giggling intensified Captain Fitzwilliam's usual glare. Their camaraderie never failed to dampen her mood.
When Elisander finished his song, he was met with applause from everyone but the captain, which prompted Miss Li to ask, “What did you think, Darcy? Don't you think Mr. Bennet has talent?”
“A modicum of talent, perhaps,” the lady replied. “The song was pleasant enough, and I suppose the skills were... passable.”
Elisander clenched a fist and tightened his jaw. If his brother wasn't with them, he might have given the boorish captain the tongue-lashing she so desperately deserved. However, he did not want to ruin his brother's chances to woo Bin Li, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
“You've gone quiet,” Darcy noted. “I'm sorry, Mr. Bennet. Have I offended you?”
“Believe it or not... no,” Elisander quietly replied. “I have not yet invested you with the power to offend me... and I don't believe I ever shall. I'm so sorry to disappoint you, Captain.”