Page 104

“Is Addie with Miss Bennet now?” Graham asked, mentioning his wife’s widowed sister, Addie Cummings, who also acted as one of his assistants and occupied the bedroom next to his and Marjorie’s.

“Yes. Addie will be watching over her today whilst I rest. That is, if nothing serious happens that would require my assistance.”

“And Mr. Darcy? Am I right to think he is still sitting with her?”

“If you ask me, wild horses could not pull him away. Even his cousin, the colonel, was unable to convince him to go home and rest. Every time I entered the room last night to check on her, I found Mr. Darcy sitting beside the bed and murmuring to her as he held her hand. When I mentioned to him that the cot in that room was there to serve those staying with the patients, he said he had rather sit where he was, for he wished to be the first person she saw when she opened her eyes.”

Mr. Graham’s eyebrows rose. “Well, one thing is not in dispute— Mr. Darcy is in love with that woman. In all my years, I have never seen him this undone. Even when Miss Georgiana was ill, he seemed able to keep a level head.”

“I know what you mean. To see him this distressed … well, it is an entirely different side of the man I thought I knew.”

As Graham began to don his trousers, he said, “Oh, I forgot about Mrs. Wickham. Did she take my advice and go home to get some sleep?”

“No, sir. Like Mr. Darcy, she sat up most of the night just watching him keep up a one-sided conversation with her sister. About two hours ago, however, she laid down on the cot and fell asleep. Last time I was in the room, she was still sleeping.”

The surgeon pulled a shirt over his head and began tucking it into his trousers. “Well, I had best go check on my patient. I would like to move her to one of the bedrooms on this floor today. At least those sitting with her will be more comfortable and have a dressing room available in case they wish to change clothes. I imagine Mr. Darcy will make use of that.”

“I will make a pot of coffee before I retire. I feel certain Mr. Darcy would appreciate a cup, as well one of the scones left from yesterday. Cook is making bread and soup for this evening; the coffee and scones will have to suffice until that meal is ready to eat.”

In the examining room

Mr. Graham had two examining rooms with narrow tables he used as beds for his patients. These beds were topped with as many or as few layers of thin muslin quilts as the need presented and even tossed if they absorbed too much blood. The beds also sported handrails that could be raised to prevent a patient from falling off until said patient could be moved—either by walking out of the office under his own power, being transported to their own residence, or taken to one of two bedrooms reserved for those still in need of close supervision. Since Elizabeth was still unresponsive, the doctor was determined not to let her go anywhere until she showed significant improvement.

Just as his wife had said, the minute Mr. Graham entered the clinic where Miss Bennet was, he found Mr. Darcy sitting beside the bed—only now it seemed he had laid his head down beside her and perhaps had fallen asleep. Noting that Mrs. Wickham was no longer resting on the cot, he raised a finger to his lips and nodded towards the bed, informing Addie to proceed quietly. He wished to see if his conjecture—that Mr. Darcy was asleep—was correct. As they drew closer, however, the murmurs of prayers informed him that that gentleman was still awake.

Consequently, when Darcy’s head came up, Graham was not surprised. Trying not to appear to be tiptoeing, the doctor said, “Have you noticed any change, Mr. Darcy?”

A long, weighty sigh preceded his answer. “I-I have not.”

“That is not surprising under the circumstances; however, I must ask you to leave the room whilst I examine her. My wife is making coffee in the kitchen, and you are welcome to have a cup whilst you wait. I will send for you after I am finished, as I will need help to move Miss Bennet to one of the bedrooms on this floor with as little jostling as possible.”

As William nodded, he rose stiffly and walked towards the door, it swung open to reveal Addie, who was returning from the kitchen. Mr. Graham said. “Addie, please bring me the pot of hot water that is on the stove and a stack of bandages.”

With one last agonising look at the woman he loved, William went out the door.

The kitchen

Mrs. Wickham was in the kitchen, sitting alone at a table and drinking a cup of coffee when William entered. Seeing his face, her expression instantly became anxious. “Is Lizzy—” she began. Then realising how whatever she said would affect William, she changed the question. “Has anything changed with my sister?”

“No. She is still unconscious,” he replied solemnly, his mouth in a grim line. “Mr. Graham asked me to leave the room whilst he examines her again.”

Mrs. Graham, who was still tidying up after brewing the coffee she had promised her husband, did not ask William if he wanted any; instead, she simply poured a cup and handed it to him. He nodded gratefully and sat down at the table across from Lydia. He was just adding sugar and milk to his cup when Richard walked into the kitchen followed by Lady Morgan.

“Why is she here?” William asked Richard, the annoyance in his voice hard to miss.

Unaware that anyone had followed him into the room, Richard turned to see whom William meant. Upon seeing Jane, he replied, “I did not bring her.”

Keen to absolve the colonel of blame, Jane declared, “I-I asked Mr. Marshall to bring me. I realise that you may not want me here, Mr. Darcy, but I must be allowed to tell Lizzy how sorry I am for trying to forward our engagement even when it was obvious that you were eager to call it off. I-I was so intent on providing a father for my children that I could not admit what apparently everyone else found obvious: You never stopped loving Elizabeth.”

Just then the door leading into the examining room opened and Mrs. Cummings popped her head into the room. “Mr. Darcy, the doctor needs your help now, and you may be of help, too, Colonel, if you do not mind.”

Both William and Richard stood to go into Elizabeth’s sickroom. Before he obliged, though, William addressed Lady Morgan. “It would hardly be an incentive to help Elizabeth heal if you are the first person she sees when she opens her eyes. Her first hours should be filled with faces of people she trusts. After she has returned to herself, I shall probe to find out how she feels about receiving you.”

Subsequently, William left the room with Richard on his heels. Seeing the look of distress that crossed her sister’s face, Lydia said, “Sit down, Jane, and share a cup of coffee with me. I expect Mr. Graham will give us a report on Lizzy’s condition soon.”

Having no choice, Jane did as she was asked.

Once Elizabeth was in a regular bedroom with a genuine mattress and excellent sheets and blankets, William took up his usual place beside her, only this time he had to sit on the edge of the bed in order to reach her hand. She looked so pale with her dark locks spread across the white sheets that his heart ached even more than before.