"You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley, "and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."
"Certainly not." -Pride and Prejudice, Chapter Eight.
December 1811 – Darcy House, London.
Fitzwilliam Darcy pulled in a shuddering breath, willing his lungs to fill with the air that the hacking cough had robbed him of. He was bone tired, not even possessing enough energy to shiver from the icy coldness he felt, despite the warmth of the fire. A hand brought a glass of water to his lips, and he drank gratefully.
"Evans!" He rasped, "Evan's has my sister yet arrived?"
His question was met by a silence broken only by the ticking of the clock on the mantle. "Evans?" His voice pleaded.
At last, his valet spoke, refusing to meet his eye. "I am sorry Sir; Miss Darcy has not come." He cleared his throat and his eyes darted to the silver slaver on the desk. "A letter, however, has arrived from Portman Square."
"A letter? From Georgiana?" His voice grew stronger as panic welled within him, something must be wrong for his sister not to attend him. "When did this letter arrive? Why was I not informed immediately?"
"It only arrived this morning Sir, we had thought it best to let you rest as the physician instructed." Seeing Darcy's glare, the valet quickly retrieved the letter and having it snatched from his hand, bowed quickly and retreated to the dressing room.
Closing his eyes momentarily and panting from the exertion of the heated exchange, Darcy called upon what little energy he had left, and lifting the letter with trembling hands, broke the seal and began to read.
Portman Square
December 1811
Brother,
I am grieved to hear that you are feeling poorly, you know how excessively I detest being ill myself.
As to your request that I come and attend you, I fear I must decline.
The weather – as you well know – is not conducive to travel at present. Why the journey from Portman Square to Darcy House would surely take upwards of half an hour to complete with the current state of the roads, and all that time would be spent in cold misery in a bumpy carriage.
Even were it not, I see no reason why I should personally attend you and risk falling ill, you have a house filled with servants who are paid handsomely to look after your needs. It would be unseemly for me to be relegated to the role of nursemaid. It most definitely would be a degradation and not be befitting of my rank and consequence, as well as the fact that is goes against all propriety!
That you would suggest such a thing shows me how truly ill you must be brother. I have written a note to your housekeeper advising that all your post should be held at present. I would not want any others of your acquaintance to receive such letters written from a fevered mind. It would diminish the consequence of the Darcy name.
I hope that you recover from this malady in time to escort me to the theatre next week as you promised.
Your sister,
Georgiana.
Darcy read the letter over three times, unable to believe that his sister would treat him with such cold indifference. His mind wandered back to the previous Autumn, when Miss Elizabeth Bennet had arrived at Netherfield on foot, having walked three miles across waterlogged fields and muddy tracks to attend her sister who was indisposed after being caught in a downpour the previous day.
What was it Bingley had said of her? Yes, that her arrival had shown an excessive affection for her sister that was most pleasing.
No such familial affection would be coming for him. His heart squeezed at the thought and the familiar ache of loneliness that had pervaded his life since his father passing five years previously was amplified. Miss Elizabeth would not have left him to suffer alone under the care of servants, but he had left her alone in Hertfordshire, determined to distance himself from her and her unsuitable family.
Miss Elizabeth may not have had material wealth, but she had a wealth of affection for her friends and family. Falling into an uneasy sleep, he dreamt of a pair of fine eyes watching over him.
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