Chapter 7

Kitty rose early the next morning in order to have breakfast with Darcy. While they were eating the mail came and both received several letters. Darcy's were mostly concerning Pemberley but Kitty had letters from Elizabeth and Lady Matlock. She opened the last one first and when she did an enclosed note fell out on the table. Darcy looked up when it did and immediately recognized the handwriting of his cousin Richard. His face darkened with anger and he held out his hand for Kitty to give him the note.

"May I?"

The note was short and straightforward. Richard thanked her for her letter granting him forgiveness for what had happened, acknowledged her invitation to join them at Folkestone, and informed her that he would leave London at daybreak on Friday and probably arrive some time around noon.

"When did you write to Richard and invite him here?" Darcy's voice was ominously soft when he began speaking but by the time he finished he was shouting at her.

"No! I don't want to hear what you will say! I know you will say things that you will later regret and that will break my heart to hear. I really can't bear it now after all that has happened. I really can't bear it!" With this, Kitty burst into tears and quickly left the room. Soon afterward Darcy saw her walking along the beach.

Darcy was so furious with her that all he could do was pace back and forth in the sitting room. Had they not agreed that their relationship with Richard was to be a joint decision? He was not ready to see his cousin yet and now she intended to force this meeting on him. He had observed Richard's attentions to his wife whenever they met and now these attentions took on a whole new meaning. It must be that Richard was jealous of him, jealous of his relationship with his wife, and the more his cousin saw of Kitty the more he desired her for himself. And perhaps Kitty was aware of this and encouraging it! Maybe the last two nights and what had originally seemed so spontaneous was actually an attempt on her part to manipulate her husband so that he would forgive Richard and that would allow Kitty to see him once again.

This last thought gave him pause and he realized that his volatile temper had led him to consider things that were truly despicable and most assuredly not true. He continued pacing but began to calm down and to reconsider the direction that his thoughts had taken. It took a long while but he was finally willing to admit that Catherine was correct in assuming that he would have said these things to her if she had been present and he would have regretted them the moment they were spoken.

Kitty didn't return for almost two hours and when she did she marched into the sitting room and stood in front of his chair with a determined look on her face.

"You, sir, are an idiot."

"Yes, I agree."

"I know what you were thinking, and let me repeat, you are an idiot."

"That goes without saying; in fact, I wish it had gone without saying."

"Your cousin was surprised, as were your aunt and uncle I might add, by who you married. But Richard has tried on every occasion that we have met to get to know me and to show his approval of me. And anyone who thinks otherwise, who thinks there could possibly be an ulterior motive for his kindness, is an ass."

"Yes, most definitely, an ass."

"And perhaps you should consider that your uncle called me 'beautiful.' I assume that means he is also enamored of me?"

By this point Darcy could not help smiling. "It crossed my mind."

"And Richard's pursuit of Elizabeth? You think that is all part of a plot to enable him to have access to me?"

"Yes, certainly, part of a plot."

"You are fortunate that I did not hear these words from you, sir. But I do know you were thinking them and let me advise you to reconsider. You are not the only one who has a formidable temper when angered. Let me repeat, sir, for just thinking these things, you are an idiot."

Darcy had heard enough and rose from his chair to take her in his arms. "You are absolutely right; I am both an idiot and an ass. And though it doesn't seem fair somehow that I must apologize for thoughts that remained unspoken, I do apologize for them none-the-less."

Darcy then proceeding to show her exactly how sorry he was and they spent the rest of the day enjoying the many ways that he could employ to illustrate his contrition. In the early twilight they were lying together in their bed and almost asleep when Kitty gently touched his face. "William?"

"Mmmph."

"Shall I tell you something else that my mother told me the eve before our wedding? Since then I have wondered if it could possibly be true."

"And what was that?"

"She told me that if a woman ever wanted something from her husband, especially something that she was afraid he wasn't inclined to grant her, that this is the time to request it of him."

Darcy moaned and shifted his position so that he held her even more tightly. "Yes, your mother has the right of it, my dear. There could never be a better time than this. Right now if someone handed me the deed to Pemberley I would happily sign it over in your name." Silence followed this statement until Darcy finally said, "Well? What is it that you want? Surely you had something in mind when you spoke to me of this."

"I think you must know what I want."

The room was quiet for quite some time and Kitty held her breath until Darcy asked, "Richard?"

She could feel his quickened heartbeat under her cheek but was relieved that his voice didn't sound angry. "Yes."

Again there was a long pause before he spoke. "Well, I would hate to think that your mother has led you astray. And I must say that I am inclined to grant your request. But I must also say that I'm not quite convinced; I think I may need a bit of persuasion before I agree. Do you have any ideas concerning how I might be persuaded to consent to this?"

"Oh William, I can be very persuasive, as you shall soon see."

Some time later, as they were finally drifting off to sleep, Darcy whispered softly to her, "Your mother is a very wise woman." Her response was a sleepy giggle and they were both smiling when they fell asleep.

The next morning, after they had breakfasted, Darcy took Kitty by the hand, led her to the sitting room, and sat next to her on the sofa. "Catherine, there is something that I have wanted to tell you but there just didn't seem to be the right moment. Do you recall when Lady Marianne commented at my aunt's party that you were not wearing the Darcy jewels?"

When she nodded, Darcy could see by her face that it was something she had thought on and worried about.

"My mother's jewelry is in a safe at Pemberley. I should have removed them and given them to you before our wedding but it never even occurred to me to do so. That is why you do not have them yet. All of them are yours now, as my wife, and as soon as we are at Pemberley I will give them to you."

"I never even thought of them until Lady Marianne made that comment. I must confess that I came to the worst possible conclusion about your failure to give them to me but I felt I just couldn't ask you about it in case my suspicions were correct."

"I wish you would feel that you could ask me about anything."

Kitty smiled. "Well, knowing now that you feel that way, I will ask you about something. What do you mean to do when Richard comes today?"

"I will receive him as warmly as I can and then see what happens. I will treat him as I always have."

"Always have before you married me, or always have after you married me? There is a very decided difference, you know."

"I don't understand what you are asking me."

"I feel very strongly that I am the reason that you and Richard are at odds with each other." Darcy began to protest but she silenced him. "Yes, it is true, and if you think back to when all this started you will realize it, too. That is part of the reason that I so very much want you two to be friends again. I think I know one thing that we can do to foster this; we should tell him the circumstances that led to our marriage. You have told me that through the years he is the one person that you have always confided in. He must resent the fact that you have withheld the details of our marriage from him, any friend would. And if you agree, and I hope you do, we should also tell him that he may relate the entire story to your aunt and uncle and Georgiana."

Darcy was silent and considering her words when she spoke again. "I think you should know that when your aunt and Georgiana were with me when I was being measured for my new gowns they both saw the scar on my chest. It was not yet healed and they must have surmised that it is related to our marriage. I know we agreed to keep the details to ourselves but I think now that these four people should be told the truth. If we tell Richard that will ensure that the others will soon know also."

"There is no 'we'. I will tell my cousin, as I probably should have long ago. I think you are correct in this; I certainly would have resented it if he had been married under very irregular circumstances and didn't confide in me about it. Once again, my dear wife, you have managed to see things that for all my supposed learning I have missed entirely."

He kissed her then and one thing led to another until they were both startled when one of the housemaids knocked on the sitting room door to tell them that the colonel had arrived. Kitty looked anxiously at Darcy but he gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I promised you last night, remember? And I never break my promises."

When Richard entered the room he bowed to Kitty first but hesitated before addressing his cousin. Darcy could see his nervousness and assumed, quite correctly, that the colonel would leave immediately if he was not made welcome by both of them. He held out his hand and when Richard took it he shook it firmly.

"I am happy that you have come, Richard. There are many things that we need to discuss."

Kitty ordered tea and as they ate and drank the tension in the room was palpable. As soon as they were finished Kitty rose from her chair. "I have some letters I need to write and I hope you will both excuse me. I will join you again for lunch." In order to leave the room she had to pass behind Darcy's chair. She reached out and gently ran one of her fingers across the back of his neck. He didn't flinch, but he felt her touch, and she knew it.

When Kitty left the room Darcy immediately turned to face his cousin. "Richard, there are things that I need to tell you, things that I should have told you long ago. And I want you to know that I am sorry now that I didn't. At the time these things happened I felt quite keenly that I was at fault for something that both Catherine and I would pay for all of our lives. So we decided, and the rest of her family agreed, to keep the details that led to our engagement a secret. But I feel that I must tell you now and I hope that when you return to London you will share this with your parents and Georgiana. I don't want it to go any further than that and when you hear the details you will know why." Darcy then began a recitation to his cousin of what had occurred the previous fall.

Darcy had arrived at Netherfield the first week of October with plans to help Bingley accustom himself to being an estate owner for the first time. He was in a foul mood before he even arrived; he had attempted to see Georgiana twice before he left and each time she had refused to see him. And then there was the prospect of being under the same roof with Miss Bingley. For over four years she had been doggedly obvious in her attempts to become the Mistress of Pemberley, and lately her endeavors had become so overt that even easy-going Bingley had been forced to advise her to curb her persistence. She had ignored him, of course, and was convinced that Darcy's seeming indifference was due to his innate shyness. The assembly in Meryton that he had attended the previous evening had been an unmitigated disaster. He had managed to insult and alienate a goodly portion of the attendants and he knew it. The morning after the assembly he had arisen early, had his horse Juno saddled, and took off across the countryside at breakneck speed in the hopes of dispelling disquieting thoughts about Georgiana, Miss Bingley, and his uncharacteristic rudeness at the local assembly. He raced aimlessly across the countryside with a vague intention of summiting Oakham Mount, a local elevation that rose two hundred feet above the surrounding countryside. Bingley had mentioned it on their journey to Netherfield and had described it as relatively easy to access on foot or horseback on three sides but with an almost vertical incline on the southern boundary. Darcy and Juno raced up the eastern pathway and both were startled to see a lone woman at the top; the woman was equally surprised by their sudden appearance. Juno reared up on his hind legs, almost unseating Darcy, and with a cry the woman tumbled backward off the edge of the southern precipice. It took Darcy several minutes to calm Juno enough to dismount, and when he looked over the side he was horrified to see a lifeless body wedged against an enormous boulder about halfway down the incline. He managed to finally reach her by clinging to rocks and scrub bushes that clung to the side of the mount and saw immediately that she was seriously injured. All of the skin on the side of her face where she had come to rest against the boulder was scraped off and there was a huge lump on her forehead at the point of impact.

The most worrisome wound was just below her left shoulder and was seeping blood at an alarming rate. Her pelisse above the wound was torn open through to her skin and he suspected this cut had been made when she collided with one of the many jagged rocks along the path of her descent. She was unconscious, and as he lifted her in his arms he kept his left hand pressed just above her heart in an attempt to stem the blood flow. His ascent was hampered by the steepness of the incline, and he finally had to resort to carrying her along a horizontal path until he could reach the eastern side of the prominence and continue up that side. There he whistled for Juno, and with a struggle to maintain pressure on her wound as he attempted to mount, he was finally able secure both of them and ride, as quickly as he felt was safe, for her home. He had recognized her as one of the Bennet girls that he had been introduced to at the Meryton assembly, although he had no idea of her name. He recalled seeing farm labourers gathering the last of the late hay crop when he had raced to Oakham Mount and made his way to that area in order to have one of them fetch the local apothecary to come with all haste to the Bennet estate. He did so, was assured by the horrified workers that they would depart immediately in order to fetch medical assistance, and turned his horse toward Longbourn.

Mr. Bennet was sitting at his desk, which faced the front of the house, and was the first to reach Darcy when he rode up the drive with his unconscious burden. He was immediately followed by the entire Bennet household and for several minutes absolute chaos reigned. Darcy saw that it was hopeless to expect that any of them would be able to be of material help and as a result he spoke more harshly than he intended.

"Miss Bennet fell from Oakham Mount and has been seriously wounded. The apothecary has been summoned and should be arriving shortly. For now, you will be no help to her if you continue to behave in this manner. I need someone to apply firm pressure to this wound just above her heart while at least two others carefully remove her from my horse. I will be able to carry her into the house but I need assistance in order to dismount."

Kitty, for he had heard her name mentioned in the first exclamations of horror by her sisters, was slowly removed from in front of him while he kept a tight rein on Juno. He dismounted and was further dismayed to find that not only was the entire front of his waistcoat covered in blood but that his pant leg was quite bloody also, giving testament to the fact that she was wounded in yet another area of her body. He took her from Mr. Bennet's arms and followed the girls as they led him into the front hall and then up the stairs to her room. A quick examination showed him the source of the additional bleeding; Kitty had a long jagged wound on the shin of her left leg that was filled with dirt, leaves and other debris. When Darcy positioned her on the bed he instructed two of the sisters to apply pressure to this section of her leg and another to continue applying pressure to her shoulder area. His orders were promptly followed, but just as he felt that the situation was reasonably under control until the apothecary arrived, Kitty began to shake, gently at first and then violently. The loss of blood had caused her to go into shock and Darcy began issuing orders to light as many fireplaces as possible and quickly heat every blanket they could procure to wrap around her. This was done, and Darcy had the satisfaction of seeing her shaking diminish somewhat.

He could think of nothing further to do and they spoke quietly amongst themselves as they anxiously awaited the arrival of apothecary. He was able to sort out the girls by this time. Jane was the eldest and he recalled that Bingley had singled her out for particular attention the previous evening. Elizabeth was the second oldest, and as he saw how she attempted to calm her sisters and render as much help as possible, he recalled with chagrin how he had insulted her at the assembly by refusing to dance with her. Mary seemed the most collected of them all and it was her that he chose to apply pressure to Kitty's chest wound. The youngest, Lydia, was so upset and tearful that he was glad her task was to heat blankets in several rooms and so she was kept busy and away from the distressing sight of her wounded sister. Mr. Bennet simply paced back and forth on the far side of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. Mrs. Bennet had retreated to her upstairs sitting room and her hysterical lamentations concerning the effect of this event on her nerves convinced Darcy that she would be of no material assistance in aiding her injured daughter.

A heavy pounding on the entrance door of Longbourn raised everyone's hopes that it was the apothecary at last and Mr. Bennet and Darcy quickly went down the stairs to greet him. The man at the door, however, was one of the labourers that had been sent to fetch medical help. The man explained that he had spoken to the apothecary's wife and found that he was visiting his mother who resided some thirty miles away and he was not expected to return for at least two days. At this news, the spirits of both men plummeted; Mr. Bennet's because he was at a complete loss as to what to do next, and Darcy's because he knew only too well what needed to be done. Darcy's estate, Pemberley, employed many workers doing a multitude of tasks, and in the course of normal estate life, it was inevitable that several times a year one of the workers was injured during a time when the Lambton apothecary was away from his office and not available. And so over the years Darcy had become quite proficient at cleaning and bandaging cuts and scrapes, stitching up wounds, and even, occasionally, setting broken bones. He knew that the danger of infection for Kitty increased as the minutes passed and that the only way to impede the loss of blood was to stitch her wounds. He explained this to a shaken Mr. Bennet and attempted to reassure him as to his doctoring abilities, but also requested a pen and some paper so that he could send an express rider to London to fetch Dr. Rushton, his own personal physician. He wrote a quick note to one of the Pemberley coachmen who had accompanied him to Netherfield, explained the urgency of the situation, and instructed him to ride as quickly as possible to deliver the enclosed letter to his physician in London.

As Darcy ascended the stair with Mr. Bennet he was deep in thought compiling a mental list of all he would need to assist Kitty and fervently hoping that Longbourn contained at least some of them. He knew that the sisters, although displaying admirable fortitude until this time, would be sorely tried by what was required of them in the next several hours if they were to help him. With this in mind, he addressed them as soon as he entered the bedroom.

"The Meryton apothecary is visiting his mother in a distant town and will not return for two days. I have sent an express to London requesting my own physician to come as soon as possible to Longbourn but there is no way that he will arrive before early morning at the soonest. Kitty needs assistance now, and I have had some little experience ministering to Pemberley employees who were injured in similar ways. I cannot do this alone, however, and I need the help of some of you to aid me in tending her and keeping me supplied with the items I will need to do so."

He looked at each sister in turn and was pleased to see four resolute expressions and four chins raised with a determination to do whatever was necessary to aid their sister. Hill also nodded, and Darcy sensed that the housekeeper was a woman who could be relied upon to work without faltering. Mr. Bennet also stepped forward to volunteer but he was so obviously shaken by the morning's events that Darcy was hesitant to request his assistance.

Once Darcy was assured that he had adequate help to begin his task he began issuing orders and requests for supplies at a rapid pace and all six occupants of the room scurried to comply. Hill was dispatched to acquire what he needed in order to clean the wounds and coat them later with a substance that would deter infection. He had had enough experience to know that clean hands, instruments, and careful vigilance by the medical attendant in applying cleansing lotions to the wounds vastly increased the chances that the patient could avoid infection and its attendant fevers. He felt that although Mr. Bennet seemed eager to assist, if he remained in the sickroom there was a very good chance that he would collapse and require assistance himself. So Darcy requested that he aid Hill in the stillroom, larder and kitchen to assemble numerous items that he would require in order to commence. Hill nodded at each request and he knew that each of the items was readily available or soon could be.

He had already considered Mary the calmest of the sisters and was pleased to see she was more than willing to remain close beside him and assist in any way necessary. For the time being he had her remain at her post applying a steady pressure to Kitty's chest wound until he had the supplies he required in order to begin stitching. He asked Elizabeth to continue applying pressure to the gash in Kitty's leg but instructed Jane to find several other things that he hoped might be found in one of the girl's sewing baskets. He needed a thin round needle, dark silk thread, tweezers, and a supply of clean cheesecloth or muslin to prepare poultices from the supplies that Hill and Mr. Bennet were collecting. Lydia, like Mr. Bennet, was so overwrought that she was potentially a liability rather than an aide. Keeping her busy and away from the sickroom seemed the best option and so she was put in charge of tending several of the upstairs fireplaces and heating warm blankets to wrap them around her sister to impede shock. Darcy instructed her to be particularly mindful to keep her head, hands and feet well covered and warm.

It was not many minutes before Hill, Jane and Mr. Bennet arrived with all the items he had requested. He filled two basins with warm soapy water and positioned one by himself and one next to Elizabeth. Hill and Jane were instructed to prepare a compress that had been seeped in willow bark tea, allow it to cool somewhat, and then apply it to the swelling on Kitty's forehead. When that was completed they were to cover the scraped side of her face with a similar compress containing beeswax, yarrow and comfrey. When both compresses had been applied Jane was then free to assist Elizabeth, and they were instructed to wash their hands well in the soap basin and then to began removing, with the tweezers if necessary, the debris from Kitty's shin wound and to apply the beeswax salve mixture to the cleaned areas. It was a time-consuming task that required careful attention and as they worked they had to continue to apply pressure to the jagged wound to slow the leak of blood.

Darcy himself had commenced stitching the chest wound that was deep and extended for five inches from just below her shoulder blade to the top of her breast. He then proceeded to stitch her leg wound and was pleased to see that Jane and Elizabeth had done an admirable job in removing all the dirt and leaves that had been deeply embedded in it. Mary remained near him and seemed to anticipate what he needed even before he asked, wiping away excess blood, and holding the edges of skin together for his needle. Lydia set about her allotted task with a determined fervor and although Kitty continued to tremble and show evidence of shock, Darcy knew it would have been much more pronounced without Lydia's vigilance in keeping her well wrapped with warm blankets. Hill and Mr. Bennet assisted her and also frequently replenished the soapy water in both of the basins. The room was deathly quiet as each of its occupants gave their entire concentration to performing the task at hand. Darcy could not have asked for more dedicated assistants and for the first time he felt that all might be well. The fact that Kitty remained unconscious was troubling but he felt it was perhaps best considering how painful his ministrations would be for her if she was awake and aware of them.

Darcy had only paused once in the two hours that he was caring for Kitty's wounds. Mrs. Bennet's sitting room was directly across from the sickroom and while they were all working so feverously they were aware of a non-stop cacophony of complaints emanating from her room. She resented the fact that Hill was unavailable to tend to her and that her incessant demands were simply being ignored by all the occupants in the sickroom. She was suffering grievously from nerves and heart palpitations and she wanted someone to attend her. When her demands went unanswered she increased their volume and finally Darcy had had enough. He marched to her room, slammed back her partly opened door, and literally exploded in rage.

"Good God, woman, what kind of an unnatural mother are you? If you have no feelings for your own daughter could you at least have some compassion for those of us who are working so hard to preserve her life?"

Mr. Bennet had followed Darcy to the open door and wryly commented.

"You may as well speak to this wall as address her, sir. She has been a constant source of embarrassment to me for more years than I care to remember and I rue the day I ever laid eyes on her."

These admonitions had an immediate effect, and Mrs. Bennet, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, came as close to actually fainting as she ever had in her life. Their mission was successful though, and an ominous silence emanated from her sitting room during the rest of their endeavors. Neither gentleman could know the momentous effects that would result from these accusations in the years to come. The admonitions of Darcy and Mr. Bennet were keenly felt to an extent that they never could have imagined, and in its aftermath the very fabric of life in the Bennet household was dramatically changed, and, amazingly, even the inheritance entail that threatened to deprive them of their estate was permanently altered.

Darcy reentered Kitty's room expecting to find some indication from the sisters that he had offended them by his insulting remarks to their mother; indeed, he himself was already regretting the strident comments that he had made to her. This was not the case, however, and he had the distinct impression that in his absence he had been the topic of their conversation and that the result of his confrontation with their mother further augmented his status with them. They obviously viewed him as Kitty's savior, and perhaps he was in terms of his efforts at this time. But, he very much feared that when all the details were known to them concerning how she had become so seriously injured their admiration would quickly turn to derision. This pained him for several reasons. He had come to admire each of them for the affection they so obviously felt for their sister and the determination each of them displayed to aid him when it must have been incredibly difficult to do so when faced with the glaring evidence of her wounds. All formality had been done away with as they worked and they were all on a first name basis and comfortable with it. He also knew that his actions, both on Oakham Mount and in this sickroom, would result in them becoming, in the not too distant future, his sisters. He knew he needed to discuss this matter with Mr. Bennet and as soon as he had done all he could for Kitty's wellbeing he requested a private audience in his library.

Darcy's interview with Mr. Bennet was brief and to the point. He requested Kitty's hand in marriage and assured her father of his ability to not only provide for her in terms of materials things but that, as his wife, every attempt would be made to ensure her future happiness. If Mr. Bennet could not view the man in front of him as an eager suitor anxious to receive a blessing to unite himself with a woman he loved, neither could he fault Darcy for his obvious concern for his daughter's welfare and his determination to ensure her future comfort. His blessing and permission were readily given. It then remained Darcy's task to acquaint Mr. Bennet with the circumstances that had led to Kitty being hurt, and he did not hesitate to elaborate on each painful detail, and to acknowledge his own culpability in the affair. He related all that had transpired as accurately as he was able given his trepidation concerning Mr. Bennet's reaction to his confession. For he had no doubt, that if it was Georgiana who had been so seriously wounded, what his reaction would be to a man standing in front of him and confessing that his carelessness had caused her injuries.

Mr. Bennet was silent for at least ten minutes after hearing this recitation – ten minutes that seemed like hours to Darcy. Finally Mr. Bennet responded, not with a judgment on his actions as Darcy had anticipated, but with numerous questions.

"Let me see if I rightly understand you. Before you even ascended Oakham Mount you were aware that they were several men in the near vicinity who were reaping hay. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir, it is."

"And after you had seen that Kitty was lodged halfway down the incline you could have easily ridden your horse to these men, explained that she had fallen down the southern slope, and left it to them to retrieve her and escort her to Longbourn. Is that also correct? Did this ever cross your mind as a simple solution to the dilemma you found yourself in?"

Darcy could not disguise the indignation he felt that Mr. Bennet could even contemplate that he could be capable of such actions. "No, sir, this option never occurred to me, nor would it to any man with even a modicum of honour!"

"I see. Well then, let us proceed with another scenario. When you had delivered Kitty to Longbourn and we were made aware of the fact that the apothecary would be unavailable for two days, why did you volunteer to stand in for him and take upon yourself the doctoring that should rightly have been his? You were under no obligation to do so, and you could have been content to simply send an express to your personal physician and leave it to him, when he finally arrived, to cope with whatever he found here. Did this eventuality never present itself to you? Your conscience would have been clear that you had procured the necessary help for Kitty, albeit a bit later than one would hope, and you could have returned to Netherfield, and eventually London, and put the whole unpleasant affair behind you."

"Once again, Mr. Bennet, I must object to your supposition that I would even consider such base actions, let alone act on them. You can have no idea, sir, of the man you are confronting when you make such insulting suggestions to me."

"Well then, let me tell you something, Mr. Darcy, concerning your own assessment of your character and your culpability for what has happened. It is obvious to me that you are consumed with guilt over this morning's events. Needlessly so, I might add. Yes, I will allow that you probably should not have ascended Oakham Mount at the speed that you did. And yes, you probably should have been able to more forcefully control your horse. But how in the world could you have anticipated that someone else would be on the summit when most people at that early hour were still in bed or had not yet even breakfasted? You are not to blame for the tragic events of this morning and the integrity which you have displayed here should make you proud rather than ashamed of your actions. If you harbor any suspicions that you have behaved in a less than honourable manner I feel I must inform you, in the strongest possible terms, that you could not possibly be more wrong."

He paused here to allow Darcy to fully comprehend the strength of his convictions and then returned to what he considered to be the heart of the matter. He was unable to control the tremor in his voice when he continued.

"Sir, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that had you behaved in a less than honourable manner this family would be spending the next several days preparing for a funeral rather than a wedding."

Mary knocked on the library door at this point and informed them that a light lunch had been prepared for all of them by the cook. They were both astonished to hear that Mrs. Bennet had appeared at Kitty's door and had insisted that they all leave the sickroom for a time and that she would keep careful watch over her daughter. She would not be denied, and so the sisters had felt confident enough to leave Kitty to her care in order to have a midday meal and converse with Darcy and their father.

The sisters were understandingly curious about the circumstances that had led to Kitty's injuries but it was obvious that none of them had the courage to approach the subject. They knew that Darcy must be involved in some way and were afraid of offending him by their questions. Mr. Bennet felt it was best if he did the talking rather than Darcy, and he explained the situation in a way that, although not precisely a fabrication, absolved Darcy of all blame in the matter.

"Now that Kitty is out of danger and we have a moment to relax I have several pieces of information to share with you. The first is good news, very good news indeed. Mr. Darcy has requested Kitty's hand in marriage, which I have, of course, granted. Kitty's injuries came as a result of a number of factors occurring simultaneously that no one could have anticipated. Your sister arrived atop Oakham Mount just as Mr. Darcy and his horse did the same. All three were surprised at the encounter, particularly given the early hour of the morning. Darcy's horse reared up, and in her fright Kitty backed up and fell down the south side, which, as you know, is quite steep. I think you should know that Darcy had seen several farm workers on Sir William's estate before he reached the summit and encountered Kitty. After she fell he could easily have requested their assistance in retrieving her and escorting her to Longbourn. But, obviously, he did not, and we must all be thankful that he took it upon himself to tend to Kitty immediately. And I needn't tell you what happened when they reached Longbourn. I have no doubt that most gentlemen would have been content to send an express to London for a physician when it became known that the local apothecary was unavailable. Again, we owe Mr. Darcy a debt that can never be repaid that he himself undertook the weighty task of doing everything that could be done to ensure her safety until medical help can arrive from London. I needn't remind you of the graveness of her injuries; we were all painfully aware of them, and I have no scruples in saying that Mr. Darcy saved your sister's life."

At this point he was unable to continue, and his four daughters saw, for the first time in their lives, their father overcome with emotion. Mr. Bennet was an insightful man but until that morning he had steadfastly refused to use that insight to examine his own behavior as a father and husband. He had failed them all miserably, and this afternoon he had been forced to view with painful clarity his shortcomings. As he looked around the table he regarded his daughters as though seeing them for the first time. Jane's sweetness and inability to ever see flaws in anyone had been a subject of his constant derision. Lizzie's keen intellect he had fostered but he had encouraged in her a sarcasm that frequently victimized those around her. Mary, as the middle child, constantly sought approval from both her parents, and the more they neglected her, the more she attempted to put herself forward. Lydia had an energy and optimism that he could have easily channeled to promote the happiness of all around them. Instead, she was the constant victim of his contempt and he never failed to attempt to embarrass her in front of whoever was present.

The conversation then turned to other matters and it was agreed among them that the extent of Kitty's injuries and what had precipitated them would remain a carefully guarded secret known only to the occupants of that room. Others were to be told that Kitty had fallen from Oakham Mount, that Darcy had been the first to come upon her, and he had then brought her to her home. Her family had then tended to her wounds until the doctor that Darcy had summoned from London could arrive.

Kitty regained consciousness soon after this discussion and when Dr. Rushton arrived in the early hours of the morning he spent over an hour carefully examining her. He then joined the anxious family in the drawing room and pronounced her to be in as good a condition as they could possible hope considering the gravity of her injuries. He was confident of a full recovery. His only concern was if she developed an infection which could result in a fever but he was relieved when he heard of the precautions that had been taken to prevent this. She was in considerable pain, which was to be expected, and Hill, who remained with her, was given a vial of laudanum and instructed on its proper dosage. She had been sleeping when he left her and he strongly advised the rest of the family to do so also. It was obvious to him that they, and Darcy, were exhausted and he would relieve Hill and tend to Kitty himself throughout the night.

The next several days proved the efficacy of the soap that Darcy had insisted upon being used when Kitty was being treated by them and she remained infection and fever free. She was in quite a bit of pain however, and spent the two days following her accident in a sleep-induced state due to the administration of laudanum. On the third day she felt well enough to forego it and in the afternoon Darcy requested a private audience with her. His marriage proposal was met with absolute incredulity and it was not until he explained to her in graphic detail what he had done to treat her wounds that she finally grasped the necessity of their marriage. She wasn't happy about it though and her reluctance was further enhanced when she could easily see that Darcy also was opposed to it. When Darcy left for Pemberley less than a month before their wedding she was relieved. They had spent very little time together and each meeting was painfully awkward for both of them. They had no choice but to marry, and both of them spent the time before their wedding in apprehension of a marriage that neither of them desired.

When Darcy arrived at Pemberley he immediately acquainted Mrs. Reynolds with the news of his impending nuptials. The congratulations that she was about to extend died on her lips when she saw the expression on his face. He then issued instructions concerning the preparation of the suite that belonged to the master and mistress at Pemberley. He had never used his parents' rooms even though he had been the master of this estate for more than five years. It was required of him now; he certainly could not assign his wife to any of the other bedchambers in the family wing without causing a good deal of speculation. He then proceeded to spend the next several days in a state of absolute and complete intoxication and for the first time in his life treated his staff in a manner that had them tiptoeing around him. When he was not prowling the halls with a black look on his face that sent terror into the hearts of his servants he was in his study, usually sleeping in a chair at night but one morning, to his surprise, waking to find himself sprawled out on the Persian rug in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Reynolds entered the room each day to bring him meals and was obviously distressed when she returned to find the trays either untouched or with very little food consumed. She was an intrepid woman though, and on the fourth morning of his drunken exile she marched into his study with a determined look in her eye, a ramrod straight back, and a huge carafe of strong coffee. The drapes were opened wide to admit sunshine, he was handed an enormous cup of coffee, and she then proceeded to take every bottle of intoxicants in the room and lock them in the cabinet that was used for this purpose. This cabinet had never been locked and Mrs. Reynolds had spent a good deal of time the previous day searching for its key until at last it was found. With a combination of scolding and bullying she forced him up the stairs where a bath had already been prepared and his anxious valet was waiting to shave him and replace the wrinkled clothing that he had worn for the four preceding days. Mrs. Reynolds was stationed at the foot of the stairs when he came down and was once again presentable, and she ushered him into the dining room where the cook had prepared enough of his favorite food to feed a small army. He surprised himself by how much he was able to eat and felt remarkable well at the completion of his meal, particularly when he considered the state he had been in for the last several days. When it was obvious that he had eaten his fill Mrs. Reynolds sat down beside him with a resolute look on her face.

"Now sir, I would advise you to take a look at the correspondence that has accumulated since your arrival. An express from your cousin Richard arrived that had been forwarded from Netherfield and there is another express marked 'urgent' from your Uncle Matlock which also needs your attention. For the past three days your steward has been requesting an audience with you about a serious estate matter that he doesn't feel competent to handle on his own, and the forest manager needs to know what areas of Pemberley's woods you have selected for culling by the woodcutters so that they can begin their annual restocking of firewood for the winter." Here she paused, and fixed him with a gimlet eye that as a child he had dreaded above all things. "And as for me….. I expect you to use the good sense you were born with and to proceed from this point on in a manner befitting the master of Pemberley and the son of your esteemed father."

However little Darcy liked being spoken to in such a way he knew he could not continue on the way he had recently without serious damage not only to his health but to the innate pride he had always felt in himself and his own behavior. He went to his study to begin the work that Mrs. Reynolds had informed him of and was pleased to see that his staff had so quickly restored it to its former state of order and cleanliness. Unfortunately though, his resolve to behave in a manner befitting the master of the great estate of Pemberley dissolved instantly when he read the letters from his uncle and cousin and he flew into an absolute rage. His uncle's letter was even more insulting than his cousin's, for he demandedthat Darcy come to his London residence immediately to consult with him. Like his son, Richard, he also recommended paying off Catherine and her parents in order to extricate himself from this marriage, and then explained, in explicit terms, how an annulment could be obtained if Darcy was unable to prevent the union.

Darcy stomped out of his study and headed for the stables where he had his horse Juno saddled. Horse and rider spent the next hour tearing from one boundary of the estate to another at breakneck speed, jumping every obstacle that they encountered and only stopping to rest when Darcy became aware of the fatigue of his horse. Darcy had discovered when he was still a boy that he did some of his best thinking when astride a horse and this day was no exception. He resolved to let his relatives' letters go unanswered and to follow the course that he had previously decided upon. He would spare no effort in the future to ensure Catherine's comfort and happiness and would attempt all that he could to be a conscientious and thoughtful husband. If his marriage could not be as ideal as the one his parents had enjoyed, neither would it be rife with the indifference or animosity that characterized so many of the marriages of London's upper classes. He was determined to do his part for their felicity in this union and that the future would find them comfortable with each other and content with the life that they had created together.

Darcy spent the next two weeks busy with estate business. The last of Pemberley's fall crops were harvested and stored, the sheep were sheared and the wool taken to market, and he spent hours with his steward determining which acres of his farm land would lie fallow during the planting of the spring crops. He visited an elderly woman who lived in one of the seventeen cottages located on his estate where the families of Pemberley's workers lived; this woman was well known as an accomplished knitter and from her he ordered a shawl for Catherine spun from the wool of sheep on his estate. When finished, the shawl was even lovelier than he had anticipated, and he sent it off immediately with a note to Catherine explaining that the wool for her shawl came from the sheep of her future home.

He wrote to his London housekeeper, Mrs. Downton, who was the sister of Mrs. Reynolds, to prepare the suite of the master and mistress there and advising her that they would be in residence for several weeks. He also wrote to his London attorneys and requested that a member of the firm come to Pemberley to draw up the terms of his marriage settlement. When this was completed he rewrote his will to include Catherine as one of his heirs.

Satisfied that he had put all his affairs in order, four days before the wedding he departed for the two day journey to London. He spent one night at his London residence, departing just after dawn the following morning for Netherfield, and after bathing and changing his clothes was able to reach Longbourn by mid-afternoon. The only unpleasantness, which he had expected, was the inevitable confrontation with Miss Bingley when he arrived at Bingley's estate. She had learned the news of Darcy's engagement from her brother, Charles, and immediately exploded in anger. For the past several years she had not only hoped, but expected, that she would one day bear the coveted title of Mistress of Pemberley. Her mortification at being denied that title was augmented by the fact that she had proudly canvassed her assurance of becoming Mrs. Darcy to all her London acquaintances. Now to be denied what she had striven for so assiduously, and to a sixteen year old girl with absolutely no qualifications for the honour, was simply untenable. There were several vague and contradictory rumors floating around Meryton about the reason for this sudden engagement; the only thing they all had in common was an assertion that Catherine Bennet had somehow fallen during a morning walk and Darcy had gallantly helped her back to Longbourn. In her mind this was scarcely a compelling reason for marrying and she was convinced that her own power of persuasion would convince Darcy to abandon this foolishness even at this late date.

"Mr. Darcy, I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. You must not, simply must not, continue on with these plans for your wedding tomorrow. I have spent enough time with the Bennet family in the last several weeks to see how completely you have been taken in by them and forced into this marriage. I am not familiar with all the particulars concerning this disgraceful engagement, but do know enough to see that both you and Charles have been targeted since your arrival in the neighborhood by that family as potential husbands. Artful scheming women! And Kitty herself – surely you can see how you will become the laughing stock of the ton if you stoop to marrying this unsophisticated country nobody who is scarcely older than your sister. It is not too late – you must inform them immediately that you simply will not go through with travesty!"

"Miss Bingley, you forget yourself. I am totally competent to decide the course of my own life, and I will abide by the commitment I have made. Furthermore, I will not permit you, or anyone else, to disparage my future wife or her family. My decision has been made and there is nothing further to be said."

With this, Darcy managed to shake off the hand that had been clutching his arm and turn a deaf ear to her further entreaties, which were growing ever more strident in nature. Miss Bingley was seriously displeased, and made a silent vow that if she had not the power to thwart this marriage, in the future she would do everything she could to make him aware of the folly of his choice. If she could not hold the position she had so long sought, then she would do everything possible to ensure that the woman who won this honour would be humiliated and ridiculed. Miss Bingley had many acquaintances in London and she resolved to offset the humiliation of her own rejection by spreading far and wide the news that Darcy would never have even considered choosing Kitty Bennet over herself if he had not been forced to by her artful family.

Darcy continued up the stairs to his chambers to prepare for the dinner at Longbourn. He completely underestimated the vitriol of Miss Bingley's anger; in fact, he had the mistaken impression that this confrontation was resolved in a way that would put an end to any further unpleasantness. Unfortunately, he had completely misjudged the situation, and the future would find him acutely aware of the abiding fury of a woman scorned.