The doctor stayed through the morning; the house now silent. Having given an overwrought Mrs. Bennet a sleeping draught to calm her nerves and get her out of the way and sending Jane to get some sleep in Mary's room, only Mr. Bennet and the doctor stood vigil at Elizabeth's bedside. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia sat silently in the drawing room, picking up and putting down their sewing and embroidery.

At last, the hush was broken by Mrs. Hill's announcement.

"Mr. Bingley."

The three girls stood as he entered, bowing politely.

After the introductory pleasantries and Mrs. Hill bringing in tea, things grew quiet and awkward.

"I see neither Mrs. Bennet nor Miss Bennet have joined us," Charles said quietly, "I do hope I am not intruding. That is, I hope that Miss Elizabeth is…" he trailed off, shifting in his seat.

"Lizzy had rather a… bad night," Kitty finally spoke up after a long silence, "Mama and Jane are resting and Papa and the doctor are with Lizzy."

"Oh! Oh, dear. I… I do apologize for my coming here, after such a night! I…" Bingley ran a hand through his already mussed hair, "I will leave, and let you have the peace you should all partake of. Thank you for allowing my call." He stood to leave.

"Nonsense," Lydia spoke up at last, "After what you and Mr. Darcy did for us yesterday, we can hardly turn you away!"

Bingley gave a small smile and bowed at her.

"It was a pleasure," he frowned at the words and shook his head, "Well, rather not a pleasure; I mean it was a horrible experience for you all, but I am grateful we, that is Darcy and I, were able to do some small thing. To intercede, I mean, impede…" Charles stuttered to a stop, aware he was rambling in his discomfort, "There is just one question I would ask; would you have happened to have a visit this morning from Darcy?"

Kitty and Lydia looked at him in confusion, Mary looked down at the floor.

"No, sir," Kitty said, "We have not seen Mr. Darcy since he fled the house yesterday!"

Charles nodded his thanks and moved to depart.

"Let me walk you to the door," Mary said, ignoring the startled looks Lydia and Kitty gave her.

"Of, of course," Bingley said, his brow furrowed as he followed Miss Mary from the room.

As they gained the privacy of the hallway, Mary turned towards Bingley, wringing her hands.

"Mr. Bingley, I fear that your friend Mr. Darcy… I fear he has gone mad," Mary ended in a whisper, hating to give voice to her fears. She had been thinking all the morning, and the more she thought, the more she realized how aberrant Mr. Darcy's behavior was.

"Mad!" Bingley exclaimed, just barely keeping his voice down, "Surely not! What has happened to make you think so?"

"When Lizzy… When the doctor needed to be called," Mary explained, "It was hours before dawn and I ran to wake the coachman, to send him to town, you see."

Charles nodded, gesturing for her to go on.

"I was returning to the house, and Mr. Darcy…" Mary covered her mouth and looked away, her cheeks flushed, "He… he grabbed me and pulled me behind the stables. I was so frightened," she continued, looking up at Bingley imploringly, "Surely you can understand how frightened I was. I did not know who he was, not then, and he had his hand over my mouth and he was dragging me away from my home and it was…" Mary stopped with a sob, hiding her face in her hands.

"Oh, Miss Mary," Bingley said, reaching out a hand to comfort her but dropping it in anxious futility. He handed her his handkerchief instead.

"He released me once he was assured of my silence," Mary continued after wiping her eyes, "and demanded I tell him of Lizzy's health. Once I had informed him what had happened, I wanted to return to my family but he took my arm and would not let me go until I had promised to tell no one and to… to meet him at the swing after the doctor left."

"To meet him, but why? Why not visit and talk to Mr. Bennet? This is most improper! And importuning you in the middle of the night! It is not done!" Bingley said, his hands once again mussing his hair anxiously.

"He… he said Father would not see him." Mary said.

Bingley stiffened.

"Not see him? But why? After the service Darcy has performed, why would Mr. Bennet bar him from the house? Mayhap this has something to do with Darcy's flight yesterday…" Bingley said, glancing up the stairs, "If only I could speak with Mr. Bennet; come to some understanding of all this. But, of course, I cannot take him away from Miss Elizabeth at her time of great need."

"But you will do something about Mr. Darcy?" Mary asked anxiously, "He is frightening me."

"Yes, yes of course," Bingley said, his eyes snapping as he frowned, "His behavior towards you has been inexcusable."

"Thank you," Mary said with a relieved sigh, at last showing Mr. Bingley to the door.