Sunday, 24 April 1814
To myself,
We set off early this morning for Dornoch and my Catherine is so ill, she cannot sit up unassisted any longer. Her coughing has gotten worse and she has grown very pale. I read the other letters I received, one of them from Darcy saying that they had to dismiss a servant whom had been secretly harbouring a milder case of the consumption - they could not keep the young girl around Mrs. Darcy's beautiful new daughter. I do wonder if, perhaps, this servant girl tended to my Catherine while she was ill at Pemberley and perhaps, it was her who passed on the illness to her.
There were other papers in with the letter from the sanitorium, one stating that I, too, would be subject to examination if I am to stay with Catherine. I will submit to any examination if it means I may stay with my Catherine. I pray to whatever God watches us from above and hope for a swift recovery for my Catherine.
Yours,
Colonel R. Fitzwilliam
Thursday, 28 April 1814
To myself,
It was this day that was initially planned for mine and my Catherine's wedding, but we were sixteen days early. Nevermind that, we arrived at the sanitorium today and it is every bit of magnificent as it was described to me. It had once been a grand castle, but was refurbished and rebuilt to suit the needs of a sanitorium. They accept only sixteen patients at a time, per chamber, and my Catherine is very lucky to be one of them. Catherine was removed from the carriage on a stretcher and brought to her chamber to be examined...
"Come, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for ye, too, must be examined," said a doctor to me once I had entered the grand entrance hall. "Ah am Doctor William McKinley, Ah wrote to ye about your request."
"Yes, I recall. It is a great pleasure to meet you," I replied, and I followed him into a small room complete with a settee and a desk.
"T'is heah is my office. Whenev'r ye need me, Ah will always be heah," said Dr. McKelvey in his thick Scottish brogue - it was so thick, I struggled understanding it. "Ah'll need ye te remove yer shert, laddie." I did as I was told and Dr. McKelvey placed his stethoscope on my chest.
"That's a bit chilly, isn't it?" I said, and Dr. McKinley chuckled.
"Ah need ye te breathe in n' out fer me, laddie, real deap," he replied, and I did. "And again." I repeated as he moved the stethoscope. "Two more tiems, laddie." I did as I was told, and he removed his stethoscope. "How long hev ye bee in close contact with Messes Fitzwilliam?"
"Almost a month. We were only married sixteen days ago," I replied.
"Congratulations," said Dr. McKelvey. "It seems that ye've got some crackles in yer breathin', but yer in the right place fer tha'. It should come as no surprise that ye've got a touch of the consumption as well."
"Not at all," I replied. "I suspected it was the cause of a recent labour in my breathing."
"Ye'll be treated as well, although ye can expect te be cured o' t'is relativeleh quickleh, compared te yer wife. Ah will examine 'er meself next."
"Thank you very much," I replied, and he left me with final instructions on how to get to mine and Catherine's chamber and said he would inform the nurses that I would be needing some medical attention as well. I arrived at the chamber and Catherine was already being examined, behind closed doors, by Dr. McKelvey and his nurses. I sat on the settee and waited until I could see her, only to be told that I would have to wait a couple of weeks after my own treatment before seeing her.
I am most certainly unhappy about not being able to see my Catherine, but I do not want to make her any more ill than she already is. After I finish this entry, I shall write to mine and Catherine's relations announcing that we have arrived at the sanitorium safely. I am most certain that Mama will not be happy hearing that I, too, have a touch of consumption, but at least she will know that I am in the right place and will be treated quickly. I received my first treatments today and, if Dr. McKelvey's techniques work, I will be cured of it in no time and so will my Catherine.
Yours,
Colonel R. Fitzwilliam
{this letter arrived at the sanitorium on Monday, 9 May 1814}
Wednesday, 4 May 1814
Dear Colonel Fitzwilliam,
I beg of you not to alarm Kitty with this news, as she will blame herself, but Mr. Bennet has taken ill and Mr. Phylis believes it is with the consumption. He says he likely caught it from close contact with Catherine, but Mr. Bennet is not bitter. Now that all five of my daughters are married, I don't worry anymore about them being homeless, but I do worry for myself. I have already written to my other daughters and I do hope that what little time I have left with Mr. Bennet is longer than I've been led to believe.
He was very pleased to hear that you and Kitty have made it safely to Dornoch and your daily updates of our daughter are very much appreciated. We are glad to hear that you have responded well to the treatment you have received and we are both sorry to hear that you've received a bit of it as well. We trust that Kitty is in capable hands and we are certain that she will recover quickly now that she is there. Do keep writing daily of my daughter's condition.
Yours,
Martha Bennet