Pride and Prejudice
AU not canon
No Common Lady
Pride and Prejudice
Previously News
Lydia attempted to call for help, but her voice did not carry far. She hoped that someone would notice their absence and come looking for them. She held Aurelia's hand and lay there shivering and bleeding, before falling into unconsciousness hesrself.
Found and No Idle Threats
Ch. 19
"They're here!" Shouted Thomas as his torch cast a light over two figures laying near a newly constructed pond. "Get a doctor and wagon over here now!" He flew off his horse and turned Mrs. Fletcher over. The gash on her forehead had stopped bleeding but looked horrible, his daughters's leg was twisted and made him cringe. The sound of a wagon stopping and sounds of men's feet hitting the ground got him to looking back up.
"Let's get them in the wagon." Mr. Darcy and the stranger who had not let Mr. Bennet out of his sight and was now wearing a coachman's cloak but could not be seen clearly because the torches light was on the ladies and not him, helped the others get the women into the wagon and they were rushed back to the home of Fitzwiliam and Elizabeth.
"How did they get so far in such a short time?" The coachman asked Mr. Bennet. He was amazed at how far the two women had walked.
"Aurelia has a habit of walking faster than some run when she is upset." Mr. Bennet tried to laugh, but failed as he was furious after being told what had caused his women to flee into the night. It was only when the group was back at Pemberly, and they were entering one of the Darcy's room did he make a detour into the ballroom.
No one had gone home for all were concerned about the ladies, even though a few had stayed for the wrong reasons. They all now wished, maybe, their choice had been different. Why? Because there now stood Mr. Bennet with a face far darker than they had ever seen it before. His eyes blazed as if they were on fire and he was looking for blood... had the ladies been killed?
"You." Mr. Bennet was looking straight at Lady Catherine there was no doubt about it. "Will pay, without question, every red scent of Lydia's medical bills over her broken leg and whatever other injuries she may have occurred this night. You will pay for as long as she requires medical attention whether that be six months, a year, two years or until the doctor says she is healed. The same goes with Mrs. Fletcher; whatever medical bills are occurred you will cover. It is small in comparison for your sneaking into a party you were escorted out of and then not to have the decency to stand up against the lies Mr. Collins was spouting which caused Mrs. Fletcher and my daughter to flee away from this party, when your nephew had already told you the whole truth of Mr. Preston's lies."
"But I am not even related." Lady Catherine started to protest only to have the coachman step inside, without his cloak on. That, and the fact he was not in the shadows made Mr. Bennet jerk just a little. He was pretty sure he was the same gentleman who had been with Father Browning, and the same one who had been standing by the side of Mr. Jackson's home.
"There are no buts. I am Mr. Carl Barnaby." The name made people gasps; Mr. Barnaby was a well-known Barrister who was very difficult to hire simply because he was in such high demand; Mr. Bennet mentally kicked himself for not making the connection sooner as he had met the gentleman once before. Mr. Barnaby continued speaking. "It is a very well-known fact you of all people here should have been the one to speak up to Mr. Collins, for it is also common knowledge he listens to you better than he does his own wife!" The barrister did not yell, but spoke with emphasis, nonetheless. "If you do not, I will find a legal reason to give Rosings Park to Mr. Thomas Bennet and he can then turn around and sell it to cover their medical bills...for life!" His emphasis on life may as well have caused the arrogant Lady to go scampering into the corner as she promised to do as Mr. Bennet had demanded.
"And you, dear cousin..." Thomas' sarcasm could not be missed, nor was he attempting to hide it. "If Mrs. Fletcher dies from her fall which landed her against a rock and that caused her to roll her into a pond, will be pressed with chargers of manslaughter. You were warned about Mr. Preston both by my daughter and myself. You had no cause in which to toss accusations Mrs. Fletcher's way, ones even your thick skull should have easily figured out would have sent her fleeing into the darkened night full of danger. I am certain Mr. Barnaby will be more than happy to handle the charges!" He flipped around and stormed out the door ignoring the loud gasps behind him and not bothering to watch Mr. Collin's face go paler than any of his wife's sheet. One by one the guests quietly left, truly wishing they had not hung around.
Mr. Bennet climbed the stairs knowing he could have said a lot worse to Mr. Collins had been tempted to but realizing it would do neither Aurelia nor his daughter any good had spun around and made his departure. Stopping by the first door he stepped inside the room and saw a doctor wrapping up Lydia's leg.
"How bad is it?" Thomas asked with a sigh.
"Let us talk in the hall." The doctor left Mrs. Bingley with her sister.
"That bad?" Mr. Bennet asked once they were at the top of the stairs; Mr. Barnaby joined the men.
"If my instructions are strictly followed, she may walk again, I cannot really say, but it will take at least a year if she does at all. You will need to hire a nurse. I know your finances are a lot better than they used to be, but can you afford a private nurse?"
"Lady Catherine is being generous enough to take care of that for me." Mr. Bennet spoke grimly. "If you do not believe me, ask her yourself." The doctor saw no need for that and gave Thomas a few names of good nurses he knew of before stepping back into the room. Mr. Bennet then went down the hall, followed by Mr. Barnaby, and entered Mrs. Fletcher's room, another doctor who happened to have been spending the night had jumped into help without complaint.
"How is she?" Mr. Bennet lay his hands on the edge of the bed as he looked at Aurelia with her face framed by her long hair, except the side where the rock had left a gash. It had now been stitched up by the visiting physician; Elizabeth was standing near the bed.
"I do not know." Doctor Terry shook his head. "If it were anyone else, I would say call the undertaker for she has lost a lot of blood through that gash, but..." Again, he could not help but shake his head. "Can you not feel it?"
"Feel what?" Thomas was growing agitated.
"Mr. Bennet, she has a warrior's heart, I can feel it." Dr. Terry spoke empathically. "And I mean warrior's heart. I have doctored a lot of soldiers, men who seen battles you and I will never see, men going against great odds, and I thought I felt fighting spirits within them. This lady is not the typical lady, least not the ones I have attended. So, no, I do not know how she is. I have done what I am able. I am leaving what medicine I am able to spare. You will need a nurse to keep an eye on her and I cannot guarantee how long that will be; you may end up needing to institutionalize her if she does not become conscious."
"That is not an option." Thomas set his jaw hard. "A nurse has already been covered. Aurelia Fletcher will remain at home." The doctor left saying to call him if a fever developed.
"Mr. Bennet?" Mr. Barnaby pulled him to the opposite side of the room. "There is something you should know."