AU Pride and Prejudice
Fan Fiction
Blindsided
Previously
"Thomas!" Emmaline screamed, throwing English formalities out the window, caring only about the man who married her against the customs of his country. And who had not only quickly won her respect, but now had her heart bound to his.
Waking a Warrior
Ch. 22.
Mrs. Bennet ignored the doctor's protests when he came and continued to administer her alternative medicine to Mr. Bennet. She had learned from her travels and studies that the ague was caused by a parasite that could be killed by herbs and heat, not by bloodletting and bark. She gave Thomas a concoction of mugwort, ginger, and garlic, to warm his body and stimulate his blood circulation. She also applied acupuncture needles and moxibustion to his pulse points, to restore his energy and balance. She hoped that those methods would work and that her husband would recover soon.
However, when the doctor stormed out of the room, furious and frustrated, Emmaline then left the care of Thomas to a servant. She knew this was one fight that would have to be done in front of the others. She needed them on her side.
Dr. Wilson failed to see Mrs. Bennet following him. He was too busy being furious at her. He could not believe the lady had refused his advice and treatment, and that she had chosen to rely on some foreign and questionable practices. He was convinced that Mr. Bennet was now marked for death, and that he had to inform the rest of the family and the hostess of his condition. He marched down the stairs and found Lady Catherine, Anne, and the Darcys in the drawing room, along with half a dozen servants. He raised his voice and announced his diagnosis and what would happen if he were not allowed to treat Mr. Bennet his way.
The room everyone was gathered in was furnished with elegant and expensive furniture, paintings, and other items Lady Catherine had acquired over the years. The walls were covered with colorful wallpaper, and the windows were draped with heavy curtains to keep the heat from the hearth inside. The room had plenty of light from candles and lamps.
"Mr. Darcy, will you please tell your wife's mother to listen to me? That I know what I am doing?" Dr. Wilson demanded.
"I am not sure that I am able to do that." Mr. Darcy bit his lip, trying not to laugh. The situation itself was not funny, but the sight of Mrs. Bennet's short frame in a fighting stance, with her auburn hair now loose and eyes that might as well have been on fire, amused him. Plus, it gave Mr. Darcy the urge to put a Viking's helmet on Mrs. Bennet's head. He replied, when asked by Dr. Wilson why not, "Because, if you look behind you, I fear you have either woken a sleeping tigress, or brought back to life a Viking warrior. Neither of which I desire to tangle with."
"Bloodletting is a wretched, horrible practice!" Emmaline shouted, keeping her fist bawled up and her feet planted firmly to the ground while emphasizing her words. "It weakens your patient and increases the risk of infection! And…" Her eyes blazed brighter than any of her Viking ancestors' hair. "Cinchona bark is well-known for making people nauseous and making them vomit, not to mention people have gone deaf taking that stuff!" She did not lower her voice and spoke with force. The two began going at it again as to what should be done.
"Are you sure that is the same woman who took Kitty to the party Jane told us about?" Mr. Darcy asked, amazed by how forcefully Mrs. Bennet was arguing with Dr. Wilson.
"I think so." Elizabeth could not help but chuckle.
"I have heard something to the effect of 'beware of the quiet ones'." Anne did her own share of giggling as yet another round of arguments started before Dr. Wilson finally threw up his hands and turned back to Mr. Darcy.
"Will you please go talk some sense into this fem…woman?" Dr. Wilson only switched from the more derogatory term to a lesser one because of the glares everyone had instantly shot him. "If Mr. Bennet stands any chance of surviving, I have to be allowed to treat him."
"Just like you treated Anne all these years?" Lady Catherine spoke with no particular emotion; a feat not easy to do, but she was making herself not speak arrogantly, for as much as she no longer cared for many of the man's ways of doing things, he had done what lay within his power.
"I did my best and she was kept alive, was she not?"
"There is no question you did your best and she is alive; I will give you that." Lady Catherine gave a polite smile, but then pointed to Anne and the duke. The duke had arrived just that morning. "My daughter was never this well before and…" Lady Catherine's smile froze. "has only gotten better because of tips which came from Mrs. Bennet, not you. So, it is really up to Mr. Darcy and his wife, but as far as I am concerned, you have a choice: work with Mrs. Bennet or leave."
"Sounds good to me." Elizabeth folded her arms; she never had liked Dr. Wilson anyway.
"Do not look at me." Mr. Darcy looked at Dr. Wilson. "If I were a gambling man, I would fold…the odds are not good."
"I cannot be a part of this. Though…" He turned around to speak to Mrs. Bennet, only she was already out the door; so he once again faced Mr. Darcy. "Though I truly fear what may come of allowing Mrs. Bennet to continue in this foolish quackery of hers." With that, he made his departure, honestly believing they would soon be burying Mr. Bennet.
"I must say, your mother has turned out to be quite a remarkable woman," Mr. Darcy said, as he faced Elizabeth. "She has a vast knowledge of herbs and remedies from different parts of the world. And the wisdom to know how to use them properly. I cannot find it in myself to agree with Dr. Wilson."
"I am going to see if there is anything I can do to help." Elizabeth stood up, ignoring the protests of her sisters.
"Let her go," Lady Catherine told Mr. Darcy, who had conflicting opinions on whether his wife should even be in the same room as her father, given his condition. "If Mrs. Bennet thinks it is unwise for her to be there, she will send her out. I think, as soon as the weather permits, we need to send a rider to Netherfield and Longbourn." She could not help it, a worried sound could be heard in her voice.
"Mother," Anne spoke cautiously, yet hopefully. "Word is that Mr. Bennet trusts this wife of his far more than the first. Her knowledge and skill with herbs have spread like wildfire around Meryton. One of my friends who rode over that way returned and told me so."
"He seemed to be responding to the treatments when I went in and checked on him before Dr. Wilson arrived," Mr. Darcy spoke up. "And with this weather, the doctor did take longer than usual to get here."
"I must admit, while I trust Mrs. Bennet as if I had given birth to her…" Lady Catherine sighed. "... This whole situation simply as me stressed."
"My dear Lady Catherine, I understand your concern. I too share it. However, Miss de Bourgh is correct in what she told you. People around Meryton know Mrs. Bennet is a remarkable woman. They say the lady has never shown anything but the best intentions for him. We all know his condition is not easy to cure. If she now has remedies that we do not have ourselves, it would be foolish to back out of supporting her." Duke Garrison spoke his opinion and tacked on. "Besides, Mrs. Bennet is right on what she said of bloodletting and the bark; I have seen it for myself."
"Do you honestly think she knows what she is doing?" Lady Catherine asked the question, wondering if the duke meant what he said, or if he was attempting to flatter her because she was Anne's mother.
"I do not claim to be an expert, madam. But even I, a stranger to Mrs. Bennet, can easily see her love for him. I cannot picture a spouse willingly putting their mate in danger if they thought there was a better way to help them. So, yes, I believe the lady knows what she is doing."
"Lady Catherine: Anne, would you like to hear some music? Georgiana has been practicing a new piece. Come into the room." Mr. Darcy had brought his sister with them. He now thought the sound of the piano might help ease everyone's apprehension about what was going on upstairs with Mr. Bennet.
"Music? Yes, yes, of course. I always enjoy hearing you play. I am sure you have continued to improve since I last heard you, for you practice so diligently. Come, Anne, Duke Garrison. Let us go to the piano and listen to Miss Darcy's performance."
The group listening to Miss Darcy play did not bother Elizabeth. She had knocked on the door of the room where her father lay and asked if there was anything she could do. She was not going to sit still on a sofa while her new mother did everything. Even the servants had confessed to her, on Mrs. Darcy's way up, that they were doing very little.
"You can take over the job of keeping that kettle full of water," Emmaline said as Mr. Bennet came to enough for her to pour some more warm liquid down his throat.
It was only after Elizabeth had asked the question and been told what she could do that she noticed her father was no longer on the bed. Mr. Bennet was now lying on a pile of furs near the fireplace. He was also covered with more than one blanket. When she inquired about the change, Elizabeth was told it kept her father closer to the only real source of heat in the room. She did not argue but went and fetched more water.
Shadows flickered on the wall as flames danced in the hearth. Emmaline set the now empty cup on a low table and slipped under the blankets. She laid her head on Mr. Bennet's chest. She had seen more than one man, woman, or child, victims of extreme cold, have someone else crawl under a blanket with them while living among the natives of the new lands. Therefore, Emmaline saw no reason not to do it herself.
