Darcy saw the forgotten glasses of brandy and water, and asked gently, "Miss Elizabeth, may I assist you with brandy or rectified spirits?"
"When did I stop being Elizabeth?" she asked somewhat impertinently (to her own surprise).
Darcy looked slightly confused. "You gave Richard leave to call you Lizzy two hours ago, but you have never given me permission. My manners have slipped a few times, though it is hardly the worst of my offenses; but better late than never."
"I do not know what we will be in the end, Mr Darcy, but we are well past the point where we might be called friends, and you have certainly taken on the role of protector—and quite ably at that. You are welcome to call me Elizabeth or Lizzy as you choose, though I suspect the former suits you better."
He smiled sheepishly. "That makes me happy. You may call me Fitzwilliam, or better yet, William as Georgie does. Perhaps, reserve Fitzwilliam for when you need to be very serious."
"Have you forgotten that I could put a sailor to the blush and might have better nom de plumes?"
"Ah, but I never said you met the criteria?"
Elizabeth chuckled with him, but she found the experience amusing but slightly painful and desisted.
"Pray, may I have some hint of these many names?"
"Pirate Darcy is my favourite, possibly followed by Impertinent Darcy. Smug Darcy is quite amusing," she said with a smile.
She continued in a whisper while staring at her hands, "I was less impressed with Proud Darcy, Arrogant Darcy, and Taciturn Darcy in the autumn."
"Let us not neglect Ruder than Rude Darcy," he said equally shyly.
"He is dead, I should hope."
"At least mortally wounded."
She looked up to meet his eyes and smiled weakly. "We need not mourn him, nor discuss him ever again. Past is past and you have redeemed yourself."
He nodded, thinking he was getting off too light. He thought he should apologise or explain, but there would be time for that later. He rather boldly took her hand to his lips for a chaste kiss.
She smiled in return, slightly taken aback, as he continued their previous line of inquiry.
"In answer to your earlier question—reified spirits are considerably stronger than brandy and have a different taste. If you enjoy the taste of brandy, it would be silly to cut your enjoyment by drinking half the amount; but if you just want the effect, mixing the spirits with water should have more effect with less harshness."
"Since we are discussing drunkenness, perhaps we should ask an expert," she teased, looking directly at Fitzwilliam who sputtered and laughed heartily.
"I recommend the spirits, Lizzy."
Darcy did as suggested then helped her get it down without making too much of a mess, then wiped the small bit she spilled with a clean rag.
"I thank you… William," she said, surprisingly shyly. "You have gentler skills than I expect from a man."
Georgiana volunteered, "That is because he usually tends me when I am ill, since I never knew my mother."
Jane squeezed Georgiana's hand, and Elizabeth lay back down.
"Gentlemen, you shall need to excuse us," Mrs Buxton said as she re-entered the cabin a few minutes later with Mr Elkins. "You should get some food and send Cecil with warm broth."
Darcy, the colonel, and Mr Bennet left, presumably in search of nourishment, manly conversation, or chest beating; while Georgiana screwed up her courage to stay with Elizabeth and Jane.
"You need not endure this, Georgiana," Elizabeth said kindly.
"I will be all right," she replied, so Elizabeth gave her no more thought.
While Georgiana looked on in horrified fascination, the pair uncovered Elizabeth and started replacing her bandages while Mr Elkins maintained a running commentary. The wrappings on her legs were taken off in sections to prevent jostling any more than necessary.
"I am happy to report I see no evidence of gangrene, or more than mild infection on your leg. That is a good sign, but we shall need to clean and rebandage them in the morning."
When he examined the wound on her side, he was not so sanguine.
"This one shows a modest infection. It is worrisome, but not panic-inducing yet," he added as he touched her forehead with his hand. "Your overall fever is better than it was earlier, but it still concerns me."
"I think it just went down because I needed it to do so to testify," Elizabeth sighed.
"Perhaps," Mrs Buxton replied softly. "We know very little about how the mind and body work together, save that they do. I have seen two people with identical presentations, where one succumbs, and the other thrives through sheer obstinacy."
"Well, if obstinacy leads to health, I should live to be ninety."
"That's the spirit," Elkins said jovially. "I fear we need to clean this wound on your side and put on a poultice to try to draw out the infection. It will hurt! Would you like laudanum?"
Elizabeth gave it some thought. "How much will it hurt compared to what I already endured?"
"Most likely somewhat less, though still quite intense. Most times, the pain recedes not long after we finish. A quarter hour of intense pain is what I expect, but every wound is different and sometimes they hurt for hours."
"Give me the strap," she sighed grimly. "I still need a clear head."
Jane and Georgiana confusedly asked, "Strap?" followed by horror when she described it.
Fortunately, cleaning and abrading the wound was done very quickly, and it was nowhere near as painful as Elizabeth had expected. Mrs Buxton held the strap in her teeth while Jane and Georgiana held her hands. She felt disappointed in a way, since she was beginning to think the more it hurt the better it worked, though she knew that was silly.
True to form, a quarter-hour later all was finished, and the pain receded to a dull ache not long afterword, no doubt due to the wonders of alcohol.
Mrs Buxton opened the door to find Cecil waiting with a pot of bone broth for Elizabeth and a tray of food for the rest.
She thanked the boy, asked him to tell the gentlemen they were welcome to re-join, and chided him good-naturedly to be certain he took his own rest.
Georgiana asked to help Elizabeth with the broth, so the others tucked into the meal with gusto. Elizabeth had done the hardest work thus far, but they were all exhausted by the day's revelations.
Half an hour later, the gentlemen re-joined, while Mr Elkins left to return to his home in Hunsford, and Mrs Buxton expressed a desire for a walk downstream before it became dark.
Once everyone was seated, with Elizabeth feeling slightly satisfied to have a full stomach, not-too-terrible pain, and a fuzzy head. That left her unfit for sleep, so she sat thinking of another idea she had been mulling over.
Meanwhile, the rest spoke of generalities, with Georgiana appearing increasingly nervous for no good reason. She had survived the cleaning and dressing of Elizabeth's wound with nary a peep, but she had started fidgeting, which Elizabeth had very little tolerance for.
"Just say it, Georgie," she said kindly (more or less).
Georgiana took a deep breath and looked around. "Brother, may I make a suggestion?"
"Proceed," he gently replied.
"When the Bennets return to Longbourn, I should like to accompany them, with Mrs Annesley of course. Naturally, that presumes your's and Mr Bennet's permission."
Darcy and the colonel startled a moment, while all the Bennets observed their reactions curiously. Back in the autumn, Elizabeth would have bet a quarter's allowance that he would consider am extended stay at the Bennet household anathema, and after the revelations of the previous day, he would still be reluctant.
She found herself staring at him intently, though surreptitiously (she thought) to see his reaction, which seemed like it might be telling.
He surprised her by giving a Gentle Darcy smile, followed by an I Know What You Are Thinking Darcy smirk.
"I am curious about your reasoning, Georgiana."
Nearly everyone in the room was pleasantly surprised that a reflexive denial had not been his first thought.
"I have several reasons. In practical terms, while I could help Jane tend to Lizzy, and I would be happy to, I do not feel I am truly necessary, and could well get in the way. In fact, I believe if Lizzy takes a turn, she would rather have me elsewhere, so she need not worry about me on top of everything else. Is that correct?"
"I had not thought about it, Georgie, but I agree."
Georgiana nodded her thanks.
"Secondly, based on what I have been told, the younger girls need a governess, but that ship sailed long ago. While they need a governess, they would probably be more accepting of a companion. Mrs Annesley could serve that role admirably, and we already know how good she is."
"You are presuming a great deal about what Mrs Annesley is up for," the colonel interjected.
"It was her suggestion."
Both guardians were slightly startled by the idea, but it did not take long to see the merits. It would hardly be the most extreme act of the week.
Bennet asked, "If I guess correctly, you probably have a couple more points, Miss Darcy."
"I do, though my third point is rather… difficult —"
"Will you allow me to speculate?"
Everyone watched the patriarch curiously until Georgiana nodded approval.
"I would suppose you do not wish to offend by telling me that Mrs Bennet could use some instruction, and there are few women likely to be listened to appropriately."
Jane gasped slightly, though Elizabeth took it in without much effort. She never would have thought of it on her own, but it had at least some chance of success. Her mother was not stupid, all evidence to the contrary.
Bennet gave Georgiana an approving smile Elizabeth remembered from so many lessons in her youth, and she thought to fix it in her mind for later remembrances.
"You need fear no offense for simply stating the truth, young lady. In fact, I doubt either you or the redoubtable Mrs Annesley would be willing to add that I could use some lessons myself, yet the need is rather obvious."
"How so?" the colonel asked curiously.
"I am a father tasked with teaching his children, a task I have failed miserably at for a quarter-century. What is the old saying: If the student has not learned, the teacher has not taught. I suspect I have a great deal to learn from the lady, and I give my pledge I will not allow the opportunity to be wasted if it presents itself."
Jane and Elizabeth stared at the man as if he were speaking in Swahili, and Jane finally asked, "Are you saying you can teach an old dog new tricks?"
Bennet nodded. "Perhaps. I am willing to try if Mrs Annesley is game."
"Perhaps we should lock you away forever, Papa," Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Have you anything to add, Georgie," the colonel asked, having seen from her expression that she had at least one more thing.
She took a minute to get her tongue moving, and finally said, "There is the part where we share certain… ah… bad experiences, and I think I could help them recover as I have."
Darcy and Fitzwilliam were alarmed at the casual way Georgiana bandied her reputation around, and almost snapped angrily.
Fortunately, Georgiana continued relentlessly, "Come, come, brother. With what has been shared already today, I believe total honesty is called for—within reason, of course."
"To clarify," Bennet added emphatically, "I believe she means the people in this room. Those at the parsonage; Absolutely not!"
Darcy nodded, not especially enjoying being boxed in, but then, nobody did.
It took about ten minutes to tell the story of George Wickham start to finish, and in the end, he felt relieved to have the miserable chore over and done with. He remembered Elizabeth had championed the man back in November, so the revelation would have needed to be made before any sort of courtship could proceed. Obviously, only the stupidest of men would court a lady without explaining that.
Everybody's shock was just about depleted, and to be honest, Elizabeth was somewhat giggly, so the revelation did not cause anywhere near as much consternation as it ordinarily might.
"Have you more to add, Georgie?" Jane asked sweetly.
She replied shyly, "I like the girls. I only spent a couple hours with them, but I never had any real friends before. I was born late for my generation, so my closest female cousin is Anne, and you can see how well that turned out. It seems like it could be fun. Mary and I can study piano, Kitty could learn drawing or teach me sewing or knitting, Lydia can teach me to be a little braver, while I might help her be more sensible. It seems … … right."
"What do you think, Elizabeth?" Darcy asked without thinking.
"Why ask me?"
"Because I trust your judgment," he replied, realising it was nothing but the truth.
"You think it wise to ask the lady who has taken more alcohol than Lydia and Kitty combined at the Netherfield Ball?" she asked while attempting to sound very stern and snooty, though the effect was ruined when she hiccuped a few times.
General giggling ensued, and while Darcy laughed as loud and long as anybody, he came right back to her face for an answer.
She grumbled about the necessity, while wondering why Jane could not be bothered to answer, but eventually agreed to the scheme.
The moment she voiced approval, Georgiana gave a happy screech worthy of Lydia, kissed both of her guardians on the cheek, and left the cabin at a dead run heading for the stairs, although most thought she would just run up the hill to save time.
"That went better than I would have expected," Bennet said with a chuckle.
"It occurs to me nobody actually asked your opinion, let alone permission," Fitzwilliam observed.
Bennet chuckled. "You gentlemen are depriving me of my two most sensible daughters. The least you can do is lend me one in return."
It was just the sort of thing the patriarch might say, and while Elizabeth thought she might have to find fault with it, she was mostly just happy that Georgiana would get a chance to experience the agony and ecstasy of sisterly bonds.
Elizabeth knew she did not quite qualify as drunk as a lord, but she was well on her way. She did, however, have one last thing she needed to get off her chest before possibly surrendering her good sense to fever or laudanum again.
"Papa, I have one more thing I would like you to do before you go."
"You need only ask, Lizzy."
"My majority is in three months. The Fitzwilliams may have been at least partially defanged, but I do not trust them and certainly do not trust Lady Catherine; nor am I convinced that the disposition of Rosings is a settled issue. I will also need to be legally represented at the inquest and may need to bring suit against Miss de Bourgh's estate. Rumours may start that require quick action. There are a hundred things that can go wrong."
"What do you suggest," Bennet asked, no doubt thinking a quick marriage would solve all those thorny issues, though he could also see she was not ready for that. He had no idea if she feared tying herself to Mr Darcy or the converse, but he could not think of anything else she might ask so urgently.
"I want you to make Colonel Fitzwilliam my legal guardian, as you do with Uncle Gardiner when I visit London."
"WHAT?" every male voice yelled in unison, while jane looked thoughtful.
Elizabeth waited for the uproar to subside, though she was not willing to wait long.
Eventually, the good colonel braved the snake infested waters. "Might you explain?"
"Of course. What happens if I am required to marry quickly for whatever reason, and you are two days away? What happens if every time I wish to make a legal claim against Miss de Bourgh's estate, my attorneys spend half their time on the road? What happens if someone tries to harm me? And, without being unkind, who is better to defend me—a decorated colonel connected to the Darcys of Pemberley or a country squire with connexions to Cheapside?"
The problem and solution seemed reasonable enough once you thought through it, and anyone could think of dozens of other possible issues, so it did make some sense.
Darcy braved her displeasure by asking, "Why the colonel, and not me? Do you distrust me?"
"No, no, no! Of course not! Not at all!" she replied rather emphatically. "Quite the converse. I have and will continue to trust you with my life."
"So why?"
"There are a couple of reasons. The first regards your none-too-subtle hints at matrimony. I have very little agency left to my life at this point, but I can and will set the terms to the best of my ability. I will either marry for mutual love, respect, and affection; or for indifferent compatibility coupled with mutual interests."
She stared at him hard. "Pay close attention and heed my words! Regardless of whether I eventually fall in love with you, which I can at least admit is a possibility, there is still quite a good chance that I will be unable to be an even vaguely suitable Mistress of Pemberley. Suppose I lose my leg, or my ability to have children, or my sanity, or I survive as an invalid. I will not be tied to a man who loves me and is compelled to care for me. It would be a waste of life for both of us."
"That denies my agency," he said somewhat angrily.
"Yours does not take precedence over mine. Remember that I have seen a man who does not respect his wife after twenty-five years."
Bennet interjected quickly, "Ah, but you overlook one point, Lizzy. Your young gentleman is twice the man I ever was."
Elizabeth and Jane thought it was quite a sad statement but could not argue the point.
"Perhaps he is, but I will not have it."
Seeming like a man who knew when to fight another day, Darcy asked, "Let us accept that, at least for the time being. I would still be better positioned to be your guardian. The worst that could happen is I would have to sign both sides of a marriage contract, but in that case, it is but eight hard hours to Longbourn and back."
"All true," she said wistfully. "I chose the colonel, because he is the only man I trust absolutely, who I am absolutely certain I will not marry under any conditions."
"May I ask why?" the colonel gently asked, hiding his shock at the preemptive rejection.
"Two reasons, really. The first is that I like you a great deal, but I do not believe our characters match that well. We would drive each other mad within a year, and I would no more saddle you with an inadequate wife than I would your cousin. You will be a landowner soon, and your wife will have the same duties as Mr Darcy's."
The assertion was so incongruous that nobody had any idea what to say, so they just stared a moment.
Then Lizzy giggled hard enough to match Lydia and said her last piece in a voice slurred enough to demonstrate the efficacy of the spirits she had consumed.
"Besides that, you are taken!"