The Heiress

by Ldibo

Mr. Bennet had been married twice in his lifetime. His first marriage was not of his own choosing, and it was an unhappy one. His second marriage brought him much happiness, and he was deeply devoted to his wife. When Mr. Bennet passed away, to Jane's surprise, he chose Elizabeth as the heiress of Longbourn. This is a story about deception,betrayal and love. Unedited story. E&D J&B

27. Chapter 27

Notes: I returned to my country yesterday and I only had time to translate half of the chapter... But it is enough to get a glimpse of what is going to happen in the next half...

16th November 1811

Thomas Bennet woke up before dawn to a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest, radiating down his left arm and into his abdomen. As he struggled to catch his breath, he glanced at his peacefully sleeping wife and made the decision not to disturb her.

Overwhelmed by fatigue, he noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead and his heart pounding in his chest. Taking slow, deliberate breaths, he closed his eyes, and tried to calm his racing heartbeat. Reflecting on a similar episode of chest pain a few weeks prior, which had subsided a few minutes later, he resolved to visit Mr. Jones that day for a thorough examination as a precaution.

Half an hour later, the pain had decreased considerably, but he was quite tired. His wife woke up, and as she did every morning, she greeted him affectionately, but Thomas barely kissed her. Elizabeth sensed that he was not well and cautiously asked him, "Are you feeling well, Thomas?"

Since he did not want to worry her, he smiled weakly and shook his head slightly, "I don't feel very well, my love. However, I am sure the discomfort is because I ate too much cake at your brother's wedding."

Elizabeth looked at him carefully, and gently touched his forehead, "You are pale, and you are sweating."

Despite the pain in his arm, Thomas made an effort and took her hand. "Do not worry, my love. I am sure that in a few hours I will be fine," he said as he tenderly kissed her hand.

Not very convinced, Elizabeth responded, "You know I will always be worried if you or our daughters are not well. I will send a note to Mr. Jones to request he comes to Longbourn this afternoon to examine you."

Thomas hesitated for a few moments and shook his head, "You don't need to send him the note. After inspecting the repairs at the Smiths' house, I will visit him in Meryton."

"But you don't feel well! You should rest at least today," she said. She gently squeezed his hand and asked in a pleading voice, "Why don't you postpone the inspection until tomorrow?"

Again, Thomas hesitated, but finally decided to get up. He didn't want his wife and daughters to worry about him.