The following morning passed very much the same as the day before. Elizabeth devoted some hours tending to Jane, who was steadily regaining her strength. If it were not for the weather, Elizabeth would have expected to return to Longbourn within the next day or two. On the other hand, Caroline was suffering and blamed the eldest Bennet for her catching a terrible cold.
"Louisa, remind me next time not to host any Bennets in my house," Caroline managed to croak out.
"Mmm."
"And Mr Collins. I cannot stand any of them," Caroline struggled to speak as a fit of coughing followed. Waving her hand, she gestured to her sister to pass her the half-filled glass.
"Louisa!"
"Oh! Ahh… you need a drink. Here," Louisa closed the book she had brought then went to her ill sister's aid.
"I cannot taste anything," Caroline complained after taking a sip.
"You sound better than you did yesterday," Louisa absently replied.
"This brandy helps soothe my throat. What is that you are reading?"
"Oh, nothing of interest. I picked up some random book from our limited collection to pass the time," Louisa replied casually and resumed reading.
"A devious way to avoid conversing with unwanted guests, I suppose." She then added after a pause, "Will you not read to me, even for one half hour?"
"I will no doubt bore you with this selection. I shall find a more suitable one when I next visit."
"Very well, as long as it is not poetry. I find them quite tedious. I can never understand what they mean," Caroline said, disappointment absent in her voice as she was not a great reader. "Does Mr Darcy miss me?"
"Erm… he has not particularly asked –"
"I bet that Eliza is doing all she can to attract his attention. I have never seen such a brazen girl, walking three miles to try to entrap a man. She ought to be grateful to have earned Mr Collins' notice," Caroline sniffed. "What is the colonel like?"
"He is not as handsome as his cousin, not as amiable as Charles, but he does have a certain charm about him."
"Shame that he is a second son."
"The second son of an earl, do not forget. You would do well to catch a man who is well-connected."
"And what of Mr Darcy?" Caroline sounded like she held the power to choose between two eligible bachelors.
"You do not suit each other."
"I beg your pardon! What do you mean?" Caroline took offence to her own sister's comment.
"He is a man of high intellect--" and here Caroline audibly gasped, horrified with the possible implication that she was not clever enough. "Come now, he spends a good deal of his time immersed in books while you only pretend to be interested in whatever he is reading. You would not be able to engage in a meaningful conversation about the subject."
"I am feeling tired now. I think I shall take a nap," Caroline yawned. The thought of dedicating a large part of her married life to such dull activities as reading did not appeal to her.
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Downstairs in the parlour, Louisa found her brother and her husband at piquet, and she sat to observe them. Mary dutifully relieved Elizabeth of nursing duties, while her younger sisters waited for a handsome young man to appear. It was not until later in the day that Mr Wickham joined the party. His eyes searched for Mr Darcy as he had something important to share. After being informed that Mr Darcy and the colonel were in the billiard room, he sought assistance in locating them.
"Mr Wickham," the colonel greeted him and studied his expression.
"Colonel, Mr Darcy, my memory is coming back! I remember Pemberley. We were there together!" Wickham announced with a wide smile. "Isn't this welcome news?"
"What else do you recall?" Darcy tensed.
"The memories are very patchy. But I remember my father. And yours. My father is your father's steward. And your father is my godfather. You look very much like him. Is he in good health? And my father?" Wickham rambled.
Darcy cast his eyes down and made no reply.
"They have passed away. Your father, and Darcy's parents," the colonel supplied.
Wickham looked stricken for a while then spoke in a quiet voice, "And my mother?"
"To be honest, I do not know. The last I heard was that she fell quite ill. That was before I was called away for service over a year ago."
"I see," Wickham mumbled then started to turn away. "I… I think… I will go and join the others in the parlour."
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Before proceeding to follow Wickham, Darcy and Richard ensured that the ivory billiard balls were locked safely in the padded box and trusted the butler to store the rest of the equipment. Soon after Wickham arrived, Lydia and Kitty invited him to sit with them. The man complied but barely comprehended what the girls were discussing for some time. Several nods and brief responses proved sufficient to sustain their attention.
Noticing his demeanour, Elizabeth momentarily stopped her needlework to enquire after him. "I hope you had a restful sleep last night, sir."
"Yes. Yes, I did. Thank you," Wickham gave her a small smile, appreciating her concern.
"And I hope your injuries are healing well," she continued.
"I think they are. And my memories are slowly coming back."
"That is a good sign."
"Indeed," Wickham agreed then spied Darcy watching them. "I am not sure what you know… but Darcy and I spent some of our childhood together. From the little that I remember, I think we had fun... although we did get into some mischief... it was probably predominantly my fault. One time I was so hungry and fancied more biscuits with my tea... I was a little rascal... I grabbed some from the kitchen... they are like the ones I had today... then I quickly escaped when I heard Cook shouting. Cook was of short stature, but she was scary when she got angry. I denied stealing the biscuits and Darcy took the blame. Afterwards, he reprimanded me, and gave me that same scowl he is wearing now."
Wickham continued on, recounting a couple more tales from his younger years. His stories elicited a few giggles from the ladies, while Darcy and Richard remained sceptical of his intentions. Not long after, he took his leave, citing the need to rest in order to aid his recovery. Later on, the colonel rose from his seat and realised he was still holding on to a book he had barely read, having been busy observing Wickham. Deciding someone else might be in want of some reading material, he offered the book to the nearest person.
"Mrs Bennet, I was wondering if you would like to use this book. I feel no inclination to read further tonight."
"Oh! I thank you, colonel. I might have a quick browse, or perhaps one of my daughters might enjoy it."
For lack of anything to do, Mrs Bennet lazily turned the pages in an act of displaying some interest. She eventually discovered something tucked in between – a sheet of folded paper. With raised eyebrows, she opened it and saw these words written on it:
A figure so pleasing, makes a lady more alluring
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Chapter subject to editing