Bingley ran his hands over his face and sighed. “No, of course not, Darcy, nor will I allow it. Do not forget that Elizabeth and I shall soon become brother and sister.” Bingley walked several paces. “Damn! I had a strong suspicion Caroline had purposely withheld some sort of pertinent information regarding her encounter with you in Bond Street the other day. Now I have a much better understanding as to why. Thank you for enlightening me.”
Darcy walked to the sideboard and poured two glasses of brandy. He handed one to Bingley, which his friend gratefully accepted, then resumed his original station behind his desk. “Bingley, as a testament to the strength of our friendship—and assuming it is also what you wish—I would, of course, be willing to acknowledge your sister in society. However, unless she is able to treat Elizabeth with the respect and civility that is her due as my wife, I regret to say she will no longer be welcome in my home. In any of my homes,” he added pointedly.
To Darcy’s surprise, his friend laughed. “Do you mean to tell me we might actually manage to pass a fortnight at Pemberley in relative peace, then? Without fear of Caroline’s constant raptures on the evenness of your writing or the length of your correspondence?”
Darcy joined him, a chuckle escaping his lips. “Or the many accomplishments of a truly refined lady or the extensive size of my library or the superiority of Madame Harnois’s blancmange as opposed to that of the Hursts’ equally capable French cook? Yes, I see your point, Bingley.”
Both men took long, satisfying drinks from their glasses, each clearly occupied by his own thoughts. Hmm, Darcy mused, I daresay if Caroline Bingley refuses to treat Elizabeth with civility, then this may very well be the first year I will not be required to take the precaution of locking the door to the master’s chambers while I am within—or without, for that matter. Of course, with a wife as lovely and tempting as Elizabeth, perhaps I shall continue to do so in any case.
Bingley gave him a sly grin. “I was just thinking, Darcy, that perhaps you should not be too hasty in your reconciliation with Caroline. You know, this could be just the thing she needs to humble her once and for all. I would be very interested to see how my high-and-mighty sister would react to being reminded that your wife is the granddaughter of a gentleman, something Caroline, with her dowry of twenty thousand pounds, cannot claim herself. Our grandfather, you will recall, was in trade.”
Darcy returned his self-satisfied smile. “You know, Bingley, being well acquainted with your sister and her inability to hold her tongue and her temper when in company, I daresay the possibility of seeing her humbled in society may yet be realized.” Eying his friend’s empty glass, Darcy asked, “Would you care for another, Bingley?”
Bingley nodded and offered his glass to his host. “I don’t mind if I do, Darcy! I don’t mind if I do!”
Elizabeth was walking in Hyde Park on a particularly mild winter morning with Jane and her Aunt Gardiner when she felt a wave of light-headedness overtake her. She stumbled, managing to catch Jane’s arm, but her vision was soon obscured by encroaching darkness, and she collapsed, unconscious, upon the ground. She awoke moments later to the concerned face of her aunt hovering over her as she lay with her head cradled upon Jane’s lap.
“Oh, Lizzy! Thank goodness you have come back to us!” It was Jane’s worried voice she heard first, and in an effort to reassure her, Elizabeth reached for her hand and held it, returning the slight pressure Jane applied. She attempted to rise, but her aunt urged her to lie still.
“Lizzy, my dear, how are you feeling? Can you remember what happened?” asked her aunt, whose composure was remarkably collected.
“I hardly know. I remember feeling warm and light-headed, and then everything began to grow dark, but I can recall nothing beyond that.”
Mrs. Gardiner laid the back of her hand upon Elizabeth’s forehead and then her cheek. “You fainted, Elizabeth. Tell me, have you been feeling unwell lately?”
“No, not at all, except I have felt a little light-headed on other occasions, but only when I happen to rise quickly from my chair or from my bed in the morning.”
Her aunt gave her an appraising look. “Were you ill this morning, or any other mornings?”
Elizabeth answered in the negative.
“Have you felt unusually tired at all?”
“Yes, now that you mention it, I have, but I suspect that is due only to my not getting enough sleep lately.”
They spoke some more while Elizabeth rested, and after the passing of another few minutes, she was well able to rise to her feet with Jane’s assistance and to think of returning to Grosvenor Square for some light refreshment.
Though the reality of her fainting had frightened her to some degree, she no longer felt she was in any danger of repeating the act, and, as she had felt recovered enough to walk on her own two legs to the carriage, she could hardly comprehend why her aunt wished her to exercise such caution once she had safely returned to her own home. She was standing in the drawing room, arguing the matter further, when Darcy came upon them. Upon hearing his wife proclaim herself to be perfectly fine now, his brow furrowed.
“May I inquire as to what you are arguing about so vehemently with your aunt, Mrs. Darcy?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I would prefer you would not, sir, as there is no need to mention the matter any further. As you can see with your own eyes, I am perfectly well, and that is all that matters.”
Mrs. Gardiner spoke up. “Yes, Lizzy, but it could very easily happen again. You have said yourself you have been having bouts of light-headedness for some time now. Do you not think this is an indication you ought to take greater care?” She turned to Darcy and said pointedly, “Lizzy fainted this morning in Hyde Park, Mr. Darcy.”
His brows shot up, his concern evident. “You fainted, Elizabeth? Why on earth would you ever wish to keep this from me? Do not you think I should be made aware of such information? I am your husband, Elizabeth. What if something were to happen to you? I would hardly know what to do for you!”
“This,” she said with exasperation as she threw her hands in the air and dropped herself into the nearest chair, “is precisely why I have not informed you, Fitzwilliam. I am sure whatever is ailing me will soon pass, and then I shall be the same as I have always been.”
Mrs. Gardiner, however, observed her newly married niece with no small amount of amusement. “I would certainly not count on that, if I were you, my dear. At least not for some time,” she proclaimed.
Darcy gaped at her, his alarm palpable, while Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair and laughed. “Surely there can be nothing seriously wrong with me, Aunt?”
Her aunt only smiled and shook her head, glancing from Elizabeth to her worried husband and back again. Suddenly, the eyes of her nieces lit up with pleasure as a happy possibility for Elizabeth’s situation made itself known, but Darcy, who clearly had not interpreted Mrs. Gardiner’s implication as it had been intended, only continued to grow more concerned for his wife. Eager to enlighten him and to ease his mind, Elizabeth rose with no little alacrity and hastened to where he stood but, before she could do more than take his hand in hers, her head began to spin again. Darcy caught her in his arms just as she fainted.