Sudden Awakenings (The Other Paths Collection)

Chapter 31

That evening, Elizabeth rang for Parker but was surprised when another maid entered the room.

“Miss Parker asked me to apologize on her behalf, mistress. She is presently too unwell to attend to you,” the maid informed her.

Elizabeth gasped. “Dear me! I hope it is nothing too serious.”

“Merely a cold, I believe, ma’am, but she did not wish to pass her illness to you. Mrs. Hastings has sent her to bed.” The maid helped Elizabeth dress for bed, then said, “I am told by Parker that my duties include staying the night to guard you, ma’am?”

Elizabeth flushed, embarrassed that Parker should have said such a thing. “That will not be necessary. I am capable of sleeping alone.” She had not suffered any incidents since that night at Pemberley, and concluded she ought to be safe for a few nights until Parker recovered. She hated the thought of more servants becoming aware of her propensity for sleepwalking. Thus far, those with knowledge of her condition did not extend beyond Parker and Perkins.

“Thank heavens, ma’am! I were worried. Not that I have any objections, mind you, but I’ve been told my snoring could wake the dead. I would hate to disturb your sleep, mistress, for havin’ to share a chamber with me.”

“I appreciate your concern, Polly. Please pass on my regards to Parker, and accept my appreciation for your attending to me in her absence.”

The maid curtsied and departed.

Elizabeth climbed into bed, but could not fall asleep. She kept thinking of her visit with Mrs. Gardiner, the letter from Caroline, and her own impressions after meeting Jane.

Eventually, her tossing and turning led her to drift off.

S

Darcy awoke sometime during the night by the sound of footsteps outside his door. Knowing the servants would all be abed, he rose and opened the door in time to catch a glimpse of Elizabeth heading downstairs. She did not appear to be conscious, moving slowly in the same sort of stupor he had found her in when she entered his room that fateful night in November. Fearing for her safety should she manage to wander into the London streets, he followed her. Elizabeth’s footsteps carried her down the servant’s stairs to the kitchen, where her arm knocked over a copper pan left out to dry. It clanged onto the stone floor with such a loud noise, that Elizabeth was startled awake. Darcy reached the kitchen just in time to witness the incident and hear his wife cry out in terror.

“Where am I?”

Instinctively, he pulled his arms around her. “Shhh, you are in the kitchen, Elizabeth. You have been sleepwalking again, but you are safe.”

The noise awakened Parker, who came out of one of the servants’ chambers on the lower floor .

“Parker, what is the meaning of this? Why was Mrs. Darcy left unattended?”

“I beg your pardon, master, it was not my intention–”

“Do not blame Parker,” Elizabeth interrupted. “She has been ill this evening, and sent Polly to me in her stead, but I dismissed her. I did not want the other servants knowing of my condition.”

“I do blame Parker. She ought to have consulted me before handing you over to the care of an inexperienced maid.” Turning to the lady’s maid, he reprimanded her further. “Do you not know what might have happened to Mrs. Darcy, had I not intercepted her? Suppose she went outside, and some vagabond or miscreant attacked her? Or suppose she injured herself on something in this kitchen?”

Parker was in tears now, and humbly asked for mercy.

Darcy relented. “We will discuss your fate tomorrow, Parker. For now, I must have a word with my wife.”

Elizabeth followed him meekly to his study on the ground floor.

“If your maid was sick, you ought to have told me. Or at least accepted the substitute she offered.”

“I told you, I could not bear it if my condition were widely known.”

Darcy sighed. “Then I shall have to assume the duties myself.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that if you will accept no other, then I will assume Parker’s responsibility until she is well. It would not be the first time that you and I have shared a chamber. If that is not acceptable to you, then I insist you allow Polly to remain with you instead.”

Elizabeth gave a wry laugh. “I suppose you would be preferable as a companion. At least I know that you do not snore in your sleep!”

“You have only slept with me the one night. How do you know that I do not?” Darcy allowed a slight grin to cross his face.

“If you do, I shall kick you out!” Elizabeth returned with a smirk of her own .

Elizabeth slept the remainder of the night. When she awoke, Darcy was not in the bed with her, but laying on the small cot where Parker normally slept. He had not gone to sleep when she did, claiming he wished to read a book for a while, as being up had made him not tired.

Her rising stirred him from his sleep.

“Did you not wish to lay on the bed after I fell asleep?” she asked him.

“I did not wish to disturb your slumber,” he mumbled.

“Hardly likely,” she mused. “We both know how deep my slumber is. I do not think you would have awakened me.”

“Be that as it may, I felt it better to remain on the cot.” Darcy stood up, a groan escaping his lips as he stretched and sat up. He rubbed his lower back.

“Does your back ache?”

He nodded in response. “I will be well enough, though, after I move about.”

But his behavior the remainder of the day indicated otherwise. He moved with a slight limp, and winced whenever he turned his upper body.

S

Elizabeth, still upset by the contents of Miss Bingley’s letter, determined to speak to Jane again the next day. She called at an early hour, expecting to find her alone. Elizabeth was surprised, therefore, to find Jane already had callers.

“This is my youngest daughter, Mrs. Palmer, and my cousins, Mrs. Robert Ferrars, and Miss Steele,” Mrs. Jennings introduced, as Elizabeth took an empty seat near Jane. “Ladies, this is Mrs. Darcy, my cousin, and the sister of our Miss Bennet. ”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Darcy,” Mrs. Palmer beamed, her cheerful disposition and rounded figure resembling her mother’s. “It is so wonderful to meet another member of the family.”

Elizabeth had met Mrs. Jennings once, some years ago, when that lady passed through Hertfordshire. Mrs. Jennings was a distant cousin of Mrs. Bennet’s, but how exactly they were related, Elizabeth was not certain, and she had never troubled herself to study the family Bible enough to work it out.

Miss Steele exclaimed, “If you’re Mrs. Jenning’s cousin, then that must make us cousins as well, I suppose. La! Imagine, finding another set of cousins you knew nothing about!” A snort escaped her lips. She was thin and gangly, with a largish mouth and an even larger nose that looked disproportionate to her frame.

Mrs. Jennings laughed. “Not quite, my dear Miss Steele. Miss Bennet and Mrs. Darcy are cousins on my mother’s side, while you and Mrs. Ferrars are cousins on my father’s side.”

Miss Steele appeared confused, apparently trying to puzzle out how both sets of sisters could be cousins of Mrs. Jennings but not of each other.

“It matters not how we are related,” Mrs. Ferrars said. “Any cousin of Mrs. Jennings is a friend of ours.” She was as thin as her sister, and the prettier of the two, but her face had a taut, shrewish look that Elizabeth disliked.

“It is good of you to call on us, Lizzy,” Jane spoke up. “I did not expect to see you again so soon.”

“I happened to be in the neighborhood,” Elizabeth said. She wished the others were not in the room so she might discuss Miss Bingley’s letter with Jane.

Their conversation centered on tittle-tattle about people whom Elizabeth did not know, interspersed with jokes from Mrs. Jennings, which were usually followed by snorts from Miss Steele or loud giggles from Mrs. Palmer. Elizabeth hoped the other guests might leave soon, but they lingered. The clock ticked past, first a quarter’s hour, then a half, and still, none of the other ladies made any motion to leave. Mrs. Palmer might be forgiven, she supposed, given her relationship to Mrs. Jennings, but what motive could Mrs. Ferrars and Miss Steele have for remaining so long? Surely they must have other calls to make over the course of the morning!

Elizabeth wondered if she might entice Jane away from her company, as presently occupied as they were with Mrs. Jennings’ gossip.

She turned to her sister. “It is such a lovely morning. I wondered if you might perhaps like to take a turn with me in the square.”

Jane’s face brightened. “An excellent idea, Lizzy!” She rose from her seat, looking around the room. “You do not mind, do you, Mrs. Jennings, if I stroll the square with my sister?”

“No, no, not at all!” Mrs. Jennings replied cheerfully.

“A stroll sounds excellent,” Mrs. Palmer piped up. “I could use a turn out of doors myself.”

“Let’s all go!” Miss Steele exclaimed.

Elizabeth inwardly groaned. Would she never be rid of these people?

A few minutes later, their company set out. Mrs. Jennings’ stately townhouse was within an easy distance of Berkeley Square. Elizabeth hoped the narrow pathways lining the square, which necessitated their walking in twos or threes, might afford her the opportunity to speak with Jane without the others hearing. However, Mrs. Jennings monopolized Jane’s attention, drawing her into a conversation with Mrs. Palmer and Miss Steele about the architecture of the buildings on the square and their residents.

“Of course, I am sure there is one particular resident whom you are hoping to see,” Mrs. Jennings said with a wink .

“Now Mrs. Jennings,” Jane scolded. “You mustn’t presume I walk in front of his house solely in the hopes he might notice me from his windows and come out to greet me.”

“Ho, ho, but would it not be a fine thing now, if he did?” the older lady chuckled.

Nevertheless, Jane lingered before the fine, brick residence to the right of them, giving the appearance of using her reflection in its windows to adjust her bonnet.

A carriage waited in front of the house. Presently, the door of the house opened and a footman exited, followed by none other than Mr. Bingley and his sisters, along with Mr. Hurst.

When he spotted Jane, Mr. Bingley’s face lit up. He crossed the street between the houses and the square and came to them. His sisters followed slower, their haughty sneers towards Jane displaying their distaste for their former friend.

Mr. Bingley greeted them warmly, expressing his surprise to find them all outside his house. His eyes fixed on Jane, his pleasure evident at her presence.

“We were merely taking a stroll through the square, to enjoy this nice weather,” Elizabeth explained.

“Yes, the weather today is excellent! In fact, my sisters have just come to collect me. We are on our way to take tea and survey the amusements at White Conduit House,” Mr. Bingley told them.

“Oh, how lovely!” Jane exclaimed. “I have long wished to see the gardens at White Conduit. I am told they have an excellent fish pond.”

“If you were not already engaged with your present company, I would ask you to join us,” he said.

“Oh, you needn’t stand on ceremony on our account!” Miss Steele blurted .

“Indeed,” Mrs. Ferrars added. “If you wish to go, then by all means, let us not be a hindrance to you. Mrs. Palmer can see us back to our carriages at her mother’s house.”

Miss Bingley stepped forward. “I hesitate to remind you, Charles, but our chaise is small and cannot accommodate six. Therefore, I must protest the alteration to our plans.”

“No, I would not intrude upon your plans for the world,” Jane said. She gave Mr. Bingley a becoming smile. “We shall meet again soon.”

But Mr. Bingley, still desirous that Jane should accompany him, suggested they could attend Mrs. Jennings and her company back to her residence, to collect her carriage, so that they might join their party. He even extended the invitation to all her guests.

Mrs. Jennings proposed a simpler solution. “I cannot blame you for wishing such a pretty thing as Miss Bennet to join you on your outing. But I am happy to let her go without me, as presently occupied as I am. Oh yes, you may take her off my hands as soon as you please!” She winked.

“Mr. Bingley,” Jane said. “Do you suppose your carriage could admit one more? I promise I am small and do not take up much room.” She batted her eyes, taking an eager step towards him.

Mr. Bingley nodded excitedly. “Yes, I believe we can accommodate you. You are certain you do not mind, Mrs. Jennings?”

The lady assured him she had no need of Jane, and that nothing would please her more than to see Jane enjoy herself on this fine day. Before Miss Bingley had a chance to protest further, Mr. Bingley handed her into his carriage, then took the seat beside her. Mr. Hurst settled himself in the middle of the seat opposite, leaving Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst to choose whether they would squeeze next to him, or share a seat with Jane and their brother. In the end, they chose the former, and then they were off, leaving Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Palmer to wave cheerfully in their wake .

Elizabeth’s spirits sank. She had not had any opportunity to speak to Jane. Furthermore, Jane’s behavior appeared brazen to her, from the way she had angled for an invitation, to her taking the seat beside Mr. Bingley rather than the one opposite him. Her going off without the company of Mrs. Jennings was also distressing, although Elizabeth supposed the Hursts and Miss Bingley would suffice as chaperones in her stead. It was clear that they did not wish for a match to take place between Jane and their brother. But she still needed to know whether Miss Bingley’s allegations were true.