Sudden Awakenings (The Other Paths Collection)

Chapter 39

The return to London took longer than his journey to Gloucestershire did. Darcy hired a postchaise to convey him and Georgiana. Even if Mrs. Younge had not stolen the animal he had rented on the last leg of his journey, he would have had to hire a carriage for them, as a single horse could not carry them both so far.

Georgiana’s friends apologized many times for the events which transpired under their care, despite Darcy’s assurances that it was not their fault.

“I hope we may meet again,” Julia Culpepper told Georgiana as she bid her farewell, “and under better circumstances.”

“I hope so too,” she replied. “Perhaps next time, you might visit Pemberley. I do not think my brother will be inclined to allow me to travel without him anytime soon.”

As they traveled along the country roads towards London, Georgiana noticed her brother’s pensive mood.

“She will survive,” Georgiana said. “Elizabeth is strong. Whatever she was given, she can fight this and overcome it.”

“I hope you are correct,” Darcy said softly. “I cannot bear to lose her.”

Georgiana closed her eyes and prayed for Elizabeth’s safe recovery .

S

Lady Matlock met them in the hall as soon as they arrived at Darcy House.

“We came to help as soon as we heard what happened,” she explained.

“Is she…” The words stuck in Darcy’s throat.

Lady Matlock nodded. “She is still alive, but you should go to her.”

Darcy fairly flew up the stairs. Elizabeth lay still, her color wan. Mrs. Gardiner gently wiped Elizabeth’s forehead with a cool cloth.

Darcy knelt beside his wife and took her hand. It felt cold and limp. He looked at her face. She was still breathing, but in short, shallow breaths.

The doctor approached them. “I have done all I can for her.”

“Is there no antidote for what she has been given?” Darcy asked, his eyes shining.

The doctor shook his head. “None I have found. She is entirely in God’s hands now.”

Darcy felt his chest tighten. He could not lose her. He just couldn’t! He did not know how he could bear it if he did.

Georgiana entered the room, accompanied by Lady Matlock. As soon as she saw Elizabeth lying there, she burst into tears. Lady Matlock cradled her in her embrace, and soon took her from the room.

“Let us give him some time with her,” Mrs. Gardiner suggested, and the rest of them followed, leaving Darcy alone with Elizabeth.

Darcy pressed his lips to Elizabeth’s hand. “You must fight, Elizabeth. You mustn’t give up. Your family needs you. I– need you.” He exhaled. Sorrow welled in him until it rose to the surface in sobbing. Darcy laid his head upon the bed beside her hand, unable to quench his tears .

Elizabeth’s breathing grew slower. He felt her slipping away. He squeezed her hand tighter, willing her not to go.

“Please, Elizabeth. Do not go yet. Do not leave me. Come back to me, Elizabeth.” Darcy grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

“Elizabeth, come back,” he repeated, louder, his throat going hoarse.

Suddenly, she gave a huge gasp, and her eyes snapped open.

Darcy gave a shout of joy.

Hearing him cry out, the doctor and Mrs. Gardiner rushed in.

“She is alive!” Darcy exclaimed.

“Oh, praise God!” Mrs. Gardiner lifted her eyes upwards in thankfulness before coming towards her niece.

“W–where am I? What has happened?” Elizabeth asked weakly.

“Shh,” Mrs. Gardiner hushed her, “Just rest. You have been extremely ill.”

Elizabeth looked around the room. “I am at home.”

“Yes, yes you are.” Darcy’s eyes still shone, his cheeks still damp.

“I remember…something…a field…you were there.” Elizabeth tried to sit up, but her head immediately plopped back onto the pillow.

The doctor stepped forward. “Do not exert yourself, madam. You have been through quite an ordeal. Your body is weak.” He explained the poison and the circumstances surrounding it.

“Yes, I remember,” Elizabeth nodded. “Lady Catherine asked me to come for tea. The taste of her tea and scones was strange. I only drank one sip and ate a nibble off the corner of the scone, before I gave the rest to the dog.”

“Then the dog suffered the fate intended for you,” the doctor said.

“Poor Otis,” Elizabeth lamented .

S

Darcy waited outside while the doctor completed his examination of Elizabeth.

Lord Matlock leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. Shaking his head, he said, “I never would have believed it of my own sister that she would go to such lengths to try to harm Mrs. Darcy.”

“She operated on the misguided belief that if I were widowed, I would miraculously turn my attention to Anne instead. I did tell her that nothing but death itself would induce me to part from Elizabeth. I did not expect her to take me literally, however.” Darcy gave a snort.

“I suppose you would be interested to know how matters have progressed in your absence,” Lord Matlock said. “Lady Catherine was taken to Bow Street, where, as you might expect, she refused to cooperate, and continued to insist she had done nothing wrong.

“However, they tracked down her cook, who fled after the death of the kitchen maid. In return for clemency, she divulged she had unwittingly been Lady Catherine’s accomplice. Apparently, Catherine had given her the berries, claiming they were a rare and exotic berry, and asked her to bake the scones with them. She was instructed to use gloves, so as to avoid staining her hands. The cook, who had grown up in the city her whole life, had never seen belladonna, except for the flowers which are used in Lady Catherine’s tea blend, so she did not recognize the berries as poisonous or suspect anything was amiss, until the kitchen maid ate one of the scones and promptly fell over dead.

“The cook mentioned that Lady Catherine had also requested some of the berry juice to be strained into a small vial, but she did not know what it was for. The Bow Street investigators found the vial near Catherine’s tea set and deduced she must have slipped it into Elizabeth’s tea, to increase the potency of the belladonna within it. Elizabeth must have poured the remaining tea out; there was a dead potted plant next to where Elizabeth was believed to have sat.”

“And of course, we know what happened to the dog, after Elizabeth gave the rest of her scone to it,” Darcy added.

“Indeed.” Lord Matlock shook his head. “Such a tragedy. Three victims of Catherine’s crime.”

At least Elizabeth will survive this ordeal. He had to hope the worst was past, that she would recover. “Will Lady Catherine hang?”

“No. I could not bear to see my own sister sent to the gallows, no matter what she has done. I begged for her to be committed to Bedlam hospital instead, though I do not know but that it may prove a worse fate for her, in the end.”

“What will become of Anne, with her mother gone?”

“She will survive. She has her companion to care for her, and she has already come into her majority; Rosings and her fortune are hers to dispose of as she wills. She is an independent woman now. Although I do not know that she will remain so for long.” Lord Matlock gave a small smile.

“Oh?” Darcy asked.

“Richard wrote to me recently, informing me of his desire to seek Anne’s hand in marriage. He had some days’ leave from his posting in Kent. He is at Rosings now, to offer himself to her.”

It was a relief to know Anne would be cared for. He need never feel guilty about not marrying her himself. It was evident Colonel Fitzwilliam loved her and would always be devoted to her happiness.

S

The doctor summoned Darcy shortly and gave his prognosis .

“It is an absolute miracle!” he declared. “I could not believe it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.”

Darcy’s heart was hopeful. “Then she will make a full recovery?”

“I cannot say. Her lungs and heart are weakened, and her cough might never fully disappear. It is difficult to predict the extent of the damage done to her body by the poison. But as far as her survival goes, I would say she is out of the woods, so to speak. It is fortunate she consumed so little of the poison; had she drunk more of the tea or eaten more of the scone, her outcome might have gone the way of the poor kitchen maid.”

“Or Lady Catherine’s little dog,” Elizabeth added.

The doctor ordered Elizabeth to remain in bed for some weeks, and to gradually restore her strength within the house before they attempted to move her. He promised to continue to supervise her care and to advise them when they should remove her to the countryside, where she might benefit from the fresh air and sunshine, or perhaps to Bath or the seaside, for the waters.

As soon as the doctor had left, Georgiana was permitted to visit Elizabeth.

She cooed and fussed over Elizabeth, and spoke many times of her regret at having gone to Gloucestershire rather than come with them to London, although Elizabeth could not fully understand it. Darcy decided he would wait until Elizabeth had recovered more before sharing the details of Georgiana’s stay with the Culpeppers.

S

The next day, the Bennet family arrived. They had set off for London as soon as Darcy’s express reached them, but were waylaid en route by a broken carriage. Mrs. Bennet fretted and fussed over Elizabeth so much that eventually, Mrs. Gardiner suggested her efforts to help Elizabeth improve might be put to good use by sharing the receipts for her herbal remedies with the Darcy cook. Mrs. Gardiner knew they carried little effect, but Mrs. Bennet was convinced they did wonders for her nerves and helped her sleep more soundly, so they could not have any ill effects on Elizabeth.

Kitty and Lydia were better behaved than before. Georgiana confided in them about her misadventures in Gloucestershire, which made Lydia realize the dangers of fortune hunting and what it could drive a desperate person to do. She resolved not to marry unless it was for love, and to wait until a suitable man entered her sphere and chose to court her.

Kitty became a steadfast nurse to Elizabeth in the following days, taking such good care of her sister that Mrs. Gardiner was able to return to her own children on Gracechurch Street. Lydia took charge of reading to Elizabeth; her practice with the soldiers at the convalescent home had given her a taste for reading aloud, much to her surprise.

Mrs. Gardiner finally persuaded Mrs. Bennet to allow Kitty and Lydia to stay with them, and it was decided that after Elizabeth’s recovery, they would live at Gracechurch Street for a year, before coming out again into society.