Forgetting Darcy Read online

  “I am a grown man, Caroline, and require neither your blessing nor anyone else’s but, as it happens, I spoke to Darcy about my plans earlier and he wished me luck and supports my plans.” Miss Bingley opened her mouth to protest again but Mr. Bingley continued, “I am determined, Caroline. I suggest you reconcile yourself to the possibility of my marriage to Miss Bennet because if she agrees to marry me I expect you to welcome her to the family graciously. If you are unkind in any way you will no longer be welcome in my home and will have to rely on Louisa and Mr. Hurst to welcome you into theirs.” With this Mr. Bingley left to prepare for his journey.

  Miss Darcy found her brother in the library later that night after Miss Bingley and the Hurst’s had retired to their rooms. Mr. Darcy was holding a book but not reading it. He was lost in his thoughts and concerns for Elizabeth.

  “I am sorry for your friend, William. Have you heard if she is feeling any better?”

  Mr. Darcy looked up and smiled at his sister. “I spoke with Mr. Gardiner when I collected the letter for Mr. Bingley earlier. She was still the same. I am very concerned for her.”

  “What are the Gardiner’s like?” asked Miss Darcy as she sat down in the chair next to her brother. “Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst do not appear to approve of them, which only makes me think that I should like them,” said Georgiana with a mischievous grin.

  Darcy chuckled at Georgiana’s attempt to lighten his mood. “I only spoke to Mr. Gardiner briefly but he seems to be an intelligent and respectable gentleman. I believe if his wife is anything like himself that you will like them both very much.”

  “Perhaps I might invite them to join us for breakfast tomorrow if they feel comfortable leaving Miss Bennet with a maid to watch her?”

  “That is a good idea. I want to become better acquainted with them and I would like them to feel comfortable here.”

  “Then that is what I will do. Good night, William.”

  “Good night, Georgie.”

  Chapter Four

  “Georgiana, this is Mr. Edward Gardiner. My sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is my wife, Mrs. Madeline Gardiner.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. How is Miss Bennet this morning?” asked Miss Darcy.

  “She is much the same as yesterday I’m afraid. But we are hopeful that she will wake up soon and be back to herself without any problems.”

  “We wish to apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you and your guests, and to thank you for your hospitality,” added Mrs. Gardiner.

  “It is our pleasure. I had the good fortune of meeting Miss Elizabeth last Fall while I was staying with my friend, Mr. Bingley, at an estate that he leased in Hertfordshire.”

  “Lizzy mentioned her acquaintance with you,” replied Mrs. Gardiner.

  Mr. Darcy wondered how much of the history of their acquaintance Elizabeth had shared with her relations. Did they know about his proposal? Or of the letter that he had written to her to explain his side of the accusations she had made against him? “I’ve sent for my family’s physician. He should be here in two days. It is my hope that he may be able to suggest something more that can be done for Miss Elizabeth.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Darcy. That is very kind,” said Mr. Gardiner.

  The group sat down to break their fast with the delicious food available on the sideboard. Mr. Darcy was again impressed with Mr. Gardiner’s good sense and respectability. It was difficult to believe that this could be Mrs. Bennet’s brother. Mr. Darcy acknowledged to himself that Elizabeth had been justified in her accusations of arrogance and pride. Mr. Darcy had judged these very relations without ever knowing them and had found them lacking, a disgrace that would need to be born if Elizabeth were to be his wife. How very wrong he had been! The Gardiner’s were completely respectable.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam soon joined the group and was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. “How do you do?” he asked. “I was saddened to hear of Miss Elizabeth’s accident and hope for a quick recovery. She is a charming lady and made our annual visit to Rosings more enjoyable than ever. Was it not so, Darcy?” Mr. Darcy nodded his agreement.

  Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner wondered why Elizabeth had not mentioned meeting Mr. Darcy again in Kent in any of her letters or while staying with them before returning to Longbourn. She was in the habit of sharing most of her news with them as they had always been close.

  “Thank you, Colonel. Lizzy is a favorite of ours. She has always been a charming girl,” said Mrs. Gardiner.

  Elizabeth first became aware of the throbbing of her head. What has happened? I have never had such a headache. Her heartbeat quickened in panic as she looked around her. Nothing seemed familiar. This is not Longbourn nor anywhere else I’ve stayed before. Where am I? She started to sit up in bed but her head hurt too much and the room began to spin. She abandoned her efforts and sank back against her pillow with a moan.

  A maid, who had been unpacking Elizabeth’s trunk, saw her move and hurried over to her side. “How are you, Miss? Is there anything I may fetch you?”

  “Where am I?” croaked Elizabeth suddenly realizing how thirsty she was.

  “You are at Pemberley, Miss.”

  “Pemberley?” asked Elizabeth in confusion trying to remember any estate by that name near her home.

  “That’s correct, Miss. It is Mr. Darcy’s estate in Derbyshire.”

  Elizabeth shook her head in confusion and groaned at the pain it caused. “Derbyshire? What am I doing here?”

  “I believe you were touring the area with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. You slipped and hit your head yesterday. Your aunt and uncle will be very pleased to see you awake. They have been so worried for you. Shall I fetch them?”

  “Aunt and uncle Gardiner are here? Yes, please do send for them.”

  “Excuse me, sir,” said the maid as she caught the party exiting the dining room. “Miss Bennet is awake and asking for Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.”

  “Lizzy is awake?” asked Mrs. Gardiner. “Oh thank goodness! Hurry, Edward. Please excuse us Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”

  “Of course,” said Mr. Darcy. “I will send a footman to let Mr. Carter know that Miss Elizabeth is awake. He will want to check on her again now that she is conscious.”

  “Thank you,” said Mr. Gardiner before hurrying away with his wife.

  “Lizzy, dear! You had us so worried! How are you feeling?”

  “My head aches and I feel rather dizzy. When did we come to Derbyshire? I thought that you had not planned to visit this summer but were planning a short stay during your tour of the Lakes next summer?”

  Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner exchanged confused looks. “We planned this trip several months ago, Lizzy. We had planned to tour the Lakes but Mr. Gardiner’s business could not be left for so long and so we shortened our trip to Derbyshire instead. Do you not remember?”

  “It’s very strange but I do not remember that. I’m so very thirsty and tired.” Elizabeth’s eyes began to droop.

  “Here, Lizzy. Have a drink and then rest. Mr. Darcy has sent for the apothecary in Lambton. He will be by to see you in a little while.” Elizabeth took a few sips and then drifted off to sleep again.

  “Madeline, I am going to go talk to Mr. Darcy and the others. They have been very kind and I am sure they are anxious to hear how Lizzy is feeling.”

  “Mr. Gardiner,” said Mr. Darcy standing up as the other man entered the drawing room. “How is Miss Elizabeth?”

  “I am anxious for Mr. Carter to see her. Though awake, she does not seem to remember coming to Pemberley or even touring Derbyshire for the past two weeks.”

  “She has lost her memory?” asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.

  “Not entirely. She recognized Mrs. Gardiner and myself but seemed confused about more recent events.”

  “What is the last thing she remembers?”

  “I am unsure. I did not want to alarm her or Mrs. Gardiner so I did not ask. I wished to have M
r. Carter see her first.”

  “He should be here in an hour or so,” said Mr. Darcy. “Is there anything else that Miss Elizabeth requires at the moment?”

  “I thank you, but no. She is resting.” Mr. Gardiner excused himself to return to his wife and niece stating that he had only wanted to inform them of Lizzy’s condition since they had been so kind and concerned for her.

  “Poor Miss Elizabeth!” said Miss Darcy with tears sparkling in her eyes. “How frightening it would be to lose one’s memory.”

  “Cheer up, Georgie,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Miss Bennet is awake and that is certainly cause for hope. We must stay positive. I’m sure the fall has jumbled her memories but I believe with time she will be able to remember everything.”

  Mr. Carter arrived and was shown to his patient. Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam waited anxiously for news in the drawing room. Colonel Fitzwilliam had tried his best to keep up the spirits of the other two while they waited for news but it was not an easy task he had set for himself. Tenderhearted Georgiana could only focus on how scared she would be to find herself in a similar situation. Mr. Darcy spent his time alternating between staring out the window and glancing at his pocket watch every few moments to see how much time had passed.

  “Well, Mr. Carter,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam when the apothecary joined them in the drawing room after seeing Elizabeth. “How did you find the patient?”

  “Miss Bennet is awake which is a wonderful sign. It gives me great hope for her continued recovery. She suffers from a headache, which is not surprising considering her head injury.”

  “Mr. Gardiner mentioned that he was concerned about her memory. Were you able to determine anything regarding that?” asked Mr. Darcy.

  “Miss Bennet appears to have lost her memories of the past year from what we can tell by her relations questions. It is not unheard of for head injuries to cause memory loss.”

  “Poor Miss Elizabeth!” repeated Miss Darcy. “Will she recover her memory?”

  The apothecary shook his head sadly. “There is no way of knowing, miss. Some do and some do not. There is much that we still do not know about head injuries. In any case, Miss Bennet has not forgotten everything.”

  Mr. Darcy sat thinking while Colonel Fitzwilliam saw Mr. Carter to the door. If Elizabeth had forgotten the past year, then she had no memories of him. He had often wished over the past few months that he could go back and start over with Elizabeth. He wanted to take away all of the mistakes and misunderstandings. Mr. Darcy decided that this was his chance. He could show Elizabeth how well they could be together. He could court her properly this time.

  “She must be so frightened,” said Miss Darcy. “I cannot imagine waking up and not knowing where I was or what had happened in the past year.” After a moment’s thought she continued, “On second thought, I might not mind forgetting the past year.”

  “Please do not be so hard on yourself, Georgiana. The past year has been difficult but all is well now,” said Mr. Darcy as he pulled her to him for a hug. “Do not worry about Miss Elizabeth. She is not one to allow anything to intimidate her. She will be fine.”

  “I am sorry that your friend has been injured, William, but I am so pleased that I will finally have an opportunity to meet her. I have wanted to make her acquaintance since you wrote to me of her last Fall.”

  “I am sure you will like her very well, Georgie. She is a remarkable young lady. I have desired to introduce you to her for some time.”

  “Who are you introducing to our dear Georgiana?” asked Miss Bingley with an overly sweet smile as she entered the drawing room.

  “Miss Elizabeth,” answered Miss Darcy. “She is awake now and the apothecary has been to see her.”

  “How nice,” answered Miss Bingley with a fake smile. “Georgiana, you must come on a walk with me in the gardens. The weather is so lovely today.”

  “Of course, Miss Bingley.”

  “You are welcome to join us as well, Mr. Darcy.” Miss Bingley looked up at him with a flirtatious tilt of her head. Mr. Darcy repressed the urge to roll his eyes and instead made his excuses stating that he had business to attend to with his steward and would not be able to join them on their walk. Miss Bingley was disappointed but did her best to hide it with a bright smile. “Perhaps some other time then.” Mr. Darcy gave a small bow to the ladies and escaped to his study.

  The ladies strolled along the paths in the garden enjoying the sunshine. “What time are you and the Hurst’s departing?”

  “Oh, we have decided to stay the week as previously planned. Louisa is not feeling up to continuing the trip at the moment. When my brother returns we will continue on together.”

  “Oh, I must have misunderstood. I thought Mr. Bingley said that you were continuing without him. We will be delighted to have you stay with us. I am sure that Miss Elizabeth will be feeling up to company soon and will enjoy renewing her acquaintance with you. We must do our best to help her feel comfortable.”

  Miss Bingley gave a grimace at Miss Darcy’s words. She had no desire to renew an acquaintance with Miss Elizabeth. In fact, the decision to stay at Pemberley against Mr. Bingley’s wishes had been made in large part because Miss Bingley wanted to keep an eye on Miss Elizabeth. She had worked too long towards an understanding with Mr. Darcy and would not allow that country chit to swoop in and snatch him up now.

  Chapter Five

  “Lizzy, if you are feeling up to it Mr. Darcy and his sister would like to visit with you. They have been anxious for your health and wish to assure themselves that you are improving,” said Mrs. Gardiner the next morning. “Are you feeling well enough to receive visitors?”

  “I would be delighted to receive visitors and I would like to meet our hosts.” Elizabeth chuckled to herself. “Or I suppose, re-meet our hosts. It is quite disconcerting to think about meeting people for the second time.”

  “I am sure it is. You met Mr. Darcy last Fall but this will be the first time that you are meeting his sister. They also have some guests that you were acquainted with, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Miss Bingley and the Hurst’s.”

  Elizabeth felt a mixture of nerves and excitement as she waited for her visitors in the sitting room attached to her guest chambers. When her visitors arrived Elizabeth noted that the gentleman was tall and handsome with a serious look about him. His sister was also tall and handsome, but where her brother was dark Miss Darcy was fair.

  “Lizzy, this is Mr. Darcy and his sister, Miss Darcy,” said Mr. Gardiner when the visitors arrived at last.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Elizabeth,” said Miss Darcy. “I have heard so much about you. I hope you are feeling better.” Elizabeth puzzled over what Miss Darcy had heard about her.

  “Thank you, Miss Darcy. My head still aches but I believe I will recover soon enough.”

  “Miss Elizabeth,” said Mr. Darcy in greeting with a small bow. “I am pleased to see you again.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Darcy.” An awkward silence filled the room and both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were searching their minds for something to say to fill the silence. Elizabeth let out a small chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation. “I refuse to be intimidated by the strangeness of the situation. I must confess I feel a little bit like an actress that doesn’t know her lines, or the plot of the story for that matter.”

  Mr. Darcy smiled. “I am not surprised that your courage is rising in the face of intimidation. You told me as much about yourself when we met at Rosings Park.” A fond smile touched his mouth as he remembered the exchange that had taken place one evening while listening to Elizabeth play the pianoforte at his aunt’s estate.

  “Rosings Park? I thought we met in Hertfordshire?” said Elizabeth in confusion. She searched her memory for any mention of a place by that name but came up blank.

  “We did meet first in Hertfordshire last September. I was visiting with a friend, Mr. Bingley, who leased an estate near your home, Netherfield Park. We spent some w
eeks there before returning to London for the Christmas season. We met again in March when I went to visit my aunt at Rosings Park over Easter.”

  “What was I doing at Rosings Park? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of it before.”

  “You were visiting a Mr. and Mrs. Collins at Hunsford Parsonage.”

  “Mr. Collins?” asked Elizabeth in confusion. “My cousin?”

  “Yes, the same. He visited Hertfordshire last Fall as well and married your friend, Miss Lucas.”

  “Charlotte is married? To my cousin?” The surprise was evident in Elizabeth’s voice. “How wonderful for Charlotte. Are they happy together?”

  Mr. Darcy hesitated to answer. His opinion of Mr. Collins was not good. The man was a fool and any woman attached to him for life was to be pitied. However, Mrs. Collins had not seemed upset with her lot. “I believe your friend is content with her situation, and Mr. Collins is very fortunate to have been accepted by a woman of sense and practicality.”

  Elizabeth tried to understand what Mr. Darcy was trying to say. She noticed the hesitation and the carefully worded response. It seemed as if there was more that Mr. Darcy did not want to say. “I am very happy for her then. What sort of man is Mr. Collins?”

  Again Mr. Darcy hesitated. He did not wish to offend her by speaking ill of her relation but preferred to be honest at all times. “He is a unique sort of man.” Mr. Darcy hesitated again.

  Mrs. Gardiner laughed and then said, “You wrote to me of him, Lizzy. From your description I can understand Mr. Darcy’s hesitation to speak of him. He sounded like an odd mixture of a man. In your letters you described him as being both proud and obsequious.”

  “Oh. He sounds like an interesting character to study.” Elizabeth attempted to picture a man both proud and obsequious. He sounds ridiculous. Poor Charlotte! “I cannot imagine so much happening in Hertfordshire. It is such a quiet and peaceful county.”

  “I imagine it is a lot to take in in one sitting. I do not wish to tire you. If you feel well enough, we would be pleased to have you all join us for supper.”