Elizabeth was not being attended by anyone at all. No midwife was coming to see how she was doing or how the baby was progressing. Caroline could have asked for one for her sister, but she had not.
And Caroline had not remembered to feed Elizabeth.
So, it stood to reason that Caroline had not even thought about what would happen when it was time for the babe to come, when Elizabeth would go into her labors. Elizabeth rather expected she might be doing this all on her own.
She could say something now, she supposed, and she should, but she was loath to do so. For some reason, she did not want to beg any more assistance of those women, especially when it was clear they did not wish to assist her. She was an annoyance to them both.
That was when Elizabeth looked up and saw him, Mr. Darcy, on the path ahead.
He was walking towards her, but his head was down.
She thought of calling out to him, telling him that Caroline Bingley was keeping her hidden away in the dower house where she was going to birth Mr. Wickham’s child.
No, God in heaven, she never wanted Mr. Darcy to know that.
Instead, she darted away, quickly, out of sight.
Mr. Darcy looked up at the movement, brow furrowed, searching the area with his eyes, but seeing nothing, he shook himself and continued to walk.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ELIZABETH SAW MR. Darcy two more times.
Once was an afternoon where Mr. Darcy came to call upon the Bingley sisters and Elizabeth was obliged to stay out of sight, of course. She was instructed to stay in her room, away from everyone, but she found herself too curious, and she crept down the stairs and then down the hall, and stood just outside the sitting room where they had received him.
His voice filtered out of the room. “Nonsense,” he was saying, “it would be quite awful of me to have expected you to have refreshments for me when this is when the servants leave the dower house. We spoke of it when I said I would come.”
Elizabeth had not expected to react so to his voice, but hearing it, she felt as if she went to pieces. She had to clutch the wall for support. She regretted it afresh, all the awful things she had said to him during that marriage proposal.If I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you,she had said. She had told him that she found his desire for her so horrifying that she could not even give him the barest of polite responses.
“Yes, I suppose,” came Caroline’s response, “but it still feels ever so dreadful having nothing to offer you.”
“It is all right,” said Mr. Darcy, “as you are my guests, after all, so you would be offering me my own food and drink.” Was that a bit of exasperation in Mr. Darcy’s voice? Was he not soglad to have them here? Was there anything Elizabeth could do with such knowledge?
No, she supposed. It only made her situation here all the more precarious.
“We are ever so grateful for your kindness, Mr. Darcy,” said Louisa. “Ever so, truly. You cannot know how much it pleases us.”
“Yes,” said Mr. Darcy, “I hope the northern air is agreeing with you, Mrs. Hurst, and that your child grows hardy and strong here.”
“If so, it will be down to your goodness to us,” said Caroline.
And then, it was entirely silent for some time.
Caroline eventually began to speak. She began to talk inanely about some ball she had been to in the summer, and to describe different women’s dresses in great detail. She paused here and there, but when no one filled the pauses with their own speech, she simply went on and on.
Elizabeth began to grow bored with the enumeration of skirts and laces and patterns.
Eventually, Mr. Darcy broke in, “Well, I am ever so glad I came by to see you. However, I must be getting back now.”
“Oh,” said Caroline.
“Yes, thank you,” said Mr. Darcy, and his voice was getting louder and Elizabeth realized she had no time to go all the way up the stairs, so she scurried to hide, instead, behind a door to a nearby room that opened onto the hallway. She smashed herself into the little triangular space there, hiding in the shadow.
She could see him as he hurriedly walked out of the room.
“Let us walk you out,” cried Caroline, coming after him.
“No need. I know the way. I own this house, after all,” Mr. Darcy threw over his shoulder and he left them all behind in his wake.