Page 48 of Until My Last Breath

13th April 1816

The warm sunlight and smell of clean linen reached Darcy’s senses before he opened his eyes. He struggled with his eyelids until he could keep them open. Looking around at the blur of light, the silhouette of a woman sitting beside him brought a lazy smile to his lips.

“Elizabeth?”

“Oh, William. No, it is me, Georgiana,” she said, running to the door. “Uncle Alfred, he is awake.”

He blinked a few more times, but his eyes closed again. He stretched out his hand to his sister.

“Oh, brother. I am so happy you are back to us. I almost died worrying about you,” Georgiana said, squeezing his hand. Then she began to ask hundreds of questions about how he was feeling, if he was hungry, what had happened, if his scratches were hurting.

Darcy opened his eyes again and smiled at his sister’s enthusiasm. Before he had the chance to answer any of her questions, his uncle and aunt entered the room and greeted him with equal agitation. Lord Matlock did not spare words to express his relief, while Lady Madeleine kissed him on the head.

“Where is Richard?” Darcy asked.

And where is Elizabeth?

The room felt silent. Everyone looked down or at each other, butnobody answered him.

Darcy frowned. “Uncle, where is Richard?” he asked again, his voice clipped. He sat up, grimacing with pain despite all the protests for him to keep to his bed.

Perhaps it was the laudanum or the long hours he had been sedated — after all, he was back home and did not remember anything about their return; or yet, perhaps because they were not answering his deuced question, but Darcy could not control the dread squeezing his chest.

Lord Matlock tried to remain calm, remembering the words the tired doctor had said as they arrived early that morning.

“Mr Darcy has plenty of reasons to behave badly when he wakes up. And recovering from the prolonged use of laudanum will not help him.”

With those words in mind, Lord Matlock addressed his favourite nephew with caution. “William, calm down, I beg you. I shall explain everything, but do not be agitated, my boy.” He asked his wife and niece to leave. When the room was quiet again, Lord Matlock began, “Unfortunately, your rescue was not completely successful; Richard was forced to go after the last member of the group responsible for your kidnap.”

“You mean Wickham, do you not, Uncle?” he said, trembling with rage.

“William, I understand your anger. But please, my boy, do not let that scoundrel take away your health. Dr Alden told us you would have a difficult recovery. And for more than one reason.”

With his entire body aching and shaking uncontrollably, Darcy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply a couple of times, calming himself enough to speak again. “You are right, Uncle. That miserable man does not deserve anything from me.”

At last, when Darcy was more relaxed, he asked his uncle to help him to stand. “My back aches and I am tired of being kept on a bed. I need to walk.”

Lord Matlock was glad to help his nephew get to his feet.

“And what about Miss Elizabeth?” Darcy finally asked, disappointedthat she was not at his side as she had promised. “Is she still resting?”

“That is why Richard went in pursuit of Wickham. The reprobate managed to put his hands on her again and took her away with him. The scoundrel is taking her to Portsmouth to sell her to pirates.”

Darcy stopped walking; everything became dark. His breath was stuck in his throat and a sharp pain pierced his heart. He could not hold his weight anymore and collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

“Wilfred!” Lord Matlock cried out.

Immediately, Wilfred was in the bedroom, but even the two old men could not lift Darcy back to his feet. Lord Matlock shouted again, and two other footmen entered the bedroom and helped to put Darcy back on the bed. They untied his shirt, opened the window and tried everything they could to ease his breathing.

Darcy was beyond what any rational word could explain. The lacerating pain from hearing the news about Elizabeth, his rage towards Wickham, and his body’s reaction to hours of sedation by the laudanum, took away all his dignity and when he was able to breathe again, he wailed like a wounded beast.

~ ♥ ~

After the arrival of Darcy and Dr Alden that early morning, nobody could return to bed, and Georgiana had barely left her brother’s side.

The other occupants of the house remained in the drawing room in vigil, with the exception of Mr Bennet. Darcy’s sore face and precarious condition, added to the news that neither Richard nor his Lizzy were with them, had proved too much for poor Mr Bennet. He had been assisted to his room by Dr Alden, who decided to give him something to sleep, preventing the old man from completely succumbing to his sorrow.

Jane remained quiet on a sofa in the corner of the room. There were no more tears now, just an empty feeling of despair. Lady Madeleine, sensing her misery, took Jane in her arms, comforting her in the best wayshe could, also suspecting Jane had another cause to worry beyond her sister’s welfare. She had seen the way Richard and Jane looked and supported each other and was secretly happy for her younger son.

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