Page 19 of Grief and Grievances
“Some tea for Miss Darcy, perhaps?” she whispered to Charlotte, who nodded and departed to see to it. Elizabeth took a chair on the other side of the bed and looked at Miss Darcy.
“I am sorry you must see her in such circumstances.”
Miss Darcy sniffed again, and Elizabeth offered her a clean handkerchief.
“Thank you so much.” The girl accepted it and dabbed delicately at her nose. “Do you think she hears us at all?”
Elizabeth hesitated, but she had to be honest. Anne hadn’t shown the slightest response to any stimulus since the moment they found her. “I’m not sure,” she said truthfully. “She doesn’t respond in any way, but that doesn’t mean she can’t hear us. I am careful not to discuss her condition in her hearing, in case she might be distressed by it.”
“I see.” Miss Darcy nodded, looking at her curiously. “Are you the nurse?” Her gaze flickered over Elizabeth’s dress, simple but too nice for a servant’s gown.
“Of a sort. I was staying with my friend Mrs. Collins—you met her downstairs—at the Parsonage when Anne suffered her accident. My name is Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Bennet?” Miss Darcy’s eyes flickered. “I know that name. Are you from Hertfordshire, by any chance?”
Startled, Elizabeth blinked at her. “Yes… I am.”
“Then you are acquainted with my brother. He mentioned you and your family several times in his letters this past autumn.” Miss Darcy examined her with apparent curiosity. “I am glad to meet you.”
“And I you, though I am sorry it is under such circumstances.”
Miss Darcy returned her gaze to her cousin’s still, pale face. “She looks thinner,” she murmured, biting her lip in consternation.
“It is very difficult to get nutrition into Anne,” Elizabeth understated. It was near impossible, requiring Anne to be propped upright between two sturdy maids and her throat massaged to convince her to swallow while Elizabeth carefully spooned honeyed tea between her lips.
“I understand. Thank you for your efforts.” Miss Darcy appeared to steel herself. “I want to help, but I don’t know anything about nursing an invalid. Will you show me what to do? My companion Mrs. Annesley will be glad to help, too.”
“Of course, Miss Darcy.” Elizabeth could barely believe this was the girl who Mr. Wickham had described as ‘very proud’.
“Please.” Miss Darcy looked back at her. “Call me Georgiana.”
Chapter Ten
Thesoftglowofcandlelight flickered across the room, casting shadows that danced upon the walls as Elizabeth observed Georgiana tending to Anne. Georgiana’s delicate fingers moved with practiced grace, brushing aside a stray curl that had fallen onto her cousin’s pallid brow. Despite the gravity of the situation, there was something undeniably tender and beautiful in the scene before her, and Elizabeth found herself mesmerised by the quiet strength that radiated from the young girl.
“Georgiana,” Elizabeth began, “I am truly impressed by your dedication in caring for your cousin.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Georgiana replied, a faint blush colouring her cheeks at the unexpected praise. “Anne was always exceptionally kind to me. It is the least I can do to return her kindness. I only wish I could do more. I miss her—did you know her well?”
“Not very well, no,” Elizabeth disclaimed sadly. “We had met only a few times before the accident. I knew her to be a lady of discerning tastes, however, because it was apparent that she wanted to befriend Charlotte Collins, whom I know well to be the best friend one could wish for.”
Georgiana smiled, stroking Anne’s hand. “She was quiet, but so very sweet,” she murmured, eyes on her cousin’s face. “Although she was never permitted to learn to play the pianoforte, she loved music. She would sit with me when I played and sometimes we would sing together.”
“Perhaps we could sing to her now,” Elizabeth suggested, and Georgiana visibly brightened.
“Oh… but the pianoforte in the music room is too far away to be heard,” she said, sagging again.
“I think we could manage without it.” Elizabeth hesitated only a few seconds before beginning to sing.
“O, where are you going? To Scarborough fair,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to a lass who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.”
With a smile on her lips, Georgiana joined in, and they sang through several verses and the refrain together, their voices blending in a sweet, soft harmony in the quiet room.
