12. At Netherfield

Our Lady of Longbourn

Chapter Twelve – At Netherfield Park

The Countess of Kirby and the little Viscount stood on the pier as sailors of a boat from the Perigrine shipped their oars and the boson threw the rope. A man on the dock caught the rope and tied it off. Then a very familiar figure climbed up the ladder nailed to the pier and the Countess smiled. Sailors and dock workers alike had already noticed this stunning beauty. Now that she smiled, they were all half in love and envious of the man who was quickly embracing her.

"Oh, my dear sweet Jane! How I've missed you!" He finally released her and knelt to greet his son, "Benjamin!"

The little boy his behind his mother's skirts. Jane smiled a little sadly, "Benjamin, this is your father. Please say hello. He loves you very much."

"My Lord," another voice interrupted. The newly elevated Earl of Kirby turned to look at the officious looking man. Then Stephen's eyes widened just slightly as he recognized the royal livery. The man extended a wax-sealed letter. "Her Majesty welcomes you back to our home shores and requests that you and Lady Archer join her for tea on the morrow at two in the afternoon."

There was obviously only one possible answer to give, so Stephen, now Lord Archer, the Earl of Kirby, nodded, "We will arrive fifteen minutes early."

"Actually, sir, she will send a Royal coach to pick you up." The man bowed, turned, and walked back to a waiting carriage.

Stephen looked at his wife and son, "That was unexpected."

Jane, white faced, agreed, "I have been visited twice by a representative from the crown , but I wasn't expecting this. Do they intend to send you off again so soon?"

The Earl shook his head, "No, assignments come through Admiralty House. I'm much too small a fish for this sort of attention. And I am only and Earl, not a Duke. None of this makes sense." They were both silent for a minute as they walked toward their own coach. Then Stephen said, "Well, that is a matter for tomorrow. For now I wish to console my mother, get to know my son again… and spend some time with my beautiful wife."

Jane blushed prettily, but seemed quite content with this agenda.

oOoOOoOo

Elizabeth was out dealing with an issue regarding the harvest when a note arrived for Kitty from Netherfield Park. Mrs. Bennet, in her usual fashion, opened the note without Kitty's permission. After she read it, she became thoughtful and finally handed over to the addressee.

"It's from Caroline Bingley," Kitty stated in surprise. On the previous night at Lucas Lodge Caroline had watched her brother and Kitty conversing together. Kitty had noticed, but the expression on Miss Bingley's face hadn't seemed friendly.

Kitty didn't know how she felt about Mr. Bingley. He was handsome, to be sure, and very amiable. She felt that she could trust him; he was no Mr. Meriwether. And she welcomed his attention, but for the moment she didn't feel any great attachment to the man.

Her mother, on the other hand, was already planning out their wedding. She could talk for hours about how her daughter would be the "next Mistress of Netherfield." That statement sounded far too familiar from years before, and it made Kitty uncomfortable. Truthfully, she had three more designs to complete for the new catalog and would rather work on those. But she knew that her mother would insist.

Sighing, she asked, "May I have the carriage, Mama."

"Certainly not! That sister of yours is off who knows where with the trap. The carriage horses are needed in the fields. No, you may take Arabella."

"But it looks like it may rain and storm at any moment!"

"Exactly! Then they will have to keep you overnight. The letter states that the men are dining with the officers in Meryton, so you won't see Mr. Bingley otherwise. No, you will ride Arabella and you will be hosted overnight. Now go and put on your best dress… and wash those hands. You have lead from those dratted drawings all over your fingers." Arabella was the oldest horse on the estate and would soon be put out to pasture. It was therefore inevitable, in Fanny's mind, that the Bingleys would have to host her daughter overnight. It is only a pity that Mr. Bingley fixed his sights on Lydia. At least she listened to me about how to catch a man.

Elizabeth arrived home just before the storm. While Toliver took care of the trap and horse, she went inside just as the rain began to pour down. It took a few minutes to notice that Kitty was nowhere to be seen. "Lydia, where's Kitty?"

Lydia snorted, "Probably getting soaked to the skin on Arabella. Serves her right!"

"What do you mean? Why is she riding in this weather?"

"Because that snob Caroline Bingley invited her to afternoon tea and Mama made her ride Arabella because the other horses were needed for the fields," Lydia said nonchalantly and turned her attention back to the dress catalog.

"Needed in the field! They're in the barn!"

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet arrived in the room at the same time and Mrs. Bennet barked at Elizabeth, "Hush, Lizzy! I'm just ensuring that Kitty has a chance to catch Mr. Bingley. They can't send her home in this weather."

"But if she got caught out in this, she will get sick. She's already had a cough for two days!"

"Well, my dear. If your daughter dies, at least you can say that it was for a good cause," Mr. Bennet added, though not too concerned.

"Nonsense! Nobody ever died of a trifling cold!"

Elizabeth didn't point out that people died of "trifling" illnesses every day."

oOoOOoOo

When Darcy, Bingley, and Hurst returned to Netherfield with water pouring off of their oilskins, they were surprised to hear that Kitty Bennet was tucked into bed upstairs with a fever.

"Why wasn't I told that you invited her here today," Bingley demanded.

"You were going to dinner with the Militia. I wanted a chance to get to know Miss Kitty. Who knew that she would suddenly faint away? It all seemed quite contrived to me."

Louisa spoke up, "Her fainting wasn't contrived, Caroline. And while it is true her mother sent her on a horse instead of in a carriage, it wasn't her choice." It had been Louisa who insisted on moving the poor girl upstairs and sending for Mr. Jones.

Caroline didn't appreciate her sister contradicting her. Annoyed, she added, "Did you know that Mrs. Bennet's sister is married to the local solicitor? Or that her brother is in trade, in London, and lives in Cheapside?"

If anybody was shocked, she couldn't see it, so she delivered her most accusing bombshell, "And guess who 'Our Lady' is? Elizabeth Bennet! Can you imagine that trumped up girl styling herself as if she is nobility? What a lark!"

Darcy, Bingley, and Hurst had been at a dinner that included the militia and many of the local gentlemen. Mr. Bingley had heard from one local man all about the history of Elizabeth Bennet and why she was referred to with that title. He had shared it with the other men. He had also shared that her eldest sister was now Countess of Kirby. None of them chose to enlighten Caroline.

Mr. Jones arrived in the pouring rain and made his examination. He believed that Kitty would recover, but the fever and coughing were worrisome. The deluge outside was so fierce now that Bingley insisted on the apothecary remaining overnight. He informed them that his nephew, the doctor, would return from his wedding trip in three days, but he would keep a watch over Kitty until then.

Morning came, along with a note from Mr. Bingley informing the Bennets of Kitty's condition. Mr. Bennet was amused. Mrs. Bennet was pleased with the progress of her scheme. Lydia was unconcerned as she day-dreamed about redcoats. Elizabeth was incensed. "I have to go to her," she declared.

"Nonsense! Nobody wants you there. Leave Kitty be. With two eligible men she is bound to catch one of them."

Elizabeth ignored her mother, went out, and instructed the stable master to saddle Epona. It was too wet to use the open trap and it would be too much effort to hitch the horses for the carriage. Besides, the ride on Epona would help her to drive out her frustrations with her scheming mother. Does a daughter have to die before she will stop this nonsense?

Mr. Darcy was quite shocked when Elizabeth Bennet suddenly topped a rise and galloped down the pasture towards Netherfield. Her horse, a chestnut mare, cleared a stone fence effortlessly. When she saw Darcy, Elizabeth reined in. She had ridden astride, but had planned to dismount before anyone saw her. Embarrassment made her flush. That, combined with her prettily disheveled hair and shining eyes almost rendered Darcy speechless.

"I've come to see my sister," Elizabeth declared, to clear her own powerful awareness of the handsome man.

"On horseback?" Darcy flushed at the completely obvious statement.

"It would seem so," Elizabeth said with a small smile. She led her horse as she walked beside Darcy toward the house.

A stable hand stepped up to take the horse. Without thinking, Elizabeth said, "Thank you, Jacob. Could you please brush her down and cover her. I rode her hard this morning and it is still quite chill."

"As you wish, milad… Miss Bennet," the stable hand flushed and glanced quickly at Mr. Darcy, who pretended not to notice.

"Do you know how my sister fares?" Elizabeth asked with genuine concern.

"Mr. Jones remained her due to the storm. He checked on her this morning and said that we shouldn't be alarmed. Her cough is strong, and her fever is above normal, but not dangerously high. He left medicines for her." He grinned as he continued, "He told us that you would come here this morning promptly, and that you knew the medicines well."

They entered the house and he escorted her first to greet the hosts. Everyone was at the dinner table and they froze in place when she entered. "Thank you for taking care of my sister overnight. I would like to see her, if I may. Which room?"

Mr. Bingley instructed the housekeeper to escort her. Mr. Darcy had stepped back out of the breakfast room, so he was close enough to the stairs to hear Elizabeth say, "There's no need to escort me all the way, Mrs. Nichols. Which room?"

"The blue room, Miss Bennet."

"Very well. Thank you." Mr. Darcy stepped into the billiard room as he pondered this. She knows the staff by name and she knows the names of all the rooms. What is her connection with Netherfield Park?

In the blue room, Elizabeth exclaimed when she saw her dear sister coughing and looking flushed. The maid nodded at her and stood. "Did you stay with her all night, Jenny?"

"Only part, Ma'am; Mrs. Nichols and Betty took turns as well. Cook has prepared a soothing broth, but Miss Kitty coughs every time we tries to feed it to her."

"Why don't you take a rest over on the couch, or up in your room if you'd rather. I'll take care of her for a while." The maid chose the couch and was asleep in seconds.

Elizabeth looked over the medicines and nodded. Then she stepped out to the door. As she expected, Mrs. Nichols had assigned a footman to stand by to take care of any needs. "Dexter, would you please take this willow bark down to cook? She knows how to make the tea. And ask for her cleanest rag."

Dexter returned shortly with the tea and a rag. Elizabeth carefully added the very fragrant purple coneflower extract. Then she dipped the rag into the tea and touched it to Kitty's lips. Sensing the moisture, Kitty opened her mouth and sucked on the rag. The willow bark was bitter, but the cornflower was soothing. She continued to cough, but soon it settled.

Elizabeth waited for a few minutes and then gave Kitty a half-spoonful of boneset mixed with a little bit of honey. Kitty involuntarily sucked the mixture off of the spoon and swallowed repeatedly. Elizabeth repeated the procedure every half hour for the next few hours, applying a cool cloth constantly to Kitty's forehead, face, and neck.

Mr. Darcy was constantly aware that Elizabeth was in the house. As soon as the sun was full in the sky, he persuaded Charles that they needed to ride the estate. It was one of the duties of the Master of an estate to check for damage after a storm… but Darcy just needed to get away before he made a fool of himself.

Elizabeth Bennet was an anomaly to him. She had the confidence and presence of a duchess. She seemed to break many of the rules of society concerning ladies, but she did it in such a way that he couldn't necessarily fault her. She had the respect of the entire community. And she was very pleasing to look at.

On the other side, there were her connections. Her aunt was married to the local solicitor. Her uncle was in trade. Her younger sister was married to a doctor. Her mother and youngest sister should not even be allowed out in polite society. Her father was indolent. Only her older sister… and perhaps Miss Kitty, lent anything positive to her connections. Lady Archer, the Countess of Kirby; Darcy had met the elder Earl before his passing. He knew that the older son had been killed in a fire and the younger had joined the Navy very young as a midshipman. Now he was the Earl.

They returned to the estate after identifying a few repairs that would be required. While Bingley went to speak with Mr. Matthews, Darcy walked both horses toward the stable. As he neared, he heard the young men talking. "It's nice to have Our Lady back at Netherfield, even if it's cause her sister's sick."

"Lor, yer right. That Bingley woman is an uppity chit. Our Lady never treated her people bad. We was alays treated with respect. Jes like Lady Adele."

"You two, stop your talk. You know that you were told to only talk with respect about the tenants, whether they deserve it or not. And the Miss has asked us not to call her 'Lady'-this or 'milady' that. It'll only cause trouble for her."

"Sorry Mister Thomas. We're just glad she's home."

"It won't be for long, I'll admit that I'm sorry to say."

Just then Bingley's horse neighed. Darcy walked both horsed forward around the corner with a bland expression. "We just finished our inspection. Please take good care of our mounts. That road is almost impassable and it was hard on their legs."

The trio in the stables nodded. They relaxed after Mr. Darcy left, but the stable master gave both of his subordinate stern looks. "Loose tongues make for dangerous business, boys. We were all asked to keep the secret. You could do harm with your talk. Now go take good care of your horses."

oOoOOoOo

Kitty woke for part of the afternoon. Elizabeth was able to visit for a little bit, but soon Caroline and Louisa joined them. They turned out to be unexpectedly good company when they exerted themselves. Louisa seemed quite relaxed and friendly. Caroline seemed to ask a lot of pointed questions. Thankfully Kitty was too uncomfortable to talk, so Elizabeth fielded her questions. She was more than a match for the self-important woman. Eventually, the two sisters left.

Kitty's cough returned and Elizabeth had her drink more of the tea. Then she gave Kitty the sleeping draught that Mr. Jones prescribed.

Mr. Bingley had insisted on Elizabeth staying. She was torn. She wanted to take care of Kitty, but it would be hard to stay at her own home as the unwanted guest of the current Mistress. She had already slipped several times in her behavior. She was so used to ordering this home that it came from her naturally. Being is the same house as Mr. Darcy was also a concern; she was intensely aware of his presence in the house. Another problem was trying to run Longbourn from here; Mr. Matthews had too many issues to deal with at Netherfield after the storm.

Finally she relented and allowed her trunk to be sent for. When she returned to her assigned room, she found her dresses all pressed and neatly ordered. The maids had been happy to welcome her back and they were all taking care of her. She chose the simplest dress designed by Kitty for the evening, allowed Jenny to do her hair, and proceeded down the stairs.

Elizabeth was a very observant person… she had to be to handle everything that she was responsible for. This allowed her to draw conclusions about the Netherfield party.

Mr. Bingley was an amiable person. He projected the air of an enthusiastic puppy, but Elizabeth suspected that there was more to him than that. He was sincere, but she didn't think that the role of gentleman farmer suited him. He would be much more comfortable with the excitement of business and trade. Elizabeth had none of the prejudice against trade that others had. Her Uncle Gardiner was the man she respected the most in the world.

Miss Caroline Bingley was a social climber who would stop at nothing to reach her goals. She did not want Elizabeth there and she certainly didn't want her anywhere near Mr. Darcy… even though that man was clearly uninterested in Miss Bingley. Elizabeth warned herself to watch this woman carefully. She wasn't the brightest, but she was cunning and possibly without conscience.

Louisa Hurst was noncommittal. At one minute she was friendly; at the next she was standoffish. Elizabeth suspected that the difference was Caroline's doing. Louisa wanted to be friendly, but she didn't have the strength of will to defy her younger sister's poison.

Mr. Hurst was an anomaly. On the surface he was a drunk, a gambler, and a glutton. He ate too much, slept too much, and generally made himself unpleasant. But several times, in unguarded moments, Elizabeth had seen a different man. He wasn't always sleeping when he pretended to be and at moments he seemed to regard her or Mr. Darcy with great intelligence. But then she would take a second look and he was back to the dull, obnoxious boar. She didn't know what to think of him.

Mr. Darcy was another anomaly, but for different reasons. He seemed to run hot and cold. One minute he was friendly and admiring; the next he was distant and withdrawn. She suspected that some outside force or event had influenced his behavior at the assembly. He had stated, in a roundabout way, that he was shy… and she believed that. But there seemed to be something else, something painful, holding sway over his emotions. She knew that he admired her because he had said as much, but their spheres were different. She didn't believe that he would choose someone like her for his bride. He will choose someone who advances his family name, not someone below him. She knew this, but her heart still raced in his presence.

Dinner was fraught with tension and Elizabeth excused herself soon afterwards. She returned shortly though to inform everyone that Kitty's fever had increased and that she wouldn't be returning downstairs for the evening.

Caroline waited until Elizabeth was up the stairs and launched into a bevy of complaints against the lady. She did not notice the expressions on the footmen, but Darcy did. "Mr. Darcy, surely you noticed the mud splattered on her riding clothes this morning. What was she thinking riding here in such a condition? It smacks of a reckless self-confidence."

"It shows a remarkable concern for her sister, Caroline," Bingley interrupted.

Caroline ignored him, "All of that mud must have had an effect on your admiration of her 'fine eyes', Mr. Darcy," she prompted.

Darcy decided to disregard their audience and respond, "Not at all. They were brightened by the experience. Come now, it is inappropriate for a hostess to denigrate her guests, whether the stay is involuntary or not."

Caroline, shocked at being corrected and knowing that Mr. Darcy was right, went silent. Shortly thereafter she excused herself for the night.

AN: I apologize for staying so close to the original story up to this point. There is a reason for this, and the story will deviate significantly very soon.