Netherfield Park Revisited (39 page)

Dr Morton, who claimed he had not seen too many patients who had died of the affliction, agreed with Charles that rest and good nursing were essential for a full recovery.

“I must congratulate Miss Faulkner,” he added. “She has hardly left Miss Bingley's side since arriving here.” Charles and his father exchanged glances and appeared to share an unspoken thought.

All day, Charles and Anna took turns at sitting with Anne-Marie until, at about 4 o'clock, Anna, relieved by her maid Sally and urged by Eliza Harwood, came downstairs to tea. Hitherto, she had taken all but her main meals upstairs, so as to be near her patient.

“How is she?” Jonathan asked, comforted to note that Anna seemed less fearful than before.

“I hope and pray I am right; I think I have noticed a small improvement since about two o'clock this afternoon. She has slept for almost four hours and her pulse is stronger, she breathes more easily and does not groan in pain as she used to. While I am almost afraid to hope and must await Dr Morton's verdict, I do believe she is past the worst.”

“Is she awake now? May I see her?” asked Jonathan, and Anna agreed.

He was gone in a trice, running up the stairs to his daughter's room, where he found her propped up on her pillows, still looking wan and listless, but when she saw him, she managed a smile. A few minutes later, Charles followed his father upstairs.

When Anna returned to the room, she found them together, not speaking, for Anne-Marie was too weak to converse at any length, but both men were clearly pleased to find her looking much better than before.

Anna was about to slip out and leave them together when Anne-Marie looked up and beckoned to her. Slipping an arm around her neck, she whispered her thanks and stroked her hand, before lying back on her pillows. The gesture, however feeble, gave great hope to her family.

Jonathan, realising how tired Anna must be from three days of unremitting anxiety and exertion, sent her away to rest, which she did gratefully, in a quiet room that had been prepared for her further along the corridor.

So exhausted was she that she did not awake until Dr Morton arrived that evening and asked to see her, so he could congratulate her on her care of his patient.

That night, Jonathan sat with Anna in the drawing room after dinner, while upstairs, in her bedroom, Anne-Marie slept for the very first time without the aid of sleeping draughts or pain reducing potions. Her fever was at its lowest since they had arrived, and her body no longer ached unbearably. Her brother sat with her, having persuaded Anna to let him do some of the work.

Jonathan was keen to take her home to Netherfield Park, where she could rest and regain her health. He was well aware that they had already accepted the generous hospitality of the Harwoods for a week and was keen to leave as soon as it was safe to do so.

Meanwhile, in a gesture that further indicated the improvement in their relations, he gave Charles permission to use the house at Grosvenor Street for as long as he intended to stay in London.

When Dr Morton was applied to, he warned that the patient must not in any way be exposed to the risk of pneumonia and great care must be taken to ensure a continuation of the excellent nursing she had received.

“A relapse must be avoided at all costs,” he declared, solemnly. “I cannot say it often enough, Mr Bingley,” he said, “medication alone will not do. Your daughter owes her recovery, maybe even her survival, to the admirable way in which Miss Faulkner has organised her care.”

Turning to Anna, he declared, “My dear ma'am, I am sure Miss Nightingale herself would have been proud of your selfless devotion to the care of your patient.”

Anna said little except to thank him for his kind words, but she was pleased to have his approval, for she had no training at all and had used only her common sense and experience in caring for her sister in Hampshire, who had suffered a very similar affliction last Winter.

Jonathan took the opportunity to tell her how grateful he was for her devotion to Anne-Marie, as well as her support at such a critical time.

“I could not have managed without you, my dear Anna; your calmness and strength have meant everything to me.”

Anna, though delighted with his words, was even happier that his problems with his son seemed to have been resolved.

“I am glad the difficulty with Charles has been settled. I can see it has brought you much relief, and he seems more contented, too,” she said quietly.

“I believe you are right, Anna. Even better, he has expressed a very high regard and affection for you,” he said, as he took her hand.

Anna, who had felt no hostility at all from Charles and had found him helpful and courteous, was pleased to have her impressions confirmed.

***

By the end of that week, Anne-Marie was sufficiently recovered to come downstairs, to the delight of her family and her friend Mrs Harwood, who, having been denied the chance to attend her when she was sick, lavished a great deal of attention upon her now she was convalescing.

It was still not considered wise for her to travel directly to Hertfordshire, but with Dr Morton's permission, she was allowed to be moved to Grosvenor Street. He promised to call in daily to see how she was progressing, and only after he was quite satisfied that she was out of danger, would she be permitted to undertake the twenty-five mile journey to Netherfield Park.

Charles Bingley, having acquainted Dr Morton with his own training as a physician, was entrusted with watching over his sister, and together with Miss Faulkner, he was confident they would ensure her safe passage home.

While at Grosvenor Street, they suffered some further disappointment.

It came in a letter from Mr Darcy, who wrote to say that Elizabeth's uncle and his business partner, Mr Edward Gardiner, had suffered another heart attack, and his son Richard, himself a physician, had warned that he may not recover from this bout of the disease, which had already weakened him considerably.

Elizabeth and I do not feel we can leave the family, especially Mrs Gardiner, at this time, in order to travel to Netherfield at Easter, as we had planned…

Darcy wrote, however, assuring Jonathan that they all prayed for Anne-Marie's swift recovery and promising they would visit them later in the year.

Jonathan, your aunt Lizzie and I are both delighted with your still secret news, of which we have had some intimation from your mother. We hope to see you before we travel to Woodlands for the Summer and to wish you both joy, personally.

Meanwhile, you may be assured of our discretion; we understand that it is not as yet generally known.

Aunt Lizzie sends her love to all of you and especially to Anne-Marie.

We look forward to seeing you before long.

God bless you,

Fitzwilliam Darcy.

With their plans for Easter now in some confusion, Jonathan decided that it would be best to travel to Netherfield as soon as Anne-Marie was fit enough to make the journey. Jonathan's parents, his sister Emma, and her husband were expected to make up the party.

For Charles, the visit to Netherfield would be his first. Anna had told him a great deal about the place and he was looking forward to seeing it.

“I understand you had an important role in advising on the redecorating of the old place,” he had said, as they had sat with Anne-Marie one afternoon.

Anna had blushed, not expecting that he would have heard of her work, but then admitted that, yes, she had made some suggestions.

“They were mainly to do with changes in colours of drapes and shades, where Mr Bingley felt they were either too heavy or inappropriate for the room, as in the case of your sisters' rooms. The original drapes were heavy brocade in a dull gold and brown pattern; they have been replaced with something more cheerful, and you shall be judge when you see it.”

Charles could not fail to be impressed by her confidence and charm. He was beginning to understand why his father seemed to find her indispensable to his happiness.

As the days passed and Anne-Marie's health improved, they made plans for their journey. A larger vehicle had to be procured to take them, since more room was required so Anne-Marie would be comfortable. Anna also insisted that they should break journey to allow the patient bed rest for a few hours before proceeding to Netherfield.

Unfortunately, the weather turned cold and miserable as soon as they had left London, and she was very concerned lest Anne-Marie should catch a cold or a chill and her condition worsen. Every possible effort was made to keep her warm and comfortable and, when they reached Netherfield, they were rewarded by a change in the weather, as the wind dropped, the showers eased, and the sun came out again. Charles noted with approval the constant care and attention that Anna Faulkner devoted to Anne-Marie, placing her interest first on every occasion.

At Netherfield, they were met by an anxious Mrs Perrot, who bustled ahead as Charles carried his sister up the stairs to her room, which had been prepared for her, and placed her in a warm bed with fresh linen and comfortable pillows, which made an immediate improvement to her demeanour.

She thanked him with great affection.

“Thank you, dear Charles, you have made me so happy just by being here with us again. We have all missed you, especially Papa,” and, when he tried to hush her, urging her not to tire herself, she shook her head and said, “No indeed, I am not tired. It has actually helped me get well, seeing you back again. You will be good to dear Anna, won't you? She is an angel.”

He nodded and smiled.

“Of course, I shall be on my best behaviour, I give you my word. I can see that Miss Faulkner has done a wonderful job caring for you.”

He left and went downstairs and found Anna with Teresa and Cathy in the sitting room, where tea had been served. His younger sisters greeted him effusively, not having seen him in many months, and there were tears a-plenty.

After tea, they took him upstairs to show him their rooms, and when he returned, he was full of praise for Anna's excellent taste.

“Miss Faulkner, I must congratulate you. The girls' rooms are exquisite. When I get my rooms in town and set up my practice, I should apply to you for advice on their refurbishment,” and, noting her look of disbelief, he protested, “No, I beg you to believe me, I am not teasing you. You have superb taste and I could not do better, I am sure of it.”

Jonathan, meanwhile, had been around the park with his steward and came indoors to find a happy family gathering in the sitting room. Seeing the look of pleasure that suffused his countenance, Anna and Charles exchanged glances and smiled. They both appeared to understand how he must feel, though neither had discussed it before.

That night, Anna slept in Anne-Marie's room, and to her great relief, there appeared to be no adverse reaction to her journey from London. On the morrow, it was intended to send for Dr Faulkner to ensure that Anne-Marie's recovery was proceeding satisfactorily.

The Faulkners, who had only recently returned from Ramsgate, had had no news of Anne-Marie's illness, and when called, Dr Faulkner rushed over to Netherfield, fearing the worst. He had met a colleague at Ramsgate, who had warned him of the virulent strains of fever that were common in London, some of which had caused deaths among the elderly.

Having read Dr Morton's notes, Dr Faulkner was most impressed with Anne-Marie's recovery. Assured by both the patient and her father that it was more than the medication, it was Anna's excellent nursing that was responsible, Dr Faulkner felt very proud of his daughter.

Some days later, Charles was preparing to leave for Edinburgh. It had become plain to him that his father and Miss Faulkner were in love, and although he had no knowledge of their secret engagement, he was certain they must have an understanding.

As they parted, Jonathan expressed the hope that they would see him again at Netherfield soon, to which Charles replied, “Sir, if I have read your feelings correctly, I think I will soon be returning on a much happier occasion. Congratulations, she is without doubt one of the finest, most charming women it has been my pleasure to meet. I think you are very fortunate and I am sure you will be exceedingly happy.”

His father was so moved he could hardly speak and struggled for words to thank his son. Little had been said of their estrangement or its cause.

But, by his concern and support during the last few difficult weeks, as well as his genuine desire to be as amiable as possible to everyone, Charles had indicated clearly that the feud between them was over.

Anna was sorry to see him go and said so.

“I have enjoyed our talks,” she said, and Charles, replying that he had too, promised he would be back, quite soon.

She had known him not at all, yet now she felt she knew and understood him. As they had tended his sister in her illness and talked together during the long afternoons or, after dinner, when at Jonathan's request she had sung or played for them, Anna had discovered more about this rather angry young man. Occasionally, he had revealed a gentler side of his nature that, for her, was special, because it linked him to the man she loved, his father, whose gentle kindness was the very heart of his nature.

Before leaving, he sought her out in the sitting room upstairs, where she often went to work or read on her own. Apologising for intruding upon her, he spoke warmly and sincerely, thanking her for her devoted care of his sister as well as the friendship she had shown him.

“I very much appreciated our conversations and your beautiful music, Miss Faulkner; that was a most unexpected pleasure. I look forward to returning soon, when I am sure we shall have much more to celebrate.”

Anna thanked him and noted as he kissed her hand that his eyes were very like his father's.

***

As the weather improved, Anne-Marie grew stronger.

When her grandparents, the Bingleys, arrived together with Emma and James Wilson, her spirits lifted considerably, and she was almost her former self again. She, like Anna, had deep affection and admiration for Emma Wilson, whose singular qualities of strength and generosity of spirit, coupled with an elegance of taste, had set her apart as an example to the younger women in the family.