Darkness Falls Upon Pemberley Read Online Free PDF Page B

and all that affects him.
    “For instance,” he continued lowly, “since you’ve come to Netherfield to attend your ailing sister, you’ve made countless inquiries about my master and his health. As your agitation and concern for him appeared sincere and heartfelt, I concluded that you must care for Mr. Darcy. The fact that you’re standing here now, in his private apartment in the middle of the night and at very great risk, not only to your own reputation, but to that of your family as well, confirms it.
    “You might also be interested to know, Miss Bennet, that you just so happen to share several…let us say… unique physical traits with a certain young lady of my master’s intimate acquaintance. Miss Darcy would be inconsolable if her beloved elder brother were to succumb to an ailment so trifling as a fever when she, or someone very much like her, could easily have prevented it.”
    Elizabeth, who only seconds before had been glaring so malevolently at Jennings, furrowed her brows in confusion at such a curious statement. A moment later, however, her hands all but flew to her mouth, muffling her gasp of horror. “No,” she said on a breath, her eyes wide with alarm, “ that can’t be possible…”
    But Jennings neither confirmed, nor denied his implication. He simply continued to look Elizabeth steadily in the eye and said firmly, “We are wasting precious time, Miss Bennet. Nothing Mr. Jones administered thus far has yielded any improvement, nor is it likely that anything he attempts on the morrow will provide a satisfactory outcome. It is too late at this point to send to London for a physician. If Mr. Darcy’s fever doesn’t break soon your apothecary bleeding him will be the least of our worries. To put it bluntly, he will die.”
    Elizabeth swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. “And what is it you will have me do?” she whispered harshly. “My hands are tied just as tightly as yours! What can be done? I know very well there is nothing within reason—nothing within the laws of nature—that can be done! ”
    “I’m afraid desperate times call for desperate measures. Fortunately, I happen to have knowledge of several unique options before us that could be most effective in restoring Mr. Darcy to health.”
    Elizabeth opened her eyes. Jennings removed his handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and offered it to her. She accepted it , averted her gaze, and dabbed at the moisture on her cheeks. “Thank you,” she murmured.
    The valet merely inclined his head and indicated two comfortable looking chairs by the hearth. “Come, Miss Bennet, and I will tell you of my plan. For my master’s sake we cannot afford to tarry any longer. Of course, we must try the less drastic of the two measures first, before attempting the other, infinitely more…unalterable solution, but I have every confidence Mr. Darcy will soon be himself again, no matter what method we must employ.”
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    S ix
     
    When Darcy awakened it was nearly dawn. His body was no longer ravaged by fever, but soothed by slender fingers and a pliant form. Every touch bestowed upon him was gentle, lingering, and undeniably affectionate. Each caressing pass over his body radiated incomparable heat that seared his skin and warmed him from within, despite the surprisingly icy temperature of her flesh. Darcy drew a shuddering breath, inhaled her sweetness, and silently prayed the young woman draped across his chest was indeed real and not merely a figment of his over-active imagination. Pressing his lips to the top of her head, he acted upon impulse and encircled her in his arms, holding her as he’d so often desired, but never truly believed to be possible.
    “Mr. Darcy?” she whispered, lifting her head from his shoulder with a start to look upon him, concern and relief apparent in her eyes.
    He sighed with contentment and wound his fingers into her hair, cradling the back of her head and easing her