Disability and Determination: An Elizabeth and Darcy Story by Timothy Underwood

Author:Timothy Underwood [Underwood, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-20T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Each day Elizabeth spent hours outdoors, enjoying sodden English fog, branches bare of leaf and songbird, and the distance from Mama and her yet undiminished resentment.

She really ought to be there, at home, scolding everyone every time they spoke loudly for bothering Jane’s nerves. But that would also bother Jane’s nerves — in fact, if Jane was to be believed, her nerves rather preferred the comforting noise of home and her sisters to the sodden quietness that the instructions from Mr. Thompson said were necessary for the wellbeing of a blind woman.

Elizabeth looked up at the sky. One cloud was a carriage and four, while another was shaped like France.

Jane couldn’t see them.

But Elizabeth knew that Jane did not want her to feel melancholy, and Elizabeth was in no way fitted for melancholy feelings. She was young, in full possession of her faculties, and autumn had almost flipped into winter.

So few leaves remained on the branches! The piles of leaves on the ground were browning and mulching and slowly turning into soil.

Happiness, such a fragile effervescent thing.

Elizabeth could not keep it away, even when she viewed it as inappropriate and ill timed.

Jane was becoming happier day by day.

That was a reason for Elizabeth to be happy.

That outburst, the chance to rail angrily against the universe, the Almighty, and those around her had paradoxically left Jane better pleased with all three.

The following day Elizabeth saw Jane authentically smile, more than once, and when she cried, she did not hide it from Elizabeth.

Jane’s strength had recovered now to the point where she could walk and stand nearly as well as ever, and they had practiced guiding her up and down the stairs, around the walks outside, and through the dining rooms.

She had a pair of canes now, and though it annoyed Lydia when something she had dropped was put away in the last place Lydia would ever look for it, which is to say, where it belonged, Elizabeth ensured that the floors were always clear of any obstructions which might trip Jane.

All instructions, except for the unachievable demand for quiet, which Mr. Thompson gave them were minutely studied and carefully executed. A new servant whose job was specifically to follow Jane around and help her had been taken on.

Mr. Bennet did not caviled at all upon the extra cost. However, perhaps he had been affected by the anxious worrying upon money that Mrs. Bennet had plunged into since Bingley abandoned Jane and Elizabeth refused Mr. Collins. At any rate, he had encouraged one of the footmen to take a new place that was offered at another estate, and he had not replaced him.

He also had sold off several valuable books he had collected over the years, reduced the clothing allowance of the girls, and refused to allow Mrs. Bennet to purchase a particularly fine fish for a dinner that they had thrown for the neighborhood.

Papa was also setting a small fund aside for Jane’s support after his demise, and Elizabeth was

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