Read Online The Ashes of Longbourn by Melanie Schertz - Free Book Online
Authors: Melanie Schertz
Ads: Link
be wishing for Miss Eliza to recover from her injuries. If anyone is inconvenienced, it is me and my family, as we are allowing you to live at Lucas Lodge while the new house is built at Longbourn. You were not willing to live in the dower cottage, but if you do not control your tongue, that is where you will be living. Thomas Bennet was a dear friend of mine; the entire Bennet family was dear to us.”
Mr Phillips spoke up as well. “Mr Collins, you may have inherited the estate, but there is nothing in the paperwork that states that there has to be a livable house on the property. My wife’s sister died in the fire, as well as her husband and three of our nieces. Forgive me if your inconvenience at not having a house ready for you to move into is not on the top of my list of concerns. And I will not assist you in taking the only thing that Jane and Lizzy have left to them, their inheritance is theirs, and I will protect them the best that I can. You can mark my word on that point. As it is, most of your tenants have heard of your vulgar behavior with regards to your family’s tragedy, and a good many have begun looking for other locations. Mr Bingley has kindly arranged for three of the tenant families to move to Netherfield, as the estate here has not been taken care of. I believe he is in the process of speaking with several other families.”
“What will I do without tenants to farm? The estate will be in ruins and I will not be able to afford to rebuild my home. This is highly unfair. My poor cousins are protected by Mr Bingley, they have no need of the funds that will be necessary to rebuild. Mr Bingley is betrothed to Miss Bennet and as such, he has already been paying her expenses as well as the needs of Miss Elizabeth. We do not even know how the fire started; it may have been their fault that caused the blaze. Did you not tell your daughter, Charlotte, that the sisters had fallen asleep in the early morning hours after talking all night? Perhaps they had left a candle burning and it caused the damage. And from what I have heard, it is likely that Miss Elizabeth will not survive her injuries.”
The next thing Mr Collins knew he was waking up on the back of a wagon that was heading for Lucas Lodge. Bingley was so furious that, for the first time in his life, he used all of his force when he punched the imbecile in the mouth.
As Bingley thought back on the incident, he could still feel the ache in his hand. It was the first time he had ever struck a person and he was surprised at how good it felt to him.
Elizabeth was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. There had been three different surgeons who had come to Netherfield to evaluate her injuries, as well and give their opinion of treatment. All agreed it was too soon to know if the paralysis was permanent. The broken bones were beginning to mend, but all agreed that the breaks to her left leg were severe and she would, most likely, have difficulty with it for the rest of her life. The burns and cuts were beginning to heal, though the scars would be quite noticeable.
They had been fortunate in the fact that Elizabeth had not taken a fever. The surgeons could not understand why she had not, with all of her cuts and burns; it would have been easy for infection to have set in. Jane told everyone that it was a sign from God that Elizabeth would survive. No one had the heart to tell her any different.
Every day, bandages were changed, salves applied, laudanum given, and broth was fed. Each day the bedding had to be changed for fresh, and Elizabeth was washed with cloths. Jane would tend to Elizabeth’s hair each day, washing and drying it, then putting it into a simple plait to the side. And Bingley had the
Mr Phillips spoke up as well. “Mr Collins, you may have inherited the estate, but there is nothing in the paperwork that states that there has to be a livable house on the property. My wife’s sister died in the fire, as well as her husband and three of our nieces. Forgive me if your inconvenience at not having a house ready for you to move into is not on the top of my list of concerns. And I will not assist you in taking the only thing that Jane and Lizzy have left to them, their inheritance is theirs, and I will protect them the best that I can. You can mark my word on that point. As it is, most of your tenants have heard of your vulgar behavior with regards to your family’s tragedy, and a good many have begun looking for other locations. Mr Bingley has kindly arranged for three of the tenant families to move to Netherfield, as the estate here has not been taken care of. I believe he is in the process of speaking with several other families.”
“What will I do without tenants to farm? The estate will be in ruins and I will not be able to afford to rebuild my home. This is highly unfair. My poor cousins are protected by Mr Bingley, they have no need of the funds that will be necessary to rebuild. Mr Bingley is betrothed to Miss Bennet and as such, he has already been paying her expenses as well as the needs of Miss Elizabeth. We do not even know how the fire started; it may have been their fault that caused the blaze. Did you not tell your daughter, Charlotte, that the sisters had fallen asleep in the early morning hours after talking all night? Perhaps they had left a candle burning and it caused the damage. And from what I have heard, it is likely that Miss Elizabeth will not survive her injuries.”
The next thing Mr Collins knew he was waking up on the back of a wagon that was heading for Lucas Lodge. Bingley was so furious that, for the first time in his life, he used all of his force when he punched the imbecile in the mouth.
As Bingley thought back on the incident, he could still feel the ache in his hand. It was the first time he had ever struck a person and he was surprised at how good it felt to him.
Elizabeth was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. There had been three different surgeons who had come to Netherfield to evaluate her injuries, as well and give their opinion of treatment. All agreed it was too soon to know if the paralysis was permanent. The broken bones were beginning to mend, but all agreed that the breaks to her left leg were severe and she would, most likely, have difficulty with it for the rest of her life. The burns and cuts were beginning to heal, though the scars would be quite noticeable.
They had been fortunate in the fact that Elizabeth had not taken a fever. The surgeons could not understand why she had not, with all of her cuts and burns; it would have been easy for infection to have set in. Jane told everyone that it was a sign from God that Elizabeth would survive. No one had the heart to tell her any different.
Every day, bandages were changed, salves applied, laudanum given, and broth was fed. Each day the bedding had to be changed for fresh, and Elizabeth was washed with cloths. Jane would tend to Elizabeth’s hair each day, washing and drying it, then putting it into a simple plait to the side. And Bingley had the
Similar Books
