Lizzy spent the whole of the afternoon seeing to the care of her sister. The Bingley sisters visited several times to ask after Jane’s health, and on their last visit offered to send for a carriage to take Lizzy home. But Jane gave out a cry imploring her to stay, and Caroline and Louisa, with great reluctance, sent a servant to Longbourn for a change of clothes for Elizabeth.

“They do not want me here, Jane.”

“Lizzy, you have frequently said that you do not care what they think about you, so why give in to them now when I am in need of you, if not to nurse me back to health, then at the very least to cheer me up.”

“You are right. How dare they not like me? I shall punish them by staying.”

Jane took her sister’s hand and smiled. “I feel better already, but you must go downstairs for dinner as you have not eaten a morsel all day.”

Lizzy did join her hosts for dinner but immediately returned to Jane’s room to find that the apothecary’s potions had done their work. Even though Jane was sound asleep, Lizzy remained in the bedchamber as she had no wish to spend an evening with Louisa and Caroline, who had stared at her through the whole of dinner as if she was a specimen from a distant land. Mr. Bingley was all charm as usual, but Mr. Darcy had very little to say, except to share some news of his sister.

The following day, Lizzy spent most of the morning reading to her sister, but she could have read the same chapter over and over as Jane was so sleepy that she could not keep her eyes open. The prescribed rest was doing her a world of good, and hopefully, they would be able to leave the day after tomorrow as her color had definitely improved.

After supper, all adjourned to the drawing room. Louisa, Caroline, and Mr. Hurst were in favor of playing cards, while Mr. Darcy chose to write a letter to Georgiana Darcy. But Miss Bingley could not be kept from commenting on anything to do with Mr. Darcy.