Darkness Falls Upon Pemberley by Susan Adriani

bones I suffered weren’t life-threatening, the injury I sustained to my head was another matter. I lay abed for many weeks, comatose, unresponsive, with no sign of improvement. Georgiana, I was told, never left my side.
    “There was nothing to be done, however. My prognosis was extremely grim, and eventually my already poor condition began to deteriorate even further. In what ought to have been my final moments, Georgiana exerted what means were within her power in order to preserve me from true death. It was thereby done, and done for the best.”
    The elder man regarded Darcy with furrowed brows and shook his head. “I don’t understand,” he muttered, but it wasn’t long before comprehension dawned and Mr. Bennet jerked to the edge of his seat. “Your sister …?” he cried incredulously. “You mean to tell me your sister, who cannot be more than sixteen years of age, has been immortalized?”
    “Yes,” Darcy replied somberly, “Georgiana is a vampyre, and has been for nearly a year. Had she not acted to save me, I’m quite certain my cousin would have in her stead. While Georgiana’s intent was undoubtedly to prolong the life of a brother she’d long considered more of a father figure, Richard has been my confident since we were children. He was well acquainted with the depth of my feelings for Miss Elizabeth, as well as the impossibilities attached to our situation and the depth of my despair at the time. If he had acted, it would not have been to save my life, per se, but to give me a chance to have a future with your daughter; a future I very much desired but was convinced I would never have.”
    Mr. Bennet exhaled roughly and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Does Elizabeth know anything of your sister and cousin?”
    “I’ve spoken to her about my sister, yes, but I wasn’t aware of Richard’s transformation until after I returned to Pemberley last November. When I’d left Derbyshire for Netherfield Georgiana was still relatively…unreliable, if you will, although neither Richard nor I realized the true extent of the risk she posed at the time. All things considered, they’ve both adjusted remarkably well since then, Richard especially. His outlook is much like your daughter’s, as is his sense of humour. Through it all, he’s retained his ability to tease.”
    “I can well imagine your frustration, then,” Mr. Bennet said dryly, linking his fingers over his stomach as he relaxed his posture and reclined in his chair.
    Darcy bowed his head and leaned forward to rest his elbows upon his knees. “I assure you that you cannot,” he said quietly. “ I daresay no one can. The three people I’d come to cherish most in the world were vampyres. Out of the three, only two wanted anything to do with me so long as I remained human. Miss Elizabeth would not consider changing me and, so long as I was in health, neither was I willing to be changed. Not by her, my sister, or my cousin, though I knew Georgiana and Richard were more than willing to assist in that quarter. Your daughter and I were at a stalemate.”
    “You’ve come to court her, then. Even after the inhospitable way I treated you last autumn. I have to say, I’m impressed.”
    “With all due respect, Mr. Bennet, your impression of me is of little import to me at this juncture. Your ill-treatment of me last autumn was beyond inhospitable. Rather than bothering to get to know me, you chose instead to treat me with contempt, which not only injured me, but your daughter, who, out of the goodness of her heart, did nothing more than offer me her friendship.” Darcy exhaled roughly and ran his hand over his mouth. “To be perfectly honest, I’ve little interest in courting Miss Elizabeth.”
    Mr. Bennet removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “If you had a beautiful, young daughter who happened to be a vampyre , Mr. Darcy,” he said tightly, “who was knowingly entangling herself with a human male—a mortal—who not only had no