I must thank you all for the many lovely reviews, favorites, and follows. I am truly humbled that my musings have been received well by so many. Just a hint to you all: Mrs. Bennet gets excited in this chapter! Surprise!
Chapter 4—The Gentlemen Ride and a Rescue Happens
The two friends slowed to a trot as they neared the fence line on the estate border. Bingley was just beginning to ask a question about fence repair when a shout was carried on the wind from the woods. A woman's voice was heard, "Stay away! Go! Dear Lord, get away! Shoo!"
Darcy turned his mount about instantly and cantered back only to wheel about and jump the fence, Bingley barely behind him. They made for the path they saw the young woman take as fast as they could, a path that was barely wide enough for one horse and rider. A hundred feet into the trees, they came upon a clearing and Darcy's heart nearly stopped at the sight. One of the Miss Bennets was in a smallish tree at the far side of the clearing, hugging the trunk for its limited safety. Not very far below her was a large black and white dog, growling and leaping at the tree, trying to get its quarry. But the most dangerous aspect was the sight of its muzzle. The dog was foaming at the mouth. It was rabid.
Lizzy looked at her potential rescuers with gratitude warring with fear. "Stay back!" she called, "He is rabid! Do not let him near you or your horses! He will leave when he cannot get to me and then I will be able to get down and go back to my home but you are not safe here!" She finished as a half sob of fear broke up the last of her shout. The last case of rabies in Hertfordshire had happened a few years ago around the same time as Lord Byron's Newfoundland was stricken and died. The news sheets had all predicted that Lord Byron would succumb to the disease himself, but he had not. But Lizzy knew that if man or beast was infected, a terrible death was the usual result.
Darcy calmly reached into his saddlebag and drew out his pistol and powder. He primed the weapon and slowly dismounted while Bingley grabbed Challenger's reins and backed both horses to the edge of the clearing. Darcy could see Miss Bennet's face was white and was afraid she would not be able to hold on until he dispatched the poor animal. He shouted at the dog once, then twice, trying to get its attention, needing it to turn his way so he could get a better shot at its head. Finally, the dog heard the new danger over his own noise and turned to look at Darcy, growling and foaming in his direction. Planting his feet solidly, Darcy raised the pistol and fired, piercing the side of the dog's skull. It toppled over immediately. Darcy let out a long-held breath. He approached the tree, stepping around the dog and looked up at Miss Bennet. She was still holding tightly to the tree and he was afraid her shaking hands would fail her. He was not, however, prepared to be scolded.
"You should not have dismounted and come near him, sir! What would you have done if he had charged at you? You could have been wounded in his attack! What would my family had told yours? I told you to stay back! You could have been infected with the disease and so could have your horse and your friend or his horse!" Lizzy was shouting in agitation from her perch in the tree. It was true she had been rescued but surely the animal would have left soon enough and she could have escaped without putting anyone else in danger. She took a deep breath to calm herself somewhat. "I do thank you, both of you. I should not have called out and made you come to me and be put into danger yourselves. I am sincerely sorry for it."
Bemused and a little irritated at the scolding, Darcy responded tartly. "I have faced such animals before on my estate and it is unlikely it would have left you before your position in the tree became untenable. In fact, the greater risk was in allowing the animal to roam and infect other animals in the area, if that has not already occurred. I am experienced, madam. I was in no real danger and neither was Bingley nor the horses. Come, let me assist you from the tree and take you home. We must let your father know what has passed so he may take steps to find where this all originated." Darcy looked up into the tree and fully expected to have to climb up to help her find her way down.
"If you will turn your back, sir, I am completely capable of getting down on my own. It is just not a very lady-like process. Usually, there is no one about to watch. Please ask you friend to avert his eyes, as well," a much calmer Lizzy said. The real danger had passed and she was now in the position of having to thank two gentlemen for her rescue and they had not yet been introduced. It was not an immediate concern to her but her mamma would be appalled, both for the lack of introduction and the trouble she caused the two gentlemen. As the two friends complied, Lizzy made her way down the tree and landed on the ground only a couple of feet from the dog's body.
"Poor thing," she said sadly, "what a terrible end for you. I wonder who you belonged to and who is looking for you now?"
"Miss Bennet?" Lizzy looked up. "How are you? Do you feel faint? May I get you some water? We have some with us. Please tell me how I can help you after your fright?" Darcy asked.
Bingley rode up leading Challenger. "Is all well? Miss Bennet? Are you well? The animal did not bite you, did it?"
Lizzy realized what they were concerned with. "No, sirs, I was not bitten or scratched by it. I was lucky enough to see it for what it was and get away from it before it came too near. I was frightened but I am unharmed. I thank you both for your rescue. But, truly, I would have been safe in the tree. I would not have been able to live with myself if either of you had come to harm while I was safe on my perch."
Darcy raised a brow and looked somewhat askance at her assertions. "Miss Bennet," he began, "the animal could have outlasted your ability to stay where you were and if you had lost your hold, the fall from the tree would have been a minor inconvenience compared to its willingness to attack you. I was never in any danger. The beast was as good as dead as soon as I arrived."
Bingley agreed. "Darcy was a crack shot with any firearm he chose at Cambridge and he has only improved in the seven years since leaving those halls. He is not boasting, Miss Bennet, he is correct. Once Darcy appeared, the dog was as good as dead."
What Lizzy had at first taken for conceit was disputed by Mr. Bingley's testimony. "I am then very pleased it was you who happened upon me and not someone else less skilled. Truly, sirs, I am feeling well. I am no longer frightened for myself or for you. I am just anxious to make for home and tell my father what has happened on his estate. Thank you again." Lizzy turned to go back the way she had come and was startled when Mr. Bingley dismounted and joined Mr. Darcy walking in the same direction to Longbourn. She looked left then right at the gentleman on either side of her, effectively becoming an escort of some sort.
"Mr. Darcy? Mr. Bingley?"
"Miss Bennet, we will accompany you to speak to your father and add to your telling of the event. Surely you know that not only your father but all the landowners and tenants, even the residents of Meryton must be made aware of the danger this has presented. It must be determined where the dog came from and who its owner is. It was a well-fed animal, not a stray. Someone may even be injured in their home as we speak, needing, if not aid, succor. There is no cure but some relief may be possible if someone suffers. Also, whatever medical man that may be about must be warned." Darcy finished his reasoning and looked expectantly at her. "You may also succumb to a delayed shock and need assistance."
Lizzy shook her head. "I had no idea that so much needed to be done but I am assuming that papa would know. This is not something I have heard of. The influenza outbreaks, summer fevers, and the like, yes, I know what must be done to keep tenants and townspeople well and so do other estate owners. But this is beyond my experience, at least." Lizzy stopped walking and said, "I had not thought beyond my own recovery and feelings. I had not thought of how this could affect all of us. Selfish, selfish, girl!"
Mr. Bingley touched her arm lightly to get her attention. "Miss Bennet, it takes some time to get beyond the shock to yourself before you can look for where else something like this might lead. You may not swoon and faint as other ladies would, but you must understand that you have indeed had a shock and must recover your equanimity for a while before you may move to other duties. Darcy has been managing his estate for years and is accustomed to having to think of, well, just about everything. It is what he does. I have a board of directors to aid me and who offer me choices and advice. Darcy has only a steward and must be the final answer. So, no, you are not selfish. You are not weak or unfeeling. You are simply not impartial and most of all, you are not Fitzwilliam Darcy, who takes care of everybody!" This explanation was ended with a wide smile.
"Charles, please do not espouse such foolishness. It is simply that I have seen this before on my uncle's estate and my own. It is only experience, nothing more." Darcy sighed to himself but saw Miss Bennet's lips move up to a smile and her face lighten from the anger she held for herself earlier.
"Ah, Mr. Darcy must not be complimented? I believe I know how to do that." She faced forward but saw from the corner of her eye that he smiled at her reference to their statements at the assembly.
The threesome was soon at the back garden of the Longbourn estate. Kitty and Lydia were picking flowers and saw them arrive. "La, Lizzy! Where did you find such handsome gentlemen on your walk? Do they grow on your trees?" Lydia laughed loudly and was joined by Kitty.
It seems Miss Bennet doesn't just climb trees to escape dogs, Darcy thought. I imagine that is why running was not her first action when the dog chased her. How singular! What is she about, climbing trees at her age?
"Yes, Lydia. You cannot imagine the bother of disposing of them when the pruning is done." Lizzy joked.
Lydia walked over to Darcy and wrapped her arm around his; Kitty moved to do the same with Bingley.
"Tell me, Mr. Darcy, were you out for a stroll, too, this morning, or did you plan on meeting my sister on her walk?" Lydia asked snidely.
Darcy stepped away from Lydia and motioned to a stable boy who was hurrying towards them from around the corner of the house. He told the lad that the horses were already cooled down and merely needed stabling. As the horses were taken away, Darcy stepped back and motioned to the ladies to precede him by waving his arm before himself. "Ladies, please, lead us inside, if you will."
Lydia and Kitty preened and pranced at the request. The three sisters walked around the side of the house to lead the visitors to the front door, even the two youngest Bennets would not bring the gentlemen through the kitchen. Once they entered the front door, Lizzy asked them to wait a moment so she could announce them to her father.
Lydia and Kitty were unhappy to lose the gentlemen to their father's study but strolled off giggling and whispering to each other as they made for the breakfast parlor and their mother's inquiries. Darcy and Bingley could hear the questioning and the command that Lizzy must not keep the visitors to her own company but bring them to her family. In the meantime, Lizzy returned and, opening the study door, announced them to her father. When she started to leave, Darcy stopped her and asked that she stay for the conference. Mr. Bennet was surprised but decided to wait and see what news brought the men of Netherfield to his door.
"Papa, this is Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley of Netherfield. Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, my father Mr. Thomas Bennet." Said Lizzy, "Something happened today on my walk, I was, was chased, and they rescued me, papa." This last was said with sudden tears appearing in her eyes. Maybe Mr. Bingley was correct. I am not quite over the shock of it all just yet.
Mr. Bennet stood and walked to his daughter, placing his arm around her shoulders. His Lizzy was not one to cry and she was perilously close to doing so. He led her to a chair that he placed closer to his side rather than the front of his desk, indicating the two men should be seated.
"Papa," Lizzy drew a breath. "Papa, I was chased into a tree by a rabid dog. It was a tree I have climbed before so I was able to get up into the branches quickly and escape. Please don't tell mamma I was in a tree. It will make her suffer with her nerves at the thought. I am well, papa. The dog did not touch me. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley heard me shouting at it and ended its misery. Mr. Darcy shot it."
Mr. Bennet's eyes were wide with shock. "A rabid dog, oh, my dear girl, such an escape you have had. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, you have all my gratitude. I owe you so much. My dear girls are the treasures of my life." At this, Mr. Bennet took off the spectacles that perched at the end of his nose and wiped them with the handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "Dear Lord, dear, dear Lord," he said to himself.
Darcy then recounted how he and Bingley had come upon the scene and dispatched the animal without any danger to Miss Bennet. "Sir, I am certain you agree we must notify the other landowners and their tenants. The residents of Meryton and anyone else you can think of must be made aware that a rabid dog was in the area and others may be infected," said Darcy.
"Yes, yes," said Mr. Bennet, "but we must find out how this came to be, and quickly. Can you take me to the animal now? Maybe I will recognize it. We should also stop for Sir William Lucas or one of his sons. They may be of help. If someone new is in the area, mayhap they would know. I would keep this from Mrs. Bennet for now, at least until we have more information. I do not want to frighten her but I also want to keep her and my daughters inside Longbourn until we know what is happening. I will tell her there has been a problem on the estate and I want the ladies to stay at home in case they are needed to help. Let us take the carriage so she cannot go into town while we are out and put herself in danger. We can leave it at the Lucas home and go on horseback from there. I take it, sirs, that you can find the spot again? I hate to think what might have happened if it had not been Lizzy who came across this poor animal. Anyone else may have had a very different outcome and we might still not know there was rabies in our area."
Bingley answered, "Yes, sir. May I suggest we go armed? If we find where the dog came from, there may be others. We should also bring some medical supplies if the owner is infected."
"Quite right, I will have Mr. Hill make up a bag to take with us. Some poor soul may need some relief, even if we cannot save him." With that, Mr. Bennet rose and opened his study door, calling for his butler. Darcy looked at Lizzy as she folded her arms across her chest. Her father was right. What if it had been mamma, or one of her sisters, or a tenant's child? It could have been so much worse, it still might be, they had no way of knowing until they began the search. She stood in the study door as her father spoke to her mother. The three men made for the front door as soon as the bag of supplies was ready. Mr. Bennet told Mr. Hill the problem and asked him to check with the staff, especially the outdoor people. Darcy described the dog and left Mr. Hill to begin the queries at Longbourn. Lizzy took the stairs to her room, confident Jane would soon follow. She had nothing left in her to tolerate her mother's effusions on being confined to Longbourn for an afternoon, even if her mother had made no plans to leave, she would feel the vexation of the restriction.
Lizzy lay down on her bed and thought of the afternoon and Mr. Darcy's actions. This was not his home country, these were not his neighbors, but he cared to go to great lengths to help them. She had wronged him at the assembly, indeed. She heard rushing steps on the staircase and expected Jane to tap at her door. Jane did not.
"Elizabeth Bennet!" her mother all but shouted as she burst into her room, "How did you come to be walking out with TWO eligible gentlemen? Did you meet on purpose with one or the other? How could you? You know one of them must be for Jane!" Her mother continued exclaiming, or declaiming, as she did not seem to want to wait for an answer from Lizzy. "You are a selfish girl, for one of them must be for Lydia or even Kitty. I think the tall dark one would do very well for Jane as they would make a striking couple and Lydia or Kitty, of course, for that lively Mr. Bingley. What is the other gentlemen's name?" Here Mrs. Bennet was forced to take a breath, chest heaving.
Lizzy rolled over and answered her mother with just enough fact so as not to tell a lie. "I met them on my walk and as they had something to discuss with papa, they walked back with me. Mr. Darcy is the name of Mr. Bingley's friend, mamma. You met him at the assembly, if you recall."
"Well, when they return we must put that Mr. Bingley in the way of your sisters, and of course, let Jane get to know Mr. Darcy," Mrs. Bennet paused as a memory surfaced into her fevered thoughts. "He did dance with Mary, didn't he?" She turned and left Lizzy's room shouting as she went. "Mary, Mary, where are you? Come to your mamma this instant! We must look to your dress before the gentlemen return!" With that intention, Mrs. Bennet turned and left a bemused and slightly confused Lizzy trying to follow the trail of her mother's thoughts from Jane, to Lydia and Kitty, and finally, to Mary. Shaking her head, she returned to her thoughts about the man from Derbyshire and how different his actions on her neighbors' behalf made him seem.
