Finally, the London newspapers told of the fierce battles near the Belgian town of Waterloo, with very heavy casualties on both sides. The fighting lasted for several days but resulted in a total victory for the forces allied against Napoleon. The papers began to print casualty lists, which were read very carefully throughout England, especially at Rosings. Elizabeth's worst fears were realized when she read that Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam had been killed leading a charge against the French in one of the last battles of the campaign. She told Kitty the news and her sister held her for a long time. Soon Charlotte came and joined them in their sorrow.
The casualty lists were also read by Elizabeth's family in Hertfordshire and the Colonel's name was immediately recognized. When Jane Bingley read the name, she immediately said to her husband, "Charles, I would like to go to Lizzy right away. She will need our support. You know how close we have always been. Poor Lizzy!"
Charles agreed, saying, "Of course, we must go to her right now; she will want to see you. I hope you will be able to comfort her, but it may take some time. Poor Elizabeth, I was hoping she finally found some happiness with a good husband after her disappointment with Darcy." He ordered that their trunks be packed and the carriage made ready. Jane wrote a quick note to her parents and told them her plans, then they left Netherfield. When they arrived at Rosings late that same day, Jane hugged Lizzy and told her how devastated they both were to hear of Richard's death. Lizzy and Kitty very both very pleased to see Jane in this most difficult time.
Mr. Bennet also read the notice of the Colonel's death. This hit him especially hard as he had hoped that Elizabeth, his favourite daughter, had finally found happiness with a good man. He had been impressed by the Colonel and had had high hopes for them. When he regained control of himself, he went to his wife and Mary, telling them the news. Both ladies were also saddened by the news, with Mrs. Bennet's lamentations especially loud. Mary quietly found her Bible and looked for verses that might be appropriate in this situation. Elizabeth had not told her mother that she would inherit ownership of Rosings, so this bit of good news did not complicate her mother's grief. Mr. Bennet knew this, but did not think of it at the moment.
The notice of Richard's death was also read by Darcy in London. He went to his sister and said, "Georgiana, my worst fears have come true. The Times just printed a report of Richard's death at Waterloo. Poor Elizabeth! Now she is all alone again. I hope her family is with her to help her through such a difficult time. Is there anything we can do to comfort her?" He held his sister as the news hit her very hard because she had become close to her cousin.
"Fitzwilliam, I should go to her. You know how close we became when I was at Rosings. She will need family with her, and we are cousins now. Is it all right if I go to her?"
"Yes, that is a very good idea. Go to her right away. If you will have your trunk packed, I will order a carriage for you. I know that I cannot go with you; it would just not be right. Besides, my main responsibilities are for both you and Beth, so I will stay here with Beth. Stay as long as you need to, but come back to us when you can. We both need you as well." Darcy had to force himself not to dream of rushing to Elizabeth to hold her, to comfort her, to love her. Guiltily he realized he was considering how long her period of mourning would last and if she would accept him after what he had done with Caroline. He could only hope that she would after he opened his heart to her. He sat with a glass of brandy, thinking.
Finally, Elizabeth received the official notice of Richard's death, which was brought to Rosings by Captain Hughes. He had just returned to England with the remnants of the Colonel's regiment, which had indeed suffered very heavy losses as they had, as expected, been in the front lines.
The Captain described how Richard had bravely led the charge against Napoleon's last reserves, the French Imperial Guard, in the evening of the final battle. In the Captain's opinion, Richard's brave leadership resulted in their victory as the French attacked them very fiercely. Rather than sending his regiment to repel the attack, Richard personally led the charge on his horse with his officers and men right behind him. Both Richard and his horse were shot by the French at the beginning of their counterattack, which encouraged the regiment to fight their utmost to avenge their colonel's death. The Captain described how his own horse was shot from under him, but he managed to fight on foot until the rest of the regiment managed to overwhelm the French.
The Captain explained that he rode Richard's second horse to Rosings to return it to Mrs. Fitzwilliam, along with Richard's sword that he had found when they found his Colonel's body. Elizabeth was very distressed at the Captain's description of her husband's bravery and death and immediately gave Richard's horse to him as a gift, knowing the value of a good war horse. She said she would have the sword mounted as a memento to his bravery. She invited Captain Hughes to rest at Rosings until he was required to report for duty, which the captain gratefully accepted. She and the Captain went to the dower house together so Lady Catherine could learn how bravely her nephew had fought and died. They decided they would add a memorial service to the next Sunday's regular service at Hunsford church. They knew that Mr. Collins would be pleased to be asked to do this and he would use many words to do the Colonel's bravery full justice. Lady Catherine offered to tell Mr. Collins to do this and said she would help him find the right words for this service.
The Captain was pleased to be invited to stay at Rosings, even if just for a few days, as he was pleased to renew his attentions to Kitty. His departure before the battle had been felt very keenly by her and she had prayed for his safety. She was very happy to be comforted by him, which he did very willingly, almost lovingly. Elizabeth was very distressed at the details of her husband's death and wondered why he personally led the regiment into the guns of the French. She knew it was not usual for a colonel to lead the charge and questioned if it had been an act of recklessness or desperation, or perhaps something much more unsettling. Considering the words in his last letter to her, she worried that he might have sacrificed himself to make room for Darcy in her life. She sincerely hoped this was not the case and resolved to ask Darcy if he had spoken to his cousin before he had left London. She did not know for sure if Richard had been aware of the attraction that Darcy had had for her when they were all at Rosings or when she met Darcy at Pemberley before Caroline's interference with their anticipations. She worried that Richard had somehow become aware of Darcy's regard for her because of what he had said when he named his daughter Elizabeth Anna. She worried even more that he might have suspected that she still had lingering feelings for Darcy, even though she had tried not to.
Even though she was in full mourning, Elizabeth knew there were several steps she had to take as soon as possible. Besides finding black clothing, she made sure her steward was aware of Richard's death and her assumption of full authority for Rosings. She also sent the official notice of death to Richard's solicitor who had possession of Richard's will so he could begin to take the necessary legal steps to transfer ownership of Rosings to her. Elizabeth was very glad that her two sisters were with her throughout this difficult time.