AN: I have loved the reviews and comments. Thank all of you. They have helped me to tweak some of the future posts. Keep them coming. I've decided to post this a day early. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 7
"Mr. Bennet!" His wife's strident voice startled him from his perusal of the newspaper.
"What is wrong? Have the pigs got into the garden again?"
"How can you be so tiresome? Of course, the pigs have not gotten into the garden," she sniffed with evident disdain. "I have been trying to get your attention for some time. I want to know why Jane and Lizzy have not come home yet.
"I have not received a single letter from Elizabeth which does not surprise me. She is still as stubborn as she has always been. Although I have missives from Jane, they are always short with no news as to whether she has been to any parties, balls, or met any eligible men. Surely the Gardiners know that it is their duty to assist Jane to find a husband."
"I had thought the girls went to a visit the Gardiners, and they both know you do not care for descriptions of museums and concerts. Our relatives have more important things to do with their time than to play matchmaker for our girls," Mr. Bennet said before lifting his paper to continue reading.
Mrs. Bennet huffed but wisely did not continue the conversation. She turned to Kitty to ask why Lydia had not come to breakfast as it was late even for her.
Kitty paled and said, "I have not seen her this morning. I thought she might have come down before me."
At that moment, Hill appeared at the door. "Colonel Forester to see you, sir."
Elizabeth awoke from a restful night's sleep. She felt as if she had been given great hope for the future. Unwilling to break the spell, she decided to walk in the mews before she ate that morning. The snow had melted in the late winter sunshine. She pulled on her half boots and the oldest dress she had with her. There was no need to ruin a newer one if she encountered mud.
After informing the butler as to where she would be, Elizabeth slipped out the back door and enjoyed her first solitary walk since receiving Miss Darcy's urgent missive. For this reason, she was not in the breakfast room with the others when a message arrived.
Carson entered the breakfast parlour, holding a sealed letter. "Madam, a messenger left this for the Bennet sisters."
Jane took it from him, noticing the hand of her uncle. She swiftly paled after reading it. "Oh, what is to be done?" Tears ran down her cheeks.
"What is wrong, Miss Bennet?" Colonel Fitzwilliam called out in alarm as he moved to the chair next to her.
"I have a letter from my father. He found out yesterday that my sister Lydia has eloped with Mr. Wickham. His colonel told my father that he has tracked them as far as London and no farther. Lydia left a note saying they were bound for Gretna Green, but his fellow officers told Colonel Forester that they did not believe that marriage was his intention. My father waited to hear from the couple, but he has not, he intends to come to Town to look for them."
Unable to speak anymore, Jane handed him the missive. As she fumbled for a handkerchief, Georgiana pressed one into her hand.
Jane gave her a watery smile and wiped her eyes.
Having quickly perused the letter, the colonel took Jane's hand, ignoring his cousin's presence. "As this occurred a day ago, time is of the essence. Miss Bennet, I know this villain, and I am certain that he has a hole to crawl into here in Town. Please, allow me to go to Gracechurch Street and confer with the Gardiners. You need not go yourself."
"I cannot allow you to do this," Jane protested.
"Jane, please allow Richard to do this," Georgiana cried before her cousin could reply. "It is because of me that his true nature was not revealed to your family. That awful man tried to convince me to elope with him last year. I was flattered by his attentions, for he is handsome. However one day, I was about to enter the parlour when I heard him speaking to my then companion, Mrs. Younge. They were talking about my dowry, and how they would spend it once he and I were wed. I did not know what to do until my maid saw my distress and offered to help me.
"That night I feigned illness and retired early. The maid, Amanda, was able to give Mrs. Younge a sleeping draught. Once Mrs. Younge was asleep, I left the house with a bag and hid at Amanda's mother's house. I was able to send an express to my brother, and he arrived the next afternoon. I am unsure what he said to either of them, but I did not have to see them again. I am certain that Richard would not have allowed them freedom, but my brother convinced him that my reputation should be guarded."
"Oh you poor, dear girl." Jane put her arm around Georgiana. "To think there is such wickedness in the world. And now he is going to ruin my sister!"
"Not if I can help it," Colonel Fitzwilliam stated firmly. "Georgiana, please see to Miss Bennet while I am gone. I would not have Darcy or Miss Elizabeth troubled by all of this. I will send word as soon as I know something."
"Thank you, Colonel," Jane said in a trembling voice.
"Be careful, Richard," Georgiana admonished.
With a quick bow, Colonel Fitzwilliam left the room.
The same day near noon, a shipment of wine was delivered. The butler and the head footman took it to the cellar to put it away. Jane and Georgiana had gone to the music room where Miss Darcy was to practice. As Miss Bennet did not wish to be alone with her worries, she asked to be allowed to listen while Georgiana played which was agreeable to her.
When a persistent knock was heard at the door, a relatively new footman answered the door. Two men and a lady entered and asked after Mr. Darcy.
"I believe he is in his sitting room at the moment," he replied nervously. "Would you allow me to escort you there?"
"There is no need, I know the way. Gentlemen, follow me, and we will finish our business quickly." The elderly woman strode briskly to the stairs without looking back as the men followed.
As she stopped beside a closed door, the lady spoke softly. "He will likely be reluctant to come with us, but it is only because he has been ill, and not in his right mind. If the chit is with him, you will know what to do with her."
Without knocking, the lady quickly opened the door and stepped inside. She found Elizabeth and Darcy sitting on a sofa close to the fire.
When the couple stood quickly, Darcy exclaimed, "Lady Catherine, what on earth are you doing here, and who are these men?"
After gesturing to one man, and then the other, her ladyship said, "This is Mr. Akins, and this is Constable Livingston. I have enlisted the doctor to take over your care. We have a comfortable place for your convalescence. The constable is going to take this strumpet into custody. It is obvious that she is after your money and has likely already stolen from you."
She turned to the waiting men and commanded, "Gentlemen, please be about your business."
As the men moved forward a step, Darcy ordered, "Come no farther! This is my home, and you have entered it uninvited."
The two paused at the authority in Darcy's voice.
"Mr. Akins, I am under the care of Mr. Pritchard. I am certain that you have heard of him."
"Mr. Pritchard, you say?" Surprise and consternation was in his tone.
"I do, and if you doubt me, his nurse will attest to that fact." Mr. Darcy raised his voice. "Mrs. Whitehead, would you mind coming here?"
The nurse entered the open doorway and curtseyed. "What may I do for you, Mr. Darcy?"
"Will you tell these people the name of my physician?"
"Mr. Luther Pritchard, sir." Mrs. Whitehead answered.
"Thank you, you may return to what you were doing."
Once the nurse left the room, Mr. Akins looked quite pale and embarrassed. "Lady Catherine, you did not inform me that your nephew was being treated by the foremost physician in London. I would not dare to try to usurp him. I am sorry, but I cannot oblige you in this."
Turning to Mr. Darcy, the physician said, "I beg your pardon, sir. I shall leave immediately." He turned on his heel and left the room.
The other man seemed less sure of his reason for being there. He shuffled his feet before Darcy caught his attention by speaking his name.
"Mr. Livingston, I am sorry that you have been brought here on a fool's errand. My uncle, Lord Matlock, is a very close friend of London's current magistrate and of the chief constable as well. I am positive that they would not take kindly to the false imprisonment of my intended. I am quite sure that her ladyship is not aware that Miss Bennet and I are engaged to be married."
"That is impossible!" Lady Catherine cried with indignation. "You are betrothed to my Anne. Now I know that you are not of sound mind!"
"On the contrary, I am in my full wits." Darcy reached over and took Elizabeth's hand. It was quite cold to the touch, which made him realise that she must have been frightened by the sudden visitors.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "All will be well, dearest."
After he straightened and before his aunt could speak again, Darcy lifted Elizabeth's hand to the view of the others. "As you see, Lady Catherine, Elizabeth wears the engagement ring that my father gave to my mother. There is nothing you can do to stop us."
Lady Catherine's countenance turned a bright shade of purple, so that Darcy thought she might be in danger of apoplexy. However, soon her complexion paled to a sickly white. When she opened her mouth to speak, Darcy interrupted her.
"Mr. Livingston, will you please see her ladyship to her carriage?"
"Of course, sir, and I do apologise for the misunderstanding." Livingston took Lady Catherine's arm and led her from the room, despite her vocal protests.
Once the door closed, Mr. Darcy collapsed onto the sofa. He groaned as he held his head in his hands.
"What is wrong?" Elizabeth quickly sat next to him.
"If they had not left when they did, I believe I would have passed out from the exertion." He rubbed his temples. "I also have a terrible headache. Do you think you could assist me into my bed chamber?"
"Mrs. Whitehead!" Her voice held deep concern. When the nurse arrived, Elizabeth said, "We must get Mr. Darcy back into his bed. The visitors have given him a headache."
With professional proficiency, Mrs. Whitehead took charge and Mr. Darcy was soon tucked into his bed and given a draught for the headache.
A worried Elizabeth sat and held his hand until the medicine had taken effect, and he slept.
"Do you think he will be well?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.
"I believe so, but I think Mr. Pritchard should be called."
"Oh of course, I will see that he is fetched immediately!" Elizabeth leaned over to kiss his brow before hurrying out of the room.
Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived at the Gardiner home as quickly as London traffic would allow. He knocked and the door was opened by a young maid.
"I would like to see Mr. Gardiner," he stated.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are not receiving visitors at this time," the girl told him through the half open door.
"I will wait here if you tell them that Colonel Fitzwilliam is here."
The girl nodded and closed the door.
Being a man used to action, the colonel tried to control his frustration and the urge to push into the house without invitation. He was ready to do so when the door opened again.
Mr. Gardiner greeted gravely, "What may I do for you, Colonel?"
"I was in Miss Bennet's company when the message arrived from Longbourn concerning her youngest sister, Miss Lydia. I would like to help in the search for her."
The older man looked about to deny him entrance, but he must have seen something in the colonel's eye to change his mind. He opened the door and said, "Come in and we will speak in private."
Colonel Fitzwilliam all but heaved a sigh of relief as he followed Mr. Gardiner to a small family parlour.
Bowing to Mrs. Gardiner as she stood and curtseyed, the colonel said, "Forgive me for the intrusion at a time like this, but I believe I am in the possession of vital information which could lead to the recovery of your niece."
"Please sit down, Colonel," Mrs. Gardiner said, gesturing to a chair near hers. "I am certain that we would be grateful to know where we can find Lydia."
"Yes sir, please enlighten us and I will go to retrieve her immediately," added Mr. Gardiner.
"I am afraid that I will not give you the information. I shall need to go myself because I know of only one thing that will induce my contact to reveal where Mr. Wickham has taken your niece. My cousin and I should have taken care of the maggot when we had a chance, but there were circumstances that kept us from it at the time."
"But I should at least go with you," Mr. Gardiner insisted.
"Very well, but we shall need to bring some men with us, just in case Wickham decides to be violent or to flee. I am sorry to say that the best outcome will be a marriage between him and Miss Lydia, since too many already know of the elopement." The colonel frowned as he thought of the foolish girl and her future life.
"I agree that it is the best we can expect to come of this," Mr. Gardiner said mournfully. "So what is our first step?"
Colonel Fitzwilliam stood. "If you will accompany me to organise the help I need, it will save time. I came in Darcy's carriage. It is big enough for all of the men I have in mind."
"Of course, Colonel," Gardiner said as he turned to his wife. "My dear, Thomas will likely arrive while we are gone. Please insist that he wait for our return. Hopefully, Lydia will be with us."
At his wife's solemn nod, Gardiner followed the colonel to the waiting carriage.
Elizabeth did not know how to occupy herself while waiting for Mr. Pritchard. Not wishing to be far from Mr. Darcy, she sat in his sitting room, first trying to read and then to do some needlework. Nothing drew her mind from the worry about her beloved.
She paced in anger as she remembered the vile woman had said, and her plans to take Darcy away and to put her in prison. How was it possible that his aunt could be so self-deceived? She seemed not to truly care for his well-being. Her desire to control was beyond him is what I can fathom, and I am not enough like Jane to think positively about the world.
As Elizabeth sat, her stomach grumbled which reminded her that she had missed breakfast. Being well past noon, she decided to ring for tea and refreshments.
When a footman brought the tray and left it on the small table, Elizabeth served herself tea and two slices of cake. As she ate, she wondered if Mr. Darcy was still asleep. There was more than enough tea and cake for the patient to eat if he wished.
Elizabeth rose and moved to the door to Mr. Darcy's bed chamber and opened it quietly. Mrs. Whitehead smiled a greeting and mouthed, "No change."
Sighing, Elizabeth left the door open and retrieved the tray, bringing it into Darcy's chamber. She did not wish to be away from him any longer. Wanting desperately for the doctor to come, she sat next to the bed. At least here, she could watch over him.
Offering some of the refreshments to Mrs. Whitehead, Elizabeth suggested that the nurse enjoy them in the sitting room. Smiling at the young woman's kindness, the older lady took a cup of tea and a piece of the cake to the sofa, but she left the door ajar.
A deep contentment washed over Elizabeth as she sat, holding Darcy's hand. She was still worried, but seeing his face relaxed as it was in sleep, caused her to sense that things would be fine. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feelings.
Elizabeth started as Darcy's hand twitched in hers. Glancing at him, she watched his eyes flutter open. A brief smile came over his face, but soon a look of deep confusion and consternation replaced the pleasant one.
"Miss Elizabeth Bennet, what are you doing in my chambers?" His tone was cold and severe as he pulled his hand away.
"I came in to wait with you for Mr. Pritchard to arrive," she said timidly.
"I am very surprised that you would enter the room of a gentleman. Were you planning to compromise me?" His voice grew in intensity but not volume.
"Of course not!" She defended herself. "I have been helping to care for you after your accident."
"What accident? I do feel weak, but I neither see nor feel any evidence of injury," he protested.
"I can explain..." she began, but he interrupted.
"I am certain that you have what you believe is a credible reason, but I will not be deceived. Please leave at once, and do not think I will offer for you now." This time he nearly shouted.
Speechless at his accusations, Elizabeth hastened from the room. She raced down the stairs, desperately searching Jane.
Finding a footman, she asked for her sister's location.
"I believe you will find Miss Bennet in the blue room with Miss Darcy."
Elizabeth moved as quickly as she could to the small back parlour favoured by her sister and Georgiana in the afternoon. By the time she reached it, she could barely see for the tears in her eyes. Her whole future was now in tatters, and all hope had fled.
Both of the ladies stood at her sudden entrance, and upon seeing her countenance, they hurried to her side.
"Has my brother taken a turn for the worse?" asked Georgiana, panic in her voice.
"No, he has regained his sense of the present." When Elizabeth swayed, Jane helped her to a sofa.
"You look very ill indeed," Jane sat down beside his sister and began to chafe her hands. "Have you had word from Papa about Lydia's disappearance?"
"Lydia has disappeared?" Elizabeth felt as if she was having a horrible nightmare.
"Yes, she eloped with Mr. Wickham and was traced as far as Town, but no farther. The colonel thinks he knows where he is to be found and has gone to retrieve her."
"How could she do something so foolish? Mama and Papa must be frantic." It was as if the final nail had been hammered into the coffin of her dead wishes. Elizabeth began to sob uncontrollably.
Neither Jane nor Georgiana knew what to say, so they wrapped their arms around the weeping Elizabeth and held her. It took several minutes for Lizzy to calm enough to speak.
"Jane, we must leave this house at once," Elizabeth declared as she stood, pulling on her sister's hand.
"We cannot, Lizzy." Jane resisted. "The colonel wishes for us to stay here until he has word of Lydia's whereabouts."
Just as Elizabeth opened her mouth to explain her reasons, the butler entered the room, holding a piece of folded missive on a salver.
"What is it, Carson?" Georgiana inquired.
"A message came by courier for Miss Jane Bennet."
Hoping for news of Lydia, Jane took the missive and broke the seal. She read over the message quickly. "It is from Mr. Bingley's solicitor. He wishes for me to come to his office tomorrow at one in the afternoon if it is convenient. The Hursts are back in London and wish to have the reading of Mr. Bingley's will."
"Why must you be there?" Elizabeth was baffled.
"I did not speak of it before, but Mr. Darcy's solicitor spoke to me privately that first day. He told me Mr. Alton had asked about me because I am mentioned in Mr. Bingley's will."
Longbourn was in chaos without Mr. Bennet, Jane, and Elizabeth. The mistress had taken to her bed and demanded the constant assistance of Hill, a maid, and one or both of her daughters. She complained about her elder daughters' absence from home and Lizzy's refusal of Mr. Collins.
Mary's patience was sorely tried, for she knew her sister, Lydia, had been spoiled by her mother. Meanwhile Mrs. Bennet blamed everyone else for what Lydia had done, while praising her for finding a handsome husband.
Kitty fared little better once the knowledge of her own involvement came to light. The poor girl took the chastisement from her mother with little protest. She sat silently in tears, as her mother also raged against her. Her only relief came when Mr. Wickham, her father, or her elder sisters were the objects of Mrs. Bennet's fury.
Mary sat in the deserted front parlour, drinking lukewarm tea when there was a knock at the door. Hoping for some good news, she hastened to answer it. To her surprise, there stood a harried looking Mr. Sanderson.
"I beg your p-p-pardon, Miss Mary, but I needed to see how you are doing with this nasty business with Mr. Wickham. I have never trusted him much, which is one of the r-r-reasons I came with them to visit." The officer's face turned bright red as he spoke.
"Thank you, sir. I have been as well as can be expected at such a time," Mary answered quietly, pleased that someone cared to ask about her well-being. "Would you care to come in? My sister is with my mother, but I can offer you tea if you would like."
"Yes, I would if you think it proper."
"I shall ring for the kitchen maid," Mary said. "She will bring us the tea and will stay as a chaperone."
"Brilliant!" The smile on Mr. Sanderson's face further brightened Mary's outlook.
As they were seated waiting for the tea to arrive, Mr. Sanderson asked, "Is there any way in which I can help you and your family during this difficult time?"
Mary marvelled at the fact that he had not stuttered once this time, and that he wished to help instead of criticise. "I am not certain that any more can be done. My father has gone to London in hopes of finding the couple. I am sure my uncle Gardiner will be of assistance. I merely await the outcome. I do fear my family's reputation will be ruined if Papa cannot find them and make them marry." Mary blinked back the tears which threatened to fall.
Sanderson leaned forward in his chair. "You will never be ruined in my eyes, Miss Mary. I know how upright and above reproach you are. I will remain your friend no matter what may come, and I will be an enemy to any person who says otherwise."
Completely unable to stop the tears from falling, Mary choked out, "Thank you, Mr. Sanderson. You are a friend indeed."