Chapter 3: When a horse slips.
General Grey and his wife, who was holding little Eliza, were heading to London. The baby never stopped crying. Even Charles Grey's sweet mother could not calm her. How she wanted to keep her dear grand-daughter and raise her but unfortunately her health would not allow it. She knew she had a bad heart and was slowly dying…
The weather was so bad that day. It was like the sky was also crying for this families fate. Roads became so muddy that the horses had trouble trotting straight without slipping. This trip was becoming more and more dangerous and as Eliza did not stop crying; everyone's nerves were strained. General Grey asked the driver to push the horses in order to arrive as soon as possible to London to get warm and to allow his ears to finally rest. As the driver did as he was asked, one horse slipped at the same time as one of the carriage wheels broke. Fortunately nobody was hurt. General Grey said:
"I think we are near a property or an estate. There is some kind of light there."
He took one of the carriage horse and rode in this direction. Indeed there was a house. He knocked and was received by an old housekeeper. He told her he had an emergency and asked if he could see the master of the house. She led him to the library without asking him any question.
"Mr Bennet, Sir, a General Grey to see you"
"Send him in." Mr Bennet wondered what a General could be wanting from him at this time of day but was quite curious. He needed distraction at the present. Life was not easy at all. Maybe seeing someone with some despair would allow him to forget or to ease your own?
"Sir, I am truly sorry to bother you. I require your assistance. My wife and I were heading to London from Devonshire but we had an accident and our carriage is broken. I think one of our horses has to be put down as well. Thank the Lord everyone is fine. I was wondering if we could have your hospitality for the night. We are travelling with a very young baby and I do not want her to fall ill."
At this Mr Bennet was touched and without hesitation he said:
"Yes of course, I will help you. Hill! Please order the carriage. In this way it will be faster to go fetch your family and servants Sir."
"I am forever obliged to you Sir and I thank you."
When they came back to Longbourn.
"Mr Bennet! Where have you been? I was most worried that you would be outside with this dreadful weather. Do you think I would need someone else sick in this house?" She stopped talking as she saw the little baby in Mrs Grey's arms.
"General Grey, Mrs Grey, charming little baby, may I present you my wife?
My dear, this is General Grey and Mrs Grey whom I invited to stay tonight with their baby as their carriage is broken."
At this moment, a dreadful cry was heard. It sounded like a cry from a baby in terrible pain. Mrs Bennet jumped and ran away from the room in the direction of the noise.
As their guests looked at him with a quizzical look, he explained:
"I am sorry. My second child is not well at all. She is but than two months old. We fear she might not survive. Apparently she cannot keep anything in her stomach and she has lost so much weight… My wife is so worried and it is troubling for her to see a nice and healthy looking child nowadays. I suspect it is because it reminds her that our poor girl is so bad… Please forgive us. It is quite a bad time for us…"
At this the Grey's did not know what to say. They felt bad for this poor family. They were losing a child they so obviously loved and them they were looking for given their own grandchild up… It was the irony of life: having a healthy baby and giving it up and having a sick baby and caring so much about it…
As they were lost in their thoughts they did not hear the door open quietly. They were startled when they heard Mr Bennet:
"General Grey, Mrs Grey, may I introduce you to my eldest daughter Jane?"
Jane was a very nice looking blond blue-eyed girl. She was almost two and was quite shy. She did a small curtsy to the strangers and murmured a "good evening Sir good evening Madam".
She was quite curious with the baby the lady held. She boldly asked:
"What is its name?"
Mrs Grey sadly smiled:
"Her mother wished to name her Eliza"
"Eliza! It sounds just like my baby sister but her name is Elizabeth. What do you mean her mother wished? Are you not her mother?"
"No Miss Bennet. I am not. It is quite complicated and suitable for pretty young ladies like you. But feel free to come closer to look at her better if you wish it." Mrs Grey wanted to change the subject as she felt very uncomfortable.
Jane came closer and said:
"She seems nice. I like her! She has very nice eyes!"
That night, little Elizabeth Bennet went away in heaven leaving her parents in great despair. Her mother never left her that night and cried a lot. The next morning, as General Grey and his wife were leaving with baby Eliza, Mrs Grey had an idea…
A/N : thank you all for your reviews. I appreciated them !
I would like to thank fishistix for being my beta ! Quick and nice job ! Thank you again !