CHAPTER EIGHT

Luckily for Mrs Bennet, respite from Mary's unsuccessful love life came in the form of Mr Hildesly. The gentleman, who had for some time been growing more particular in his attentions to Kitty, finally popped the question one day, when Mrs Bennet had successfully managed to organise with some skill a private meeting between the two. Kitty, who had been steadily becoming more and more in love with Mr Hildesly since their first meeting, was overjoyed, again reminding Mary of Jane, in her reaction to Mr Bingley's proposal. Kitty was breathless and radiant, and Mr Hildesly was thrilled, and the looks they cast each other would have made Mary very jealous if she had not had the quiet knowledge of another certain gentleman's regard for her. Mr Bennet was very happy that his second youngest daughter had acquired enough sense to attract and be attracted by such a good man as Mr Hildesly, and obviously, Mr Hildesly had enough fortune to make Mrs Bennet ecstatic - four daughters married! And Mary - she was almost as thrilled for Kitty as she would have been for herself. The two sisters had grown very close, and the hugs and tears they shared that evening were truly reminiscent of Elizabeth and Jane.

Another joy for the family came with the birth of Jane and Bingley's first child - a buxom, beautiful baby boy christened Charles Darcy Bingley. Both mother and child were well. Jane was in Derbyshire, and Mrs Bennet longed to see her first grandchild, but the visit had to be put off until a later date, for various reasons.

Unfortunately for Mary, however, Mrs Bennet no longer had to connive and organise for Kitty and Mr Hildesly - her whole attention was fixed on her middle daughter, and on getting her a husband. She sent Mary around to Lady Selina's house as often as she could, to get her seeing the handsome and eligible Viscount as much as possible. Mary didn't mind this so much, for she could see Selina, but her mother's other methods were not so subtle, and she blushed when they were in public, much as Lizzy had done several years before.

And still Mary managed to get out on her walks every day. Her father, who had slightly more intellect than her mother, noticed that Mary was going out for a walk every day at the same time, and wondered where.

"Only through the woods," was her answer.

"Every time?" he said shrewdly.

Mary could not help but blush a little. "I like the woods," she said defensively.

Mr Bennet let it go, but he wondered what his daughter was up to.

This time, Mary saw, in her mind, Mr Alcott coming up to her on his grey horse, the one called Elf. He slid off, and came up to her with the same fire in his eyes she always saw. "Mary," he said, "I am going to take you away with me. We will run from the world and never be seen again, and all we will need is each other." Then he would help her onto his horse and climb up behind her, and as they galloped off, he would lean down and-

She frowned as she realised that it was starting to rain. She was a long way from Longbourn, and Mr Alcott had not found her today. She wondered where he was, and looked up at the sky through a clearing in the canopy of trees. To her horror, the sky was black, and she could hear thunder, not too far away, and occasional flashes of lightning. She picked up her skirts and began to run, but it was too late; the cloud broke, and the raindrops pelted down like buckets. Very soon she was wet to the skin, her white garments utterly transparent, and the only intelligible thought in her mind was that she hoped Mr Alcott would not find her looking like this. She ran on and on, but when she thought about it, she realised that she was more than twenty minutes walk from Longbourn. However was she to make it home soon? But she kept running, as the sky grew blacker, and the rain grew denser, and the air grew balmier, until she hardly knew where she was running. She ran, and ran, and jumped, and could hardly see through the strands of soaking hair loose over her face. Crash! Suddenly the ground loomed up close to her as her foot caught on a root, and she landed on the ground in a pile. She tried to move, but she could not, and the darkness was closing in on her until she could see no more than the wild murmurings of her brain. She lay there for she knew not how long.

Mr Alcott almost galloped through the wood. Where was she? Where was she? She must be somewhere, for he knew she was not at home, and she could not be left out in this weather. The change had been alarming indeed, one minute, it was sunny and clear and warm, and the next, the storm was closing in on them. He did not notice the mad rain as he drove his horse on through the wood, on and on and on, until he suddenly stopped. A wet figure was lying by the side of the path.

With a jump in his heart, he threw himself off the horse, and ran to the drenched figure, lying face down on the ground. "Miss Bennet! Miss Bennet!" he cried, shaking her. "Can you hear me?"

He was relieved to hear an audible groan, and rolled her over onto her back. She was dripping with water and mud, and her eyes were half shut, her mouth open. She was saying something. "Where is he? Where is he?" she muttered. "Oh, I want him!"

He swiftly picked her up, cradling her in his arms as he walked over to his horse, mercifully standing still in the middle of the path. He had forgotten to tether it to something, and it could have run off. He laid her down again for a minute, took off his coat, and wrapped it round her shivering body, trying not to notice the soft skin that was visible through the wet garments. For a moment after he had picked her up, he stood with her, stroking her cheek, caressing within himself the feeling of holding her.

She opened her eyes. "It is you," she said listlessly. "Oh, I am so glad! You're here!"

He smiled. "Yes, I am, and I won't go away."

She smiled, and closed her eyes again, and he started walking, leading his horse along beside him, and not once did he feel tired - she was truly a light burden, he thought.

Longbourn was in an uproar. Mary caught out in the rain, and soaked to the very bone, most likely! Mrs Bennet was in high nerves. Mr Bennet did not say much, but he looked out the window almost every minute and had a very worried expression on his face, checking his watch all the time. Mr Hildesly, who was visiting Kitty, looked grave, and offered to go and look for her, but just as he was about to leave the house, Kitty peered through the window.

"It is Mr Alcott!" she squealed. "He's carrying Mary!" With a gasp, she grabbed the blankets they had ready, warmed by the fire, and rushed out the door into the rain, despite her beloved's entreaties. She sprinted up the driveway to where Mr Alcott was striding along, carrying his precious burden. "Mr Alcott!" she gasped. "Put these around her, quick!"

Between them, they got Mary into the house and laid her on the sofa, while Mrs Bennet was threatening to go into spasms, screeching for Hill, and while Mr Bennet and Kitty were carefully wrapping more garments around Mary. "She'll have to get her wet clothes off," said Kitty. She looked up at Mr Alcott, who seemed to have a very commanding presence in the situation. "Mr Alcott - will you carry my sister upstairs?"

"Certainly," he said, and proceeded to lift her up. "I am sure she will be fine, with care," he said. "She spoke to me before."

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Kitty. He carried Mary through the door to her room and laid her gently on her bed. "Thank you, Mr Alcott," said Kitty.

"I am honoured to be of service," he said, stepping back through the door and down the stairs. At the bottom of them, he met Mr Bennet, who came up to him with an anxious and serious look on his face. "I must thank you from the bottom of my heart, sir," said Mary's father. "If you had not found her..."

"It is quite all right, sir," replied Mr Alcott. "I am glad I happened to be in the woods."

Mr Bennet did not make the connection between that statement and what he had been wondering lately, luckily for Mr Alcott, who really did not want people's expectations raised at that particular time. And Mr Alcott left the house, but he did not leave the grounds before standing a while, looking at the flickering lights in what he now knew to be Mary's bedchamber, remembering her soft skin, and her voice saying, "I want him so much!" and then, "Oh, I am so glad! You're here!"

He clambered onto his horse, and set off at a brisk trot for Netherfield. A smile played on his face the entire way there, despite his sodden garments and dripping hair.

"Good morning, Miss Bennet," said Mr Alcott, taking off his hat as he stepped into the sitting room. Mary was lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. She beamed when she saw him, and if it was possible, her eyes looked even more gentle than ever.

"Good morning, sir," she said. "I am told I have much to thank you for. I do not remember a lot of what happened yesterday, but I do know you have done me a great service. Thank you."

He sat down beside her, smiling. "I hope you are feeling better?"

"I am," she said, "although I have a slight headache."

"Have you seen the doctor?"

"Yes, Dr Walsh came to visit yesterday afternoon. He says there is no real danger."

"I am glad," he said, and then whispered, leaning over her, "immensely glad. What I would have felt if you had been badly injured!"

He straightened up quickly as Kitty came into the room. "Why, good morning, Mr Alcott!" she said.

"Good morning, Miss Bennet," he said, smiling, and reaching out to shake her hand. "I did not get to talk to you as I would have wished yesterday. My congratulations on your engagement to Richard!"

Kitty blushed and smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"I am sure you will be very happy."

"I will, I am sure," agreed Kitty. "And thank you, sir, for your service to Mary yesterday. I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if you hadn't found her."

He bowed. "I did no more than my duty, Miss Bennet."

Kitty smiled at Mary. "I will go and fetch your food, Mary."

As she left the room again, he smiled down at Mary. "I have to go to London as soon as I leave you, Miss Bennet."

"You have to go?" she replied, the disappointment obvious in her voice. "Will you be back soon?"

"As soon as humanly possible; it will be just a matter of days," he said. "I cannot stay away from my delightful ruby long."

She smiled, blushing. "Who do you mean, sir?"

He tapped the side of his nose, grinning. "You may find out one day - hopefully very soon."

She grinned as he left the room, turning to smile at her as he closed the door.