The previous day, at Longbourn (when Mr. Bingley & Co. were in the second day of their travel to London) …

"Papa, there is an express for you from Mr. Bingley" said Jane, holding out a letter to her father.

Mr. Bennet was in his bookroom, looking for something in his desk, opening desk drawers and slamming them shut, muttering to himself. Jane thought it might be his billfold he was looking for; if it was, she could see it partially hidden under some papers on top of his desk, but she was reluctant to point it out given the mood he was in. Her father was getting ready to leave for London, to meet Colonel Forster there, and join him in looking for Lydia. To say he was not in a good mood, indeed, to say he was in a most unhappy mood, would not be understating it - he was livid, but even so, Jane pressed on.

"Papa, please." Jane held the letter over the location of the billfold. "It might be important."

Without looking up at her, Mr. Bennet looked at the letter in Jane's hand, and then seeing the billfold under it, snatched that up and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket. He lifted his head and glared at Jane. "Important to you maybe, what that dandy has to say means nothing to me." He waved the back of his hand at her. "Now begone."

"Papa, please." Jane tried hard not to whine but it was difficult given her father's intransigence. "The letter is postmarked yesterday from Brighton. It must be about Lydia."

Mr. Bennet snorted. "He probably wanted to be the first of our neighbours to taunt us with her ruination."

This time Jane did whine. "Papa, pleeese!"

Mr. Bennet gave in, as he had done throughout his married life, being especially susceptible to the whining of his wife and daughters, although to be fair, this was the first time this particular daughter had resorted to such a tactic. "Fine, read it to me."

Jane opened the letter and read it to herself, and then out loud to her father:

'I have arranged for your daughter, accompanied by a companion, to be transported to your home.

I expect that they will arrive there the day after tomorrow.'

Jane smiled. "Mr. Bingley has rescued Lydia! They will be here tomorrow."

"Let me see that." Jane gave him the letter. He looked at it. "There's no signature. How do you know it's from Mr. Bingley? And he doesn't mention the elopement."

"The sender on the envelope is shown as 'C. Bingley'." It must be Charles Bingley, the only other 'C. Bingley' Jane knew was Caroline and this was not her handwriting - Jane had received a horribly mean letter from Caroline and this letter was definitely written in a different hand. "And maybe there was no elopement; maybe he stopped it before it could happen."

"Colonel Forster wrote that there was an elopement."

"But he does not know. All he knows for sure is that Lydia left his house leaving a note saying she was eloping. But he does not know whether she succeeded or not."

"Why didn't Mr. Bingley return Lydia to the Forsters?"

Jane shrugged her shoulders. "I do not know. There must be a good reason."

Mr. Bennet sighed. "It's probably best that we do not look a gift horse in the mouth. You had best go share the good news with your mother and sisters." He stared at Jane. "Emphasize to them that there was no elopement, that Mr. Bingley rescued Lydia before that could occur. None of you are ruined. No elopement, no ruination. Hammer that point home. We don't want your mother to undo Mr. Bingley's good work through some misunderstanding. And I had better send an express to Colonel Forster letting him know that I will not be joining him."

It took Jane longer than you would think it should to get her mother to understand that Lydia was coming home unruined. Mary quickly understood, and promised to see that the correct story was told by her mother (Mrs. Bennet being bound and determined to walk to Meryton forthwith and tell her sister, Mrs. Phillips, and by extension, the world, the good news). Kitty implicated herself by arguing there must have been an elopement because Lydia had told her all about her plan to elope. Kitty's confession bought her a very unpleasant interview with her father and exile to the nursery, where she would be joined by her younger sister the next day.

By the time Jane remembered that she should also tell Elizabeth the good news it was too late, and so her express was not sent out until early the next morning.