As Jane Bennet rode on her old mare towards Netherfield, the sky turned dark, and soon enough, heavy rain began to fall, and the wind picked up its speed. Jane, who had only a riding jacket to keep her warm, adjusted it in an attempt to shield herself from the cold. But, her mare, Nelly, was not used to being outdoors on an afternoon like that and was extremely nervous about the storm. Jane tried her best to calm Nelly down, but her efforts were in vain.
The visibility was very limited due to the rain and the wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to ride. Jane contemplated turning back and heading towards Longbourn, but it was much closer to Netherfield, and besides, if he returned home, she would have to listen to her mother's endless complaints about how she should have continued riding to Netherfield.
Perhaps she should have looked for shelter until the terrible storm subsided, but she chose to continue riding since she was close to reaching her destination.
However, Jane's journey took an unexpected turn just half a mile away from Netherfield when a large branch from a nearby tree suddenly fell a few steps away from them. The unexpected sound and movement frightened Nelly, causing her to rear up. Jane, who was riding sideways, could not maintain her balance and fell to the ground with a hard thud.
The impact of the fall was severe, and Jane hit her head hard on the ground, causing her to lose consciousness. Nelly, sensing something was wrong, whinnied and nudged her mistress with her nose, trying to encourage her to wake up. But it was all in vain, and Jane lay motionless on the side of the road.
Nelly stayed close to Jane, standing by her side and waiting for help. It was a long five hours before a passing carriage finally stopped to offer assistance.
"Why did we stop?" Bingley asked, curious about the reason behind the sudden halt.
The coachman looked worried as he replied, "Mr. Bingley, on the side of the road there is a horse and a lady."
"A lady!" Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley responded in unison. They immediately got out of the carriage to investigate the situation, while Hurst remained asleep.
Darcy quickly assessed the situation and verified that the woman still had a pulse, although it was weak, "She is still alive, but her pulse is very weak," he said concerned about her well-being. "She is cold, and if she does not receive immediate attention, it is very difficult for her to survive."
As a gentleman, Darcy could not let a woman die in the open. He sighed, knowing that time was of the essence in this situation.
Suddenly, Bingley's voice cut through the silence, filled with horror and disbelief, "By God, Darcy! It is Jane Bennet... We have to take her urgently to Netherfield."
Only then did Darcy pay more attention to the young woman lying on the ground and realise that it was indeed Jane Bennet. "We must take her to Longbourn, Bingley."
"We are a very short distance away from Netherfield, and you have mentioned that if she does not receive immediate assistance she could die." He added, "Moreover, It is already very late and it is still raining. It is not wise to go to Longbourn."
Reluctantly, Darcy nodded in agreement with Bingley's reasoning. They carefully carried Jane Bennet into the carriage, hoping to take her to Netherfield as quickly and safely as possible. As they were getting her settled, Jane's eyes opened with a look of confusion and shock. For a few moments, she looked around disoriented, trying to figure out what had happened to her. But soon, the pain and exhaustion took over, and she passed out again, leaving Darcy and Bingley anxious and worried about her well-being.
Hurst woke up and agreed to ride outside with the coachman. Meanwhile, Bingley rode back to Netherfield on Jane's old mare. Darcy, on the other hand, rode one of the carriage horses.
As soon as they reached Netherfield, Caroline, who was alarmed by Jane's condition, ordered a bedchamber to be prepared for her. With a sense of urgency, she sent one of the footmen to look for the apothecary, Mr. Jones.
The housekeeper, who had known Jane Bennet for years, and a young maid took off Jane's-soaked clothes and dried her with several towels. Louisa, seeing Jane shivering from the cold, gave her the warmest nightgown she had.
However, a few hours later, things took a turn for the worse as Jane began to have a fever and became delirious. Caroline wrote a note to Mr. Bennet, but as it began to rain heavily, the note could not be delivered until the next morning.