She wondered whether her own fervent feelings of love for Mr. Darcy could be discerned by the others. At the moment, she truly did not care.
The sound of footsteps drew everyone’s attention. Heads turned with the expectation, Elizabeth was quite certain, of seeing Mr. Darcy return. Instead it was a servant holding a letter.
“Miss Bennet, a letter was just delivered for you. They said it was urgent.”
“Thank you,” she said as she took it from him, a feeling of unease coursing through her. She looked down, her forehead creased, and she pursed her lips as she saw that it was from her sister Jane.
She fingered the letter, not so much from an uncertainty about whether she should open it here, but from what its contents might contain.
All eyes were upon her, which added to her distress. “If you do not mind…” Her shaking fingers broke the seal of the letter, and she opened it.
Her eyes widened as she read the first few lines of the missive. Her fingers covered her mouth as she shook her head. “Oh, no!” she cried. She stood up as she read as quickly as she could, hoping to find a resolution at the end of the letter, but matters only seemed to get worse.
“What is it, Miss Bennet?” Mrs. Willstone asked. “What has happened?”
Elizabeth found it difficult to even take a breath. As her mind comprehended all her sister had to say and how it would affect her, she said, “It is my younger sister Lydia.” Taking a much needed breath, Elizabeth choked out, “She is… she has left her friends and is missing.”
“Missing?” asked Mr. Willstone. “Your sister is missing?”
Elizabeth nodded her head repeatedly, her eyes moving feverishly through the letter. This was far worse than she could ever have imagined. “She was visiting a friend whose husband is a colonel in the militia, and they were stationed at Stratford. Apparently…” Elizabeth looked up, wondering how much she should say. “She is gone. It is thought she may have eloped with one of the officers.”
Mrs. Willstone raised an eyebrow at this. “She
Elizabeth looked back down at the letter. Jane, while not wishing to distress Elizabeth, truthfully wrote that marriage between them was not likely. It was the officer with whom she ran off, however, that caused her much distress. Lydia had run off with George Wickham! Lydia’s actions alone would bring disgrace to her family, but being that it was with George Wickham would certainly bring an end to any feelings Mr. Darcy still had for her.
Tears began to fall freely as she made an attempt to answer Mrs. Willstone. “It says that Lydia left a letter, and it is assumed they are in London.”
“And not married?” Mrs. Willstone asked, motioning to Rosalyn to remove Emily from the room.
“It is… not known.”
A look of abhorrence plainly coloured Mrs. Willstone’s features. In a soft, low voice, she said, “Miss Bennet, this is grave, indeed.”
Elizabeth looked up. “Jane has asked for me to come.”
Mrs. Willstone’s eyes narrowed for a brief moment, and then she said stiffly, “Yes, dear. You must go to London. It is only right.”
Elizabeth looked at her with surprise. “But my duties to Emily…”
Mrs. Willstone waved her hand in the air. “We shall manage. But how shall you get there? We cannot loan you a carriage, and we certainly cannot expect Mr. Darcy to loan you one of his to take you all that way.”
“I suppose I shall have to hire a post chaise. Perhaps I can get one from Lambton.”
Mr. Willstone made a suggestion. “Your friends in Lambton might be of assistance.”
“Yes!” exclaimed Mrs. Willstone. “Certainly they will help.”
Elizabeth slowly looked up. “They did tell me if I needed anything…”
“You must send them a note,” interrupted Mrs. Willstone. “Inform them that you need to leave for London as soon as can be arranged. Inquire whether they will allow you to come tonight. We can certainly loan you our carriage to convey you to Lambton.”
Mrs. Willstone stood up and walked over to a desk. “Come, Miss Bennet. The sooner you send off a note to them, the sooner you will be on your way.”
Elizabeth stood up and slowly walked over. She could not deny that she was pleased Mrs. Willstone was being so obliging, but she could not help feeling she was merely trying to rid the home of her. Her feelings warred within, as she greatly wished to be with Jane, yet she did not want to leave Pemberley and Mr. Darcy.
She sat down at the desk and began writing, her hand shaking. Mrs. Willstone hovered over her. “Be sure to let them know that you are quite in need of their assistance… that you would greatly appreciate any help they can give. Do not give them too many details… they may not offer their help if they know the unfortunate particulars.”
Elizabeth scribbled a short missive, only briefly detailing the situation, but expressing her need for their help. A servant was summoned and asked that someone deliver the note as soon as possible and to wait for a response.
Mrs. Willstone stood up, holding herself erect. Elizabeth thought how tall and imposing she now appeared. “Miss Bennet, it would be best to pack your belongings so you will be ready to leave as soon as we hear back from your friends. I shall have one of our maids come and assist you.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath. Everything was happening faster than she wished. “I do not have many things. I can manage.”
“Good. We would not want to bother the Pemberley staff with this. We must try to keep this as quiet as possible.”
Elizabeth turned to look at her employer. “But I should like to say good-bye to Mr. Darcy and his sister… to thank them for their kindness and generous hospitality…”
Mrs. Willstone shook her head. “Tsk, tsk. They will likely not even notice your absence. Besides, I understand that Miss Darcy left just a short while ago to pay a call on someone. You will likely be already gone by the time either of them returns.”
Elizabeth’s heart sank and her shoulders sagged with the weight of these past few minutes. She could barely take a breath, and her mind scarcely allowed her to comprehend all the consequences her youngest sister’s actions would have on her… and her family. She was already being shunned by the Willstones because of the possible disgrace to her family, and she would now likely be dismissed by the man who once sought her hand and now had secured her heart.
Back in her room, she was grateful for the solitude. Pulling out her travelling bag, she opened it and placed it on the bed. She went to open the drawers, pulling out some books and the stack of letters she had placed beneath them. She then went to the closet and retrieved her dresses and folded them as carefully as possible to prevent them from wrinkling.
She looked down at the two books she had in her possession. One was Cowper’s book of poems, and the other was the illustrated bird book. She would have to return them to the library. As she picked them up, there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth answered it and found a young servant girl standing there. “I have a letter for ye that just arrived.” She handed it to Elizabeth. “Can I be of any help? Do ye need some help with your packing?”
“I am just about finished, but please, I would like a few moments to read this first.”
The maid nodded and waited while Elizabeth opened the letter and read the words from the Ketterlings. They were more than happy to make any arrangements for her to journey to London, and welcomed her to stay with them as long as she needed. She looked up at the maid. “Once I am finished packing, I will need my things to be brought down. I will be leaving to go to my friends in Lambton. The Willstones offered me their carriage if you would be so kind as to inform them that…” Elizabeth took in a shaky breath, “…that I will be leaving.”
The maid curtseyed. “Yes, ma’am. I will notify them and send a manservant for your parcel.”
She turned to leave, but Elizabeth stopped her. “Excuse me, but do you know if Mr. or Miss Darcy have yet returned?”
The maid shook her head. “Not that I have heard.”
