“I will wake her.”She tried to rush into the nurse’s room, but it was locked.She pounded loudly on the door.“Wake up!There is a fire!Wake up!”
A disheveled young woman in a sleep cap opened the door and blinked at her.“What?”
Elizabeth recognized her from the garden the day she had played with Peter.“There is a fire.You must get Master Peter out of the house.Are there any other children on this floor?”
The maid shook her head.“No, he is the only child in the house that I know of.”
“Good.Get him out.I will wake the other servants.”
Elizabeth started to turn away when the maid called, “Wait, Sally can help you.”
Another maid peered out from behind the door and Elizabeth grabbed her hand.“Let us hurry.”
She looked into the nursery and saw Darcy helping an old lady out of bed.He looked up and met her eyes.“She cannot walk on her own.She has been ill.”Elizabeth suddenly remembered Peter saying his nurse was sick and sleeping much of the time.
“Can you carry her out?”she asked.
“Of course.”
She would have to wake the servants without Mr.Darcy.She turned to go, but his voice stopped her.“Elizabeth.”
She turned back to him, her face expectant.
“Be careful.And hurry.”
She nodded, then sprinted off after the maid who was already running up the narrow stairs to the servants’ quarters.
The two of them began pounding on doors and yelling at the top of their lungs.“Fire!Everyone out!Fire!”
Doors along the corridor began opening, and people in various states of dress tumbled out of the rooms.
“Grab your blankets if you can,” cried Elizabeth.“And your cloaks!”
Some of the servants raced to the stairs with nothing but a nightcap and nightrail on while others left their rooms with arms full of personal belongings.While yet more ran out of their rooms, only to dash back inside for something they forgot.
“Hurry!”cried Sally.“You must hurry!”
Elizabeth went down the corridor, quickly peeking into each room to ensure no one was asleep.Though how anyone could sleep through this noise, she did not know.When it looked like everyone was awake and making their way out, Elizabeth waved to Sally and ran back to the stairs.She needed to make sure little Peter had made it out.
The nursery was empty when she skidded to a stop just inside the door, so she ran for the stairs.As she came closer to the ground floor, the noise became louder.There were voices yelling and the sound of footsteps running, and behind it all, the eerie crackle of fire.Her eyes burned as soon as she stepped out of the servant stairs.
“This way, Miss!”called one of the servants who had been running behind her.She followed the young maid to the side door and burst into the fresh air, relief flooding her body.
The house was not engulfed entirely, and everyone was awake and making their way outside.She turned to the oak tree where she had promised to meet Jane, blindly stumbling towards what looked like her sister’s form.She was still trembling from all the excitement, and she could feel her body ready to collapse from the strain.
“Lizzy!You are safe!”Jane threw her arms about her sister.“You were gone so long!I was beginning to worry about you.”
Elizabeth smiled at her tiredly.“Did everyone get out of the family wing?Did you send Miss Bingley to the stables?”
“Yes, Caroline ran directly to the stables.She is very attached to her mare, I believe.The groom turned them out immediately.Mr.Bingley ran down to assist in managing the fire.They have not contained it fully, but it is not as bad as it could be.”She nodded to where the house burned, but the flames were significantly smaller than what Elizabeth had seen in her dreams.
“Thank heavens,” she whispered.
“I believe they should thank you, sister,” said Jane quietly.
Elizabeth only smiled at her wearily and looked around.Mrs.Hurst sat beneath the tree, clutching young Peter tightly in her lap.The boy looked bewildered by the gesture but did not seem to mind.Miss Bingley sat next to her sister, looking at the house in shock.The elderly nurse was against the tree trunk with a blanket tucked around her.
“Where are Mr.Hurst and Mr.Darcy?”asked Elizabeth.“Are they helping contain the fire?”
