Fanny felt nature was her ally due to the heavy clouds she saw when she looked outside close to the time Jane was to depart the house to travel the three miles to Netherfield Park. She knew what she had to do to make sure Jane remained at the estate, and she would then be in the company of Mr Bingley, as it should be.
“May I use the carriage to convey me?” Jane requested.
“The horses are needed on the estate today,” Fanny asserted. “You will ride Nellie.”
“Mama no! It is going to rain,” Elizabeth asserted. She turned to her father who had been watching the proceedings with amusement. “Papa, please, you know how susceptible Janey is to colds. If she gets wet and cold while she rides it will be especially dangerous for her. Please, I beg in the name of all things holy, send her in the carriage.”
Bennet looked at his wife, he could see she was determined to carry her point, if he gainsaid her, there would be no peace for a protracted length of time. “Your mother has the right of it, the horses are not available,” he capitulated.
There was no missing the triumphant look on Fanny’s countenance as soon as she knew she had got her way. “What do you know, Miss Lizzy?” Fanny crowed. “The rain will begin once Jane has arrived, and then she will need to remain there until it has passed. No one will send her home on a horse in the rain.”
“But you are sanguine with sending her thither in the rain?” Elizabeth pointed out. “Papa, Mama, you both knowwhat Mr Jones told me when Janey had influenza. It is why I demanded he tell you directly.”
“Mr Jones said he suspected, not that he was certain,” Fanny rationalised. “Besides, no one dies from a trifling cold.” Fanny Bennet was not callous, she loved her daughters, especially Jane and Lydia, but she was driven by the fears of what would happen to them when Mr Bennet was called home to God and none of her daughters were married. Those fears and her belief she knew what needed to be done to catch a man, made her blind to the fact Jane and Mr Bingley were doing well on their own, without any of herencouragement.
“Yes, he could not be completely certain, but his suspicion was very strong.” Elizabeth turned to her father with a look of censure. “Would you truly trade some peace for Janey’s health, and possibly her life?”
Rather than call his second daughter out for rudeness, knowing what she had said regarding his reasons for giving in was accurate, Bennet said nothing and looked away. His wife looked very self-satisfied knowing she had won. He felt ashamed of himself for not standing up to Fanny, but not enough to override her.
“Jane, refuse to go, you know what the risks are,” Elizabeth pleaded.
“Lizzy, I will be well. I must follow the fifth commandment and not disobey my mother,” Jane responded. “As soon as Nellie is saddled, I will leave. That way I will get ahead of the rain.”
Elizabeth saw Jane was hiding a look of concern. She would have argued for longer; however the sooner Jane departed, the greater the chances of her arriving before the heavens opened. All Elizabeth could do now was pray He was watching over her sister and all would be well. She did not want to imagine living in a world in which Jane was not with her.
Not too many minutes later, Hill informed Miss Bennet the groom had reported Nellie was ready. Elizabeth accompanied Jane to the stables. Using the mounting block Jane seated herself in the saddle and with a winsome wave to her younger sister, she was off.
Her instinct had been to try and convince Jane not to go as soon as they were out of the company of their parents, but Jane had a look of determination. Elizabeth knew that look, and it would have led to an argument so she held her peace.
Nellie was well past her prime and did not go much above a slow trot, so at best, it would be more than a half hour before Jane arrived at Netherfield Park. Elizabeth looked up at the black, threatening clouds and was not at all confident Janey would arrive before the clouds released the water they were carrying.
Less than fifteen minutes later, when Elizabeth knew Jane and Nellie would only be about half of the way to their destination, the rain began. It was not a light rain, but a hard, driving deluge driven by the wind which had strengthened just before the liquid began to fall. Elizabeth felt a foreboding like she had never felt before in her life. She immediately began to berate herself for not arguing more forcefully on Janey’s behalf. She stopped herself as she realised who the true culprits were. She looked at her parents and scowled.
“If something happens to Jane because of your machinations,” Elizabeth looked at her mother and then changed her focus to her father, “or your refusal to stand up for my sister, I willneverforgive you!” She stormed out of the room knowing there was nothing she could do at that moment.
“I thought it would not rain until she arrived,” Fanny lamented.
“What will you do if our daughter gets ill, or worse, all in service of your matchmaking?” Bennet queried.
“She will be well, no one dies from a trifling cold.” Fannywas aware repeating that refrain was more to make herself feel better than anything else. Surely Jane would be well, she may catch a cold from being wet and cold, but Fanny assured herself her eldest daughter would recover, as she had each time she had had a cold before.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Within the first minute of the driving rain commencing, Jane had been soaked from head to toe, and thanks to the wind, she was feeling the biting cold down to her bones.
“Why oh why did I not listen to Lizzy?” Jane asked Nellie as she leaned forward and rubbed the old horse’s neck. Since the rain began, the mare had slowed to a walk so it would take even more time to reach Netherfield Park. It was already beyond the halfway mark so it was quicker to proceed rather than turn around and return home.
In addition, the wind was coming from her back, so had Jane wheeled Nellie and headed home, it would have been nigh on impossible to see ahead of herself riding into the wind. She did the only thing she could, she urged Nellie to the greatest speed the beast was able to attain. More than ten minutes later Jane guided the mare past the gateposts marking her arrival at Netherfield Park. From there, it was less than a mile to the manor house. She still felt like she was well, so the sooner she could change out of her soaked clothing, have a warm bath, and change into dry garments, the better.
If the footman on duty on the veranda was surprised to see someone arrive on horseback, he did not show it. He at least was dressed in oilskins and held a large umbrella, not that it would save Jane from the soaking she had experienced already. “Please have someone take Nellie to the stables so she is out of this rain, rubbed down, and fed,” Jane requested as the footman guided her towards the front doors.
The man nodded and promised the lady it would be so.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“I hope this rain does not stop Miss Bennet from arriving,” Miss Bingley stated while staring out of the window which was covered with the water running down it in volume. “I must interrogate her. I am sure she is biddable and will tell me what I need to know to direct Mr Darcy and Charles away from that ridiculous family of country bumpkins.”
“I am sure you are correct,” Mrs Hurst told her sister what she wanted to hear.
