Darcy started to consider his course, and was somewhat startled when Jane said, “Fitzwilliam?”
“Yes.”
“If you are travelling north, there is some small chance you might stumble into Lizzy. Let me send some letters with you for her.”
“Letters?”
“Yes, all the sisters have written pleading your case. Of course, Lydia’s is but a single paragraph with the word ‘bacon-brain’ used three times, but every bit helps.”
Darcy laughed, appreciating the lady. He had to admit thatsomeman was going to be very lucky to win her hand one day, and he dearly hoped to be there to witness it.
Anne joined them and Jane had a whispered conversation to apprise her of events, while Darcy opened the note from Lady Matlock, which he had almost forgotten.
Both heard Darcy gasp when he read the letter, and then he started laughing uproariously.
Both ladies looked at him quizzically. “Well, that is classic. Miss Elizabeth was at Matlock a fortnight ago. She is travelling with a wool broker named Wythe, who is well known to my uncle, and—”
His countenance darkened, and then he gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
Anne asked, “Fitzwilliam?”
“It appears, and I must quote my aunt,‘I have some explaining to do.’She would have invited Elizabeth to tea and interrogated her. She cannot help herself.”
Jane regarded him oddly, so he continued. “Well, the‘explaining’part is that my aunt apparently mentioned Richard and myself, and your sister nearly gnashed her teeth in consternation, but would not explain why. All my aunt is certain of is that somehow Elizabeth was injured, and it was obviously Richard’s and my fault.”
Anne replied smugly. “Astute woman, our aunt! You cannot claim she was wrong.”
“Not at all. She was right, as usual.”
Everyone looked down a bit in consternation, but then Darcy laughed. “I know exactly where Miss Elizabeth was a fortnight ago.”
“A fortnight. How far could she possibly have gone? You must go to Derbyshire and see if you can find her. I doubt this Mr Wythe is invisible and untraceable.”
Darcy nodded, smiling broadly.
Jane wondered why Lizzy had not written to her, but assumed she wanted to keep her trail secret until her birthday, which was both sensible and stupid—typical Lizzy.
Anne said, “Take us with you. If she returns, Mr Bennet will make your case, or at least call for you. Perhaps leave Harry here as a messenger? Leave her that five-page letter you have been working on for a month.”
Darcy nodded thoughtfully. “That is a sound notion. I cannot take everyone, but how about Ellen Taylor, you, and Jane. I am not certain I would survive my next encounter with Breton without Ellen anyway.”
“We will be ready at first light.”
Family Wing
Elizabeth Bennet awoke at seven as usual on her twenty-first birthday.
She had spent the three days since what they all euphemistically calledthe first sister incidentin the blue parlour in tremendous bouts of reflection between duties. Mr Darcy, while still quite confusing, seemed to be losing a good deal of her animosity. Perhaps the hole he had dug for himself was down to the size of Netherfield, and their first meeting could even reduce it to the size of Longbourn.
She had to sheepishly admit that most of his worst sins were seen by her through a prism of prejudice provoked by one ill-mannered remark that would have been commonplace in Longbourn.
Elizabeth began to form a hypothesis that the duties of a mistress would expand to include everything she was willing to accept. She noticed a lot of things coming to her attention that should have been settled by someone else. Consequently, she started deflecting matters back down to the people who should have dealt with them in the first place. Lady Matlock noticed the change and smiled approval the first time she saw Elizabeth gently chide a footman, telling him he was an intelligent man who had been in the house more than a decade longer than her, and he should be able to use a bit of initiative.
Stewart brought her breakfast as usual, and the kitchen seemed to know just what she wanted on any particular day. Elizabeth had no idea how they managed it, since she did not know what she wanted when she arose. She imagined she had unconsciously decided on a policy of wanting whatever was on the tray so she would have one decision removed from her purview.
After breakfast, she bathed and was fitted for yet another dress, as usual. Stewart had tried to suggest anewdress might be the thing, but Elizabeth suppressed that idea as hard as she could. While she was perfectly willing to act as mistress until Mr Darcy returned, she expected his return any day.
Mr Breton had told her that, based on the weather, the express had likely been delayed by at least two days, and the only thing the master would know of was the measles, and he would not even know the butler was laid low. By then however, he should have caught up with the gentleman wherever Mr Darcy was—most likely Longbourn—and the master was almost certainly on his way. Breton’s best guess was that they were two days from his arrival.
