“Still abed, I expect,” Jane said with a gentle smile. “We were very late returning. I am surprised any of us are awake.”
“Lizzy will need her rest,” Mrs. Bennet said archly. “Mr. Collins already spoke with your father. She will want to look her best when she receives his addresses.”
Mary concentrated on buttering her toast, saying nothing. Beside her, Jane frowned.
“Mama, I am not certain Lizzy wishes to receive an offer from Mr. Collins,” Jane said carefully. “She has not seemed particularly pleased by his attentions.”
“Nonsense!” Mrs. Bennet waved a hand dismissively. “Lizzy has always been too particular. It is past time she accepted reality. Mr. Collins is a respectable man with a good living, and he will inherit this very estate when your father passes. What more could she want?”
“Love, perhaps?” Kitty suggested.
Mrs. Bennet laughed. “Love! Kitty, you read too many novels. Love is all well and good, but security is far more important. Your father has spoken to Mr. Collins, and the matter is done. Lizzy will accept him, or she will find herself in a very difficult position indeed.”
Mary said nothing, but her hand tightened around her teacup.Poor Lizzy.No wonder she had fled.
The day wore on. Lydia eventually stumbled down the stairs, still yawning. Mr. Bennet emerged from his library long enough to break his fast, though he said little and returned to his sanctuary as soon as he had finished eating.
Mary waited. Ten o’clock passed, then half past. She excused herself from the drawing room, where her mother and sisters were discussing the minutiae of the ball, and slipped upstairs.
In her chamber, she removed her morning dress and donned Elizabeth’s walking clothes. The gown was slightly too long—Elizabeth was taller—but Mary tucked and pinned until it appeared passable. She put on the pelisse and bonnet, then studied herself in the mirror.
With the bonnet shading her face and Elizabeth’s confident bearing, it might work. It must work.
Mary took a deep breath, stiffened her spine, and adopted the purposeful stride that was so characteristic of her second sister. She descended the servants’ stairs, hoping to avoid notice, but as she passed the kitchen, she heard Cook’s voice.
“Oh, Miss Elizabeth! Off for your morning walk, I see. You must be exhausted after the ball.”
Mary did not turn around, merely raised a hand in acknowledgment, and continued walking. She kept up a brisk pace, her posture erect, moving through the garden and toward the path that led to Oakham Mount.
She walked past the window where she knew Mrs. Hill would be posting receipts, past where the gardener was pruning roses. Neither paid her particular attention—just Miss Elizabeth, taking her customary morning exercise.
“Mrs. Bennet! Mrs. Bennet!” Mrs. Hill’s voice called out. “I have just seen Miss Elizabeth going out for a walk!”
Mary heard her mother’s response, tart with displeasure. “A walk? At this hour? After being out all night? The girl has no sense! When she returns, send her to me at once. She needs to prepare to receive Mr. Collins.”
Mary allowed herself a small smile. The first part of the plan had worked. She only needed to wait for the inevitable discovery.
When she was well away from the house, hidden by a bend in the path, Mary removed the bonnet and pelisse, rolling them into a bundle. She left the path and circled back through the woods, approaching Longbourn from a different direction.
She entered through a side door and hurried up the stairs to her chamber, where she quickly changed back into her own dress. She hung Elizabeth’s walking clothes once more, then positioned herself at the window, waiting.
An hour passed. Then two. Mrs. Bennet sent Mary to Elizabeth’s chamber.
“She is not in her room, Mama,” Mary reported, her voice calm.
“What?” Mrs. Bennet’s voice rose to a screech. “Not in her room? But Mrs. Hill saw her walking this morning!”
“Indeed, I did, ma’am,” the housekeeper said. “Not two hours ago. She was headed toward Oakham Mount, as is her custom.”
“Then where is she?” Mrs. Bennet turned to Jane. “Goand find your sister at once. Tell her Mr. Collins will want to speak to her.”
Jane rose reluctantly and went to fetch her spencer and bonnet. Mary watched from the window as her eldest sister set off down the path toward Oakham Mount.
More time passed. By the time Jane returned to Longbourn, Mr. Bennet had been summoned from his library. Mr. Collins, who slept the latest, was increasingly agitated.
Mr. Bennet was genuinely concerned now. “Jane, you found no trace of her?"
“None, Papa,” Jane said. Her fingers were fisted in her skirt. “I am deeply concerned.”
