“I will try to sleep,” he murmured.
Elizabeth hesitated. “May I write to Uncle Edward? And I have to tell Aunt Phillips as well.”
“Lizzy,” he said wearily, “we are under quarantine. You may deliver a note, but you are not to enter the house. Dr. Edgerton has given strict orders.”
“Yes. I understand. I must send a note to the cabinet maker for a coffin and one to the rector, to prepare for the graveside service.”
“Ask your Uncle Phillips to notify the rector and the cabinet maker,” he instructed.
“Yes, sir.”
The two sisters left his room and stood in the dark hall.
“Mary,” Elizabeth said, “you should attend Mr. Collins, and see to Kitty. She must be told. I am going downstairs to write instructions for the rector and the cabinet maker, and to prepare an express for Uncle Edward. Then I will walk into Meryton to seek assistance from Uncle Phillips.”
Mary did not move, and her eyes were cast down. She spoke in a whisper. “Lizzy… now Mamma can no longer force Jane to marry Mr. Goulding.”
Elizabeth stared at her for a long moment. “Yes, that is true. Nor can she squander our pin money upon Lydia’s whims.”
Mary added in a whisper. “It will be much quieter here without her.”
Elizabeth only nodded, unable to deny it. “It will be a great relief to be free from her machinations. I think that in a few days we shall begin to understand what we have lost in losing our mother. But just now, I feel relief and guilt for not feeling pain.”
“So do I, Lizzy.”
Mrs. Hill entered the darkened room. “Miss Lizzy, I have been looking everywhere for you. May I prepare your mother’s body for burial yet?”
Elizabeth rose. “Yes, please do. Mamma always said she was saving her wedding gown for when the time came. Do you know where it is? Would she even fit into it after all these years?”
Mrs. Hill’s expression softened. “Oh yes, my girl. It hangs in her dressing room, and she most certainly will fit into it. Even at forty, she was still a comely, attractive woman.”
She added gently, “It is a beautiful sapphire blue, and it matched her eyes exactly.”
“Then please do what must be done,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I am going to write a note to Dr. Edgerton. Perhaps he will allow our neighbors to pay their respects if we lay her in the front parlor and leave the doors and windows open.”
Mrs. Hill nodded. “I have already stopped all the clocks in the main rooms, and I have covered the mirrors with crepe, except the large one. Mr. Hill and the stable boy took that one down and turned it toward the wall.”
She lifted her arm, and the sisters saw the black crepe wreath she held. “I am going to hang this upon one of the pillars at the main entrance. Miss Lizzy, shall I send for three black dresses and veils for you girls?”
“Yes, Hill. I have seen mourning gowns at the haberdashery, though I never expected to wear one until I was much older. Purchase a black armband for my father as well. He is too weak to attend the funeral, but later, when he recovers, he will have need of it.”
“Yes, my girl. I will see to it.”
“And I must see to the preparations.” Elizabeth excused herself, then went directly to a little writing desk in the back parlor and wrote out all her notes of instruction, ending at last with the letter to her uncle.
Elizabeth’s Note to Uncle Gardiner
April 7, 1811
Dear Uncle Edward,
We have suffered a terrible loss. Mamma fell ill with influenza, and last night she passed in her sleep. We will have a viewing and burial the day after tomorrow.
Papa remains in his bed, but both he and the rector are recovering slowly. If you are able, please bring Jane and Lydia to see their mother one last time. They mustpurchase black mourning dresses in town, for we do not have any on hand. You must not plan to spend the night, as the house remains under quarantine.
With love,
Lizzy
