Wickham had broken into the house. He had made it all the way to Georgiana’s bedchamber. Elizabeth had struck him with a fire poker, and Georgiana had broken his arm with a shovel.
Darcy was compelled to read the letter again, then a third time, for his mind could scarcely comprehend what he saw upon the page.
Elizabeth had been a guest in his home for nearly a week, and now she had returned to Hertfordshire to nurse her ailing father.
He remained seated, staring into the fire, striving to make sense of all that had occurred.
And what had she written about Wickham? He scanned the letter again. He was imprisoned in the Marshalsea, thanks to Kendall.
Kendall was a good man, dependable, decisive, and capable of acting without delay.
Darcy rose.
He would find his aunt and tell her he could not remain. He must return to London at once, to comfort his sister and to deal with Wickham.
Chapter 25: Transition
Lizzy stood at Jane’s door and tapped as quietly as she could. She leaned close to the wooden panel and listened. There was no sound. Perhaps Jane was already asleep. It had been an emotional day.
Then the door opened.
“Come in, Lizzy. You are still awake?”
“Why, Jane, it is only ten o’clock. This is my usual hour.”
Jane stepped aside to allow her sister to enter. “I thought it was much later. This has been the longest day of my life.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth answered, “it has been that for me as well.”
She stepped farther into the room.
“Jane, how do you go on? When you parted from Mr. Bingley, was his manner much altered? Do you suppose he is distancing himself, lest he give you too much power over his heart? Or perhaps he has retreated, fearing he might soon become irrevocably entangled by his very pointed attentions?”
Jane looked down at her hands.
“Oh, Lizzy, I have had all those same thoughts, but when I recall his dear face, there was nothing of coldness written there. There must be some mistake. He was so taken with me, and I with him. It was not one-sided.”
“No,” Elizabeth agreed, “I observed mutual affection.”
“I have written to Miss Darcy, and we shall hear from her within the week. If she does not mention the Bingleys herself, I willinquire more directly in my next letter. For now, all we can do is wait.” Elizabeth moved to her sister’s bed and perched upon the edge of the mattress.
“Jane, we have more practical considerations. Now that Mamma is no longer with us, perhaps we may economize a little and put aside some money toward dowries.”
Jane’s attention was engaged at once. “Yes, Lizzy, we might. We could economize on our meals. Our table need not be so lavish.”
“And for the next twelve months,” Elizabeth added, “we shall not entertain at all, since we are in full mourning, and there will be no one to impress. We can ask Papa to give us the money we save, and perhaps Uncle Edward will invest it for us.”
Jane added, “And Mamma will no longer be throwing away our money at the card parties Aunt Phillips and Lady Lucas were so fond of hosting. She was a dreadful gambler. The only certainty was that she would lose.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, “there is a saving in that alone. Jane, when I reflect that Papa might have restrained our mother from squandering money all these years, and might instead have secured proper dowries for us, I am overcome with outrage. I am grateful that Providence has seen fit to secure us, through Mary’s alliance with the heir, from being cast out to the hedgerows.”
Elizabeth stood abruptly and began to pace. “I will ask Papa for Mamma’s pin money and set it aside as well. We could put any money we collect into a separate account until we can give it to our uncle to invest. Uncle Phillips could arrange it for us, if Papa does not care to exert himself.”
Jane looked thoughtful. “Shall we be able to keep Kitty at home, rather than have her wandering the streets of Meryton and flirting with the militia?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth answered. “I will take her out with me when I visit the tenants, and Mary may remain here with you, seeing to the mending and darning. Kitty can be set to do other work as well. Our mother required nothing of the two youngest.”
“She indulged them dreadfully, Lizzy, but we shall conduct this house as we have always wished our mother had done. We shall live more respectably without Mamma and Lydia striving always to have everything their own way.”
