“You have nothing for which to apologise, Miss Gardiner. You always behaved as a lady even in the face of Miss Bingley’s slings and arrows. Besides, her inept attempts amused me,” Darcy shared.
“Am I correct your sharing what she attempted with you led to Mr. Bingley’s rapid removal from the neighbourhood?” Elizabeth asked.
“Your supposition is correct. I could not in good conscience allow Bingley to be taken in by Mrs. Collins’s machinations,” Darcy stated, almost apologetically.
“What you did to protect your friend was laudable. I would hope if I were in a similar situation, one of my good friends would do the same for me,” Elizabeth stated.
“Lizzy, let us allow Mr. Darcy to go to his chambers and refresh himself,” Madeline Gardiner suggested, breaking the spell that had enveloped them as if they were the only two in the room. “Mrs. Nichols, who you may remember from your last sojourn in this house, will show you to your suite, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy followed the housekeeper out of the drawing room. “Lizzy,” Lady Elaine called. “Will you come sit with Uncle Reggie and me? There is some information I think you would be interested in hearing.”
Elizabeth sat down between the Earl and Countess with a quizzical look. “It is about Mrs. Collins and her behaviour at Hunsford,” Lord Reggie stated. The Gardiners as well as Mary and Kitty were paying rapt attention to the conversation.
“What has Mrs. Collins done now?” Elizabeth asked, expecting to hear about Jane’s bad behaviour.
“The information I am about to impart was received from my niece, Anne de Bourgh, some months ago. Uncle Reggie and I decided not to say anything to you, or anyone else, until we were sure what we were hearing was not done to try to fool people into thinking she had made changes in her character. It has been more than three months now, and Mrs. Collins seems more committed to her path rather than less so,” Lady Elaine related.
At first Elizabeth was sceptical, but the more she heard about the way Jane was helping the parishioners, she started to believe Jane might have made significant changes to her life.
Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie related how they had been sceptical at first and had advised Anne to give Mrs. Collins some money for her charitable works and see how fast the woman would be sporting a new wardrobe. Every penny, along with her own pin money, had been given to those in need. Mrs. Collins had not purchased a single item of clothing, or anything else, for herself.
They showed Elizabeth the letter from their niece. When Elizabeth saw Jane had contacted the diocese to relate what her husband was doing, even though if he were defrocked it would materially worsen her position in life, she started to accept Jane had made genuine changes.
Mary and Kitty confirmed Jane had not mentioned, or even hinted, at what she was doing in the parish. She was not looking for accolades. It seemed all the satisfaction she required was gained from helping others. It was particularly poignant when Elizabeth read a letter from Miss de Bourgh that related how Jane had taken the example of the sister she had betrayed so badly in being of service to others.
The fact Jane had been completely open and honest with Miss de Bourgh about her former behaviour spoke volumes to Elizabeth. Miss de Bourgh could have cast Jane off easily after her admissions, but it seemed to have strengthened the friendship between them. Jane had finally learnt it was better to give more than she took, and the meaning of true friendship.
This was a Jane who Elizabeth would have liked to have known.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At Elizabeth’s suggestion, Richard rode to the Hills’ cottage to speak to them. He had mentioned in Elizabeth’s hearing that it seemed like Mrs. Bennet had disappeared into thin air, and the men still searching had no clue where to look.
Elizabeth suggested he speak to the Hills, because they had been at the estate since before Mr. Bennet became master. It was this errand that brought him to their door now. If they could capture the woman without putting anyone in danger, so much the better.
Richard was welcomed warmly into the cottage and he and the older couple took seats in their comfortable sitting room. “Lizzy suggested I talk to you; she says the two of you know Longbourn far better than the master of the estate,” Richard stated.
“Aye, I would agree that is correct,” Mr. Hill allowed.
“We have searched everywhere we can think of, yet we have not found anywhere Mrs. Bennet could use as her temporary residence,” Richard told the Hills. “We are sure she is in the area as Longbourn’s cook reports that pies, rolls, and muffins are missing occasionally, taken from the spot she cools them on the windowsill.”
“You have searched all of the old cottages and the hunting lodge?” Mrs. Hill asked.
“More than once,” Richard replied.
Mr. Hill cogitated and went over a list of every structure on the estate. Then it hit him. “The old dower house,” Mr. Hill said.
“There is no such structure we have seen,” Richard stated as he scratched his head in confusion.
“Jenny dear, would you mind retrieving the map of the estate our former master gifted me,” Mr. Hill requested. Mrs. Hill returned in less than ten minutes with a rolled-up map. Mr. Hill unfurled the map and pointed at a spot a few hundred yards from the manor house.
“My goodness, Keith, you are correct.” Mrs. Hill turned to Mr. Fitzwilliam. “After the roof came down on top of the first floor the master could not be bothered to fix it. When the mistress asked why not, he told her she would not be able to buy new clothes for a year or more, so she dropped the subject. That was more than five years ago. There was always a stand of trees which made the dower house hard to spot, but now it has become overgrown all these years, it is nigh on impossible to see, even if one is close to it.”
Richard thanked the Hills for their help and with Mr. Hill’s permission borrowed the map and made his way back to the manor house.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy arrived in the drawing room at the same time Richard returned from his self-appointed errand to the Hills. Darcy needed to return to the room to make sure he had not been dreaming, that he had in fact seen and spoken to a still-single Elizabeth Gardiner.
