Elizabeth touched her younger sister’s shoulder. “Mary?”
Mary closed her eyes and nodded. Then, she looked at Jane. “Jane, you did tell Mr. and Mrs. Hill what Mr. Darcy warned us about, did you not?”
“I did. They said they would alert the rest of the servants.”
They all looked at each other and turned to go check on the servants. Mr. and Mrs. Hill met them outside the drawing room.
“Are you well?” Elizabeth asked them.
“Yes, Miss Lizzy. We are well. We were just coming to check on you ladies,” Mr. Hill said.
“We are fine. How are the servants? Is everyone accounted for?”
“Yes, everyone is accounted for, and there are no injuries,” Mr. Hill said.
“That is a relief,” Jane said.
“What a day it has been! Especially for you. You girls must be exhausted,” Mrs. Hill said.
“I do feel tired, but I could not sleep right now,” Mary said.
“I hate to sound like Mama, but my nerves would never allow me to sleep now either,” Elizabeth said. “Besides, I feel like I need to stay awake for a while and make sure this is truly over.”
“I understand. I think we could use some brandy with tea to calm all our nerves this night,” Mrs. Hill said. “How about you girls go up, change, and get comfortable? I will bring tea shortly.”
Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary looked at each other. They managed shaky smiles for Mrs. Hill’s sake.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hill. That sounds lovely,” Jane said.
It all happened so fast. One moment, Georgiana was asking him if he thought it was safe for her to retire to her bedchamber. The next moment, the roaring tornado was upon them. Darcy grabbed his sister and ran toward the servants' stairs. He looked behind him to see Bingley hurrying Mrs. Annesley after them. They took the servants' stairs down to the ground floor. Servants were running and screaming. The entire house seemed to shake from the force of the storm. The sound of the roaring winds got louder and louder, and there was a deafening whining sound, too. Georgiana screamed, and Darcy held her closer. They could hear things crashing and breaking on the floor above them. Then—it was over. The storm appeared to leave just as quickly as it had come. Darcy sighed in relief.
He looked at his sister. “Are you well? Are you injured?”
“No, I am not injured,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “Is it over, William?”
“I believe so, but we will remain cautious,” Darcy said. “Mrs. Annesley, Bingley, are you both well?”
“Yes, sir, I am well,” Mrs. Annesley replied.
“I am well, Darcy. Are you and Miss Darcy both well?” Bingley asked.
“Yes, we are . . . Bingley, even though the ground floor was most definitely the safest level from the storm, I do not know that it is still the safest place to be now that the storm has passed. This house was put under immense pressure from the tornado. It is possible the structure has been compromised.”
“You are right. The integrity of the house will need to be assessed. There is no guarantee we are even safe here for the night,” Bingley said.
“Exactly.”
Bingley turned away from them and called out loudly, “May I have your attention, please!”
As Bingley prepared to address the servants, Darcy began walking around the room, gathering oil lamps and candlesticks.
“Is everyone well? Are there any injuries?” Bingley asked.
The servants shook their heads. Mr. Oliver stepped forward and said, “Everyone is accounted for, and there are no injuries, Mr. Bingley.”
“Good, very good. I would like all of you to follow us up to the first floor now.”
Darcy had already given Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley candlesticks and an oil lamp. He now handed Bingley an oil lamp and also kept one for himself. Then they headed upstairs.
