Elizabeth arrived in Meryton at noon and hurried from the carriage, certain she would find all her family gathered in Mrs Phillips’s drawing room. She did not stop until she reached her aunt, who looked at her in surprise, then immediately took her into her arms without a word. Only then did Elizabeth realise that she was alone.
“Is Mama upstairs?” she asked impatiently. Now that she had arrived, she had only one wish: to embrace her dear ladies. It was only during the long, monotonous hours of the journey that she had realised how much she missed them.
“The carriage is waiting outside. Shall I ask Rose to bring down my trunks?” she continued, scarcely pausing for an answer.
At last, Mrs Phillips touched her cheek and gently compelled her to sit down.
“Has something else happened?” asked Elizabeth, suddenly alarmed.
Her aunt shook her head slightly and replied almost in a whisper, “They are not here.”
As Elizabeth attempted to rise again, Mrs Phillips caught her hand. “Be patient. I shall explain everything quickly.”
“The carriage? What am I to do with the carriage?” asked Elizabeth in agitation.
“It will wait for a few moments while we talk, and then we shall go together.”
“Go where? What is happening? Did something happen with—”
Mrs Phillips immediately placed a finger to her lips. It was not silence in general that she demanded, but silence regarding that particular name.
Only then did Elizabeth calm herself. Something had happened, certainly, but not something new or disastrous. The secrecy surrounding Lydia pleased her, and she forced herself to let her aunt speak, however impatient she was to see her family.
“Everyone is at Netherfield,” said Mrs Phillips at last, smiling at the astonishment upon Elizabeth’s face.
“At Netherfield?”
“Yes, though not in the way you imagine. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been a surprise awaiting you when you returned for Jane’s wedding.”
“A surprise?”
“Yes. Your mother has proved as resourceful during this crisis as she has always been in your household. When Mr Bingley proposed to Jane, the idea of renting Netherfield arose quite naturally.”
“Who rented Netherfield?” asked Elizabeth, still unable to believe it.
“Your mother rented Netherfield,” replied Mrs Phillips emphatically, as though she wished the entire house to hear her.
Elizabeth leaned heavily against the back of the sofa, uncertain whether to laugh or cry. The mystery was certainlystrange, yet not alarming, and if one momentarily forgot Lydia, it was almost comical.
“We shall walk to Netherfield,” continued Mrs Phillips. “The exercise will do you good after such a long journey.”
Elizabeth nodded, recognising one of the little ruses shared by the two sisters. Whenever there were matters that ought not to be overheard, they proposed a walk. They rarely concealed anything from the girls; it was the servants from whom secrets required protection.
Servants were often the quickest means by which a secret spread through the neighbourhood. Maids met at market, footmen courted servants from neighbouring houses, and before long, every household knew what was happening in every other. Her father had often called the servants the Meryton newspaper, for they seemed to know everything.
It was evident that Mrs Phillips had avoided the subject of Lydia while they remained indoors. Still, once outside, Elizabeth found the matter of Netherfield considerably more interesting.
“You said that Mama rented Netherfield?” she asked again after Mrs Phillips had sent the carriage ahead.
“Yes. Mr Bingley held the lease until August, and from September, Netherfield has been rented by your family for at least a year.”
“Good heavens!” exclaimed Elizabeth, her eyes filling with tears of gratitude. In the end, it might appear a reckless decision, for they had little money to spare, yet it was precisely what her family needed. Netherfield would restore their confidence and preserve their place in the community at a moment when both seemed in danger of being lost.
“Your mother decided it together with Jane and Mr Bingley. She rented the house, all of you will live there, and the newly married couple will remain as well until they establish themselves in London. Even Kitty will stay there afterher marriage, since the work at Longbourn will not yet be completed. They intended to wait until after Kitty’s wedding before moving, but Lydia’s foolishness changed everything. We thought it wiser to show the world that the family was prospering and to provide people with a more pleasant subject of conversation.”
“Yes, moving to Netherfield is certainly an important subject,” said Elizabeth, approving wholeheartedly of everything they had done in her absence.
“What news have you of Lydia?” she asked at last.
