“Oh, Mary, you are being ridiculous,” Kitty said. “Mr. Nesbitt invites ridicule because of the gifts he sends. Is Jane supposed to whisper ‘Ginger’ in his ear or to discuss insects stuck in a piece of sap?”
“Resin! It is resin, not sap! There is a difference.”
“Mary, what has brought on this outburst?”
“Your lack of understanding has brought it on. Oh, you think you are able to recognize the value of a man. But if Mr. Bingley, your bright shining star, was so wonderful, why did he quit Netherfield without leaving you so much as a note? And you and Lizzy and Kitty thought so highly of Mr. Wickham, and now everyone in Meryton knows he is not a gentleman, but a seducer.”
“What are you talking about?” Kitty asked anxiously.
“Betsy Egger thought she was pregnant by Mr. Wickham, but then she found out she was not. But it was too late because she had already told her brother, and he is going to go to Brighton to find Mr. Wickham and beat him to within an inch of his life,” and Mary turned on her heels and left the room.
Jane now understood the reason for the harshness of Mary’s words. She was in love with Mr. Nesbitt. It was always Mary who sat with the pair during his visits, and it was Mary who showed an interest in all Mr. Nesbitt had to say. But she would have to talk to her sister later because now she wanted to know why Kitty had blanched when she had heard the news about Mr. Wickham, and she immediately went to her room.
“Kitty, what are you doing?”
“I received a letter from Lydia that I have not answered.”
“What did the letter say?”
“The usual.”
Jane crossed the room and faced her sister. “Kitty, I want to know if Lydia has seen George Wickham.”
“It would be possible as they are both in Brighton.”
“Let me rephrase the question. Do you know if Lydia has had any direct contact with George Wickham?”
“Oh, Jane! It was supposed to be a secret. Lydia wrote that she had had a falling-out with the Forsters, and they were sending her home. But, instead of coming back to Longbourn, she was going to elope with Mr. Wickham.”
“Good God!”
Jane nearly fell down the stairs in her efforts to get to her father as quickly as possible and entered his study without knocking. With his chair facing the window, Jane could see that her father was holding a letter.
“Jane, a post rider has just come with a letter from Colonel Forster.” In a state of total disbelief, he continued, “Apparently, Lydia has gone to Gretna Green with Mr. Wickham.”
It took three days for Jane’s letter to reach Elizabeth at the inn. While Lizzy was riding Sugar in the Peak District, her father had been on the road to London in hopes of finding his youngest daughter. Colonel Forster had come to Longbourn to inform the family that the couple had transferred to a hackney coach at Clapham, which meant they were going to London and not Gretna Green, where such marriages took place.
Because of the lateness of the hour, Lizzy did not read Jane’s letter until the morning. Once she acquainted her aunt and uncle with its alarming contents, Mr. Gardiner left to arrange for the carriage to be brought ’round immediately, and Mrs. Gardiner began packing everything as quickly as possible. Lizzy was writing a note to Mr. Darcy explaining that a family emergency had required their hasty departure when the servant announced him. When he first saw her, he thought she was ill because she was so pale, but then he saw her tear-stained cheeks and he went to her.
“What is the matter? Are you ill? Shall I send for a glass of wine?” Darcy asked. A few short hours ago, he had seen her smiling and happy, and he believed that all barriers to their coming together had been removed. But now something was very wrong. To his mind, the only news that could cause such unhappiness would be news of a death in the family.
“There is nothing the matter with me. I am just distressed by some dreadful news from Longbourn,” and Lizzy burst into tears. Taking her hand in his, he asked her to tell him what was causing her such anguish.
Lizzy did not want to say Wickham’s name because she knew the effect that it had had on Mr. Darcy in Kent, and this time would be no different. When she acquainted him with the particulars of the supposed elopement, he rose from his chair and stepped back as soon as he fully understood what Lydia had done.
“It is absolutely certain?”
“They left Brighton together on Sunday night and were traced almost to London.”
“What has been done to recover her?”
Lizzy shared all that she knew, but with each detail, Mr. Darcy seemed to withdraw further into himself. By the time she had finished, she knew he had already distanced himself from her in his mind, and after expressing his wishes that there might be a happier conclusion than there was at present reason to hope, he was gone. And with him went all of her hopes. There would be no visit by Mr. Darcy to Longbourn nor would he return to Netherfield Park with Mr. Bingley. His objections, so vigorously expressed at the parsonage regarding a union between them, had been validated, and by not making a second offer of marriage, he had escaped being bound to such a family. She had not the smallest hope of a different conclusion, and when her uncle returned to tell Lizzy and his wife that the carriage awaited, she felt as if she had fallen into a pool of despair and that there was no friendly hand to lift her out of it.
Chapter 39
Lord Fitzwilliam poked his head into the breakfast room and asked, “What are you all doing in here?”
“We are having breakfast, Antony,” Anne answered, gesturing for her cousin to join them. “Would you like Jackson to prepare a plate for you?”
“Just ham and a piece of bread will do. I rarely eat at this hour. By the way, what hour is it?”
“It is 9:00.”
“Good grief! What are you all doing out of bed? And where are my relations?”
“Will, Georgiana, Richard, and Mr. Bingley are riding on this beautiful morning. Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, and I do not ride, and Mr. Hurst is under the weather.”
“Where is that lovely creature with the black eyes? I didn’t run her off, did I?” Lord Fitzwilliam asked while taking the chair next to Mrs. Hurst.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner have returned to Hertfordshire, and their departure had nothing to do with you,” Anne reassured him.
“Well, that is a relief. It is too bad she has departed as I am very partial to dark-eyed women. I think my wife has brown eyes. I shall have to look next time I see her.”
“Antony, Lady Fitzwilliam has beautiful blue eyes, just like your daughters,” and with a puzzled expression she asked, “Do you know that your hair is standing straight up?”
“It always does,” he said, running his fingers through his blonde mane. “My man has invented some concoction that gets it to lie down. Hopefully, he will arrive today with my baggage.” Turning to Mrs. Hurst, he said, “You see, my brother, Colonel Fitzwilliam, inherited the good looks and the hair, and I got everything else.”
When Louisa started giggling, Lord Fitzwilliam knew he had found his audience.
“I know it sounds unfair, but Richard had to get something since he did not get any of the money.”
Louisa tried not to laugh, but the earl was funny. It had been such a long while since a man, including her husband, had paid her any notice. But her sister was looking at her from across the table, and she was anything but amused because today was to be her day.
This morning, Caroline had awoke with a smile on her face because, at long last, she would have an opportunity to spend time with Mr. Darcy. She anticipated long walks by the lake and private conversations about their future, and she took great pains with her toilette. Unlike her dark-haired rival, who could barely keep her curls in place, Caroline had long silky blond hair, which she wore with one long curl falling over her shoulder so that everyone could truly appreciate how beautiful her hair was. Unlike Miss Elizabeth’s two lumps of coal, she had crystal blue eyes, and before going downstairs, she had taken one last look in the mirror and liked what she saw. The equestrians came in shortly thereafter.