Page 7 of A Life Diverted
B efore they continued on to Hertfordshire the next morning, Bennet rented a horse from the inn and rode to the churches in the area. None of the rectors had heard about a family missing a daughter, and theirs was a small shire, so news of that kind was sure to be spread quickly.
Bennet returned to the inn and joined his family, little Elizabeth, and the governess for the morning meal.
It was later than he had wanted to depart, but when he spoke to Smithers, the coachman was confident they would reach Longbourn before dark.
Pursuant to the agreement with his wife, the girl would come with them and remain at Longbourn until her birth family claimed her.
Knowing they would depart early, Fanny had not allowed the filthy nightgown to be washed, as it would not have been dry in time. That would be done at Longbourn.
It was amusing to see the little mite in one of Jane’s dresses—she would have some dyed for Janie at Longbourn—before it was altered.
It billowed out on the floor around her legs.
The same maid who had assisted with the nightgown the previous night had been summoned, and she worked quickly to make a new hem.
Ellie, she reminded herself she needed to think of herself as Elizabeth, was glad the family to which Mama and Papa had given her seemed to want her to travel on with them.
When she had slept last night, she had dreamed of her parents and brothers.
She had seen the house in which she used to live and run around in and hide.
In addition, the castle which was her aunt’s home was in her dream, as were her cousins.
At some point, she had seen the kindly lady who lived at Pemble, and her son Will.
As she had picked at her meal, Elizabeth had told herself to stop thinking of the people who no longer wanted her. She fought a losing battle to stem the tears of sadness. The nice lady who had shared the chamber with her and Janie hugged her and wiped her eyes.
Miss Weasley had comforted the girl when Mrs Bennet had nodded for her to do so.
They did not want to overwhelm her which is why the mistress had not done so herself.
When they spoke after the girls had fallen asleep, it had been agreed that little Elizabeth would not be pushed to speak about her family until she seemed to be more ready for it.
During the night the little one had been dreaming and mentioned names which Miss Weasley had written down as she had been asked to.
At one point, there must have been a nightmare because of the way the girl had been thrashing about.
Anything she mentioned, other than faeries and pixies, was noted.
These notes would be important for the future, especially if her family did not come and claim her soon before her memories faded and disappeared altogether.
Before the meal, Miss Weasley had reported to Mrs Bennet. As neither of them knew what was real and what was just a dream, it was decided that whoever watched over the child at night would continue to write down anything she uttered in her sleep.
Before they left the inn, Fanny dressed Elizabeth in one of Jane’s older coats, which was thankfully a little smaller than the ones she wore now.
With Jane holding one hand, and Elizabeth the other—understandably tentatively—she led the girls to the carriage and handed each one up.
Fanny seated herself on the forward-facing bench with a girl on either side of her.
She watched as the governess and then her husband took their places on the opposite bench .
Bennet struck the ceiling of the cabin with his cane, and after a few jerks, the horses began to pull the conveyance with a much steadier motion.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By Monday hope that Ellie would be discovered on the estate was waning fast at Willowmere. The magistrate had opined that more likely than not the girl had disturbed the miscreant who was stealing, and that person or persons had spirited her away to protect his identity.
Sir Albus did not say it to Mr and Mrs Wendell, but he believed the poor girl was no longer in the mortal world.
He was aware the parents were hoping there would be a demand for a ransom, which they would happily pay, but the magistrate did not believe that was the case.
Thanks to his constable’s notes, he was confident none of the servants were complicit in her disappearance.
He did not look at or question any of Master David’s friends.
They had all been present when the girl was already missing, and the guilty party would not remain at the house.
Besides, except for the steward’s son, who had assisted in the search before he had been sent home, all of the other boys were related by blood or marriage.
Multiple servants he interviewed confirmed the boys’ attachment to the little sprite.
While the magistrate and constable continued to investigate at Willowmere, the men, along with men from surrounding estates, each with a footman riding with him, rode to all of the inns within thirty miles of Willowmere.
Darcy rode as far north as Dronfield. He was told that the former rector and his family had departed the area the day before Ellie was discovered to be missing.
In addition, the man and his family, which included a little girl who was older than Ellie, were much loved in the parish, who had been sorry to see them go.
Lord Matlock stopped at the inn outside of Matlock among others, like all of the ones before, there had been nothing of note told.
At that inn it was reported that a parson and his family, which included a girl, had been hosted for one night at the inn.
From descriptions of the girl, she was older, taller, and did not look anything like Ellie at all, so like all of the previous stops, this one was deemed a waste of time.
By the time the extremely fatigued men reached Willowmere that evening they had asked questions at many inns in Derbyshire and even a few in Staffordshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. Nothing of note had been reported.
Cards were left at each and every inn with a request to be notified if any information came to light. A reward was mentioned as motivation.
With not a single trace of his beloved daughter having been discovered, Wendell began to despair they would ever find her. When Cilla saw him that night, she burst into tears at the look of futility she saw in her husband’s countenance. “We cannot give up,” she sobbed.
“On the morrow, we will send notices to the Derbyshire papers offering a reward and even to the papers in some of the surrounding counties. That being said, my Dearest, we need to begin to accept the possibility we may never see her again.” As he said the last, tears fell.
The look of devastation he saw in his wife made his heart begin to break.
“We will never stop hoping and praying that Ellie is safe, that she will be returned to our arms one day.” Wendell paused as he gently held his wife’s head between his hands, so she was looking at his face and not the floor.
“No matter how distressful Ellie’s being missing is to us, we can never lose sight of the fact we have two sons who will need their parents, now more than ever.
However, like yours, my heart is breaking.
“Neither of us has the luxury of curling up in bed and withdrawing from the world in our sadness. We do not want to dishonour Ellie by abandoning David and Barney while we search for her, do we?”
As much as her heart ached, Cilla knew what Joseph said was nothing but the truth. She would have to continue being the mother her sons deserved, the one of whom Ellie would be able to be proud. Her self-indulgence must end. She had to be as strong as she could be for Joseph and her sons.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Dusk was falling by the time the carriage passed Longbourn’s gateposts with black fabric draped over them.
It was only about a half mile until the manor house came into view.
The beige Hertfordshire stone used on the facade of the house was already darkening as the lack of light began to dim the colour normally displayed.
The ivy climbing on the walls, which wound its way around the front door and windows, was indistinct in the fading light.
As expected, Bennet’s mother was not waiting outside to greet them. In her stead were the Hills, the couple who were the butler and housekeeper. They had begun at Longbourn a month or two before Bennet had left to take up the living at St John the Baptist’s Church in Dronfield.
Mr and Mrs Hill had expected one young girl to alight from the carriage, not two. They knew it was not their place to comment, so instead they welcomed the new master and mistress home.
“Jane, Elizabeth, and Miss Weasley, this is Mr and Mrs Hill, the butler and housekeeper of Longbourn. The girls are Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Rhonda Weasley is their governess,” Bennet introduced.
He had not omitted Elizabeth’s family name to try and pull the wool over the Hills’ eyes; it was simply that he did not know it, and he was not in a mood to explain the situation on the doorstep of the house.
“Welcome, master, mistress, and little misses,” Hill intoned as he bowed, and his wife curtsied. “Your mother will be greatly comforted to see you. She wanted to move to the dower house before you arrived, but my wife convinced her to wait until you and the new mistress reached Longbourn.”
“Mrs Hill, please show Miss Weasley and the girls to the nursery, and we will go to Mother Beth,” Fanny requested.
Elizabeth looked around, wondering if this was her new home. It did not look the same as the house she remembered, but she would get used to it. She renewed her vow never to hide away again. At least, the lady leading them up the stairs seemed very pleasant.
“Hill, where is my mother?” Bennet enquired.