Page 17 of Darcy in Distress (Pride and Prejudice Variation #17)

Three days later

Elizabeth strode briskly down the path that skirted the southern border of Longbourn.

The weather had been dry of late, which meant that this path, always a quagmire after rain, was firm under foot.

The sky was blue, with a few misty clouds high overhead, and the sun shone with welcome exuberance.

The air itself was chilly but not cold. It was, in fact, a perfect autumn day, with birds chirping, brilliant scarlet and yellow leaves falling, and the occasional small animal scurrying through the underbrush next to the trail.

Elizabeth felt herself relax as she relished the beauty of the outdoors and the joy of vigorous exercise.

She adored tramping through the glories of God’s creation, and after yesterday and this morning – well, she would have gone quite mad if she had remained inside Longbourn much longer!

It was difficult enough that her mother was possibly pregnant and definitely feeling very ill.

In truth, the rest of the house was rendered calmer when Mrs. Bennet was confined to her bedroom, but Mrs. Bennet was a demanding personage at the best of times, and now she was even more taxing than usual.

Mrs. Hill, the housekeeper, could keep her calm, as could Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary – somewhat to Elizabeth’s surprise.

However, Mrs. Hill had plenty of her own duties and could not sit at her mistress’s bedside all day.

Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary had thus taken turns sitting with their mother as she moaned and retched.

Elizabeth truly pitied her mother’s discomfort and misery, but the older woman was not an easy patient.

Fortunately, two of the older maidservants, sisters Leah and Joanna, were scheduled to return to Longbourn this evening after a two week absence after the death of their mother.

They knew as well as anyone how to soothe Mrs. Bennet, and would assist in comforting the mistress of the house while Mrs. Hill and the eldest Misses Bennet oversaw Longbourn.

That did not solve the problem of Mr. Collins, of course.

All day yesterday, the man had been Elizabeth’s shadow, constantly speaking of Lady Catherine, of her condescension and kindness, and of his snug parsonage.

When he was not boasting of his situation in life, he spoke of Elizabeth’s beauty and liveliness in a way which was supposed to be complimentary but which made her skin crawl.

It was apparent that Mr. Collins had decided to pursue the second Miss Bennet instead of the third, and with everything else happening in the house, it was nearly intolerable.

Moreover, Mr. Bennet had disappeared into his library two mornings previously and had not even appeared for meals.

Elizabeth guessed, from past experience, that he was engaged in a fervor of literary effort.

He would often write slowly for a week or two, and then spend four or five days producing vast quantities of prose.

From a financial perspective, it was marvelous, but given the upheaval in the house, it was a poor time for the master of Longbourn to be even more distant than usual.

To the relief of all the sensible persons in the house, Mr. Collins had decided to accompany Lydia and Kitty to call on the Lucases. Elizabeth had taken care to hide in her mother’s room until he had departed, and then Jane had ordered her out for a long walk.

She had demurred briefly, but Jane, with unaccustomed determination, had told her that she and Mary were entirely capable of managing their mother and the household until evening, and that Elizabeth needed to spend some time walking before she went entirely mad.

Elizabeth smiled to herself; Jane was truly the kindest, most generous sister she could imagine, and she was incredibly thankful for her.

A moment later, she came to a halt and checked her watch.

To her surprise, she had been walking for half an hour and was now at the border of Longbourn and Netherfield.

She could see the neighboring mansion, standing on rising ground about a mile away, smoke rising from its many chimneys.

It was good to see Netherfield inhabited again.

“Miss Elizabeth!” a familiar voice called out .

Elizabeth turned to observe the five gentlemen of Netherfield, all mounted on horses, riding toward her. “Oh, good morning! How you startled me!”

“My apologies, Miss Elizabeth,” Bingley responded, swinging gracefully down from his horse. “I did not mean to do so. What brings you out here on such a chilly day?”

“I enjoy walking on chilly days,” Elizabeth explained with a smile. “I think this is a perfect temperature for vigorous exercise.”

“You walked here from Longbourn?” Mr. Hurst asked from atop his white and brown mare. “How extraordinary.”

“I enjoy walking very much,” Elizabeth said cheerfully. “Are you gentlemen making a tour of the estate?”

“Of the southern and western borders, yes, Miss Elizabeth,” Wickham said jovially, also dismounting and taking a few steps closer to her. “We intend to visit one of the tenant families, the Lanyons, and Hurst wishes to cast an eye over the northwestern wood with the pheasants.”

“I am very fond of hunting,” Hurst declared with something that approached enthusiasm.

“Mr. Bexley, who was master of Netherfield when I was a girl, always said that the estate’s covies were some of the best he had ever seen,” Elizabeth said.

“I am glad you are visiting the Lanyons, Mr. Bingley. They have had a hard time of it this last year, as the father broke his arm in a fall, and several of their sheep have died over the winter. Sheep are such very foolish creatures, and often seem to be seeking the quickest way to die!”

“You are very well informed about the Lanyons, Miss Elizabeth ... and about the foolishness of sheep,” Darcy said in an impressed tone, joining the small party on the ground.

“Oh, our tenants, the Garveys, are closely related to the Lanyons; Mr. Garvey’s sister married Mr. Lanyon. Our family has been assisting by bringing baskets of food to the Lanyons, and Mr. Garvey helps when he can, but of course he has his own farm and family to oversee.”

“That is very kind of you, to care for the tenants of a neighboring estate,” Darcy said, and Elizabeth looked up at him, rather startled by the fervency in his tone.

He, in turn, found his admiration for the lady growing even stronger.

It was rare for an unmarried gentleman’s daughter to care about the tenants of her own estate, much less those of neighboring lands.

Most young ladies of the haut ton spent their days learning accomplishments, visiting friends, and hoping for societal conquests.

Miss Elizabeth marched the grounds of the country and thought about the needs of the poor around her. What a remarkable woman !

Elizabeth blushed slightly at Darcy’s intent gaze and said, “Thank you. It is, as I am certain you know, difficult for the tenants when the master of the estate is absent. I am thankful you have settled here, Mr. Bingley. But please, I must not delay you any longer, gentlemen.”

“Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy said, taking another step closer, “I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Netherfield whenever you wish. My mother and sister both thoroughly enjoyed your company.”

“Oh, and I enjoyed their company as well, sir,” Elizabeth said, blushing even more. He really was very good looking, Mr. Darcy, along with being an intelligent and devoted friend, son, and brother.

“Until we meet again,” Darcy said and then smiled at Bingley. “Miss Elizabeth is correct; we must ride on if we are to return to Netherfield at a reasonable hour.”

The gentlemen all said their farewells, and Elizabeth watched as they remounted and rode onward. She waited until they were out of sight and then, with a small sigh, turned around, preparing to return to Longbourn.

A moment later, she turned back, her eyes crinkled in thought.

It was only a mile from here to the great house of Netherfield.

Mr. Collins and her younger, flighty sisters were at Lucas Lodge and would remain there for some time.

The land between her feet and the manor was dry enough after the spell of calm weather.

She could visit Lady Anne and Miss Darcy for half an hour and then return in time to sit with Mrs. Bennet before dinner.

She smiled and began striding briskly toward Netherfield.

/

“Georgiana, Mrs. Younge, that was delightful,” Lady Anne said, her slender face lighting up with pride.

“Thank you, Mama,” Georgiana answered, rising from the seat of the pianoforte where she and Mrs. Younge had been playing a duet of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. “I was so thankful to make it through that central portion!”

“You did very well,” Mrs. Younge said reassuringly.

“Thank you, Mrs. Younge.”

The butler stepped into the room and announced, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Lady Anne turned and beamed happily at their neighbor. “Oh, Miss Elizabeth, what a delightful surprise! Do please sit down! I did not see the carriage pass the windows, but then I was listening to the music. ”

“I can well understand that,” Elizabeth declared. “I heard the end of your duet as I came along the corridor. You are both very fine musicians.”

“Thank you,” Georgiana said, turning pink with embarrassed pleasure.

“In truth, I walked from Longbourn, so it is no surprise you did not see the carriage,” Elizabeth continued, taking a seat across from Lady Anne.

“You walked?” Georgiana asked in an awed tone. “It must be at least two miles!”

“It is closer to three,” Elizabeth said brightly, “but I am an inveterate walker, and the weather is very fine today. I met your brother and the other gentlemen of Netherfield at the corner of the two estates, and Mr. Darcy invited me to come and visit you any time I wished.”

“Oh, of course!” Lady Anne exclaimed. “We are always very pleased to see you. Priscilla! Priscilla! Do bring some tea and...”

She broke off as Mrs. Lockwood rushed into the room, her usually calm face contorted with fear.

“Lady Anne!” she gasped. “Lord Matlock just rode up to the mansion with at least two dozen men! My lady, you must hide, and Miss Darcy as well. ”

Her mistress paled in horror and leaped to her feet, her hands reaching out protectively toward Georgiana. “Yes, of course. Georgiana, you must run to your bedroom and hide ... hide under the bed. Whatever you hear, do not come out. Do you understand me?”

Both Georgiana and Elizabeth jumped to their feet and Elizabeth exclaimed, “Lady Anne, what is happening?”

“There is no time! Please, I beg of you, do not mention Miss Darcy’s presence here today. Please!”

Elizabeth was entirely confused, but the terror on Lady Anne’s face convinced her that she needed to set aside her bewildered curiosity. “Does Miss Darcy need to hide, Madam?”

“Yes, oh yes. She needs to...”

Lady Anne trailed off at the sound of the main door opening and a moment later, a loud, angry male voice emanated from the front vestibule.

“I have a better place to hide,” Elizabeth said quickly. “I used to play hiding games here when I was a child. Come Lady Anne and Miss Darcy – I will …”

“No, no, take Miss Darcy please, Miss Elizabeth. I cannot move quickly and I can delay my brother while you conceal my daughter. ”

“Mama!” Georgiana cried, her blue eyes filling with tears.

“No, my dear – if you love me, go!”

Elizabeth grasped the younger woman’s hand and pulled her urgently toward the door at the back of the music room, where a door led into one of the servant’s corridors. Lady Anne turned toward Mrs. Lockwood and Mrs. Younge and said, “We must detain my brother long enough that the girls can hide.”

Mrs. Lockwood nodded and gestured toward the fire. “Sit down there, Lady Anne, and pretend to be half asleep. Mrs. Younge, can you attempt to get to the stables and ride for help? Mr. Darcy and the others must be riding along the western edge of Netherfield.”

Mrs. Younge nodded and fled toward the door where Elizabeth and Georgiana had just departed.

Lady Anne lay back on a chaise lounge, eyes closed, with her vinaigrette at hand, and Mrs. Lockwood stoked up the fire before walking rapidly over to the door.

Just as she reached it, it swung open to reveal the rubicund face and portly form of the Earl of Matlock.

Lord Matlock pushed Mrs. Lockwood aside and strode forward to look down on Lady Anne, who opened her eyes and blinked feebly up at her brother.

“Anne,” the Earl said with grim satisfaction. “How wonderful to see you again.”