Page 13 of Searching for Elizabeth (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

—morning—

Fitzwilliam Darcy felt fairly good. He had slept much better, and he was able to eat a substantial breakfast.

He rode to the same glade where he had kept his horse the afternoon before, and he looked carefully for the bent twigs that marked his passage. This time, as he hiked, he stayed on the wide horse trail past the first turnoff, and he followed a new, narrower footpath than the trail he had hiked the day before.

Of course, he carried the food packet, he memorized landmarks, such as they were, and he bent twigs along his new trail. After walking an hour and a half, he returned to his horse.

According to his pocketwatch, it was 10:30 in the morning. Too early to call on Miss Mary, but since he intended to question Mr. Hill first, he led his horse to Longbourn. After allowing the stable boy to take care of his horse, he looked around for the man.

Spotting him in the kitchen garden, Darcy approached, bowed slightly, and said, “Mr. Hill?”

“Yes, sir.”

The man put down his basket of weeds, wiped his hands on a rag, and exited the row he had been weeding.

When Darcy asked if Miss Elizabeth was home, a thunderous frown descended on the man’s face.

“I do not know where Miss Lizzy is, sir, but I know that she is not at Longbourn. I sorely hope that she fares well, because there is no better girl in the world!”

he declared.

Darcy said, “I am of like mind, sir. I know it is quite awful to ask a servant to gossip about the family, but I have been searching for Miss Elizabeth for several days, and I am feeling quite desperate to locate her so I can ensure that she is safe and, well, to help her if she needs it. When I spoke to her parents, her sisters, and even her Aunt Phillips, I believe that their responses indicated that some of them, at least, were lying, or perhaps guilty of some other wrongdoing. Is there something you can tell me that could help Miss Elizabeth?”

Mr. Hill studied him for a long moment. Darcy was used to being judged by his clothing, which was simple and sober, but which was made of the finest materials, exquisitely tailored and maintained. But Hill did not seem to even glance at his clothing. Instead, he just stared into Darcy’s eyes.

Seeming to come to a decision, Mr. Hill said, “I will tell you one thing, sir. I think there has been a terrible wrong done to Miss Lizzy by her mother. I heard one of those piercing sorts of yells that Mrs. Bennet is like to emit, and she was saying something about Miss Lizzy being thrown from the house in disgrace. When I asked my wife if Miss Lizzy had done aught wrong, she promised me that the girl is as virtuous and honest and fine as she ever was. My wife is mighty upset, sir, very like to want to quit Longbourn, but we are too old to go anywhere else or to get a new situation. We are stuck here, even if they did wrong to Miss Lizzy.”

Darcy shuddered; the idea that Elizabeth had been banished from her home had certainly crossed his mind, but it still struck him as almost unimaginably cruel. He wanted to throttle his beloved’s mother. And, likely, her father as well.

“Mr. Hill,”

Darcy said, taking several things out of his pockets, “this is my card, with my direction in London and Derbyshire. On the back is my lawyer’s direction in London. I am extremely grateful to you for this information, but I hope you and your wife will stay right here for now, because you are loyal friends to Miss Elizabeth, and she might need your help.”

Mr. Hill was just looking at the card, and Darcy pressed it into his hand. Then he brought up his other hand and gave the man five guineas.

“Here is some money for use in an emergency. Spend it on Miss Elizabeth if she needs anything, or, if you and your wife are let go, you can use the money for lodging and for sending an express to my lawyer. I will ensure you get a new situation if you are let go or if you choose to leave once Miss Elizabeth is located and safe. I do not want you to feel as though you are trapped here.”

Looking stunned, Mr. Hill did not move or respond even as Darcy bowed again and turned away.

It was still too early for polite calling hours, and Darcy did not want to fluster Mrs. Bennet. He wanted to be able to call on Miss Mary every day until he found Elizabeth.

But he had no compunction about doing the proper thing in regards to Miss Lucas. He decided to call on her and see if he could find out anything from the woman he believed to be Elizabeth’s particular friend.

When Darcy knocked on the door, he heard Lady Lucas call out “John? The door, if you please!”

A boy he judged to be thirteen or so opened the door, widened his eyes in surprise, and said, “Mr. Darcy!”

Darcy smiled. The fact that the boy knew his name, even though Darcy had never seen him before, pointed to the idea that the boy had been peeking down at his parents’ guests during the gathering at Lucas Lodge a month ago. Darcy well remembered doing the same thing when he was a youngster.

Darcy bowed and said, “Master John.”

The boy blushed but quickly bowed back.

Darcy asked, “I wonder if I could speak with your sister, Miss Charlotte Lucas.”

“Oh! Yes. Yes, sir. If you would follow me.”

Darcy soon found himself seated near Miss Lucas, sipping tea and turning down baked goods.

“I trust your family is well, Miss Lucas?”

he asked. After the words left his mouth, Lady Lucas bustled in, smiling and bowing before issuing the usual pleasantries. Less than a minute later, the younger Lucas daughter, Miss Maria, entered the room. Lady Lucas and Miss Maria sat together on the sofa. Darcy, of course, had to stand and bow each time a female entered the room, and he was relieved that they were all there now. He settled down with his tea again and politely answered Miss Lucas’s query about his health.

“Ladies, I have been rattling around by myself at Netherfield after Bingley and his family left for London. I decided to visit the local families; I went to Longbourn yesterday and am here today.”

Miss Lucas appeared to ignore the entirely unlikely insinuation that Darcy was lonely; she just nodded her head and said, “I imagine, Mr. Darcy, that it would be easier for you to fill your time if the Netherfield library were better outfitted.”

Darcy laughed, and everyone else literally startled in their seats. Had he never before laughed in their presence? He said, “I believe you are correct, madam. I am ready to indulge in all the gossip you can tell me. Did you hear about Mrs. Goulding’s maid?”

Miss Lucas laughed and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply, but Lady Lucas spoke first: “Mr. Darcy, have you heard that my daughter Charlotte is engaged to be married? Mr. Collins and she are betrothed.”

Darcy’s heart felt lighter, because he realized that Elizabeth could no longer be forced to marry the toadying parson.

“I had not heard that. I wish you joy, Miss Lucas, and may I say that Mr. Collins is a most fortunate man?”

Darcy allowed the ladies to talk more without his attempts to steer the conversation. He was invited to luncheon, and he noted that he would have time to eat and still get to the planned visit with Miss Mary. Thanking his hostess graciously, he ate sparingly, knowing that the family was not wealthy and had not planned on his visit. When he got up to leave, Miss Lucas looked hesitant but worried.

“Mr. Darcy, do you know how well Miss Elizabeth is doing?”

“No, Miss Lucas. I have not seen your friend since the ball.”

“Oh. You said that you called at Longbourn.”

“She was out. I never saw her.”

Darcy hesitated, wondering if she knew about Elizabeth’s banishment. He asked, “Do you have any reason to worry about Miss Elizabeth?”

Miss Lucas blushed, and Darcy guessed that perhaps her concern hinged on the fact that she knew, or guessed, that Mr. Collins had proposed to Elizabeth—and was refused—the same day that he had proposed to her. It would be rather humiliating, he decided.

Get used to being humiliated, some errant part of his brain said; luckily, that part was not connected to his mouth. Darcy was ashamed of the mean thought, but he was quite sure that being Mrs. Collins would be mortifying, at times, quite likely more often than not!

Miss Lucas claimed that she was not worried about Elizabeth in the least, and he bowed and left with one more round of thanks.

Soon he found himself in the Bennets’ parlor. He had asked to call on Miss Mary, but he was practically coerced to sit next to Miss Jane Bennet on a sofa. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees so he could talk more easily with Miss Mary. Darcy asked after everyone’s health but then addressed Miss Mary by name, telling her about the book he was currently reading, Sir Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake. Miss Mary replied that she would like to borrow it when he was done.

Darcy was half amused and half appalled that Miss Bennet and Mrs. Bennet repeatedly interrupted their conversation. He was pretty sure that Elizabeth’s mother was trying to encourage him to bestow his attention on Miss Bennet instead of Miss Mary, despite the fact that he was baldly demonstrating a preference for the latter. The fact that Miss Bennet seemed quite content to go along with the scheme confirmed what he had originally thought of Miss Bennet: her heart was not engaged with Bingley, although she had been happy to go along with her mother’s hopes for the match.

Deciding that it was time to try to consult with Miss Mary privately, he said, “Miss Mary, it is pleasant weather today, especially for November. Might I ask you to show me your family’s gardens?”

Miss Mary shot up immediately and, without asking her mother’s permission, said, “I should love to!”

She took his arm and led him out by way of the front entry, where they collected their gloves, outer layers, and headgear.

Darcy was laughing at Miss Mary’s haste, because she herded him out the door before he could put any of his outerwear on. But when he looked down at Miss Mary, he saw tears in her eyes. He quickly put on his great coat, top hat, and gloves, and when she was similarly girded against the brisk air, he led her away from the house, walking far enough for a private talk. There he stopped and turned to her.

“Miss Mary, you are upset. Did I….”

“My mother makes me so angry,”

Miss Mary interrupted him.

“I am sorry, Mr. Darcy, but just yesterday we were laughing that, if you called on me, my mother would be immediately pushing for a wedding, selecting a gown for me, and so forth. But now we know that that is not the case. Instead, she is determinedly pushing Jane at you. I just…. She just…. Oh, I could just scream!”

“I am sorry.”

Darcy did not know what to say.

“No, I am sorry. The important thing I need to tell you is that I could not get to Lizzy today. My mother has been…absolutely ranting at me about needlework and learning to pour out tea and practicing the pianoforte. And really, it is my fault that I did not get to Lizzy, because I woke up so much later than I meant to, so I could not leave before everyone got up. My father is vexed because he now knows that Lizzy did not go to my Aunt Phillips, and he is so certain that she instead went to my aunt and uncle in London….”

Darcy put a finger up, and Mary paused with one eyebrow raised in a questioning way. Darcy laughingly shook his head.

“You do remind me of Elizabeth,”

he said.

“Oh, apologies. I meant Miss Elizabeth.”

Mary’s mouth gaped, and she asked, “I do?”

Darcy nodded.

“Very much. There is something about the way you speak, your intelligence and humor, that one-eyebrow-lifted look, some of your expressions, your fierce and protective attitude when you see injustice.”

“But Lizzy is beautiful. I am ugly.”

Darcy said “No!”

so loudly that Mary jumped.

“Apologies again. First, I agree with you about

Miss Elizabeth; she is the most beautiful and appealing woman I have ever seen, bar none. That said, however, you are very pretty, too, especially when you smile.”

Mary looked just as shocked as before, but she finally pulled herself together and said.

“You lifted a finger, Mr. Darcy. Was there something you wished to ask or say?”

“Yes, thank you,”

Darcy replied.

“I gather that Miss Elizabeth did not go to London, correct?”

As usual, Mary just nodded. Darcy said, “However, I wondered if you would mind telling me your relatives’ names and perhaps their direction. I am hoping to help your sister, if I can, and to further get to know her, and, one day, to marry her. It occurs to me that it might be a good idea to know who her beloved aunt and uncle are.”

Instead of hesitating or denying his request for information, Mary promptly said, “Edward and Madeleine Gardiner, 10 Gracechurch Street, London.”

“Thank you,”

he said. He repeated the information silently, locking it into his memory

“Anyway,”

Mary said, “I am going to try very hard to wake up early tomorrow and take some food to Lizzy. I think she may run out of food tomorrow or the next day if I cannot get there tomorrow morning to replenish her supplies.”

Darcy frowned.

“If that happens, can you have Hill send her husband to Netherfield to alert me to the problem? I can get some food to her, if you tell me where the cottage is.”

Mary said, “I am sure I will wake up in time. I am determined.”

Darcy heard a woman calling, “Mary! Ma-a-a-ary!”

They started back to the house and saw that Miss Bennet had been the one calling them. She sweetly smiled, demurely looked down, then up at Darcy’s face, and then down again. She reached out and softly put her hand on his arm.

“Come, Mr. Darcy. My mother is quite desperate for you to stay for dinner, and she asked me to fetch you both.”

Clearly, Miss Bennet was flirting with him. Darcy felt like vomiting, which was likely not the reaction that Miss Bennet was hoping for. He could see with his rational brain that she was softer, sweeter, more genteel as well as more gentle, than Caroline Bingley. But in essentials, Darcy felt quite strongly that they were basically the same: motivated to act in whatever manner required to secure a rich husband.

He extricated his arm from her hand without a word and escorted Mary back into the parlor. Bowing to Mrs. Bennet, he made his excuses and left. He would not join a meal hosted by a woman who had evicted a young, innocent daughter from her home and family because she refused an offer of marriage. It would be shocking behavior from anyone, but it was positively disgusting that a mother would do this.

Darcy decided to take another long walk, searching for Elizabeth.