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“Good God! Lizzy! Did you think I would allow you to leave my house under these circumstances? If you worry about what my husband might say, then I can speak for him. He will mirror my thoughts; your safety and welfare are our priorities.”

“I cannot stay here; please understand. I cannot be a burden to you.”

“You will never be a burden to me. You must stay with us.”

“But I need to find my living. I want to employ myself somewhere and divert my mind from this misery.”

Charlotte looked at her in dismay.

“I must wait for my uncle and aunt to return. They must know the truth. Charlotte, can you please help me find employment?”

“If that is what you wish, I will. But promise me that you will wait until we find a decent household for you to stay with.”

“I am lucky to have you, and I do not know what would have become of me if you were not here.”

Charlotte’s husband was a wealthy merchant. He returned by evening, and Elizabeth was apprehensive about meeting him.

What must they think of me? Running away from home and asking them for such assistance.

However, just like Charlotte, her husband, Mr. Davis, was very welcoming towards Elizabeth.

When he learned of the particulars, he was angry with the Bennets. He assured Elizabeth of all future assistance and protection that she would need.

“There has not been a single day in which Charlotte has not mentioned your friendship, Miss Elizabeth. We will be happy to assist you in every way. Do not worry about anything, as no one can harm you here. I am glad you thought of us in such a time of distress. It speaks volumes about your friendship,” he said, looking at his wife, and Charlotte was proud of him.

And now, Elizabeth relived the happenings of the day in bed.

This was the first night she had spent away from Longbourn in all the years of her life.

She wondered what was happening there and was afraid that her father might come looking for her. Finally, she went to sleep, hoping against hope that she had made the right decision.

***

The next morning, Longbourn was chaotic. Lady Lucas and Sir William arrived, hearing about Elizabeth’s disappearance, and Mrs. Bennet did not make an effort to be civil.

“My dear Mrs. Bennet, what a dreadful affair? I cannot believe she has been missing since yesterday. You should have called for our assistance.”

“Whatever is needed is being done, and we do not need any help at the moment.”

“But where could she be? Do none of her sisters know anything?” Sir William asked with genuine concern.

“No, we don’t,” Jane replied without care.

“Could this be an abduction?” Sir William asked.

No one replied, and Mr. Bennet knew that whatever had happened to Elizabeth was because of them. They were responsible for her decision.

Some other neighbors came to visit the Bennets and slowly, Mrs. Bennet understood that Elizabeth’s disappearance would bring shame to their family and did not know what to do.

Mr. Collins was enraged by the developments and wanted to settle the matter once and for all. He entered the library to find Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in a worried state.

“Do not mistake me to have come here to console you. I cannot fathom what has happened to her, and the truth is, I do not care now. I should have never pursued such a characterless woman like her. My sole purpose for this visit was to marry one of your daughters, and you must be grateful that I still intend to. My patroness would be enraged beyond measure if I were to return without a bride. Mrs. Bennet, you lied by saying that your eldest daughter is to be engaged. As far as I can see, no one is courting her. So, I will marry her and leave,” he said with a look of resolve.

Mrs. Bennet stared at him wide-eyed in shock.

“That is not possible. We promised you Elizabeth, not Jane.”

“What matters to you is the future of your family. Longbourn will be yours only if I marry one of your daughters. I will marry Jane Bennet as I am no longer interested in marrying a woman who has spent a night away from her home, even if she is to return today.”

“She will be found, and you will marry her,” Mrs. Bennet cried in vain.

“I will not; I want to marry the eldest,” he said firmly.

Mr. Bennet walked close to him.

“I have no intention of allowing you to marry her. Do not dare to bring this topic up again,” he said firmly.

“You forget that you are not in a position to deny me. Your estate is in a poor state, and you have no money. Imagine the aftermath of your demise; your family will become beggars. Do you want that to happen? If I marry her, all your troubles will be resolved, and Longbourn will belong to your family even after your death,” he said.

Mr. Bennet was enraged and could not process the thought of his daughter marrying such a man.

“You forget that I am still alive. Do not think you can threaten me like this in my house. You will not talk about marrying Jane again. Am I clear?”

“You have no choice. Do you want your family to suffer?

How long do you think you can live? Arrange for our wedding now.

You must be happy that I am tempted by this one, as I am certain none of your other daughters would entice a man like me with their plain looks.

My patroness once said, “My dear Mr. Collins, none will satisfy a man in the marriage bed like a woman who is beautiful and tender in her manners. That is why I chose your eldest now. I cannot begin to imagine being married to the younger ones, even though Miss Lydia Bennet seems...”

Before he could complete his words, Mr. Bennet pounced on the parson and struck him hard in his face.

“How dare you talk this way about my daughters?”

“No!” Mrs. Bennet cried, trying to stop him.

“What makes you angry, old man? You and your wife wanted me to compromise your daughter. What standards do you have to get enraged at me now?”

“Be quiet! Get out of my house now.”

“Mr. Bennet, do not be hasty and think about the future. I apologize, Mr. Collins,” she said, trying to assist the man.

“How dare you? Be assured that I will be waiting earnestly to throw you and your daughters out of this house once your husband is dead,” he cried with spite and left the room.

Mr. Bennet was still fuming with anger.

He was already in a foul mood with Elizabeth’s disappearance and could not digest the words of Mr. Collins. He finally realized that the man had lower standards than he had ever judged.

“Now what? Look what you have done,” Mrs. Bennet yelled at her husband.

“What have I done? I have done everything according to your wish. You run a household with such skills that she ran away without the slightest trace. But I know where she is; she must have gone to Charlotte. I know they are still in correspondence.”

“Oh! Pish! Do you think that woman would welcome her friend who ran away from home? She is conniving as her mother. She would have chased the chit out, and she deserves it. I don’t think that girl has it in her to travel to town on her own. I bet she is dead under the mount somewhere.”

“Enough! Leave me alone,” he said. He decided to send a servant to town to enquire about Elizabeth.

He poured a glass of whiskey and stared into the fireplace, and shut his eyes tight, unable to understand what he had done wrong in his life.

He always wanted to raise and love Elizabeth as his own child, but he could never forget the past and the torture he had experienced until he married Fanny Bennet.

All he wanted at present was to secure his family’s future, but everything had fallen apart.

He spent the entire night in the library and heard a commotion in the hallway the next morning.

He was certain that Mr. Collins was leaving.

Good riddance! Had he not come to Longbourn, none of this would have happened. What happened to Elizabeth? Is she dead? Or did she run away?

Many miles away, Elizabeth sat in the breakfast parlor with her friend, not knowing if she would ever see her family again.