Chapter 21
Darcy sat so long in one position that his legs cramped. He struggled to stand once the lowered voices of those awake increased enough to signal him that the room was rousing. With the jab of his elbow, his cousin woke ready for action. Reaching forward, he asked a footman to light a few more candles.
“Bingley, are you ready for a new day yet?” Darcy was hoping his friend was not suffering from his overindulgence with the wine. His host approached after stumbling over the feet of those who remained asleep.
“Mighty unusual circumstances to conclude my first ball, Darcy.” Glancing around, he noted the addition of the ladies. “Uh, I beg your pardon, but where are we supposed to…uh, you know.”
Without hesitation, he replied, “Your sisters have taken up residence in the stillroom, which was set aside for personal use. Before you can take advantage, you will need to rouse them from their perch, that is, after you determine that the kitchen is safe enough. If not, we will need to blanket off a corner of the room and use whatever is available here.”
Bingley’s blush could have lit the cellar. “Ah, yes. Well. I shall need to do something about this…and quickly.”
Before Richard could smirk at Darcy, Bingley was back. “Say, the kitchen is in a terrible state. The fire is out, and the water buckets are all tipped over, so the floor is wet from one end of the kitchen to the other. Why, had there not been a threshold on the cellar entryway the water would have run down into here too. We are mighty fortunate, we are.”
“Yes, while you slept, the storm turned. The ladies had to shelter in the narrow corridor between the kitchen and dining room, sitting on the floor before it abated enough for them to seek protection here.”
Slapping his forehead, Bingley said, “I cannot believe that I slept in the comfort of the chair while Miss Bennet was in danger. What sort of gentleman does she think me to be?”
“I hardly know.” Darcy asked, “Where are your sisters now? Everyone here will need to visit the stillroom.”
“Oh, them?” Bingley fluttered his hand in the air. “They are in the kitchen trying to get tea from Cook. They intend to return to their chambers to have their maid pack for immediate return to London. I have business in Town, so I will escort them. Perhaps once I return, we can do a spot of hunting for fresh meat on the table.”
Darcy spoke slowly. “Bingley, I doubt you still have a table that remains upright. I also doubt you will be able to convince a maid to go upstairs until after the storm blows itself out. If Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley are able to reach their rooms, there is no guaranteeing the condition of their belongings.”
Bingley paled. Shaking his head back and forth as if trying to clear the fog, he said, “If it blew this fierce here, I wonder what has happened to areas closer to the sea, like London.”
“We cannot know. The storm that hit England in 1703 almost completely leveled London and its surroundings. Survival is paramount, my friend. Traveling with the instability of the wind is unsafe. My recommendation is that you remain here until we know the storm has passed. Additionally, I would think you should try to stop them from rambling about in the house. It is unsafe.”
With drooping shoulders and his chin almost to his chest, Bingley said, “This shall be a disappointment to my sisters. They will be unbearable until they are able to leave Hertfordshire.”
“Which is yours and Mr. Hurst’s problem to manage, Bingley. For now, Richard and I shall take advantage of their being gone from the stillroom. Then, we will direct others there until we are all made more comfortable. I am afraid your sisters abdicated their right to the room by their departure.”
Bingley nodded.
Once Darcy and Richard topped the stairs and opened the door to the kitchen, they understood Bingley’s distress. Everything that had been on the shelves or benches was piled against the wall leading to the dining room. Chairs were tossed about like twigs. None of the glass remained in the windows. The folded window curtains the ladies fashioned were in tatters. The massively heavy table was on its side. The back door was lodged in the opening of the fireplace.
Picking their way to the stillroom, Richard noted, “The wind has quieted.”
“For how long?” Darcy set one of the chairs upright. “I suspect that each of Bingley’s guests will seek to return to their homes. If you would check the stables, I will hurry to the dower house to see how the musicians, any tenants, and the rest of the servants do. I shall return as quickly as possible in case the wind whips itself into a frenzy again.”
Darcy shouted down the stairs to his valet. “Pray escort Mrs. Hammond up the stairs. Richard and I, along with the rest of the men, will check the outbuildings to see how the others fared.”
If they thought the kitchen was in bad shape, both men were speechless at the damage to the outside of the building. Some of the exterior walls were mangled, and the slate roofing scattered all over the lawn. The roof of the stable was completely gone, leaving no protection for the men or animals from the rain and hail that fell during the night.
Darcy’s coachman approached, looking decidedly worse for wear.
“Sir, the animals were spooked when the roof blew off, but we were able to keep them in their stalls. I’d wedged your carriage between six others. Yours is only one of two still upright, though it spun sometime during the storm until it faced south instead of north. Even the glass in the windows survived unscathed.”
“Thank you, Dodson.” He shaded his eyes, surveying the landscape. “See what you can do to help the others.”
“Aye, sir.”
Walking the pathway to the dower house, Darcy needed to step around various obstacles in his way. Upon first notice, the brick house was still intact. With the exception of one of the windows in the corner of the building, glass remained in each window. The front door was fastened to the jamb. Before he could knock, the door flew open. An older man with his wife pressed against his back and children at his side asked after Darcy’s welfare. Darcy then asked after theirs.
“We be almost thirty of us inside. During the night, we huddled in one of the corridors. Truth be told, it seems like the winds barely swirled around us compared to that.” He pointed to the main house.
Darcy looked back, shaking his head at the destruction, for the once lovely house looked like a wrinkled old woman whose eyes were sunken in their sockets, and her hat was askew. Netherfield was no longer fit for habitation.
“How do you fare?” he asked the tenant farmer.
“We are well enough. The musicians played all night, keeping us distracted from the wind. Jones and Simpson went out about thirty minutes ago to check our farms to see if it’s wise to return. They’ve just returned. They found that some of the cottages are leveled to the ground while others look like they barely got any wind. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the destruction. Already, several of the families have returned to see if they can track down their animals and if their walls are still standing. Others of us choose to wait where we know it is safer until we are certain the storm has passed. Right now, there’s blue sky above us. To the east and south, it’s still as dark as coal. I’ll not be risking me family for curiosity’s sake.”
Grateful to speak with a man of similar thoughts, Darcy asked, “Do you have enough provisions to remain a few days?”
“Aye, we do. Quick as a minute, our wives gathered what was available in our blankets before leaving our cottages, so we are set if we are careful.”
“Good. I imagine Cook is already trying to salvage what she can. Whatever she finds, we will share.”
“I thank ye, sir.”
After departing the dower house, Darcy circled the yard to see how stable the rest of the main house was. It was devastating to see a large gaping hole where the ballroom was. Pieces of crystal from the chandelier sparkled in the grass when the sun’s rays hit them. Bending down, Darcy picked up a broken bow from one of the musicians” violins. There was no evidence of where the rest of the instrument was located.
Hailstones the size of his fists dotted the ground. Derbyshire had its fair share of hailstorms each winter where the danger to humans and animals caught up in the downpour was often fatal. As it was, the stately oaks lining the pond in front of the house were broken and bent, with limbs lying in every direction. The sheer force of the wind left nothing untouched except one middle section of Bingley’s house where not only the roof was intact, but the windows contained glass. Like the man in the dower house, he wondered how that could happen.
The devastation made him sick to his stomach. Everywhere he looked there was loss. Nevertheless, his mind was already making lists of things that needed to be done to rebuild. One thing was certain: he would check the shutters of each of the many windows at Pemberley for stability. If his house in London still stood, he would do the same there.
Worry about his servants, his friends, and acquaintances living in Town churned in his gut. Only the thought of Georgiana being safe at Matlock gave him any relief.
Rounding the corner to the kitchen side of the building, he spied most of the men from the cellar, including Hurst, Colonel Forster, and Mr. Collins, relieving themselves on the side of the stable wall.
“You do realize that there is no door blocking the view from the kitchen to where you are standing, do you not?” Disgust at their disrespect increased his ire. He was grateful not to see his valet in the mix.
“The ladies were taking too long with the stillroom” was the excuse most commonly offered.
Darcy entered the kitchen to find Cook standing just inside with a heavy wooden rolling pin in her hand.
At the arch of his brow, she said, “I see who’s out there and what they are doing. Not one of them will enter my kitchen. The butler, who foolishly spent the night in the cloakroom, can let them in at his discretion.” She shifted her stance. “While they are outside, I will air out the cellar and stillroom until their smell is gone.” She sniffed.
“Very well.” He was not going to argue with an armed woman nor was he going to defend those men who drank themselves into a sorry state.
Behind Cook was a scowling Miss Bingley, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
“There you are, Mr. Darcy. You need to tell these people to go home. We are in no position to continue hosting them. Each one of our servants is needed to set this house straight enough that we can return to our chambers. Did you know that the main staircase no longer connects to the upper floors? How are we supposed to bathe and change into a fresh day gown? I tell you now, Mr. Darcy, that these people are in the way. We need water brought in and heated, enough food prepared to break our fast, and I need tea!”
Could she not see that what she asked was impossible? Without hesitation, he replied, “I see how it is, Miss Bingley. Do ask your brother or Hurst for assistance.” Bowing, he concluded with, “You will have to excuse me.”
“But….” she stammered.
Ignoring her, he asked Miss Elizabeth, “How is Mrs. Hammond?”
Clearing her throat, Miss Elizabeth replied, “When I asked, she said that she is comfortable under your care. Sir, the Lucas family and the Longs are planning to leave immediately for their homes. They are anxious to discover if their buildings are still standing.”
“And you?”
She exhaled sharply before she said, “My mother is hesitant to leave, as is Mrs. Hammond, though for different reasons. Mr. Collins intends to depart for Longbourn immediately to inspect his future inheritance before rushing off to Rosings Park in Kent to see if his patroness needs his help. As far as I know, the officers, including Colonel Forster and his wife, are preparing to depart.”
Richard was in deep conversation with Colonel Forster, his arms waving wildly. Even from a distance, Darcy could see his anger threatening to explode.
“What is your inclination, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I confess that I, too, am curious about whether or not Longbourn stands and how well my father and Longbourn’s servants endured the storm. However, I have not yet been out to check the sky. Can you tell me, are all four corners of the compass clear of looming clouds? Is there any breeze at all?”
“You are right to be cautious.” Darcy repeated what the tenant farmer and he himself noted. “The clouds can move swiftly, driven by unstable winds. I believe the course of wisdom is to remain in place until the danger passes. For as long as we have peaceful skies, we shall make arrangements for everyone who chooses to stay at Netherfield Park.”
“Leave Netherfield Park? Why, of course, we shall remain here.” Mrs. Bennet inserted herself into their conversation.”
“But, Mama. We add to the burden of Mr. Bingley’s servants.”
“Pshaw! Lizzy, in spite of my sister’s husband being in trade, he will look out for the welfare of his wife. Sir William will do the same for his family once they’ve returned to Lucas Lodge. As for us, what promise do we have that Thomas will give us the courtesy of welcoming us home? Why, it is likely he is not even aware that we are missing from Longbourn. We cannot count on a man who is buried in his book room. No, to have the protection of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam is something I have never experienced in all my years of marriage. I will stay under their care because they do care.”
“Mama,” Miss Elizabeth began when her mother again interrupted her, turning toward Darcy.
“Sir, on the evening we were introduced, you grievously insulted my Lizzy.”
Blood rushed to his cheeks, his shame and humiliation complete. Bowing deeply, he begged, “Do forgive me, Mrs. Bennet, I—”
“Oh, hush.” Mrs. Bennet put her hand on his arm. “I later told my husband that she did not lose much by not suiting your fancy, for you are a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing, and that you were high, and so conceited that there is no enduring you.”
“Mama!” Miss Elizabeth began when her mother shushed her, too.
“Well, I am not a woman to hold onto grudges when the evidence to the contrary is right in front of my face. You are a gentleman, Mr. Darcy, and no one can say differently, at least not in my hearing.”
“I beg your forgiveness, Mrs. Bennet.”
She wiggled her fingers at him. “Oh, do not be concerned, for I already have forgiven you. Whether Lizzy has or not, I do not know. I do wish she would, you know.”
He carefully studied the loveliest face of his acquaintance. He knew her well enough to know that she would not guard her expression from him. He found exactly what he had hoped.
“We have made our peace, Mama. I, too, see that Mr. Darcy’s worth is far grander than his reported ten thousand a year.”
Her saucy expression delighted him.He could not wait to repeat their kisses.
“Grander than ten thousand a year? Can you imagine!” Mrs. Bennet bumped her daughter aside to recapture his gaze. “My Lydia is a lovely girl with a lively character. And you are a wealthy man in need of a wife. I took note of your kindness toward her. Thus, I shall encourage her on your behalf—should you like?”
Miss Elizabeth chuckled softly.
He cleared his throat, horrified at her suggestion. He simply could not countenance the idea of kissing anyone other than that lady he could no longer think of as Miss Elizabeth. She was his Elizabeth.
“You are correct that Miss Lydia is a lovely girl. Though I thank you for your suggestion, Mrs. Bennet, I would need a more mature woman to become the next mistress of Pemberley.”
“Well, I do suppose you know best,” Mrs. Bennet offered before leaving to speak with her eldest.
Elizabeth again caught his attention. “Mr. Darcy, is there anything Jane and I can do to help?”
Before she could finish her inquiry, Parker entered the kitchen with an armload of folded garments. “Sir, surprisingly, in addition to the servant’s staircase, the small sitting room between the library and Mr. Bingley’s study remains intact with nary a window blown out and no water coming in. The room directly above is the master’s private sitting room. I took the liberty of checking inside and it is the same. Since it is the only inside room surrounded by other rooms, I suspect it is the safest place in the house should the storm hit again. I spoke with Mr. Bingley’s steward, Mr. Morris, who arrived while you were outside. He agreed with my assessment. Therefore, I began gathering your belongings to bring down the servant’s staircase to be placed in the corner of said room, if this is agreeable to you?”
Darcy was grateful that something of the house was protected other than the cellar, which smelled of stale wine, cigars, and the sweat from fear.
“Very good, Parker. Proceed.”
Miss Bingley hissed. “What? My maid is able to access the bed chambers. Where is that lazy girl? I shall tell her a thing or two about what needs to be done.” Miss Bingley stared at Cook. “Tell her to gather my possessions and bring them to the sitting room like Mr. Darcy’s valet has done.” Lifting her chin into the air, she added, “I shall be in the sitting room. Have my tea brought to me there.”
Blast! He had no desire to be in the same room as that woman.
As soon as Miss Bingley left the kitchen, Parker cleared his throat.
“Ah, sir. I might have been mistaken. You see, the small sitting room is indeed safe. Yet, I now recall that I placed your possessions in the library itself, which also sustained no damage. If you keep the door closed between the two rooms, I doubt anyone would know you were there.”
The sly man! Darcy would reward him at the first opportunity.
“I thank you.”
To Elizabeth, he said, “Please direct Mrs. Hammond and the others to the library. We shall allow Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley to continue enjoying their own company until this storm passes.”
The small smile on Elizabeth’s beautiful face was worth facing the viper in her den. Now that the situation was settled in his mind with how he needed to proceed with the second Miss Bennet, he was certainly looking forward to being in her company again.