Chapter 14
The door to the parsonage opened to reveal Rebekah Wright, the young housemaid.
“Come in, Mr. Darcy,” the girl said with a curtsey.
Darcy stepped into the front hall, his mind already racing ahead to the tasks for the day.
First, he would fetch two more buckets of water from the well.
Then he would assist Mr. Kendall in analyzing two pews in the church which appeared to be rotting.
Lastly, he would spend some time in the church library, organizing the books and checking them for damage.
His ruminations were broken by a horrified scream.
Elizabeth!
A moment later, he was racing toward the sound with Rebekah at his heels, urged on by yet another cry of terror.
He rounded a corner and dashed into the kitchen, only to stop at the sight of Miss Elizabeth Bennet crouched on the top of a table, her dainty feet peeping out in a froth of white petticoats and gray muslin.
“What is that?” she shrieked, pointing one shaking finger to the floor.
Darcy followed her pointing finger and a moment later found himself perched on a convenient bench. He had knocked a mango off the workbench in his haste to attain a greater height, and it struck the floor with a satisfying squish.
There was a gurgle from the doorway and both Elizabeth and Darcy turned toward Rebekah, who was openly chuckling.
“It is only a spider, Miss Bennet, Mr. Darcy,” the girl explained with an amused countenance.
“That is not a spider,” Elizabeth riposted in a rather shrill tone. “That is a monster out of a nightmare. What does it eat, pray tell? Small dogs?”
Sarah entered the room, her face concerned, and asked a question in Creole.
Rebekah replied at some length, and Sarah too looked amused.
“It is called a tarantula,” Rebekah explained, carefully stepping around the giant arachnid which was crouched in the middle of the room, its beady eyes facing Elizabeth. “It will bite if sufficiently provoked but it is not a dangerous bite, nor is it particularly aggressive.”
Darcy, eyeing the spider doubtfully, carefully descended to the floor. It was truly an enormous creature, black with brown stripes, and at least six inches across including its legs. He did not blame Elizabeth for her distress; it was an alarming intruder.
Sarah, still smirking, found a convenient broom and together she and Rebekah relocated the spider into the basin. Sarah then carried the tarantula outside.
Darcy, feeling more than slightly foolish, extended a hand to Elizabeth, who descended cautiously to the floor.
“Where did you find it?” Darcy asked.
“It was in that bunch of plantains which Sarah purchased yesterday at the market,” Elizabeth proclaimed, gesturing at the large bunch of bananas hanging in the corner of the kitchen.
“I plucked a plantain, planning to make some for Helena’s breakfast, and the spider leaped off, fell to the floor, and scuttled toward me. That is when I jumped on the table.”
“I expect it was more afraid of you than you were of it,” Darcy suggested soothingly.
His beloved laughed softly and shook her head, though her face was still pale, “I believe I told you once that my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me, but I confess that soup plate sized arachnids do intimidate me, Mr. Darcy.”
“You will observe that I too made it my business to get off the floor as rapidly as possible,” Darcy commented.
The gentleman and lady gazed at one another and then began laughing hard, to the amazement of Mrs. Helena Kendall, who rushed into the room with her clothing in disarray.
“Helena!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “I am so sorry, did I wake you?”
“I heard screams,” the woman replied worriedly. “Are you all right?”
“Entirely all right. But come, you must sit down, Helena. I am so sorry to have disturbed you. A ... spider startled me.”
Helena allowed herself to be guided to the dining room where she sat down in relief, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
“Was it a tarantula?” she asked curiously. “I have heard they can be very large.”
Elizabeth glanced at Rebekah, who was carrying a cup of tea and a plate with some bread. The girl placed the food in front of Mrs. Kendall and then retreated to the kitchen.
“It was very large, but Sarah removed it from the house.”
“A pity,” Mrs. Kendall mused, “I am very interested in insects and spiders. Ah well, I am certain I will have another chance to see one soon.”
Elizabeth regarded her friend in astonishment, “You like creatures of that sort?”
“Very much,” Helena proclaimed, taking a bite of bread, “but I so rarely get to see them. I find them fascinating. You do not?”
“To be honest, I am still shaking,” Elizabeth admitted with a laugh. “Next time a tarantula invades our kitchen, I will fetch you before it is ushered outside.”
“I hope you will. I do find myself feeling somewhat better, especially in the mornings, which is a great relief.”
“I am pleased as well, Mrs. Kendall,” Darcy said. “Since you and Miss Bennet are both here, I wish to tell you that the Governor and his wife have extended an invitation to Mr. Kendall and both of you for two nights from now. They are hosting a dinner party.”
Helena Kendall blinked at this, bit her lip, and shook her head slowly, “I am so sorry, sir, but my evenings are still very difficult. I am quite certain I would not do well. But Miss Bennet, I hope you will go. You have been working very hard and need a night of amusement.”
Elizabeth looked troubled, “Are you quite certain?”
“Mr. Kendall can care for me.”
Darcy cleared his throat, “I thought it likely you would not be well enough to come to the party, Mrs. Kendall, so I spoke to Rebekah this morning before she came to the parsonage. She is willing to come later on the day of the party and stay at the parsonage until after I escort Miss Bennet home. Then I can bring her back to Government House afterwards.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Helena stated approvingly. “Do say you will go, Elizabeth. It would be wonderful if an occupant of the parsonage met the Governor and his lady.”
Her friend blushed and nodded, “I would be honored, Mr. Darcy.”
/
“I want to go to an assembly, Mama!” Lydia Bennet whined with a pout.
“Now, now, my dear,” Mrs. Bennet responded, gazing around her in satisfaction at the parlor of Netherfield Hall, “you know your father has not been gone long. It is not appropriate for you to dance just yet. But your Aunt Phillips is having a small card party next week, and I believe we may attend.”
“But that is so boring,” Lydia moaned, slumping inelegantly on the green sofa nearest the door.
“If the militia were still stationed in Meryton, it would be quite all right, but ever since the officers left for Brighton, Aunt Phillips’s parties have been terribly dull.
And what of Mr. and Mrs. Collins? I do not wish to see the ogre who cast us from Longbourn. ”
Mrs. Bennet wrinkled her nose in distaste, “Nor do I, my dear, nor do I. We will need to meet them in company eventually, but for now, I assure you that my sister Phillips will not invite the Collins to her home. We need not worry about that. But we are not going to assemblies or balls or any kind of public gathering for at least another month. We are in mourning.”
Lydia groaned, “But what are we to do, Mama? It is so boring sitting around!”
Mrs. Bennet turned toward her youngest, suddenly irritated, “I suggest that you count your blessings, young lady. Do you not remember that only eight weeks ago, we were living in two small rooms in the attic of the Phillips’ home?
We were struggling to survive, and now we have a home even larger than Longbourn.
You should be thankful, not complaining. ”
“But how are Kitty and I to find husbands if we cannot go anywhere?” Lydia demanded, certain that this would sway her matrimonially-minded mother.
Mrs. Bennet shook her head firmly, “We are here on Mr. Bingley’s sufferance, girls. Jane tells me that Mr. Bingley is quite insistent that we observe the proper forms of mourning.”
Kitty, who had been sitting quietly in the corner working on a piece of needlework, spoke up for the first time, “Surely Jane would not allow Mr. Bingley to cast us out, would he?”
Mrs. Frances Bennet took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I will not take any chances,” she said gravely. “When your father died, we were cast into poverty and I truly feared for our survival. Now that Jane is married to Mr. Bingley, we are safe and well-fed and even well-clothed. I will not risk upsetting Mr. Bingley.”
“Jane would never let anything happen to us,” Lydia stated confidently, tossing her head.
“She allowed Mr. Bingley to throw his sister, Miss Bingley, out of his London house,” Mrs. Bennet announced. “Jane told me in a letter. Miss Caroline Bingley appeared suddenly and insulted Jane, and Mr. Bingley told his sister that she was no longer welcome in his houses, nor would he support her!”
Lydia looked startled, awed, and for the first time, a trifle uncertain. She looked down at her own charming gray muslin dress and sighed. She liked having attentive servants, good things to eat and new clothing. Perhaps it was best to obey the mourning rituals a little longer.