Chapter 18
Elizabeth complied willingly with her father’s strictures. She spent some time outdoors each day, but the rest of her day was taken up reading, practicing piano, or doing some form of handicraft.
Anna and Mrs. Hampton checked in on her regularly throughout the day. At first they both seemed concerned that she might rebel in some way, but she was deliberately kind and made no indication that she was unhappy with her current situation.
She knew that she need only lull her keepers into a sense of complacency until her twenty-first birthday which was in less than a week.
Once that momentous day passed, she would look for an opportunity to leave on her own two feet.
If she could just manage to get to Chelmsford, she had enough money to hire a carriage which would take her to London, where her beloved Mr. Darcy would be waiting for her with a marriage license.
In the meantime, she embroidered a small stack of handkerchiefs as a farewell gift for Edward, who left four days after Elizabeth’s arrival.
She sincerely wished him as much happiness as he could grasp and hoped that he could find a way through the difficult years he had ahead of him while maintaining the delightful good cheer and kindness she had seen in him.
With Edward gone, Elizabeth was the only member of the family in residence. She tried to convince the servants to be less formal, to serve her dinner in the smaller, more comfortable breakfast room rather than in the much too large formal dining room, but they would not.
In the end, she surrendered to their habits, but only after she realized that she was asking a great deal more than she knew by demanding they change their habits and schedules just for her.
Elizabeth’s birthday passed with no recognition from anyone. No letter arrived from her father. No congratulations were presented from any of the servants. She was beginning to think that none of them, not even her father, was even cognizant of her age.
It became harder to maintain her placid persona, but she steeled her will and forced herself to appear relaxed and relatively happy. Her keepers must not suspect she planned an escape or even wished for one.
Two days after her birthday, she judged that the time was right.
The weather promised to be sunny and warm, and Anna and Mrs. Hampton were beginning to treat her just as they had done last autumn.
Mrs. Hampton had even mentioned the possibility of going shopping in Chelmsford sometime within the next few days, though she mentioned that Elizabeth would have to take two footmen as well as Anna with her if she wished to do so.
That night, after Anna retired, Elizabeth made her preparations. She placed most of her money in the inside pocket of her pelisse, and she placed the rest of it in her reticule. She muffled the sound of the coins by stuffing it with two extra handkerchiefs.
She didn’t need much else. She couldn’t exactly drag a trunk behind her all the way to Chelmsford, after all.
She did hope she could repair her relationship with her father enough that he would let her come back for her clothing and jewelry someday, but even if she never saw any of it again, the loss would be worth it.
There were some things that she was quite reluctant to leave behind, such as the set of emeralds that Mr. Darcy had said made her eyes even greener and the pearl hairpins that stood out so well against her dark hair.
For a moment, she was tempted to stuff her pockets with some of her jewelry just in case, but she did not.
For one thing, she did not wish to anger her father more than necessary.
For another, she was already uncomfortable with the amount of money she was carrying, and she didn’t wish to compound that feeling by carrying jewels with her as well.
When these few preparations were made, Elizabeth lay down to sleep. She was nervous enough that sleep didn’t come easily, but she managed to drift off eventually. The next morning, she awoke a little later than usual but feeling quite refreshed and ready for an adventure.
~~~~~
“I plan to walk through the garden after breakfast,” said Elizabeth as Anna was styling her hair for the day.
“That sounds perfect,” said Anna. “It is a lovely day for it. Not overly warm, but the chill of winter is fading.”
Elizabeth grinned at her maid in the mirror. “I am hoping to beat my record for how quickly I can get to the center of the hedge maze,” she said.
“Not again, my Lady,” said Anna with a look of fond exasperation. “The last time you tried, it took over an hour before you emerged. I was just on the verge of sending one of the footmen to attempt a rescue when you returned to us.”
“Well, there is no need for such a thing today,” said Elizabeth. “I am determined to discover if there is an easily remembered pattern to it. So, I might be exploring for quite a while.”
Elizabeth regretted saying this almost immediately. Perhaps it sounded too much like she was asking not to be followed.
She breathed a small sigh of relief when Anna smiled. “Well, I can’t promise I won’t worry, and I can’t promise I won’t send someone to rescue you. I can, however, give you a good two hours before I do so. I wish you good luck on your adventure.”
“Thank you, Anna,” said Elizabeth. She was silent for a while, and she began to wonder if Anna knew what she was planning after all. The wording of her last sentence was odd.
In the end, it didn’t matter. She knew now that she would have at least two hours’ head start. As long as she could walk to Chelmsford within thirty minutes, and as long as there were no issues with hiring the carriage, she should be able to get to London without being caught.
~~~~~
“I’m sorry, my Lady, but shouldn’t you have an escort? It would be best for both of us, if I conducted business with him, don’t you think?”
Elizabeth tapped her foot impatiently at the intractability of the innkeeper. She had been talking to him for almost five minutes, but he still refused to let her hire a carriage.
“I have told you already. My brother is gravely ill, and I must get to him as quickly as possible,” she said.
“No one could be spared to accompany me until this afternoon, but if I delay my journey any further, I will not reach him before nightfall. Do you truly wish to prevent me from seeing him? After all, he could be dead by morning.”
The innkeeper continued to look at her disbelievingly. “No matter what the reason, it simply isn’t proper for a lady such as yourself to drive a curricle from here to London.”
She sighed. She had asked for a curricle, simply because it was fast, and she could drive it. She hadn’t thought about what was proper.
“In that case, can I hire a more comfortable carriage and someone to drive it for me?” she asked.
His stubbornness seemed to be weakening, but he didn’t relent. “If you had a maid or a footman or some such, I would be happy to do as you ask, but I just don’t think it is suitable for a young lady to be galivanting about the countryside with just a driver, and a stranger at that.”
Elizabeth debated her next move. What would work with the man depended heavily on whether his stubbornness was motivated by money or by a true concern for her safety or his reputation. She decided to gamble on greed.
“How about this?” she said. “If you are willing, I will hire your wife as a companion for the day as well as a driver. The three of us will go to London, and your wife can accompany the driver back here to return both the carriage and driver. I will even throw in a generous addition for the inconvenience of the loss of her to your business.”
The man sighed. She wasn’t yet certain what that meant, but she suspected he was about to relent. “I can’t spare my wife, not for all the money in the world. She is solely responsible for cooking. However, I can send my oldest daughter. She is twenty-five and will make a suitable companion.”
“Perfect,” said Elizabeth. “Now, I am in a hurry. So, if you will please make the arrangements as swiftly as possible, I will be most grateful.”
“Yes, my Lady,” said the innkeeper with a bow. To his credit, he then hurried away and began yelling orders. While she waited, his wife brought her a cup of tea and a few biscuits.
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth was seated in a comfortable, light chaise. Across from her was a young woman a few years older than she was.
As they set off, Elizabeth said, “I hope I haven’t pulled you away from your responsibilities too precipitously.”
The woman smiled. “Not at all, Miss. On the contrary, you saved me from a day’s drudgery of cooking and cleaning. I am quite looking forward to the holiday. Though I suspect there will still be plenty of work waiting for me when I return.”