Chapter 4 - Alarm #2
Elizabeth had already informed him about Mr. Darcy’s journey to summon a specialist healer.
Charles simply nodded, his eyes remaining shut.
She couldn't discern whether he was angered by Mr. Darcy's failure to inform him beforehand or relieved that action was being taken to save Jane.
After all, it was Mr. Darcy's past attempts to make decisions on Charles's behalf that led to the dissolution of their friendship.
As she sat there, her thoughts revolved around the man currently braving the weather to save her beloved sister's life.
His unwavering gaze, even while conversing with his aunt and Mr. Hurst, left no doubt in her mind.
He was doing this for her. He was risking his life for someone who had harshly rejected him years ago.
Her contemplation was abruptly disrupted when a maid rushed in, urgently seeking Louisa. Elizabeth recognized the maid as the young girl who worked in the nursery.
"Miss, ya got to come quick! There's trouble! Master George, he's gone missin'," the maid breathlessly informed. Louisa leaped from her seat, but Charles was the first to react.
"Missing? Where could he go in this darkness? Have you searched for him?" he inquired.
"Aye, Sir, we looked everywhere 'round the nursery and them nearby rooms. The little one ain't there."
Charles asked Elizabeth to sit near Jane. He then joined Louisa, and together with the maid and Mrs. Reynolds made their way to the nursery. Elizabeth, Lady Catherine, and another maid remained in the sick chamber, attending to the invalid.
Where can a six-year-old boy go in this darkness? First Jane, and now young George? Dear God! Why is everything going wrong for us?
Louisa
Where did he go? God, I can't bear it!
Louisa knew well the heartache of losing a child.
She had already endured it when Amelia passed away.
But with Amelia, they knew from her birth that she wouldn't have long in this world.
They only had her for seven days. But George, he was Louisa's very life.
If anything happened to him, she could never bear it.
As they reached the nursery, she saw her husband already there, questioning the maids. She rushed into his arms, and he held her close. Tears streamed down her face as she allowed him to guide her to a nearby seat. She clung to him while her brother took over the questioning.
The nursery at Pemberley was situated at the back of the grand estate, with several chambers on the sides, unused for years but still maintained and cleaned once a month.
They decided to search the back attic first, for the children knew that place well—Mr. Darcy had already taken them there to retrieve toys once.
Pemberley was so vast that it would take time to search every nook and cranny.
Mrs. Reynolds was trying hard to gather all the men who worked inside the estate premises.
Louisa declined when her husband asked her to return to Elizabeth’s side.
She insisted on accompanying the search for her son.
So they waited as Charles organised the men, who had now gathered, dividing them into small groups and assigning various areas of Pemberley to each.
Once the men departed to their designated locations, Charles led the way toward the back attic, and she and her husband followed closely behind.
Mrs. Reynolds remained in the nursery to coordinate everything when the men returned from their search.
Elizabeth
It was two hours before midnight. Elizabeth peered anxiously out of the window, longing for a glimpse of a sleigh.
Lady Catherine remained faithfully by Jane’s side, even though it was well past her usual time to retire.
Jane still slept, her breath shallow, her face pale.
However, she no longer struggled to breathe as she had earlier.
Whatever Mr. Ashton had administered seemed to have provided her with some measure of relief.
Nearly thirty minutes had elapsed since Louisa and Charles ventured out in search of George. Elizabeth yearned for tidings that the little boy was found safe and unharmed, but alas, no one had returned with updates.
It was then she saw a small dark figure moving near the stables. Her initial notion was that it might be some kind of animal. However, something about its posture seized her attention. It did not resemble a creature on all fours; its stance was upright.
Oh, dear God, is that George?
She turned to the footman who usually sat outside the chamber, but there was no one there.
She then turned towards the maid and implored her to summon the gentlemen.
Although her inner voice urged her to run to the gentlemen herself, she deemed it wiser to maintain George within her line of sight.
The maid immediately ran out in search of the gentlemen.
"What is it, Mrs. Goulding? Why have you summoned the gentlemen?" Lady Catherine inquired.
"I saw someone near the stable, Lady Catherine.
I believe it is George," Elizabeth replied, her gaze directed toward the stables.
The figure had since vanished from view.
There was no conceivable reason for George to be at the stable at such an hour.
It was utterly implausible that a six-year-old boy would dare to venture into the darkness and inclement weather to reach the stable.
Yet, Elizabeth was certain; it was indeed George she had seen.
What is he doing there at this hour?
She waited for nearly five minutes, but neither the maid nor any gentlemen returned. What could be keeping them so long?
Two more minutes passed. Elizabeth's patience reached its limit.
"Lady Catherine, would you mind staying with Jane? I am going to the stable. George will be alone there, and he will be frightened," she inquired.
"Absolutely not! What do you think you are doing? The stable is not as close as it appears from here. Don't you see the snow? Let us wait for the gentlemen. I cannot allow you to venture alone in the night to the stable," Lady Catherine protested.
"I implore you to trust me, Lady Catherine.
I fear the gentlemen may be searching for George elsewhere, and the maid likely couldn't find them.
It may take some time for her to locate someone.
George is alone there and he will be terrified.
I am accustomed to walking, and I will take these blankets.
Kindly inform Charles or Mr. Hurst if they inquire after me. "
Without waiting for Lady Catherine's response, Elizabeth grabbed two blankets and hurried outside.
Lady Catherine
“Reckless, headstrong girl,” Lady Catherine murmured to herself, though she never believed a word of it.
Her mind was preoccupied, not with the missing young boy or the lady she was tending to, but with her nephew and the enigmatic look he had cast upon Mrs. Goulding just before his departure.
She had witnessed that very gaze in the past, years ago at Rosings, when he had fixated upon Mrs. Goulding, then Miss Elizabeth Bennet, with a similar intensity.
Lady Catherine wondered why she had never considered a connection between her nephew's reluctance to marry and Mrs. Goulding's marital status.
She knew that Darcy had not mourned for Anne; there had been no deep attachment between them.
So, his aversion to marriage must have stemmed from something more profound, something that kept him from opening his heart to another.
For the first time, she dared to entertain the possibility that Mrs. Goulding might be that very obstacle.
I was probably the obstacle that prevented them from spending time together and getting to know each other. And even after that, he might have abstained from going to her out of fear of my disapproval.
She never forgave herself for how she had made her daughter's life miserable. The prospect of having done the same to her nephew, someone who had always stood by her, was too much to bear.
Elizabeth
It took Elizabeth two minutes to reach the front entrance of the vast estate from Jane’s sick chamber. Since then two more minutes had passed, and she was still halfway away from the stable.
Heavens! How vast is Pemberley! How on earth did George travel all this distance in this weather with his small legs?
Approaching the stable, she contemplated her next steps.
The Pemberley stable, unlike the one at Longbourn, was considerably larger, making the task of finding George rather challenging.
She dreaded the thought of dealing with horses, as she lacked any skill and harboured a fear of them.
She fervently hoped to avoid any close encounters with the scary creatures tonight.
As she reached the stable entrance, the true gravity of the risk she was assuming dawned upon her.
What if someone were inside the stable? There were men who both worked and lived there, and for a woman to venture alone among them in the dead of night was undeniably dangerous.
Even if nothing untoward transpired, her reputation could suffer greatly if she was found among these men.
For a moment, she considered turning back to await the arrival of the gentlemen. Yet, trusting her instincts, she chose to proceed. With a prayer on her lips, she cautiously opened the unlocked door and stepped inside.
Darcy
From a distance, Darcy beheld a shadowy figure slowly making its way towards the stable. He immediately opened the small cabin beneath the seat, retrieving his trusty gun.
"Is that the stable?" inquired Mr. Archer, who had also caught sight of the intruder.
"Yes," responded Darcy.
"Are there any men present to safeguard it?" Mr. Archer inquired once more.