Chapter 7 #3
“I cannot stop them!” Wickham shouted through the rain, pulling the reins with all his strength. The jolting of the carriage worsened, and Elizabeth wondered how it had not broken yet, fearing what would happen to them when it eventually did.
Only minutes had passed since they had left the Phillips's house, but it felt like hours. Frightening, cold, dark hours. Elizabeth looked at her family, desperate to find a way to protect them and herself.
“We should jump, the carriage will break!” Lieutenant Denny yelled to them.
They were all thrown to one side as a wheel cracked and Elizabeth screamed in horror.
“Jump? Jump?” Mrs Bennet repeated in disbelief.
“We will help you,” Wickham said, releasing the reins and trying to move towards them. The horses were running, and the barouche lurched so badly that Wickham almost fell. The horses continued to run, and cries of despair cut through the rainy obscurity.
Then a powerful jolt threw them all down onto the floor, amid cries and screams, grabbing any support they could find to protect themselves from falling from the carriage. They were trapped in a nightmare; they held hands, hopeless, powerless…
And then the carriage slowed down and eventually stopped, with the ladies sobbing in pain and fright.
Over the noise of the rain, a voice called them repeatedly but no one answered until a strong hand grabbed Jane’s arm.
“Miss Bennet? Are you hurt? Miss Bennet?”
They finally opened their eyes but could see little. However, Jane immediately recognised Bingley’s voice and the grip of his hand. She turned, and without thinking, she fell into his arms.
“Are any of you hurt?”
Another voice sounded and Elizabeth was shocked to see Darcy, looking at them with worry, his hat lost and his coat splattered with mud.
“No, I do not think we are hurt,” she answered, and Darcy took her hand to help her down from the carriage.
“We did not know that it was you,” Bingley explained, mumbling. “We were caught in the storm, and we heard the carriage. Darcy stopped the horses–he actually jumped from his horse to yours and stopped them. The wheel is broken… Are you hurt?”
The ladies listened in shock, staring at Darcy, then at each other. He brushed his fingers through his hair.
“It is good nobody is hurt,” Darcy replied. “Can you climb down?” Wickham and Lieutenant Denny seemed even more shaken than the women, so Darcy and Bingley helped all the Bennet ladies to the ground.
“Thank you, sir,” Mrs Bennet addressed Darcy. “You stopped the horses? How extraordinary indeed!”
“Ma’am, I am glad you are all well,” he responded briefly.
Elizabeth looked around to assess their surroundings. She felt dizzy and could hardly stand. The danger they had just overcome had frozen her more than the cold rain and the autumn wind.
Darcy had jumped on the horses to stop them? How could that be? And how did it happen that he and Bingley were there?
With her mind spinning, she struggled to catch a glimpse of something familiar, as they could not be too far from Longbourn.
She breathed in relief as she recognised the place and finally felt useful. “We should find shelter until we decide how to proceed,” Darcy said, staring at her as if guessing her thoughts.
She nodded, barely seeing his eyes.
“The Talbot cottage is here, very close,” she said, pointing with her hand.
It sounded like the two of them were responsible for the others’ well-being.
“Let us hurry then,” Darcy said, gently pushing her forward.
“It is very close,” she repeated, while hastily taking the lead. She and Jane took Mrs Bennet’s arms, while Wickham and Denny recovered enough to help the girls walk behind Elizabeth.
Mrs Bennet cried, grunted, and lamented at every step, while Lydia and Kitty swore they were hurt and would die soon.
Realising what could have happened only minutes before, Elizabeth listened to them absently, allowing unseen tears to roll down her cheeks.
Darcy and Bingley remained behind, but the latter soon joined them, offering Mrs Bennet one arm and Jane the other.
After a short ordeal through the rain, walking on the slippery ground, frozen and frightened, they finally reached the cottage. Bingley pulled at the door, with Wickham and Denny hurrying to help him.
The door opened wide, permitting them to enter. It was still dark and cold inside, but the discomfort of the rain falling on them suddenly stopped, and a strange sort of silence enveloped them.
Elizabeth looked around, trying to adjust to the darkness, while Lydia and Kitty were still crying and complaining.
Bingley closed the door, and the silence became deeper. Wet, scared and exhausted, there was nothing much for the Bennet ladies to do. Elizabeth knew the cottage well enough to search for something useful, and she stepped carefully from one corner to another, but with little success.
She turned to look for Darcy, feeling that he could help her at least with some advice if not more.
As she could not see clearly, she tried to recollect where he had gone. And only then did she realise that she had not seen him since he helped her out of the carriage. He was not with them.