Chapter 8 #4
“William, Cousin, I thought you already left,” cried Miss Darcy
“We will in a few minutes, but we wanted to say good-bye first,” declared Mr Darcy, looking more at Elizabeth than his sister. Miss Darcy exchanged a few meaningful glances with the colonel, who was busy studying both Darcy and Miss Bennet with great attention.
“Good-bye, Mr Darcy, Colonel. Please ride safely, and I hope we shall meet again soon.”
“Thank you, Miss Bennet, we will,” Darcy answered.
But before he departed, he took a few steps forward until he was close to Elizabeth, and only then did he add, “Miss Bennet, if I am not asking too much, I was wondering if you could allow me a few minutes later today. There is something of great urgency about which I would speak to you.”
His tone was so serious that Miss Darcy startled and looked with worry at both her brother and Elizabeth.
However, their eyes were fixed on each other, oblivious to the others in the room, and the expression on her brother’s face—as well as on Elizabeth’s, who agreed with obvious embarrassment—was a clear indication that, no matter how urgent the matter was, it was certainly nothing to worry about.
∞∞∞
To Elizabeth’s surprise, not an hour later a servant announced to Miss Darcy that the Gardiners had arrived.
The greeting was warm and friendly, and Miss Darcy seemed to have lost all her timidity and shyness with the Gardiners. She apologised that her brother and the other gentlemen were not present to give a proper welcome to Mr Gardiner but was certain all would return soon.
“Oh, it is we who should apologise, Miss Darcy,” Mrs Gardiner offered. “We had informed Mr Darcy we would arrive much later—after noon—but the sky was clouded again, and we were afraid of another storm, so we hurriedly changed our plans to arrive sooner.”
“I am pleased that you have come earlier, Mrs Gardiner. As you well know, I always enjoy your company very much.”
While the guests were offered drinks and refreshments, Miss Darcy asked Mr Gardiner if he would rather visit her brother’s library, as it was obvious their chat was of little interest to him; the gentleman accepted with no hesitation.
In fact, he declared he would enjoy the company of a book until Mr Darcy returned.
A servant was fetched to show him the way, and just before he left the room, Mr Gardiner turned to his niece.
“Elizabeth dear, I almost forgot: These letters arrived early this morning for you.”
“Two letters? I wonder who they might be from,” she asked and then smiled. “They are both from Jane—none from Papa. Well, I expected as much. Oh, on the first of them the direction was written remarkably ill. How strange, Jane is always so careful with her letters.”
Miss Darcy smiled understandingly. “Elizabeth, would you rather go in the salon and read your letters privately? I am sure you are anxious to receive news from home after such a long time.”
“Oh, thank you! I would like that very much if you do not mind.”
“Of course not. Mrs Gardiner and I shall entertain ourselves for awhile.”
“Indeed we shall,” agreed Mrs Gardiner.
∞∞∞
As Elizabeth read her letters, a breathtaking pain cut her heart, and her mind refused to believe the words written in great disorder on the sheet of paper.
After a beginning containing an account of all their little parties and engagements, the latter half, which was dated a day later, had been written in evident agitation and gave more important and shocking intelligence, hard to believe and even harder to accept.
Lydia had eloped with Mr Wickham? When she first read that, she was certain it was a mistake, and she returned to read it again, holding the paper with trembling hands.
She instantly seized the other letter and tore it open with the utmost impatience.
It had been written a day after the conclusion of the first, and Elizabeth’s shock was now complete, as complete as the ruin of them all.
Lydia had run off with Mr Wickham! And no, he will never marry her as Jane suggested, nor will they go to Scotland; he will abandon her in misery and disgrace. Jane had asked for their immediate return! Yes—they must return with no delay! But how much could Mr Gardiner—or anybody—help them?
“Oh! Where, where is my uncle?” cried Elizabeth, darting from her seat, the letter still in her hands; she stopped, desperately trying to remember in what chamber she was and where her uncle was, but as she reached the door, she almost collided with Lady Cassandra.
Her pale face and impetuous manner made her ladyship stare at her in wonder; Elizabeth, in whose mind every idea was superseded by Lydia’s situation, hastily exclaimed, “I beg your pardon, your ladyship, but I must find Mr Gardiner this moment; I have not an instant to lose.”
“Good God! What is the matter, Miss Bennet? What has happened? Are you hurt? And where is Mr Gardiner? Is he here at Pemberley?”
“Yes, he is in the library. I must find him…” she could not hold her tears as she tried to move past Lady Cassandra.
“Miss Bennet, I shall go and fetch Mr and Mrs Gardiner. I shall call for a servant too; you need help!
“No, no, please!” Elizabeth’s voice was not only tearful but frightened, too. “Please do not call a servant or my aunt; she is with Georgiana, and I do not want Georgiana to know. I only want to talk to my uncle…”
“Very well then,” Lady Cassandra agreed, but she grabbed Elizabeth’s arm and placed her in an armchair. “I shall call Mr Gardiner in a moment, but please stay here.”
Elizabeth felt too weak to fight; she remained sitting, her hands trembling in her lap as she ceased fighting her tears. A moment later, Mr Gardiner arrived, his countenance transfigured by worry. “Elizabeth my dear, what on earth happened?”
She spoke with great difficulty as the lump in her throat and the pain gripping her chest left her breathless.
“Lydia…she has left all her friends in Brighton and she…
She has thrown herself into the arms of Mr Wickham…
“The words died on her lips, and she handed the letter to her uncle, who read it fervently.
When he finished, he was as pale as she was.
“We must leave at once; we have not a moment to delay.”
“Mr Gardiner…” Lady Cassandra’s voice startled them both; until that moment, they had forgotten her presence in the room. “I would suggest remaining a little longer until Darcy returns. In this delicate matter, you will need all the help you can find, and nobody knows Wickham better than Darcy.”
The gentleman hesitated a moment, and then he seemed to agree.
“Your ladyship is correct; we will certainly need the help of somebody who is acquainted with Wickham’s habits, but time is a very important matter, too.
Do you happen to know whether Mr Darcy will delay long?
I am afraid the storm will begin, and we will be kept here. ”
“No, please, we cannot wait,” cried Elizabeth, trembling even harder.
“We must leave immediately, and we cannot allow Mr Darcy’s interference in this; it is a very private and delicate matter for the family alone.
We cannot expose it to anybody else!” Her extraordinary agitation distressed Mr Gardiner even more than the news.
In one and twenty years, he had never seen his niece in such a disastrous state.
He seemed inclined to listen to Lady Cassandra’s reasonable advice, yet he could understand Elizabeth’s desire not to expose the shameful event publicly.
For the first time in a long while, he could not choose the best course of action.
“Mr Gardiner, please be so kind as to allow me a moment with Miss Bennet. In the meantime, you may want to inform Mrs Gardiner—
“Uncle, please…my aunt is with Georgiana, and I do not want her to be told anything; nobody must be told anything,” she insisted, determination mixed with a pleading cry.
Mr Gardiner nodded in agreement. Suddenly he felt the urge to speak with his wife and seek her support.
As soon as he left the room, Lady Cassandra turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet, I think there is something you should know before you leave—something that might alter your decision.”
Elizabeth did not answer, nor did she look at her ladyship; she doubted anything else might interest her at such a moment.
“Miss Bennet, I must insist that you delay your departure until Darcy returns. He might be of the greatest help to you, and I am certain he would be more than happy to assist you and your family in anything you need.”
Tears were flowing freely down Elizabeth’s cheeks, and she shook her head in denial, her hands trembling so violently that she had to clasp them together.
“Lady Cassandra, please…I have to leave before Mr Darcy returns. He said…he asked to talk to me privately today…That cannot happen now…I must leave immediately.”
“A private talk? Then I truly do not understand your stubbornness. I assure you Darcy is not the kind of man to allow any incident—not even one as grave as this one—to affect his decision. If he asked for a private conference, you may be certain he will not break his word.”
Elizabeth’s sobs meant she could not talk for a few long minutes, and Lady Cassandra only looked at her in puzzlement and concern.