Chapter Fifty-One
W hen Mr. Darcy and Georgiana met in the drawing room before dinner, they were both surprised not to see Elizabeth waiting for them. They spoke to one another, casually, both watching the door. When Elizabeth still did not appear after some twenty minutes, Mr. Darcy voiced his concern. “I will go to her rooms and ascertain that all is well,” he told his sister.
But Elizabeth’s rooms were dark. There was no maid, and the only sign of recent activity were drawers left half-opened. Alarmed, he went back into the hallway and spoke to the footman on duty. “Robert, where is Mrs. Darcy?”
The man looked uncomfortable as he replied, “I do not know, sir. I have not seen her since this morning.”
“Did she go out on horseback?”
“I do not know, sir.”
Mr. Darcy ran downstairs and accosted the butler. “Barton, when was Mrs. Darcy last seen?”
“Why, when she took the carriage out this morning, sir.” Barton looked surprised at the question.
“The carriage?” Mr. Darcy repeated.
“Yes, shortly after breakfast.”
“And she has not been back?”
“No, sir; of course, I assumed you knew of her trip.”
“Trip?”
“I am uncertain of the destination, Mr. Darcy, as I was not nearby when she gave the coachman directions.”
“Had she a trunk, a valise, a satchel?” Mr. Darcy’s mind was whirling.
“A small valise, sir.”
“I must see Mrs. Reynolds. Tell her to come to me at once.”
The butler bowed and departed. Five minutes later, Mrs. Reynolds appeared; one look at her face told Mr. Darcy that the housekeeper knew a good deal about the events of the day.
“She ordered me, sir, I had no choice.” Mrs. Reynolds burst into tears.
Mr. Darcy was more worried than ever; he had not seen the housekeeper weep since the death of his father.
“Who ordered you?”
The woman could not speak; she could only shake her head and cry.
Mr. Darcy’s fear was mounting by the minute, but he knew he had to contain himself if he were to learn what had happened to his wife. “Come into the drawing room, Mrs. Reynolds,” he said, managing to keep his voice calm.
She obeyed, and suffered herself to be seated on a small chair.
Georgiana said, “Brother, what –“
“Not just now, Georgiana. Mrs. Reynolds, please tell me what happened.”
Bit by bit, the story unfolded. Mr. Darcy learnt, to his great astonishment, that his mother was paying the servants to rebel against Mrs. Darcy, and that something – as yet unknown – had happened with regard to Elizabeth’s maid.
Georgiana’s gasps of fear and dismay culminated in her tears, but Mr. Darcy could not spare his sister any attention just now.
“And so she ordered the carriage and departed, is that right?”
“Yes, sir,” Mrs. Reynolds managed.
“When did this occur?”
“About ten in the morning, sir.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“No.”
“And you did not think to tell me?” Mr. Darcy heard his voice rising.
“She ordered me not to, sir. I did not know what to do! With Mrs. Darcy giving orders and Lady Anne giving orders, and no one knowing what to do – it has all been a great muddle!”
A very great muddle indeed, Mr. Darcy thought, though he had no doubt that his mother was at the heart of the muddle. “Very well, Mrs. Reynolds. If you would please tell my mother that I would like to see her?”
Mrs. Reynolds rose, curtsied and left with alacrity.
Dinner was announced, but Mr. Darcy and his sister could not eat. “Please convey my apologies to Cook. There is an emergency; we will take trays later.”
“Yes, sir.”
Minutes passed and Lady Anne still did not appear. With an enraged growl that startled his sister, Mr. Darcy left his chair and took the stairs, two at a time, until he reached his mother’s bedchamber. He announced his presence with one quick knock and then threw the door open. Walking in, he found his mother closeted with her own maid as well as Elizabeth’s.
All three women looked up at him; the two maids cast their eyes down, quickly, but his mother held his gaze.
“Where is my wife?”
“Have you misplaced her?” Lady Anne countered.
“Mother, I will not tolerate this any longer!”
“But I understand that Mrs. Darcy has abandoned her post, so you will need me to step into her shoes, will you not?”
Mr. Darcy’s eyes swept over the two maids. “Leave us.”
Alone now with his parent, he said to her, “You paid the servants to be rude to her? I cannot believe the depths to which you have sunk. Where is the woman who raised me to be kind to others? Where is the woman who has cared for the servants, the tenants, and the family all these past years?”
She looked away. “You married beneath you. I could not let Pemberley be left in her care.”
“Mother, Elizabeth has thrown herself into her role here with her whole heart. After you deprived her of her proper welcome, she took it upon herself to introduce herself to each and every servant in the house. She has been to every tenant farm, bringing foodstuffs and clothing. She deserves your admiration and support, not your scorn!” He was almost shouting now. He took a deep breath, striving for calm. “You think that now I will not move you to Cresston Hall? You are entirely wrong. I told you to begin packing, and I was never more serious in my life.”
Lady Anne stammered out, “I just thought you could do better than that country girl! I never meant to hurt you – “
“Hurt me? Mother, I love Elizabeth. She owns my whole heart. You could not have done anything – anything! – to hurt me more than to injure my beloved wife, and so very badly that she left without a word. I do not want to see you again, Mother; I truly cannot bear to look at you.”
***
That night, after Mr. Darcy had given up hoping that Elizabeth would return that day, he found a note in her hand on his bed. “Evans, where did this come from?”
“I found it on the floor, sir. It had been pushed under the door.”
Opening it, he read:
Mr. Darcy,
Do not look for me, please. I need time to decide what to do, where to go.
E.D.
Mr. Darcy! That is how she addressed him? So coldly, so formally! But how could he expect more, given how he had allowed her to be treated? She had asked him not to look for her. Dear God, where could she be?