Chapter 13
One day—at the end of July—Lord Barrington appeared at her door, with a letter.
“You look very ill, madam,” he said mockingly. “You are the wife of an earl, you should be more careful with your appearance.”
She chose to say nothing.
“Madam, you received a letter from your sister two weeks ago. Apparently she has married that Bingley man. I took the liberty of wishing them well and assured them you were well and busy with your duties. Now, she has written again. I do not wish to be invaded by your family, nor to be forced to take measures that we all might regret.”
“I do not wish to question your meaning, sir. I have told you that my family will be worried and enquire after me. What do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to write back to your sister in a cheerful tone and convince her you are as happy as any country girl married to an earl might be.”
Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief. He laughed cynically.
“Of course, I shall read the letter before you seal it. Then you will hand it to me and I will make sure they receive it by express, and be done with it. So please choose your words carefully. As I said, I do not wish to take any unpleasant measures to correct your behaviour. I shall return in an hour.”
Once alone in her chamber, Elizabeth began to sob.
All the pain in her heart was released through her tears, until she found the strength to read Jane’s letter.
As expected, Jane expressed her joy that Mr. Bennet was improving daily, her happiness for her marriage, her pain that Elizabeth could not attend the wedding and their common worry that neither Mr. Gardiner nor the trustees had seen her in more than a month.
‘Dear Lizzy, Charles and I are in London now. Please send me word when I can come and visit you. I miss you terribly and I can go no longer without seeing you for a few minutes. We do not wish to intrude, and will not outstay our welcome. Seeing you and embracing you for a moment would be enough.’
Jane’s letter ended, bringing more tears to Elizabeth’s eyes.
She had to do something—or else she might not have another chance. So preoccupied was Elizabeth at taking this unexpected path towards freedom, that she did not even have time to be happy on her sister’s behalf.
With great attention, she took a piece of paper and wrote carefully.
‘My dearest Jane,
I am beyond joyful with all the happy news you shared.
I knew you and Mr. Bingley were meant for each other since the very day when we met him, when you danced with him and I danced with his kind, amiable friend.
And then, after the Netherfield Ball, when he came with all his family and friends to dine at Longbourn, things were even clearer.
Not to mention that his sisters were always good friends with you and they visited you so often while you stayed in London with Aunt Gardiner.
I am so glad Papa is improving! I pray to the Lord each day for his recovery. I look forward to seeing him spending time outside and riding everyday, as he used too.
As for me, please rest assured that I am as well as possible.
I am very busy adjusting to my new life, tending to my duties and learning new things.
I have not even had time to enjoy my own gardens, but you know that I have always liked to spend as much time indoors as possible.
When the time allows me, I shall take some long rides around the estate, just as I used to do back in Hertfordshire.
Please share this letter with aunt and uncle Gardiner, so they will cease worrying for me too.
I am not certain when and if we can meet. I will let you know if any opportunities arise. Until then, I am sending you all my love and I wish you all the happiness in the world.’
She read the letter again and again. There was nothing in it that might displease Lord Barrington, but surely Jane and her uncle and aunt would be alerted by its content, so full of untruths and mistaken facts.
They would surely understand that something was terribly wrong and that she needed help.
Elizabeth only prayed that they would not make any imprudent moves once they understood her cry for help.
She hoped they would be wise enough to not confront Lord Barrington directly, as he would surely have no restraint in harming anyone who would trespass on his property.
The earl returned and Elizabeth had no time for more reflections or hesitation. She handed him the letter, he read it and was pleased.
“I have always liked an obedient woman. I am glad to see you have come to your senses, madam and perhaps we may reach some common ground, after all. As I said, do something with your appearance, you look truly awful!”
He left, locking the door behind him. She lay down on the floor, and sobbed again, now fearful for her sister and relatives’ safety.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth waited for three days and three nights. On the fourth day at noon, she heard more noise than usual. She could not distinguish the voices, so she rang for a maid. It took a while until, as usual, a manservant opened the door and Sarah entered.
“I need to change my dress,” she said, so the servant closed the door.
“Sarah, I was hoping you would come. What is happening?”
“I do not know, ma’am. Everyone is angry, and shouting. Apparently, a large party of men have arrived and Lord Barrington is mad with fury!”
Elizabeth’s heart raced with a joy she had not felt in months. Firstly, because she hoped her message had been properly received. And secondly, a large party meant that nobody had come to confront the earl alone, risking his life.
Before she had time to ask more, the earl entered, his face dark with anger.
“You! Out!” he shouted at Sarah, then turned to Elizabeth. “What have you done?”
“Me? What do you mean, sir? I have not left this chamber in weeks!”
“Then why are all those people here, asking for you? I have men stationed all over this property and they inform me of any strange intrusion! You thought you could trick me? You hoped you could deceive me?”
“I have done nothing! How could I? If someone is asking about me, it is because I have been kept prisoner and nobody has seen me. Did you not expect that someone would ask questions? We have not fulfilled any of Lady Sedgewick’s requirements!
How did you believe you could explain such a shameless attempt at robbery? ”
He hit her again. She heard and saw nothing, only fell down, in a dark hole she could not escape from. Then she felt him upon her, and his hands around her neck. She could not breathe, nor scream, nor push away the burden that overwhelmed her.
“Stop! You will kill her!” she heard Sarah screaming, then some movement, more screaming, then she suddenly felt free.
Elizabeth could barely open her eyes, as she heard her husband shouting, “We will finish this later! I will take care of the visitors first and be done with you afterwards!”
Then he left and locked the door.
Elizabeth struggled to catch her breath and to move. When she managed to stand up, she noticed Sarah had fallen to the floor, a small table of wood and glass broken around her.
Elizabeth cried her name and the girl gasped in pain.
“Come, my dear, you must lie down,” Elizabeth whispered, trying to help her to the bed, but the girl could not move. So Elizabeth took a pillow and put it under her head, while caressing her hair.
“I will take care of you, my dear,” she whispered, while she desperately debated what to do. The earl would surely not allow anyone to see her, so she had few choices.
She opened the window and began to cry for help. Eventually, she spotted a few men looking at her, and she desperately waved to them. They could not see her clearly enough, so she continued to shout.
The men disappeared from her sight and nothing else happened, except that more voices and shouting could be heard from downstairs.
Eventually, Sarah tried to move and said something, so Elizabeth helped her to stand.
“I am fine, ma’am,” the girl whispered.
Although she could barely stand, Elizabeth tried to help her to the bed. But the girl refused to rest.
“If I lie down, I will not stand up again,” she said. “I am fine.”
Elizabeth remained still for a moment, her mind blank. She was lost as to what to do, and her eyes stared at the mantlepiece, absent and lost. She had to signal their presence somehow, they had to escape from the room, but she knew not how.
Then suddenly she understood there was only one chance.
She ran to light a candle, then she used it to light the curtains.
Moments later, the fire was pouring out of the windows, and a large cloud of smoke spread across the room.
She continued to scream, knocking with her fists at the door.
The fire seemed to spread quickly, and the smoke made breathing impossible.
Elizabeth could do nothing but sit on the bed and hold Sarah, as they both struggled for air.
Even when confronted with the fire, the prospect of facing the earl again was worse.
Eventually, the door opened and a couple of servants appeared. Elizabeth pushed past them, dragging Sarah with her. The men were carrying buckets of water and hurried to pull the curtains down and dampen the fire.
Elizabeth held Sarah tightly as they stumbled down the long hallway.
More servants passed by, but none stopped them.
In the end, they reached the top of the stairs, and there they stopped, hidden behind the corner of the wall.
With the greatest shock, Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy, together with Mr. Bingley, Mr. Gardiner and his solicitor, the two trustees and Lady Sedgewick’s executor.
Confronting them was St. Claire, Lambert and Lady Augusta.
The earl was halfway up the stairs, holding the balustrade with one hand and a pistol with the other.