Chapter 15
Half an hour after Jane’s departure, the weather decided that it agreed with Mrs. Bennet for once. The heavens opened, and rain poured from the sky.
An hour later, it was clear to everyone that Jane’s return to Longbourn that evening was unlikely. Even if Mrs. Hurst was inclined to offer her carriage, there would be too much mud to travel safely in the dark.
The next morning, the family was at breakfast when a note arrived from Jane. It was addressed to Elizabeth, but she read it aloud to the family.
Dearest Lizzy,
As you are well aware by now, my friends here were kind enough to request that I stay here last night to avoid any further exposure to the rain.
Unfortunately, I find myself rather unwell this morning.
Though it is nothing more than a headache and a sore throat, Caroline has insisted on sending for Mr. Jones to look me over.
Hopefully, he will find that it is nothing to worry about, and I will be home in time for dinner, but I did not wish my family to be concerned should any of you hear about it.
Your Dear Sister,
Jane
As Elizabeth read it, she felt shame and guilt wash over her. Though it was their mother’s machinations that had placed Jane in such a position, Elizabeth hadn’t even tried to help her sister prevent it.
“I will go see her directly after breakfast,” said Elizabeth, and she began eating more quickly.
“There is no need for that!” cried Mrs. Bennet.
“Jane is perfectly safe and I daresay quite comfortable. In fact, this is far better than I could have dreamed of. I assume Mr. Jones will recommend she stay just where she is, which means Jane will have ample opportunity to see Mr. Bingley on a much more familiar footing.”
“Not unless he visits her in her bedroom,” said Elizabeth, allowing her annoyance to color her words.
“No need to get snippy with me, young miss,” said Mama.
“I am referring to what will happen as she gets better. She will certainly be able to see him a few times before she is well enough to return home, and if she if lucky, she might even be invited to stay for a few days even after she has recovered.”
Elizabeth stifled a groan of frustration. Saying anything more at this point would only stimulate the flow of poor ideas from her mother. Instead, she turned to her other parent. “Papa, may I have the carriage?”
“I am sorry, but the horses truly are needed in the field today,” said Papa.
“Very well, I shall walk,” said Elizabeth.
“Walk! In all that mud?” cried Mrs. Bennet. “You’ll not be fit to be seen.”
“It seems to be an excessive exertion relative to the problem,” said Mary. “Jane is perfectly safe. At the very least you should wait until the ground has dried out a bit.”
“Jane may be safe,” said Elizabeth, “but I suspect she is also lonely and bored. Besides, you all know that Jane has a tendency toward understatement when it comes to her own state of health and comfort. I need to see with my own eyes that her illness is as mild as she claims.”
“That is certainly true,” said Mary. “I would accompany you, but I have already agreed to go driving with Alan this morning, and I would not wish to break my promise unless absolutely necessary. Although with all this mud from the rain yesterday, we may not go driving after all.”
“Even if you don’t go driving, I am certain he will still call on you,” said Elizabeth. “I appreciate your offer nonetheless.”
“Well, we shall accompany you,” said Lydia, referring to herself and Kitty, “at least as far as Meryton. There is a bonnet I have been dying to purchase, and though I don’t yet have money enough for it, I would like to see if it is still there. Besides, we might run into the officers.”
“If you wish to come with me, you will need to not dawdle,” said Elizabeth.
With that said, Elizabeth, Lydia, and Kitty all finished their breakfast quickly. Once they had donned their outerwear, they left Longbourn.
~~~~~
Elizabeth was a swift and energetic walker, and less than an hour after she left Longbourn, she arrived at Netherfield.
She was shown into the breakfast room where all the inhabitants of the house were eating, including Mr. Darcy. Her gaze immediately went to his face, which had a rather intense expression.
She wished she was close enough to hear his thoughts, but she had learned over the last few weeks that when his expression was like this, he was most unlikely to have a coherent thought that she could hear.
Her attention was pulled away from that gentleman when Miss Bingley said, “We did not expect you, Miss Elizabeth.”
It was a rather rude way to greet a guest, but since she was here before normal visiting hours, it wasn’t unwarranted.
“I apologize for the uncomfortable timing of my arrival,” said Elizabeth.
“I was concerned for my sister and did not wish to delay seeing for myself that she was not more ill than she described. She has a habit of understating her own discomfort.”
“I can well believe it,” said Mr. Bingley in an admiring tone. “She seems as though she does not wish to trouble others overmuch.”
Elizabeth smiled. She was pleased that the object of her sister’s affections understood her so well.
“That is it exactly,” she said. “If you don’t mind, could you have one of the servants show me to her? I would not wish to intrude upon your breakfast for too long.”
“Of course,” said Mr. Bingley. He immediately directed one of the nearby footmen to assist Elizabeth. Just before she left, he said with a note of concern in his voice, “I do hope you find her well enough.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bingley,” said Elizabeth.
She turned to leave, but she couldn’t help but hesitate.
Mr. Darcy had not removed his gaze from her, but he had not said anything either.
It would be awkward for her to greet him when he had not acknowledged her first. She looked at him, but he made no move to speak, nor did he have any thoughts which reached her.
In the end, she simply nodded at him and followed the footman out the door.
~~~~~
The moment Elizabeth saw Jane, she was overwhelmingly glad she had come. Jane was still in bed. Her face was pale, and her movements were slow as though she was very tired.
“Jane!” cried Elizabeth as she rushed forward to feel her forehead for fever.
Jane chuckled. “I must look quite ill to elicit such a greeting,” she said.
With a sigh of relief, Elizabeth said, “Well, you don’t have a fever.”
“I told you in my note that there wasn’t much the matter with me,” said Jane.
“Truly, it is just a sore throat and a sore head. I am certain it is the beginnings of a cold, but it does not feel serious in any way. Still, I am glad you’re here.
It can get rather lonely and boring when one is stuck in bed. ”
“Has Mr. Jones been to see you yet?” asked Elizabeth.
“Yes,” said Jane. “He said the same thing I just did, that it was a simple cold. He told me to stay warm, drink plenty of liquids, and rest. If I do, I should feel better in a few days. Truly, Lizzy, there is nothing to worry about.”
“If he said to stay warm, does that mean you will need to stay here until you are better?” asked Elizabeth.
“Caroline was kind enough to extend an offer for me to stay until I am well enough to stand the cold,” said Jane.
“You will be missed at home,” said Elizabeth, “but I am certain that, between your friends and Mr. Bingley, you will be well looked after here. I shall stay and keep you company for as long as I can.”
The two sisters chatted for another hour. At that point, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst joined them, each with their own little handicraft. The four ladies kept each other company until an hour before sunset.
Elizabeth was pleased with the two sisters. In public, they had given the impression that they considered themselves above the local gentry, and Elizabeth could not understand why Jane liked them as well as she did.
Now, however, Elizabeth could understand her sister’s opinion.
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were excellent conversationalists when they chose to be.
They sympathized with Jane’s discomfort with sincerity.
They could tell a tale with wit and energy.
They were also educated enough to be able to discuss the entire newspaper, not just the gossip columns.
Though Elizabeth did not wish to leave, she was at least confident that Jane would be well looked after during her enforced visit to Netherfield. As sunset approached, Elizabeth said, “I am afraid that I must be leaving soon. I must get home before sundown.”
“That is such a shame,” said Jane. “I shall miss your company.”
Miss Bingley looked back and forth between Jane and Elizabeth. With some reluctance, she said, “There is no need for you to rush away. I can call the carriage for you, which will eliminate the need for you to leave quite so early. Perhaps, you would be willing to stay another hour or so.”
“That is very kind of you,” said Elizabeth. “I gratefully accept your offer. Thank you.”
The four young ladies fell to conversing once again, but as the hour passed, Jane’s mood visibly dipped. All of them knew why.
Eventually, Miss Bingley said, with even more reluctance than before, “It would appear that dear Jane cannot do without you, Miss Elizabeth. Perhaps, you would be willing to stay for the entirety of her illness. Surely, having one of her sisters who can easily attend her at all hours will help her recover more quickly.”
Elizabeth protested politely since it was clear Miss Bingley did not, in fact, wish her to stay. However, when Miss Bingley’s repetition of the offer conveyed her determination, Elizabeth gratefully accepted.
A note was quickly written to Longbourn to inform her family and to fetch clothing for Elizabeth. The messenger returned less than two hours later, just before Elizabeth was obliged to change for dinner.