Chapter 6
Elizabeth longed to be alone in his apartment, daring to dream that he might suddenly appear from some dark corner or step through one of the doors.
She sat upon his bed, looking around at the furniture, the rugs, his personal belongings, cherishing every object.
The sight of his robe, carefully laid across the sofa exactly as it must have been every evening, overwhelmed her with sadness.
She gathered the intimate garment into her arms and wept, wishing he were there.
She had imagined a very different atmosphere for her first visit to his chamber, perhaps as a young bride.
Her eyes rested on the bed where, during their married life, they would have slept together, made love, perhaps even conceived a child.
Now it was nothing more than an empty piece of furniture.
At another time, she would have teased him about the heavy, sombre curtains or the flowerless vases, but now she searched the room only for a clue.
It was neither intrusion nor indiscretion, only the hope that he had left a note, a message…
anything. On his desk lay only a pile of papers, a few books, and several opened letters.
She resolved to read every one of them and even search the drawers.
Not even her inquisitive mother would have dared read her father’s letters. In the present circumstances, however, nothing was forbidden if it might help them find and rescue her betrothed. She no longer doubted that he was in danger.
She began with the letters. One was from a jeweller informing Darcy that the pieces he had ordered would be ready in three days.
Elizabeth’s heart tightened as she realised he had been preparing a surprise for her.
It was no secret that the Bennet sisters possessed very few jewels.
Mr Bennet’s income was limited, and they often borrowed one another’s tiaras and bracelets, though not without the occasional disagreement.
Darcy had no doubt noticed it and wished to give Elizabeth what he believed she had always lacked.
She loved him for such thoughtfulness, yet she would gladly have surrendered all his wealth simply to have him safely beside her again.
Nothing mattered except his presence. Faced with the possibility of losing him, she understood for the first time the immense void his absence had left in her life.
Darcy is not dead!
She repeated the words like a prayer. Although no news had come, they still clung desperately to the hope that he would be found somewhere…somehow.
The next letter was from Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Elizabeth’s antipathy towards the old lady was so strong that, at first, she tossed the letter onto the bureau with disdain.
Lady Catherine would be the last person she expected to help them find Darcy.
Yet she could afford to overlook nothing.
Perhaps his aunt had sent him upon some urgent or confidential matter.
She picked up the letter again and read it quickly, her anxiety deepening with every line.
When she reached the end, however, she found the first real clue.
Lady Catherine had summoned Darcy to her London house for a discussion.
The letter gave no indication of the subject, merely insisting that he attend.
Its tone was as imperious as ever, the same tone she used with everyone around her.
Even her own daughter, a shy, sickly young woman scarcely capable of moving confidently in society, received little kindness from her mother.
Ever since meeting Anne de Bourgh, Elizabeth had pitied her.
Lady Catherine hated her now that her cherished plan of marrying Anne to Darcy had come to nothing.
Although Darcy’s refusal had never been Elizabeth’s doing, Lady Catherine held her entirely responsible.
Yet much of the blame rested with Lady Catherine herself, who had raised her daughter to be timid, insecure, and unhappy.
Darcy’s appointment with his aunt was important.
It was perhaps the first real clue they had discovered about that fateful morning.
If he had reached Lady Catherine’s house, she would be one of the last people to have seen him.
Elizabeth made her decision immediately.
Whatever her feelings towards Lady Catherine, she and Georgiana had to call upon her and discover whether her ladyship knew anything about Darcy’s movements that day.
Still holding the letter, Elizabeth joined Georgiana in the music room, where she was playing the pianoforte.
The previous evening, Georgiana had confessed that music was the only thing capable of calming her mind.
She read the letter, yet her expression scarcely changed.
Her brother often assisted their aunt with matters concerning the Rosings estate.
Lady Catherine called upon him whenever she pleased, with little regard for his time or affairs.
“My dear,” Elizabeth said, “we must go to your aunt’s house. She may have valuable information about your brother. It may be our best chance of learning more about his plans that day.”
“But I have already sent her two messages asking about my brother, one to London and one to Rosings. If she knew anything, I am sure she would have answered.”
It was not the first time Georgiana had been forced to face a difficult situation.
That dreadful affair with Wickham the previous summer had made her grow up all too quickly, but it was the first time she had been left without her brother by her side.
She had always relied upon him in every circumstance, and his absence weighed heavily upon her.
Although she had never before dealt with her aunt in any serious matter, Georgiana felt determined enough to face her now. Lady Catherine had always treated her as an ignorant child, and it was time for that to change.
“Yes, you are absolutely right, Miss Elizabeth. We must visit my aunt.”
“As we now know from that letter, your brother had an appointment with her and, knowing him, he would certainly have kept it. If he never reached the house, we shall at least know that he disappeared sometime between nine o’clock, when Parker saw him leave, and ten.”
“That is a whole hour,” Georgiana observed, “when he needed only fifteen minutes to ride there.”
She immediately rang for Parker.
“Did my brother take his horse when he left?”
Elizabeth agreed that it was an excellent question, one they ought to have asked much sooner. Parker confirmed that Darcy had indeed ridden that morning. He had personally supervised the groom to ensure the horse was ready on time, for his master disliked being late.
“Then the horse is missing too,” Mr Bennet observed as he joined them. “And a horse is rather difficult to hide.”
London had numerous public stables for those who owned horses or carriages but lacked accommodation for them at their own houses.
“Let us not waste any more time,” Mr Bennet said. “At last we have a plan for tomorrow. Whilst you visit Lady Catherine, Parker and I shall call at the public stables to enquire whether anyone has found a horse wandering through the streets.”
A loose horse roaming through London was by no means unusual. Someone would generally catch it and lead it to the nearest stable, where its owner could reclaim it. Since the punishment for horse theft was severe, few stable keepers would risk breaking the law for the sake of a single horse.
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“I am not going to accompany you inside when you meet Lady Catherine,” Elizabeth said at the end of breakfast. “I am sure my presence would not help us discover the truth. She would do anything to upset me. You must know that Lady Catherine had always dreamed of marrying Miss Anne to your brother.”
Mr Bennet approved his daughter’s words with a nod but refrained from making any comment.
Georgiana’s eyes moved from one to the other, unable to understand what was happening.
Lady Catherine was a difficult woman; everyone accepted that, but she had always been obliging towards her own family…
if not exactly benevolent. She could not be pleased with her nephew’s choice of a wife, but surely she would not be rude to a future niece.
Elizabeth glanced at her father, an unspoken question in her eyes, wondering whether she ought to reveal to Georgiana the true nature of her relationship with Lady Catherine.
“Miss Darcy is no longer a child,” Mr Bennet said.
“She is ready to face the world, whilst you must now take the place of an elder sister, since she has no female relative of her own age. Tell her everything. And in any case,” he continued, turning to Georgiana, “you must be cautious when questioning Lady Catherine. She is a cunning woman, and if her interests are opposed to yours, she will tell you nothing about your brother.”
The usually kind Mr Bennet spoke in a tone that revealed an aversion Georgiana had never before witnessed.
In the present circumstances, Elizabeth thought it wiser to tell Georgiana about Lady Catherine’s visit to Longbourn and her open disapproval, indeed her determined opposition, to their marriage.
She described to the astonished young lady how contemptuous and domineering Lady Catherine had been, and how bitterly offended she became when Elizabeth refused to submit to her demands.
The encounter was too important to their present situation to remain untold.
Georgiana needed to understand the circumstances and be prepared to ask the right questions.
Darcy’s marriage was far from being a welcome prospect in Lady Catherine’s eyes.
“I never imagined anything like that,” Georgiana whispered. “I am so sorry. I sincerely apologise for my aunt’s behaviour. It must have been terribly painful for you.”
“Do not concern yourself. I answered her exactly as she deserved. I mention it only to explain why I am reluctant to approach Lady Catherine.”
Georgiana was intelligent, and the gravity of the situation helped her accept her new role at once. She wiped away her tears, and for a brief moment Elizabeth was reminded of Darcy. Tenderly, she stroked the young lady’s cheek.
“Do not worry, little sister. I shall be waiting for you outside.”
“I know. Thank you, Elizabeth.”
It was the first time Georgiana had addressed her brother’s future wife by her Christian name, for the affection between them had already become that of sisters.
“I shall speak to my aunt alone. She cannot possibly refuse to help me find my brother. I shall remain calm and ask the right questions. Do not worry, it is my brother’s life that is at stake.”
She then turned to Mrs Annesley and asked her to remain at home in case any news arrived.
“We shall have our carriage and two footmen. I believe that will be sufficient.”