Chapter 12
As soon as the conversation ended and Charlotte departed, Elizabeth sent an urgent message to London, asking her father and Mr Bingley to wait for them and prepare for the journey to Hunsford, which was to begin the moment they arrived in London. She took a moment to write:
Charlotte will accompany us. She is at present with her parents, having only just returned from Hunsford with most disconcerting news!
Pressed for time, she wrote no more. She was convinced that Mr Bennet would read between the lines and understand that there was good reason for the whole party to travel to Rosings with Charlotte. Elizabeth considered the journey to Hunsford essential.
She could scarcely restrain her impatience to reach London and tell them Charlotte’s story, and how strangely Mr Collins had behaved, even for so peculiar a man. More and more, Elizabeth became convinced that Lady Catherine knew what had happened to Darcy.
She did not share her suspicions with Georgiana, for she might be mistaken. Lady Catherine and Mr Collins could well have been concealing some entirely different secret, unconnected with Darcy, and in that case their hopes would only be raised to be crushed once again.
Supported by Mrs Annesley, Georgiana asked Mr Bingley’s cousin, Mr Acton, to accompany them, as she felt the need for a gentleman’s protection, a responsibility the young man accepted with great seriousness.
Fond of travelling, he was more than happy to take part in an adventure unlike anything he had experienced before.
Grateful to the young ladies for including him in their plans, he regarded the journey as an opportunity to show his cousin how thankful he was for the change he had brought to his life.
Even his mother encouraged him to go, pleased that her son would travel in such distinguished company.
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Elizabeth and Georgiana paid a visit to Longbourn shortly before dinner. Elizabeth had to make a few preparations for the journey and wished to see her mother and sisters.
Mrs Bennet was no longer in her benevolent mood. She insisted upon being told every new development concerning Darcy’s disappearance. She wanted to know what Elizabeth intended to do once she returned to London.
“I am truly offended, Elizabeth, that you have decided to keep me in the dark as though I were incapable of contributing an idea or offering advice. At least your father has the consideration to write me long letters every evening and tell me everything they have done, even sharing his deep concern at finding no trace of Mr Darcy. But you… Well, the way you are treating me is unacceptable. I live for this family, and my only concern is my daughters’ happiness, whilst you treat me as though I could not be trusted! ”
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her part of the truth.
“Dear Mama, you know very well it was never my intention to keep anything from you. But at the moment, we are out of ideas and do not know what to do. I did not want you to see how desperate I have become.”
Tears poured down Elizabeth’s face, melting Mrs Bennet’s heart. She was distraught. Her words had not been meant to scold her daughter but to urge her to confide. Mrs Bennet knew well enough that sometimes it is better to speak than to keep one’s suffering inside.
Elizabeth had intended to reveal as little as possible, only what was necessary to satisfy her mother’s curiosity.
Yet suddenly the composure she had maintained throughout the past few days gave way, and beneath it appeared a frightened young woman.
Such scenes were rare, but powerful emotions surfaced only in times of true crisis.
Mrs Bennet gathered her daughter into her arms and let her weep until some of the burden had been released.
Only then did Elizabeth speak again, careful to tell her mother nothing beyond what she already knew or would soon learn from the Lucases.
“We are travelling with Charlotte to Hunsford because she believes Lady Catherine has important information concerning Mr Darcy. We shall pass through London and ask Papa and Mr Bingley to accompany us.”
Both left that conversation feeling they had received what they needed. Elizabeth had found the comfort to continue the struggle, whilst Mrs Bennet was convinced that, at last, she possessed valuable information concerning Darcy’s disappearance.
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Their companion, Mr Acton, was naturally shy, but he did his utmost to overcome it, believing such reserve unsuitable for the task before him.
He wished to be regarded as a capable young gentleman entrusted with the protection of four ladies and hoped to discharge that responsibility well.
He was accustomed to spending days on horseback across his grandparents’ estate; he had seldom travelled any real distance along a proper coaching road such as the one from Netherfield to London.
During the journey, Elizabeth and Georgiana, with Charlotte’s consent, decided to tell Mr Acton the whole story, just as Mrs Annesley had already been told of Charlotte’s unhappy experience.
Early the following morning, before dawn, Charlotte arrived at Netherfield accompanied by her father. The poor gentleman looked embarrassed and saddened, though relieved that his daughter was returning to her husband. Their farewell was conducted almost entirely in silence.
“Thank you, dear Father, for all your concern,” Charlotte whispered.
Then they departed in a cloud of dust.
For the first time, they had a destination, though it remained uncertain. Yet it was infinitely better than the despair with which every previous day had ended.
Once they reached London, they would either find Lady Catherine’s long-awaited letter containing the answers they sought, or they would leave immediately for Rosings. All of them.
“What do you think may have happened at Lady Catherine’s house?” Georgiana asked hesitantly. Like Elizabeth, she tried not to hope too much.
“It is difficult to say,” Elizabeth answered honestly. “I cannot imagine Lady Catherine harming Mr Darcy in any way. Perhaps he became ill and was unable to write, and she took care of him.”
“All she needed to do was send a message the moment anything happened. Yet she has not even answered my repeated enquiries. We have sent three messages, and I am certain your father and Mr Bingley continued writing after we left. That is indeed very strange and raises many questions. It is almost as though she is hiding something from me.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “It is utterly extraordinary…to say the least. Charlotte, please tell us what you think. You know Lady Catherine better than we do.”
“I cannot honestly say that I do,” Charlotte replied.
“She invites us to Rosings, but only for her own amusement. We have never held what one might call a civilised conversation. We merely answer her questions whilst she does all the talking. If you ask my opinion, I see her as overbearing and excessively fond of giving orders. I cannot imagine her committing an act of violence against someone of her own rank, least of all against a member of her own family. Perhaps she might behave differently towards a servant, or towards people like us, who stand far beneath her in society. Yet my husband’s behaviour is undeniably suspicious. ”
Charlotte was still struggling to understand her husband’s despicable conduct, even searching for reasons to excuse it. It was painful to admit that, only a few months after her wedding, she might have made so grave a mistake that could influence all her life.
“You know him, Elizabeth. I must confess that I used to resent the contempt you sometimes showed him. Not because you were entirely wrong, for he could certainly be exasperating, but because I never believed him capable of evil. During these last few days, however, he seemed completely unlike himself. I did not recognise him. Never before had he raised his hand against me…never. Not even his voice. Only a week earlier he had looked forward to our friends’ visit with genuine delight, yet within a matter of days he behaved as he did.
I do not know what happened, but something dreadful changed him.
He became involved in something, I am certain of it.
Most likely the burden of his actions became too heavy for him.
But whether it had anything to do with Mr Darcy… that is impossible to know.”
Unfortunately, the bruises on her face bore silent witness to his actions, and nothing could excuse them.