Chapter 7
As Mr Bennet had anticipated, the good weather lasted till the next day. Elizabeth counted another restless night, unlike Jane, who seemed to shine more from one day to the next.
After breakfast, Mr Bennet and Mr Collins departed on their planned tour of the estate. The day was bright and sunny, though cold.
“Should we not take the carriage?” Mr Collins suggested.
“There are places that are easier to reach on horseback,” Mr Bennet replied. “Besides, I believe a little bit of exercise would be beneficial for us both. Unless you are not comfortable riding?”
“Oh, I certainly am! I received a complete gentleman’s education. Even Lady Catherine insists that a man is not a gentleman if he is not proficient at riding. She said Mr Darcy is an excellent rider, as well as her other two nephews.”
“Well, neither Mr Darcy nor his cousins will join us, so we shall have no one to compare ourselves with. Let us make haste, Mr Collins, it is almost noon already. The days are short, and it gets dark early at this time of year.”
As soon as the two gentlemen left, Lydia and Kitty were free to resume their conversation about the officers, without fearing any restrictions.
“Upon my word, Mama, Mr Collins is so annoying that I feel I might die from tedium,” Lydia said.
“He is an educated man, and he has many interesting things to say,” Mary argued.
“He might have interesting things to say, but he certainly keeps them to himself,” Elizabeth added.
“Girls, you should be careful how you speak of Mr Collins! He is a perfectly eligible man, and he is in search of a wife! You may laugh at him, but one day you will be happy to receive a marriage proposal from such a man!”
“Mama, I should rather die than marry someone like him!” Kitty claimed.
“He seems to favour poor Lizzy!” Lydia laughed. “What if he proposes to you, Lizzy?”
“Let us hope he will not!” Elizabeth responded. “I hope everyone,” she said, gazing at her mother meaningfully, “is aware that I would never accept a marriage proposal from any man I could not respect and esteem. And certainly not from a man I only met a week ago.”
“Mary, would you marry Mr Collins if he proposed to you? I noticed you find him interesting,” Kitty continued.
Mary blushed and averted her eyes. “This is not a subject to laugh at. I have no reason to suspect any partiality from Mr Collins, so I shall not respond to your question.”
“You are all fortunate that Mr Bingley admires Jane so much!” Mrs Bennet intervened.
“If Jane marries him, she will be able to invite you all to London, and you will surely meet some eligible men there. Otherwise, you might all die spinsters — poor, starving, and freezing with no homes of your own.”
“Mama, you always like to talk about such a tragedy,” Lydia replied. “Forgive me, but it is really annoying. Kitty, shall we take a quick walk to Meryton before Papa returns? Perhaps we shall see Mr Denny or Mr Wickham again!”
Mrs Bennet did not oppose the idea, so the girls prepared to leave. The short distance to Meryton was not difficult to cover, regardless of the weather.
Mary chose to practise the pianoforte, and Mrs Bennet remained with her eldest daughters. They chatted about the party for a while, then the lady needed a rest. Left to themselves, and with nothing better to do, Elizabeth and Jane went for a stroll in the garden.
“Jane, where do you think Mr Wickham met Mr Darcy and Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”
“I cannot imagine. I confess to being surprised myself.”
“Despite his claim, his tone induced me to believe he knew them better than he admitted. Mr Wickham sounded bitter when he mentioned them.”
“That I did not notice,” Jane acknowledged.
“Because you were too occupied with your Mr Bingley,” Elizabeth said. She began to laugh, and so did Jane, blushing at the same time.
“He is not my Mr Bingley, Lizzy.”
“Oh, yes he is. Or very soon he will be.”
“Did you notice he rarely speaks of his sisters? At the assembly, they were pleasant enough to me, but I do not believe they approve of me any longer.”
“Dearest, there is nobody honest and fair who would disapprove of you. You may be right, though. They might not agree with their brother’s admiration for you.”
“I would not want to see Mr Bingley disagreeing with his sisters, Lizzy…”
“Unless the disagreement is beneficial to his future happiness, Jane.”
“Lizzy, I do not want to imagine more than there is, nor to allow myself to be overwhelmed with hopes. In truth, Mr Bingley has said nothing regarding his future plans. We only spoke to each other while we danced at the assembly and then for a few moments during his visits.”
“He might not have spoken much, but I think his actions are eloquent enough. I dare say he is hosting this party and wishes to have music just so he can dance with you again.”
“Oh, Lizzy…if only that were true…”
They continued to speak in the same manner for a while, until the weather turned colder, forcing them to enter the house. The wind began to blow, and clouds gathered in the sky again.
“Girls, where have you been? Come and have a cup of tea with me,” Mrs Bennet asked, sitting with Mary in the drawing-room.
“We were just in the garden, Mama. I hope Papa will return soon. And Lydia and Kitty too. They should not have gone to Meryton alone.”
“Stop worrying so much, Lizzy. You make me nervous. I am sure they will all be home soon.”
Another half an hour passed, but the three girls and their mother were still alone; Elizabeth stepped out onto the drive for a moment, gazing at the road. It was already getting dark, the wind was freezing, and drops of rain had begun to fall.
“Mama, I should go after Lydia and Kitty,” Elizabeth said.
“How will you do that, Lizzy?” Jane enquired with worry. “There is no horse for the carriage. Papa and Mr Collins took them.”
“I shall walk. I know the path to Meryton with my eyes closed. I am worried for Papa too. They should have been home a long time ago.”
“Perhaps your father and Mr Collins stopped in Meryton, to call on Mr Phillips. They might be enjoying a glass of brandy as we speak,” Mrs Bennet uttered.
“They might, but I doubt it, Mama. Something is wrong. I can feel it.”
“Oh hush, child! You are scaring me! You cannot go anywhere alone. I shall ask John to go to Meryton and look for your sisters. They cannot be in any danger on a straight road! Perhaps they are at my sister Phillips’s too! Dear Lord, what if they are not? Hill, bring me my salts, please!”
Elizabeth hurried to find their servant John, a sense of increasing nervousness making her shiver more than the wind.
She found him and explained her request, which he readily obeyed.
When she returned, there was a man in the drawing-room, talking to her mother.
He handed Mrs Bennet a note, which she read and then cried out with joy.
“Oh, Lizzy, I told you not to worry! This is a note from my sister Phillips, just as I said. Lydia and Kitty were invited for tea by Colonel Forster’s wife!
How lovely! My sister says that the girls will also have dinner with Mrs Forster, then they will stay with her till tomorrow.
I told you all is well. I shall write back to my sister to thank her for taking care of my girls. ”
“But Mama,” Elizabeth interjected, “I am not sure Papa would approve. When did Lydia and Kitty meet Mrs Forster? How well are they acquainted for her to have asked them for tea and dinner?”
“Who cares, Lizzy? Do not bother me with nonsense. They are well, and that is all that matters. Thank God you did not wander out in search of them. You would have been the laughingstock of Meryton. And the entire regiment, really.”
“Mama is right, Lizzy. We should be grateful they are well. Papa would not want them to take the risk of walking home, considering the weather.”
Elizabeth admitted that her mother and her sister had reasonable arguments, and her worries had been unjustified.
“But Mama, the note says nothing about Papa, which means he is not there,” Elizabeth suddenly realised. “And it is already dark!”
“Oh dear, I cannot have a moment of peace!” Mrs Bennet cried. “First the girls, now your father. Where could he be?”
A few more minutes passed in agitation, then John entered, frowning and pale. “The master’s horse just returned home,” he whispered. “By itself…”
The four ladies stared at him, silenced by the shock; Mrs Bennet struggled to breathe, asking what had happened.
“John, take me to see it,” Elizabeth asked and hurried out. The man held a torch, trying to calm the horse, who was neighing restlessly.
“Is the horse hurt?”
“He does not seem hurt, miss. He is not limping. The stirrup is broken but nothing else.”
“We must find Papa,” Elizabeth said, pacing around. “We must go in search of him. Can you harness the horse to the carriage? I shall fetch my coat and be out in a moment.”
“But, miss, where should we look? We need help. The two of us are not enough!”
“The horse seems like he has been running for a while, would you not agree?”
“I would…”
“That means whatever happened, it was not close to the house.”
“Even more reason to seek help, miss.”
“Please put on a thick coat and prepare the carriage, John. I shall think about what to do next. If only Aunt Phillips’s servant was still here…”
Elizabeth returned to her mother — who was sobbing desperately — and to her sisters. Mary was shaking in panic, while Jane tried to comfort both, her own eyes tearful.
“Jane, we have not a moment to lose. We must go and find Papa. John is preparing the carriage as we speak.”
“Where will you look for him, Lizzy?” Mrs Bennet cried. “It is dark and cold and raining! You can see nothing! He will freeze and die alone if he is still alive…”