He nodded. “I think the best thing would be to find out exactly what has been done thus far and go from there. But first, perhaps we should go inside and change into clothes that are less… dust laden.”
“Oh, of course!”
Elizabeth flushed a becoming pink that began at her cheeks and went down her neck and disappeared underneath the neckline of her dress. It was all Darcy could do to keep from staring and imagining just how far down her blush went.
“I cannot believe I have been so rude as to keep you out here. I know I am not the hostess, but I have been acting as such. You must be quite worn out from your ride. Please, come in.”
Darcy and Bingley followed her up the stairs and into the house. “There is a hot pot of tea in the parlor,” she said. “Mrs. Nicholls has been so good as to keep it refreshed for me since this whole ordeal began.”
As she made her way down the hall to that room, Bingley started to follow, but Darcy held back. “I think we may wish to avoid dirtying the furniture and rugs in that room,” he explained when the two turned back to see what caused the delay.
“Darcy, I do not care one jot about the furniture,” Bingley said in an uncharacteristically harsh tone. “I need to know what is being done to find my brother, and I need to knownow.Grooming and tidiness can rot, for all I care.” He paused, then added, “I apologize, Miss Elizabeth.”
She waved a hand at him in dismissal. “No need, Mr. Bingley. I quite agree with the sentiment and take no offense at your language.”
Mollified, Darcy followed Bingley and Elizabeth to the parlor, where a large map of Netherfield and the surrounding area was spread out on the floor. “I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of taking this from your study, Mr. Bingley. It seemed the most practical way of keeping track of where we have searched.”
“Of course not,” Bingley murmured.
Elizabeth sat on the floor on one side of the map, and for the next quarter of an hour, showed the two gentlemen what areas of Netherfield property had been explored.
Once she had completed her explanation, Elizabeth sat back on her heels. “I am so relieved that you two gentlemen have returned. I wasn’t sure what more I could do. The militia officers had begun to arrive perhaps an hour before you, and I was going to divide them into search groups as well.”
Darcy looked at Elizabeth’s wan face. The shadows under her eyes spoke volumes of her sleepless night and the toll the stress had taken on her in shouldering so many burdens at once. In her eyes, he recognized the same weariness he felt himself when he took on the care of Georgiana, Pemberley, and all those under his purview, and his heart clenched in empathy.
Her usually bright and vivacious demeanor was tempered by a palpable exhaustion, her movements slower and more deliberate as she had pointed out areas where Mr. Hurst might be found. Despite her fatigue, however, her resolve seemed unshaken—a testament to her strength and generous nature.
Recognizing the burden she carried, Darcy felt a profound urge to alleviate her distress. “Miss Elizabeth,” he said gently, “it is obvious you have done everything exactly right.”
“Truly?”
His heart cracked when her voice did. “Yes, I would have done the same things as you.”
Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped, her eyes filling with tears. He leaned forward and placed his hand lightly on hers. “Miss Elizabeth, I mean no disrespect when I say that you look quite done in. I suggest you retire to your chambers for some rest. I will take over from here.”
He winced inwardly as soon as he finished speaking, realizing almost immediately how his words could be taken offensively. The fact that she didn’t even rise to the provocation was a mark of just how exhausted she was.
She nodded twice, jerkily, then clumsily rose to her feet. He reached out to steady her as she stumbled over the hem of her dress.
“Thank you,” she whispered, gripping his arm briefly to stabilize herself.
Darcy watched as Elizabeth shuffled her way out of the room, then turned to his friend, whose face was set in a grim line. “Let’s get to it, shall we?”
∞∞∞
Once upstairs, Elizabeth peeked into her sister’s room. “How is she?” she whispered to the maid when she saw Jane fast asleep.
“Miss Bennet awoke and ate her breakfast, then asked me to play Spillikins with her for about half an hour,” the maid said with a brief curtsy. “She only just now laid back down.”
“Did she ask for me?”
The maid nodded. “I told her you were helping Mrs. Hurst prepare for Mr. Bingley’s return today.”
Elizabeth sighed in relief. “Excellent. We must keep her as calm as possible. Until we actually know about Mr. Hurst’s final condition, I don’t want her to fret unnecessarily.”
“Yes, miss. Mrs. Nicholls was very clear on that.”
“Thank you… Molly, right?”
