Her uncle and aunt looked at her, incredulous at her scolding.
“Lizzy dear—”
“That is the truth, Uncle. Let us not pretend ignorance. Lydia was allowed to have her way simply to keep the peace at Longbourn. Now there will be peace, as our family will be ruined forever. Nobody will want to be associated with us from now on. Lydia will be miserable whether she marries Mr. Wickham or not, and we all shall be shunned forever. It will be peace indeed,” she said, unable to prevent her tears from falling.
“Let us not fear the worst, my dear. I shall ask Mr. Darcy to send a servant to inform your cousins that we must return to London immediately. We shall pack our luggage, and you, my dear, will have to bear the journey despite your injury.”
“Do not worry about me,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “We must leave today!”
“Uncle, please, do not tell Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth begged, tears falling down her cheeks.
“Mr. Darcy knows, Lizzy. I opened the letter in the carriage as we were returning from the inn. He said he had some urgent business to attend to — I wonder where he is now…”
Elizabeth suspected where he was. He was far away from them. As kind and generous as he was, the notion that Lydia was now so closely and so shamefully connected to Mr. Wickham must be dreadful for Mr. Darcy — and understandably so. He must distance himself from such a scandal; that was beyond doubt.
“I shall pack my luggage. I shall be ready in half an hour, then I shall come to help you, Aunt,” Elizabeth said, ready to leave the chamber. However, just as she reached the door, she was almost knocked down by Mr. Darcy, who entered unceremoniously. She actually stumbled, and he grabbed her, so for an instant, she was in his arms — in his embrace, where she would never be again.
“Forgive me, sir, I am going to my room. We shall leave immediately — we have not an instant to lose,” she whispered, trying to conceal her tears.
His hands were still holding her, and he gently pushed her back towards the bed.
“Miss Bennet, please sit for a moment. I have come to talk to Mr. Gardiner, and I am happy that you are all here, so we can agree together.”
She sat, and so did Mr. Gardiner, then Mr. Darcy.
“In such situations, urgency is of the utmost importance. I just sent one of my trusted men to Gretna Green, in case the runaways go there, but I doubt they will. Wickham has no money for travelling long distances, and I assume neither has Miss Lydia. So, I suspect they are hiding in London.”
He spoke with agitation, while Elizabeth watched him in shock.
“I know some of the places where Wickham used to go, so it should be easy to track them. But we must make haste. Mrs.Gardiner cannot travel at the speed we require, so we must find another solution.”
Elizabeth noticed that he said ‘we’, and she did not dare to ask why.
“I propose that Mr. Gardiner and I leave immediately — in half an hour. We may sleep only one night and travel the rest of the time. Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Bennet may leave Pemberley tomorrow morning, in my carriage. Two of my men, my valet, and a maid will join you, to keep you safe and assist you on the road. You cannot travel during the night, so you will spend two nights at inns. My valet will take care of the accommodations. I understand your children are at Longbourn, so you will go there and hopefully wait for news from Mr. Bennet or Mr. Gardiner.”
He ended the speech, waiting for their approval, but none of them said a word. Elizabeth felt her hands and lips trembling, and she gulped down the lump in her throat.
“You will go with my uncle?” she finally asked. “But why?”
“Why?” Mr. Darcy repeated, puzzled.
“There will be a scandal, regardless of the outcome. You must not be involved in it,” Elizabeth replied.
“I beg to differ, Miss Bennet. I must be involved in it, as it is my responsibility. I should have exposed Wickham long ago for who he was. If I had, Miss Lydia would not be in such peril today. The mistake was mine, and so must the remedy be.”
“Mr. Darcy, Lizzy is right — we do not want to—” Mr. Gardiner interjected.
“Mr. Gardiner, Miss Bennet,” Mr. Darcy interrupted rather harshly, “please understand that I shall go and look for Wickham under any circumstances. I am determined to leave for London immediately, no matter what. My decision is final. The only question is whether you find my plan appropriate and wish to join me, or whether you would rather do something else? I think we all agree that there is no time to waste.”
The three looked at each other, and Elizabeth ceased to fight her tears.
“Your plan is perfect, Mr. Darcy, and we are grateful for it,” Mrs. Gardiner said, expressing their acceptance, while Mr. Gardiner only nodded.
Elizabeth said nothing, only kept her eyes to the ground. She did not dare speculate what had induced his decision or what would happen next.
Following Mr. Darcy’s plan, the two gentlemen left half an hour later in Mr. Gardiner’s carriage. With the help of the maids, Elizabeth and her aunt finished their packing and spent the rest of the day talking. Mrs. Gardiner tried to comfort her, but Elizabeth’s tears knew no end. She feared the worst for Lydia, who was still a child and equally unwise. Whether Wickham married her or not, she would be ruined and unhappy. Then she thought of Jane and Mr. Bingley; such a scandal would certainly influence his decision to return to Netherfield. As for her and Mr. Darcy, she did not even dare consider what their future might be.
Elizabeth finally returned to her chamber. It would be her last night there, so she stood on the balcony for a while, to enjoy the view she might never see again.
When she was finally ready to climb into bed, she noticed a package on her pillow. She opened it and found another drawing — another likeness partially sketched — and a note.
This one is unfinished. I started it on your first day at Pemberley, and I hope to finish it when we meet again. Until then, please do not allow tears to shadow your sparkling eyes.F Darcy.
Elizabeth looked at the note as if she could not believe it, then read it again, then kissed the paper through tearful laughter — a mix of sadness and joy, sorrow and hopes.
