The lanefrom Netherfield Park to the Longbourn turnoff was littered with debris from the stately oaks that used to line the road. Before the storm began, most of them had already dropped their leaves to the ground, leaving behind gnarly arms and fingers protruding from their trunks. Massive clumps of mistletoe used to cling to the upper branches. Now, they were all gone, leaving behind a line of lonely sentinels.
At Longbourn, the statue of Hebe, the goddess of youth, pouring water from a pitcher in one hand and holding a small bowl in the other, had tipped on its side, one arm broken off at the elbow. The roof of the portico over the front entrance was missing. The low boxwood shrubs looked like someone pulling a plow dug up the length of them. As at Netherfield Park, slate roofing and hailstones dotted the ground.
Longbourn was not at its most welcoming. There was no smoke rising from the chimneys, which, fortunately, remained intact. No one opened the door in welcome at the approach of Mr. Darcy’s fine carriage.
Elizabeth shivered. Even her mother ceased speaking.
“Mama, what has happened to Longbourn?” Kitty mused. “I have never seen it this quiet. It is almost as if it was abandoned.”
“I do not know.”
To Elizabeth’s relief, Darcy, who had ridden his horse alongside the carriage, dismounted.
“A moment, ladies.” He strode swiftly and with purpose to the door, lifted the knocker, and let it drop. Three times, he did the same before someone opened it from the inside.
“You are disturbing my quiet, young man. Is there a purpose for your being on my doorstep?”
Darcy swept his arm back toward his footman assisting the ladies from the carriage. Instead of her mother wailing and weeping over being ignored by her husband, she lifted her chin and walked past him into Longbourn without a word. Jane, Kitty, Mary, and Lydia followed her like goslings. They, too, refused to acknowledge Thomas Bennet.
Elizabeth was rewarded when Darcy returned to hand her out. Tucking her fingers around his arm, she strolled to her father, a candlestick in his hand.
“Papa, where are Hill and the others?”
He stepped back into the entrance hall. “They left at the first break in the storm to see to the needs of their own families. None have yet returned. Within minutes of discovering that I was still alive, my fool cousin hitched up the pony cart and, along with his belongings, returned to his beloved patroness. I have not been to Meryton to retrieve the animal or the cart. Perhaps now that you are home, you might see it returned on your next stroll to Mrs. Hammond’s. Before that, you might want to poke around to see what is in the kitchen. I have not been properly cared for since my return from the ball.”
Whose fault would that be?Frustrated, Elizabeth stood her ground.
Darcy spoke for them both.
“Where your priority is sustenance, mine is far more pressing. Earlier today, I offered Elizabeth my hand and my heart. She accepted. Do we have your blessing to marry, Mr. Bennet?”
He shrugged. “Elizabeth, you say? If you do not mind a silly girl for a wife, then I suppose so.”
Elizabeth stiffened her spine.Did he have to ridicule her in front of Fitzwilliam?Although she lost respect for the man, hewas still her father. Since she would reside in his house until she wed, she would show him as much deference as she was able under the circumstances. Nonetheless, did he have to make it more challenging?
Darcy barely tipped his head in a bow. “As soon as I am able to travel to London safely I will have Elizabeth’s marriage contract drawn up. We would like to marry soon so we can journey together to Derbyshire to oversee any needed repairs to my estate. I will return as soon as I have the papers in my hand.”
To Elizabeth, he said, “While the wind has abated, I shall hurry to Mrs. Hammond’s house to determine whether or not it is safe enough for her to return.”
His attention to duty was admirable.
“Then know that I am already eager to again be in your company.”
Lifting her hand to his lips, his breath whispered over the back of her fingers. “I will stop after Mrs. Hammond is settled, no matter how late.”
Her father cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. “You might want to be on the lookout for the missing officer since, according to Colonel Forster, who called here earlier, he has not been seen since he left the ball at Netherfield Park. His name is Wickham.”
They both gasped. All the color bled from Darcy’s face.
“Mr. Wickham?” Elizabeth could not stop herself from asking.
Her father shrugged. “Yes, I believe he was Lydia’s favorite, or was he yours?”
His tease fell flat.
Darcy’s grip on her hands tightened. The sheer desperation in his eyes alerted her that he was exceedingly affected by the news. “I need to find him.”
Kissing her cheek, he bolted from the house.
