“She ordered me not to, sir. I did not know what to do! With Mrs. Darcy giving orders and Lady Anne giving orders, and no one knowing what to do – it has all been a great muddle!”
A very great muddle indeed, Mr. Darcy thought, though he had no doubt that his mother was at the heart of the muddle. “Very well, Mrs. Reynolds. If you would please tell my mother that I would like to see her?”
Mrs. Reynolds rose, curtsied and left with alacrity.
Dinner was announced, but Mr. Darcy and his sister could not eat. “Please convey my apologies to Cook. There is an emergency; we will take trays later.”
“Yes, sir.”
Minutes passed and Lady Anne still did not appear. With an enraged growl that startled his sister, Mr. Darcy left his chair and took the stairs, two at a time, until he reached his mother’s bedchamber. He announced his presence with one quick knock and then threw the door open. Walking in, he found his mother closeted with her own maid as well as Elizabeth’s.
All three women looked up at him; the two maids cast their eyes down, quickly, but his mother held his gaze.
“Where is my wife?”
“Have you misplaced her?” Lady Anne countered.
“Mother, I will not tolerate this any longer!”
“But I understand that Mrs. Darcy has abandoned her post, so you will need me to step into her shoes, will you not?”
Mr. Darcy’s eyes swept over the two maids. “Leave us.”
Alone now with his parent, he said to her, “You paid the servants to be rude to her? I cannot believe the depths to which you have sunk. Where is the woman who raised me to be kind to others? Where is the woman who has cared for the servants, the tenants, and the family all these past years?”
She looked away. “You married beneath you. I could not let Pemberley be left in her care.”
“Mother, Elizabeth has thrown herself into her role here with her whole heart. After you deprived her of her proper welcome, she took it upon herself to introduce herself to each and every servant in the house. She has been to every tenant farm, bringing foodstuffs and clothing. She deserves your admiration and support, not your scorn!” He was almost shouting now. He took a deep breath, striving for calm. “You think that now I will not move you to Cresston Hall? You are entirely wrong. I told you to begin packing, and I was never more serious in my life.”
Lady Anne stammered out, “I just thought you could do better than that country girl! I never meant to hurt you – “
“Hurt me? Mother, IloveElizabeth. She owns my whole heart. You could not have done anything – anything! – to hurt me more than to injure my beloved wife, and so very badly that she left without a word. I do not want to see you again, Mother; I truly cannot bear to look at you.”
***
That night, after Mr. Darcy had given up hoping that Elizabeth would return that day, he found a note in her hand on his bed. “Evans, where did this come from?”
“I found it on the floor, sir. It had been pushed under the door.”
Opening it, he read:
Mr. Darcy,
Do not look for me, please. I need time to decide what to do, where to go.
E.D.
Mr. Darcy! That is how she addressed him? So coldly, so formally! But how could he expect more, given how he had allowed her to be treated? She had asked him not to look for her. Dear God, where could she be?
Chapter Fifty-Two
Elizabeth! What on earth? Come in, you’ll drown out there.” Casting a reproving eye on the torrential rain, Mrs. Gardiner drew her niece inside.
“Aunt, may I stay here? I had to leave –“ And Elizabeth just shook her head, unable to continue.
“Of course, but why – no matter, we can discuss it later.” Taking the small valise from her niece’s hands, she told a hovering servant to show the coachman where to bring the carriage. “Come upstairs, Lizzy; we’ll get you settled.”
In the guest room, Mrs. Gardiner watched her niece sit on the bed and then stare blankly into space. This was definitely not the bright, lively young woman she had seen marry one of society’s most eligible bachelors just a few months before. What could have happened? “Elizabeth, do you want tea? Refreshments?”
