Page 11 of Searching for Elizabeth
Smithson nodded and began his report:“Mrs. Goulding fired her lady’s maid because she accused her of stealing a broach. Mrs. Long was aggressively pushing herniecetowardthe Gouldingheir, hoping for a match…” Smithson went on and on withgossipof questionable interest, but Darcy schooled himself to listen carefully. Finally one item stopped him cold:
Apparently one of Netherfield’s tenants, a young man, had been hired as a server for the ball, and he had overheard Mrs. Bennet saying that Bingley would soon propose to Jane Bennet, hopefully that very night, and that she knew for a fact that Mr. Collins would propose to Miss Elizabeth the very next day.
It was just as he had feared:Mr. Collins had designs on Miss Elizabeth!
Darcy held his hand up, stopping the flow of Smithson’s words. He did not want to miss anything, and just then he did not think he could listen. He was rocked down to his stockings with the image of that officious, prattling, ignorant, clumsy, malodorous man wedded to his beloved. It had beendifficultenough to watch Elizabeth dance a single set with him. She winced every time Collins stepped on her toes; her polite smile had wavered a few times when they were jostled together by his bumbling and misstepping and ruining the dance pattern; and Darcy had seen her press her lips together desperately after the fool had said something to her with a particularly smarmy leer.
Rising from his seat, Darcy got up, poured himself a finger of brandy, sipped the spirit, and then resumed his seat. “Carry on,” he told his valet.
Smithson reported several more items and then said, “Another thing about Mr. Collins, sir: The housemaid at Lucas Lodge—the family does not keep a cook or housekeeper— told Netherfield’s kitchen maid, Hannah, that the parson showed up at the lodge yesterday evening, and he was, she said, ‘in a snit.’ The Lucas housemaid said that Mr. Collins complained that he had been—and I quote— ‘immensely insulted’ by an ‘ungrateful miss’ who would likely never receive another offer from ‘such an eligible man’ as himself.”
Smithson paused, letting Darcy absorb the implication;it seemed that Elizabeth had turned Collins down. Thank god!
Several minutes later, when Smithson concluded retelling all the gossip he had collected, Darcy said, “I believe you have not said anything that originated from Longbourn itself. I know that they have, at the minimum, one maid, a cook, a housekeeper named Mrs. Hill, and Mr. Hill, who is, I believe, a man of all work. I have seen three workers in the stables, as well. Was there nothing that originated from any of these servants?”
Smithson reflected and finally said, “They may be a very closed-lip group, at least to servants not in the same house; this of course is a sign of a well-run house with a loyal staff. But…Iam not sure that Longbourn is all that well-run. I am just going by its general reputation; I cannot say that I know anything very specific about the subject.”
Darcy nodded.
“But…” Smithson said, hesitating, “it was not really a rumor or gossip, so I did not think to include this, but I do remember hearing that the housekeeper was very unhappy looking yesterday.”
Darcy nodded. He liked Mrs. Hill, from what he had seen, but he thought it would be difficult to speak with her alone, at least without raising questions from the Bennets. But it would be easy enough to talk privately with her husband, as he was often outside.
Assuming that Miss Mary was correct, that Elizabeth was somewhere safe in a cottage with a fireplace andsomefood (not a lot), Darcy felt less panicky than he had the night before. Still, Netherfield was so close to empty, so quiet, he hated to stay there until dinner and nighttime. He decided to ride once again, to search a bit more.
Darcy decided that, every time he searched for Elizabeth, he would carry along some food. He approached Netherfield’s housekeeper and arranged to have a packet made up of foods that would keep for a long time. He did not bother to explain the need, and he was satisfied with the prompt compliance with his request.
As he rode towards Longbourn, Darcy had a revelation: Elizabeth always walked. Wherever this cottage was, she had discovered it by walking, not riding. And so he should search for it the same way.
How could an entire cottage not be known to anybody other than Elizabeth and Miss Mary? Was that not entirely unlikely? It must not be in a field or glade or meadow. It must be in an overgrown part of the forest.
Darcy could only speculate as to its condition!
Riding into the forest, Darcy soon found himself following a wide trail. Hediscovereda glade where he could leave his mount to happily munch for an hour or two, and, tying off the reins, he carefully looked around, memorizing individual trees and a singular boulder. He would have to be mindful in order to search for Elizabeth and not get lost himself, and his mouth twisted upward in an ironic smile. It would not do to get so lost that the lovelyElizabethwould have to rescuehim!
Settingoff on foot, he looked for narrow foot trails and any other trail offshoots. He took the time to carefully bend a branch or twig that grew around waist height every six feet or so; that way, even days later, he would be able to tell that this was a route he had explored.
Darcy walked and walked, carrying the packet of food. He walked until the lengthening shadows convinced him to go back to his horse, back to the manor, back to another restless night.
Chapter 12: Elizabeth
—the next morning—
Elizabeth Bennet hoped Mary would come that day.If Mary did not come with more supplies, she would have to purchase some food for herself or find someone to purchase it for her.
While she waited for her sister, Elizabeth wrote in her journal, carefully copied the last story forTales from the Hedgerows, wrote a long and tragic poem—an ode, she decided—and then dove into writing another one of her humorous children’s stories.
She ate a small breakfast and sipped some tea. Later, when she took a walk, she would get more water from the nearby spring, she thought. It was grueling, living alone like this.
Lizzy could not help it;she needed to cry again. It was so unlike her, but her life had been turned upside down, so who knew what was “like her" in this new reality? She pushed aside her empty cup and plate, and she crossed her arms, laid her head down on her arms, and sobbed.
Mary did not come.Lizzyfelt desperate for a walk and needed more water, but she did not want to leave the house if Mary should come. She realized that she needed to make an arrangement—a secret place outside of the house, whereshe would leave a message if she left. It wouldbe best if it couldbe big enough for Mary to leave food orother supplies, as well.
She went outside, carefully listening and then scanning to see if anybody should happen to be near. As usual, the forest surrounding her was full of the soft sounds of small animals moving about, and occasional birdsong. She heard nothing that indicated that people were nearby.
Lizzy left the door of the cottage unlocked, and she kept the cottage in sight, in case Mary arrived. She was looking for a tree hollow, or a hollow stump or log, where things could be stowed and hidden.
Finally, she found a small log that had a surprisingly large cavity. It might just do, and she managed to carry it, a few steps at a time, until she positioned it quite close to her front door, tucked under a holly bush.
