Jane received a hastily written missive from Hunsford several days after Elizabeth had been taken from Netherfield. Her hands shook as she opened the letter and stepped away from her father’s bedside.
He had been at Netherfield in a guest room since the night of the ball. His heart was still weak but the doctor from London had said he would recover in time. Jane doubted her father would be the man he was before that night, but she dared not share such sentiment with her mother.
Mrs. Bennet was quartered in the room next to her husband as her nerves required the attention of Mr. Jones, the apothecary. Between the arguments of her younger sisters and Mary’s incessant attention to the pianoforte in the parlor, Jane could find no quarter save the gardens. She longed to return to Brambling Hall and a peaceful life far from her family.
She hurried down the hallway with Elizabeth’s letter and out onto a terrace that overlooked the garden. She breathed deeply and steadied her hands as she glanced to her sister’s hand upon the page.
Dearest Jane,
I must not be caught writing to you but there is much to tell. Mr. Collins has taken me against my will from Hertfordshire to Hunsford. I am to stay at Rosings Park until the day we are married.
I have attempted escape since the night he forced me into his conveyance and I shall continue these efforts until there is no other choice left to me.
I beg you to alert Mr. Darcy and his mother of this situation in hopes they might intervene on my behalf.
I hope this letter finds you before my fate is decided. I am certain mother and father could not have known the low character of Mr. Collins and of his abusive nature, for they would not have been complicit in this cruel plot.
Desperately,
Elizabeth
Jane held the letter close to her heart as anger rose in her breast. She had known her sister would not go willingly with their cousin! There was nothing her parents might do now to save Elizabeth but surely Mr. Darcy might. She hurried to the library with the hope she might find her husband there.
Charles Bingley glanced up from his correspondence as Jane entered the library, the bright stain upon her cheeks causing him immediate concern.
He rose and met her as she crossed the room. “My dear, what has happened? Is it your father?”
Jane breathed deeply and held out the letter from Elizabeth. Her hand shook so that Bingley escorted her to the sofa and took the letter, placing it upon the table and holding her hands in his own until the trembling ceased.
“Oh Charles, you must read it now and send for Mr. Darcy!” Jane cried as her husband made soothing noises and held her closer.
“Come now, Jane. What has put you into such a state? I shall read the letter. It is not good for you to become so upset.”
Jane breathed deeply and nodded at her husband. His concern for her had grown since the night of the ball and Elizabeth’s disappearance.
Mr. Bingley retrieved the letter as he felt the tension leave Jane’s body. The business with her father and mother had put an added strain upon her and he would see they spent the evening without interruption from her sisters and mother.
Jane sat, her hands twisting slowly in the folds of her skirts while her husband read Elizabeth’s letter. Mr. Darcy would come, she was sure of it and they must send for him today. Charles stood and paced before her, his eyes returning again and again to the terrible news on the paper in his hands.
“Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne will not be pleased to know of this, of that I can assure you. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is Lady Anne’s sister, did you know?”
Jane covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes gone wide. The Darcys would surely intervene. Her voice shook as she stared at her husband. “We must send word to Mr. Darcy today. There is little time to waste. It has been a week since she disappeared and Mr. Collins will force my sister to wed as soon as he is able. You see she has sworn to escape her situation. I would go to her Charles, for I cannot remain here while she is held against her will.”
Mr. Bingley sat again on the sofa beside Jane and took her hand. “I will send an express in a few moments, I give you my word. But my dearest, you shall not travel to Kent in such a state. You must trust in Darcy and Lady Anne, for they do care for Lizzy.”
Jane breathed deeply and tried to make sense of her husband’s words. The world spun around her and she sobbed as the light faded before her eyes.
Mr. Darcy raised his head at the abrupt entrance of his mother to the library. She issued orders to the butler to have their carriage brought round and sent for her maid.
“William, we must leave within the hour for Kent. Miss Elizabeth is in need of our assistance and we cannot fail her. My sister has made a terrible mistake and I will not allow it to stand.”
Mr. Darcy was out of the seat behind his desk at the mention of Elizabeth Bennet’s name. “Mother, what can you mean? What has Miss Bennet to do with Aunt Catherine and Kent?”
Lady Anne handed her son the express from Netherfield and turned as her maid entered the room. “Wells, go now and pack a few things for we must leave for Kent. Have a bag packed for my son as well. Do not fail me, I must be away before the hour has passed.”
Wells hurried from the room, a curt nod the only motion wasted in acknowledgment of her mistresses’ demands.
Lady Anne paced the room as Mr. Darcy read the words of his friend, anger flashing in his eyes.
“Miss Elizabeth was not promised to her cousin. I forgot my composure once and asked her that very question. She assured me she was not promised to any man. With Mrs. Bingley’s word that she was taken and is being held against her will, I know it to be true.”
Lady Anne took her son’s hand and hurried to the waiting carriage outside Darcy House.
He helped his mother into the carriage, his mind racing with worry. “Mother, I should ride at once as I would cover the distance much faster upon my own horse.”
Lady Anne Darcy shook her head emphatically. “Miss Elizabeth shall be safe at least for another week, my sister is much too frugal to seek a special license for her parson to wed before the banns are read. Besides, I would not wait here when the young lady who rescued me from my exile requires my assistance.”
Mr. Darcy hoped his mother was correct. Lady Catherine de Bourgh would never be so wasteful, he was certain. And her sense of propriety would demand Elizabeth Bennet remain at Rosings before the wedding to quell gossip among the villagers.
Still, his anger at the Bennets and Mr. Collins left him eager to dash away at once for Kent. He would not allow his mother to travel alone and he knew she would not wait at Darcy House. Resigned to the facts, he rapped his knuckles impatiently against the roof of the carriage.