Elizabeth had already realized that Miss Bingley disliked her because she was jealous of Darcy.
So she could not help wondering how Miss Bingley would behave when they met again at Pemberley.
She was also curious to see whether Miss Bingley would still pretend to be friendly.
When Elizabeth and the Gardiners arrived at Pemberley, they were shown through the entrance hall into a beautiful summer sitting room.
The large windows opened onto the grounds, giving them a lovely view of the wooded hills and the great oak and chestnut trees scattered across the lawn.
Georgiana was waiting there with Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, and Mrs. Annesley.
Georgiana greeted them politely.
But she was so shy and nervous that someone who did not know her might easily mistake her behavior for pride.
Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner understood the reason and felt sorry for her.
Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley barely acknowledged their guests.
After everyone sat down, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Mrs. Annesley finally started a conversation.
She was pleasant and friendly, and her good manners quickly became obvious.
She and Mrs. Gardiner kept the conversation going, with Elizabeth occasionally joining them.
Georgiana clearly wanted to participate, too.
Whenever she found a safe opportunity, she managed to say a few quiet words.
Elizabeth soon noticed that Miss Bingley was watching her closely.
She seemed determined to notice every word Elizabeth said, especially whenever she spoke to Georgiana.
Elizabeth would have liked to talk more with Georgiana, but they were sitting too far apart.
She was not entirely sorry.
Her own thoughts were keeping her busy enough.
She expected Darcy or one of the other gentlemen to enter at any moment.
She both hoped and feared that Darcy would be the one to appear.
She could not decide which feeling was stronger.
After nearly fifteen minutes of awkward silence, Miss Bingley finally spoke.
“How is your family, Miss Bennet?”
“They are very well, thank you.”
Miss Bingley gave no further response.
Soon afterward, servants entered carrying cold meats, cakes, and fresh fruit.
Mrs. Annesley had already given Georgiana several encouraging looks, reminding her that she was the hostess.
Now everyone had something to do.
They might not have much to say, but at least they could eat.
The beautiful grapes, peaches, and nectarines soon brought everyone around the table.
While they were eating, Elizabeth finally discovered how she truly felt about Darcy’s arrival.
Only a moment before, she had believed that she wanted to see him.
But when he actually entered the room, she suddenly wished he had stayed away.
Darcy had been fishing with Mr. Gardiner and several other gentlemen near the river.
He had only returned after learning that Elizabeth and the other ladies were visiting Georgiana.
As soon as Darcy appeared, Elizabeth made up her mind to behave naturally.
She would not allow herself to become nervous.
That was not easy.
Everyone seemed to be watching Darcy and Elizabeth.
Miss Bingley was watching them most carefully.
She smiled whenever she spoke to Darcy, but her jealousy was obvious.
She had certainly not given up her hopes of winning him.
Georgiana became more willing to talk once her brother entered.
Elizabeth noticed that Darcy was clearly trying to help Georgiana and Elizabeth become comfortable with each other.
He encouraged every attempt they made to start a conversation.
Miss Bingley noticed it too.
Her jealousy finally got the better of her.
She smiled sweetly and said,
“Miss Eliza, have the militia left Meryton?”
She paused.
“They must be a great loss to your family.”
Elizabeth immediately understood what she was doing.
Miss Bingley had avoided saying Wickham’s name in front of Darcy, but that was obviously who she meant.
For a moment, Elizabeth felt distressed.
Wickham’s name brought back memories she would rather forget.
Still, she quickly pulled herself together.
“Yes, they have left Meryton,” she answered calmly.
As she spoke, she happened to glance at Darcy.
His face had become noticeably red.
He was looking at her with serious concern.
Georgiana was so embarrassed that she could not even raise her eyes.
Miss Bingley had no idea how much pain her remark had caused Georgiana.
She had only wanted to make Elizabeth uncomfortable.
She hoped Elizabeth would show some emotion when Wickham was mentioned and that Darcy would be reminded of the embarrassing connection between Wickham and the Bennet family.
She knew nothing about what Wickham had once done to Georgiana.
That secret had been carefully protected.
Darcy especially wanted to keep it from Miss Bingley and the rest of his family circle.
He had once hoped that Bingley might eventually marry Georgiana, and he had every reason to protect his sister’s reputation.
Elizabeth’s calm response soon settled Darcy’s concern.
Miss Bingley, seeing that her attack had failed, did not dare mention Wickham again.
Georgiana slowly recovered, although she was still too embarrassed to speak.
Darcy, meanwhile, seemed even more pleased to be near Elizabeth.
Miss Bingley’s attempt to turn his attention away from her had done exactly the opposite.
The visit ended soon afterward.
Darcy accompanied the ladies to their carriage.
While he was outside, Miss Bingley stayed behind and began criticizing Elizabeth’s appearance, clothes, and manners.
Georgiana refused to join her.
Her brother had spoken so warmly of Elizabeth that she trusted his judgment completely.
To Georgiana, anyone Darcy admired must surely be a good person.
When Darcy returned to the sitting room, Miss Bingley could not resist continuing her attack.
“How terribly Eliza Bennet looks this morning, Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy looked at her without much interest.
“I have never seen anyone change so much since winter,” Miss Bingley continued. “She has become so dark and plain. Louisa and I were saying that we might hardly have recognized her.”
Darcy calmly replied,
“I noticed that she is more tanned. That is hardly surprising after traveling in summer.”
Miss Bingley was annoyed by his refusal to criticize Elizabeth.
“I must admit that I never understood why anyone thought she was beautiful.”
Darcy said nothing.
“Her face is too thin. Her complexion is dull. Her features are nothing special.”
Still he remained silent.
“Her eyes have always been praised, but I have never seen anything remarkable about them. They look sharp and unpleasant.”
She went on.
“And her whole manner is so confident without being elegant. I find it extremely irritating.”
Miss Bingley knew perfectly well that Darcy admired Elizabeth.
She probably thought that attacking Elizabeth would make him reconsider his feelings.
Instead, she only made him more irritated.
Seeing that he was becoming impatient, she decided to remind him of his old opinion.
“I remember when we first met her in Hertfordshire. We were all surprised that she was supposed to be beautiful.”
She smiled.
“I especially remember what you said after the Bennets had dinner at Netherfield.”
Darcy looked at her.
“You said that calling her beautiful was almost as ridiculous as calling her mother intelligent.”
Miss Bingley continued,
“But later you seemed to change your mind. I believe you eventually thought she was rather pretty.”
Darcy finally lost patience.
“Yes,” he said. “That was when I first met her.”
He looked at Miss Bingley calmly.
“It has been many months since I began to consider her one of the most beautiful women I know.”
Then he left the room.
Miss Bingley was furious.
She had tried to make Darcy dislike Elizabeth.
Instead, she had forced him to praise her.
On the way back to the inn, Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth discussed everything that had happened at Pemberley.
They talked about Georgiana.
They talked about Miss Bingley.
They talked about the house and the people they had met.
But neither of them mentioned Darcy.
Yet he was clearly the person they were both thinking about.
Elizabeth desperately wanted to know what her aunt thought of him.
Mrs. Gardiner, meanwhile, would have been very pleased if Elizabeth had asked.
Before either of them could say anything, however, they arrived back at the inn.
Elizabeth’s thoughts were soon interrupted by the arrival of two letters from Jane.
She had been disappointed not to receive a letter from her sister when they first arrived in Lambton.
Each morning afterward, she had hoped for news.
Now, on the third morning, two letters arrived at once.
One had been sent to the wrong place, which explained the delay.
Elizabeth was not surprised.
Jane had always been terrible at writing addresses.
They had just been preparing to go out when the letters arrived.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner kindly left Elizabeth alone so she could read them in peace.
She opened the misdirected letter first.
It had been written five days earlier.
The first part contained ordinary news about small gatherings and daily events in Hertfordshire.
But the second part, written the following day, was completely different.
Jane had clearly written it in a state of panic.
“My dearest Lizzy,
“Something terrible and completely unexpected has happened since I wrote the first part of this letter.
“Please don’t be frightened. Everyone here is safe, but the news concerns poor Lydia.
“An urgent message arrived last night from Colonel Forster. He told us that Lydia has left Brighton with one of the officers.”
Elizabeth’s heart began to race.
Jane continued.
“I can hardly believe it, Lizzy. She has gone with Wickham.
“Can you imagine our shock?
“Kitty seems to think it is not as surprising as it is to me.
“I am terribly sorry about it. A marriage between them would be extremely foolish, but I am still trying to hope for the best.
“Perhaps we have misunderstood Wickham. I can believe that he is careless and thoughtless, but I do not want to believe that he is truly bad.
“At least his choice cannot be because of money. He must know that Father cannot give Lydia anything.
“Mother is devastated, but Father is bearing it better.
“I am so thankful that we never told them everything we had heard about Wickham. Perhaps we should forget it ourselves now.
“They probably left Brighton around midnight on Saturday, but no one realized they were gone until eight the next morning.
“Colonel Forster sent the message immediately.
“Dear Lizzy, they must have passed within ten miles of us.
“Colonel Forster believes they will probably come here soon.
“Lydia left a short note for Mrs. Forster saying that they intended to go to Scotland.
“I must stop now. I cannot leave Mother alone for long.
“Please forgive this terrible letter. I hardly know what I have written.”
Elizabeth finished reading.
She could barely think.
Without giving herself time to recover, she opened Jane’s second letter.
It had been written one day later.
“My dearest Lizzy,
“By now you must have received my first letter.
“I hope this one will be easier to understand, although I am so confused that I cannot promise that I will make much sense.
“I have terrible news, and I cannot wait any longer to tell you.
“We were worried about how foolish Lydia’s marriage to Wickham would be.
“Now we are desperate to know whether they have married at all.
“There is too much reason to fear that they never went to Scotland.
“Colonel Forster arrived yesterday. He had left Brighton the day before, only a few hours after sending the urgent message.
“Lydia’s note to Mrs. Forster said they were going to Scotland.
“But Denny had apparently said that he did not believe Wickham ever intended to go there or marry Lydia.
“When Colonel Forster heard this, he immediately became alarmed and set out to find them.
“He followed their route as far as Clapham.
“But there they changed into a hired coach and sent away the carriage that had brought them from Epsom.
“After that, no one knows exactly where they went.
“They were seen continuing toward London.
“Colonel Forster searched everywhere he could around London, but he found nothing.
“He then came toward Hertfordshire, asking questions at every toll gate and at inns in Barnet and Hatfield.
“No one had seen Lydia and Wickham.
“Finally, he came to Longbourn and told us everything.
“He was deeply concerned for Lydia and for all of us.
“I feel terribly sorry for him and Mrs. Forster. They cannot be blamed for what happened.
“Our family is in complete distress.
“Father and Mother believe the worst.
“I am trying not to.
“Perhaps Wickham decided that it would be easier to marry Lydia quietly in London rather than continue with their original plan.
“Surely Lydia could not have gone with him without expecting to become his wife.
“I cannot believe she would have allowed herself to be completely ruined.
“Yet Colonel Forster does not share my hope.
“When I told him that I still believed they would marry, he only shook his head.
“He said he was afraid Wickham was not a man who could be trusted.
“Mother is truly ill and has stayed in her room.
“Father is more distressed than I have ever seen him.
“Kitty is angry that Lydia kept her feelings secret from us, but it was a private confidence, so I cannot blame her.
“I am grateful that you were spared the first shock of all this.
“But now that the first panic has passed, I must admit that I desperately want you to come home.
“I do not want to make things difficult for you, so please do not come if the journey would be inconvenient.
“Goodbye for now.
“I am taking up my pen again because I cannot keep myself from asking you to come as soon as possible.
“I know my uncle and aunt will understand what we are facing.
“Father is going to London with Colonel Forster immediately to try to find Lydia.
“I am afraid Father is too upset to think clearly.
“Colonel Forster must return to Brighton tomorrow evening.
“In such a terrible situation, Uncle Gardiner’s advice and help would mean everything to us.
“I trust his judgment completely.
“Please come home as soon as you can.”
Elizabeth dropped the letter onto the table.
“Oh, where is my uncle?”
She jumped to her feet.
“I must find him immediately.”
She hurried toward the door.
But before she could leave, the door opened.
Darcy stood there.
He was startled by Elizabeth’s pale face and hurried movements.
Before he could say anything, Elizabeth spoke quickly.
“I am sorry, Mr. Darcy, but I must leave. I need to find Mr. Gardiner immediately. It is extremely urgent.”
“Good God! What has happened?”
Darcy’s voice was filled with genuine concern.
Then he quickly composed himself.
“I will not delay you. But please let me send someone to find Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.”
“You are not well enough to go yourself.”
Elizabeth hesitated.
Her legs were trembling.
She realized that she would not get far in her current state.
She called the servant back.
“Please find Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and tell them to come here immediately.”
The servant hurried away.
Elizabeth sat down.
She was so overwhelmed that she could barely remain upright.
Darcy could not bring himself to leave her.
“Please let me call your maid,” he said gently.
“Is there anything you can take? Some wine, perhaps?”
He looked deeply concerned.
“You are very unwell.”
“No, thank you,” Elizabeth managed to say.
“I am all right. It is only some terrible news from Longbourn.”
The moment she mentioned it, tears filled her eyes.
For several minutes she could not speak.
Darcy stood nearby in painful silence.
Finally, Elizabeth forced herself to continue.
“I have just received a letter from Jane.”
Her voice shook.
“The news is terrible.”
“My youngest sister, Lydia, has run away with Mr. Wickham.”
Darcy stared at her in shock.
“They left Brighton together.”
She covered her face with one hand.
“You know Wickham well enough to understand what that means.”
“She has no money. No fortune. No connections that could possibly benefit him.”
“She is ruined.”
Darcy could hardly believe what he was hearing.
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely certain.”
Elizabeth nodded through her tears.
“They left Brighton on Sunday night. They were followed almost all the way to London, but no one has found them since.”
“They certainly did not go to Scotland.”
Darcy’s expression became grave.
“What has been done to find her?”
“My father has gone to London.”
“Jane has written to my uncle asking for his immediate help.”
“We are leaving as soon as possible.”
Elizabeth’s voice broke.
“But what can anyone do?”
“How can they even find them?”
“I have no hope.”
“It is horrible.”
Darcy said nothing.
He slowly shook his head.
Elizabeth continued through her tears.
“When I finally understood what Wickham was really like, I should have warned my family.”
“I knew enough to stop this.”
“If only I had told them everything I had learned.”
“If they had known what kind of man he was, this could never have happened.”
She pressed her hands together.
“But now it is too late.”
“Such a terrible mistake.”
Darcy walked slowly across the room.
His face was serious and his expression dark.
Elizabeth watched him carefully.
She understood what he was thinking.
Her family’s disgrace must have affected his feelings for her.
After everything he had learned about her family, how could he possibly continue to love her?
She could not blame him.
Yet that thought brought her no comfort.
Instead, it finally made her understand how much she had come to care about him.
She realized that she might have loved Darcy.
Perhaps she could have loved him deeply.
And now, when she finally understood her own feelings, it was probably too late.
But Lydia’s situation soon pushed every personal thought out of her mind.
She could think only of her sister.
She covered her face and remained silent for several minutes.
Finally Darcy spoke.
“I fear you have been wishing for me to leave.”
He paused.
“I have no good reason for remaining except that I am truly concerned for you.”
“I wish there were something I could say or do to make this easier.”
“But I know that empty promises will not help.”
He hesitated.
“This unfortunate news will probably mean that my sister will not have the pleasure of seeing you at Pemberley today.”
Elizabeth quickly replied,
“Yes. Please apologize to Miss Darcy for us.”
“Tell her that urgent family business requires us to return home immediately.”
“Please keep the real reason secret for as long as possible.”
“I know it cannot remain secret forever.”
Darcy immediately agreed.
“Of course. I will say nothing.”
“I am very sorry for what you are going through.”
“I hope this matter ends better than it appears likely to at present.”
He paused at the door.
“Please give my regards to your aunt and uncle.”
Then he left.
Elizabeth watched him go.
She suddenly felt that she might never see him again under such friendly circumstances.
As she thought back over everything that had happened between them, she was struck by how strange their relationship had been.
There had been misunderstandings, anger, pride, and painful mistakes.
Not long ago, she had been delighted at the thought of never seeing him again.
Now she regretted watching him leave.
Perhaps gratitude and respect could grow into love.
Perhaps they were better foundations for affection than an instant attraction based only on appearance.
Elizabeth had already learned how unreliable first impressions could be.
She had once been attracted to Wickham almost immediately.
She had admired his charm before she knew anything about his character.
That mistake had taught her a painful lesson.
Perhaps it was better to build affection slowly, through respect and understanding.
Whatever the truth, Elizabeth was deeply sorry to see Darcy leave.
But Lydia soon became her only concern.
Elizabeth had never believed, after reading Jane’s second letter, that Wickham truly intended to marry Lydia.
Jane was the only person who still hoped for such an outcome.
At first, Elizabeth had been shocked that Wickham would run away with Lydia when she could offer him no money.
She could not understand what he could possibly want from her.
Now she understood.
Lydia had exactly the qualities that could attract a man like Wickham.
She was young, careless, easily flattered, and completely inexperienced.
Elizabeth had never noticed that Lydia had any particular interest in Wickham while the regiment was in Hertfordshire.
But Lydia had never needed much encouragement to become attached to someone.
One officer would be her favorite for a while.
Then another would replace him as soon as he gave her more attention.
Her feelings were always changing, but they were never without an object.
Elizabeth now saw how dangerous it had been to allow such a girl so much freedom.
Her parents had spoiled Lydia and failed to guide her.
She felt the consequences of that mistake more painfully than ever.
Elizabeth desperately wanted to be home.
She wanted to see Jane.
She wanted to share the burden with her sister.
Their family was in chaos.
Their father was away.
Their mother was too ill to help.
Jane would have to face most of it alone.
Even though Elizabeth was almost convinced that nothing could be done for Lydia, she knew that her uncle’s help could be extremely important.
She could hardly bear waiting for him.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner soon returned in great alarm.
The servant had told them that Elizabeth appeared suddenly ill.
Elizabeth immediately assured them that she was physically safe.
Then she explained what had happened.
She read both of Jane’s letters aloud.
Her voice trembled as she reached the desperate request at the end of Jane’s second letter.
The Gardiners had never been especially fond of Lydia.
But they were deeply shocked.
This was not only Lydia’s problem.
The entire family was affected.
After their first expressions of disbelief and horror, Mr. Gardiner spoke firmly.
“I will do everything I can to help.”
Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you.”
She had expected nothing less from him.
The three of them immediately began making plans.
They would leave as soon as possible.
“But what about Pemberley?” Mrs. Gardiner suddenly asked.
“John told us that Mr. Darcy was here when we sent for you.”
“Was he?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied.
“I told him that we could no longer keep our engagement.”
“That is all settled.”
“All settled?”
Mrs. Gardiner looked at her with curiosity as she hurried into her room to prepare.
“Does that mean Elizabeth told him the real reason?”
“If only I knew exactly what happened.”
But there was no time to discuss it.
The next hour passed in a rush of activity.
Elizabeth had plenty to do.
They needed to prepare their luggage and arrange the journey.
They also had to write notes to their friends in Lambton, giving false excuses for their sudden departure.
Within an hour, everything was ready.
Mr. Gardiner had settled the bill at the inn.
There was nothing left to do.
They were leaving.
After the terrible events of the morning, Elizabeth soon found herself sitting in the carriage beside her family.
The horses started forward.
They were on their way back to Longbourn.