Page 31 of Miss Gardiner
“Miss, if what your father shouted is true, your sister may be distraught. She may have wondered into the woods,” thefootman offered.
“Then we must walk along the road and call for her,” Elizabeth decided.
The coachman kept the horses at a walking pace as Elizabeth and the footman scoured both sides of the road for any sign of the missing woman. It took them almost an hour, but they caught sight of Sir William and Lady Lucas stopped beside the road talking to someone seated on the ground.
Hurrying forward, Elizabeth saw that Jane was seated on the grass, holding out a hand begging for aid. As she grew closer, Elizabeth could hear Lady Lucas cursing Jane, saying, “Harlot! Better you died than betray your father and mother this way.”
Sir William pulled his wife away from the tearful woman as her sister arrived, the fury evident on Elizabeth Bennet’s face as she shouted, “Lady Lucas, have you forgotten your scripture? Matthew Chapter 7; Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Lady Lucas pulled back as though slapped and Elizabeth shouted, “And what of the parable of the Good Samaritan? These teachings are forgot this afternoon!”
“Come away,” Sir William insisted as he pulled his wife along the road. Neither one looked back.
Once the couple were some distance and the footman moved to stand in front of the two sisters, Elizabeth enveloped Jane in her arms and repeated, “I am here. You will be well. No one will ever hurt you again. I am here now.”
Elizabeth guided Jane into the carriage and the footman closed the door behind them. The driver started the team forward and as the carriage passed the Lucas couple, the chambermaid leaned out of the window and spit on them. Then she proceeded to help Miss Elizabeth wrap her sister in blankets.
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The carriage arrived back at Gracechurch Street before dark with tired horses, passengers, coachman, and footman. They stopped at an inn between Meryton and London to rest for a few moments though Jane refused to exit the carriage. Elizabeth insisted the coachman and maid have luncheon and they brought out bread and small beer for the footman, Elizabeth and Jane. After that pause, the carriage did not stop again until it was outside the house.
Elizabeth pulled Jane into the small hall at the front door where Aunt Madeline took her into her arms and then Uncle Edward embraced them both. Feeling safe, Jane sobbed with relief and loss. She was led into the parlour and seated on the sofa while Elizabeth went to the kitchen to order tea.
The woman and all the maids were listening to the chambermaid tell about the brave Miss Elizabeth and the beautiful Miss Jane, declaring, “Howard protected them both from folks. The countryside is full of mean people!”
“Cook, if you could send out some tea and couple of your sweet cakes, I must get some food in my sister.”
“I have some clear soup the mistress had me prepare,” replied the woman.
“My aunt thinks of everything,” Elizabeth replied. “The tea and some of the soup, please.”
When Jane had managed to consume a cup of both tea and soup, Mr and Mrs Gardiner asked Elizabeth to share her recount of the day. When she repeated the words of her father, tears fell from many eyes and Uncle Edward’s lips pressed together in anger.
“I must leave tomorrow,” Jane said. “I cannot stay here, or my disgrace will tarnish all of you.”
Nonsense,” Aunt Madeline replied. “I cannot bear the idea…
“What if Jane and I move into the rooms on the third-floor next door?” Elizabeth suggested. “The door to the ground floor is locked when Uncle Edward is not in his office and no guests would see us.”
“You cannot disappear, Lizzy,” Aunt Madeline replied. “There would be gossip.”
“What do you mean about next door?” asked Jane.
Uncle Edward explained that he owned the next house, and they had cut doors on the first and third floor to provide connexions. “My main office is just next door to my family now.”
“We will have morning and afternoon sun,” Elizabeth assured her sister.
“And the children can visit every day,” Aunt Madeline added.
“What about… when my babe is due? What will I do?”
Aunt Madeline slipped an arm around Jane’s shoulder and said, “There is an excellent midwife two streets over and she is very discrete. You are not the first woman in distress in London or even inthis neighbourhood.”
Both Edward and Elizabeth looked surprized to hear Madeline say such, but they kept back any questions.
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For the first night, Elizabeth and Jane shared the bed in Elizabeth’s room, much like when they were children. Fortunately, Jane was exhausted, and sleep came quickly to both young women. The next morning, the Gardiner children were excited to find ‘Cousin Jane’ with their parents and Lizzy. They vaguely remembered Jane, but she listened to them and played with them the whole of the day.
